Pop Culture Checklist

Go HERE to check out the new trailer for “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

Enjoy!

At 8 p.m. Tuesday on CBS, the American Film Institute will introduce its “10 top 10.”

AFI will count down America’s 10 greatest films in 10 classic genres. The genres are animation, romance comedy, western, sports, mystery, fantasy, Sci-Fi, gangster, courtroom drama and epic.

Special guests include Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino, Kirk Douglas, Harrison Ford, Jessica Alba and many more.

The Incredible Hulk topped the box office with $54.5 million this weekend.

The Marvel Studios flick stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. Despite its number one spot, it did not top Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk’ version of 2003, which opened with $62.1 million. However, that movie fell off from its opening weekend and tallied $132.2 million in sales. Good numbers but actually meager considering its huge first weekend.

M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening” debuted in third place with $30.5 million. It stars Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. Runner-up was last week’s number one — Kung Fu Panda.

BOX OFFICE TOP 10

1. The Incredible Hulk, $54.5 million

2. Kung Fu Panda, $34.3 million

3. The Happening, $30.5million

4. You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, $16.4 million

5. Indiana Jones and Kingdom of Crystal Skull, $13.5 million

6. Sex and the City, $10.2 million

7. Iron Man, $5.1 million

8. The Strangers, $4.1 million

9. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $3 million

10. What Happens in Vegas, $1.7 million

Hello everyone! Here’s the latest pop culture news - enjoy the weekend! Happy Father’s Day to all you dads!

TV NEWS

–Jimmy Smits has joined the cast of Showtime’s “Dexter.” He’ll play an assistant district attorney who teams up with Dexter to catch a murderer who affects both of their lives.

–FX has canceled “Dirt.”

–Brody Jenner has a show of his own coming to MTV soon. He landed “Bromance,” where Jenner auditions dudes to be his new “bro.”

–Dennis Rodman, Dustin “Screech” Diamond and Danny Bonaduce will compete in CMT’s upcoming reality series “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling.” Others include Todd Bridges, ButterBean, Trishelle Cannatella, Erin Murphy, Frank Stallone, Tiffany and Nikki Ziering.

–”Truth” moves to 8 p.m. Thursdays as of today.

TV PREMIERES

Today – Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (Fox); The Bill Engvall Show (TBS); Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Bravo); My Boys (TBS)

Monday — The Middleman (ABC Family); Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal (A&E); Weeds (Showtime); Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Showtime)

Tuesday — America’s Got Talent (NBC); Flipping Out (Bravo); Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood (Oxygen)

Wednesday — Black Gold (TruTV)

TV FINALES

Today — Crime 360 (A&E)

Friday — Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi)

Tuesday — College Hill: Atlanta (BET)

Wednesday — Ghost Hunters (Sci Fi)

LOCAL EVENTS

–River Days Carnival begins at 3 p.m. Thursday and runs through Sunday at Laurel/Finzel parking lot, near the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge from St. Mary’s Park.

–June 19 is the first free summer concert at St. Mary’s Park. Sherman Arnold will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. June 19. He will give tribute to Elvis, Shania Twain, Toby Keith and Buddy Holly.

–Bedford Senior Center will host its annual Strawberry Festival on Friday and Saturday at the senior center, 1653 Samaria Rd., Temperance. Friday afternoon will feature a Trash and Treasure Sale.

–The Maybee Day Festival will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in downtown Maybee. Events include a parade, car show, mechanical bull, petting zoo, baby contest and more.

–Monroe Good Time Cruisers will hold its annual Park and Shine from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Waterloo Park, 1030 Mulhollen Dr. Anyone with a hot rod is invited to attend.

–The NASCAR Matt Kenseth car No. 17 will be on display from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Meijer, 1700 N. Telegraph Rd.

–An Anime Summer Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at Bedford Branch Library, 8575 Jackman Rd., Temperance. Video game tournaments, anime movies, Japanese cooking classes, art drawing classes and much more.

REGIONAL EVENTS

–The Toledo Zoo is holing a Father’s Day Celebration on Sunday. Free admission for all dads along with games and activities.

–Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival runs today through Sunday. For details, call (800) 386-3378.

–The Canton Liberty Fest is Friday and Saturday at Heritage Park in Canton. For details, call (734) 394-5460.

–Belleville National Strawberry Festival will be Friday through Sunday. For details, call (734) 697-3137 or visit www.nationalstrawberryfest.com.

–The Ann Arbor Antiques Market is Saturday and Sunday at 5055 Ann Arbor Rd. For more information, call 697-9766.

