Can you believe it’s been a full year since these posts — er, that is, two full years since EW.com’s PopWatch first started Watching the Pop? Our second year of existence has yielded too many memorable moments to name. Looking back over the last 12 months, I’m particularly struck by how many times posts on this blog have correctly predicted future occurrences. So, if you’ll forgive me, I’d like to celebrate this momentous anniversary by doing a little collective gloating over PopWatch’s best early calls.
• On June 12, 2006, Mickey O’Connor detected a worrisome continuity mishap in an episode of Entourage. Was that a harbinger of the following season’s baffling lack of character development or narrative logic? Seems that way to me.
• On June 15, 2006, Scott Brown predicted that the final episode of The Sopranos (pictured) would shock viewers by ending abruptly in mid-scene. Behold, Scott’s vision of The Sopranos’ conclusion, in its entirety:
FADE IN
EXT. NEW JERSEY
Melfi, Meadow, A.J., Paulie Walnuts, Silvio, and Bobby Bacala all go into a store. Pan up to name of store: DYNAMITE STORE
CLERK: Hey, you there! Yeah, you, the Italian stereotype! There’s no smoking in he—
• On September 5, 2006, Michael Slezak and Gary Susman weighed in on Rosie O’Donnell’s first day on The View. What they saw was a charismatic small-screen presence who nonetheless "sucked all the air out of the room," "steamroller[ed] the others," and almost got into a tiff with Elisabeth Hasselbeck — a pattern which would become all too familiar in the coming months.
• On February 28, 2007, Josh Rich accurately picked the this season’s Dancing With the Stars champion, even before the lineup of contestants was finalized, as he counted off the list of competitors: "Laila Ali, Billy Ray Cyrus, Clyde Drexler…Apolo Anton Ohno (he’s gonna win, duh)." See how he just snuck that glimpse of the future in there parenthetically, like it was no biggie? That’s how you can tell a true professional soothsayer, folks.
• Best of all, back on June 13, 2006, Slezak titled a post "Oscars 2007: Only 257 days left!" Check your calendars and you’ll see that this year’s Oscars ceremony occurred, yep, exactly 257 days later to the day. It’s downright uncanny.
Okay, maybe I’m reaching a little with that last one. But the rest of them are legit, I swear!
So, do you have any favorite PopWatch predictions — or times when we really missed the mark on events to come? Let’s hear ‘em.
UPDATE: Gary Susman adds: Having edited PopWatch for most ofits second year, I fondly recall many other other less prescienthighlights — including Whitney Pastorek’s live-blogging of the Madonna-Oprah summit; countless hilarious Slezak posts, including this Bachelor quiz; Michele Romero’s day spent hanging out with Patti Smith in the recording studio; Annie Barrett’s heartfelt letter to her life partner/DVR; posts from Sundance celebrity guest bloggers Billy Baldwin and Rainn Wilson; Whitney’s instant-message conversation with me about Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto trailer; and Mandi Bierly’s second PopWatch Confessional,which unleashed a tsunami of tearful TV memories among our readers.Which provides a reminder that our commenters — a remarkably eloquent,knowledgeable, and good-looking bunch — are part of what makes PopWatchso stellar. I want to thank everyone who’s contributed to this blogover the last 12 months, including all you PopWatchers who’ve chimed inwith your own two cents. Please keep telling us what we’re doing right,and what we could do better.
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I [heart] Popwatch.
It’s that simple.
Happy 2nd Birthday!!
HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY…keep up the good work, all of you!
Love this blog, however, the compitition is getting scoops you should be getting, and the comment fighting between bloggers gets very boring.
Happy Birthday, Popwatch! In your honor, a haiku for you:
Barrett, Brown et al
My favorite diversion
When I need to work!
Truly Popwatch is a daily routine now, right along with eating breakfast, check popwatch, go to the gym, check popwatch, go to work, spend workday at popwatch… oooopps I didn’t just confess to that.
I will always remember that Popwach and i share a birthday! Happy second B’Day popwatch, watch out, beyonce might sue if you arent careful.
What about when Slezak (I think it was him) called for Jennifer Hudson to be cast as Effie in Dreamgirls?
Also, Popwatch and I share a birthday!!
Wow Popwatch and the Olson twins share a birthday!
Here’s to when Popwatch can legally drink in a bar.
Dear Popwatch Genie,
Please hire Furry_tom as a full time staffer at ew.com. His ability to make us all laugh out loud at work at inopportune times (like when the boss is standing nearby) makes the thrill of reading popwatch that much more exciting of an experience.
Also, thanks to all the editors of Popwatch for the popwatch confessional, and for Whitney’s call to sanity in the world of blogging in general.
Looking forward to another year of LOL moments and the occasional schooling. Notably, some were given by me and many more received by me. Ahem.
Cheers
Welcome to the not-so-terrible 2s!
I’ve had so much fun over the past couple of years with PopWatch – so best wishes for a pseudo-birthday!
Happy Birthday, Popwatch, and thank you. You have become my favorite daily e-diversion.
happy birthday y’all! you make my days better
)
Happy birthday! I was highly skeptical when the redesigned site went all corporate, but PopWatch has become one of my fave features. I just reread the *entire* set of comments to Mandi’s TV tearjerker moments; our collective consciousness is awesome in a charmingly dorky way.
You guys all strike the perfect balance between humour and seriousness, pop culture slang and actual proper writing, and I want to thank you for making these posts an enjoyable read. It also spills over into the comment threads, as there are few, if any, flamers or trolls. Thanks for being part of my day for the last couple of years.
Popwatch you are a gemini! They say no one ever REALLY knows a gemini. How will you surprise this year? Happy Birthday.
My life is so much sweeter because of Popwatch. Happy Birthday and keep up the good work!
Yeah, for POPWATCH. Making my working day bearable!
I love pop watch. Escpecially the confessionals and angry reactions to various lists.
What I want to know is if anyone has ever hooked up through pop watch? I’ve seen some conversations with some heat behind them.
Pop Watch, you are my favorite part of the web (except maybe Sephora). Love you Slezak and Barrett. Scott Brown, where have you gone? Please come back!
Thanks, PopWatch, for helping me get through many a tedious day at work over the past two year. Without you I would be lost in the pop culture landscape.
I should be working right now. Instead I’m looking at Popwatch. Happy Birthday Popwatch!
I love popwatch. I usually check it throughout the day and I love to confess in the popwatch confessionals.
My favorite way to avoid work! Sometimes it’s really hard to pull away from it in order to get things done. Thank you for providing me with information that, when repeated to my friends, makes me look very knowledgeable (about current pop culture anyway). Happy birthday!
Popwatch takes me out of my world only for a second. Im wet for it!
Happy Birthday,PopWatch. I have a quibble though: Where’s the RIP for Mr. Wizard? Don Herbert helped shape my childhood and he deserves a PopWatch style send off!
Happy B-Day Poppers! The Popwatch widget is a permanent fixture on my google homepage and I refresh often just to see if there’s a new item. Thanks for giving me something to do at work!
What Vicki said! I discovered PopWatch earlier this year and could thereafter not live without the Behind the Scenes at Idol coverage. Where had PopWatch been all my life? Now I’m catching up via the anniversary coverage and links. Thanks, EW bloggers!
Happy Birthday! I couldn’t survive work without my daily dose!
i love my popwatch. can’t do without it. and remember, while the main boards needed a major overhaul to enable us to post comments, popwatch remained the technical success of EW. hats off to you popwatch, may you go on forever