Pop Culture Checklist

Here’s your weekly dose of upcoming shows, music and events coming up. If you have any other news not mentioned here, please share it.
MUSIC NEWS
–Beastie Boys have a new album coming out called “The Mix Up” and will be released June 26.
Band member Mike D promises that the new album will be “radically different” to its last release in 2004 called “To the 5 Boroughs.” It will be rock-ier (is that a word?) and will sound more like the classic albums of “Check Your Head” and “Paul’s Boutique.”
The album is all instrumental, meaning NO vocals!
–Violent Femmes will be performing July 14 at Royal Oak Music Theatre. Tickets are $27.50 and $49.50. All ages welcome – doors open at 7 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at all tickets.com locations or charge by phone at 800-919-6272.
–You will have to wait for 50 Cent’s next CD, “Curtis.” The release date was pushed back to September due to last minute additions. It’s original release was slated for June 26.
CD releases on Tuesday, June 5:
–Paul McCartney – “Memory Almost Full”
–Marilyn Manson – “Eat Me, Drink Me”
–Chris Cornell – “Carry On”
–Big & Rich – “Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace”
–Rihanna – “Good Girl Gone Bad”
–T-Pain – “Epiphany”
–Daddy Yankee – “El Cartel: The Big Boss”
–Cowboy Troy – “Back In The Saddle”
–Swizz Beatz – “One Man Band”
–Poison – “Poison’d”
–Tesla – “Real To Reel”
–Bruce Springsteen – “Live in Dublin (live)”
–Sister Hazel – “BAM! Volume 1”
–O.A.R. – “Live From Madison Square Garden (live)”
–Sandra Bernhard – “Everything Bad And Beautiful (live)”
Movies opening on Friday
–Knocked Up
–Mr. Brooks
–Rise: Blood Hunter
–Crazy Love
–Gracie
**Don’t forget, MTV Movie Awards will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on MTV.
LOCAL EVENTS
–The Jazz Series continues tonight. It’s held from 6 to 10 p.m. at six different locations around downtown Monroe. It’s held every other Thursday. The locations are: 129 Lounge, Café Classics, Jefana’s on Front, McGeady’s Town Pub, Monroe Street Grill, and Rendezvous. 
–The Moscow International Circus will be held Tuesday at the Monroe County Fair. Show times are 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Fair, 3775 S. Custer Rd. Go an hour early for family fun activities. For more information, visit www.moscowinternationalcircus.com.
–Grosse Ile Islandfest will be held from Friday through Sunday night. Call 675-2364 for all the details.
–On Friday and Saturday, the Germania Club Downriver will hold its 36^th annual German-American Festival. It will be from 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday, and from 2 p.m. to midnight on Saturday at Germania Hall, 23156 King Rd.
German food, drinks and music, and children’s activities, will be offered. For more information, go to www.germaniaclub.com or call 479-4278.
–Hot Rod magazine’s Power Tour will make a lunch stop Sunday at Sterling State Park. It will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. About 1,500 hot rods will cruise the park. Food vendors will be on hand.
REGIONAL EVENTS
–Sunday is the Taste of Ann Arbor and the Rest of the World. Located in downtown Ann Arbor, the outdoor event features food and entertainment from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Three stage areas will showcase bands, comedians, clowns and dancing. Several restaurants will be open.
It’s free and open to the public. Food tickets are .50 cents each.
It will be held in the downtown area, at Main and Liberty Sts. For more information, call (734) 668-7112, ext. 32.
–Rally by the River will kick off its 2007 season on Friday. “The Pat Dailey Show” jump starts the season. Pat Dailey will perform from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday at Promenade Park, in Toledo. It’s located on the west bank of the downtown riverfront.
The event will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the park. Cost is $5 a ticket. Kids 12 and younger get in free with a paid adult. To buy a ticket, call (419) 249-4090.
–If you don’t mind the drive, and you’re an antiques junkie, then you should head to Midland this weekend. They are hosting the Michigan Antique & Collectible Festival on Saturday and Sunday.
About 1,000 vendors will be there selling antiques, folk art, crafts, and other unique items. Special interest auto and truck show, parts and accessories swap meet and a huge auto for sale lot will be available, too.
Cost is $5 admission and kids under 11 are free. Gates open at 8 a.m. on both days. No pets allowed. For more information, call (989) 687-9001 or visit www.miantiquefestival.com.

