Latest Pop Culture News
-”Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” grossed $55 million on its opening day Wednesday. It’s the best opening day ever for a Wednesday release. Domestic estimates have the movie grossing $150 million to $170 million over its five-day debut.
-Today is the 25th anniversary of Prince’s “Purple Rain” album. Find your CD and play all those great songs today! Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the ‘Purple Rain’ movie was released about a month later, on July 27, 1984.
-The Academy Awards are doubling the nominations for ‘Best Picture’ category next year. Instead of the usual 5 nominees, it will now feature 10 contenders. It’s the first time the field has changed since 1943 when Casablanca was named best picture against 10 films. The idea is to give voters more of a choice and would invigorate the competition.
-The Travel Channel will debut a new reality show “The Streets of America: The Search for America’s Worst Driver.” It puts bad drivers through a series of challenges to find the worst driver. The show will air in early 2010.
-Jessica Simpson will star in a VH1 docu-series called “The Price of Beauty,” which will follow the singer as she travels around the world in search of what people find beautiful and why. (one word: Booooring!)
-Brad Pitt’s new movie, “Moneyball,” was shut down by Columbia Pictures because they weren’t happy with a reworked script. It’s about Oakland A’s game Billy Beane, who would be played by Pitt. The actor is looking for a new studio to pick up the film.
-T.R. Knight already has a new job after leaving “Grey’s Anatomy.” He’ll star in a play called “Parade.” It begins in Los Angeles this fall.
-Finally, good news about Jon & Kate Plus 8: new episodes won’t air until Aug. 3. (Yes!) After the couple’s announcement to divorce, TLC has halted production for a few weeks. Monday’s episode will be a clip show, with some new footage, and then it returns in August.
-Rapper Eve will join the cast of Fox’s “Glee” for two episodes to play a rival choir director. The show returns in the fall.
-Attention all Facebook junkies. You should like this news: the popular site will be based on a movie called “The Social Network” and directed by David Fincher. It will be about Facebook’s inception and evolution.
-MTV has given the okay for 8 new projects. Among them, Jamie Foxx will be the executive producer in an “In Living Color”-esque sketch comedy show, based on the original 1990’s series where he got his start. “Survivor” creator Mark Burnett is working on a reality show starring Audrina Patridge (The Hills). Also, there will be a new series based in the 80s comedy movie “Teen Wolf.”
TV PREMIERES
Tonight – Penn & Teller: Bulls…! (ABC)
Sunday – Hung (HBO); HGTV Showdown (HGTV)
Monday – Dance Your Ass Off (Oxygen)
Tuesday – Tiny & Toya (BET)
Wednesday – Primetime: Crime (ABC)
TV FINALES
Friday – Patton 360 (History); Bang for Your Buck (HGTV)
Saturday – Groomer Has It (Animal)
Monday – New York Goes to Work (VH1)
Tuesday – Hitched or Ditched (CW); Hot Pursuit (Tru TV); Beautiful People (LOGO)
MOVIES arriving Friday, June 26
-My Sister’s Keeper
Limited release: Cheri; New York; The Stoning of Soraya M.; Surveillance; Life is Hot in Cracktown
DVDs arriving Tuesday, June 30
-Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
-The Betrayed
-Dark Streets
-12 Rounds
-The Education of Charlie Banks
-The Human Contract
-Entourage: Fifth Season
-Do the Right Thing: 20th Anniversary Edition
-Stargate: Atlantis – Season Five
-Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
-Lookin’ to Get Out (Director’s cut)
ALBUMS hitting stores on Tuesday, June 30
-Wilco, “Wilco (The Album)”
-Rob Thomas, “Cradlesong”
-Moby, “Wait For Me”
-Brad Paisley, “American Saturday Night”
-Fabolous, “Loso’s Way”
-Killswitch Engage, “Killswitch Engage”
-Cledus T. Judd, “Polyrically Uncorrect”
-Leslie Mendelson, “Swan Feathers”
-Levon Helm, “Electric Dirt”
-Various Artists, “Now That’s What I Call Music 31″
-Various Artists, “Reggae Gold 2009″