Pop Culture Checklist

Latest Pop Culture News

-Tina Fey and Steve Carell are teaming up to star in a romantic comedy called “Date Night.” It’s about a married couple who got out to a trendy Manhattan bistro when things go terribly wrong to a case of mistaken identity. Shooting begins in a few weeks.

-Gore Verbinski, director of all three “Pirates of the Caribbean” films has decided not to come back for the fourth installment. However, Johnny Depp is returning to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow. The next ‘Pirates’ movie will begin filming in 2010.

-Speaking of Johnny Depp, you can hear him on “SpongeBob SquarePants” at 8 p.m. Friday on Nickelodeon. In the new episode, Depp will be the voice of surfer Jack Kahuna Laguna.

-Samuel L. Jackson will host the 17th annual ESPY award show. It will air at 9 p.m. July 19 on ESPN. Fans determine the winners by voting at www.espys.tv starting June 25 through July 11.

-ABC will air the remaining episodes of Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone this summer.

-On April 25, CBS will air excerpts from Barbra Streisand’s 2006 concert tour. The TV show will coincide with the upcoming three-DVD release of “Barbra Streisand — The Concerts.”

-TNT has canceled “Trust Me” starring Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh.

-Showtime has picked up “The Tudors” for a fourth season. It will be 10 one-hour episodes kicking off in spring, 2010.

-Eminem will take stage at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Hosted by Andy Samberg, the show will air live at 9 p.m. May 31.

TV PREMIERES

Friday – Prison Break (Fox); Stranger Among Bears (Animal Planet)

Saturday – World Strictest Parents (CMT)

Sunday – Law & Order: Criminal Intent (USA); Sit Down, Shut Up (Fox); In Plain Sight (USA)

Tuesday – The Phone (MTV); Eco Trip (Sundance); Carbon Cops (Sundance)

TV FINALES

Sunday – Hidden Potential (HGTV); Running in Heels (Style)

Monday – For the Love of Ray J (VH1)

Wednesday – South Park (Comedy Central)

MOVIES arriving Friday, April 17

-Crank: High Voltage

-State of Play

-17 Again

Limited releases: American Violet; The Golden Boys; Sleep Dealer

DVDs arriving Tuesday, April 21

-The Wrestler

-Frost/Nixon

-Notorious

-Into the Blue 2: The Reef

-The Burrowers

-Caprica

-The Poker Club

- Hellraiser: Limited Edition Box Set

ALBUMS arriving Tuesday, April 21

-Depeche Mode, “Sounds of the Universe”

-Jars of Clay, “The Long Fall Back to Earth”

-Pet Shop Boys, “Yes”

-Jane’s Addiction, “Cabinet of Curiosities” (box set)

-Rick Ross, “Deeper Than Rap”

-Asher Roth, “Asleep in the Bread Aisle”

-Jamie Slocum, “Dependence”

-The Veer Union, “Against the Grain”

-Booker T. Jones, “Potato Hole”

-Tinted Windows, “Tinted Windows”

-Great White, “Rising”

-Lacuna Coil, “Shallow Life”

-Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, “How Big Can You Get? Music of Cab Calloway”

-BrakesBrakesBrakes, “Touchdown”

-Oleta Adams, “Let’s Stay Here”

In an American Idol first, no one was sent home on elimination night.

The judges used their one and only “save” to stop Matt Giraud from going home after voters decided he should. The one-time veto also means that TWO people will be voted off next week.

Matt was joined in the bottom three with Anoop and Lil Rounds.

Did the judges use their one-time only veto at the right time? What if Adam is voted off and the judges can’t do anything about it?

What did you think about Tuesday’s show when only two judges actually judged contestants?

Let me know your thoughts on the show!!

This time around, it was a Jackass that got the boot on Dancing with the Stars.

It was Jackass’ Steve-O that was sent home. Steve and rodeo star Ty Murray were the bottom two, but there was no dance-off this time around.

Who should go next? Are you still watching it this season?

On Tuesday, the top 7 American Idol finalists will perform songs from movies under the guidance of director Quentin Taratino.

On Wednesday’s results show, Jennifer Hudson taped a performances of her new hit “If This Isn’t Love.” Also, Miley Cyrus will be on the show to sing “The Climb” from ”Hannah Montana: The Movie.”

Miley Cyrus had little problem claiming the top spot at the box office this weekend.

Walt Disney’s “Hannah Montana: The Movie” opend with $34 million. It’s about an ordinary teen living a double life as pop star Hannah.

