“In my top ten list of bad things about this decade,” Andy Borowitz recently tweeted, “I would include the rise of stupid top ten lists.”
As true as this is, it’s happening, it’s hard to ignore, so we thought we’d try to look at the best of them – the top 10.

1. Webby Awards Top 10 Internet Moments Of The Decade
1. Craigslist online classified site expands outside San Francisco (2000)
2. Launch of Google AdWords (2000)
3. Launch of online encyclopedia Wikipedia (2001)
4. Shutdown of file-sharing site Napster (2001)
5. Google’s initial public offering (2004)
6. Online video revolution led by YouTube (2006)
7. Facebook opens to non-college students and Twitter launches (2006)
8. Apple’s iPhone debuts (2007)
9. Use of the Internet in the US presidential campaign (2008)
10. Use of Twitter during the Iranian election protests (2009)

2. Newsweek’s Top 10 Most Important Dates of the Decade
1. September 11, 2001
2. December 12, 2000: Bush v. Gore Decision
3. November 4, 2008: Obama Elected
4. August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina Makes Landfall
5. September 15, 2008: Lehman Brothers Goes Bankrupt
6. March 1, 2002: U.S. Launches Operation Anaconda
7. February 5, 2003: Colin Powell Speaks at U.N.
8. April 16, 2007: Virginia Tech Massacre
9. December 26, 2004: Indian Ocean Tsunami
10. February 12, 2004: First Licensed Gay Marriage in America

3. About.com’s “Financial Events” Of The Decade
1. The Global Recession and the Collapse of Wall Street, 2007 - 2009.
2. Bernard Madoff and the Biggest Ponzi Scheme in History, 2008.
3. Sub-prime Housing Crisis and the Housing Bubble, 2007 and 2008.
4. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, causing $200 billion in damage, 2008
5. The Growth of China and India as World Financial Powers, 2005
6. War on Terror and Iraq War, cost so far: close to one trillion dollars, 2001 - present
7. Stock Market Crash of 2002
8. Enron, the Emergence of Corporate Fraud, and Corporate Governance, 2001
9. September 11, 2001 attacks.
10.Bursting of the dot.com, or technology, bubble, 2000.

4. The Hollywood Reporter’s Top 10 Most-Watched T.V. Episodes Of The Decade
1. “Friends” finale
Airdate: May 6, 2004
Viewers: 52.5 million


2. “Survivor: Borneo” finale
Airdate: Aug. 23, 2000
Viewers: 51.7 million

3. “Joe Millionaire” finale
Airdate: Feb. 17, 2003
Viewers: 40 million

4. “ER” episode “All in The Family” (who survived the car crash?)
Airdate: Feb. 17, 2000
Viewers: 39.4 million

5. “American Idol” sixth season premiere
Airdate: Jan. 16, 2007
Viewers: 38.1 million

6. “Grey’s Anatomy” post-Super Bowl episode
Airdate: Feb. 5, 2006
Viewers: 38 million

7. “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”
Airdate: May 3, 2000
Viewers: 36 million

8. “Frasier” seventh season finale
Airdate: May 18, 2000
Viewers: 33.7 million

9. “Everybody Loves Raymond” series finale
Airdate: May 16, 2005
Viewers: 32.9 million

10. “Spin City” final episode starring Michael J. Fox
Airdate: May 24, 2000
Viewers: 32.8 million

5. Rolling Stone Magazine’s Top 10 Albums of the Decade

1 Radiohead: Kid A

2 The Strokes: Is This It

3 Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

4 Jay-Z: The Blueprint

5 The White Stripes: Elephant

6 Arcade Fire: Funeral

7 Eminem: The Marshal Mathers LP

8 Bob Dylan: Modern Times

9 M.I.A.: Kala

10 Kanye West: The College Dropout

6. Billboard Magazine’s Top 10 Most Listened-To Songs Of The Decade
1. We Belong Together
Mariah Carey
Emancipation of Mimi [Japan Platinum Edition]

