Ha. While the Harry Potter and Apple products is spot on, here’s mine - e-readers, in particular the Kindle. E-ink screens are incredible, and the form factor is better than books.
Much criticism of One Direction is I find by people who’ve obviously never actually listened to One Direction or bothered to find out anything about them. (And I admit that was me for a bit) AND THERE IS SO MUCH OF IT!
“They’re just a slapped together boy band!”
And so was the Monkees, in hindsight we love them.
“They don’t even play instruments!”
They do. Niall plays guitar, Louis plays piano and I think someone plays the clarinet or something not-rocking, but these are not things you can showcase as a “boy band” really. (Niall is currently playing guitar on the current tour.)
“They don’t write their own songs!”
They actually do. (Monkees again, anyone?) Though they collaborate heavily with a lot of people. (And they flat out just do an Ed Sheeran song no questions asked.)
“Auto-tuned crap!”
Some songs they use that because that’s “the sound” now much like reverb and jangly tambourines were in the 60s, but they don’t use it because they need it anymore than Cher does. Check out their acoustic performance on Letterman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ll3Zz9wD7E
The Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise has grossed well over $1 billion. I think it’s actually quite good, plot holes notwithstanding.
The first Matrix movie was also good and immensely popular.
ETA: Tolkein franchise!!!
Oh wow, this thread is bad. I sort of expected it to be bad, but it definitely exceeded that.
I think if you took a list of all things that are broadly popular, and took a random sample of them, it would give similar results as this thread. Then what is the point?
I think that one way to meaningfully answer the question is with things that are both massively popular in the general population, and massively popular with the critics. That would make The Beatles a good answer.
Agh, I hate sleep deprivation. I meant “While the Harry potter and Apple products comment(quoted below) is spot on…”
Many of Stephen King’s wrks. When he does it right, nobody does it better.
I’m not a Celine Dion fan particularly, but I do like Jim Steinman, and her version of “It’s All Coming Back To Me” is really good.
I don’t agree. Extremely popular things are often either bland or cater to the lowest common denominator. I thought exceptions to that were interesting enough to discuss and thus started the thread.
I love your optimism and good attitude…delusion aside 
I’ll agree with this one. A lot of people like to disparage him, but if your aim is to be entertained by a book, that’s what he does. And he does it very well. Also, I’m not sure what the term for it is, but he’s one of the best alive at putting you right in the story (in my opinion).
Well, since Cher herself has said she DOES need it, I am not sure you are making the point you want.
And the Monkeys get love for their kitschy representation of the era - the nostalgia, they aren’t considered “good”.
He’s a page-turner, that’s for sure. Even as I read his stuff, I know it’s not all that well-written, but I can’t put it down, because I need to see what happens next. I’d put JK Rowling in the same category, personally. She builds a very engrossing world.
Nobody mentioned Chips ? Not even Munch.
It’s “Monkees” and I recently saw them live and they are very very good. You may have to have the whole catalogue laid out in front of you to see it but they were and are very very good.
This board has a whole inflexible snottiness about it you confuse with taste that makes it so hard for me to keep coming back. I do enjoy me some Justin Bieber but yes he does need to pull his pants up.
I’ll go along with The Beatles and In N Out burgers.
As for current pop music artists, I think Jay-Z and Kanye would definitely qualify.
You know I really don’t think that believing that one direction is just yet another boy band and the Monkees were a goofy kitschy group takes any level of snottiness. It’s actually a pretty common opinion. I think you are being a little touchy and if I was your boyfriend I’d probably let you go. 