Stuff We Love

We heart pop culture! From books to bands to video games, these are our absolute faves (in no particular order).

Spore
Where can you go to create your own funky creature and develop it through quirky evolutionary phases as you travel to other planets? Straight to your computer (and soon Wii, according to word on the street) with this outta-this-world computer game. Install the disk, then go online to romp in an infinite architectural universe all generated by you and other gamers. Spore…never a bore.

The 39 Clues
The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones is the first in a fictional book series that places the reader squarely in the role of detective. Meet Amy and Dan of the Cahill clan, the world’s most powerful family. When Grandma Grace dies, the kids are given a choice: one million dollars or one of 39 clues leading to a global quest for treasure and untold power. This is a multimedia adventure that combines reading, online gaming and card collecting in an awesome interactive experience.

Metro Station
We love the everygirl-fave boy band Varsity Fan Club just as much as the next gal, but Metro Station is the real rock-it-out deal. The band just wrapped its UK tour with Boys Like Girls (who, incidentally, recently released a live-concert DVD titled Read Between the Lines). Don’t blink and you might catch a glimpse of Miley Cyrus doing a bumper-car cameo in Metro Station’s “Seventeen Forever” video, but singer/guitarist Trace Cyrus doesn’t piggyback on his little sister’s popstar success. Yes, they’re sibs. But this isn’t mentioned even once on the band’s Web site, and that’s one of the things we like best about these guys.

Fearless
This is a two-fer fave! What are the odds that a pair of young female musicians would each release a CD of the same name? Sizzlin’ R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan, 21, was nominated for five Grammy awards, including Best New Artist, for the release of her CD titled Fearless. And smokin’ hot Taylor Swift, 19, was country music’s best-selling artist of 2008 with the release of her second CD, also titled…Fearless. These girls couldn’t be more divided in their musical tastes, but they both have gobs of go-for-it gumption. Love it!