Pop Culture Checklist

As some of you may already know, today officially starts “Turn off your TV” week. It was started to promote exercise, reading, playing with your kids, and so on. The idea is to do something active instead of watching TV all the time.
I agree with the idea, but not this week! Why don’t they do this in the summer, like when Paris Hilton is doing another season of “A Simple Life?”

I have many reasons for keeping my TV on this week. There are so many new episodes airing this week, so don’t feel guilty when watching.

Here’s some shows that are featuring new episodes this week:
Monday:
–Dancing with the Stars (8 p.m. ABC)
–Heroes, which is back after a 7-week hiatus. (9 p.m. NBC)
–24 (9 p.m. Fox)
–The Real Wedding Crashers (new show begins at 10 p.m. NBC)
Tuesday:
–NCIS and The Unit (8 and 9 p.m., both on CBS)
–American Idol and House (8 and 9 p.m., both on Fox)
–Dancing with the Stars results show (9 p.m. ABC)
Wednesday:
–Jericho (8 p.m. CBS)
–American Idol results show (8 p.m. Fox)
–Lost (10 p.m. ABC)
Thursday:
–Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, October Road (beginning at 8 p.m., ABC)
–Survivor: Fiji, CSI, and Shark (beginning at 8 p.m., CBS)
–My Name is Earl, The Office, 30 Rock, Scrubs, ER (beginning at 8 p.m., NBC)
–Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader? (8 p.m., Fox)
Weekend:
It’s a sports fan dream this weekend!
–The NFL draft begins at noon Saturday on ESPN
–Playoff games for both the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings

If you love Brad Pitt (who doesn’t), then plan on being at the movie theaters a lot in the next year. 

He just signed on for a Coen brothers’ movie called “Burn After Reading” with George Clooney. It’s a black comedy that centers on a CIA agent who loses the disc of the book he is writing. The rest of the plot is being kept a secret, as well as the character Pitt will portray. 

Shooting begins in late August. 

Pitt is a busy man these days. Besides this movie, three more films will hit the silver screen in the next year. “Ocean’s Thirteen” debuts on June 8, while the “Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is coming out later this year. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” will be released in May, 2008.

In a surprising announcement, Joan Rivers and her daughter, Melissa, have been axed by the TV Guide Channel as the leading red-carpet hosts for the Oscars and other big Hollywood award events. 

She is being replaced by Lisa Rinna, former “Melrose” star who recently revived her career as a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars” last year. 

She makes her debut on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards in September. 

No word yet as to where Joan and Melissa will end up, but I’m sure you haven’t seen the last of them on the red carpet.

Here’s your weekly fix of pop culture news and events:
TV NEWS
–After a long layoff – 7 weeks to be exact – “Heroes” returns at 9 p.m. Monday on NBC. Following the hour-long drama will be the debut of “Real Wedding Crashers.” The new show is based on improv performers who pull pranks at real weddings. Hidden cameras catch all the action. Luckily, the bride and groom are in on the joke.
The show was inspired by the success of the movie, “Wedding Crashers” released in 2005 that starred Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.
–The 5^th annual TV Land Awards was held Sunday. It will premiere at 9 p.m. Sunday on TV Land.
Many stars were represented at the show, including the cast from Roots – celebrating its 30^th anniversary. Also, the cast of Brady Bunch, Taxi and Hee Haw were in attendance. Other stars, like Morgan Freeman, Luke Wilson, Sharon Stone and Forest Whitaker, also showed up.
Among the awards, the family of the late Lucille Ball accepted the Legacy of Laughter Award on her behalf.
–Regis Philbin will return to “Live With Regis and Kelly” daytime talk show on April 26, which is about six weeks after having triple bypass surgery.
Regis, 75, is doing well and plans on making a full recovery. The show airs at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on ABC.
MOVIE DEBUTS ON FRIDAY:
–Vacancy
–Fracture
–In the Land of Women
–Hot Fuzz
–Stephanie Daley
–The Tripper
DVDs COMING OUT TUESDAY:
Déjà vu
Night at the Museum
The Queen
Caffeine
10 Items or Less
Codename – The Cleaner
REGIONAL HAPPENINGS
–Less than Jake and Reel Big Fish will be co-headliners at Royal Oak Music Theatre on July 5. Tickets go on sale this Friday. Other bands include Streetlight Manifesto and Against All Authority.
Tickets are $20 or $22.50 on the day of the show. Tickets are available at the Royal Oak Music Theatre box office, all tickets.com outlets, ticket.com, AEGLIVE.com or charge by phone at (800) 919-6272.
For more information, visit Royaloakmusictheatre.com or call (248) 399-2980.
–The 3^rd annual “Bringin’ Back the 80’s” festival will be held Friday and Saturday at Frankenmuth. It will be in the Harvey Kern Pavilion (indoor) in Heritage Park.
Rock Star, Detroit’s premiere hair band tribute show, will perform on both nights. Other activities include Texas Hold’em poker tournament, lunch, dinner specials, kids entertainment and cancer education sessions on Saturday. Break-dancing and best-dressed contest will be held both nights.
It’s only $5 admission, and free parking. Proceeds go toward American Cancer Society. For more information, call (989) 652-8008 or visit www.80sfest.org.
ATTENTION SPORTS FANS
After a dull month of sports, it will be returning in full force this weekend. There are plenty of things to watch so here’s a rundown on what’s going on.
Red Wings leads series 2-1 against Calgary Flames. Here’s the remaining schedule:
10 p.m. tonight at Calgary. (FSN, CBC, Vs)
3 p.m. Saturday at Detroit. (NBC, CBC)
Sunday at Calgary. Station: (FSN, CBC, Vs)
Tuesday at Detroit. Station: (FSN, CBC, Vs)
Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic playoff schedule:
7 p.m. Saturday at Detroit. (ESPN)
7 p.m. Monday at Detroit (TNT)
8 p.m. April 26 at Orlando (TNT)
3 p.m. April 28 at Orlando (TNT)
May 1 at Detroit (if necessary)
May 3 at Orlando (if necessary
May 5 at Detroit (if necessary)
 
