Pop Culture Casualties of 2008

Jennifer Aniston, then Raquel Welch, says Men's Health

(NEWSER) - Men's Health has managed to rank the "100 hottest women of all time," with Jennifer Aniston leading the pack. Here's the top 5:

1. Aniston: She is and always has been "funny, sexy, and unmistakably real." (Aniston herself picks Gloria Steinem as No. 1 in an interview with the magazine.)
2. Raquel Welch: In a word, "vivacious."
3. Marilyn Monroe: The "quintessential blonde."
4. Britney Spears: She was once probably the "most famous (and sexually charged) female performer in America."
5. Madonna: "She’s like a flip-book of fashion, gyration, and melody bonded by a Zeitgeist-defining compunction for incessant, provocative reinvention."

Girlfriend Jacqui Ainsley, 29, due in September

(NEWSER) - It looks like you can mark Guy Ritchie down under the "moved on" category. Two and a half years ago his marriage to Madonna fell apart ; now the director is having a baby with his 29-year-old model girlfriend Jacqui Ainsley, the Daily Mail reports. The baby is due in early September and will be Ritchie’s third; he has both biological son Rocco and adopted son David with the Material Girl. Ritchie and Ainsley have been dating for a little more than a year, and a friend says wedding bells are likely in the near future. Click for more on their romance and pregnancy. More»

But sorry, still no word on 'You're So Vain' subject

(NEWSER) - Ever wondered who Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” is really about? Join the club . Fortunately, there are at least nine other songs “secretly” written about someone famous whose identity has since been uncovered. From The Frisky :

• Amy Winehouse: “Me and Mr. Jones” is supposedly about her unrequited love for rapper Nas; it refers to his daughter Destiny and his birthday, Sept. 14.
• Madonna: “Miles Away” was inspired by now-ex-husband Guy Ritchie, she told Elle. She also once dedicated it to the “emotionally retarded.”

Bruce Springsteen finishes 2nd to Irish superstars, and it's not even close

(NEWSER) - The news that U2 was the top moneymaker in music in 2009 is no surprise, but what may come as a bit of a shock is the gap between No. 1 and No. 2. The Irish rockers brought in $108.6 million lat year, nearly twice as much as runner-up Bruce Springsteen's $57.5 million. Extending the greatest hits of the '80s theme, the next two acts in the Billboard rankings are Madonna and AC/DC, with Britney Spears somewhat unexpectedly rounding out the top 5. More»

And, by the way, it's pronounced 'Kesh-a'—not 'Kee-sha'

(NEWSER) - Who the heck is Ke$ha? She’s the decade’s first No. 1 artist on Billboard’s Hot 100, and just had the biggest-selling week of all time, for a female, on iTunes. There's a good chance you've heard the catchy if not lyrically impressive song "TiK ToK", but in case she's not on your radar yet, David Cho has done all the research for you: In a sentence, Ke$ha is “this generation’s pre-Federline Britney Spears,” he writes on The Awl . More»