Pop Culture Checklist

Welcome to another installment of the Weekly Buzz. Enjoy the long weekend!

TV NEWS

–Michelle Rodriguez is returning to ”Lost” this season for one episode. It most likely will be the second episode of the season, but no other details were given.

–Michael Phelps will kick off the 34th season of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 13. Musical guest will be Lil Wayne. It will be the first of four lives shows in a row. SNL also will be doing a “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday” for three live primetime half-hours beginning at 9:30 p.m. Oct. 9. The shows will be anchored by the show’s signature “Weekend Update.”  

–TV Land will start airing “Scrubs” soon. A 7-hour marathon runs on Labor Day.

–The closing ceremony of the Olympics drew 26.3 million viewers - the highest ratings since Montreal in 1976. Overall, the games were the most viewed in TV history.

TV PREMIERES

Friday - Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO); Grizzly Man Diaries (Animal Planet)

Monday - Gossip Girl (CW); Prison Break (Fox); One Tree Hill (CW); Raising the Bar (TNT)

Tuesday — 90210 (CW); The Shield (FX)

Wednesday — America’s Next Top Model (CW); Bones (Fox); Top Design (Bravo); Sons of Anarchy (FX)

TV FINALES

Sunday - Ice Road Truckers (History)

Monday – The Middleman (ABC Family)

MOVIES arriving in theaters on Friday, Aug. 29:

-College

-Disaster Movie

-Babylon A.D.

-Traitor (released Wednesday, Aug. 27)

DVDs arriving on Tuesday, Sept. 2:

-The Promotion

-Bait Shop

-Bright Lights, Big City (20th anniversary edition)

-Married Life

-Then She Found Me

-It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season Three

-Life: Season One

-Cheers: The Tenth Season

-Desperate Housewives: Fourth Season

-Ghost Whisperer: Third Season

-The Office: Season Four

-Supernatural: Third Season

LOCAL EVENTS

-The 2nd annual River Raisin Labor Day BBQ is from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday in downtown Monroe.

-The 68th annual Ida Volunteer Fireman’s Homecoming is Friday through Sunday in downtown Ida.

-St. Joseph annual Labor Day weekend festival runs Friday through Sunday at the church, 2214 Manhattan St., Erie. Live entertainment all weekend.

-Luna Pier Day Community Walk begins at 9 a.m. Monday at Watertower Park Community Center’s parking lot, 11345 Harold Dr. Register by calling Mayor Mary Liske at 848-6495, ext. 201.

REGIONAL EVENTS

-The Detroit International Jazz Festival will be held Friday through Monday in downtown Detroit.

-The Grand Hotel Labor Day Jazz Weekend runs Friday through Monday at Mackinac Island. Call (906) 847-3331 for details.

-My Favorite Bead Show will be held Friday through Sunday at Rock Financial Showplace, 46100 Grand River Blvd., Novi. The show features more than 40 bead and jewelry vendors along with workshops. Cost is $6 for adults and free for children ages 16 and younger.

-Dancing in the Ann Arbor Streets will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Main and Washington Sts. in downtown Ann Arbor. Live music, a parade, children’s activities will be featured. It’s a free event.

-Artists on the River Festival is a free event to be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at Reflecting Pool and Courtyard, at One Seagate and Summit St. in Toledo.

Paula, Randy and Simon will have to make room for a fourth judge this year.

American Idol has added a fourth judge for its eighth season, which begins in January. Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi is joining the show as a judge.

What do you think about this new move? Will it help or hurt the show?

For the second consecutive week, “Tropic Thunder” is tops at the box office.

It hauled in $16.1 million, narrowly beating “The House Bunny” by only $1 million. Thunder’s 12-day total now stands at $65.7 million.

“The House Bunny” debuted in second with $15.1 million. It stars Anna Faris as an ostracized playboy bunny who becomes den mother to a sorority of campus misfits.

Rainn Wilson should stick to TV. His music comedy “The Rocker” failed to make the top 10 in its debut. It took in $2.8 million to finish at No. 12. Ice Cube didn’t do much better. “The Longshots” opened at No. 8 with $4.3 million.

The Dark Knight continues its climb in box office history. After making another $10.3 million this weekend, it’s grand total now stands at $489.2 million.

BOX OFFICE TOP 10

1. Tropic Thunder, $16.1 million

2. The House Bunny, $15.1 million

3. Death Race, $12.3 million

4. The Dark Knight, $10.3 million

5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, $5.7 million

6. Pineapple Express, $5.6 million

7. Mirrors, $4.9 million

8. The Longshots, $4.304 million

9. Mamma Mia!, $4.303 million

10. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, $4.1 million

The unofficial list of “Dancing with the Stars” lineup for the upcoming season was leaked. The official announcement is Monday, but for now, here is the list:

Misty May-Treanor

Kim Kardashian

Toni Braxton

Brooke Burke

Lance Bass

Ted McGinley

Warren Sapp

Susan Lucci

Maurice Green

Jeff Ross

Mark McGrath

Cody Linley

Cloris Leachman

So what do you think? I’m looking forward to seeing Mark McGrath, but Warren Sapp and Jeff Ross…I’ll pass! 

