Week of December 28-31, 2008
Israel's air force obliterated symbols of Hamas power on the third day of its
overwhelming assault on Gaza on Monday, striking a house next to the Hamas
premier's home, devastating a security compound and flattening a five-story
building at a university closely linked to the Islamic group. The three-day death
toll rose to 315, including seven children under the age of 15 who were killed in
two separate strikes late Sunday and Monday, medics said. Israel launched the
deadliest attack against Palestinians in decades on Saturday in retaliation for
rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns.
Holiday spending down - Despite some of the deepest price cutting ever seen
before Christmas, retail sales still plunged 2% to 4% for the holiday season,
MasterCard's annual SpendingPulse analysis showed. If early December half-
price sales aren't enough, what can retailers do early in the new year when
consumers spending slows even in a good economy?
Tina Fey
was voted The Associated
Press' Entertainer of the Year, an annual
honor chosen by newspaper editors and
broadcast producers across the country.
Fey was selected by AP members as the
performer who had the greatest impact on
culture and entertainment in 2008. The 38-
year-old comedian bested runner-up
Robert Downey Jr., whose comeback was
capped with the blockbuster smash,”Iron
Man” and the third-place vote-getter,
Heath Ledger, who posthumously wowed
audiences as the Joker in " The Dark
Knight."
George Francis, the nation's oldest man, has died. He was 112.
Forget it - Veteran African-American officeholder Roland Burris is appointed to
the Senate by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich. As one writer put it - “With one
stunning and politically exquisite act of defiance, he audaciously reasserted his
authority and designed a trap that his opponents cannot easily sidestep.”
Interest rates on U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped for a ninth
consecutive week, reaching their lowest level in 37 years, according to a survey
released on Wednesday by home funding company Freddie Mac.Interest rates
on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to an average of 5.10 percent for the
week ending Wednesday, down from the previous week's 5.14 percent, Freddie
Mac said.
Week of December 28-31, 2008
The daughter of former vice
presidential candidate Sarah Palin
has given birth to a son, a magazine
reported Monday.
Bristol Palin
, 18,
gave birth to Tripp Easton Mitchell
Johnston on Saturday, People
magazine reported online. He
weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces. Colleen
Jones, the sister of Bristol's
grandmother, told the magazine that
"the baby is fine and Bristol is doing
well."
Passing - Singer-songwriter -producer Delaney Bramlett such classic rock songs
as "Let it Rain" and worked with musicians George Harrison and Eric Clapton,
has died. He was 69. During the early 1970’s, he teamed with his then wife
Bonnie Lynn to record the hits, “Only You Know And I Know” and “Never Ending
Song.’
Top TV this week:
1.
NCIS
CBS
2.
The Mentalist
CBS
3.
Sunday Night Football: Carolina Panthers at New York Giants
NBC
4.
Two and a Half Men
CBS
5.
Criminal Minds
CBS
6.
CSI: Miami
CBS
7.
Without a Trace
CBS
8.
CSI: NY
CBS
9.
60 Minutes
CBS
10. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CBS
11. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick
NBC
12. Worst Week
CBS
13. Cold Case
CBS
Week of December 28-31, 2008
14.
Biggest Loser 6
NBC
15.
How I Met Your Mother
CBS
16.
The Big Bang Theory
CBS
17.
Ghost Whisperer
CBS
18.
Eleventh Hour
CBS
19.
Million Dollar Password
CBS
20.
