Dog the Bounty Hunter - A&E’s mulleted reality star - took a serious beating in the media this November, after a phone call of him dropping N-Bombs like crazy leaked. The incident - and its aftermath - capped off a year filled with scandals stemming from derogatory language. Dog’s recorded rage revolved around his son’s African-American girlfriend, and his opinion of her was less than complimentary - it was straight up racist and gross. Almost immediately Dog apologized, prayed with his pastor and reached out to the go-to guy for idiots who say stupid stuff - the Reverend Al Sharpton. Still, A&E “suspended production on the series” and has yet to change it’s position on the show. Dog tried to explain his word choice and in an interview on Fox said, “…There’s a special connection that I thought I had between me and black America. And I used to say, ‘I’m black, too.’ In other words, I — my whole life I’ve been called a half-breed, a convict, king of the trailer trash, this and that. I take that and stand.”

Dog finally admitted, “I now learned I’m not black at all.” Better late than never.

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Just when Oprah’s permeating perfection was about to get really annoying, she had to go and get involved in a scandal that suddenly made her human again. Well, as human as the richest woman in the world with her own school in South Africa can be. This fall drama rocked her new Academy for Girls when students came forward and charged a school employee with physical and sexual abuse. The dorm matron, Tiny Makopo, was eventually arrested, and Oprah herself went down to Africa numerous times to resolve the situation. When she finally spoke out, Winfrey called it “one of the most devastating, if not the most devastating experience of my life,” and she vowed to “clean house” at the school. Knowing Oprah as well as we do (from watching her for years and years), we know she means business.

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We polled, cajoled and otherwise extracted a list of 2007’s top movies from our intrepid staff. Here it is.

Control

Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn found his initial flicker of fame by shooting post-punk bands like Joy Division, so it follows that his first feature film, Control, focuses on the same subject. If there’s any justice in the world, he’ll find just as much success as a director as he has as a photographer. Control is breathtaking, figuratively (because it’s unfailingly gorgeous) and literally (because it follows Joy Division frontman’s life up until his suicide at 23). It’s Sam Riley’s show for the taking, and he’s more than fit for the job: his portrayal of Curtis is nothing but nuance. He’s quietly cocky, generous, selfish, insecure, difficult, arrogant, tortured, humorous and so much more. It’s potentially conception-smashing: Getting to know a well-rounded facsimile makes Curtis’ death that much more of a tragedy. Corbijn’s work experience allows him to frame the band flawlessly. Control is shot in glorious black and white and it’s composed so that just about each individual shot would make a devastating still photograph. The depth of soul and painstaking craftsmanship that went into making Control are apparent. To portray a band as intense as Joy Division, it really couldn’t have been any other way. (Rich Juzwiak)

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Famous people say the darnedest things, and this year was no exception! We’re honoring the craziest sh*t to come out of their restylane-enhanced mouths this year, and bringing you our fifteen favorite celebrity quotes of 2007.

• “That’s two years in a row, man … give a black man a chance, I’m trying hard man, I have the … No. 1 record, man.” - Kanye West freaking out backstage at the VMAs.
• “Everyone now says I have a fake butt or butt implant. I’m Armenian; you should see all the women in my family. The women have bigger breasts and bigger butts. That’s how I was born. I can’t help it. I’m not gonna fight it.” - Kim Kardashian, discussing her infamous ass.
• “At the end of the video, we’re kissing and it’s raining blood—and for me, that was one of the most romantic moments of my entire life.” - Evan Rachel Wood, describing the ’sexiness’ of music video making with her boyfriend Marilyn Manson.
  
• “Leave Britney alone!” - YouTube sensation Chris Crocker, defending his best girl.
• “I don’t know if the world is flat.” - The View co-host Sherri Shepherd, articulating some controversial geographical views.
  

Watching Amy Winehouse go from top of the charts to coked-up and bloodied was one of the saddest downward spirals of the year (Paris Hilton’s demise, however, is another story). But it’s the end of the year, and we’ve run out of ways to turn her song “Rehab” into a witty pun that accentuates her actual need to get her ass locked up and detoxing, stat. In truth, the year of Winehouse has just made us feel kind of hopeless and sad. It’s no fun watching someone whose talent leaves you awestruck abandon their gifts for a full-blown drug addiction; it’s even worse when they’re doing it covered in blood. Let’s hope Amy’s New Year’s resolution involves less snorting and more self-care, and maybe a little bit of singing too.

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Famous people say the darnedest things, and this year was no exception! We’re honoring the craziest sh*t to come out of their restylane-enhanced mouths this year, and bringing you our fifteen favorite celebrity quotes of 2007.

• “Eat it, lick it, snort it, fuck it!” - Britney Jean Spears, snapping at reporters at her custody hearing.
  