Last week’s No. 1, “Fast & Furious,” fell to second with $28.8 million. “Monsters vs. Aliens” held strong at No. 3 with $22.6 million.

Seth Rogen’s “Observe and Report” debuted with $11.1 million, which is much lower than expected. It’s about an emotionally unstable mall cop trying to catch a flasher and gain entry to the police academy.

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE

1. Hannah Montana: The Movie, $34 million

2. Fast & Furious, $28.8 million

3. Monsters vs. Aliens, $22.6 million

4. Observe and Report, $11.1 million

5. Knowing, $6.7 million

6. I Love You, Man, $6.4 million

7. The Haunting in Connecticut, $5.7 million

8. Dragonball: Evolution, $4.7 million

9. Adventureland, $3.4 million

10. Duplicity, $3 million

Happy Thursday, everyone! Here’s your weekly installment of the “Weekly Buzz”

Latest Pop Culture News

-More than 16 million watched the “ER” finale last Thursday. It is the most-watched series finale for a TV drama since “Murder She Wrote” in 1996.

-”Sex and the City 2″ opens May 28, 2010.

-Bob Dylan will release his studio album “Together Through Life” on April 28.

-NBC is revamping its summer lineup. “America’s Got Talent” returns June 23 and episodes of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” will air June 8 (it was previously on USA).

-Anil Kapoor of “Slumdog Millionaire” has been cast as a series regular in season eight of “24.” The Fox show is currently ticking down toward the end of its seventh season. Kapoor will play a Middle Eastern leader who comes to the U.S. on a peacemaking mission.

-The two-hour season seven finale of “24″ will air at 8 p.m. May 18 on Fox.

-Christina Ricci will co-star in a movie Adam Sandler co-wrote. “Born to Be a Star” is about a guy who finds out his parents were famous 1970’s porn stars. He then sets out to fulfill his destiny to become the biggest adult-film star in the world. Ricci will play the guy’s innocent girlfriend.

-HarperCollins will publish two posthumous novels by Michael Crichton. “Private Latitudes” will be published on Nov. 24. The second untitled novel will come out in fall, 2010.

-Wrestlemania 25 set a new record, grossing $6.9 million in revenue. It is the highest grossing live event in WWE history. There were 72,744 in attendance – yikes!

TV PREMIERES

Tonight – Parks & Recreation (NBC); Harper Island (ABC); Southland (NBC); Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire (Comedy Central)

Saturday – Groomer Has It (Animal Planet); Most Outrageous (Animal Planet)

Monday – Doing Da Vinci (Discovery)

Tuesday – Deadliest Catch (Discovery); The Alaska Experiment (Discovery)

Wednesday – The Cougar (TV Land); Pitchmen (Discovery)

TV FINALES

Friday – Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox); Friday Night Lights (NBC)

Sunday – Rock of Love Bus (VH1); State of the Union (Showtime)

Tuesday – From G’s to Gents (Discovery)

MOVIES arriving Friday, April 10

-Observe and Report

-Hannah Montana The Movie

-Dragonball: Evolution

DVDs arriving Tuesday, April 14

-The Spirit

-North Star

-Dark Matter

-House of Saddam

-Wings: The Complete Series

-Knots Landing: Second Season

-Malcolm & Eddie: Season One

-Exosquad: Season One

ALBUMS arriving on Tuesday, April 14

-Death Cab For Cutie, “The Open Door” (EP)

-Day 26, “Forever In A Day”

-Simon & Garfunkel, “Live 1969″

-Fastball, “Little White Lies”

-Metric, “Fantasies”

-New Nobility, “Blue Butterfly”

-Dennis DeYoung, “One Hundred Years From Now”

-Bernie Williams, “Moving Forward”

-Ida Maria, “Fortress Round My Heart”

-Silversun Pickups, “Swoon”

-Jill Sobule, “California Years”

Finally, Scott MacIntyre got voted off “American Idol” last night.

How did he even make the top 10?!?!? Anyway, finally he got his walking papers and now it’s down to the top 7.

He was joined in the bottom two with Anoop Desai, who also has stayed way too long on the show.

Even though everyone thought Steve-O would be the next to go on “Dancing with the Stars,” it was not the case last night.

It came down to Lawrence Taylor and David Alan Grier in a dance-off. Despite Grier having the higher score, he did not gain enough support and was sent home.

What do you think of this season so far? Are you still watching?

