Pop Culture Hot List

SI Staff | Dec 23, 2008

Pop Culture Hot List /

Pop Culture Hot List

David Beckham

Becks is currently in Milan on a three-month loan, playing for AC Milan, and he said that he needs to be "playing top-flight football" and that he misses "playing at the highest level." Translation: I'm tired of playing in a league like the MLS and for a team like the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Vince Young

With plenty of time on his hands, Young found something to keep him busy. He filed a federal trademark infringement suit against former Astros third baseman Enos Cabell (inset) and two other men, alleging they filed for trademarks to use his initials "VY" and nickname "Invinceable" without his permission. Yes, Young may not own the Titans starting quarterback job, but he believes he's entitled to the letters V and Y.

LeBron James and Ice Cube

King James and Ice Cube have teamed up to pitch ABC on a one-hour television drama based on James' life. No word yet if Spike Lee has offered to make it into a major motion picture if James promises to be a New York Knick in 2010.

Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Affleck

Mount Mutombo was a special guest at the premier of Ben Affleck's "Gimme Shelter," a documentary short about war-ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutombo's native country. Mutombo told Affleck he might be returning to the NBA after Christmas to play for his beloved Celtics. "I told [Affleck] that I might play in his hometown," Mutombo said. "He said, 'Come, we'd love to have you.'" Yes, because the Celtics (26-2) are clearly in need of some help right now.

David Hasselhoff

The Hoff made a splash in September when he shot a viral video of himself attending his first Arizona football game with his daughter, Taylor-Ann, a freshman, and her friends. Shot for his website, "Hoffspace," the actor said, "We're going to our first U of A football game and we're all virgins." After the Wildcats advanced to their first bowl game in 10 years, Hasselhoff was asked to sing the national anthem before the Las Vegas Bowl, which the Wildcats won. Unfortunately, this means at least three more years of Hoff sightings in Tucson.

Yao Ming

Yao, Ben Roethlisberger, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Hawk have found a way to make the worst Christmas gift, the fruit cake, one that keeps giving to a good cause. The athletes have teamed up with PayPal to initiate a viral "Re-gift the Fruitcake" campaign on Facebook that allows donors to contribute to the athlete's favorite charity at regiftthefruitcake.com. In Ming's video he holds a fruitcake and says, "I believe in America you call this thing fruitcake. In Chinese we call it 'lajee,' which means garbage." Classic.

Kerry Collins

Collins might have led the Tennessee Titans to an AFC South title and the best record in the NFL, but he wants to do more in the Music City. He wants to write a hit country song. "I am a songwriter who has a little hobby, a second career," said Collins, who recently established a music publishing company, Blue Q Music. Considering Collins seems to be balancing two careers so well, maybe he can help "VY" try to balance one in the NFL.

Mickey Rourke

Forget about everything you have seen and heard about Rourke (yes, he's a train wreck and, no, you can barely recognize him anymore). His performance in The Wrestler is not only Oscar-worthy, but also the film is one of the best this year. It's easily the best pro wrestling movie since, um, well, ever.

Soulja Boy

The rapper who introduced us all to the most contagious dance of 2008 will be performing it one more time during NBA TV's "The Best of 2008" holiday special Tuesday. Even Soulja said he was ready to move on from the song and dance and on to bigger and better things in 2009. "I got a little tired of it too," he told me. "I'm not going to lie, everyone was doing it."

Tom Cruise

Did anyone else catch Cruise laughably pretend to be a sports fan on SportsCenter's Sunday Conversation? Apparently it was as bad as his performance in Valkyrie, which is being panned as "distractingly bad" by some critics.

Published Dec 23, 2008

SI STAFF