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April 17, 2009

A look at what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about…

Top Five Movies
1. Hannah Montana: The Movie (G)
2. Fast & Furious (PG-13)
3. Monsters vs. Aliens (PG)
4. Observe and Report (R)
5. Knowing (PG-13)

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Notables: As you probably noticed, we took a breather last week for Good Friday. While we were away there were a few notable changes to this list. Miley Cyrus can now say that along with the world of TV and music, she has also conquered the world of cinema. Not too shabby for a 16-year-old. Here's a review of her flick from the folks at CT Movies. To read additional stories about Cyrus, her family, and her/their faith, click here and here.

I really don't know why so many people are going to see yet another Fast & Furious flick. Aren't they probably all exactly the same thing? The opening weekend for this flick was huge - like, record-breaking huge. And I've got nothing for you about the significance of this one. The title says it all: these movies are about fast cars being driven by angry people.

The only other newbie is the "comedy" Observe and Report. It's about a bipolar cop who engages in brutal acts of violence and date rape. Now you know why I put "comedy" in quotes. Sounds hilarious, right?

Top Five Books (according to USA Today research)
1. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer
2. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
3. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer
4. Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer
5. Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto, by Mark R. Levin

Notables: Two weeks away, same ole' list. I don't know what else there is to say about Meyer, so I'll just continue to link to articles that are still unpacking this phenomenon. All the while, I'm hoping that someday soon about four other (better) authors will write bestsellers that are not about vampires or werewolves or angst-y teenage girls.

Top Five Albums
1. Unstoppable, Rascal Flatts
2. Hannah Montana: The Movie (soundtrack) , Miley Cyrus - er - "Hannah Montana"
3. The Last Kiss, Judakiss
4. Wide Open, Jason Aldean
5. NOW 30, Various Artists

Notables: Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see much here worth exploring. So, I'm going to be shameless and point you back in the direction of my thoughts on U2's newest album.

Top Singles
1. "Boom Boom Pow," The Black Eyed Peas
2. "Poker Face," Lady GaGa
3. "Right Round," Flo Rida
4. "Kiss Me Thru the Phone," Soulja Boy Tell 'em (featuring Sammie)
5. "Blame It," Jamie Foxx (featuring T-Pain)

Notables: I'm really not all that jazzed by this list, either. I mean, consider the number one song. Remember the old school Batman TV series - when Batman and Robin would get in a fight with the bad guys, and all those stylized title cards of sound effects would pop up? Boom! Boom! Pow! NaNaNaNaNaNaNaNa Batman! And that's exactly why a song entitled "Boom Boom Pow" can only make me laugh, and never make me take it seriously.

Top Five Web Searches (according to Google Trends)
*Exercise caution when searching; some topics may be inappropriate.
1. freedom alliance
2.
3. michael prozer
4. automysophobia
5. citigroup news

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Notables: The Freedom Alliance - a charity created in 1990 to encourage military service - might be in the news because of a special dinner they recently held to honor soldiers wounded in battle.

I think we'll skip #2, just to be safe.

Two weeks ago on the roundup, one of the top searched-for items was related to the TV reality show The Millionaire Matchmaker. Well, item #3 is also related to the show. I'll just go ahead and tell Prozer what I told another millionaire two weeks ago: "Good call, Michael! I've found that every relationship that is hatched on a dating reality show totally works out."

Automysophobia is an abnormal fear of being dirty. Here's a theory I have: Many a Friday, I've found that medical conditions are often in the top five most searched-for items. Why? Because Grey's Anatomy is on the night before. ER used to be on, too. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think those shows get all the world's hypochondriacs in a tizzy. Then again, when you consider the plotlines of Grey's, maybe it just makes everyone feel like they need a shower. Hence Automysophobia (though in this case, feeling dirty may be normal).

How about this: the folks at Citigroup had their best quarter since 2007. Can you think of the last time you heard a financial group say, "Hey! We're doing all right!"

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Brian Lowery is managing editor of PreachingToday.com.

Posted by Brian Lowery at 7:21 AM on April 17, 2009

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Comments

Thanks for the link to my "Twilight" post--I'll be interested to see what your readers have to say.

And I have to confess: Although I, too, am loving U2's latest, I did buy "Unstoppable" at Target this afternoon. Rascal Flatts is SUCH a boy band......but they're my guilty pleasure.

Posted by: Jennifer Taylor on April 19, 2009

You're most welcome, Jennifer. I enjoy your writing on Write About Now. And after much internal conflict, I've decided that I won't hold it against you that you like Rascal Flatts.

Posted by: Brian Lowery on April 20, 2009

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