Supercross in Detroit
Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series will be held Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit.
The main event starts at 7 p.m., and doors open (for practice qualifying) at 12:30 p.m.
Tickets are available at the Ford Field box office, all ticketmaster outlets, and all participating Yamaha dealers, or charge by phone at (248) 645-6666.
MISL Championship Series in Detroit
Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) championship series finale will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday at Compuware Sports Arena, in Plymouth. (It is home of the MISL Detroit Ignition.)
Detroit Ignition will have home-field advantage when it takes on the Philadelphia KiXX for the title.
The game will be nationally televised on VERSUS. Tickets are available through the Detroit Ignition box office, online through Ticketmaster or by phone at (888) 436-4625.

The annual Detroit Music Awards will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at the State Theatre, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 

After weeks of head-scratching as to why Sanjaya was still on American Idol, the frustration is officially over. He was booted off the show Wednesday night, causing America to finally breathe a sigh of relief!

LaKisha and Blake joined him in the bottom three, but it ultimately came down to Sanjaya and LaKisha. After the announcement that Sanjaya was leaving, the crowd erupted in cheers. This is the first time I ever heard that when someone gets voted off. Usually, it’s a universal groan….not the case here.  

The six remaining finalists – Melinda, Phil, Lakisha, Jordin, Blake and Chris – will perform songs considered to be “life anthems” at 8 p.m. Tuesday on Fox to kick off “Idol Gives Back.” 

On Wednesday, at 8 p.m., Fox will air a special 2-hour live “Idol Gives Back” results show featuring numerous artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Gwen Stafani, Josh Groban, Pink, Michael Buble, Annie Lennox, and many more. 

And, of course, one of the contestants will be eliminated.

Are you a fan of the Halloween movies? If you are a Michael Myers fan, then you’ll love this news.
Rob Zombie is directing and producing a new Halloween movie. And no, it’s NOT a remake. Rather, it will be an updated “re-imaging” version of the 1978 original. His plan is to reinvent Michael Myers and go deeper into his back story – all in an attempt to add new life to the character.
Zombie said he will even explain the mask Michael wears, providing an explanation as to why he wears it instead of stealing a random mask from a hardware store. He said he also wanted Michael to be more true of what a psychopath he really is.
And if you’re wondering what John Carpenter thinks of all this, he told Zombie to go for it. He’s completely backing the film.  
The movie is expected to be released on Aug. 31 – save the date!!
IN OTHER NEWS:
Norton to play “Hulk”
Ed Norton will star as Bruce Banner, aka The Incredible Hulk, in the movie “The Incredible Hulk.” The movie is expected to be in theaters by summer, 2008.
The story will be based on Bruce Banner, who will be on the run while trying to find a cure to his condition that turns him into a green monster when he gets angry.
What do you think of Norton playing Banner? Is he the right choice?
Sin City sequel
Production begins in June for Sin City 2.
Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez (from ‘Grindhouse’) will once again share directing duties for the sequel. The movie will be based on “A Dame to Kill for,” the second “Sin City” tale and a prequel to “The Hard Goodbye,” which was the basis of one of the first film’s storylines. Miller said the sequel will deal with a couple old stories and a brand-new one.
Rumors are swirling that Johnny Depp and Antonio Banderas will star in the movie – we can only hope!