Football Night in America Part 3
1
CHRIS BROWN
9
(5) Jive/Zomba
(1)19/Jive/Zomba
(1) b.i.G. f.a.c.e./SRC/Universal Motown
(1) DTP/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) Familiar Faces/Jive/Zomba
2
RIHANNA
7
(5) SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) Def Jam/Grand
Hustle/IDJMG/Atlantic
(1) A&M/Octone/Interscope
3
LIL WAYNE
17
(6) Cash Money/Universal Motown
(1) Konvict/Nappy Boy/Jive/Zomba
(1) Cash Money/Universal Republic
(1) DTP/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) Geffen/Interscope
(1) The Inc./Universal Motown
(1) LaFace/Zomba
(1) Columbia
(1) Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) b.i.G. f.a.c.e./SRC/Universal Motown
(1) SRC/Universal Motown
(1) Block/Bad Boy South/Atlantic
4
ALICIA KEYS
4
MBK/J/RMG
5
LEONA LEWIS
2
SYCO/J/RMG
6
NE-YO
8
(4) Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic
(1) SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) So So Def/Island Urban/IDJMG
(1) Interscope
7
T-PAIN
19
(3) Konvict/Nappy Boy/Jive/Zomba
(2) Jive/Zomba
(1) Poe Boy/Atlantic
Week of December 28-31, 2008
(1) Cash Money/Universal Motown
(1) Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) Arista/RMG
(1) Universal Republic
(1) LaFace/Zomba
(1) DTP/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) Terror Squad/Koch
(1) Familiar Faces/Jive/Zomba
(1) The Gang/Konvict/Jive/Zomba
(1) Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic
(1) We The Best/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1)-> We The Best/Terror Squad/Koch
8
JORDIN SPARKS
3
19/Jive/Zomba
9
DAUGHTRY
6
(5) RCA/RMG
(1)7Bros/Asylum/ILG
10
TAYLOR SWIFT
11
(4) Big Machine
(4) NBC/Big Machine
(3) Big Machine/Universal Republic
11
COLBIE CAILLAT
4
Universal Republic
12
FLO RIDA
4
(3) Poe Boy/Atlantic
(1) VIP/Universal Republic
13
SARA BAREILLES
2
Epic
14
MARIAH CAREY
4
Island/IDJMG
15
KEYSHIA COLE
9
(4) Imani/Geffen/Interscope
(1) Geffen/Interscope
(1) Amaru/Imani/Geffen/Interscope
(1) Divine Mill/Atlantic
(1)1720/Universal Republic
(1) Slip-N-Slide
16
USHER
5
LaFace/Zomba
17
TIMBALAND
4
(2) Mosley/Blackground/Interscope
(1) Poe Boy/Atlantic
(1)Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
18
ONEREPUBLIC
2
(1) Mosley/Interscope
(1) Mosley/Blackground/Interscope
19
KANYE WEST
11
(7) Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) CTE/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) Home School/Atlantic
(1) So So Def/Island Urban/IDJMG
(1) We The Best/Terror Squad/Koch
20
NATASHA
4
Phonogenic/Epic
BEDINGFIELD
Week of December 28-31, 2008
21
T.I.
7
(4) Grand Hustle/Atlantic
(1) Def Jam/Grand
Hustle/IDJMG/Atlantic
(1) Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) J/RMG
22
THE-DREAM
5
(2) Radio Killa/Def Jam/IDJMG
(2) Def Jam/IDJMG
(1) Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic
23
KATY PERRY
2
Capitol
24
LINKIN PARK
5
Warner Bros.
