What's hot and what's not for 2007

[JBsZ06]

What's hot and what's not for 2007
By MCT News Service


Here's a primer on what is oh-so-cool for '07 - and the has-beens you'll be glad to leave behind.

BOOKS

Hot

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» "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Expect Pottermania to break out this summer when the final book in the series is likely to be sprung on the millions of J.K. Rowling fans along with "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the movie version of the fifth book.

Not

» "A Million Little Pieces" and other sensational memoirs. Oprah declared that James Frey's story of addiction and recovery had few redeeming virtues after the Smoking Gun Web site uncovered its multitude of falsehoods, and Augusten Burroughs found himself facing a lawsuit over the truthfulness of his best-selling memoir "Running With Scissors."

CARS

Hot

» Alternative fuels. It's not just about gas-electric hybrids like the Toyota Prius. General Motors is making more cars that run on E-85 (15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol), a renewable fuel made from corn. GM also announced plans to make so-called "plug-in" hybrids that can rely almost exclusively on electricity and use gasoline as an emergency backup.

* Then there's diesel. Once considered a sooty poor cousin of gasoline, it now powers half the cars in Europe. Diesel engines achieve 20 percent to 40 percent more fuel efficiency than gasoline.

Not

» The minivan. The family car of the 1980s, became a punch line in the 1995 movie "Get Shorty." Now they're headed for the scrap heap. This past fall, Ford announced plans to stop making the Freestyle. And General Motors is converting its minivan assembly lines to manufacture so-called crossover SUVs. Not everyone has given up on the segment: DaimlerChrysler unveiled new versions of the Dodge Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this month.

CATCH PHRASES

Hot

» "Surge" as in "troop surge." We can hear it now: "I need a caffeine surge," or "Don't give me any of that anger surge."

Not

» "Stay the course." Now seen as the mantra of stubborn people who refuse to face reality until it comes up and bites them in the butt.

FOOD

Hot

» Lychee nuts: The once-considered oh-so exotic fruit becomes mainstream in the marketplace. Now it's de rigueur for produce sections to stock everything from cherimoyas to tamarillos, Asian pears to lychee nuts. This year will bring three new-to-the-U.S. treats from Thailand: fresh mangosteins, guabanas and antemoyas.

Not

» Cans of machine-sliced fruit packed into sickly sweet syrup lose their luster. Red Delicious apples aren't delicious; they lose out to other more flavorful apple varieties such as Fuji and juicy heirlooms such as Arkansas Black.

HEALTH

Hot

» Napping. "Take a Nap, Change Your Life" (Workman Publishing, $12.95) scientifically validates that a 15-20 minute nap can reduce the risk of heart attack and aid in weight loss. Research is by Dr. Sara C. Mednick at the Salk Institute at the University of California at San Diego.

Not

» Extreme thinness. Fashion-show organizers in France and Italy decry the walking corpse look, saying it fosters an unhealthy ideal of women's bodies. Will clothing designers, who seem to prefer hangers with legs to real women, get on board?

MUSIC

Hot

» Justin Timberlake: Coming off one of the biggest albums of '06, he is about to make women swoon in arenas (on his hotly anticipated tour) and at multiplexes (via "Alpha Dog" now, "Black Snake Moan" later in '07 and a vocal part in the next "Shrek" flick).

» Christina Aguilera: Having gotten "Back to Basics" with the jazzy-funky single "Ain't No Other Man," the formerly "Dirrty" Xtina is apt to stake her claim as today's dominant female pop vocalist.

Not

» Britney Spears. Paris Hilton's new gal pal is reportedly recording a comeback album. It'll have to be a masterpiece to wipe away the memory of those panty-free pictures.

* Axl Rose. He claims Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy," more than a decade in the making, will finally arrive in March. We've not only heard that one before, we've long since stopped caring.

TRAVEL

Hot

» Hawaii. Yeah, it's already too crowded. But new rules this year requiring passports to fly to Mexico or the Caribbean mean more sun-and-fun travelers without the little blue book will be heading to this tropical piece of the USA.

Not

» Britain. The hyper-muscular British pound is at a 14-year high against the dollar. In 1985 the pound was worth about a dollar. Today, it's worth nearly $2. Nearly all foreign travel is more costly, but Northern Europe and Scandinavia are especially steep right now.

[JBsZ06]

Fun list!

What do U think is hot? and not!

[chick]

I need a cup of surge!

[ToolGuy]

Wearing baseball caps, when you are not a baseball player!

NOT HOT!

[hotwing]

Originally Posted by ToolGuy

Wearing baseball caps, when you are not a baseball player!

NOT HOT!

Also Women sucking on a water bottle wearing baseball caps with the pony tail sticking out the back....Also Not Hot!!!!

An Africian American Male driving a black BMW, Escalaid, or whatever with 22 inch Dubs while talking on a cell phone......A sight that is seldom seen.....Not Hot !!!!!

[chick]

Here is what's not... using terms like 'African American' when they are NOT from Africa.

If I were black and not a honkie, I'd be insulted being called African American. (I hate this left wing term)

Sign me Your,
Irish, French, American, and Caucasian female (how stupid does this sound)

[LLC5]

Originally Posted by chick

Here is what's not... using terms like 'African American' when they are NOT from Africa.

If I were black and not a honkie, I'd be insulted being called African American. (I hate this left wing term)

Sign me Your,
Irish, French, American, and Caucasian female (how stupid does this sound)

Good point. I do believe there are African Caucasions (also French, Irish, etc.) aren't there?

[hotwing]

I agree with you both. However....I'm a Euro-American.......My Ancestors came to America from Europe in the 1600's LOL

[hotwing]

Originally Posted by LLC5

Good point. I do believe there are African Caucasions (also French, Irish, etc.) aren't there?

John Kerry's Wife is from South Africa who lives here now I guess she is a real African American.

[chick]

Originally Posted by hotwing

I agree with you both. However....I'm a Euro-American.......My Ancestors came to America from Europe in the 1600's LOL

Key word, ancestors... You are what? A white American... we are all descendants of some ethic group whether it be Italian immigrants, Greek... etc....

My grandfather who is long (dead) came right off the merchant ship from Albania... (dark skin) I do not consider myself and Albanian American. Other side is Irish and French. I look typical Irish, but I don't drink alcohol at all...lol

Africa is run by white Africans, a contention over there too. I believe the black Africans think they should run Africa if I remember correctly. Personally I don't care who runs Africa since I don't live there.

Way back many decades ago, I went to a HS that was 70% black... would you believe different shades of blacks were prejudice against each other? I was shocked, I had never heard of this. When ever I was called a cracker or a honkie, I thought it was funny since I had never heard these words, oh they liked me that's why they felt they could call me that. When asked if I minded I said, hell no, I think the terms are funny.

Yep, if Kerry's wife is from Africa then she can really be called an African immigrant, thus making her African American.

You know stupid white people here decided black people would rather be called African American and it caught on somehow? Morons.