Pop Culture Hot List

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jul 8, 2009

Pop Culture Hot List

Roger Federer

It was only right that Federer would win his record 15th Grand Slam by outlasting Andy Roddick in one of the greatest Wimbledon finals ever. The only thing more impressive than his accomplishment was the number of pre-made commercials that rolled out for Federer moments after the match.

Joey Chestnut

The best part of the annual July Fourth hot dog eating contest wasn't watching Chestnut do battle with his archrival, Kobayashi, beating him for his third straight title after inhaling a record 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. No, the best part was the suspense during post-event interviews. How Chestnut prevented himself from having a "reversal of fortune" while opining that the "buns were slow today" is beyond me.

Tiger Woods

After Federer won his 15th Grand Slam title, Woods texted his friend, "Great job, now it's my turn." Hours later, Woods delivered with a victory at the AT&T National. Woods, who has 14 major titles, also won a regular tour event on the same day Federer won the French Open last month. "Hopefully, I can get the major now," Woods said. "His wins are a hell of a lot bigger than mine."

Ron Artest

It didn't take long for Artest to make his presence felt in L.A. He posted behind-the-scenes footage of his decision to sign with the Lakers on YouTube, talked about the move with TMZ and then released a rap song in tribute to Michael Jackson. Artest took the tribute a step further by saying he would wear No. 37 this season because that was the number of weeks Thriller topped the charts.

Jack Nicholson

With the Lakers off for the summer, Jack was spotted on the other coast at a Yankees game. Chances are good that his seats for the Yankees game were more than what he paid for his famous courtside seats at Staples Center.

Cristiano Ronaldo

If you thought Ronaldo's record transfer fee was crazy ($130 million), that was nothing compared to the scene where more than 80,000 fans packed the team's stadium to welcome the new Real Madrid star, who simply trotted on stage in his new uniform as if he were at a fashion show.

Serena Williams

Lost in the hubbub surrounding Roger Federer's record-breaking victory at Wimbledon was Williams' accomplishment: She won her 11th Grand Slam and third Wimbledon by beating her sister, Venus. It was almost as impressive as the "Are You Looking At My Titles?" T-shirt she wore to her postmatch press conference.

Manny Ramirez

The only thing worse than the fans' standing ovation for Manny during his first at-bat last Friday (he was suspended for cheating, right?) was the decision by Fox Sports to cut away from the Phillies-Mets game to show Manny's at-bats Saturday. He wasn't going for a record, guys. He was simply coming back off a suspension -- and his second game at that.

Michael Jackson

One of the highlights of Jackson's public memorial at the Staples Center was Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson getting on stage to eulogize their friend. During his speech, Magic said eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken with the King of Pop was the highlight of his life.

LeBron James

While trying to recruit Trevor Ariza to join the Cavaliers, James reportedly told Ariza that he would be in Cleveland past 2010. Who knows if King James will return, but given his apparent recruiting tactics, he at least has a job in college coaching if the whole basketball-playing thing doesn't work out.