25
PLIES
7
(4) Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic
(1) Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic
(1) Terror Squad/Koch
(1) We The Best/Terror Squad/Koch
26
FERGIE
4
(3) will.i.am/A&M/Interscope
(1) Derrty/Universal Motown
(1) will.i.am/Starbucks/Concord/CMG
27
3 DOORS DOWN
3
Universal Republic
28
JESSE MCCARTNEY
2
Hollywood
29
BUCKCHERRY
4
(3) Eleven Seven/Atlantic
(1) Eleven Seven/Atlantic/RRP
30
KID ROCK
5
(4) Top Dog/Atlantic
(1) Top Dog/Atlantic/CO5
31
COLDPLAY
4
Capitol
32
PINK
2
Soundscan’s top pop artists for
2008
(Above)
R&R’s Top Pop For 2008 (Below)
LOW
Flo Rida
Poe Boy/Atlantic
Featuring T-
Pain
2
BLEEDING LOVE
Leona Lewis
SYCO/J/RMG
3
APOLOGIZE
Timbaland
Mosley/Blackground/Interscope
Featuring
OneRepublic
4
NO ONE
Alicia Keys
MBK/J/RMG
5
LOVE SONG
Sara Bareilles
Epic
6
WITH YOU
Chris Brown
Jive/Zomba
7
LOVE IN THIS
Usher
LaFace/Zomba
CLUB
Featuring
Young Jeezy
Week of December 28-31, 2008
8
LOLLIPOP
Lil Wayne
Cash Money/Universal Motown
Featuring Static
Major
9
NO AIR
Jordin Sparks
19/Jive/Zomba
Duet With Chris
Brown
10
TAKE A BOW
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG
11
SEXY CAN I
Ray J & Yung
Knockout/DEJA 34/Epic/Koch
Berg
12
FOREVER
Chris Brown
Jive/Zomba
13
CLOSER
Ne-Yo
Def Jam/IDJMG
14
LEAVIN'
Jesse
Hollywood
McCartney
15
IT'S NOT MY
3 Doors Down
Universal Republic
TIME
16
TOUCH MY
Mariah Carey
Island/IDJMG
BODY
17
BUBBLY
Colbie Caillat
Universal Republic
18
POCKETFUL OF
Natasha
Phonogenic/Epic
SUNSHINE
Bedingfield
19
SORRY
Buckcherry
Eleven Seven/Atlantic/RRP
20
ALL SUMMER
Kid Rock
Top Dog/Atlantic
LONG
21
WHATEVER YOU
T.I.
Grand Hustle/Atlantic
LIKE
22
DANGEROUS
Kardinal
KonLive/Geffen/Interscope
Offishall
Featuring Akon
23
KISS KISS
Chris Brown
Jive/Zomba
Featuring T-
Pain
24
BUST IT BABY
Plies Featuring
Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic
PART 2
Ne-Yo
25
PARALYZER
Finger Eleven
Wind-up
26
STOP AND
OneRepublic
Mosley/Interscope
STARE
27
VIVA LA VIDA
Coldplay
Capitol
28
LIKE YOU'LL
Alicia Keys
MBK/J/RMG
NEVER SEE ME
AGAIN
29
CLUMSY
Fergie
will.i.am/A&M/Interscope
30
FEELS LIKE
Daughtry
RCA/RMG
TONIGHT
Week of December 28-31, 2008
31
DISTURBIA
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG
32
TATTOO
Jordin Sparks
19/Jive/Zomba
33
I KISSED A GIRL
Katy Perry
Capitol
34
TEARDROPS ON
Taylor Swift
Big Machine/Universal Republic
MY GUITAR
35
DON'T STOP
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG
THE MUSIC
36
SHADOW OF
Linkin Park
Warner Bros.
THE DAY
37
INDEPENDENT
Webbie
Trill/Asylum/Atlantic
Featuring Lil'
Phat & Lil'
Boosie
38
WHAT YOU GOT
Colby O'Donis
KonLive/Geffen/Interscope
Featuring Akon
39
REALIZE
Colbie Caillat
Universal Republic
40
WHATEVER IT
Lifehouse
Geffen/Interscope
TAKES
41
SUFFOCATE
J. Holiday
Music Line/Capitol
42
TAKE YOU
Sean Kingston
Beluga Heights/Epic
THERE
43
I LUV YOUR
The-Dream
Radio Killa/Def Jam/IDJMG
GIRL
44
SENSUAL
Snoop Dogg
Doggystyle/Geffen/Interscope
SEDUCTION
45
BETTER IN TIME
Leona Lewis
SYCO/J/RMG
46
ADDICTED
Saving Abel
Skiddco/Virgin/Capitol
47
SHAKE IT
Metro Station
Columbia
48
GET LIKE ME
David Banner
b.i.G. f.a.c.e./SRC/Universal
Featuring Chris
Motown
Brown
49
CAN'T BELIEVE
T-Pain
Konvict/Nappy Boy/Jive/Zomba
IT
Featuring Lil
Wayne
50
HATE THAT I
Rihanna
SRP/D
LOVE YOU
Featuring Ne-
Yo
The Top Artists for 2008
Week of December 28-31, 2008
AP Reviews 2008 In Pop Culture Perspective -
JANUARY
How can we begin without BRITNEY SPEARS still, amazingly, the most-
searched term on Yahoo. A few days into 2008, she melts down
spectacularly, ending up in a hospital after locking herself in a room with
her young son. We don’t need Dr. Phil to tell us this girl needs help,
though he does. Celeb magazines freely diagnose her as bipolar. (But
more on Britney later.)
