Recess top 5

5. Dawg with bite. Miami rapper Pitbull claims top rung on Billboard's independent record chart, signaling a possible new (and sunny) breeding ground for underground rappers. Move over, Houston.

4. Where's Santa Claus? The country's gradual descent into PCdom has produced horrors such as nondenominational holiday sales and parties (see The Chronicle's holiday gathering), leading one pundit to coin a now-witty, soon-tired phrase, "Christmakwanzaakah." "Feliz Navidad," anyone?

3. Supermutants collide again. Forget about bats and spiders, the original post-Reeve superhero franchise is back with psychic sirens and shape-shifting she-devils in the trailer for X-Men 3, which confirms the cinematic prowess of the X-Factor. Also look for Jean Gray's short shorts.

2. Gawker shops. Like a prolific bunny, Gawker Media has birthed yet another soon-to-be thrilling web property: The Consumerist, an online blog that critiques America's consumer culture plus spills America's best deals.

1. Separated at birth. Newsflash: based on damning photographic evidence, ruthless Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and ruthless film director Mel Gibson are linked by more than their alleged anti-Israel stance. Just kidding, but the resemblance is uncanny.

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