Hi everyone! Sorry I’ve been MIA from the blog but I’m back now. Enjoy this week’s installment!

TV NEWS

–Sci Fi Channel will air a Battlestar Galactica two-hour special event after the series finale in 2009. The final 10 episodes of the show begin airing in 2009.

–In anticipation of 90210 returning to TV, SOAPnet will air a 24-hour marathon of the original drama “Beverly Hills 90210″ on Labor Day. It starts at midnight Sept. 1 and runs the entire day.

–Christopher Knight will host the game show “Trivial Pursuit: America Plays.” It debuts Sept. 22.

–CBS announced that the start of its new and returning series debut Sept. 22, the official start of the 2008-09 season. The only exception will be “Survivor: Gabon” which debuts Sept. 18.

TV PREMIERES

Tonight — Glam God with Vivica A. Fox (VH1); The Cho Show (VH1)

Friday — Grizzly Man Diaries (Animal Planet)

Monday — Deal or No Deal (NBC); America’s Toughest Jobs (NBC)

Tuesday — Greek (ABC Family); Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (Oxygen)

TV FINALES

Tonight — Pen & Teller: BULL**** (Showtime); Randy Jackson presents: America’s Best Dance Crew (MTV)

Sunday — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (USA Today); Gene Simmons Family Jewels (A&E); The Singing Office (TLC)

Monday — Saving Grace (TNT)

Tuesday — Baldwin Hills (BET)

Wednesday — Shear Genius (Bravo)

MOVIES arriving Friday, Aug. 22:

-Death Race

-The House Bunny

-The Longshots  

DVDs arriving Tuesday, Aug. 26:

-Postal

-What Happens in Vegas

-Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: Collector’s Edition

-Entourage: Fourth Season

-Heroes: Season Two

-One Tree Hill: Fifth Season

-The Sheild: Sixth Season

-NCIS: Fifth Season

-Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

ALBUMS hitting stores Tuesday, Aug. 26:

-Motorhead, “Motorizer”

-The Verve, “The Silver Lining”

-Slipknot, “All Hope is Gone”

-B.B. King, “One Kind Favor”

-The Game, “L.A.X.”

-Blues Traveler, “Shootout in North Hollywood”

-Jimmy Wayne, “Do You Believe Me Now”

LOCAL EVENTS

-Monroe Boat Club, 7932 Bolles Harbor Dr., will hold a car show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Free admisstion, and includes food, bands and more.

-The 16th annual Car, Truck and Craft Show will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Monroe KOA Campground, 15000 Tunnicliff Rd., Petersburg. Details, call (800) 562-7646 or visit www.monroekoa.com.

-Farmer Charley’s Corn Maze will hold its Police and Firemen Weekend on Saturday and Sunday with a corn maze opening at 11 a.m. each day. Police and firefighters get in free when showing proper ID. Farmer Charley’s Maze Adventures is located at 6421 N. Stony Creek Rd., Monroe.

-Grafton Hall will hold a Country Fest from Friday through Sunday in its parking lot, 12601 Grafton Rd., Carleton.

-Flat Rock Recreation Department will hold a summer pool party from 12:30 to 3:45 p.m. Sunday at Flat Rock Community Center, 1 Maguire St. The pool is located inside the center. Questions, call 379-1450.

REGIONAL EVENTS

-Saline Pro Rodeo will be held from Friday through Sunday at Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5505 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd., Ann Arbor. It will feature six major events.

-Wayne Wheelfest 2008 begins today through Sunday. The family festival features entertainment, car shows, carnival rides, food and games.

-The Michigan State Fair begins Friday and runs through Sept. 1. It’s located at Eight Mile Rd. and Woodward Ave. in Detroit, two miles from I-75.

-The 17th annual Chelsea Community Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at 20501 Old US-12 Hwy., Chelsea.

-Cruizin’ the Park Swamp Meet and Car Event will feature hundreds of classic cars and street rods, car competitions, and a swamp meet. It’s being held Friday through Sunday at Lower Huron Metropark, 17845 Savage Rd., near Belleville. The car show will be located in the Tulip Tree picnic area. It starts at 5 p.m. Friday at 17845 Savage Rd., Belleville.

For a fourth straight week, The Dark Knight sits atop the box office.

It took in $26 million, beating the stoner comedy “Pineapple Express” by about $4 million.

The Batman sequel is now No. 3 on the all-time domestic box office charts with $441.5 million, behind only Titanic and the original Star Wars.

The last movie to remain No. 1 for four consecutive weeks was “Lord of the  Rings: Return of the King” in late 2003 and 2004.

Since opening Wednesday, Pineapple Express has taken in $40.5 million. The comedy stars Seth Rogen as a pot smoker on the run from crooks after he witnesses a murder along with his drug dealer, played by James Franco.   

