Pop Culture Checklist

Hello everyone! You’re getting the Weekly Buzz a day early because I’m going on vacation (yeah!). I will return in time to deliver another ‘Buzz’ segment next Thursday. Until then, be safe and have a happy 4th of July!

Latest Pop Culture News

-NBC announced its fall lineup. Some highlights: Jay Leno’s new gig debuts Sept. 14; The Office returns Sept. 17; SNL returns on Sept. 26, and 30 Rock premieres Oct. 15. Premiering midseason will be Chuck, Celebrity Apprentice and the Jerry Seinfeld-produced “The Marriage Ref.”

–This is really good news for Lost fans: they are adding an extra episode! For the upcoming final season of the show, it will run 18 episdes – one more than originally planned. The final season will include a two-hour premiere and a two-hour finale. (I can’t wait!)

-Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey and others star in the movie called “This Side of Truth.” Go here to watch the trailer.

-My Morning Jacket’s Jim James is releasing a George Harrison tribute on Aug. 4. You can hear the entire EP starting July 7 when it’s available for purchase at yimyames.com.

–‘Sopranos’ star Drea de Matteo is joining the cast of Desperate Housewives. She will be a series regular playing the matriarch of a new Italian family (of course!).

–There is a trailer for a suspense thriller called “The Box” from Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly. It stars Cameron Diaz and will be released on Oct. 30. Watch the trailer. It looks good!

–Speaking of Lost, the guy who played Jacob on the show got a new gig. Actor Mark Pellegrino will play Lucifer on CW’s “supernatural.” He will not, however, be a full-time series regular…hopefully leaving room to do more ‘Lost’ episodes!

–Dimension Films is doing a remake of John Landis’ 1981 horror flick “An American Werewolf in London.”

–Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay, stars of “Law & Order: SVU,” have signed new deals to stay on the show for two more years.

–Ethan Hawke stars in a new vampire movie called “Daybreakers,” which will be released on Jan. 8. It looks pretty good…check out the trailer.

TV PREMIERES

Tonight (July 1) – Primetime: Crime (ABC); Monsters Inside Me (Animal Planet)

Sunday – Ruby (Style)

Tuesday – The Great American Road Trip (NBC); Warehouse 13 (Sci Fi); 10 Things I Hate About You (ABC Family)

Wednesday (0708) – Ghost Hunters International (Sci Fi)

Thursday (July 9) – Big Brother (CBS)

TV FINALES

Friday – Don’t Tell the Bride (BBCA)

Tuesday – Welcome to Dreamland (BET)

Wednesday (0708) – Reno 911 (Comedy); Pitchmen (Discovery)

Thursday (July 9) – In the Motherhood (ABC); Science of the Movies (Science)

MOVIES opening today, July 1

-Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

-Public Enemies

DVDs arriving Tuesday, July 7

-The Unborn

-Knowing

-Push

-Reno 911: Sixth Season (Uncensored)

-Doctor Who: Episode 138 – Attack of the Cybermen

-Doctor Who: Episodes 11 & 12: The Rescue/The Romans

-Five Fingers

-Kath & Kim: Season One

-Third Watch: Second Season

-Matlock: Third Season

-Murder, She Wrote: 10th Season

-Petticoat Junction: Second Season

-Power Rangers RPM, Vol. 1: Start Your Engines

ALBUMS arriving on Tuesday, July 7

-Queen Latifah, “Persona”

-Soundtrack, “Hannah Montana, Vol. 3″

-Maxwell, “BLACKsummer’s Night”

-LMFAO, “Party Rock”

-Clutch, “Strange Cousins From the West”

-Billy Boy On Poison, “Drama Junkie Queen”

-Yung L.A., “Futuristic Leland”

-Original Broadway Cast, “Rock of Ages”

-All Time Low, “Nothing Personal”

-The Jayhawks, “Music From the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology”

-Imagination Movers, “For Those About to Hop”

-Stellastarr, “Civilized”

-Son Volt, “American Central Dust”

“Time” Magazine is releasing a special issue today in commemoration of Michael Jackson.

It is something the magazine has not done since the 9/11 attacks. There will be a ton of interviews, such as Tina Turner, Nancy Reagan, Stevie Wonder and much more.

Here’s a sneak peek at the cover of the magazine, which is coming out today. Go get your copy!

The real first blockbuster of the summer did not disappoint at the box office this weekend.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” earned $112 million over the weekend and a total of $203 million in its 5-day opening. The total is only second to “The Dark Knight” 5-day total of $203 million

The only other new release of the weekend, “My Sister’s Keeper,” starring Cameron Diaz grossed $12 million for fifth place.

Sandra Bullock’s “The Proposal” stayed strong with $18 million, and “The Hangover” continues to show its staying power with $17.2 million.

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, $112 million (weekend only)

2. The Proposal, $18 million

3. The Hangover, $17.2 million

4. Up, $13 million

5. My Sister’s Keeper, $12 million

6. Year One, $5. 8 million

7. Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, $5.4 million

8. Star Trek, $3.6 million

9. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $3.6 million

10. Away We Go, $1.7 million

Latest Pop Culture News

-”Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” grossed $55 million on its opening day Wednesday. It’s the best opening day ever for a Wednesday release. Domestic estimates have the movie grossing $150 million to $170 million over its five-day debut.