• I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don’t have maps…” - Miss Teen South Carolina, answering the greatest pageant question of all time.
  
• “I was really up for some peace and love that morning. I wasn’t up for being called a c*** and being kicked in the head.” - Druggie rocker Pete Doherty after getting dumped by model girlfriend Kate Moss.
  
• “I wasn’t driving, the black kid was.” - Lindsay Lohan, after getting pulled over for her coke-fueled, road ragin’ car chase.
  
• “There’s a special connection that I thought I had between me and black America. And I used to say, ‘I’m black, too.’ In other words, my whole life I’ve been called a half-breed, a convict, king of the trailer trash, this and that…so when I stood there and said, ‘I kind of know what you feel like, because I’ve been there, too,’ that I felt that I could embrace and like, as brothers…say the word. I now learned I’m not black at all, and I never did it out of hate.” - Dog the Bounty Hunter, defending his use of the ‘N Word’ in a leaked rant.
  

We polled, cajoled and otherwise extracted VH1.com’s most loathed movies of 2007 from our normally sunny staff. Here are the results.

Knocked Up
This should have come with a disclaimer, it required such a suspension of disbelief. In short, stoner-schlub Ben knocks up blonde bombshell Allison during a one-night stand, and over the course of the next nine months cracks jokes, roasts bowls and perpetually disappoints his love interest. Had the film been recognized for its infantilism and sexism rather than its poignancy, it might have been less disturbing. Instead, Knocked Up perpetuated a creepy right-wing agenda, eschewing the issue of abortion altogether (what year is this?) and opting to bind two people (who don’t even seem to like each other very much) together in raising a child. That, coupled with the tangential plotline of Pete and Debbie, Allison’s unhappily married sister and brother-in-law (who make commitment look as pleasant and rewarding as a sexually transmitted disease), made this film work like a PSA for abstinence. (Lauren Harris)

Ghost Rider
Few comic book films have dared to be this bad — The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren comes to mind, as does Captain America, which starred no one you’ve ever heard of. Ghost Rider, on the other hand, boasts a fairly reputable troupe: Between Nicolas Cage, Sam Elliott, Peter Fonda and Wes Bentley, there’s acting talent to spare. So what went wrong? Was it the story, a jumble about a man who must become an emissary of Hell and whose motorcycle lights on fire whenever he’s in trouble? Not exactly. Was it that the script was so pandering it seemed as though it were written on cocktail napkins at the bar the night before (or perhaps the morning of) shooting? Well, maybe, but that’s not it either. Was it Eva Mendes? Hmm. The biggest problem with this film — among many, many others — was that tale of a ghostly hellion required absolutely no suspension of disbelief from either its actors or its audience. Sure, it’s difficult to suspend disbelief when you’re asked to play a man whose head lights on fire all the time, but hey, isn’t that the job? The original comic and the revived version both contained a sense of sadness, a depth created by Johnny Blaze’s hatred of what he’s become, and a sick fascination with the power it’s given him. Nicolas Cage, who wasn’t always a national embarrassment, might have had the depth to pull this off at an earlier point in his life, but no longer. And no matter, either: They’re already working on a sequel. (Jonathan Durbin)

Year of the Dog
In this film, Molly Shannon’s spinster character, Peggy, spends most of the first third exhibiting acute emotional instability by imposing her mourning over a dead dog on anyone who will listen. Fine. Then she falls for a dude who’s totally gay, except he’s not because he’s asexual. Sigh. Fine. Then she fills the loneliness of her life by taking up an animal-activist lifestyle, which includes condemning, preaching to and plying with propaganda all who disagree. NOT FINE. That she (spoiler alert!) never receives her comeuppance and is ultimately rewarded with a happy ending for being so damn obnoxious and irresponsible (her job as a secretary allows her to embezzle money from work to save, like, farm chickens or something) suggests that writer-director Mike White actually condones her behavior. He also supports the quirky-indie-comedy pitfall of being so focused on your own charm that you can’t even see how charmless of a condition that is. A complete, utter and offensive waste of time. (Rich Juzwiak)

Ratatouille
Yes, Ratatouille was visually titillating, as all Pixar movies are, but the story itself was a weak mix of bad jokes and a bland plot that left us craving more. We’ll buy a rat named Remy that lives in France and sounds like he’s from Brooklyn, but we had nothing but hate for that gangly loser Linguini, who, as a main character, had less appeal than a limp noodle. There was nothing to like about him because there was nothing to him except a red ‘fro and some roller skates. And while it was fun to suspend disbelief and watch a rat cook, there was nothing fun about the inexplicable ability Remy had to control Linguini’s limbs while yanking his hair like reins. Couldn’t those Pixar geniuses come up with something better? Audiences loved Ratatouille because we’re trained to drool at Pixar’s magical animation moves. But take away their cartoonin’ skills and all that’s left is a dull story that lacked spice. Waiter, send this flick back to the kitchen. (Kate Spencer)

