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number 1Number 1How popular culture gets popular.3NA=1154&NC=1208&DI=4098&PS=58344&PI=7315number1falsefalsespacernotembeddednumber 1The Hardest-Working Hand in Show BusinessJosh LevinHow ventriloquist Jeff Dunham became the country's most popular stand-up comedian.noThe Hardest-Working Hand in Show BusinessHow ventriloquist Jeff Dunham became America's most popular stand-up comedian.noVentriloquist Jeff Dunham's latest concert special begins with an old-man puppet named Walter detailing the best strategy for dealing with a Kwanzaa reveler: "Throw away the Champagne and pull out the frickin' malt liquor." Dunham then brings out Achmed the Dead Terrorist—essentially a skeleton with jutting eyeballs—who shouts his catchphrase, "Silence, I keel you!" to great audience acclaim. A short while later comes the comedy duo of Peanut—a furry purple being of indeterminate heritage—and José Jalapeño, a sombrero-wearing pepper on a stick who punctuates most thoughts with the punch line "on a steeeek." What does José want for Christmas? "I think he needs a bigger stick," Peanut says. "That's not what your mother said," the jalapeño replies.truenotochyperlinkno200921845844PMWednesdayFebFebruary162/18/2009 9:58:44 PM633705731240000000200921845844PMWednesdayFebFebruary162/18/2009 9:58:44 PM633705731240000000number 1Monster TruckJosh LevinIs the Ford F-series' 27-year reign at the top of America's sales charts about to end?noMonster TruckIs the Ford F-series' 27-year reign at the top of America's sales charts about to end?noThe pickup truck commercial circa 2009 has all the subtlety of a peeing Calvin sticker. In a series of ads for the Chevy Silverado, Howie Long appears to argue that purchasing a Dodge Ram (which has a heated steering wheel, ideally suited for those with manicures) or Ford F-150 (featuring a "man step" that allows for easier access to the truck bed) will turn you gay. Chrysler, seemingly more willing to court bankruptcy than be associated with effeminacy, is pushing its Dodge pickup with the "Ram Challenge," a Web reality series helmed by Top Gun's Tony Scott that pits firemen, cowboys, contractors, and soldiers against one another in some pursuit that features both trucks and explosions. (Memo to creative: It might be easier to prove your product's masculinity with spokesmen whose occupations aren't cribbed from the Village People.)truenotochyperlinkno200922121925PMMondayFebFebruary122/2/2009 5:19:25 PM633691739650000000200922121925PMMondayFebFebruary122/2/2009 5:19:25 PM633691739650000000number 1Gazing Into the Crystal FootballJosh LevinWhy high-school recruiting gurus are better than NFL scouts at finding gridiron talent.noGazing Into the Crystal FootballWhy high-school recruiting gurus are better than NFL scouts at finding gridiron talent.noWho's the best player in high-school football? Bobby Burton, the publisher of Rivals.com, a forensic report on the best high-school players in the country, says he's got it narrowed to three candidates. Californian Matt Barkley, Rivals' current No. 1 player and a future USC Trojan, is your standard-issue star quarterback: good size, good mobility, great arm strength, blond hair, million-dollar smile. Rueben Randle, a Louisiana wide receiver prospect, is such a great athlete that he's led his team to the top of the state rankings while playing out of position at quarterback. The final contender: LSU-bound quarterback Russell Shepard. The day he arrives on campus, Burton says, he'll be the best running quarterback in college.truenotochyperlinkno2008112665224PMWednesdayNovNovember1811/26/2008 11:52:24 PM6336332234400000002008112665224PMWednesdayNovNovember1811/26/2008 11:52:24 PM633633223440000000number 1"AXXo You Are a God"Josh Levinhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/11/12/DI2008111201090.htmlThe secrets of BitTorrent's top movie pirate.no"AXXo You Are a God"The secrets of aXXo, BitTorrent's top movie pirate.noBitTorrent is TiVo for the tech-savvy and the ethically flexible—a way to watch what you want when you want it without having to pay for it. Instead of flipping through the channels or putting on a DVD, you can head for the Web to grab pirated digital copies of whatever movies and television shows you want. As you might expect, downloaders gravitate to popcorn flicks and nerd-friendly TV fare—among the top search phrases on one BitTorrent search engine are Quantum of Solace, Max Payne, Saw V, Heroes, Prison Break, and Fringe. But the No. 1 search query isn't a movie title or the name of a TV show. Rather, it's the name of BitTorrent's top uploader: aXXo.truenotochyperlinkno2008111172609PMTuesdayNovNovember1911/12/2008 12:26:09 AM6336202836900000002008111265344AMWednesdayNovNovember611/12/2008 11:53:44 AM633620696240000000number 1Is Classical Making a Comeback?Brendan I. KoernerThe hottest musical genre of 2006.noIs Classical Making a Comeback?Is classical music staging a comeback?noIs classical music—a genre that has spent a seeming eternity on the commercial skids—staging a comeback? That's the buzz on Nielsen SoundScan's 2006 report card, which listed classical as the year's fastest-growing musical genre. In an otherwise dreary year, sales of classical albums—a figure that includes CDs, LPs, and downloaded albums—increased by 22.5 percent, or 3.57 million units. That put the genre way ahead of such laggards as jazz (down 8.3 percent), alternative (down 9.2 percent), and rap (down 20.7 percent).truenotochyperlinkno2007223121804PMFridayFebFebruary122/23/2007 5:18:04 PM6330782988400000002007223121804PMFridayFebFebruary122/23/2007 5:18:04 PM633078298840000000200311445903PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:59:03 PM631781603430000000200311445903PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:59:03 PM631781603430000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue200251742321PMFridayMayMay165/17/2002 8:23:21 PM63157249401000000020026713951PMFridayJunJune136/7/2002 5:39:51 PM631590539910000000