It's that time of the year. December usually signals an outburst of "Best of" lists, from books to albums to movies. But this December is a tad exceptional. It's 2010, which means that "Best of the Year" suddenly becomes "Best of the Decade," with media outlets scrambling to put together lists that reflect a hodgepodge of critical favorites, cult hits and box office sensations.
These lists are always popular - and I'd be lying if I denied reading them. They immediately separate what is worth mentioning and what is not, and therefore are irrevocably opinionated. We like them for the same reason we watch the Oscars - whose nominees were just announced yesterday night via prime time extravaganza. And we like them because they separate the world into black and white - hits versus flops, deserving versus undeserving, best versus worst. So in honor of list-making and its popularity, here you have it - tableau's list of four phenomena of the decade that will be forgotten by 2020.
1. The Twilight Saga. Sorry Twihards, but when Bella and Edward are revamped into a cable-network series a la Vampire Diaries, no one will remember the books from which they originated.
2. American Idol. This once-great reality show is spiraling downward quickly - JLo and Steven Tyler, anyone? In 10 years, American Idol - or the many imitation shows it spawned - will be a curiosity of our era.
3. Taylor Swift. Love her or hate her - it doesn't matter. This country star took the pop world by storm, but her music isn't remarkable enough to be remembered in 10 years.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean. This multibillion-dollar franchise