Latest Pop Culture News
-Watch out Kanye: Taylor Swift will host Saturday Night Live on Nov. 7
-A good marketing strategy has helped “Paranormal Activity” go nationwide. It received 1 million demands.
-NBC canceled the cop drama “Southland” before its second season return, which was set for Oct. 23. The lower-cost “Dateline” will remain in its 9 p.m. Friday timeslot.
-For the upcoming Nov. 3 release of its new album, “Raditude,” Weezer unveiled the “Weezer iTunes Pass.” It’s a special package that offers fans access to new music and exclusives. Cost is $19.99 and subscribers will receive special downloads to their iTunes libraries now until Nov. 24.
-The new “Bachelor” is…drum roll please…Jake Pavelka, 31, the pilot who was rejected by The Bachelorette’s Jillian Harris last season. The new season kicks off in January on ABC.
-Garth Brooks is coming out of retirement to perform a show at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas. He had been officially retired since 2000.
-Fox will air an extra “So You Think You Can Dance” episode at 8 p.m. Oct. 26. The one-hour special will showcase the top 20 finalists in a non-elimination format. The following night, ‘Dance’ begins its two-hour performance shows. The Oct. 26 special will replace “House” but “Lie To Me” will air as schedule at 9 p.m.
-ABC made full season pickup orders for FlashForward, The Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town.
-Fox picked up the last nine episodes of “The Cleveland Show” of its second season.
-Fox Reality Channel has been shut down. The 4-year-old channel will end its run March 31.
-Seth MacFarlane will air a variety special called “Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show” at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 8 on Fox. Rather than commercials, the show will run for a full 30 minutes but with marketing messages throughout the program for Microsoft’s new Windows 7.
-Legacy Recordings will release a 100-song box set called “Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight” in honor of the King’s 75th birthday in January. The four-disc set arrives Dec. 8. Check out the entire track list.
-Carrie Underwood will perform a 2-hour variety special Dec. 7 on Fox called “Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special.” It will feature David Cook, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton and others. Underwood will perform songs from her next album and her earlier hits and holiday classics.
-Nickelodeon is celebrating the 10th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants with “Truth or Square,” a one-hour primetime speical at 8 p.m. Nov. 6. Celebrity guest stars include Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, LeBron James, Pink and others who will appear as themselves in live-action sequences. The episode will follow SpongeBob and friends as they reminisce through a series of original and never-before-seen flashbacks.
-An MMA Fight Card will air at 9 p.m. live on CBS on Nov. 7. Four matchups are confirmed.
-A&E will air two original “paranormal” specials. ”Extreme Paranormal: New Mexico State Penitentiary” premieres at 10 p.m. Oct. 19. “Extreme Paranormal: Pennhurst Insane Asylum & Manchac Swamp” premieres at 10 p.m. Oct. 26.
TV PREMIERES
Tonight – 30 Rock (NBC)
Friday – Supernanny (ABC); Lobstermen (Discovery)
Saturday – Head Games (Science)
Wednesday – Lock ‘n Load (Showtime)
TV FINALES
Tonight – Speeders Fight Back (TruTV)
Friday – Psych (USA)
Tuesday – Shark Tank (ABC); Flipping Out (Bravo)
MOVIES arriving Friday, Oct. 16
-Law Abiding Citizen
-Where the Wild Things Are
-The Stepfather
DVDs arriving Tuesday, Oct. 20
-Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
-Land of the Lost
-Blood: The Last Vampire
-Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead
-Cheri
-The Crew
-Saturday Night Live: Best of Amy Poehler
-It’s Garry Shandling’s Show: The Complete Series
-Vegas: First Season
-Numbers: Fifth Season
-The L Word: Final Season
-Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Those Aren’t Pillows Edition)
-Hawaii Five-O: Seventh Season
ALBUMS arriving Tuesday, Oct. 20
-Soundtrack, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” (arrives Friday)
-Tim McGraw, “Southern Voice”
-Michael Jackson, “The Remix Suite”
-Flight of the Conchords, “I Told You I Was Freaky”
-Soundtrack, “Astro Boy”
-Various Artists, “Yo Gabba Gabba: Music Is Awesome”
-Tina Turner, “Tina Live” (DVD Audio)
-Lyle Lovett, “Natural Forces”
-Leonard Cohen, “Live from the Isle of Wight” (CD/DVD)
-Sam Bush, “Circles Around Me”
-Kutless, ”It Is Well”
-Bombshel, “Fight Like a Girl”