Have you done any thinking "outside the box" this decade, or encountered any "game changers?" Here to tell us more about the catchphrases that became a part of our lexicon in the 2000s is Ron Rosenbaum, columnist for Slate and author of "The Shakespeare Wars: Clashing Scholars, Public Fiascoes, Palace Coups." He recently wrote an article about the decade's memorable catchphrases. From the innocuous ("Just sayin"), and the smug ("How's that workin' out for you?") to the spiritual ("It is what it is"), and the stylish ("Stay classy").. there's a catchphrase here for everybody, and a surprisingly apt top pick.

Today is New Year's Eve, and that means citizens of the world will be ringing in 2010 when the clock hits midnight. We're leaping through time zones with reporters from across the globe for a look at how some cities are getting ready to celebrate. Tristana Moore is a BBC Correspondent in Munich; Phil Mercer reports for the BBC from Sydney, and Anna Sale is a producer for The Takeaway in New York.  Sale called in from Times Square, where many hundreds of millions around the world will watch the ball drop at midnight EST.

While the tragic shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, has captured the nation's attention today, the military has long been an interest for Hollywood. We look at two upcoming releases that address loss and life for military families. Newsday film critic Rafer Guzman talks us through "Brothers" and "The Messenger" as well as the recently released film "The Hurt Locker."

Here's the trailer for "Brothers," which features Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhall and Tobey Maguire. Click through for the preview of "The Messenger":

John Irving, the writer famous for such well-loved and critically acclaimed books as "The World According to Garp" and "The Cider House Rules," has just released a new novel: "Last Night in Twisted River." The novel spans 50 years and follows the life and times of Danny Baciagalupo. When the novel starts, 12-year-old Danny is being raised by his father, Dominic, in a logging camp in New Hampshire. Events unfurl and Danny and Dominic end up on the run. The novel is a return to form for Irving, capturing sadness, isolation, and redemption in exquisite detail and with great humor. We talk to Irving about his new book and why he believes fear makes for better stories than happiness.

The trailer for Michael Jackson's "This Is It"

Before Michael Jackson's death earlier this year, he was preparing for a string of 50 high-profile and meticulously choreographed performances in London. Today fans of the King of Pop will get to see what he had planned for his big comeback in the movie version of the show, called "This Is It." We talk to Chris Hawkins, a presenter on BBC 6Music, who joins us from outside of a movie theater in London, where fans, including Yvonne Holland, are lining up to see the film.

"Amelia," the biopic of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart, opens across the country today. Will this be Hilary Swank's third Oscar-winning role? The Takeaway's contributors Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Karina Longworth, editor of Spout, say the movie will certainly be positioned as a contender for the award. But they're not sure Swank's latest role is actually worthy.

It's Friday morning and we're talking about what everyone is talking about: "Where the Wild Things Are." The highly anticipated adaptation of a long-beloved children's books hits theaters today. Director Spike Jonze and renowned author Dave Eggers worked closely with Maurice Sendak, the Caldecott-winning author of the children's classic, to create a feature-length film. Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Bruce Handy, deputy editor of Vanity Fair and frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review, give us their take on the movie and the significance of Where the Wild Things Are.

Monty Python, the British comic troupe with a penchant for absurdist humor, retelling historic and biblical stories, and above all, glorifying Spam, are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their hugely influential comedy show, "Monty Python's Flying Circus." We look back on their work (which is, much to the Pythons' surprise, still making audiences laugh four decades later). Click through for more of our favorite clips.

The Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" hit the disco and pop charts 30 years ago this week, transforming hip-hop from live street perfomance to a mainstream moneymaker. We look at the impact of 30 years of "Rapper's Delight" on music and culture with Mark Anthony Neal, professor of black pop culture at Duke University, and Paul Miller (better known as DJ Spooky). And for a firsthand account of the phenomenon that was the Sugar Hill Gang, we talk to Keith Shocklee of The Bomb Squad, and a producer for Public Enemy.

(Celeste continued the conversation with Miller and Shocklee in an After-Air conversation: Check it out below.)

Today in Stockholm, the Nobel prize committee announced that Romanian-born German poet Herta Muller has won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature. Muller is the author of such books as "The Land of Green Plums" and "The Appointment: A Novel." We speak to Patrik Henry Bass, books editor for Essence magazine, about why American authors so rarely win what is arguably the literary world's most coveted prize.

Even though "Surrogates" and "Fame" debut this weekend, it's the art house films that have stolen the hearts of The Takeaway's movie reviewers: Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Karina Longworth, editor of Spout. They introduce us to Anne Fontaine's film "Coco Before Chanel," starring Audrey Tautou, about the famous fashion designer before she was an icon. They also look at "Disgrace," the screen adaptation of the novel by J.M. Coetzee, starring John Malkovich, and "Blind Date," starrring Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson.

