When the calendar rolls over into a new year, it’s not
only a reminder that pop culture is continually changing, it gives
us a chance to reflect on trends that were big the year before and
make predictions for the year to come.
And as hip as our devoted readers may be, we understand that
it’s sometimes difficult to navigate through the trends with
which pop culture bombards us. At times it’s tough to
determine what will be huge by summer, what will disappear by
spring break, and what is so out it belongs on the shelf with
“Taradise” on E!
Because if you keep on praising Scientology, talking about
Facebook, and wearing cowboy boots, you’ll look oh-so-2005
and be about as welcome at parties as Tom Cruise is on
Oprah’s couch.
This year, we see filmmakers tackling politics head-on, students
recognizing the potential to rake in advertising dollars from blogs
rather than wasting away hours on MySpace, and John taking
Martha’s place as the Stewart worthy of space in Us
Weekly.
The A&E editors have compiled the trends we believe you need
to retire and those you need to keep an eye out for in 2006 because
we know everyone could use a little guidance through the
pop-culture maze.
Cover story compiled by David Greenwald, Alfred Lee, Jess
Rodgers and Natalie Tate.
Last Year: Bashing George Bush This Year: Drafting
Reggie Bush
I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Harriet Miers, Lawrence
Wilkerson and Kanye West were four reasons why 2005 was not a good
year for America’s dear leader, Dubya, who spent much of the
year on the defensive about his handling of issues such as Katrina
to Iraq.
But thanks to his highlight-reel runs, the Bush on
everyone’s minds wore No. 5 this season for USC and has NFL
teams scrambling for him.
Although he was never really a 20-carry back in college, was
held under 100 yards rushing five times this season, and was kept
on the sidelines during the biggest play of the season (4th and 2
at the Rose Bowl), he sure can run fast. And the
“journalists” at ESPN say he’s the greatest thing
since the forward pass.
Last Year: Facebook and MySpace This Year:
Blogs
Facebook and MySpace exploded during much of 2005, offering
regular Joes a place to post photos, chronicle their daily lives,
connect with old friends, and meet others with similar interests.
But why become a part of some company’s network when you can
start your own instead?
The seriously savvy consumer realizes that an entertaining blog
can bring you way more enjoyment than friend networks because of
one significant underlying factor ““ major moolah. The more
hits you get on your blog, the more likely you are to be targeted
by advertising companies as a profitable site for promotion.
The current 30 most-visited daily blogs command no less than
$100 per month for the promotion of one ad. The profits add up (no
pun intended) pretty quickly when you consider that multiple ads
run on these sites each day, not to mention over the course of a
month. So quit wasting your time checking your friends’
profiles, unleash your creative genius, and let the cash flow
in.
Last Year: Pirates This Year: Skulls
The fascination with pirates exploded into mainstream pop
culture with 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,”
when Johnny Depp proved that pirates could indeed be very hot.
Pirate fever has cooled significantly, though, and this year you
don’t want to be caught throwing parties in honor of the
legendary criminals of the sea or sporting their signature eye
patch and stripes. Instead, the much subtler skull will suffice to
express your darker side. A simple skull umbrella or sweatshirt is
really all you need to look hip this year. Because trust us, you
really don’t want to be camped out for the “Pirates of
the Caribbean” sequel in a head-to-toe pirate get-up.
Last Year: Western Wear This Year: Jungle
Prints
With the tabloids tracking Jessica Simpson’s weight loss
and the filming of “The Dukes of Hazzard” in 2005, we
weren’t surprised by the number of students sporting cowboy
boots and Daisy Dukes to channel their inner Simpson.
But then the film inevitably bombed, summer ended, and Simpson
went through tough times with the breakup of her marriage ““
all signaling that it was time to retire the American West look and
move on. And it looks like fashion has moved on to the more exotic
African jungle for inspiration this year.
Desperate Housewife Marcia Cross and stylish socialite Nicky
Hilton have both rocked animal print dresses to recent events. So
next time you’re shopping, pick up something with leopard
print or zebra stripes. Because if you persist on looking like an
urban cowboy or cowgirl, people will check you out as much as they
checked out “Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive” on E! last fall
““ which means not at all.
