Pop Culture Checklist

Spider Man 3 hauled in another $60 million over the weekend to hold the number one spot for the second week in a row. 

In two weeks, the movie has grossed $242.1 million domestically. 

New movies opening this weekend’s turned out to be busts. “28 Weeks Later,” the sequel to “28 Days Later,” grabbed second place with $10 million, followed by the chic-flick “Georgia Rule” with $5.9 million. 

Spider Man 3 has enjoyed light competition over the past two weeks. It will soon meet its match when “Shrek the Third” opens on Friday, then “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” opens over Memorial Day weekend. 

For now, however, here’s the overall top 10 movies from the weekend: 

1. Spider Man 3 

2. 28 Weeks Later 

3. Georgia Rule 

4. Disturbia 

5. Delta Farce 

6. Fracture 

7. The Invisible 

8. Hot Fuzz 

9. Next 

10. Meet the Robinsons 

Molly Shannon, who spent six years on Saturday Night Live, will be the host of the show this Saturday. Musical guest is Linkin Park.

The show airs at 11:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC.

Molly left the show in 2002, and starred in movies like “Mean Girls” and “Scary Movie 4.” She is starring in a new film called “Year of the Dog” to be released nationwide soon.

Personally, I think Mary Katherine Gallagher was her best character on the show. What do you think?

The show’s finale, in its 32nd season, will be May 19. The host will be actor-writer-director Zach Braff. Musical guest will be Maroon 5.

Here’s your weekly dose of upcoming shows, movies, and events. Feel free to add any events – locally and regionally – if you don’t see it listed here.

Delores is back!
I am so excited about this news, I have to start with it. I am a big Cranberries fans, so when the Irish band broke up in 2001, I was heartbroken.
But there is some good news for Cranberries fans, or at least, fans of the lead singer Dolores O’Riordan. She is releasing a solo album called “Are You Listening?” that comes out Tuesday.
It’s getting good reviews, and some of the songs are inspired by what’s going on in her life, such as the birth of her youngest child and the death of her mother-in-law.
I will be first in line to pick this one up on Tuesday. If you get it, please let me know what you think of it!
Here is a list of the other May 15 CD releases:
Linkin Park – “Minutes to Midnight”
Gretchen Wilson – “One of the Boys”
Megadeth – “United Abominations”
Wilco – “Sky Blue Sky”
Rufus Wainwright – “Release the Stars”
Maria Muldaur – “Naughty, Bawdy & Blue”
Speaking of comebacks…
The Smashing Pumpkins have been broken up for seven years, but they have a new album coming out July 7. It’s called “Zeitgeist.” I can’t wait for this one, either.
In the meantime, Pumpkins followers can check out a Pumpkins tribute album spearheaded by MySpace.
The album, called “The MySpace Smashing Pumpkins Tribute Project,” will launch Monday, when each of the participating bands will post a Pumpkins cover in their MySpace pages. The songs will then be collected onto a CD, which will be included in newsstand editions of July’s “Spin” magazine.
Some of the bands participating in the project are Panic! at the Disco, 30 Seconds to Mars, Deftones, Young Love, and The New Amsterdams.
And the finales continue…
Many TV shows will be saying goodbye for yet another season.
There are a few signing off for good, however. Here’s a list of series finales this month:
–Gilmore Girls. After seven seasons, it was cancelled. The final show is Tuesday on the CW.
–7^th Heaven. This is the second series finale for the longest running family drama in TV history. Their final bow is Sunday on the CW.
–The King of Queens. After nine seasons, the show is coming to an end. The finale is Monday on CBS.
Here’s a list of shows that will be airing season finales in the next week:
Tonight: My Name is Earl, Without A Trace
Friday, May 11: Ghost Whisperer, Close to Home
Sunday, May 13: Survivor: Fiji
Monday, May 14: CSI: Miami, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men.
Wednesday, May 16: Boston Legal, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, According to Jim, Notes from the Underbelly, Crossing Jordan, Medium, Bones and America’s Next Top Model      
Thursday, May 17: The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Smallville, Supernatural, Ugly Betty, ER, Scrubs
Country Awards Show on Tuesday
Don’t miss the 42^nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. It will air at 8 p.m. Tuesday on CBS.
Reba McEntire hosts the show that will feature Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and Miranda Lambert…to name a few.
Come on down….and celebrate Bob Barker!
Bob Barker, who is retiring in June from “The Price is Right” will be honored with two final primetime specials next week.
The shows will pay tribute to his 50 years in show business, including 35 years with the CBS game show.
The specials will air at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday on CBS.
On Wednesday (May 16), the show is “The Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular.” Contestants will have a chance to win bigger prizes and the opportunity to spin the wheel for $1 million.
On Thursday (May 17), the show is “Bob Barker: A Celebration of 50 Years on Television.” It will include Barker’s memories of his 50-year career and highlight some classic games from The Price is Right.
Movies releases
I feel sorry for all the movies coming out on Friday. How can you follow Spider Man 3 after it broke all those records? It’s a no-brainer that it will once again rule at the box office this weekend. Here is a list of movies opening on Friday:
–28 Weeks Later
(This is a sequel to the 2002 film “28 Days Later”)  
–Delta Farce
–The Ex
–Georgia Rule
–Show Business: The Road To Broadway
Area events
Don’t forget Sunday is Mother’s Day. Here’s one idea:
The Toledo Zoo is offering FREE admission to all moms who visit with their kids. There’s also a free craft activity in the main plaza as well as a special Mother’s Day brunch. Reservations are required for the brunch. To make a reservation, call (419) 385-5721, ext. 3092.
Toledo Speedway is hosting auto racing on Friday. Gates open at 5 p.m., with qualifying at 6:30 p.m. Race begins at 7:30 p.m.
Toledo Speedway is located at 5639 Benore Rd., just west of I-75 (Exit 210)
The top-rated Birmingham Fine Art Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday in Shain Park, Birmingham.
There will be 250 artists that will be offering unique artworks in 17 different media, including ceramics, fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, painting, photography, wood and digital. Musical entertainment, artist demonstrations, and children’s activities also will be available.
The free event annually draws 80,000 from Southeast Michigan.
For more information, call (248) 644-0866 or visit www.bbartcenter.org.

