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Notables: Raving fanboys - and people who loved last year's hit 300 - pretty much assured Watchmen was going to be number one in the box office. From what I've read, it sounds like the flick earns ever inch of its R rating. With that in mind, you might want to steer clear of it in your preaching. If you're interested - and only you know what your listeners can handle - let me point out a few articles that explore interesting angles. Over at the CT Movies blog, Brandon Fibbs reflects on an interesting issue concerning Dr. Manhattan, a central character in the film (and the graphic novel it's base on). After reading Brandon's thoughts, you might want to spend a little time pondering the reflections of the folks at Crosswalk. Finish it all off with this review from the site Are You Screening? They write: "The question of Watchmen ? is about the balance of principle. What cost is acceptable for peace? How much benefit to a particular person, or all people, do we need in order to abandon what we believe is "right?" [Each of the characters have] different philosophic viewpoints on the issue." You can read more in the article about each of those characters' views.

As for the rest of the movies on the list, we're looking at a "been there, done that" situation.

Top Five Books (according to USA Today research)
1. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, by Steve Harvey
2. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
3. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer
4. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
5. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer

Notables: People are obviously resonating with what Steve Harvey has to say about relationships. Last week he was third. This week he's climbed to number one. Along with the interview with Time magazine that I pointed out last week, check out this interview with the folks at eHarmony.com and this brief report about what he shared on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

And hey! Look at that! Even the second spot is reserved for non-Meyer material. Simply amazing! I know this has to do with the release of the movie version of Watchmen (see the Top Five Movies listed above), but I'll take what I can get in this section of the roundup. Did you know that Time magazine listed Watchmen as one of the greatest novels of all time?

Top Five Albums
1. No Line on the Horizon, U2
2. Fearless, Taylor Swift
3. Middle Cyclone, Neko Case
4. The Fame, Lady GaGa
5. Dark Horse, Nickelback

Notables: As expected, U2 takes the top spot. An article by the folks at Billboard note that this is the seventh time the boys from Ireland have scored a number-one album. No Line on the Horizon sold 484,000 copies in the first week of its release. I really do want to write more about the latest from U2, but I think I'll do so in a separate post. Look for a review sometime next week. I know I'll be a little late to the party when I do so, but I needed multiple listens to cover this one responsibly. And I do think we need to cover this one. U2 has long been a band that Christians are intrigued by - even to the point of some churches designing Eucharist services around their catalogue and some colleges offering courses on the religious themes in U2's music. In the meantime, you might want to check out this review from Christianity Today or this piece from The Christian Post (a professor calls No Line "the most thoroughly Christian thing they've done yet"), or this cheeky little take from Donald Miller.

As for the rest on the list, we've seen them all except for Neko Case. Here's an article about Case and her new album. There's an intriguing smattering of quotes right toward the end.

Top Singles
1. "Right Round," Flo Rida
2. "Dead and Gone," T. I. (featuring Justin Timberlake)
3. "Poker Face," Lady GaGa
4. "Kiss Me Thru the Phone," Soulja Boy Tell 'em (featuring Sammie)
5. "Gives You Hell," The All-American Rejects

Notables: No changes to this list since last week.

Top Five Web Searches (according to Google Trends)
*Exercise caution when searching; some topics may be inappropriate.
1. 6 overtimes
2. syracuse uconn
3. concert tickets
4. ticketmaster
5. syracuse basketball

Notables: With March Madness just around the corner, we're right in middle of the conference championships. Well, last night we were treated to one of the more epic games in college basketball history. The UConn/Syracuse game saw six overtimes. Six, people. That's insane. And because it's so insane, it's dominating three of the five spots in this week's list.

As for the other two items - "concert tickets" and "ticketmaster" - I'm quite confident this has to do with U2. Tickets for the first half of their tour go on sale this morning. Check out the design for their stadium shows. (Be sure to click "Enter" to see a sweeping 360 view.) Admit it: that looks pretty spectacular. I love the "in the round" approach. In fact, I wish most churches did that. Maybe all churches. It just seems right to me.

Brian Lowery is managing editor of PreachingToday.com.