Last Year: “˜Wolf’ bands This Year:
Non-threatening-animal bands
After a year dominated by Wolf Parade, We Are Wolves, Wolf
Mother, Patrick Wolf and Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s
“Superwolf,” kinder, gentler rock music is making a
comeback. The new year will usher in albums by Cat Power (left),
The Wrens and Band of Horses, as well as Jenny Lewis of Rilo
Kiley’s “Rabbit Fur Coat” and the debut of the
snarky Arctic Monkeys. Sure to be intriguing is the prolific Bonnie
“Prince” Billy’s upcoming cover album with
post-rock outfit Tortoise, “The Brave and the Bold,”
and “Asthmatic Kitty Compilation: Mews Too,” a February
release by the label of indie-folk icon Sufjan Stevens. Rub Your
Paws Say Meow, anyone?
Last Year: Plundering distant history for movie ideas
This Year: Plundering Sept. 11 for movie ideas
A number of historically based films were released in 2005 that
commented indirectly on current issues. Steven Spielberg’s
“Munich” (above) centered on the aftermath of the
killings of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1971 Munich Olympics, but
made sure to sneak in a reference to the World Trade Center. George
Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck.” worked as
a retelling of Edward Murrow’s stand against McCarthyism on
one level and a commentary on journalistic integrity in
today’s world on another.
This year, Hollywood takes it a step further (or backward,
depending on how you see things) by releasing not one, but two
films explicitly about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Oliver Stone,
whose recent filmography (“Alexander,” “Any Given
Sunday”) leaves something to be desired, will be directing
Nicolas Cage in one untitled Sept. 11 project. Paul Greengrass
(“The Bourne Supremacy”) has taken the reins of
“Flight 93,” a film about the plane apparently brought
down by its passengers on that fateful day. We’re waiting to
see the final products before jumping to declare that Hollywood has
no shame.
Last Year: Not going to record stores This Year: Not
going to movie theaters
Record stores (especially in Westwood) have been dropping faster
than Heath Ledger’s pants in “Brokeback
Mountain,” thanks to iPods, file-sharing and Best Buy. But
misery loves company, and there’s been much hand-wringing in
the film industry about the continuing drop in attendance, with
people slowly realizing DVDs are better than paying $10 to watch
commercials next to a jerk on his cell phone.
The window between a film’s run in theaters and its DVD
release seems to be getting shorter and shorter. We maintain that
Westwood is one of the best places in the world to watch a movie,
but there’s no denying that going to the movies isn’t
what it used to be.
Last Year: Martha Stewart This Year: Jon
Stewart
Last year was all about the much-heralded return of domestic
diva Martha Stewart from her time spent behind bars. Reality-TV
mogul Mark Burnett eagerly signed her up for an
“Apprentice” spin-off, and NBC also jumped at the
chance to give Martha her own talk show.
But the hype quickly cooled off. “The Apprentice: Martha
Stewart” fizzled immediately after viewers saw through
Martha’s phony sweet-and-sensitive act that didn’t even
slightly reflect the inner toughness that helped her rise to the
top. She couldn’t even bring herself to fire the candidates,
instead telling them, “You just don’t fit
it.”
The Stewart that’s really exploded has been Jon. Sure,
everyone’s been raving about “The Daily Show” for
years, but you have to give him some credit for not losing his edge
over time. You also can’t discount his eye for talent: The
ubiquitous “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” Steve Carell got
his start on “The Daily Show.” Jon’s finally hit
it big, recently receiving an invitation to host the 2005 Academy
Awards, but we predict he’ll be even more in-demand by the
time the year is out.
Last Year: Scientology This Year: We Are
Scientists
There’s nothing hipper than new indie buzz bands, and the
ready-for-stardom We Are Scientists is getting an early start on
2006 by releasing “With Love and Squalor” the week
after the new Strokes album.
Scientology, on the other hand, took a beating in 2005.
Prominent member Tom Cruise made headlines by following up his
PR-stunt relationship with Katie Holmes and the bizarre (not to
mention potentially illegal) purchase of a sonogram machine to
monitor her pregnancy ““ not to mention his infamous TV
meltdowns on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “The
Today Show.” If that’s what Scientology does to its
members, it’s best to avoid practicing it in 2006.