In politics, HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON has her first real pop-culture
moment of the year when she chokes up talking to voters in a New
Hampshire diner, a scene to be replayed endlessly on YouTube.
And true tragedy strikes when actor HEATH LEDGER dies of an accidental
prescription drug overdose in a New York apartment, cutting short a
brilliant career.
FEBRUARY
The Obama slogan “Yes We
Can” ricochets across the
Web in rapper and
songwriter WILL.I.AM’s viral
video hit, starring a host of
celebrities. It’s not the only
good news for Obama: His
campaign raises a staggering
$55 million this month, a
success attributed to small
donations gathered on the
Internet.
And “SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE” spoofs the media’s fondness for Obama
later, Clinton will refer to the skit in a real debate.
Week of December 28-31, 2008
HOLLYWOOD WRITERS, meanwhile, end their 100-day strike. Days later,
the OSCARS air to dismal ratings.
MARCH
Politics continues to enthrall, and this time it’s New York Gov. ELIOT
SPITZER who’s on everyone’s mind. The most striking visual: the ashen-
faced misery of his wife, Silda, standing next to him at the podium as he
resigns over a prostitution scandal. The blogosphere and the airwaves
buzz with the question: Why did she stand by him? Would you?
Obama may be the Internet candidate, but here’s an Internet sensation
he’d prefer disappear: video of his former pastor JEREMIAH WRIGHT,
making incendiary comments that will give Obama a major political
headache.
APRIL
MILEY CYRUS is a genuine
superstar at age 15, a role model to
countless girls. So what’s the
problem? A few pesky photos shot
by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair.
They show the Disney princess, aka
Hannah Montana of course, in a
come-hither pose, with a bare back
and shoulders. A rare bump in the
road for this teen phenom.
In one of his many pop-culture
moments, OBAMA displays true hip-
hop cred, channeling Jay-Z with a
“Dirt Off Your Shoulders” reference at a North Carolina rally. Mashups
spread across the Web.
MAY
After four years and endless buildup, the “SEX AND THE CITY” gals return
in a feature-length film. Will Carrie find happiness with Mr. Big? Yes, but
even happier are the producers, after a $55.7 million opening weekend
Week of December 28-31, 2008
unprecedented for a chick flick. And this IS a chick flick. Men flock to root
canal appointments.
HARRISON FORD returns as Indiana Jones at age 65! We doubt Hollywood
would be so kind to a 65-year-old actress. And speaking of older women,
they’re said to be behind the “American Idol” victory of 25-year-old DAVID
COOK, who beats the baby-faced 17-year-old, DAVID ARCHULETA,
breaking the hearts of countless tween girls.
Los Angeles street artist SHEPARD FAIREY creates his wildly popular
poster of Obama, a red-white-and-blue hued image of the candidate
gazing ahead, underlined by the word “HOPE.”
JUNE
TIM RUSSERT dies at 58 of a sudden heart
attack, after more than 16 years in one of the
most influential jobs in TV news moderator of
NBC’s “Meet The Press.” The death causes
some baby boomers to start to wonder about
their own health.
A computer-animated science fiction romance?