MOVIES…arriving in theaters on Friday, June 13:

-The Incredible Hulk

-The Happening

DVDs…coming on Tuesday, June 17:

-Alive or Dead

-Be Kind Rewind

-Fool’s Gold

-Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins

-Californication: First Season

-Burn Notice: Season One

-ER: Ninth Season

-Jericho: Complete Series

-Jericho: Second Season

-Meerkat Manor: Third Season

LATE NIGHT TV LINEUP

TONIGHT (Thursday)

David Letterman: Emmylou Harris

Jay Leno: Mike Myers, David Cook, Abigail Breslin

Late Late Show: Jenna Fischer, Wolfgang Puck

Conan O’Brien: Randy Jackson, Forever the Sickest Kids

Jimmy Kimmel: Game night primetime special: Liv Tyler, Late night: Tim Roth, Kenny Mayne, Carolina Liar

FRIDAY

David Letterman: Whoopi Goldberg, Nick Griffin, Spencer Pratt

Jay Leno: Larry the Cable Guy, Bob Costas, Ashanti

Late Late Show: Elizabeth Perkins, Coolio

Conan O’Brien: Brian Scolaro

Jimmy Kimmel: John Leguizamo, Dan Abrams, Secondhand Serenade

Fancast recently interviewed the cast of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” while taping its upcoming fourth season. They talk about what’s going to be on the new season, which airs on FX.

Go HERE to check it out.

Are you a fan of the show? I was hooked right away - it’s hilarious!

NBC announced the celebrities who will be appearing on “Celebrity Family Feud” when it premieres at 8 p.m. July 1. Al Roker will be the host.

Here they are:

The Kardashians, Deion and Pilar Sanders, Larry the Cable Guy, Vivica A. Fox, Ice T, Melissa and Joan Rivers, Tiki Barber, Bill Engvall, Kathie Lee Gifford, Mo’Nique, Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Wayne Newton, Raven Symone, Ed McMahon, Melissa and Joan Rivers, Corbin Bernsen and Vincent Pastore.

Also playing will be cast members from The Office, My Name is Earl, American Gladiators, The Girls Next Door and American Chopper.

The following is a list of the latest movie news:

–Smurfs is coming to the big screen! The blue-colored animated characters will be made into a movie thanks to Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation. How smurftastic!

–Leonardo DeCaprio will star in a movie about the creator of Atari video games. The movie “Atari” is a biopic about entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell who created Atari and is one of the founding fathers of the videogame industry.

–Cameron Crowe’s next romantic comedy will star Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon. The storyline of the untitled movie is being kept under wraps for now.

–Ryan Gosling will star in “The Dallas Buyers Club.” It’s based on a true life story of Ron Woodroof, a Texas electrician who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986 and given six months to live. Frustrated with little medical options, he found a lifeline using alternative drugs and created a lucrative smuggling business that made those drugs available to AIDS patients. Woodroof died in 1992.

–Jake Gyllenhaal will star in an untitled moon project. The Sci Fi project’s details are unknown but it is a story about lunar colonization.

–The 1978 film “I Spit On Your Grave” is being remade. The original female revenge film was critized for its depiction of sex and violence. In the original, a woman is abducted, brutally attacked and raped and left for dead. She survives, hunts her attackers down and dispatches them in graphic ways.

–Harrison Ford will play a scientist in the movie “Cure” for CBS Films. The film is based on a true story of John and Aileen Crowley, whose two children had a rare genetic disorder.   

“Kung Fu Panda” hauled in $60 million over the weekend to claim the top spot at the box office.

In the animated feature, Jack Black provides the voice of Po, a panda in ancient China who becomes an unlikely martial arts hero. The voice cast includes Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, ,Lucy Liu, and Jackie Chan.

Adam Sandler’s “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” placed second with $40 million.

Top 10 Box Office:

1. Kung Fu Panda, $60 million

2. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, $40 million

3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $22.8 million

4. Sex and the City, $21.3 million

5. The Strangers, $9.3 million

6. Iron Man, $7.5 million

7. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $5.5 million

8. What Happens in Vegas, $3.4 million

9. Baby Mama, $780,000

10. Made of Honor, $775,000    

Happy Thursday, everyone! Here’s the latest installment of the Weekly Buzz!

TV NEWS

-NBC’s American Gladiators wil feature a special Incredible Hulk-themed episode at 8 p.m. Monday, days before the movie hits theaters on June 13.

-Charming Olivia Pig, the main character in Ian Falconer’s book series for kids, is being turned into a new animated TV series for Nickelodeon. It will launch in 2009 with 26 episodes.

-Fox is moving Moment of Truth to 8 p.m. Thursdays as of June 12.

