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Notables: What an interesting Valentine's Day film He's Just Not That Into You makes. As CT Movies notes:

[It] takes a fairly dim view of marriage. After all, the only married couple spends the film in a progressively implosive state. Another couple contemplating the big step gets hung up on the institution as mere show, the last refuge of the insecure, a social expectation that confuses matrimony for true commitment. Still, the film remains something of a cautionary tale, allowing the audience to feel the illicit thrill of not-so-innocent extramarital flirtations before revealing that, when fully grown, those flirtations wreak havoc on all involved. The film may, at times, think that marriage is overrated, but it also has little patience for those who deliberately back out on their promises, more interested in their own lusts than in the sanctity of their commitments.

I'm not planning on seeing this one because it just doesn't interest me at all. Aand thankfully, it doesn't interest my wife. Still, I have to say that when I saw its trailer, one scene focusing on Drew Barrymore's character stood out. She describes how technology has changed her love life, saying, "I have this guy leave me a voice mail at work, so I called him at home. And then he e-mailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell. And now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It's exhausting." I pretty much think that describes how technology has changed community life in general. For related thoughts on this whole matter - thoughts with a Facebook spin - check out this article from Christianity Today's Mark Galli.

As for the rest of the list, not much to explore, really. The list represents escapism for all ages. Newsweek's Alonso Duralde predicted this cinematic trend quite some time ago. So since there's not much else to explore, I want to encourage you to check out Sarah Scherf's post (from yesterday) on the independent film Wendy and Lucy. This is one movie to keep an eye on. It's a Spirit Award nominee for "best feature" and "best lead actress" (the Spirit Awards are the Oscars of the independent film world).

Top Five Books (according to USA Today research)
1. The Associate, by John Grisham
2. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
3. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer
4. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer
5. The Yankee Years, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci

Notables: John Grisham's newest takes the top spot for the second straight week, and Stephenie Meyer is back with a vengeance. The only newbie in this list is The Yankee Years. This one has gotten quite a bit of buzz in the world of sports, because former Yankees manager Joe Torre, who co-authored the book with Sport Illustrated's Tom Verducci, takes quite a few swipes at the Yanks and divulges a lot of clubhouse secrets.

I've never liked the Yankees, but I've always liked Torre. This move on his part disappoints me. He's tried to defend his actions, but it all rings a little hollow to me. I know the Yankees wronged him toward the end of his career there, but really - does this kind of revenge do anything for you? Anyway, all of this is bad news for Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. As you probably well know by now, Rodriguez recently admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs while playing shortstop for the Texas Rangers during the 2001?2003 seasons. Well, in The Yankee Years, Torre says Yankee teammates called Rodriguez "A-Fraud" instead of "A-Rod." I have a feeling that nickname is going to be used a lot in the days ahead.

Top Five Albums
1. The Fray, The Fray
2. Working on a Dream, Bruce Springsteen
3. Feel That Fire, Dierks Bentley
4. Fearless, Taylor Swift
5. I Am?Sasha Fierce, Beyonce

Notables: The Boss was dethroned by The Fray. You can read more about The Fray in this USA Today article. Here's a slice:

Faith continues to be an important factor for the members of the Fray, who "grew up middle-of-the-road Protestant," [singer Issac] Slade says. But "we don't call ourselves a Christian band. Because when you get into marketing, 'Christian' means that you have everything together, and you're always happy, and you want everybody to start going to your church. The common denominators in the music I've liked is the honesty of not having answers and the passion to find them. I think that's what spiritual music has, whether it's Christian or pop or new age. If we have an agenda, it's to make art that is honest and represents what we believe in."

As for how good the new album is, well - the review at CT wasn't all that favorable. By the look of things, though, it seems fans of The Fray don't care (and I'm willing to bet at least one song makes it on an episode of Grey's Anatomy).

The only other newbie this week is the Dierks Bentley country album. There's not much else to explore here. So, in a bit of shameless promotion, please feel free to take part in our ongoing discussion of Bruce Springsteen's last three albums.

Top Singles
1. "Crack a Bottle," Eminem
2. "Heartless," Kanye West
3. "Just Dance," Lady GaGa (featuring Colby O'Donis)
4. "My Life Would Suck Without You," Kelly Clarkson
5. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," Beyonce

Notables: The 418,000 digital downloads of rapper Eminem's new single set a record. I'd say that the guy who goes by "Slim Shady" is back in a big way - and will be even more so, once his new album comes out. But did we need him to come back? After all, here's how he kicks of his newest song (and his subsequent return to the music world): "Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for: in this corner, weighing 175 pounds, with a record of 17 rapes, 400 assaults, and 4 murders, the undisputed, most diabolic villain in the world: Slim Shady!"

Top Five Web Searches (according to Google Trends)
*Exercise caution when searching; some topics may be inappropriate.
1. beverly eckert
2. q400 bombardier
3. tucson home invasion
4. buffalo news
5. flight 3407

Notables: Items 1, 2, 3, and 5 have to do with the awful plane crash in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. Along with one man who was in the house the plane crashed into, all 49 people aboard the commuter plane were killed, including Beverly Eckert, the widow of a 9/11 victim. This was really sad news for us all to wake up to this morning. It's especially sobering when you think that just a few weeks ago, we were all blown away by the events of Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and the safe landing on the Hudson River.

Item 3 concerns this rather terrifying story.

Brian Lowery is managing editor of PreachingToday.com.