In the first shocking box office opening of 2009, the “Fast and the Furious” dominated the box office.

It doubled its expected gross total for its opening weekend with $72.5 million. The flick is the fourth feature in Vin Diesel’s car franchise.

It broke several records, including best April opening ever; best ‘Fast & Furious’ opening ever, and best opening yet in 2009.

Last week’s No. 1, “Monsters vs. Aliens,” slipped to second place. In 10 days, it’s earned $105.7 million.

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE

1. Fast and Furious, $72.5 million

2. Monsters vs. Aliens, $33.5 million

3. The Haunting in Connecticut, $9.6 million

4. Knowing, $8.1 million

5. I Love You, Man, $7.9 million

6. Adventureland, $6 million

7. Duplicity, $4.3 million

8. Race To Witch Mountain, $3.4 million

9. 12 Rounds, $2.3 million

10. Sunshine Cleaning, $1.9 million

Sorry for my recent “Weekly Buzz” absence, but it’s now back. Enjoy!

Latest Pop Culture News

–NBC’s “ER” series finale is tonight after 15 years. It begins at 8 p.m. with an “ER Retrospective” that includes cast interviews and show highlights. It’s followed by the 2-hour finale at 9 p.m.

–NBC picked up “Friday Night Lights” for 26 more episodes, renewing a deal with DirecTV allowing the satellite provider to air episodes first. The new shows will be split into two 13-episode seasons.

–Star Trek doesn’t open until May 8, but a sequel is already in the works. Expect it in 2011.

–”Transformer 3″ is in the works, too. It’s set for a July 1, 2011 opening. In the meantime, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” opens June 24.

–MTV is ordering 4 more seasons of ”The Real World” (ughhh!)

–There will be a “High School Musical 4″ with a new cast. The story will center around a classic love triangle set against the cross-town school rivalry. Production begins later this year for a premiere on the Disney Channel in 2010.

–Dakota Fanning will be in the Twilight sequel, “New Moon.”

–”The Real Housewives of Atlanta” will return for a second season on Bravo.

–Rebecca Romijn will star in a ABC drama pilot called “Eastwick.”

–SNL star Andy Samberg will host the 18th annual MTV movie awards. It airs May 31 (Do we still care?)

–After 72 years, yes 72, the soap opera “Guiding Light” has been canceled. It’s final show will air Sept. 18. It is a victim of declining ratings.

–”Breaking Bad” has been renewed for a third season.

–Wanda Sykes will go up against Saturday Night Live. She will host a new Saturday late-night series on Fox to premiere in the fall. Fox calls it a “high-energy one hour show” featuring commentary and panel discussions with recurring personalities.

TV PREMIERES

Friday – Mistresses (BBCA); Escape to Chimp Eden (Animal Planet)

Sunday - In Treatment (HBO); The Tudors (Showtime); River Monsters (Animal Planet); Russell Simmons presents Brave New Voices (HBO)

Monday – Surviving Suburbia (ABC)

Tuesday – Deadliest Warrior (Spike TV); Rescue Me (FX)

Wednesday – MythBusters (Discovery); Real World/Road Rules Challenge (MTV); The Usuals (ABC); Night (Animal Planet)

TV FINALES

Tonight – ER (NBC); Eleventh Hour (CBS)

Saturday – The Girls of Hedsor Hall (MTV)

Sunday – 1,000 Ways to Die (Spike TV); United States of Tara (Showtime)

Wednesday – Life (NBC); High School Reunion (TV Land)

MOVIES debuting on Friday, April 3

-Fast & Furious

-Adventureland

Limited release – Alien Trespass; Bart Got a Room; C Me Dance; Sugar

DVDs arriving on Tuesday, April 7

-Doubt

-Yes Man

-The Day the Earth Stood Still

-Bedtime Stories

-Donkey Punch

-The Tale of Despereaux

-Beverly Hills 90210: Seventh Season

-Cleopatra (75th anniversary edition)

ALBUMS to be released on Tuesday, April 7

-Ciara, “Fantasy Ride”

-Jadakiss, “The Last Kiss”

-Rascal Flatts, “Unstoppable”

-Lady Sovereign, “Jigsaw”

-The Tragically Hip, “We are the Same”

-Ben Folds, “University A Capella!”

-Neil Young, “Fork in the Road”

-James Taylor, “Other Covers”

-Various Artists, “Score! 20 years of Merge Records”

-Jason Aldean, “Wide Open”

-Billy Ray Cyrus, “Back to Tennessee”