Pop Culture Checklist

Happy Monday, if there is such a thing! Just remember there’s a three-day weekend coming up – wahooo! 

Anyway, this movie news comes to no surprise – Shrek the Third led all movies over the weekend. It took in $122 million, breaking the franchise’s own record for best debut for an animation film. (Shrek 2 opened with $108 million in 2004). 

The real test for the green ogre will be this weekend. Shrek goes head-to-head with the third and final installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. My money is on Captain Jack Sparrow! 

Here’s the top 10: 

1. Shrek the Third ($122 million) 

2. Spider Man 3 ($28.5 million) 

3. 28 Weeks Later ($5.15 million) 

4. Disturbia ($3.7 million) 

5. Georgia Rule ($3.5 million) 

6. Fracture ($2.4 million) 

7. Delta Farce ($1.8 million) 

8. The Invisible ($1.3 million) 

9. Hot Fuzz ($1.26 million) 

10. Waitress ($1.14 million) 

How cool is this? Robert De Niro and Al Pacino will star in a movie together – first time since “Heat” in 1995 – for the crime thriller “Righteous Kill.”
Shooting begins in August in Connecticut. The actors will pair up as detectives on the trail of a serial killer.
In other movie news…
–Get ready for a “Point Break” sequel. The movie will pick up 20 years later, and will reveal the fate of Bodhi, played by Patrick Swayze. At the end of the original film, Bodhi rides into a giant wave.
The sequel will be set in Southeast Asia, and be released in late, 2008. No word yet if Patrick Swayze or Keanu Reeves will return.
–Elijah Wood will star as Iggy Pop in “The Passenger” – a biopic of the musician. The film will follow Pop’s early years while in the band the Stooges. Nick Gomez (“Drowning Mona”) is directing the movie, which will be released in summer, 2008.
Iggy has giving his blessing to the film, but will not be in it. Can you really see Elijah playing Iggy? I don’t see it!
–Forest Whitaker and Jessica Biel are teaming up for a new movie called “Powder Blue.”
Whitaker plays a suicidal ex-priest and Biel will play a stripper. The drama intersects the lives of several characters on Christmas Eve in Los Angeles.
–A romantic comedy called “What Happens in Vegas…” is in the making. It will star Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher.
The movie is about two strangers who wake up one morning in Vegas after a night of partying to find that they got married the night before. One of them wins a huge jackpot with the other’s quarter, then they try to determine who is the rightful winner of the money.

It’s Thursday, and you know what that means. It’s time for your weekly buzz! Here’s a list of upcoming shows and events. If you have anything to add, please do so.
TV season finales
Tonight – The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Smallville, Supernatural, Ugly Betty, ER, Scrubs
Friday – Numb3rs, Law & Order
Saturday – Saturday Night Live (with Zach Braff and Maroon 5)
Sunday – Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Monday – 24, Heroes, The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman
Tuesday – Dancing with the Stars, NCIS, Boston Legal, Veronica Mars, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: CI
Wednesday – American Idol, Lost
D’oh!
On Sunday, don’t miss the 400^th episode of The Simpsons. It’s a special, one-hour season finale in which they do a parody of the drama series “24.” Celebrity guest voices include Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub (both from 24).
Get your very own “Office” letterhead
In honor of Thursday’s finale of “The Office,” you should get your own “Dunder Mifflin” letterhead.
Visit http://thetvaddict.com/2007/04/05/download-your-very-own-dunder-mifflin-letterhead/ to download the letterhead.
CONCERT NEWS
Here is a list of upcoming concerts at DTE Energy Music Theater, in Clarkston. Here’s a look at the month of May and June. Get your tickets!!!
Eddie Money – May 25
Fall Out Boy – May 27
Montgomery Gentry – June 2
Foreigner – June 8
Stevie Nicks – June 9
Temptations – June 10
Doobie Brothers – June 14
Barenaked Ladies – June 15
The Fray – June 16
Creedence Clearwater Revisited – June 20
Ted Nugent – June 22
Chicago – June 29
Here’s a list of upcoming shows at Palace of Auburn Hills:
Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra – May 20
Champion Cage Fighters – May 26
Gwen Stefani – June 1
John Mayer – July 5
Tim McGraw – July 11
The Police – July 17
And at Fox Theatre in Detroit…
–The All-Stars of Comedy, featuring Arnez J. Rickey Smiley, Earthquake, and Anthony Anderson. 8 p.m. May 25.
–Godsmack. 7:30 p.m. June 1.
CD releases for May 22:
Ozzy Osbourne — “Black Rain” (first album in six years!)
Maroon 5 – “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long”
Joan Osborne – “Breakfast in Bed”
The Used – “Lies For The Liars”
Erasure – “Light At The End Of The World”
KRS-One – “Hip Hop Lives”
Kidz Bop Kids – “Kidz Bop Country”
Ultra Nate – “Grime, Silk & Thunder”
Amel Larrieux – “Lovely Standards”
O.A.R. – “Live At MSG”
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
–In Monroe, the 2^nd annual River Raisin Jazz Series begins today. It will continue every-other Thursday night through the 6^th annual River Raisin Jazz Festival, in August.
It’s held each Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. The dates are tonight; May 31; June 14; June 28; July 12; July 26, and Aug. 9. It will be held at 129 Lounge; Café Classics; Jefana’s on Front; McGeady’s Town Pub; Monroe Street Grill, and Rendezvous. (All locations are located in, or near, downtown Monroe).
–A classic car and street rod show will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at Dundee Veteran’s Memorial, 418 Dunham St. in Dundee. Besides checking out all the cool cars, the event will have music, food, drinks, prizes and raffles. And the best part…it’s free!
–On Sunday, Southern Great Lakes Symphony will present “In Praise of Orpheus” at 3 p.m. at Flat Rock Auditorium, 28100 Aspen Blvd.
–Every Thursday during the summer, a car cruise is held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Pancone’s Auto, located on M-50 in Monroe.
–Every Saturday, the Huron Valley Aerie 3732, Fraternal Order of Eagles has a bluegrass concert. This week’s performer is Marion Blue. Concert begins at 8 p.m. The hall is located at 13636 Telegraph Rd., in Flat Rock.
REGIONAL HAPPENINGS
–The Detroit Electronic Music Festival will be held over Memorial Weekend.
Headlining the event will be legendary Detroit artists Moodymann live featuring Pitch Black City on May 26; Model 500 featuring the godfather of Detroit Techno Juan Atkins on May 27, and Jeff Mills, the “wizard” of Detroit Techno, closing out the festival on May 28.
The three-day event is expecting 45,000 people this year. It will be held from May 26 through May 28 in downtown Detroit’s Hart Plaza. For a full schedule of events and ticket sales, visit www.demf.com.
–A traveling version of “High School Musical” will be coming to Detroit soon. It will debut at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre from June 26 to July 8. The show is adapted from the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel original movie. The show will feature songs from the original soundtrack, plus two new numbers.
–“Promenade Tecumseh” will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Tecumseh Historical Museum. The 31^st annual Historic Home Tour will be held, along with an antique car show in downtown Tecumseh, cemetery tours, Civil War re-enactments, and much more. Call (517) 423-3740 for more information.
–Incubus, who was scheduled to perform Tuesday at the State Theatre in Detroit, has postponed the concert. Guitarist Mike Einziger suffered a hand injury and needs surgery. 8 to 12 weeks recovery time is expected so hold on to your tickets for awhile.

