THE SMART LIST: What we talked about in 2007
The tabloid queens
We’d be ashamed to admit how much we talked about the Paris-Britney-Lindsay triumvirate, but what monster could feign complete disinterest in the grand operatic stories that played out in our online tabloids -- a debutante goes to jail (“Mom, it’s not fair”), a pop star shaves her head (“My mom is going to kill me”), a former child star chases down her ex-assistant just days after leaving rehab. Thanks for everything, TMZ! (CNN / AP)
Kanye West
2007 was the year of Kanye. Nothing this guy did went unnoticed by the media -- an album release on Sept. 11, a (sales) feud with 50 Cent, the No. 1-selling album in America (and, boy, did he tell us about it). He came down hard on MTV after the VMAs for not giving him more screen time, and just when he was on top of the world, his mother died after plastic surgery. Celebrities’ parents die all the time without our knowing, but this story was front page news. (Matt Sayles / AP)
Judd Apatow’s girl trouble
The great comedic guru -- he brought us three movies this year and will bring us as many as six in 2008 -- cannot write for women. He doesn’t understand us. He thinks we eat ice cream in bed when we are sad. He thinks we are neurotic. He thinks we love men too much. He thinks we are wonderful and mysterious, but also no fun. Those of us who love his films, but hate how we are portrayed in them, have spent a lot (a lot, a lot) of time talking about that. (AFP / Getty Images)