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE 

1. The Dark Knight, $26 million

2. Pineapple Express, $22.4 million

3. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, $16.1 million

4. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, $10.8 million

5. Step Brothers, $8.9 million

6. Mamma Mia!, 8.1 million

7. Journey to the Center of the Earth, $4.9 million

8. Hancock, $3.3 million

9. Swing Vote, $3.1 million

10. Wall-E, $3 million

Hello everyone! There are a ton of events happening this weekend, including the River Raisin Jazz Festival. Enjoy the weekend!

LOCAL EVENTS

-The River Raisin Jazz Festival is Saturday and Sunday at St. Mary’s Park. It’s a free all-day event featuring world class jazz musicians.

-The 5th annual Downtown Monroe Fine Art Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at First and Washington Sts. Over 60 artists are expected to have booths.

-The 12th annual Hot Summer Nights Cruise is from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday at Friendly Ford, 1011 S. Monroe St.

-The Milan Bluegrass Festival runs today through Saturday at KC Campground, 14048 Sherman Rd., Milan. It goes until 10:30 p.m. tonight and from noon to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

-Blazin’ Stars Rock Festival is Friday at River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 S. Monroe St. Eight local rock bands will perform. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the show starting at 6:30 p.m. Each band will have a 35-minute set.

REGIONAL EVENTS

-Northwest Ohio Rib-Off begins today through Sunday at Lucas County Fairgrounds, 1406 Key St., Maumee, Ohio. Cost is $8. Times are 3 to 10 p.m. today; 3 to 11 p.m. Friday; noon to 11 p.m. Saturay and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

-Ribfest begins today through Saturday in Kalamazoo. The food festival feature six national and two local rib vendors. For details, call (269) 388-2830.

-Summerfest will be Friday and Saturday in Saline. Events include a car show, casino tent, children’s activities and music. For details, call (734) 604-0051.

-Summer Music Fest runs Friday through Aug. 16 in Frankenmuth. Thirty of the nation’s top Polka bands and 1950s and 1960s rock’n'roll music will be performed. For details, call (800) 386-3378.

-The 10th anniversary of “Thunder Over Michigan” will be Friday and Saturday at Willow Run Airport, 801 Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti. Cost is $25 at the door.

MOVIES released yesterday: 

-Pineapple Express

-The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

limited releases for Friday, Aug. 8: Beer For My Horses; Elegy; Hell Ride; Red; Bottle Shock

DVDs to be released on Tuesday, Aug. 12:

-The Secret

-Smart People

-Felon

-South Park: Complete 11th season

-Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 3: 1940-1942

-Tom and Jerry Tales: Volume 5

-Prison Break: Season Three

-DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures

-Caroline in the City: First Season

-The Love Boat: Season One, Volme Two

-The Wire: Complete Fifth Season

-Tru Calling: The Complete Series

ALBUMS hitting stores Tuesday, Aug. 12:

-The Jonas Brothers, “A Little Bit Longer”

-T.I., “The Paper Trail”

-Michelle Williams, “Unexpected”

-Extreme, “Saudades De Rock”

-Yung Berg, “Look What You Made Me”

-Irma Thomas, “Simply Grand”

-East Village Opera Company, “Old School”

-Fred Eaglesmith, “Tinderbox”

TELEVISION NEWS

-A marathon of Season One of FX’s “Damages” will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday. All 13 episodes from the first season will be aired.

-Shane West will return to his role of Dr. Ray Barnett on “ER” this fall. He’ll be around for a couple episodes. This is ER’s final season.

-Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa will make a guest appearance on the Sept. 25 season premiere of “Ugly Betty.”

-Former ‘Cosby’ kid Lisa Bonet nabbed a recurring role on ABC’s “Life on Mars” for the fall.  

TV PREMIERES

Wednesday — Skins (BBC America)

TV FINALES

Tonight — So You Think You Can Dance? (Fox); Last Comic Standing (NBC); My Boys (TBS)

Monday — The Mole (ABC)

For the third consecutive week, The Dark Knight rules the box office.

It raked in another $43.8 million, bringing its 17-day total to $394.9 million.

It should hit the $400 million mark by Tuesday, or its 19th day of release. The previous movie to reach $400 million was Shrek 2, which hit the mark in 43 days.

Brendan Frasier’s “The Mummy” debuted at No. 2 with $42.5 million, while Kevin Costner’s “Swing Vote” debuted at No. 6 with $6.3 million.

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE

1. The Dark Knight, $43.8 million

2. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, $42.5 million

3. Step Brothers, $16.3 million

4. Mamma Mia!, $13.1 million

5. Journey to the Center of the Earth, $6.9 million

6. Swing Vote, $6.3 million

7. Hancock, $5.2 million

8. Wall-E, $4.7 million

9. X-Files: I Want to Believe, $3.4 million

10. Space Chimps, $2.8 million