Pop Culture Checklist

It looks like movie goers have grown tired of serious, downer movies.

Gone Baby Gone, Rendition, and Things We Lost in the Fire all debuted with dismal numbers at the box office this weekend. All three Academy Award contenders were shot down by the horror flick 30 Days of Night starring Josh Hartnett. It debuted at number one with $16 million.

Even a re-released movie faired nearly as well than the other three films. A 3-D version of Tim Burton’s the Nightmare Before Christmas finished number 8 with $5.1 million, beating out Rendition.

Gone Baby Gone is Ben Affleck’s new movie starring his brother, Casey, and is about a kidnapping. Rendition stars Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal and is about terrorism, and Things We Lost in the Fire stars Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro. It’s about a widow who takes in her husband’s drug-addicted best friend.

Here are the top 10 movies:

1. 30 Days of Night, $16 million

2. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?, $12.1 million

3. The Game Plan, $8.1 million

4. Michael Clayton, $7.1 million

5. Gone Baby Gone, $6 million

6. The Comebacks, $5.85 million

7. We Own the Night, $5.5 million

8. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, $5.1 million

9. Rendition, $4.2 million

10. The Heartbreak Kid, $3.9 million

If you are a die-hard horror movie fan, you gotta love October! In honor of Halloween, there are a ton of scary movies being shown on TV this month.

A couple of TV stations are celebrating the season with a full lineup of scary shows.

AMC’s annual “Monsterfest” kicks off Saturday with a ton of great movies, like Scream, Psycho, Halloween, Hellraiser…all the greats. It goes from Saturday through Oct. 31. For a complete schedule, go to www.amctv.com and click on “Monsterfest.”

Tonight begins ABC Family’s “13 Nights of Halloween.” It will air movies like Beetlejuice, E.T., The Corpose Bride and Hocus Pocus. For a complete lineup, visit www.abcfamily.go.com.

–Instead of showing scary movies, the Travel Channel is offering creepy, true stoy accounts of life after death.

Tonight at 9 p.m., the paranormal investigative team on “Most Haunted” is airing a 7-hour live show. They will search the Winchester Mansion in San Jose. It was built over a 38-year period, beginning in 1884, by Sarah Winchester, eccentric heiress to the rifle manufacturer.

They investigate paranormal activity, and will have multiple web cams streaming live images. Viewers can participate in the broadcast by message boards, text messaging and posting sightings they see on the web cams.

If you have never seen this show, now is the time to watch. The team normally investigates Europe’s haunted places, but occassionally comes to America to do specials like this one. They attempt to communicate with the dead and prove the existence of life after death.

Prior to Most Haunted Life at 9 p.m., the Travel Channel is airing other spooky, but true, shows.

At 7 p.m. Friday, the “World’s Creepiest Destinations” will air, followed by “America’s Scariest Haunted Attractions” at 8 p.m.

Happy Thursday, everyone! Here is another installment of the weekly buzz, a segment that offers you the latest music, TV, and movie/DVD news, as well as local and regional events happening in the next week.

TV NEWS

–Have you missed the new show, “Damages” and feel bad because everyone else is talking about it? Well, don’t worry. FX is airing a 12-hour marathon of it starting at 8 a.m. Oct. 20. For those of you who don’t watch it, the season finale is Oct. 23.

–Star Wars is coming to TV. George Lucas is planning a live-action TV series spinoff of the Star Wars film franchise. He just started working on it, and said it will not include major characters like Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader. Besides this project, he’s already had another TV series in the works. He is making a computer-animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

–Debra Messing is returning for more episodes of “The Starter Wife” for USA Network. It’s a follow-up to the successful summer series. USA ordered 10 episodes of the series.

–Take note, 24 fans: A 2-minute trailer for Day 7, the next season of 24, will be shown during Game 2 of the World Series, and at www.24trailer.com. The new season begins Jan. 13 on Fox.

–If you never watched “Lost” and feel left out, then there’s good news for you. That’s because Sci Fi Channel and G4 have secured off-network cable rights to the series. The networks will begin airing Lost shows in fall, 2008. Sci Fi plans on airing mini-marathons of the show — 4-hour prime time “stacks.”  G4 plans on doing interactive, on-screen elements.

–In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Lifetime TV is launching a campaign called “Be My Strength, Be My Support, Be My Bra.” The theme song, “My Bra,” was recorded by Mya, whose mother is a cancer survivor. The main program is “Matters of Life & Dating,” which airs at 9 p.m. Monday. 