-Today is the 25th anniversary of Prince’s “Purple Rain” album. Find your CD and play all those great songs today! Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the ‘Purple Rain’ movie was released about a month later, on July 27, 1984.

-The Academy Awards are doubling the nominations for ‘Best Picture’ category next year. Instead of the usual 5 nominees, it will now feature 10 contenders. It’s the first time the field has changed since 1943 when Casablanca was named best picture against 10 films. The idea is to give voters more of a choice and would invigorate the competition.

-The Travel Channel will debut a new reality show “The Streets of America: The Search for America’s Worst Driver.” It puts bad drivers through a series of challenges to find the worst driver. The show will air in early 2010.

-Jessica Simpson will star in a VH1 docu-series called “The Price of Beauty,” which will follow the singer as she travels around the world in search of what people find beautiful and why. (one word: Booooring!)

-Brad Pitt’s new movie, “Moneyball,” was shut down by Columbia Pictures because they weren’t happy with a reworked script. It’s about Oakland A’s game Billy Beane, who would be played by Pitt. The actor is looking for a new studio to pick up the film.

-T.R. Knight already has a new job after leaving “Grey’s Anatomy.” He’ll star in a play called “Parade.” It begins in Los Angeles this fall.

-Finally, good news about Jon & Kate Plus 8: new episodes won’t air until Aug. 3. (Yes!) After the couple’s announcement to divorce, TLC has halted production for a few weeks. Monday’s episode will be a clip show, with some new footage, and then it returns in August.

-Rapper Eve will join the cast of Fox’s “Glee” for two episodes to play a rival choir director. The show returns in the fall.

-Attention all Facebook junkies. You should like this news: the popular site will be based on a movie called “The Social Network” and directed by David Fincher. It will be about Facebook’s inception and evolution.

-MTV has given the okay for 8 new projects. Among them, Jamie Foxx will be the executive producer in an “In Living Color”-esque sketch comedy show, based on the original 1990’s series where he got his start. “Survivor” creator Mark Burnett is working on a reality show starring Audrina Patridge (The Hills). Also, there will be a new series based in the 80s comedy movie “Teen Wolf.”

TV PREMIERES

Tonight – Penn & Teller: Bulls…! (ABC)

Sunday – Hung (HBO); HGTV Showdown (HGTV)

Monday – Dance Your Ass Off (Oxygen)

Tuesday – Tiny & Toya (BET)

Wednesday – Primetime: Crime (ABC)

TV FINALES

Friday – Patton 360 (History); Bang for Your Buck (HGTV)

Saturday – Groomer Has It (Animal)

Monday – New York Goes to Work (VH1)

Tuesday – Hitched or Ditched (CW); Hot Pursuit (Tru TV); Beautiful People (LOGO)

MOVIES arriving Friday, June 26

-My Sister’s Keeper

Limited release: Cheri; New York; The Stoning of Soraya M.; Surveillance; Life is Hot in Cracktown

DVDs arriving Tuesday, June 30

-Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience

-The Betrayed

-Dark Streets

-12 Rounds

-The Education of Charlie Banks

-The Human Contract

-Entourage: Fifth Season

-Do the Right Thing: 20th Anniversary Edition

-Stargate: Atlantis – Season Five

-Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

-Lookin’ to Get Out (Director’s cut)

ALBUMS hitting stores on Tuesday, June 30

-Wilco, “Wilco (The Album)”

-Rob Thomas, “Cradlesong”

-Moby, “Wait For Me”

-Brad Paisley, “American Saturday Night”

-Fabolous, “Loso’s Way”

-Killswitch Engage, “Killswitch Engage”

-Cledus T. Judd, “Polyrically Uncorrect”

-Leslie Mendelson, “Swan Feathers”

-Levon Helm, “Electric Dirt”

-Various Artists, “Now That’s What I Call Music 31″

-Various Artists, “Reggae Gold 2009″

The guys will love this: FHM’s annual “100 Sexiest Women in the World” list is out.

Can you guess who is No. 1? I won’t give it away, but go HERE and you can see the list for yourself.

Do you agree with their top pick? Let me know!

“The Proposal” debuted at No. 1 at the box office this weekend.

The romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds earned $34.1 million. It marked the best opening in Bullock’s career, nearly doubling the opening of her previous best, “Premonition.”

The debut of “Year One” did okay but not great. It placed fourth with $20.2 million.

However, “The Hangover” and “Up” remain strong. ‘Hangover’ was No. 2 with $26.9 million and “Up” finished third with $21.3 million, raising its grand total to $224 million.

Top 10 Box Office

1. The Proposal, $34.1 million

2. The Hangover, $26.9 million

3. Up, $21.3 million

4. Year One, $20.2 million

5. Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, $11.3 million

6. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $7.3 million

7. Star Trek, $4.7 million

8. Land of the Lost, $4 million

9. Imagine That, $3.1 million

10. Terminator Salvation, $3.1 million

If you love Will Ferrell, then you will love this top 25 list.

