Pop Culture Checklist

TV Tango saved us a lot of time looking for all the holiday-themed programming (and marathons) on television from now until Nov. 30.

There’s a lot of good stuff. Go here to check it out!

Latest Pop Culture News

-The Who will perform at Superbowl XLIV, scheduled for Feb. 7 in Miami.

-ABC is looking to do a modern version of the 1970s TV hit “Charlie’s Angels.”

-Check out the trailer for “Grown Ups” starring Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock, and Rob Schneider.

-Jason Lee will play an Elvis impersonator in a new TNT pilot to be executive produced by George Clooney. The show, ”Delta Blues,” centers on a Memphis police officer who lives with his mother and moonlights as an Elvis impersonator.

-A&E has given the green light for seven episodes of “Bob Saget’s Strange Days,” a non-scripted show. It will feature Saget exploring American society off the beaten path, such as Amish teenagers, biker gangs and mail-order brides. It premieres later next year.

-Syfy Channel will be airing a 3-day marathon featuring 16 James bond films over the Thanksgiving holiday. It kicks off at 8 a.m. Thanksgiving day with the first ever 007 movie, “Dr. No.” Go here for the complete schedule.

–Forbes named Hollywood’s most overpaid stars. With a bomb like “Land of the Lost,” it’s really no surprise that Will Ferrell tops the list.

-John Oliver, a Daily Show regular, landed his own comedy series on Comedy Central. The network ordered six episodes of “John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show” that will feature Oliver’s favorite comedians. Each hour will feature four standup performers.

-Add Anne Hathaway to a list of actresses up for a new role in Spider-Man 4. She is one of several stars auditioning for possibly Felicia Hardy/Black Cat. Others in contention include Rachel McAdams, Julia Stiles and Romola Garai.

TV PREMIERES

Sunday – The Haunted (Animal Planet)

Monday – Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives (Food)

Tuesday – Dinner with the Band (IFC)

TV FINALES

Tonight – Project Runway (Lifetime); Street Customs (TLC); WWII in HD (History); Models of the Runway (Lifetime)

Friday – DietTribe (Lifetime)

Saturday – Sit Down, Shut Up (Fox)

Sunday – Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO); The Next Iron Chef (HGTV); Unsung (TV One)

Tuesday – Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

Wednesday – Lock ‘n Load (Showtime)

MOVIES arriving Friday, Nov. 20

-The Twilight Saga: New Moon

-The Blind Side

-Planet 51

DVDs arriving Tuesday, Nov. 24

-Four Christmases

-Funny People (2-Disc Unrated Collector’s Edition)

-Angels & Demons

-Reborn

-Taking Chances

-The Witches Hammer

-Megafault

-Shorts

-Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season Four

-Beverly Hills 90210: Eighth Season

-Melrose Place: Fifth Season, Volume Two

-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (2-Disc DVD set)

-Life on Mars: Series 2

-Superman: The Complete Animated Series

-The Golden Age of Television (Criterion Collection)

-Gomorrah (Criterion Collection)

-Kobe Doin’ Work: A Spike Lee Joint

ALBUMS arriving Monday, Nov. 23

-Rihanna, “Rated R”

-Beyonce, “I Am…Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas”

-Beyonce, “I Am…Sasha Fierce” (deluxe edition)

-Britney Spears, “The Singles Collection”

-Lady Gaga, “The Fame Monster”

-Shakira, “She Wolf”

-Birdman, “Pricele$$”

-BlakRoc, “BlakRoc”

-Susan Boyle, “I Dreamed a Dream”

-Adam Lambert, “For Your Entertainment”

-Diddy, “Last Train to Paris”

-Various Artists, “A Very Special Christmas 7″

-Enya, “The Very Best of Enya”

-Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, “The Live Anthology” (4 CD Box Set)

-Miles Davis, “The Complete Columbia Album Collection” (71 CD Box Set; Amazon.com)

-Tom Waits, “Glitter and Doom Live (live)

Latest Pop Culture News

-Justin Timberlake, Dan Aykroyd and Anna Faris will star in the live action/CG animated “Yogi Bear” movie. Aykroyd will voice Yogi and Timberlake will voice Boo-Boo.