Finally, NBC has decided to close the door on super-sizing shows. How annoying was it when you Tivo’d a show, only to miss the last five minutes because it was super-sized? 

Anyway, the network chose to stop adding the extra 5, 10 minutes to a show because it’s not as effective as it used to be. They first started prolonging half-hour shows in the 2000-01 season. 

However, NBC did say they are sticking to their plan of having 5 hour-long episodes of “The Office” next season. Yeah!

Now that the TV season is officially over, it’s time to look at which network won the rankings war. ABC is the prime time king, winning the network ratings for the week of May 14 through May 20. It received a big boost from the season finales of “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Since “American Idol” has not been as dominant as in the past, Fox fell to third place. CBS placed second thanks to the retirement of Bob Barker. They aired two prime-time specials featuring Bob and “The Price is Right.” Each episode brought in about 14 million viewers.

Here’s the top 10 for May 14 through May 20:

1. American Idol (results show)

2. Grey’s Anatomy

3. American Idol (Tuesday)

4. Dancing with the Stars (Monday)

5. CSI

6. House

7. Dancing with the Stars (results show)

8. Desperate Housewives

9. CSI: Miami

10. Bob Barker: 50 Years

Weekly buzz
Here’s your weekly dose of upcoming shows, movies and events. If you have any other news not mentioned here, please share it. Happy Memorial Day weekend!
Music news
Elliott Yamin (from last year’s American Idol) will perform May 30 at St. Andrew’s Hall, Detroit. Also, Godsmack will be performing on June 1 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit and Gwen Stefani also will take the stage on June 1 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Also in June, Fountains of Wayne will be playing June 11 at St. Andrews Hall and The Shelter in Detroit. Nelly Furtado will perform June 11 at the Detroit Opera House, and the Deftones will play June 12 at the State Theatre, Detroit.
In other news, the Toledo Zoo has a great summer concert lineup this season. Here’s the list of upcoming concerts:
–Steely Dan on June 5
–Bob Dylan on July 12
–The Moody Blues on July 24
–Sheryl Crow on July 30
–Bryan Adams, George Thorogood & The Destroyers – Aug. 7
You can purchase tickets at the Sports Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, charge by phone at (419) 474-1333 or go to www.livenation.com. For more information, visit www.toledozoo.org.
CD’s to be released on Tuesday, May 29:
–R. Kelly – “Double Up”
–Satellite Party – “Ultra Payloaded” (new Perry Farrell group)
–Richard Thompson – “Sweet Warrior”
UFC fans, get your pay per view!
Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will get a chance to avenge his loss against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson this weekend. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion will face Jackson after he was defeated in 2003. Since then, Liddell has not lost. He’s won seven in a row, including wins against Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture.
Jackson hasn’t been as successful. Since defeating Liddell, he’s compiled a 7-3 record.
The two fighters will meet again in the octagon on Saturday in Las Vegas. Don’t forget to order the fight on Pay-Per-View, or watch it at a local bar who offers it for free.
Upcoming TV season premieres and finales
Most TV shows are over for the year. But, there is no such thing as networks taking summers off anymore. A new batch of shows will be premiering next week. Here are some of them:
Tonight – “So You Think You Can Dance” on Fox
Monday – “The Ex-Wives Club” on ABC
Tuesday – “America’s Got Talent” on ABC
Wednesday – “Traveler” on ABC and “Hidden Palms” on CW
Thursday, May 31 – “The Starter Wife” on USA. Starring Debra Messing, the 6-hour mini-series runs through June 28.
There are still some season and series finales coming up. Here are a few finales:
Tuesday – “House”
June 3 – “Entourage” (new season begins June 17)
June 10 – Sopranos (series finale)
Movies opening on Friday:
It looks as though the entire movie industry is afraid to release anything alongside Pirates of the Caribbean. Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp) is back for the third and final installment of the movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” Besides that, the only other new movie out this weekend is “Bug,” an intense psychological thriller starring Ashley Judd. Other than that, all other movies are being released in a limited capacity.
How much do you think “Pirates” will make in its opening weekend? I have a bet with my brother-in-law…I said it will make $162 million. He says $175 million. The closest wins! Let me know what you think. Remember, it’s a 3-day weekend…
Local Events
Locally this weekend, it’s all about honoring our war veterans. Here are some events happening this weekend:
–At 11 a.m. Sunday at St. Mary’s Park, a Memorial Weekend Service will be held to honor veterans. The service will include patriotic music, special guests and posting of the colors. If bad weather, it will be held at Eagle’s Nest Church, 620 E. Fourth St.
–At 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Mary’s Park, a concert in the park will be held. Some of the performers include Tim Murray Band, John and Terri Vass of “Vass Majority”; Myrna Allen; Lori Couturier, and Big Praise Band.
–“Tribute to the Fallen” event will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at Monroe County Community College. It pays tribute to all local veterans and families.
–The Memorial Day Parade will be held at 2 p.m. Monday through downtown Monroe. Lewis Thornburgh, a World War II Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, will lead the procession as grand marshal.
Regional Events
–Rally by the River will kick off its 2007 season on Friday, June 1.
“The Pat Dailey Show” jump starts the season. Pat Dailey will perform from 8 to 10 p.m. June 1 at Promenade Park, in Toledo. It’s located on the west bank of the downtown riverfront.
The rest of the schedule is June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6 and July 20 (all Friday nights). Rally by the River will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the park. Cost is $5 a ticket. Kids 12 and younger get in free with a paid adult. To buy a ticket, call (419) 249-4090.
–Flower Day Weekend will be held Saturday through Monday at the Farmers Market, Toledo. Times are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
–The Butterfly Exhibit at the Toledo Zoo officially begins on Saturday. An additional fee is required to visit the exhibit. The zoo is located off the Anthony Wayne Trail in Toledo, off I-75. For more information, call the zoo at (419) 385-5721.