*Sex and the City
With a release date slated for late Spring, 2008 and nary a trailer released, I can honestly say I already hate this movie. Let’s dismiss for a moment the geographic particulars of the filming and how disruptive it’s been for New Yorkers, and concentrate solely on what we know: The insufferable television show responsible for screwed-up female values (“I spent my down payment on heels”) has been extended into a feature-length film with all your favorite, one-dimensional characters returning after very public squabbles over cash. So what can we expect? A movie that rests squarely on hair color to delineate the passage of time (“I was so naive and brown-haired!”), some irritating scene narration from SJP (with plenty of puns), and the likelihood that Samantha will gall Charlotte with her sexual escapades. In other words, re-run city. Thanks, HBO. (Lauren Harris)

*Bonus worst-movie-to-be review.

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Two of the music world’s biggest stars, Kanye West and 50 Cent, went at it old school in a battle of words over whose new album - both of which dropped on September 11th - would sell more records. The guys threatened a televised debate over whose album was better, and 50 even claimed that he’d retire from making albums if Kanye beat him with a bestseller, saying “They would like to see Kanye West give me a problem, because I’ve worked myself into a space where I’ve become the favorite. Everybody roots [for] the underdog when he goes against the favorite.” In the end, Kanye kicked Fiddy’s ass, but not before a Rolling Stone cover of the two cemented their feud as a fan favorite. And even though 50 eventually called it out as a stunt, their battle brought some of the fun, the spunk and the street back to an industry saturated with songs about bling, boobs and Bentleys.

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Famous people say the darnedest things, and this year was no exception! We’re honoring the craziest sh*t to come out of their restylane-enhanced mouths this year, and bringing you our fifteen favorite celebrity quotes of 2007.

• “Big, fat, lesbian, loud Rosie attacks innocent, pure, Christian Elisabeth.” - Rosie O’Donnell, during her final fight with Elisabeth Hasselbeck before quitting The View.
  
• “Dogfighting is a terrible thing…” - Michael Vick, reading a statement after pleading guilty to federal charges of dog fighting.
  
• “It was just crazy—one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I don’t know how to explain what happened. I don’t really know myself. I can’t remember what I looked like. I couldn’t recognise myself. It was terrifying—I was terrified. I was so out of control. It just happened. It shocked me. I’m sorry—I just don’t know what got into me.” - Amy Winehouse, describing her summer drug binge and overdose.
  
• “You’re a thoughtless little pig.” - Dad of the year Alec Baldwin to his 12-year old, in the venomous voicemail heard around the world.
  
• “They say when you reach a crossroad or a turning point in life, it really doesn’t matter how we got there, but it’s what we do next after we got there. Usually you arrive there by adversity, and then it is then and only then that we find out who we truly are and what we’re truly made of. It’s a process, a gift and a journey, and if we can travel it alone, although the road may be rough at the beginning, you find an ability to walk it. A way to start fresh again. It’s neither a downfall nor a failure, but a new beginning.” - Paris Hilton, reading some of the stunning prose she wrote while behind bars for three weeks.
  

No matter how many times Lindsay left rehab or how many tears Paris shed in prison, 2007 belonged to Britney Spears. And nothing - NOTHING - solidified her complete transition from teen star to train wreck more than her botched performance at the MTV VMAs in September. The sequined bikini, the dead look in her eyes, her stumbled dance moves and half-assed attempt at lipsyncing all sealed the deal. It was truly too much for most people to stomach. The whole world was rooting for a comeback, and well - we got one. After that five-minute mess, the world gave up on Britney because Britney gave up on Britney. And that, my friends, should be a used as a lyric in a song on her next album, permitting that she actually gets out of her Frappu-coma and heads back into the recording studio.

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Late this summer Vanessa Hudgens taught all of young Hollywood an important, valuable lesson - don’t take photos of yourself naked when you’re the star of a show beloved by billions of five-year olds. But honestly, we’re REALLY glad she did, because she made our summers that much sexier and entertaining! The up and coming starlet took the pics for one of her teen boy toys (either Drake Bell or Zac Efron) and the incident almost got her booted from the cast of the upcoming High School Musical 3. But all it took was a statement through her rep to make it all go away. She said, “This was a photo which was taken privately. It is a personal matter and it is unfortunate that this has become public.”

No it’s not. It’s awesome, and it made 2007 infinitely better. In a year where Paris Hilton got licked up and Nicole Richie knocked up, it was a relief to discover which hot young thing was taking control of the Hollywood scandal scene.

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