The 1 thing you must do, see, or hear this week
THE 1 CELEBRITY CARICATURIST
Paris Hilton as a proboscis monkey (Skaneus Vapidus). Nicole Ritchie as a science-class skeleton. Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, and Suri (below) as cackling chimps. Drawing inspiration from tabloids, ads, and current events, San Francisco artist 14 exaggerates and sketches all that annoys and - admit it! - fascinates us about celebrities. No A-lister - and certainly no B-lister - is safe from skewer on her blog, www.galleryoftheabsurd.com. - COURTNEY HOLLANDS
THE 1 ROCKIN' PODCAST
If you are a podcast person of the rock 'n' roll persuasion, get a load of "Sound Opinions." This weekly hourlong talk show, which originates in Chicago and doesn't air in the Boston area, is hosted with passion and winking humor by rock critics Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis. As these guys zip among genres and eras, you're bound to stumble across great new music, from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' (left) latest album to Rhymefest's cool Michael Jackson remixes. - MATTHEW GILBERT
THE 1 OLYMPICS KNOW-IT-ALL
NBC diving analyst Cynthia Potter is not a commentator. She's a critic. If a routine doesn't impress her, she'll tell her poolside partner, Ted Robinson, in her unlikely Texas twang. (More than one person has noted that she sounds like Nancy Grace; she can be just as unforgiving). But Potter, to a degree you rarely get in television sports commentary, gives us the most vivid technical sense of how diving works. Online message boards indicate that a lot of viewers can't stand her, but her analysis is invaluable. Cynthia, how's my typing? - WESLEY MORRIS
THE 1 GOLD MEDAL OLYMPICS AD
The relevance of the national anthem to selling athletic shoes is unclear. Yet that hasn't kept a
THE 1 PECULIAR BOOK PRIZE
Britain's Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year is holding a 30th anniversary competition for the oddest of the odd; that is, the oddest title of the 30 winners since 1978. The choices are listed at www.thebookseller.com. It's not clear when the voting closes, but the winner will be announced Sept. 5. Among the memorable winners of yesteryear, all real titles of published books, are, "Population and Other Problems" (1982), "Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice" (1878), and "The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories" (2003). - DAVID MEHEGAN
THE 1 BEST WAY TO OPEN A MUSIC MOVIE
Julien Temple's film, "Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten," about the Clash's leader, has everything you would expect from the dean of the British rock doc, including testimonies by admirers named Depp, Bono, and Flea and reams of archival footage, plus extra interviews on the DVD. But nothing eclipses the iron-hot opening. For roughly 40 seconds, we see a '70s-era Strummer, tightly filmed in black-and-white, shouting the opening of "White Riot" a cappella before the music bursts in. It's punk perfection, and the ultimate reminder of the late icon's unbridled energy. - GEOFF EDGERS 