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The "Look Ahead" article or chart is a staple of publishing during the waning days of December. Mostly, it's a really easy article to write between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when, let's face it, everyone's phoning it in anyway. It also lets writers use their hackiest, most "topical" jokes from the past year which are all but guaranteed to not be funny in a few months (e.g. " The Segway will give way to the Sashay—a human transporter tailored to the needs of metrosexuals." Zing!)

We haven't gotten that desperate yet but we're sure if you wait a few days we'll throw our worst shit at the wall and see if it sticks. (Just off the top of our heads: "A magazine called Lad Dad will be marketed to men in their early 30s... We'll also see a magazine called Teen Parent... American Media will launch Nip Slip Weekly... 'Bloggers' will be replaced by the next hot infotainment trendsetters: subway shouters: Radar immediately hires four subway shouters... A joke about Bonnie Fuller continuing to conquer the world.. Um, Jon Stewart revives semaphore?... Bush back bulge joke... etc.")

Until we sink to that nadir (seriously, it'll be Monday), enjoy these "Look Ahead" pieces from last year.
Magazine Predictions for 2004 [WWD, via Gawker]
What the New Year Will Bring (or Not) [Mediapost]
The Year Ahead [Forbes]