-Check out the trailer for “Brothers” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman. It opens in theaters on Dec. 4.

-I’m sure by now you heard Steven Tyler left Aerosmith. But Joe Perry says the band is not breaking up.

-Fox has canceled Dollhouse and ABC has axed Kelsey Grammer’s “Hank.”

-NBC will premiere a singing competition special “The Sing-Off” on Dec. 14. The 4-night show will feature a cappella groups competing for a recording contract.

-Check out the trailer for “Date Night” starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell. It opens April 9.

-On Thanksgiving, the Jay Leno Show will host a special military audience with guest Meghan Fox. NBC’s comedy lineup will feature new holiday episodes of Community, Parks & Recreation, The Office and 30 Rock on Dec. 10. The following week, Saturday Night Live will take over Thursday with a new two-hour special Saturday Night Live Christmas 2009.

-Seal will release a compilation of his best songs from the past 20 years called “Hits” that will include a concert DVD and a CD. It’s due out on Dec. 8.

-Pam Grier will play a DC Comics villainess on “Smallville.” She will be around for multiple episodes, beginning in January.

-TNT picked up “The Mentalist” for syndication beginning in 2010 despite the fact the CBS show is only in its second season.

-Jennifer Stone (Wizards of Waverly Place) has been cast in the lead role of Harriet Welsch in the Disney Channel’s “Harriet the Spy” telepic. The TV movie will air next year.

TV PREMIERES

Tonight – Science of the Movies (Science)

Saturday – Super Dave’s Spike-Tacular (Spike TV)

Sunday – Tough Love (VH1)

Monday – Mystery Diagnosis (Health); Chef Academy (Bravo)

TV FINALES

Tonight – Deadly Women (ID)

Friday – 24/7 (HBO)

Monday – Solved (ID); Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives (Food); 100 Mile Challenge (Planet Green)

Tuesday – The Jon Dore Television Show (IFC)

Wednesday – America’s Next Top Model (CW); South Park (Comedy Central); Nature, Inc. (Planet Green)

MOVIES arriving Friday, Nov. 13

-2012

-Pirate Radio

DVDs arriving Tuesday, Nov. 17

-Bruno

-Star Trek

-The Open Road

-My Sister’s Keeper

-The Canyon

-Train

-Wild Child

-Thirst

-Wrong Turn at Tahoe

-The Exiles

-It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas

-Best of Monk

-7th Heaven: Ninth Season

-Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Volume 2

-Best of Star Trek: The Original Series – Volume 2

-The Spectacular Spider-Man: Volume Five

-The Smurfs: Season One, Volumes 1-3

-Farscape: The Complete Series

-Gone with the Wind (70th anniversary ultimate collector’s edition)

ALBUMS arriving Tuesday, Nov. 17

-Kris Allen, “Kris Allen”

-John Mayer, “Battle Studies”

-Leona Lewis, “ECHO”

-Janet Jackson, “Number Ones”

-Norah Jones, “The Fall”

-Katy Perry, “MTV Unplugged”

-Them Crooked Vultures, “Them Crooked Vultures”

-Boyz II Men, “Love”

-OneRepublic, “Waking Up”

-Rob Zombie, “Hellbilly Deluxe 2″ (2 CDs)

-Rush, “Working Men”

-Fall Out Boy, “Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits” (CD/DVD)

-Robbie Williams, “Reality Killed The Video Star”

-Paul McCartney, “Good Evening New York City” (2 CDs/1 DVD)

-Genesis, “Movie Box” (5 CD box set)

-The Doors, “Live In New York” (6 CD box set)

-We Shot The Moon ”A Silver Lining”

-Robin Guthrie, “Songs To Help My Children Sleep”

-We All Have Hooks For Hands, “The Shape of Energy”

Cedar Point is holding auditions for positions in the park’s 2010 summer shows.

Auditions will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Detroit School of Rock & Pop Music, 1109 S. Washington St. in Royal Oak.  

It will fill more than 100 positions in the park’s Live Entertainment Division, including performers, musicians, technicians, PEANUTS characters and karaoke hosts and DJs.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old by May, 2010 to audition.

For details about the audition, call the Live Entertaintment Division at 419-627-2388, email at liveshows@cedarpoint.com or visit cedarpoint.com.

Good luck!

Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” kicked off the holiday season by winning this weekend’s box office race.

The holiday flick, starring Jim Carrey, earned $31 million. Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” slipped to second place with $14 million, while George Clooney’s comedy “The Men Who Stare At Goats” earned a respectable $13.3 million.

“The Fourth Kind” debuted in fourth place with $12.5 million, while “Paranormal Activity” stayed strong with $8.6 million.

Cameron Diaz’s thriller, “The Box,” got off to a disappointing start by debuting with only $7.9 million.

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE

1. A Christmas Carol, $31 million

2. This Is It, $14 million

3. The Men Who Stare At Goats, $13.3 million

4. The Fourth Kind, $12.5 million

5. Paranormal Activity, $8.6 million

6. The Box, $7.9 million

7. Couples Retreat, $6.4 million

8. Law Abiding Citizen, $6.2 million

9. Where the Wild Things Are, $4.2 million

10. Astro Boy, $2.6 million

Latest Pop Culture News

-Two ‘Mad Men’ stars will be hosts on Saturday Night Live this month. January Jones will host Nov. 14 with musical guest Black Eyed Peas. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will host Nov. 21 with musical guest the Dave Matthews Band. This weekend, it’s Taylor Swift’s turn to host.

-Don’t lose out on your chance to meet members of Tesla. They will hold a meet-and-greet at 1 p.m. Saturday at Frenchtown Square mall, 2121 N. Monroe St.

-ABC’s premiere of “V” drew a whopping 13.9 million viewers on Tuesday. It was tops in the adult demo (18-49) for any new show this season and the biggest for an 8 p.m. drama since “Lost” in 2004. Very cool!!

-James Franco will make a guest appearance as himself on NBC’s “30 Rock.” He’s currently shooting episodes for General Hospital, and will shoot 30 Rock later this week.

-TNT has saved “Southland.” It picked it up after NBC canceled the cop drama. TNT will broadcast all six episodes from its aborted second season beginning Jan. 12 as well as the seven episodes from the first season.

-Beginning at 6 p.m. tonight, Syfy is airing a “Legend of the Seeker” marathon.

-Check out the new trailer for “Despicable Me,” a 3D animated comedy that features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig and many more. It arrives in theaters on July 9, 2010. It looks hilarious!

-CBS has cut back on the amount of episodes for “Numb3rs” from 22 to 16. The network, however, has increased the season order from 22 to 24 episodes for CSI: Miami, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. It also increased orders for CSI, CSI: NY, Criminal Minds, The Good Wife, The Mentalist and The Big Bang Theory to 23 episodes.

-Anthony Hopkins has been added to the cast of “Thor.” Chris Hemsworth is playing Thor and Natalie Portman also stars. Production begins in January.

-Fox has renewed “American Dad” for a sixth season.

-Zooey Deschanel will guest star on her sister’s show, “Bones,” for a holiday episode. The episode will air at 8 p.m. Dec. 10 on Fox. Ryan O’Neal also will be featured. Zooey’s sister is Emily Deschanel, who stars on the show with David Boreanaz.

-Watch the trailer for “The Road” starring Viggo Mortensen and Robert Duvall. It arrives in theaters Nov. 25.