Believe it or not, some shows have yet to premiere. Here’s the remaining list:

Tonight (Thursday, Oct. 18)

10 p.m. — Viva Laughlin prview (CBS)

Friday, Oct. 19

8 p.m. — Amercian Band (FOX)

Thursday, Oct. 25

9:30 p.m. — Scrubs (NBC)

ORDER IT NOW!!

Don’t forget to order your Pay-Per-View for Saturday’s UFC World Middleweight Championship. The main event is Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin.

MOVIES

–Didn’t get Hannah Montana concert tickets? Don’t worry, a filmed version of the show will play in movie theaters from Feb. 1 to Feb. 7. The show is called “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour.”

The following is a list of films opening on Friday, Oct. 19:

-30 Days of Night

-Gone Baby Gone

-Rendition

-The Comebacks

-Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour

-Things We Lost in the Fire

-Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in Disney Digital 3-D (Re-release)

DVDs

The Sopranos’ final 9 episodes will be available on DVD as of Tuesday, Oct. 23. Watch the now-famous ending in “The Sopranos: Season 6, Part II.”

Here is a list of some other DVDs coming on Tuesday:

-Hostel: Part II

-Meet the Robinsons

-Mr. Brooks

-Saw III: Director’s Cut

-Saw Trilogy

-Full Metal Jacket (Deluxe Edition)

-Tales from the Crypt: The Complete Seventh Season

-The Shining (Special Edition)

-A Clockwork Orange (Special Edition)

MUSIC

Here is a list of some CDS hitting stores Tuesday, Oct. 23:

-Carrie Underwood, “Carnival Ride”

-Mya, “Liberation”

-Rob Zombie, “Rob Zombie Live”

-Seether, “Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces”

-Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, “Raising Sand”

-Gary Allan, “Living Hard”

-Relient K, “Let It Snow, Baby…Let It Reindeer”

-Steven Curtis Chapman, “This Moment”

LOCAL EVENTS

-Lantern Tours are back! Learn about the old Frenchtown days from 1807 at the annual Lantern Tours at Navarre-Anderson Trading Post. Reserve your spot by calling the Monroe County Historical Museum. The tours begin Friday.

-An Octoberfest and Halloween Costume contest will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Frenchtown Square mall, 2121 N. Monroe St. The costume contest is at 1 p.m. in the Steve & Berry’s court.

-A Haunted Forest will be held from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 27 at the Berlin Township Fire Station 2, 12226 Dixie Hwy., South Rockwood.

-The Rock of Gibraltar Post 4230, VFW, is hosting a Halloween party from 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Costumes are encouraged. The VFW is at 35427 W. Jefferson Ave., Rockwood.

-The Carleton Branch Library is holding a Pumpkin party from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday. Bring a pumpkin from home to decorate. Art supplies, safety knives provided. Other pumpkin games will be held. The library is at 1444 Kent St., Carleton.

REGIONAL EVENTS

-A “Halloween Vineyard Adventure” will be held Saturday at the Toledo Zoo. Sample wines from around the globe. Wine tasting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. with a cash bar from 9 to 11 p.m. Call (419) 385-5721, ext. 3092 to make reservations. $35 for members, $40 for non-members.

-A Family Fall Festival will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Wolcott House Museum Complex, 1031 River Rd., Maumee, Ohio.

-Pumpkin Fest 2007 will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Toledo Farmers Market, 525 Market St., Toledo.

-Chainsaw Creek Haunted Attractions is open now through Oct. 31, from 7 p.m. to midnight every night. It’s $10 a house, or $20 for all four. It’s at Westfield Franklin Park Mall parking lot, 5001 Monroe St., Toledo.

-Ann Arbor Antiques Market will be open on Sunday is located at 5055 Ann Arbor Rd. For more details, call 850-349-9766.

There’s a ton of exciting new movie roles coming up for your favorite actors. Here is a list of some of the upcoming flciks to watch out for in the future.

–the trailer of Johnny Depp’s next movie, “Sweeney Todd,” by Tim Burton is now available online. Yahoo! Movies at http://movies.yahoo.com has posted it. The film is a dark tale about revenge, and is rated R. It hits theaters Jan. 17.

–Will Ferrell will star in the big screen remake of “Land of the Lost.” Shooting begins in March. The adaptation is about a disgraced paleontologist, his assistant, and a tour guide who find themselves in a weird world inhabited by dinosaurs and monkey people.

–Jake Gyllenhaal will star in a yet-to-be-named movie for Dreamworks. The story is about an expedition to the mooon where a race has begun for the first lunar colonization. Filming will begin after Gyllenhaal is done with the “Brothers” remake.   