Tickets go on sale Friday to see legendary rocker Stephen Stills. He will perform June 19 at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St.Doors open at 7 p.m., with the concert beginning at 8 p.m. 

Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. Friday. Ticket costs are $35, $45, and $59.50. All ages are welcome. Either call (248) 399-2980 or visit www.tickets.com for your tickets.  Stephen Stills has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – for The Buffalo Springfield and Crosby Stills & Nash.   

LaKisha Jones was eliminated Wednesday from American Idol.

Now only three contestants remain – Blake Lewis, Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks, with Sparks being the favorite. 

The top three will perform at 8 p.m. Tuesday on Fox, followed by the results show at 9 p.m. Wednesday. 

The season’s finale is May 23.

Who do you think should win? Let me know what you think!

Robert Rodriguez, director of “Sin City,” has 2 potential films on his plate. He is in talks to bring a live-action movie of “The Jetsons” to the big screen. Rumors are that the film is in development at Warner Bros.
For younger readers, “The Jetsons” was a cartoon set in space about a futuristic family and their dog, Astro, and robot Rosie.
Rodriguez also is in talks to direct the 1970’s fantasy TV series “Land of the Lost.” Rumors are swirling that Rodriguez has met with Will Ferrell to star in the possible movie.

Ethan Hawke recently signed on to star in a vampire flick called “Daybreakers.”
The movie is a futuristic vampire film. Hawke will play a researcher in the year 2017, when a plague has transformed most of the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human or find a blood substitute before time runs out. A covert group of vampires, however, finds a way to transform vampires back into humans.
Shooting begins in Australia in July. It will be released in summer, 2008.

Speaking of vampire movies, Hilary Swank will play the heroine being hunted by vampires in the movie version of the John Marks novel “Fangland.”
She will play a TV producer, Evangeline Harker, who is sent to Romania to research legendary criminal figure Ion Torgu.
It’s unknown when filming will begin.

Michael Moore is back. His next documentary, “Sicko,” will be released June 29.
It is a critical look at the U.S. health care system. It’s his first project since “Farenheit 9/11” and is supposed to be less controversial than “Farenheit.”