Here's the trailer for "Coco Before Chanel"; click through for more trailers:

Last week close to a million New Yorkers received a special edition of the New York Post emblazoned with the giant headline: "We're Screwed!" Plausible as the headline seemed, the paper was not the work of the Post staff, but rather an elaborate prank by The Yes Men, a group dedicated to pranking for change. We talk to one of the two Yes Men, Mike Bonnano (his partner-in-pranks, Andy Bichlbaum, would have joined us, but is still in jail after being arrested yesterday) about their goals, their pranks and their agenda for the week. We also talk to Steven Heller, co-chair of MFA design at the School for Visual Arts, about whether such pranks change conversations in a positive way or just distract from important topics.

For more from the Yes Men, check out their movie, The Yes Men Fix the World, which opens nationally on October 23rd, or read their book The Yes Men: The True Story of the End of the World Trade Organization.

Lately the Yes Men have been touting the benefits of a new product, the Survivaball. Click through for more videos from the Yes Men:

On Fridays we talk movies; today we're joined by Newsday film critic Rafer Guzman and Spoutblog editor Karina Longworth. Anna Faris, Mr. T and others bring a classic children's book to screen this weekend in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Steven Soderbergh and Matt Damon do comedy with "The Informant." We also look at Jennifer Aniston's new romantic comedy "Love Happens," poet John Keats falling in love in "Bright Star," and Juno writer Diablo Cody's attempt at "feminist horror" with "Jennifer's Body."

Watch the trailer for "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" below and click through for more:

It's Friday, which means new movies are opening nationwide. Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, joins us with a few of the films in theaters this weekend. His picks? Tim Burton's return to animation in 9, a remake of the 1956 crime film noir Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, and Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself.

We also hear from Karina Longworth, editor of SpoutBlog, who's at the Toronto Film Festival in Canada. She has the latest on the next flock of films heading this way, starting with The Men Who Stare at Goats, a film with an all-star cast including George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey. (The trailer is above.) 

Here's the Trailer for Tim Burton's 9:

One of our listeners, DJ, called up the other day to point out that America, land of the free, is also the land of the complainer. And this week it definitely showed. From the missed opportunities of summer, to Obama's school speech, and then to the health care debate, Americans are making themselves heard, loud and clear. We're asking: "Hey America!  Want some cheese with that whine?" We'll take a listen to what got everyone's goat from the past few days, and maybe some reasons to look on the bright side.

Inglourious Basterds, the long-anticipated return to screen for director Quentin Tarantino, has been making waves since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. As it's said, though, no man is an island: not even Tarantino, who directed such huge hits as Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Reservoir Dogs. We talk to Lawrence Bender, Tarantino's longtime collaborator (co-conspirator?) who produced Inglourious Basterds and seven other films with Tarantino. Mr. Bender has another notable collaborator, however: former Vice President Al Gore. The two worked together to make An Inconvenient Truth, for which Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize. We talk to Mr. Bender about the new film, working with both men, and whether getting to kill Hitler on film is considered a 'mitzvah.'

Here's the trailer for "Inglorious Basterds":

Former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) was back in the headlines yesterday, not for any political or legal reason, but because he will compete on ABC's Dancing with the Stars this fall. In the House, DeLay was known as "The Hammer" for his ability to keep his party members in line; now he'll be trying to keep his feet lined up as he brushes up on his cha-cha, merengue and electric slide. He'll be vying for the mirror-ball trophy with the other competitors this season – the list includes Donny Osmond, Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin, and pop star Aaron Carter. We also asked DeLay about health care reform, because when you have a congressman on the line these days, it's a hard topic to avoid. ... (click through for the full interview transcript)

Dancing with the Stars is gearing up for its 9th season and while it doesn't begin until September 21st, the drama has already started. Yesterday the show announced the latest contestants who will be vying for the treasured mirror ball trophy. Among the contestants are former teen heartthrob Donny Osmond, former Teenage Witch Melissa Joan Hart, and former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Here to talk about how Dancing with the Stars is a half-way house for fame-addicted celebrities is Andy Borowitz. He's a humorist who writes for New Yorker and at Borowitz Report. He also wrote Who Moved My Soap?: The CEO's Guide to Surviving Prison.

This Sunday, AMC kicks off the third season of its runaway hit, Mad Men. Set in 1960’s New York City, the show celebrates the world-weary cool of the Madison Avenue advertising world. It also portrays an America in transition, having passed through the doldrums of the Eisenhower era and not yet ready for the free lovin’ Woodstock nation. For a look at what this year’s Mad Men brings to the small screen, we are joined by Eric Deggans. He is the television and media critic for the St. Petersburg Times. And to gauge if Mad Men gets the advertising world right, we are joined by Cindy Gallop. She is an advertising consultant and former chairman of the advertising agency BBH.

Courtesy of AMC TV, here's the finale of season 2:

It's a summer Friday, which means that new movies are opening nationwide. To help us navigate Hollywood's new releases we speak with Wesley Morris, film critic for the Boston Globe. This week he gives us his thoughts on two films to avoid (*cough* The Time Traveler's Wife and The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard *cough*) and two to watch: Ponyo and Peter Jackson's District 9.

Decide for yourself! Here's the trailer for "Ponyo"

And here's a preview of "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard":