Top of the Charts

Been seeing a lot of the Bean on your television lately? I have. Thrillingly, not every movie/film/video game that takes place in a big city has to use NYC anymore. Much of this comes thanks to the TNT network, the channel single-handedly responsible for the following dramatizations of Boston: Falling Skies, Leverage, and Rizzoli & Isles.

Kudos to video game developers for using the city, too. That includes Assassin's Creed III, set in Revolutionary Boston, and (though this is still rumor) Fallout 4 -- in a major tonal shift from Assassins -- set after a nuclear apocalypse.

And while we're on the topic of pop-culture...

You know that catchy tune. You can't escape it -- odds are good you'll hear it four times an hour if you bounce between AMP 103.3, 104.1, 104.5, and KISS 108.

Not even the U.S. swim team could outrace it. Batman himself couldn't defeat it. Cookie Monster can't eat it. Jimmy Fallon loves it.

It's "Call Me, Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen.

Like it or not, it's time to recognize this song's staying power. That, and the fact that it is most definitely the song of Summer 2012.

Celebrate with the official Don't Look Down, Beantown top four Call Me, Maybes:

(4) "Batman, Maybe" gets a nod for the hilarious line "There is no bat stache."

(3) "Share It, Maybe" by Cookie Monster takes third because (a) chocolate pudding doesn't phase Cookie Monster, (b) it spoofs not only "Call Me, Maybe," but Jimmy Fallon's performances of it, as well, and (c) Cookie Monster's voice is the exact opposite of Carly Rae Jepsen's, but somehow the song still works.

(2) "Call Me, Maybe" by Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, and Carly Rae Jepsen places next-to-best for its use of toy instruments, the enthusiasm of Jimmy and the Roots, and for the actual inclusion of Carly Rae Jepsen. But mostly for its use of the kazoo, proving to parents everywhere that it has some merit as a musical instrument.

(1) And, lastly, "Call Me, Maybe" by the U.S. Olympic Swim Team takes first place. This may be a controversial decision, especially considering it is the only lip-synced rendition on the list, but you can't argue with the team's enthusiasm. Nor its incredible use of public transportation. (I cannot imagine beginning to belt this song out on a plane or bus -- and then being allowed to finish.) It has also received the most mainstream coverage. Plus, you can't argue with results. There were an awful lot of gold medals that followed this video.

Til next time!