As for the other newbie on the list, from what I've read, avoid The Last House on the Left all together. Consider this line from USA Today's review of the horror flick: "This is one of those movies that elicit audience cheers when a gruesome moment of vengeance occurs. Some would argue it provides a kind of catharsis. But with all its repugnant and fetishized violence, the best outcome would be to see The Last House on the Left go into foreclosure."

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

Notables: For the most part, this is a simple a mash-up of last week's list. So, let's talk about our one newbie (Hunted). P. C. Cast is the bestselling author of "paranormal romance novels." Yes, you read that correctly. Like you, I did not know there was such a literary genre. Hunted is another book in her House of Night series, which is co-authored with her daughter, Kristin Cast. According to the Wikipedia entry about the series I just linked to, House of Night is about "the development and adventures of Zoey Redbird, a 16-year-old gifted fledgling vampyre who attends the House of Night school where she will eventually change into a Vampyre or die in the process." So, more vampires! Er - vampyres.

Just one observation: isn't it interesting that at this point in our culture, we are flocking to books or series of books where romantic relationships seem only possible with abnormal people (i.e. vampires or paranormal entities)? We seem to agree that if you're looking for true, beautiful, all-that-it-can-be love, you better date a ghost, an alien, or a vampire. That sort of says something, doesn't it?

Top Five Albums
1. All I Ever Wanted, Kelly Clarkson
2. Love vs. Money, The-Dream
3. No Line on the Horizon, U2
4. Round 2, J. Holiday
5. Fearless, Taylor Swift

Items two and four are a rap and R&B album, respectively. I poked around to see if there was anything interesting in there, but not much caught my eye.

As for U2, it's kind of sad to see them drop off 70-plus percent in sales and get trounced by a former American Idol and a rapper whose current hit song is "Let Me See the Booty." I don't get it, frankly. I'm seeing some folks just pound away at their new one, calling it "awful" and "lousy." I still think it's a really solid album with some stunning thoughts and images in the lyrics. I know, I know - I promised a review. I'll get to it eventually. What can I say? I've been busy 'round here. And I worked on another entry for earlier in the week because I felt like we needed to take a minute to talk about the whole Rihanna/Chris Brown mess.

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 and the week before that.

Top Five Web Searches (according to Google Trends)
*Exercise caution when searching; some topics may be inappropriate.
1. sarah gronert
2. eric carle s the very hungry caterpillar
3. first day of spring 2009
4. vernal equinox 2009
5.

Notables: Sarah Gronert, a professional tennis player from Germany, is struggling to find her place in the world of tennis. But her struggles have very little to do with her game. She's getting a rather cold reception because people continue to argue over whether or not she's actually a woman. I'm not sure what you might want to do with this story, except to recognize that we are preaching into a world that is awfully complex concerning gender issues, sexuality, etc.

Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the most popular children's books of all time (it has sold over 29 million copies!). In celebration of the book's 40th anniversary, publishers released a new pop-up edition. I suppose that has boosted its presence on the net. Still, because of all the recent attention, Carle was profiled in Newsweek magazine. Folks, it's a really fascinating read. Carle writes joyful children's books because his World War II-era childhood was anything but joyful.

Today is the first day of spring, hence items three and four. And with its first day, we are reminded how something simple like a seasonal change can provide so many illustrative possibilities. (Actually, I have to be honest: I never see these changes as simple. They are nothing short of spectacular.)

I think we'll skip number five, just to be safe.