-A movie is being made about a board game. “Ouija” will be a supernatural action-adventure movie. 

-Viacom’s Paramount Picture is looking to make a sequel to “Paranormal Activity.” Not really shocking news since the movie has earned $84.6 million. It was made for only $11,000.

-Former “24″ co-stars Reiko Aylesworth and Sarah Wynter will join the third season of “Damages” on FX. They both signed on for recurring roles on the drama series.

TV PREMIERES

Tonight – Cold Blood (ID)

Friday – Ghost Adventures (Travel)

Saturday – Legend of the Seeker (SYN); Cats 101 (Animal Planet)

Monday – Operation Repo (TruTV)

Tuesday – Table for 12 (TLC); Full Throttle Saloon (TruTV); e2 Design (Sundance)

Wednesday – Ghost Hunters Academy (Syfy)    

TV FINALES

Sunday – Mad Men (AMC); Mario’s Green House (TV One); Tool Academy (VH1); The Property Shop (HGTV)

Monday – Lincoln Heights (ABC Family)

Tuesday – Weird, True & Freaky (Animal Planet); The Naughy Kitchen with Chef Blythe Beck (Oxygen)

Wednesday – Secret Girlfriend (Comedy Central)

MOVIES arriving Friday, Nov. 6

-The Box

-The Fourth Kind

-The Men Who Stare at Goats

-Disney’s A Christmas Carol (conventional theaters and IMAX)

-Limited release: “Precious” (expands Nov. 20)

DVDs arriving Tuesday, Nov. 10

-Up

-The Ugly Truth

-The Echo

-The Accidental Husband

-Spread

-Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Second Season

-SpongeBob’s Truth or Square

-The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 7: 1952-1954

-Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days

-Justice League: The Third Season

-JAG: The Ninth Season

-Hogan’s Heroes: The Komplete Series (Kommandant’s Kollection)

-Nash Bridges: Third Season

-G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Complete Series (limited edition collector’s set)

ALBUMS arriving Tuesday, Nov. 10

-Bon Jovi, “The Circle”

-Britney Spears, “The Singles Collection”

-Wyclef Jean, “From The Hut, To The Projects To The Mansion”

-Dashboard Confessional, “After The Ending”

-Switchfoot, “Hello Hurricane”

-Jason Mraz, “Jason Mraz’s Beatiful Mess: Live From Earth”

-Tori Amos, “Midwinter Graces”

-Kings of Leon, “Live At the O2 London, England”

-The Killers, “Live at Royal Albert Hall” (Live CD and DVD)

-AC/DC, “Backtracks” (2 CDS and DVD)

-The Doors, “Live in New York” (6 CD Box Set)

-Dolly Parton, “Live From London” (CD and DVD)

-Kidz Bop Kids, “Kidz Bop Sing The Beatles”

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will team up to host the Academy Awards.

This will be the third time Martin will host the Oscars and the first time for Baldwin. They will bring comedy to the show, which will be much different from Hugh Jackman’s performance last year of song-and-dance routines.

The Oscars will air March 7.

What do you think of the chosen hosts?

This is no shocker, but Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” topped the box office charts this weekend.

It earned $21.3 million domestically and $101 million worldwide. And here’s a big surprise – it’s now staying in theaters until at least Thanksgiving even though they originally said it would only be in theaters for two weeks.

“Paranormal Activity” stayed strong by earning another $16.5 million, bringing its grand total to $84.8 million. Keep in mind they made this movie for only $11,000!

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE

1. This Is It, $21.3 million

2. Paranormal Activity, $16.5 million

3. Law Abiding Citizen, $7.3 million

4. Couples Retreat, $6.1 million

5. Saw VI, $5.6 million

6. Where the Wild Things Are, $5.1 million

7. The Stepfather, $3.4 million

8. Astro Boy, $3.0 million

9. Amelia, $3.0 million

10. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, $2.8 million