My worst fears have come true. Beatboxer Blake Lewis is in the finals at American Idol.
He beat out favorite Melinda Doolittle during last night’s elimination round. It’s now Blake vs. Jordin Sparks in the finals next week. 

After hearing the reaction from the crowd, when the announcement was made that Doolittle was eliminated, I know I’m not the only one who wanted to see Blake leave the stage. Sighs and mumbles overwhelmed the crowds reaction to the news. 

Needless to say, I’m rooting for Jordin. Who do you guys want to win? Do you care? Will you watch next season, especially since this year was considered a down year? Let me hear your thoughts! 

May sweeps continues with American Idol staying firmly on top of all the competitors.
Here’s the list of Nielsens ratings for May 7 to May 13:
1. American Idol (Wed) – 28.2 million viewers
2. American Idol (Tues) – 25.5
3. House – 21.4
4. Grey’s Anatomy – 19.6
5. Dancing with the Stars – 19.4
6. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – 18.8
7. CSI: Miami – 17.2
8. Dancing with the Stars results show – 16.9
9. Desperate Housewives – 16.1
10. Without a Trace – 14.3
11. NCIS – 13.9
12. Survivor: Fiji – 13.8
13. Survivor: Fiji finale – 13.6
14. King of Queens – 13.4
15. Two and a Half Men — 13.3
16. Criminal Minds – 12.9
17. CSI: NY – 12.8
18. Lost – 12.1
19. Brothers & Sisters – 11.6
20. Survivor: Fiji reunion – 11.4
Here’s the top 15 Cable shows for the same week:
1. The Sopranos – 6.5 million viewers
2. WWE Raw (Monday, 10 p.m.) – 5.3
3. WWE Raw (Monday, 9 p.m.) – 4.9
4. Jazz vs. Warriors – 4.6
5. Warriors vs. Jazz – 4.3
6. Spurs vs. Suns – 3.9
7. Finding Nemo – 3.8
8. Warriors vs. Jazz – 3.7
9. Entourage – 3.1
10. Deadliest Catch – 3.0
11. Jazz vs. Warriors – 3.0
12. Bulls vs. Pistons – 3.0
13. Pistons vs. Bulls – 2.9
14. Stuart Little 2 – 2.9
15. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – 2.8