To no surprise, Jordin Sparks won American Idol Wednesday night. She outlasted beatboxer Blake Lewis.

What did you think of Idol this season? The ratings were down, and I think for good reason. The top 10 were dull, and the viewers didn’t tune in like they normally do. I heard that the Dancing with the Stars finale, on Tuesday, even had more viewers than Idol. That is unheard of! Up until this point, Idol has crushed all its competitors.

Will you watch next season? What did you think of the two-hour finale? How dare those Idol wannabe’s ruin all those great Beatles songs…just my opinion. Yikes, it was awful. Please feel free to share your thoughts!

MTV Movie Awards will be held LIVE at 8 p.m. June 3 with host Sarah Silverman.
Here are the categories and nominees vying for the Golden Popcorn. You can vote for your favorites at www.mtv.com.
BEST MOVIE
300  
Blades of Glory 
Borat  
Little Miss Sunshine  
Pirates of the Caribbean 2 
BEST PERFORMANCE
Gerard Butler   (300)
Johnny Depp  (Pirates 2)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Keira Knightley   (Pirates 2)
Beyoncé Knowles  (Dreamgirls)
Will Smith   (The Pursuit of Happyness)
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Emily Blunt  (The Devil Wears Prada)
Abigail Breslin   (Little Miss Sunshine)  
Lena Headey   (300)
Columbus Short   (Stomp the Yard)  
Jaden Smith   (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Justin Timberlake   (Alpha Dog)  
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Emily Blunt    (The Devil Wears Prada)
Sacha Baron Cohen    (Borat)
Will Ferrell    (Blades of Glory)
Adam Sandler    (Click)
Ben Stiller    (Night at the Museum)
BEST KISS
Cameron Diaz & Jude Law    (The Holiday)
Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen    (Talladega Nights)
Columbus Short & Meagan Good    (Stomp the Yard)
Mark Wahlberg & Elizabeth Banks   (Invincible)
Marlon Wayans & Brittany Daniel    (Little Man)
BEST VILLAIN
Tobin Bell    (Saw III )
Jack Nicholson    (The Departed)
Bill Nighy    (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest)
Rodrigo Santoro    (300)
Meryl Streep    (The Devil Wears Prada)
BEST FIGHT
Jack Black & Hector Jimenez vs. Los Duendes    (Nacho Libre)
Gerard Butler vs. “The Uber Immortal”    (300)
Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Ken Davitian    (Borat)
Will Ferrell vs. Jon Heder    (Blades of Glory)
Uma Thurman vs. Anna Faris   (My Super Ex-Girlfriend)
BEST SUMMER MOVIE YOU HAVEN’T SEEN YET
Evan Almighty  
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer 
Hairspray
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
Rush Hour 3 
Transformers 

Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno danced his way to the championship on “Dancing with the Stars” Tuesday night. He and his partner, Julianne Hough, took home the disco-ball trophy when he beat out Joey Fatone, best known as a member of the former group NSync. Laila Ali rounded out the top three but was eliminated early in last night’s show. 

