The Top 25 Moments of 2007
by Reg Seeton

12. Bob Barker Retires from the Price is Right

If there was an award for the Ironman of TV, game show host Bob Barker would win it hands down. After 35 seasons as host of The Price is Right, 83 year old Bob Barker stepped down from the famous CBS stage in June 2007. Hosting The Price is Right for more years than some TV execs have been on the planet, Barker became a fixture on the TV landscape and a staple of morning programming. Pick a game and everyone can tell you their favorite, from Plinko and the shell game, to punch the numbers to the little yodeling guy that climbed the mountain. Although no one will be able to fill Bob Barker's shoes, comedian Drew Carey was called to "come on down" to be Barker's replacement in October.

11. Radiohead Says "Pay What You Want."

Since music lovers let the record labels and the entire music industry know they'd rather have their tunes served online instead of having the drag their asses to an HMV or Virgin Megastore, Radiohead jumped on the bandwagon in 2007 to break new ground. In October 2007, Radiohead released their "In Rainbows" album exclusively online to fans as a digital download in an experimental "Pay What You Want" format. A smart move on the part of Radiohead to throw the digital download debate back to the fans to see what they'd pay, if anything, for a new online-only album release, the verdict is still out on whether the experiment was a lucrative endeavor for the band. According to some reports, "In Rainbows" sold over 1.2 million copies in the "Pay What You Want" format, but the official numbers are still being debated. To hedge their bets, Radiohead is also releasing "In Rainbows" in physical form just in case. Whatever the final totals are for "In Rainbows", it can only be considered the beginning of a new era in "officially sanctioned" music distrubution.

10. Don Imus Gets Canned, Makes Comeback

Being a shock-jock sure isn't what it used to be, especially in 2007. In April of 2007, legendary radio personality Don Imus was fired from MSNBC and CBS Radio for calling the female Rutgers basketball players "nappy headed hos," which reignited a "seemingly settled" racial debate across America. After publicly apologizing to the Rutgers players and making an appearance on the radio with civil rights personality Al Sharpton, Imus faded away for most of the year. Since we all love a comeback, it wasn't a surprise when Imus returned to the airwaves in December 2007 at a star-studded event in New York City with a new set of co-hosts that included African American comedians Tony Powell and Karith Foster. After a year of scandal, Don Imus returned to air, telling listeners he has changed his ways and is looking to turn over a new leaf when it comes to racial debate on radio. Shocking? You be the judge.

9. Blade Runner: The Final Cut

Although the release is still two weeks away, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner finally gets the most definitive version on DVD any fan could ask for. Although the movie didn't break ground when it was first released in 1982, Blade Runner has become an iconic cultural phenomenon. Sure, there's a lot of hype surrounding various editions within the fan community, but The Final Cut is one of the best DVD releases within the format. Gone is the voice-over that so many fans complained about, but included are all of the previous cuts together in one "Ultimate Five Disc" set with commentary from over 80 stars and filmmakers and hours of material on the film's development, effects, author Philip K. Dick, a definitive documentary, several featurettes, and a 3.5 hour documenatry called Dark Days (the original title), which focuses on every aspect of the production. If that's too much for DVD fans, The Final Cut is also replicated in Two Disc, Four Disc, and Five Disc formats.

8. Transformers

Just when you thought The Transformers of the 1980s were dead and gone forever, Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay resurrected the auto-bots for a whole new generation. Although Spider-Man 3 raked in more loot in 2007 box-office receipts, the impact of the live-action Transformers big screen and IMAX releases will be felt for years to come. As well, Transformers turned actor Shia LaBeouf into superstar and arguably became the most popular movie of 2007. How popular was Transformers? In September 2007, feeling the narrowing production gap between the impending writer's strike and a possible actor's strike in June 2008, Paramount greenlighted the sequel to Transformers to cover its bases. Given Spielberg's track record, we're betting Transformers will become this generation's big franchise on the scale of Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Speaking of Indiana Jones, since LaBeouf is also tapped to play a younger Indy in the recently titled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Paramount is looking like the major franchise studio in 2008. Don't believe us... they've also got Iron Man in their roster, too

7. The Sopranos Finale

After six amazing seasons of The Sopranos, 2007 will go down as THE year to remember. In June of 2007, creator David Chase pulled the wool over everyone's eyes with the unpredictable finale to one of the best shows in TV history. When the final curtain suddenly and abruptly lowered on The Sopranos to the sound of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", the finale became THE most talked about series end in years. Although the finale polarized fans, it's hard to argue that David Chase didn't give fans something to talk about in 2007 as Tony Soprano and family met their demise at the hands of its creator. Whatever side of the fence you're on, the finale left the true ending in the minds of fans. What became of Tony Soprano? Based on the show's storyline and legacy, what do you think?

6. Paris Hilton Goes to Jail

Proving that pseudo-celebrities really are above the law, sort of, socialite Paris Hilton found herself with a one-way ticket to the slammer in early June of 2007 after being sentenced to 45 days in jail, later reduced to 23 days, for violating her probation in a alcohol related reckless driving incident. Three days after her incarceration with credit for serving five days because it was weekend, Paris Hilton was released from Lynwood's Century Regional Detention Center for what was claimed to be medical considerations and reassigned to home confinement. WTF? Adding to the year's most over-exposed story, Hilton was ordered back to jail days later to serve out the remainder of her sentence and was released three weeks later, going on Larry King Live for the year's most pointless interview. How can we forget the TV coverage of a crying Hilton being driven to the correctional facility, accompanied by her mother? After all, the entire event was covered by the media as if it were the second coming of O.J. Simpson. Hell, come to think of it, even O.J.'s later robbery charge in 2007 didn't get that much attention.

The Top 25 Moments of 2007 Page 4