PopEater Presents a Few of Our Favorite Things From Summer 2010

Jason Kaufman, Editor-in-Chief -- Miss Blankenship on 'Mad Men.' Anyone who feels that Don Draper operates above the law and will never get what's coming to him had to love when Miss Blankenship arrived at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Blankenship was hired by Joan to replace Draper's beautiful secretary, Allison, who he drove out of the office permanently after sleeping with her and then giving her the cold shoulder (and a cold payoff). Blankenship arrived without a Joan curve in sight, with no idea how to use the intercom and some of the summer's funniest scenes on TV. She's played by Randee Keller, who you would never recognize as Ralph Macchio's mom from 'The Karate Kid.' Don Draper hasn't gotten that much payback for all of his years of womanizing, so Miss Blankenship represents some serious karma finally coming his way.

John Mitchell, Editor -- 'Salt.' To say 'Salt' was my summer jam is an understatement. I loved this movie! It's fast, perfectly-paced, exciting and, yes, a little silly. It's one awesome action sequence after another, and then it just ends, fading to black on what has to be the summer's biggest cliffhanger. That it was such a surprise made it even better. We all knew 'Inception' was going to be great (and it was), but 'Salt,' yet another Angelina Jolie spy movie? Who would have expected that it would be her best one yet? Love her or not, Jolie is at her steely-eyed best as Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent accused of being a covert Russian operative on a mission to destroy the U.S. from within. The best part of the whole thing is that, unlike so many other movies of this stripe, you spend a good portion of the movie not knowing whose side she's really on. A lesser actress would have let us know the truth by batting her eyelashes to betray her inner fear as she found herself deep into a plot to assassinate the Russian president. But not Angelina. Where another starlet would have been in way over her head, Jolie was right where she belongs, bouncing off semis and onto motorcycles during a raucous chase scene and building a grenade launcher out of a fire extinguisher and the leg of a table.

Denise Warner, Editor -- Cee Lo's 'F**k You.' It came late in the game, but Cee Lo's 'F**k You' is the perfect summer anthem, and my favorite thing to come out of the season. Even if you don't have someone in mind when you're singing the tune in your head, it's still a hell of a lot of fun. (For the record, yes, I do.) And the teaser video, which featured bright colors and animated lyrics, blew me away. Although I love the actual video -- who wouldn't want to see a cute little kid with a potty mouth -- there's just something about the "word play" one that gets me going.

(Warning: Explicit Language)


Zach Dionne, Editor -- "Run," AKA the moment on 'Breaking Bad.' Even with my 'Lost' fanaticism escalating into scary-territory in the show's final year, it was Bryan Cranston and his AMC meth-drama that stole the summer's definitive best moment for me, no questions asked. When Walter White did that tremendous thing I won't spoil for you wide-eyed, unspoiled folk, almost whispering that one-word command to run, I lost. my. mind. The penultimate episode of one of the best dramatic arcs that's ever stampeded onto television had me sweating, cringing and eventually jumping out of my seat and yelling. That final moment was as great as pop culture got this summer -- the 'Toy Story 3' inferno scene, the vuvuzela, the wonder that is Greyson Chance ... they were all great, but 'Breaking Bad' approached perfection, and the last minute of 'Half Measures' was its apex.

Steven Avalos, Contributing Editor -- Lady Gaga's 'Monster Ball.' Lady Gaga is a spectacle. You hear the music and see her image pretty much everywhere (sometimes even at once!), but there's nothing quite like watching the ubiquitous pop star in her element -- live (and firing sparks from her bra and panties). Fulfilling her "teenage dream," Gaga brought her 'Monster Ball' to New York City this July, playing three sold out shows at Madison Square Garden. And it was awesome! Whether or not you buy into the hype and/or the Gaga mythos, she is your god for the roughly two hour show -- compelling you to sing, dance, sweat, scream ... and like it. You'll leave the concert simultaneously completely drained but invigorated, and somehow completely covered in glitter. And this isn't just a summer affair; with tour dates still being announced almost every week (she's booked through May 2011), you still have a chance to check it out. I highly recommend it.

