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Notables: Hellboy II is obviously a sequel to Hellboy. It's based on a comic book character named?well?Hellboy. Here's a synopsis of Hellboy's story through the years. Both Hellboy movies were made with Guillermo del Toro at the helm, director of the brilliant (in my opinion) Pan's Labyrinth. Read what the folks at ChristianityTodayMovies.com had to say about Hellboy II by clicking here. It would also serve you well to read their additional article, "Hellboy, Evil, and the Cross. Just for kicks, read this little interview Del Toro did with the folks at USA Today. The only other newbie on our list is Journey to the Center of the Earth, a remake of a remake of a remake of an original?that was based on a book. Looking ahead, all eyes will be on another comic book hero: Batman. The Dark Knight is going to be huge. And from what I'm reading, it tackles some pretty heavy subjects (namely, human depravity and the fine line between good and evil). More on that later.

Top Five Books
1. Tribute, by Nora Roberts
2. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
3. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer
4. The Shack, by William P. Young
5. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer

Notables: Look at this. How is this possible? Does Nora Roberts sleep? Does she eat? Does she have an army of robots to run her errands for her? Here's another Roberts book; here's another bestseller. Unbelievable. It seems she's the only one who can stop Stephenie Meyer. As you can tell, there's not much to note here. I can only say that it's just really funny to see The Shack stuck in the middle of a series of books about vampires and werewolves and teenage love.

Top Five Albums
1. Tha Carter III, Lil' Wayne
2. Viva La Vida, Coldplay
3. Camp Rock, Camp Rock
4. Modern Guilt, Beck
5. Rock N Roll Jesus, Kid Rock

Numbers 1?3 remain the same. If you haven't had a chance yet, check out this article about catching glimpses of God in Coldplay's lyrics. I think a preacher can - and shouldn't - go overboard with this, but an appropriate nod to the tension-tinged, seeking spirit that is present in Chris Martin's words could be a great connecting point with your audience. Even more so, I think the album offers a potent commentary on the current state of the world. Just be ready: the commentary can get awfully ambiguous. Sort of like life, eh? Modern Guilt is alt-rocker Beck's newest album. RollingStone opens its review with these words: "Welcome to Beck's midlife spiritual crisis." Now, why would they write that? Well, read the rest of their review, and you'll find out. In the process of reading it, you'll trip over a few more tension-tinged, seeking lyrics. As for Kid Rock, Rock N Roll Jesus was actually released last year (2007). However, a single from the album - "All Summer Long" - has really caught on as of late, pushing the album back into the spotlight. It probably helps that it was chosen as an official song for the WWE. It also helps that it's summer. In the summer people love anthems. And Kid Rock's song is an anthem about summer. You do the math. It just works. While the album is hot again, it may be worth taking a look at another hit from the album - the song "Amen". It's an interesting take on social justice and personal responsibility?from a guy who once got arrested at a Waffle House for getting in a fistfight.

Top Five Digital Downloads
1. "I Kissed a Girl," by Katy Perry
2. "7 Things," by Miley Cyrus
3. "Burnin' Up," by Jonas Brothers
4. "Viva La Vida," by Coldplay
5. "When I Grow Up," by Pussycat Dolls

Notables: There's really nothing to note here in comparison to last week. Katy Perry keeps singing her rather awkward song, and people keep listening. Miley and the Jonas Brothers switched places, which is pretty much a wash in the interesting department in my eyes.

Top Five Web Searches (according to Google Trends)
*Exercise caution when searching; some topics may be inappropriate.

1. ryugyong hotel
2. scott peterson blog
3. the view the n word
4. amber arpaio
5. starbucks closing list

Notables: The Ryugyong Hotel is located in North Korea. It's the 22nd largest skyscraper in the world - a place Esquire magazine once deemed "the worst building in the history of mankind." Ouch! But it might have a little life left in it. They are finally looking to restore it. There may be something interesting in here, illustration-wise. Item two - "the view the n word" - is related to the Barack Obama-Jesse Jackson debacle. It seems the ladies on ABC's The View had quite a spat over the matter. The issue of racial issues cannot - and should not - be ignored from our pulpits. It's always lurking, but it's been front and center since the Jeremiah Wright controversy. Item three - the "scott peterson blog" - is related to the Scott and Laci Peterson story from a few years ago. It appears Scott Peterson has a personal blog (maintained from prison), and Laci's mom is furious about it. The blog world continues to get weirder and more troubling. Skip looking into Amber Arpaio. All of this brings us to Starbucks. Man, they have hit hard times, haven't they? They are closing 600 stores, and people are trying to figure out which ones are going to up and disappear. Here's a list in case you're interested. I think this is a great item to play with for illustrative purposes. What does this say about people? What does this say about American business? What does this say about the now and later of consumerism? Is there a growing interest in mom and pop coffee shops as opposed to corporate giant Starbucks? Or are people realizing that a gallon of gas is more important than a cup of coffee? Check out this Out of Ur post and this Leadership journal article by Gordon MacDonald to prime the pump.