Did you hear about Katie Couric’s dismal ratings on CBS? 

Last week, she recorded the networks smallest audience since 1987 on her show “CBS Evening News.” 

She only had 6.05 million viewers, and it was during May Sweeps. Ouch! 

Meanwhile, other evening news broadcasts are fairing well. ABC “World News” beat out NBC’s “Nightly News” by averaging 8.1 million viewers last week, while NBC scored 7.5 million. 

Even though American Idol continues to rule on TV, it didn’t help the overall network ratings. In prime time, CBS won, while ABC recorded its best non-Oscar week since last fall. Fox followed in third place. 

CBS averaged 11.2 million viewers, while ABC had 10.7 million, and Fox had 10.1 million. NBC had 7.5 million viewers; CW had 3.1 million; Network TV had 880,000, and ION Television had 560,000. 

Here are the top 10 shows in prime time for April 30 to May 6: 

1. “American Idol” (Wednesday). Fox. 28.75 million viewers 

2. “American Idol” (Tuesday). Fox. 26.73 million 

3. “Grey’s Anatomy.” ABC. 21.23 million 

4. “House.” 21.12 million 

5. “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” CBS. 19.02 million 

6. “Dancing with the Stars” (Monday). ABC. 18.97 million 

7. “CSI: Miami.” CBS. 17.24 million 

8. “Desperate Housewives.” ABC. 17.16 million 

9. “Dancing with the Stars Results” (Tuesday). ABC. 16.26 million 

10. “Without a Trace.” CBS. 14.71 million 

Billy Ray Cyrus got the boot on “Dancing with the Stars” Tuesday. 

The actual surprise, though, was that Joey Fatone was in the bottom two. 

The remaining celebrity dancers are Joey, Ian Ziering, Laila Ali, and Apolo Anton Ohno. 

“Dancing” returns at 8 p.m. Monday on ABC, followed by the results show next Tuesday. 

Here’s the latest movie buzz: 

Spider Man 3 broke records last weekend, so it’s really no surprise that Sony executives have already confirmed that more “Spider Man” sequels are on the way. So don’t just expect a fourth – there will be a fifth, sixth, maybe a seventh!
The studio didn’t confirm if director Sam Raimi, or actors Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco would be back for any of the sequels. Their deals called for just three films.

Even though Shrek the Third isn’t even out yet, studio executive have announced that Shrek 4 is already in the works. Dreamworks Animation is already working on a deal for Mike Mitchell to direct the fourth film. In just the first two films, the franchise has grossed more than $1 billion.

20^th Century Fox is working to get Michael Douglas to return in a sequel to Oliver Stone’s 1987 movie “Wall Street.” Douglas won an Oscar for his performance as a takeover artist.
The sequel, titled “Money Never Sleeps,” would be an updated look at the underside of the financial world. Stone will not be involved as a writer or director, however.
 

Disney Pictures is developing “Yosemite Three,” a comedy of a trio of employees on a corporate nature hike retreat. While sneaking off to a bar, they’re reported missing and the longer they’re gone, the more popular they become in the news.
The studio is trying to land Tim Allen as the star of the movie. He’s also being pursued for a “Wild Hogs” sequel.

ABC recently announced that the show “Lost” will end its run in 2010. 

The network plans to end the show – about plane crash survivors who end up on a mysterious island – after three more shortened seasons. Each season will have 16 episodes and will air consecutively, repeat-free, from February to May. 

The move was made to help writers on the show plot out the end of the mystery. 

Lost began in fall, 2004, and was a top 10 series. However, after time-slot changes, repeats and many episodes leaving fans without answers or direction, Lost has lost many viewers. Ratings are down 14 percent this season, but still ranks high with young adults and is the most heavily recorded show on DVRs. 

This year’s season finale is May 23. Expect great stuff, according to co-creator Damon Lindelof. In a recent interview, he said he and executive producer Carlton Cuse have “specific designs for ending the next two seasons.” 

He also said this season’s finale will be answer-filled. He said viewers “will begin to get an idea of what that design will be, and it will not be at all what they expect.” 

And he said this about the May 23 finale. 

“The last five minutes are going to seal our fate.”