Ohno joins the show’s three previous champs – Kelly Monaco, Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith. 

I don’t think this result comes to much of a shock to viewers. What did you think of this season? Was it the best? Who would you like to see in the future?

Have you heard that they’re already making a “Transformers” sequel?
The sequel was recently confirmed by actress Megan Fox, who’s in the original movie. She said the script is already being written.
The original “Transformers” movie – the ultimate robot brawl – opens July 4.
–Director Robert Rodriguez is a busy man. He not only agreed to take on two upcoming movies – “The Jetsons” and “Land of the Lost” – but now he just signed on for the remake of the 1968 Jane Fonda sci-fi classic “Barbarella.”
The original flick starred Fonda as a futuristic sexpot that was on a mission to stop the evil Duran-Duran. The new film will have Barbarella as a free modern gal who survives in a futuristic world through her fighting skills, sexuality and intelligence, writers said. 
The movie is expected to be released in the summer of 2008.
–Jodie Foster will star in “Nim’s Island,” with Abigail Breslin.
The movie is based on the book by Wendy Orr. The fantasy feature will tell of a young girl who lives on an isolated island with her scientist father and communicates with a reclusive author of the novel she’s reading. 
–Eva Mendes is back. She signed on to star in “Curve.” It’s about a woman who must escape a crazed killer after getting lost in her car in the woods outside New York City.
CANNES FESTIVAL NEWS
All the top movie stars have been in Cannes, France, promoting their films this week at the Cannes Film Festival. While promoting her new movie, “A Mighty Heart,” Angelina Jolie said she plans on taking a year off from filmmaking so she can spend more time with Brad Pitt and their kids. Hmmmm…a year dedicated to Brad…not a bad move!
Currently, she’s filming “Wanted” in Prague, Czech Republic. After, she’s taking the year off.
In “A Mighty Heart,” Jolie plays Mariane Pearl, widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. He was abducted by Islamic militants while researching a story in Pakistan in 2002. He was later beheaded.
Brad Pitt produced the film, so he’s in Cannes with Jolie promoting the film, too. 
–Jerry Seinfeld created a ‘buzz’ when he made his entrance at the festival. He wore a fuzzy bumblebee suit and black tights! Using cable wires, he jumped from the roof of an 8-story hotel with his arms and legs flailing before landing on the beach.
He wore the silly costume to promote his animated film “Bee Movie” that tells the secret life of a pesky insect. A bee, named Barry B. Benson, is a young bee who dreams of life beyond the hive. After humans steal his honey, he takes the human race to court. Voices in the movie include Chris Rock, Renee Zellweger and Matthew Broderick.
Seinfeld showed highlights of the movie at Cannes. He’s spent the past four years developing the film, writing the script and giving voice to its leading role. The film opens in November. 

Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs,” will be in northern Michigan on Friday.

He and his crew will tour the Mackinac Bridge and film the daunting task of bridge work maintenance. The air date of this particular show has not yet been announced.

If you’ve never seen this show, you should check it out. It’s an entertaining show, thanks to the comic relief of Mike Rowe, and you just might learn a thing or two.

I know that you see these celebrity names over and over again in the news, and the same questions always pops up…why? Why are certain celebrity thrown in the public’s faces on a daily basis when we don’t really care? 

Well, you’re not the only one feeling that way with celebrities like Britney Spears. According to a study that ranks the appeal of more than 3,000 celebrities, 72 percent use the term “overexposed” to describe Britney. 

Here’s the top 15: 

1. Britney Spears 

2. Paris Hilton 

3. Kevin Federline 

4. Tom Cruise 

5. Nicole Richie 

6. Lindsay Lohan 

7. Michael Jackson 

8. Donald Trump 

9. Terrell Owens 

10. Howard K. Stern 

11. Sanjaya Malakar 

12. Jessica Simpson 

13. Howard Stern 

14. Rosie O’Donnell 

15. Sean “Diddy” Combs 

What do you think of the list? Who’s missing or who’s ranked too low? 

Either way, I think they ALL need to go away!