排行榜

UK

Books

1. Book of the Dead Patricia Cornwell

2. Nineteen Minutes Jodi Picoult

3. Friend of the DevilPeter Robinson

4. The Quest Wilbur Smith

5. An Absolute ScandalPenny Vincenzi

Crime thrillers rule the roost this time around – the top three are all classic examples of the genre. Patricia Cornwell's forensic expert Kay Scarpetta is back for her 15th outing in the caustically slow Book of the Dead， which is only really worth reading if you're a fan of the series. Meanwhile， Wilbur Smith's Egypt series continues with The Quest， and Penny Vincenzi takes a look at the Lloyds Bank scandal of the 1980s in the appropriately-named An Absolute Scandal.

這次犯罪小說無處不在，榜單上前三名都是這種類型。在充滿諷刺意味的《Book of the Dead》中，法學專家Kay Scarpetta終于回來了。如果你是犯罪小說迷，那就該讀讀這本書。另外，Wilbur Smith的《Egypt》系列小說的新故事《The Quest》也新鮮出爐，而Penny Vincenzi以20世紀80年代的埃勞德銀行丑聞為模板創作了名如其“事”的《An Absolute Scandal》。

Movies

1. Iron Man

2. What Happens In Vegas

3. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

4. Speed Racer

5. Nim's Island

Be prepared for a considerable amount of repetition in this month's movies， as Hollywood gears up for the summer blockbuster season. Across the board this month， there's been only one movie that had a chance of coming out on top. Iron Man， the eagerly awaited adaptation of the Marvel comic， is a special-effects-heavy romp through the early years of the Iron Man saga. Staying fairly true to the plot of the original comic， Iron Man follows billionaire weapons magnate Tony Stark as he gets injured by terrorists in the Middle East and builds the Iron Man armour to save his own life. Upon his escape from the terrorist clutches， he declares that he will only use the suit to fight crime… but old friends have different ideas.

現在是好萊塢暑期電影的季節，所以你要為看到榜單上不斷重復的影片做好心理準備。本月的榜單上只有一部影片有機會成為冠軍，那就是《Iron Man》。這部改編自驚奇漫畫的影片情節貼近原創，運用大量特效，講述了鋼鐵俠的傳奇故事：擁有億萬身價的軍火商Tony Stark在中東受到了恐怖分子襲擊，他為自己建造了金鋼鐵甲來保護自己，成為了鋼鐵俠。在成功逃出恐怖分子魔掌后，他宣布新身份只用來打擊犯罪，但是他的老朋友們卻不這么想。

Singles

1. 4 MinutesMadonna feat. Justin Timberlake

2. Wearing My RolexWiley

3. Black GoldSam Sparro

4. HeartbreakerWill I Am feat. Cheryl Cole

5. Love In This ClubUsher feat. Young Jeezy

Needless to say， it's no surprise Madonna ended up on top of the British charts this month - particularly when coupled with Justin Timberlake. 17 million plus hits on YouTube attest to 4 Minutes' incredible popularity. It's a bit bland for my taste， but I can see the appeal. Black Eyed Peas frontman Will I Am really doesn't need to mention Cheryl Cole for in the credits Heartbreaker – I think she sings the grand total of around fifteen words in this really rather forgettable offering from someone who can do so much better.

不用說，Madonna登上英國冠軍寶座一點都不意外，更別提她是和Justin Timberlake一起合作的了。1700萬的銷量加上在YouTube上的點擊率證明了《4 Minutes》已經紅得不行了。雖然不大對我的口味，但我仍能感受到其中的吸引力。黑眼豆豆的主唱真不必把Cheryl Cole放在《Heartbreaker》的致謝名單中，她只在這首歌曲中唱了15個單詞，還沒讓人記住。

Albums

1. Jumping All Over The WorldScooter

2. Hard CandyMadonna

3. Rockferry Duffy

4. Sam Sparro Sam Sparro

5. Third Portishead

Then again， maybe Madonna's hold on the British public isn't as strong as I thought. Remember Scooter? Y'know， random German techno band， released the incredibly weird yet oddly catchy Logical Song a few years back? No? Don't really blame you. But still， completely out of nowhere they've crashed back onto the scene and put the Queen of Pop firmly in her place at number two. Best album of the five this month? Portishead's Third， by a long shot. It's been nearly a decade since they released any new material， and this doesn't disappoint. It's bleak， slightly creepy， and surreal， but it's a compelling album and I can't help but love it.

也許Madonna在英國公眾中的影響力沒我想象的那么大。記得Scooter嗎？就是那支德國電子樂樂隊，幾年前曾發行過極端怪異但又深入人心的《Logical Song》的那個樂隊，記得嗎？不記得？那也不怪你。但是他們仍然將流行天后擠到亞軍的位置，重新稱霸樂壇。最好的專輯是哪張呢？我覺得是Portishead的《Third》，這可是很少有機會嘗試的成功典型。……