–IGN recently reported that an “EverQuest” movie is coming to life. Sony/Columbia Pictures is hoping for a 2009 or 2010 release. Michael Gordon of “300″ is writing the script. “EverQuest” is an online role-playing game franchise released in 1999, followed by a sequel in 2004.

–A new movie called “Splice” will star Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The film is a science fiction thriller and will focus on the world of genetic engineering, with Brody and Polley playing scientists who experiment with mixing DNA between several different animals to create new creatures. Of course, complications will arise when they decide to mix human DNA. Shooting begins in Toronto in November.

–The actor to play the villain in the new “Star Trek” film is…Eric Bana. However, the role of the Federation captain has yet to be cast. John Cho has been cast has Sulu, while Simon Pegg will portray Scotty.

Other cast members include Anton Yelchin, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Leonard Nimov. Production is scheduled from November through March.

World champion boxer Floyd Mayweather was voted of “Dancing with the Stars” last night.

In a bigger surprise, though, Mel B was in the bottom two! Luckily, Helio is still cruising to the top spot!

It was only yesterday that I posted “Attack of the ’80s sequels” and this news runs along the same lines.

Only this time, it’s attack of the ’80s remakes. The 1987 classic “Hellraiser” is being remade for Dimension Films, Variety recently reported. This time around, though, Clive Barker will not be writing or directing it. That is now in the hands of two French filmmakers, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo.

I guess they were inspired by the huge success of Rob Zombie’s remake of the original “Halloween.” It broke a Labor Dday opening record for a horror film by earning $31 million.

Why all the remakes and sequel’s of 1980’s movies? Because that decade produced the best movies EVER!!! I’ve always said that, and this proves me right 

So which ’Hellraiser’ character creeped you out the most…Pinhead, Chatterer, Butterball…? I’d have to say all of them scared me!!!

The White Stripes had to cancel their tour because of Meg’s anxiety issues, but they’re still trying to make a buck.

At noon today, Jack and Meg White will start selling custom cameras that include a custom filter and a ringflash accessory. The first 333 people to order one will receive a free mystery gift.

Go to www.whitestripes.com to get your camera.

The colors? You guessed it…red and white!

In a surprising box office weekend, Tyler Perry beat out George Clooney, The Rock and Mark Wahlberg.

Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? hauled in $21.5 million to claim the number one spot over the weekend. It nearly doubled the runner-up, The Game Plan, starring the Rock. Debuting was Michael Clayton starring Clooney, and it took the third spot.

Here are the top 10 box office movies:

1. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?, $21.5 million

2. The Game Plan, $11.5 million

3. Michael Clayton, $11.01 million

4. We Own the Night, $11 million

5. The Heartbreak Kid, $7.4 million

6. Elizabeth: The Golden Age, $6.2 million

7. The Kingdom, $4.6 million

8. Across the Universe, $4 million

9. Resident Evil: Extinction, $2.65 million

10. The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, $2.15 million

This is starting to get a little ridiculous. First, it was announced that a Lost Boys sequel is in the works, then it was a Footloose remake. Now, a Goonies sequel is in the works.

That’s right. Yet another 1980’s classic film is being remade. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the idea of any of these movies being ruined by a lame remake. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts!

In the meantime, here’s the information on the sequels.

–Goonies is being remade with Corey Feldman and Sean Astin (both in the original). According to Feldman, many plotlines are being thrown around, but it sounds like the movie will be about kids - the next generation of Goonies.

–Lost Boys 2 will be going directly to DVD. Both Corey Haim and Corey Feldman will return in cameo appearances. The movie also will star Tad Hilgenbrinck (American Pie: Band Camp), Autumn Reeser (The O.C.) and Angus Sutherland, who is Keifer Sutherland’s half brother.

–Footloose is being remade with Zac Efron taking the lead role originally played by Kevin Bacon. It is being turned into a musical, however, and has already been turned into a Broadway musical.

IMDB has a new feature on its ever-popular Web site.

The site, www.imdb.com, which stands for Internet Movie Database, is a huge site for movies. It includes everything you want to know about films, such as cast and crew, release dates, plot summaries, actor’s biographies, trivia, and my personal favorites — memorable quotes and goofs.

Now they added another cool feature, called “Character Pages.” It asks contributors to create a new page outlining the cinematic, television, and video game history of a specific character. Contributors also are able to add filmography appearances, select photos, and write a biography for a character through a new Character creation tool.

To access the feature, use the Search box at the top of the page, and change the “All” drop down to “Character.”