Billboard Hot 100 Top 10: Week of December 3, 2011

Another month and more dance beats have entered the charts. Let's check it out.

10. "The One that Got Away" by Katy Perry

Another catchy song from Katy Perry. At least it's not "Someone Like You"-level sad given the dance beat. Plus, Diego Luna is pretty hot in the video, so I'll allow it.

9. "Take Care" by Drake featuring Rihanna

Rihanna owns my soul at this point. She's cranking out a lot of good songs lately, even in the midst of mediocre songs she's releasing. But damn, I'm liking this collaboration with Drake.

8. "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine
Really?

7. "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida

This would be a great workout song, if I actually worked out. I have to say I'm just glad someone is sampling a recent house artist for the chorus rather than covering overplayed indie hits from the Garden State soundtrack era. Sorry, that's been weighing on my mind lately.

6. "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera
Still around.

5. "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars

I'm too distracted by Bruno Mars' Jason Priestly hair in this video to comment on how perfect this song choice is for the Breaking Dawn: Part 1 soundtrack.

4. "Without You" by David Guetta featuring Usher
I for one welcome the return of dance pop songs. At least pop music is serving a purpose (spontaneous dance parties) in addition to being candy music these days.

3. "Someone Like You" by Adele
Not enough "I can't" in the world.

2. "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO
I don't hate this song as much as I used to. The "wiggle" breakdown is just so ridiculous, you have to admire a grown person for putting it in a song.

1. "We Found Love" by Rihanna
Haven't gotten sick of it yet.

Clark Gable Realness

Robert Donat seems to be the British answer to Clark Gable's Peter Warne (It Happened One Night) in The 39 Steps, tweed suit and all. 39 Steps starts out as a fairly serious film with a few wisecracks and ends up being downright screwball, albeit with a large helping of Hitchcock's "wrongfully accused" sauce. Consider me charmed.

Anyway, here's an excuse to compare some great mustaches of the 1930s from both Donat and Gable.

Donat ended up surprisingly sassy in The 39 Steps playing against Madeleine Carroll.

Um, the most serious picture I have of Gable and Colbert.

This has got to be the least obnoxious "hand-cuffed together" story line I've ever seen. Was this one of the first?

But I think It Happened One Night wins out in the end since you get to see these two spar for the better part of the movie, what with the donut dunking and all.

Billboard Hot 100 Top 10: Week of November 5, 2011

Hope you're recovered from Halloween. I, myself, got wild by eating leftovers and watching TV with my boyfriend. Now that I'm back to full strength (boredom?), let's look at this week's Billboard Hot 100 top 10.

10. "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock

I'm pretty sure I speak for the nation when I say, "Over it."

9. "Make Me Proud" by Drake featuring Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj proves once again she's better as a featured artist on a song than a solo act. Also, college is hot.

8. "You Make Me Feel..." by Cobra Starship featuring Sabi

I'll keep this song around. It's a pretty solid choice for shameless dance parties.

7. "Without You" by David Guetta featuring Usher

If Ugly Betty was still on, this would have been used in the final montage of every episode.

6. "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine

Okay, just stop playing this song. Thx.

5. "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People

You'd think a month would be long enough to have more of a shake-up on the Billboard list than it has been. Anyway, I'm also over this song.

4. "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO

Ugh, this song also is still existing. At least I can say I never liked it in the first place.

3. "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera

There may have been a sibling sing-along to this song last weekend. Deal with it.

2. "We Found Love" by Rihanna

There's nothing to this song. It's the same 3 chords on a keyboard over and over, the same melody over and over with no bridge or chorus, the beat only occasionally changes or drops out, and obnoxious siren-y sounds show up sometimes. But I also can't stop listening to this sing. Damnit, Rihanna, why do I like you right now?

1. "Someone Like You" by Adele

Sorry about your vocal folds, Adele. This song is still annoying, though, since your style of music can be played on 75% of all radio stations, and usually on 2+ stations at one time. May your vocal rest slow the release of any more R&B/Pop/Adult Contemporary albums.