-AMC’s Mad Men returns July 27.

-The Two Coreys returns for a second season on June 22.

-The BET Awards ‘08 will air live at 8 p.m. June 24 in Los Angeles. D.L. Hughley will host the show. Performers include Nelly and Usher, Kanye West, Alicia Keys and more.

TV PREMIERES

Tonight — Fear Itself (NBC); Swingtown (CBS)

Sunday — Army Wives (Lifetime); Ice Road Truckers (History)

Monday — Nashville Star (NBC)

TV FINALES

Tonight — Step It Up and Dance (Bravo)

Friday — Man vs. Wild (Discovery)

Sunday — This American Life (Showtime)

Monday — Greek (ABC Family)

Tuesday — Work Out (Bravo)

MOVIES NEWS

-Matt Damon will play a rugby player in Clint Eastwood’s new movie, “Human Factor.” He’ll play Francois Pienaar, a rugby star who created, with Nelson Mandela, an event that gave whites and blacks in South Africa a common cause to rally around as the country was trying to heal from apartheid. Shooting begins early next year in South Africa.

-Bruce Willis will star in an adaptation of the video game “Kane & Lynch.” The movie is titled “Kane & Lynch: Dead Men.” Bruce will play Adam “Kane” Marcus, a mercenary who aligns with a schizophrenic killer named James Lynch. The duo is forced on a mission to retrieve a stolen microchip.

-Guy Ritchie will direct a new Sherlock Holmes movie. A 2010 release is expected.

MOVIES…arriving in theaters Friday, June 6:

-You Don’t Mess with the Zohan

-Kung Fu Panda (conventional theaters and IMAX)

Limited release: Mongol, The Mother of Tears, When Did You Last See Your Father?

DVDs…available as of Tuesday, June 10:

-The Bucket List

-Jumper

-The Other Boleyn Girl

-The List

-John Adams

-Witless Protection

-Soap: The Complete Series

-What’s Happening!: The Complete Series

ALBUMS…going on sale on Tuesday, June 10:

-Lil Wayne, “The Carter III”

-Alanis Morissette, “Flavors of Entanglement”

-Jakob Dylan, “Seeing Things”

-My Morning Jacket, “Evil Urges”

-Montgomery Gentry, “Back When I Knew It All”

REGIONAL EVENTS

–The Detroit Festival of the Arts will be held on the streets of Midtown Detroit on Friday through Sunday. Tons of events will be held. For details, visit www.detroitfestival.com.

–Festival of the Arts will be held Friday through Sunday in Grand Rapids. For details, visit www.festivalofthearts.org.

–A Gizzard Fest will be held Friday through Sunday in Potterville. The festival includes a car and truck show, antique tractor display, 3-on-3 basketball, 5K Run/Walk, mud bogs, carnival, arts/crafts, music, flea market, beer tent, fireworks and more. For details, visit www.gizzardfest.com.

–A Hungarian Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday at Benjamin Yack Arena, 3131 Third St., Wyandotte. It’s from 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (313) 842-1133.

–A Beer Train Special is a unique train ride for beer lovers. Sample a collection of beers and enjoy a gourmet meal. Tickets are $44.95. For details, visit www.murdermysterytrain.com/blissfield.htm.

–The 37th annual King Wamba Carnival Parade and Festival will be Saturday at Old West End, located at Collins St. and Robinwood Ave. in Toledo. For details, visit www.kingwamba.com.

LOCAL EVENTS

–Free yoga classes will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays at St. Mary’s Park, located on W. Elm Ave. in Monroe. It will be held every Tuesday through July 8.

–Newport Fire Fighters Association Homecoming is Friday through Sunday at Newport Fire Fighters Association Park, 9005 Brandon Rd.

–The Summer Stop Car and Bike Show will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Raisinville Baptist Church, 1675 Stewart Rd. The church also will be holding a concert and dinner Saturday to benefit Tommy Brancheau of Flat Rock.

–KidFest is Saturday at Community Park in Flat  Rock. Concessions and events will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Events include face painting, inflatables, crafts, start smart soccer, fire demonstrations, a museum open house, in-line hockey, safety town exhibit and tennis lessons.

The next film by the Coen brothers is “Burn After Reading,” starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand and John Malkovich.

Pitt and McDorman play dim-witted gym employees who come across a CIA agent’s memoirs. The comedy will be a nice refreshing turn for the Coen brothers who are coming off their big Oscar win for No Country for Old Men.

Check out the trailer here. Pitt looks really good, as always, and seems to be pretty comical as well! The movie is due in theaters on Sept. 12.