A look at what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about…
Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. This Is It (PG)
2. Paranormal Activity (R)
3. Law Abiding Citizen (R)
4. Couples Retreat (PG-13)
5. Saw VI (R)
Notables: Pop singer Michael Jackson died during the final stages of preparation for his highly-anticipated "This Is It" tour (50 sold-out dates in London). In fact, when you read reports of the last few months of Jackson's life, it sure seems like it was the pressure of these make-or-break shows (plus one very, very troubled life) that sent him spiraling into drugs and wild abuse of his body. Nonetheless, people want to see what they never got a chance to see. So producers dutifully combed over hundreds of hours of video and cobbled together a glimpse into what might have been. Here's a review from the folks at CT Movies. A lot of other reviews for This Is It insist that there is nothing morbid about going to see this one. But I'm not sure how it can't rattle you from beginning to end. You're watching archived footage of a man wasting away for entertainment's sake. Even the title is eerie to the point of turning your stomach. Count me out. (Of course, I was never a Jackson fan, so this isn’t geared toward me.)
As for the rest, well, it was Halloween weekend. I expected to see strong showings from Paranormal Activity and Saw MCVIIXXI. I suppose people also wanted to see over-the-top action (Law Abiding Citizen) and to laugh (Couples Retreat).
Top Five Television Shows (according to Nielsen TV ratings, week of October 26)
1. World Series, Game 4, Fox
2. World Series, Game 1, Fox
3. World Series, Game 2, Fox
4. Dancing with the Stars, ABC
5. World Series, Game 4 (preshow), Fox
Notables: A little proof that baseball truly is America's favorite pastime.
Top Five Books (according to USA Today research)
1. Tempted, by P. C. and Kristen Cast
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, by Jeff Kinney
3. Bed of Roses, by Nora Roberts
4. The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
5. The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
Notables: America's second favorite pastime? Reading about vampires. Tempted is the sixth book in the "House of Night" collection, a series of vampire-based fantasy and romance novels written by P. C. Cast and her daughter. Also in the top ten are two of Stephenie Meyer's vampire novels. (Speaking of Meyer, the soundtrack for the upcoming film based on Meyer's second novel in the series—New Moon—is currently a top-five album. Am I the only one getting really sick and tired of all the New Moon build-up? Ugh.)
Top Five Web Searches (based on the Google Trends report for Thursday)
*Exercise caution when searching; some topics may be inappropriate.
1. malik nadal hasan
2. fort hood
3. gretchen real housewives
4. ft hood
5. fort hood shooting cnn
Notables: Obviously a lot of people (see items 1, 2, 4, and 5) were concerned and saddened by yesterday’s awful shooting tragedy at Fort Hood (Texas).
Posted by Brian Lowery at 8:26 AM on November 6, 2009
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