As far as popular culture was concerned, 2007 was anything but boring. Thanks to drugged-out starlets, dogfighting athletes and a hip-hop rivalry that actually led to people buying albums, there was never a lack of water-cooler conversation over the past 12 months. Here are the 10 biggest pop culture stories of 2007.
 

1. STORY OF THE YEAR: BRITNEY
Who else would take the top spot but the person who nabbed more entertainment headlines this year than anyone? Whether she was entering/leaving rehab or shaving her head (those new extensions aren't helping), Britney's freefall from pop stardom was a well-documented phenomenon in 2007. Not to mention her multiple suitors, losing custody of her children, the infamous MTV Video Music Awards performance or the underwhelming chart performance of her appropriately titled new album, Blackout. If given the opportunity, Britney should black out all of 2007 from her memory.

2. THE DEATH OF ANNA NICOLE
The former Playboy Playmate of the Year died on Feb. 8, but because of endless litigation regarding her will, the paternity of her daughter, etc., she wasn't buried for nearly a month. That gave the paparazzi plenty of time to strike, reporting on everything from cause of death (not so surprisingly, it was drug-related) to her baby daddy (Larry Birkhead, come on down). Smith's death generated plenty of news coverage. One thing it didn't elicit, however, was surprise from anyone with a shred of common sense.

3. THE FALL OF MICHAEL VICK
Did you hear the one about the superstar athlete who squandered everything by moonlighting as the financier of a Virginia-based dogfighting ring? If you watched TV, read a newspaper or surfed the Net in 2007, you likely did. Vick, once the face of the NFL and a spokesperson for corporate giants Nike and Coca-Cola, lost it all when he struck a plea bargain in his federal dogfighting case that resulted in a 23-month prison sentence. Vick, throughout the course of his travails, claimed to find Jesus, to which Jesus responded, “Hey, don't drag me into this.”

4. THE RACE IS ON
What to do when our administration has seen its popularity plummet to record-low numbers? Simple. You turn your focus to what comes next. In what can safely be called the earliest presidential race of all time, 2007 seemingly featured everyone but Al Gore throwing their names into the presidential hat. Among the most notable candidates are Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Republicans Rudy Guiliani and Mitt Romney. Proof that the race is open to all comers, even “Law and Order” District Attorney Arthur Branch (Fred Thompson) is in the hunt.

5. THE WRITERS' STRIKE
Expect this story to get significantly more press in the coming weeks, now that hit shows such as “Heroes,” “Grey's Anatomy” and “CSI” are going into repeats. Basically, the writers want a bigger cut from DVD residuals and Internet-based content, and the networks don't really want to give it to them. So the writers are striking. Judging by the past season's drop in quality of shows like “The Office” and “Heroes,” maybe we can get confirmation that the writers really didn't go on strike before the season even started.

6. SOCIALITE CRIMINALS
If you're rich, talentless and a paparazzi magnet, it's a safe bet you were booked into custody at some point in 2007. As evidenced by the incarcerations of Paris Hilton (probation violation), Nicole Richie (driving under the influence) and Lindsay Lohan (also DUI), the law is cracking down on even the most famous criminals. What's that? Richie served 82 minutes in the clink, and Lohan only got a day? Scratch that previous statement.

7. DON IMUS' OFFENSIVE REMARKS
Old white guys insulting young black women usually doesn't go over well, something talk radio host Don Imus learned firsthand in April when he called the Rutgers women's basketball team “nappy-headed hos.” What followed were boycotts, Al Sharpton appearances and MSNBC yanking Imus' television simulcast from the schedule. But less than a year later, he was back to entertaining the 55-and-over sect after signing a contract with ABC Radio.

8. HARRY POTTER (THE BOOK VERSION) BIDS ADIEU
People still read something besides Us Weekly? Apparently so, considering “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the final chapter in the boy-wizard book series, sold more than 11 million copies its first 24 hours in July, becoming the fastest-selling book in history. Contrary to speculation, Harry does not die, and instead, in the epilogue, marries Ginny Weasley and has three children. Even wizards aren't immune to the domestication that marriage brings.

9. FIDDY VS. KANYE
Apparently, all it took was a pair of distinctly different rappers to make people care about buying music again. In one corner was 50 Cent, he of multiplatinum albums and hardcore rappery. In the other corner was Kanye West, a suburban gent with a unique eye for style. The two combined to sell more than 1.6 million copies of their respective releases (50's Curtis and West's Graduation) during the first week, with West leading at 957,000 copies. But considering Universal Music Group distributed both records, this was the lamest attempt at hip-hop rivalry since the great Vanilla Ice-3rd Bass feud of 1991.

10. ‘THE SOPRANOS' GOES DARK
A known mobster is sitting with his family at a dinner table. Suspicious characters are everywhere. Journey's “Don't Stop Believing” is blaring on the sound system. Tension among television viewers has perhaps never been higher. Finally, the camera cuts to Tony Soprano, our favorite New Jersey mob boss, and then ..... darkness. Cable outlets are flooded with concerns before viewers realize that darkness was the intent. Is Tony dead? Is he alive? Both unanswered questions from the June series finale of “The Sopranos,” which generated enough bile and angst from HBO viewers that show creator David Chase might very well be in witness protection at this very moment.

Words: Clint Hale | 210SA