Medley of the Day: Acoustic rainy day blues edition

"Come and Go Blues" - Gregg Allman

"Death Letter Blues" Son House

"Muddy Water Blues" - Paul Rodgers

JANE LYNCH WAS ON FELICITY

For, like, an episode. It was far and away the bright spot of season 4 episode 15, "The Paper Chase," where Ben is being douchey and boring about his baby with Dr. Cuddy, and Felicity is cheating on a paper, and everyone is saying too much before knowing what the situation is. (Does anyone ever walk into a room and say, "Before you say anything" or "I know what this is about"? That's just asking to make a situation worse.)

Jane Lynch: rocking the same haircut for at least the last decade.

How to survive grad school: Part 2

PART 2: SNACKS

What it is

Food that's not technically a meal, but let's be honest, it usually replaces a meal.

How it will help you survive grad school

The thing about terrible things is that they're often improved by food. I've found that snacking is both a way to procrastinate homework and a way to get through it. Need a break? Walk out to the kitchen and grab something to eat. Even just opening random cabinets and the fridge helps delay work on an assignment. Need to motivate yourself? Small, bite-sized snacks can provide enough incentive to get through that next paragraph where you are required to overly explain your reasoning. Plus, snacking is a great way to stay awake when you don't want to down an energy drink, even when you're bored to tears.

Highlights
These are tried and true snacking favorites.

1. Popcorn

Anyone who has been my roommate since 2007 knows my deep love of popcorn. I loved using a roommate's air popper so much, she bought me one when I was moving out. This was one of the best presents I have ever been given.

If preparing popcorn with an air popper, you can either melt down butter (WARNING: using margarine or other fake butters end up weird with layers of oil when melted) or use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray. Melted butter is obviously the more delicious choice, but the I Can't Believe...spray is good when you're lazy or pretending to be healthy. I've found half a scoop full of kernels is a good snack portion and a full scoop is good for a meal. Basically, pour/spray on the butter while shaking a bowl or paper bag of popped popcorn. Then sprinkle in salt while still shaking. With practice, you can get the ratio right for your tastes.

If you're even lazier, you can just do microwave popcorn. My favorite? Pop Secret Homestyle. It doesn't have that weird 94% fat free taste or make you feel greasy. If you're trying not to eat popcorn for dinner, Orville Redenbacher's minibags are a pretty good portion.

2. Dried fruit

Also known as nature's crack, dried fruit is just as delicious as real fruit, but often sugarier and less juicy (leading to less mess). Trader Joe's is a great place to get everything from craisins to dried mango for pretty cheap. This is another way to pretend you're healthy while eating an entire bag of bite-sized deliciousness that's probably rotting your teeth anyway.

3. Gum

Yeah, I know it's not a snack, but sometimes you've got to stop snacking, and you need to distract your mouth from the fact that you're not shoving food in your face anymore. My personal favorite is Orbit peppermint flavor. It keeps its flavor for about 45 minutes and never gets hard, even when you've been chewing it for over an hour.

4. Trail Mix

Yet another way to pretend you're healthy. Even the kinds with dried fruit in them also come chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips. But what can I say, it hits the sweet and savory spot. WARNING: probably contains delicious, delicious peanuts.

5. Tortilla Chips and Salsa

I've talk about this before (in fact, I've talked about snacking before), this is how important tortilla chips are to me. Long story short, Santita's are cheap ($2!) and delicious, but I'm willing to branch out if another chip is on sale. And I usually play salsa by ear, although Tostito's salsa is a pretty solid choice.

6. Other crackers/chips

Crackers are a way to pretend you're not eating chips, but really, you're just eating less greasy chips. Personal favorites include Goldfish, Wheat Thins, Ritz, and pretzels. Say you still want crazy chip flavors but don't want to stoop to Flamin' Hot Cheetos, then go with SunChips. That way you can both think you're healthy and that you're saving the environment by buying one of those recyclable bags (which, BTW, are effectively loud if you need to startle yourself awake). Might I recommend Garden Salsa?

7. Candy

Sometimes you just need to get through finals. Sometimes a bag of chocolate chips or a package of Starbursts are a way to do it. No need to apologize.

What are your favorite snacks? Did I leave any classics out?