Top Five Books (according to USA Today research)
1. Glenn Beck's Common Sense, by Glenn Beck
2. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
3. Swimsuit, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
4. Finger Lickin' Fifteen, by Janet Evanovich
5. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer

Notables: Good ole' summer reading has finally knocked Meyer from her perch (though it has probably helped her sales, too). I would say a lot of that summer reading (Paetro, Evanovich, and Meyer) is pretty mindless, in the sense that you really aren't required to think much about anything outside of the book's plot or imagined world. But it looks like two of the top five are aimed at making you branch out a bit in your thinking.

Glenn Beck's book is a pundit publication that takes political swipes at the Left. Of course, if you're not a Beck fan, you would probably argue that this, too, is mindless reading.

And then there is Picoult's My Sister's Keeper, which looks like it might make you think to the point of stirring up an ethics debate. The book has actually been out for a long, long time, but it's finding a second life due to a movie version that's out (and currently in the top ten). If you've seen the previews, you probably think you know what it's about. Well, maybe you don't. This one sort of reminds me of Million Dollar Baby - one minute you're watching a movie about an underdog female boxer, and the next moment you're right in the middle of a debate about euthanasia. (Sorry if that ruins the movie's "twist" for anyone, but hey - it's been out for a few years now.) Anyway, My Sister's Keeper raises some big issues. And since it's a top-five book and a top-ten movie, you might want to keep an eye on it.

Top Five Albums (according to Billboard)
1. NOW 31, Various Artists
2. American Saturday Night, Brad Paisley
3. Cradlesong, Rob Thomas
4. Wilco (The Album), Wilco
5. The E.N.D., The Black Eyed Peas

Notables: I don't think there's anything of real substance to point out here. I'm a big Wilco fan, and I like their newest album. One song in particular - "Everlasting Everything" - has some pretty interesting lyrics concerning the eternal and the temporal. But overall, a pretty standard week in music. The one thing that just blew me away, though, is
this article from Billboard about the widespread obsession with Michael Jackson's music in the wake of his death. What a startling turnaround for the guy: one day he's the punching bag of both the media and the public, the next he's anointed by the same two groups as a saint the world can't possibly live without.

Top Singles (according to Billboard)
1. "I Gotta Feeling," The Black Eyed Peas
2. "Boom Boom Pow," The Black Eyed Peas
3. "Best I Ever Had," Drake
4. "Knock You Down," Keri Hilson (featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo)
5. "LoveGame," Lady Gaga

Notables: We are not better people for having listened to this much Black-Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga in the last seven days. Not one bit.

Top Five Web Searches (based on the Google Trends report for Thursday)
*Exercise caution when searching; some topics may be inappropriate.
1. blanket hates the light
2. so you think you can dance results july 9 2009
3. obama looking at girl
4. mayora tavares
5. jules asner

Notables: I think the top item might have something to do with one of Michael Jackson's kids (yes, he had a son often called Blanket), and I don't really care to link to anything about it.

So You Think You Can Dance is a reality show on FOX. I guess some people are really, really anxious to find out who can, in fact, dance.

You can probably gather from item three that there is a picture floating around out there of Obama "checking out" a girl named Mayora Tavares (item four). The folks at The Drudge Report site - along with Fox - think this is news fit to print. You can track down the picture if you want to - I'm not going to help you. I think this is disgusting, hack journalism. If you see the picture, it could be interpreted one million different ways - but leave it to some to interpret it in as lurid a way possible. I'm glad there are guys like this to call out this kind of activity among his peers.

Jules Asner is a "journalist." I have no idea why everyone is searching for stories about her. I couldn't track anything down.