Here is a list of Ferrell’s 25 funniest characters. Go HERE to check it out. Enjoy!

Latest Pop Culture News

-Amy Poehler will star in “Lunch Lady,” a movie based on a children’s graphic novel by Jarrett Krosoczka. It centers on a mild-mannered school cafeteria server who secretly dishes out helpings of justice as she and her assistant investigate wrongdoings.

-Despite interest from TBS, the network decided not to pick up “My Name is Earl.” The show is officially over.

-Eric Roberts has joined the cast of the Starz drama “Crash.” The series, starring Dennis Hopper, is currently in production for season two. It begins Sept. 18.

-Leonardo DiCaprio will star in an untitled film set in the world of Costa Rica-based online casino gaming sites. It is being written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who also penned “Rounders” and “Ocean’s Thirteen.”

-Sean Penn has pulled out of two films, citing personal reaons. He was set to star in the drama “Cartel,” and the comedy “The Three Stooges.” He was going to play Larry in the film.

-”The Bride of Frankenstein” is getting a remake. Universal and Imagine are in talks with Neil Burger to write and direct the remake of the 1935 monster movie.

-The CW network released its fall premiere schedule. “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill” swapped timeslots on Monday nights, with ‘Tree’ airing at 8 and ‘Gossip’ at 9 (both premiering Sept. 14). “90210″ will premiere at 8 p.m. Sept. 8, followed by “Melrose Place” at 9. And most importantly, “Smallville” debuts at 8 p.m.  Sept. 25 — it moved from Thursdays to Fridays.

-Sting announced that his next album, “If on a Winter’s Night…” will be released Oct. 27.

-”Mission: Impossible IV” is in fact coming to the big screen. Tom Cruise and JJ Abrams have agreed to co-produce the sequel, which will arrive in 2011.

-I think this is just wrong: a remake of the classic 1980s flick, “Teen Wolf,” is in early development. A director still has to be chosen and casting won’t begin for awhile, but I’m just going to take a wild guess and say Zac Efron will be the star (ugh). The original starred Michael J. Fox in the 1985 hit.

TV PREMIERES

Saturday – Brainrush (Cartoon); Can You Duet? (CMT); Destroy Build Destroy (Cartoon)

Sunday – Merlin (NBC)

Monday – The Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Family); Make It or Break It (ABC Family)

Tuesday – The Superstars (ABC); America’s Got Talent (NBC); The Cleaner (A&E); NYC Prep (Bravo); Primetime: Family Secrets (ABC)

TV FINALES

Friday – Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Fox)

Saturday – The Ultimate Fighter (Spike); Beverly Hills Groomer (Animal Planet)

Sunday – HGTV’s $250,000 Challenge (HGTV)

Tuesday – Women Behind Bars (WE); College Hill: South Beach (BET); I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant (Health)

Wednesday – I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here (NBC)

MOVIES arriving Friday, June 19

-The Proposal

-Year One

DVDs arriving Tuesday, June 23

-Confessions of a Shopaholic

-The Pink Panther 2

-Mr. Troop Mom

-The Code

-The Girls Next Door: Season Five

-Inkheart

-Bob Funk

-Reba: Season Six

-Legend of the Bog

-Table for Three

-Waltz with Bashir

ALBUMS arriving Tuesday, June 23

-Regina Spektor, “Far”

-Michael Johns, “Hold Back My Heart”

-The Lemonheads, “Varshons”

-Pete Yorn, “Back and Forth”

-The Mars Volta, “Octahedron”

-Dinosaur Jr., “Farm”

-Al B. Sure!, “Honey I’m Home”

-Dream Theatre, “Black Clouds & Silver Linings”

-Paulina Rubio, “Gran City Pop”

-Willy Northpole, “The Connect”

-Broadway Cast Recording, “Hair”

-Landy, “Eros & Omissions”

-Neal E. Boyd, “Neal E. Boyd”

-Grand Puba, “Retroactive”

-God Help The Girl, “God Help The Girl”

-Christina Courtin, “Christina Courtin”

The break-out comedy “The Hangover” hauled in $33.4 million this weekend to win the box office crown.

In 10 days, it has raised a total of $105.4 million.

A close runner-up was Disney’s Pixar Animation “Up,” which talled $30.5 million. It’s grand total is $187.2 million.

The debut of “The Taking of Pelham 123″ starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta came in third with $25 million. Eddie Murphy’s comedy “Imagine That” was a dud – it debuted at No. 6 with $5.7 million.

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE

1. The Hangover, $33.4 million

2. Up, $30.5 million

3. The Taking of Pelham 123, $25 million

4. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $9.6 million

5. Land of the Lost, $9.2 million

6. Imagine That, $5.7 million

7. Star Trek, $5.6 million

8. Terminator Salvation, $4.7 million

9. Angels & Demons, $4.2 million

10. Drag Me to Hell, $3.9 million   

It is officially the end for “My Name is Earl.”

Despite interest from TBS to renew the show, the network chose not to pick it up.

NBC recently dropped the show after four seasons.

No more Joy, Crab Man and Randy…what a total bummer!!!!