While the nation should be celebrating another win by my Rutgers Scarlet Knights, apparently it’s considered bigger news that Notre Dame is back at #1 for the first time in 19 years. In fact, almost exactly 19 years. Before this week, the Fighting Irish last held the top spot in college football in the poll released November 16, 1993.

To put all of this into context, here’s what was going on in the world of American pop culture the last time Notre Dame was at the top of the college football world.

Top 10 Movies

1. Addams Family Values
2. The Three Musketeers
3. Carlito’s Way
4. My Life
5. Mrs. Doubtfire
6. Man’s Best Friend
7. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
8. The Remains of the Day
9. Cool Runnings
10. A Perfect World

Will you look at that — the top movie of the week was not only a sequel but an adaption from an old TV show. First time for everything I guess.

Top 10 TV Shows

1. 60 Minutes
2. Home Improvement
3. Roseanne
4(t). A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion and Coach
6. Murder, She Wrote
7. Seinfeld
8. Murphy Brown
9. Grace Under Fire
10. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

The saga of Brett Butler and Grace Under Fire is a sad one indeed. It’s also proof positive that Chuck Lorre actually knew how to create and produce comedies with real substance at one time.

Top 10 Albums

1. Pearl Jam, Vs.
2. Frank Sinatra, Duets
3. Meat Loaf, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell
4. various artists, Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles
5. Mariah Carey, Music Box
6. Janet Jackson, janet.
7. Billy Joel, River of Dreams
8. Eazy-E, It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187^um Killa
9. Too Short, Get In Where You Fit In
10. Toni Braxton, Toni Braxton

I own and listen to just one album on this list, and you can probably guess which one if you are a regular here.

Top 10 Singles

1. Meat Loaf, “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)”
2. Janet Jackson, “Again”
3. Ace of Base, “All That She Wants”
4. DRS, “Gangsta Lean”
5. Xscape, “Just Kickin’ It”
6. Salt-N-Pepa, “Shoop”
7. Bryan Adams, “Please Forgive Me”
8. Mariah Carey, “Hero”
9. Zhane, “Hey Mr. D.J.”
10. Mariah Carey, “Dreamlover”

Ugh.

The New York Times Best-Selling Fiction Books

1. Robert James Waller, Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend
2. Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County
3. Stephen King, Nightmares & Dreamscapes
4. Anne Rice, Lasher
5. Tom Clancy, Without Remorse
6. Robert Jordan, The Fires of Heaven
7. Dick Francis, Decider
8. Dean Koontz, Mr. Murder
9. Ken Follett, A Dangerous Fortune
10. Tony Hillerman, Sacred Clowns

I can’t offer much of an opinion on any of these books. I’ll probably get around to the Stephen King at some point. Same for Lasher, although it’s already been a few years since I tackled the book that came before, The Witching Hour, and I haven’t really had a burning desire to return to the series.

The New York Times Best-Selling Non-Fiction Books

1. Rush Limbaugh, See, I Told You So
2. Howard Stern, Private Parts
3. Jerry Seinfeld, SeinLanguage
4. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, The Hidden Life of Dogs
5.  Betty J. Eadie with Curtis Taylor, Embraced by the Light
6. Maya Angelou, Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now
7. Margaret Thatcher, The Downing Street Years
8. William Shatner with Chris Kreski, Star Trek Memories
9. M. Scott Peck, Further Along the Road Less Traveled
10. Erma Bombeck, A Marriage Made in Heaven… Or Too Tired for An Affair

I was a huge Stern fan back in the ’90s, so not only did I buy and love the Private Parts book, I loved the movie too.

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