Pop Culture Hot List

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Sep 1, 2009

Pop Culture Hot List

Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino brought up 9/11 in his first post-scandal press conference and Ted Kennedy's death in his second. What will he reference next time he scoldes the media for coverage of his saga?

Chad Ochocinco

A week after doubling as the Bengals' kicker and booting a game-winning extra point, Ochocinco was fined $5,000 by the NFL for wearing an orange chin strap in a preseason game against the Patriots. Ochocinco later tweeted that he was writing a letter to the league and planned to fine it. "I'm fined? No, you're fined."

Rich Rodriguez

How much must your players hate you that they would rat you out just before the season opener? At the very least, Rodriguez's practice of allegedly overworking his players while ending with a 3-9 season -- granted, with upperclassmen he didn't recruit for his system -- is an example that hard work doesn't always pay off. Maybe Rodriguez should take a page out of Pete Carroll's playbook and spend less time practicing and more time singing along with Bill Withers.

Derek Jeter and Minka Kelly

There doesn't seem to be any truth to the rumors that the couple are engaged, but we can confirm that Jeter is still the luckiest man on earth to be dating Kelly.

Erin Andrews and Oprah

Will Andrews' appearance on Oprah's talk show bring closure to the infamous peephole video? Or will it usher in a new chapter in Andrews' life as a mainstream celebrity? That remains to be seen, but it's safe to say that "Erin Andrews Peephole Video" will once again be a trending topic on search engines after her Oprah appearance Sept. 11.

David and Victoria Beckham

Even if David isn't a big fan of Los Angeles and is pining for a return to Europe, he loves the Lakers Girls. That's just fine for Victoria, who reportedly bought a cheerleader outfit modeled after the famous Lakers Girls uniform. We'll let you imagine how the Beckhams will use that outfit in the privacy of their own home.

Chan Gailey

So you don't think the preseason is important? Try telling that to Gailey, who was fired as Chiefs offensive coordinator two weeks before the season opener. I guess Todd Haley didn't like the way Gailey was calling the plays for the third-stringers in the second half.

Jim Thome and Jon Garland

So much for that baseball trade deadline last month, huh? The Dodgers acquired Thome and Garland this week as they make a push for a World Series. How did the Dodgers find out about their newest acquisitions? Larry King's sons, Chance, 10, and Cannon, 9, screamed the news into the Dodgers' dugout after the seventh-inning stretch.

Adam "Pacman" Jones

Pacman had been insisting he was fielding offers from a couple of professional teams, and I guess he wasn't lying. The embattled cornerback is close to signing a deal with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Atlanta Dream

Just when the WNBA was gaining some respect (play along with us), word came that the playoff-contending Atlanta Dream may have to play possible home postseason games at a different venue because <i>Sesame Street Live</i> is booked at Philips Arena. Maybe the WNBA isn't a Mickey Mouse league after all; maybe it's more along the lines of a Big Bird and Elmo league.