2. Yeah
Usher, featuring Lil John and Ludacris
Confessions

3. Low
Flo-Rida featuring T-Pain
Mail on Sunday

4. How You Remind Me
Silver Side Up

5. I Gotta Feeling
The Black Eyed Peas
The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)

6. No One
Alicia Keys
As I Am

7. Boom Boom Pow
The Black Eyed Peas
The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)

8.Let Me Love You
Mario
Turning Point

9. Gold Digger
Kanye West Featuring Jamie Foxx
Late Registration

10. Apologize
Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic
Timbaland Presents Shock Value

7. Billboard Magazine’s Top 10 Recording Artists Of The Decade
1. Eminem
2. Usher
3. Nelly
4. Beyonce
5. Alicia Keys
6. 50 Cent
7. NickelBack
8. Britney Spears
9. Destiny’s Child
10. Jay-Z

8. ABC News’s Top 10 Political Scandals Of The Decade
1. The leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity by members of the Bush White House, 2003 - 2007.
2. Lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s criminal influence-peddling of members of the U.S. Congress, 2006.
3. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla.’s sexually explicit e-mails with underage congressional pages, 2006.
4. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho’s arrest for lewd conduct in a Minnesota airport restroom, 2007.
5. The “D.C. Madam” conviction and subsequent suicide, 2008.
6. The resignation of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer after confirming reports that he frequented prostitutes, 2008.
7. Former Presidential candidate John Edwards’ admission to having an affair with a campaign employee, and lying about it, 2008
8. Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment from office as governor of Illinois after an investigation reveals he tried to sell the Senate seat left vacant by the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, 2009.
9. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s admission that he had an extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina, 2009.
10. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.’s admission he had an affair with the wife of his best friend, 2009.

9. TopTenz.net’s Top 10 Unwinnable Arguments Of The Decade
1. Does God exist?
2. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
3. Morals, relative or universal?
4. Free will or destiny?
5. Pro-choice or pro-life?
6. The death penalty
7. Euthanasia
8. Gun control
9. Nature vs. nurture
10. Evolution vs. creation

10. Top 10 Movies Of The Decade

Roger Ebert*: 1.”Synecdoche, New York” (2008) 2. “The Hurt Locker” (2009) 3. “Monster” (2004). 4. “Juno” (2007) 5. “Me and You and Everyone We Know” (2005). 6.”Chop Shop” (2008) 7. “The Son” (2002). 8. “The 25th Hour” (2003). 9. “Almost Famous” (2000) 10. “My Winnipeg” (2008)

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone: 1. There Will Be Blood. 2. Children of Men. 3. Mulholland Drive. 4. A History of Violence. 5. No Country For Old Men. 6. The Incredibles. 7. Brokeback Mountain. 8. The Departed. 9. Mystic River. 10. The Lord of the Rings: The Trilogy

Hollywood Reporter: 1. Letters from Iwo Jima 2. United 93 3. No Country For Old Men 4. The Fog of War. 5. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. 6. Far From Heaven 7. Divine Intervention 8. Cache 9.The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 10. The White Ribbon

Time Out New York 1. Mulholland Drive. 2. There Will Be Blood. 3. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. 4. The New World. 5. In The Mood For Love. 6. Yi Yi. 7. Dogville. 8. Zodiac. 9. A Christmas Tale. 10. Friday Night.

* Before Roger Ebert created his own top ten movies of the decade (publishing it late afternoon December 30th, 2009), I came up with my own 10 list from Roger Ebert. I took the movies from his list of “Great Movies” — 11 were from 2000 to 2009 — and listed them, as he did, alphabetically. Interestingly, there is little overlap. On the other hand he has had several “top 10″ lists — indeed includes a second top-10 list in his December 30th entry.
Adaptation.(2002), Chop Shop (2008), Moolaade (2007), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), A Prairie Home Companion (2006),
Ripley’s Game (2002), Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003,) The Terrorist (2000), Vengeance Is Mine (2008), Waking Life (2001), Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)