Amber James, Editor -- Conan O'Brien's 'Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On TV' tour. Banned from TV (thanks, NBC!), Conan O'Brien decided to hit the road after the whole 'Tonight Show' debacle. Mere seconds after those tickets were released, I impulsively bought seats for a his self-described '"half-assed comedy & music tour." No questions. No regrets. I had put total faith in a guy who had just been canned -- and didn't look back. During his show, Conan poked fun at his old late night gig and brought along his own bag of surprises (i.e. the inflatable bat from Meat Loaf's 'Bat Out of Hell' tour). It was a 90-minute facial workout I'll never forget. Half-assed? Not at all. Genius? Yes. Now, let's hope he brings this same comedic pace to his TBS show in November.


Brittany Weiss, Assistant Video Editor -- 'Inception.' Promptly after Christopher Nolan's blockbuster hit 'Inception' hit theaters, videos, blogs and reviews all over the Internet expressed a total mind-blowing experience. It wasn't just the attractive cast or the clever dialogue, it was the entire package that left our heads spinning and thinking everything and everyone around us was crazy. As an audience, we're so used to people dumbing things down for us. How does one cope with something as puzzling as a dream within a dream within a dream and know the easiest way to wake up is to get killed? For once, we were tested! I remember leaving the theater speechless. I knew I had followed along, but it was the saddest ending of all time. I wanted to know what happened! The simultaneous "Ahhh!" from the audience told me I wasn't alone. Everyone felt the same pain and wondered if the totem fell or kept spinning in limbo. And who can forget the best line of the movie, where Tom Hardy says to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling," and pulls out a massive weapon to kill his target with one shot? Whether you got the plot or not, it provided an outlet for the viewer to stretch his or her mind and wonder "what if?" In the meantime, I'll be hanging out waiting for my kick back to reality.

Maggie Coughlan, Editor -- Antoine Dodson and Auto-Tune the News' 'Bed Intruder Song.' If Antoine Dodson's family has taught America anything this summer, it's that there's a silver lining in every situation. Dodson, a Hunstville, Alabama, native, became a sensation after his reaction to an intruder's attempt to rape his sister aired on WAFF-48, an NBC affiliate, and went viral. The clip was later turned into a beyond catchy tune thanks to the Gregory Brothers of Auto-Tune the News. The popularity of the 'Bed Intruder Song' sparked a controversy heard around the world, making waves across major news outlets, from ABC to NPR, questioning the root of its popularity. Was it racist? Does it make light of an attempted rape? No matter your opinion, the catchy track swept across the nation and created a star in Antoine Dodson. With a full track now available for purchase on iTunes and plenty of official merchandise (T-shirts! Keychains! Magnets!), Dodson is actually profiting from his 15 minutes of fame and has reportedly moved himself and his family out of the housing project they were living in with the money he's earned from the song and merchandise.


Max Orenstein, Photo/Video Editor -- 'Toy Story 3.' Perhaps what excited me most about seeing 'Toy Story 3' wasn't that it completed a trilogy that began when I was 10 (though that was reason enough), but because I'm a total sucker for anything Pixar makes. The creative genius that comes out of that studio just blows me away. It's a $14 I know I won't regret spending at the theater, and this one certainly didn't disappoint. It was great to kick off the summer with another thrilling adventure, as the toys fought being thrown away in the trash and then being donated to Sunnyside Day Care. My favorite animated character in this film has to be Lots-O-Huggin' Bear. I think the texture of the fur was so beautiful. I think I'll stop there before I geek out any more.

Ben Trivett, Editor -- Franklin on 'True Blood.' I'm right there with the 'True Blood' craze, totally addicted. Since day one, I've watched this great show, but I have to admit, this season takes the cake for craziness. Violence and sex have never been strangers to the screen on Sunday nights on HBO, and this season is no exception. Characters have come and gone throughout the series, but none have had an impact on me like the lunacy of Franklin Mott, played by James Frain. This vampire stands out among the werewolves and fairies and shape shifters because of his lusting delusions for Tara. The hot-and-cold personality leads to kidnapping and murder -- all in the name of love. Sadly, Franklin was short-lived on the series. All his crazy got him beaten, but he did come back for one last attempt at Tara's love before getting blasted to mush.

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