Pop Culture Hot List

SI Staff | May 5, 2009

Pop Culture Hot List /

Pop Culture Hot List

Manny Pacquiao

The best pound-for-pound boxer was able to put an "undisputed" in front of his lofty moniker by knocking out Ricky Hatton cold in the second round of their megafight. If Floyd Mayweather Jr., who is coming out of retirement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez in July, can step in the ring with Pacquiao, that just might be boxing's biggest fight in more than a decade.

Mine That Bird

The only sport on the ropes more than boxing these days is horse racing, but Saturday's big race showed why it's still the sport of kings. On a muddy track at Churchill Downs, Mine That Bird, a 50-1 shot, pulled off the second-biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history with a runaway victory that wasn't lost on the masses. The ratings were up 7 percent from last year and the overnight rating was the highest since 1992.

Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Simpson opened up about her relationship with Romo. "I was always a fan," she said. "In Texas, it's a sin not to be. But I've never been as passionate as I am now. Before a game, I'm crazed, sending mass e-mails: 'Please pray for Tony's protection.' "Now if she can just ask for them to pray that Tony gets a playoff win this season.

Tony Parker and Eva Longoria

While the couple have plans to start a family soon, they revealed last week that it might be sooner than expected in the form of adoption. It seems like the logical way to go for the NBA's version of Brangelina, who have seemingly made adoption a second profession.

Torry Holt

During the wide receiver's first news conference in Jacksonville, the media were introduced not only to Holt but also to his disturbingly mangled middle finger. "This is what I got out of the game, a crooked finger" said Holt, who injured the digit last year and doesn't plan to fix it. "It scares little kids, too."

Pete Carroll and Kelly Slater

USC's football coach and the nine-time world champion surfer converged on the shores of Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Calif., over the weekend to watch the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro surfing competition. While Slater gave Carroll some surfing tips, Carroll admitted that he wasn't going to be shredding any waves anytime soon. "I've been a lifelong sponger. I can't get up on my feet for nothing," Carroll said. "I just love being in the water."

Denise Richards

There are bad renditions of Take Me Out to the Ballgame and then there's Denise Richards' at Wrigley Field last week. Not even her sultry scenes in Wild Things could make up for that mess.

Jennifer Hudson

There aren't many Academy Award winners who show up to watch Florida Championship Wrestling on a Wednesday night, but Hudson might just be regular now. That's because her fiance, David Otunga, wrestles there under the name of Dawson Alexander, Esq. Considering the celebrity-hungry nature of WWE (it just had The View's Sherri Shepherd on an episode of Friday Night Smackdown), Otunga should be getting a contract offer from Vince McMahon in no time, provided that Hudson is his ringside manager.

Nike Air Yeezy

Sneakerheads are a rare breed. They will do just about anything to snag a pair of limited-edition sneakers, even if that means crowding the streets of a city on lockdown because of a near-pandemic. That's exactly what happened in Mexico City as a line of people wearing protective masks formed outside of a shoe store for the release of the Nike Air Yeezy, a rare sneaker designed with the help of Kanye West that runs for $500. Yes, that's $500 retail.

Megan Fox

It's hard to capture Fox's beauty properly in a photo spread, so the fine folks at Esquire also made an amazing short video of its latest cover girl. Ditching the tired behind-the-scenes interview, the magazine let her actions speak for themselves in a clip that has made its way into my inbox more than a dozen times. It is the best viral advertising a magazine has had in years.

Published May 5, 2009

SI STAFF