SMART LIST: Pop culture talking points for 2008

Usher. If 2007 was Kanye West’s year, we’re going to call 2008 for Usher. His fifth album is scheduled for a March release, and one of the songs has “leaked.” (Imagine being very stoned and trapped in an arcade with Usher and Ludacris circa 1988.) All we can say is, “INSANITY.” We suspect that competition from Justin Timberlake’s critical and commercial smash “FutureSex/LoveSounds” and the amazing dance displays of Chris Brown have pushed Usher to even greater and more experimental heights.  (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

Judd Apatow. You thought you heard a lot about Apatow and his rogues’ gallery in 2007? They were only scratching the surface. Next year this guy has five movies coming out (compared with this year’s three). Get ready for “Pineapple Express,” starring Seth Rogen; “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan,” starring Adam Sandler; “Drillbit Taylor,” with Owen Wilson; “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” with Bill Hader and Jonah Hill; and “Step Brothers,” starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly -- all written and-or produced by the man who brought you “Knocked Up.”  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Beyond the ingenues. We are sick of talking about Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman -- all beautiful young actresses whom we consider overrated. We are predicting that 2008 is going to be the year of the older actress. We expect (hope) to talk a lot more about 29-year-old Katherine Heigl (“27 Dresses”); 33-year-old Amy Adams (“Sunshine Cleaning,” “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day”); and, most important, the return of 31-year-old Rachel McAdams (“The Lucky Ones,” “The Time Traveler’s Wife”).  (Vince Bucci / Getty Images)

Presidential infotainment. Expect the interwebs to explode with ingenious riffs on the 2008 presidential election. We’ve already heard from the likes of Obamagirl, and we anticipate a few Huckabee Honeys along the way. With Oprah, Chuck Norris, George Clooney and Magic Johnson already chiming in on the Iowa race, we’re making plans to soup up the sound system on our laptop.  (Elise Amendola / Associated Press)

Famous babies. Celebrities give birth to babies every year, but it seems like there’s an extra shipment of them headed to maternity wards in 2008. Get ready to meet the celebrity spawn of Nicole Richie, Jennifer Lopez, Lily Allen, Christina Aguilera, Halle Berry and Jamie Lynn Spears, all coming to a tabloid magazine near you. (We wouldn’t be surprised if Katie and Tom managed to sneak another one in there before the end of the year too.)

And with that, Happy New Year!  (David Livingston / Getty Images)