Leave it to Pixar. After “The Incredibles,”
“Ratatouille” and “Cars,” another triumph for
the studio comes in the form of “WALL-E,” a
futuristic film about love between two robots.
JULY
Bonjour to the new JOLIE-PITT twins, who emerge in France, where
parents ANGELINA JOLIE and BRAD PITT are hunkered down on their
enormous estate. And BATMANIA reigns, thanks to LEDGER’S stunning
(and posthumous) portrayal of the Joker in “The Dark Knight.”
BRITNEY and PARIS make their unwitting entrance into the campaign,
fodder for McCain’s commercial mocking Obama as “the biggest celebrity
in the world.” Hilton, though, gets the last laugh: The doe-eyed hotel
heiress, lounging in a leopard-print swimsuit, offers up a much cleverer
video riposte.
Week of December 28-31, 2008
AUGUST
Call this the anti-celebrity month: Wary after that Britney-Paris spot, the
DEMOCRATIC PARTY does its very best to de-emphasize the celeb factor
at its convention in Denver. Meanwhile, McCain’s anti-celebrity campaign
unveils its own, well, celebrity: the telegenic PALIN, who bursts onto the
scene with a speech that galvanizes the GOP convention.
MADONNA
turns 50! And the
chiseled superstar is hardly alone.
Also hitting the half-century mark
this year: MICHAEL JACKSON,
PRINCE, ELLEN DEGENERES,
MICHELLE PFEIFFER, VIGGO
MORTENSEN. Let’s imagine an
amazing party at the royal palace
in Monaco, where PRINCE ALBERT
also hits the big 5-0, perhaps
covered for CNN by CHRISTIANE
AMANPOUR (yup, 50 too.)
SEPTEMBER
“I can see Russia from my house!” FEY debuts her impersonation of PALIN
on “Saturday Night Live.” Kudos to the “SNL” writers, but you can’t say
Palin doesn’t give them plenty of material including verbatim chunks of her
rambling exchanges with KATIE COURIC. The CBS anchor, long plagued by
low ratings and high expectations, makes a welcome comeback.
Also making a comeback: the ’60s, with all that guilt-free smoking, thanks
to “MAD MEN,” the evocative drama on cable’s AMC. “Mad Men” wins an
Emmy this month, thrilling its small but hugely loyal audience.
OCTOBER
Shall we just call it “HSM3″? And if you don’t know what that means, you
probably won’t be seeing the movie. “High School Musical 3: Senior Year,”
the big-screen sequel to the two Disney TV movies, sings and dances its
fresh-faced way to the top of the box office, thanks to the durable appeal
Week of December 28-31, 2008
of Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and the other “HSM”
alums.
“SNL” scores its highest ratings in 14 years when it snags the ultimate
prize: Palin herself. The VP candidate proves a game cast member,
obliging happily when Amy Poehler shouts out: “All the mavericks in the
house, put your hands up!” ”
And
JOE THE PLUMBER
makes his debut, as a
constant reference in the third presidential debate.
Later, Joe, aka Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, 34,
campaigns for McCain and Palin.
NOVEMBER
Yeah yeah, Obama is elected, but we’ll reserve the
pop culture prize this month for OPRAH WINFREY.
Weeping on the shoulder of a stranger at Obama’s
victory rally, and gushing uncontrollably on her postelection show, the
talk-show queen can surely claim a little credit for the triumph of her
“favorite guy.” Maybe MOST celebrity endorsements don’t mean much, but
this is Oprah. Two economists even claim she brought Obama a million
votes in the primaries.
DECEMBER
Any true pop culture story must end as we started: with BRITNEY for,
after a year in which she seemed to reach the depths, this famously
durable young woman is in the midst of an astonishing comeback, with
“Circus,” her latest CD, reaching No.1 on the album charts, according to
her label, Jive. At 27, she seems to be not only “the world’s pop princess,”
as her manager says. She’s the world’s pop culture princess, too.