Jack Bauer will live on…for at least two more days.
Fox renewed “24” through the 2008-09 season. Kiefer Sutherland, who plays Jack, signed on to stay through May, 2009.
And don’t expect the next two seasons to be typical “24”-type days. According to the executive producer, they are re-creating the series, but will stay with its real-time theme.
He mentioned a new cast with some old favorites returning in different roles, and a new location – not yet announced. He even hinted that the story may be told from two locations.
 In other Fox news, the network renewed House, Prison Break, Bones, and Til’ Death as well as its Sunday animated comedy block. Fox also ordered a 13^th season of Mad TV.
For next fall, Fox picked up three comedies: Back to You, The Return of Jezebel James and The Rules of Starting Over. New dramas include Canterbury’s Law, K-Ville, New Amsterdam, and The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Ian (which I like to pronounce “Eee-an”) Ziering got the boot from Dancing with the Stars Tuesday night. His dismissal also marks the end of his dance partners two-year reign. Cheryl Burke was the champ for the past two years with celebrities Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith. 

Next week, the final three will vy for the top spot. Laila Ali, Joey Fatone and Apolo Anton Ohno remain in the competition. They will be dancing twice, including a free-style round. The winner will be crowned next week.  

Ian is best known for his role on Beverly Hills 90210. Personally, I think America got it right. The top three are by far the best dancers. 

By the way, did you know that Ian is 42 years old?!? I had no idea! 

Catch KiKi on stage
Flint native LaKisha Jones didn’t become the next “American Idol,” but you can still see her perform. She and other Idols will be making a “American Idols Live” tour stop at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Aug. 12.
Tickets go on sale Saturday.

In other news…
Tickets are now on sale for a huge concert coming up Joe Louis Arena.
Nickelback will perform July 16 with special guests Staind and Daughtry.
Tickets are $47.50 and $55.50 and are on sale now at OlympiaEntertainment.com, the Joe Louis Arena and Fox Theatre box offices, Hockeytown Authentics in Tory and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Macy’s and Ticketmaster.com.
To charge by phone, call (248) 645-6666.

Also, John Mayer, with Ben Folds, will kick off his summer tour on June 1. He will be in Michigan on July 5, performing at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Get your tickets now!

NBC recently announced what TV shows have been renewed and canceled.

Scrubs will return for a shortened season next year, taping only 18 episodes.
Law & Order also will return. It will mark its 18^th season. It was on the bubble after bad ratings this year. The move from Wednesday night to Friday night hurt them this year.
The Law & Order spinoff, Criminal Intent, has been bumped to the USA Network. Friday Night Lights has been renewed for another season, but Crossing Jordan has been canceled.
And it is finally official: NBC cut Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Also, Donald Trump might be fired…NBC has yet to announce that “The Apprentice” has been renewed.
Jerry Seinfield returns to network TV to create and star in 20 live-action comedy “mini-sodes” inspired by his experiences creating the upcoming animated movie “Bee Movie.” It hits theaters Nov. 2. The mini-sodes will run in the fall.
After “Sunday Night Football,” which ends in January, 2008, a new lineup will take form to fill that air time.

Here’s NBC’s lineup for 2007-08. There are five new dramas, and only one new comedy. For a complete schedule, check out www.nbc.com.
MONDAY
8 p.m. – Deal or No Deal
9 p.m. – Heroes
10 p.m. – Journeyman (new)
TUESDAY
8 p.m. – The Biggest Loser
9 p.m. – Chuck (new)
10 p.m. – Law & Order: SVU
WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. – Deal or No Deal
9 p.m. – Bionic Woman (new)
10 p.m. – Life (new)
THURSDAY
8 p.m. – My Name is Earl
8:30 p.m. – 30 Rock 
9 p.m. – The Office
9:30 p.m. – Scrubs
10 p.m. – ER
FRIDAY
8 p.m. – 1 vs 100/The Singing Bee (new)
9 p.m. – Las Vegas
10 p.m. Friday Night Lights
SATURDAY
8 p.m. – Dateline NBC
9 p.m. – Drama Series Encores

Cedar Point officially opened for the summer this past weekend.  Their big unveiling of their 17^th roller coaster – Maverick – has yet to make its debut however. Its opening has been delayed until early June to make modifications to the coaster’s steel track. 

The new coaster is a 4,450 foot long course. The first hill is 105-feet tall and takes you down a 95-degree angle that speeds up to 57 mph to within five feet from the ground – yikes! From there, you go through many twists and turns in two minutes, 30 seconds. It reaches speeds of 70 mph throughout the ride. 

I don’t know about you, but just writing about this ride makes me nervous. To my family and friends, I am the biggest wuss there is when it comes to coasters. I wish I wasn’t, but I am. There are plenty of stories they could tell when I was little…my poor sister took the brunt of my coaster tantrums as they forced me aboard.  Yes, I rode my share but I didn’t like it. I never felt comfortable that a lone seatbelt would keep me secure on those rides. Talk about terrorizing – I think I blocked out half of my childhood memories of Cedar Point! 

What about you? Are you a coaster junkie or a wuss like me? Please feel free to share any stories you may have from riding roller coasters. And let me know when you ride the Maverick this summer. I’m sure fellow bloggers would enjoy your opinion of the new ride.