Did you catch American Idol last night?
This time around, country star Martina McBride guided the contestants through their songs. I have to say, I’m not a country fan so it was hard to get through it. But, some of the performances were entertaining, like Jordin Sparks and Melinda Doolittle. I know everyone says this, but it really is hard to believe that Jordin is only 17 – wow, that girl can sing!
I’m rooting for LaKisha, only because she’s a Michigan girl, but she seems to continue her free fall.
But who was the star of last night’s show? Simon! He was great. He was right about everyone. He told Phil Stacey it was a good performance, and it was, but added that he doubts it will save him from the bottom 3 – very true.
Another example. After another horrible performance by Sanjaya, Simon called it “utterly horrendous.” He also said what everyone was thinking. Simon told him that his extended stay has been “funny” but it’s time for him to go. This is a singing competition, after all. And of course, Ryan Seacrest had to butt in, like usual, and Simon put him in his place. It was great! Ryan drives me crazy – he thinks he deserves to be in every camera shot. Can someone vote him off?
Anyway, I think it’s FINALLY Sanjaya’s turn to get voted off tonight. Who’s going to be in the bottom 3? Let me know what you think!
In other reality show news, Clyde “The Glide” Drexler got booted off Dancing with the Stars Tuesday night. Heather Mills joined him in the bottom two. 

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven’t blogged in a few days but I was visiting my new nephew in Chicago. He was born last week – he’s a cutie!
Anyway, now that I’m back, it’s time to catch up. Lots of great news is coming up in Thursday’s “weekly blog” so be sure to check it out. It will be posted by noon Thursday.
In the meantime, here’s a fun announcement I received today. It’s for all you dodgeball fans out there. This sounds like fun! By the way, how great was the Dodgeball movie with Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller? I love that movie!
Okay, here are the details on an upcoming Dodgeball tournament. It will be held Saturday, May 19 at the Taylor Sportsplex, located at 13333 Telegraph Rd., in Taylor.
It’s a Round Robin tourney and your roster is limited to 10 players, who must be at least 16 years old. Fee is $195 per team and deadline to sign up is May 11. Register by phone at (248) 840-8200 or register online at www.detroitsportsclub.com.
Detroit Sports Club is sponsoring the event. Winner receives $1,000, plus championship gear.
Let me know if you sign up – I’ll post how you faired in the tourney. Good luck!

Here’s your weekly dose of upcoming shows, movies and events coming up. If you have any other news not mentioned here, please share it.
Regional happenings
Here’s this weekend’s entertainment lineup at Café Classics, located at 29 S. Monroe St., in Monroe. They have live entertainment every week – for more information, check out www.cafe-classics.com or call 242-8286.
Tonight: Unknown Legends
Friday night: Tom Treece & Crosspoint
Saturday night: Bruce Freimark and Steve Pipis
Every Saturday: Kevin R. Daniels (noon to 2 p.m.)
Every Sunday: Jonathon Standifer (noon to 2 p.m.)
Celebrate the Mud Hens this weekend!
A “Celebration Weekend” is being held for the Toledo Mud Hens Championship. It will be held Friday through Sunday at Fifth Third Field in Toledo.
Opening Day is at 5:30 p.m. Friday against Durham.
Opening Night is at 7 p.m. Saturday against Durham.
Kids Opening Day is at 2 p.m. Sunday against Durham.
Just for Laughs
Latino comedian Ricky Gutierrez is holding two comedy shows on Friday night.
The first show is at 8 p.m., followed by a second show at 10 p.m. at Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 314 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor.
Ricky is set to star in an HBO comedy series based on his life and the experiences he talks about in his standup routine. He’s also been on NBC, BET and Showtime.
Cost is $10 in advance, and $12 at the door. For more information, call 996-9080.
For the late-show junkies, here’s a lineup for TV talk shows tonight and Friday.
Thursday:
David Letterman: Bruce Willis, Jason Randal
Jay Leno: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Relient K
Late Late Show: David Duchovny, Nia Long, K-os
Conan O’Brien: Molly Shannon, Tiki Barber, Of Montreal
Jimmy Kimmel: Goran Visnjic, Andy Milonakis, The Academy Is…
Last Call: Quentin Tarantino, Rock Kills Kid
Friday:
David Letterman: Bill Cosby, Angela Kinsey
Jay Leno: Orny Adams, The Shins
Late Late Show: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Rodney Carrington, Cold War Kids
Conan O’Brien: Ray Liotta , Mary Lynn Rajskub, Joseph Arthur
Jimmy Kimmel: Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Carlos Mencia, Rodrigo y Gabriela
Last Call: Jenny McCarthy
For all you boxing fanatics…
Don’t miss the HBO special, “De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7: A Four-Episode Series Event” that leads up to the junior middleweight championship match between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather. The series includes exclusive behind-the-scene action weeks leading up to the showdown.
It premieres at 10:30 a.m. Sunday on HBO.
The fight is set for May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It will be carried live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Big screen releases for Friday, the 13^th
Perfect Stranger
Disturbia
Redline
Slow Burn
Hatchet
Pathfinder
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie
Albums arriving in stores April 17:
“Year Zero” by Nine Inch Nails
“The Best Damn Thing” by Avril Lavigne
“Bucky” by Bucky Covington
“Rhinestoned” by Pam Tillis
“At The End of Paths Taken” by Cowboy Junkies
“Fall” by Clay Walker
“Strength And Loyalty” by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
“Unexpected” by Lumidee
“Let’s Just Be” by Joseph Arthur