Pop Culture Checklist

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

Latest Pop Culture News

-NBC has picked up Community, Parks and Recreation and Mercy for full seasons.

-Desperate Housewives creator, Marc Cherry, signed a new deal that will keep the show on the air through 2013.

-The debut trailer for the new season of “24″ is now online. The show, and Kiefer, looks awesome!

-TVGuide.com lists TV shows on the bubble and which ones have been picked up for full seasons. Surprisingly, “Gossip Girl” is on the bubble…my friend Amy is now having a heart attack!

-Angelina Jolie has signed on to star in a thriller called “The Tourist.” Production begins in February.

-Jessica Biel will star in “F***ing Engaged,” a raunchy comedy about a couple who make a deal to have sex every day leading to their wedding so they don’t turn into their crusty old parents.  

-Benjamin Bratt will make a special return appearance in an upcoming episode of “Law & Order.”

-Great news: Soap legend Eric Braeden is returning to Young & The Restless after he recently quit over ugly contract negotiations. He signed a 3-year deal. Now I can keep watching!

-Ricky Gervais will host the Golden Globes next year. The awards show will air Jan. 17.

-TNT has given the okay for “Delta Blues,” a drama pilot being produced by George Clooney. It’s about an unusual Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and lives with his mother.

-Now that Oasis has split up, Liam Gallagher announced he will start a new band early next year.

-HBO renewed “In Treatment.” The third season will air in late 2010.

-Carnie Wilson will try to lose weight on a new reality show called “Carnie Wilson: Unstapled” to air on GSN.

-Katee Sackhoff, the former Kara “Starbuck” Thrace on Battlestar Galactica, will make a guest appearance on the Nov. 23 episode of The Big Bang Theory on CBS. She will play herself in a cameo.

-NBC signed Adam Carolla for a comedy show. It will feature the comedian as a contractor and father whose life is turned upside down when his wife leaves him.

-Sub Pop will re-issue Nirvana’s 1989 debut of “Bleach” on Tuesday. The 20th anniversary deluxe edition will be available on CD and 180 gram white vinyl and include a complete live recording of a 1990 show at Portland’s Pine Street Theater.

-Comedy Central picked up repeats of canceled ABC cartoon “The Goode Family” by Mike Judge. All 13 episodes will air in January.

TV PREMIERES

Tonight – The League (FX)

Monday – I Want to Work for Diddy (VH1)

Tuesday – V (ABC); Tabatha’s Salon Takeover (Bravo)

TV FINALES

Tonight – Ace of Cakes (Food)

Friday – Bang for your Buck (HGTV); The Othersiders (Cartoon)

Saturday – The Locator (WE)

MOVIES to be released this weekend

-Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” (conventional and Digital IMAX theaters)

DVDs arriving Tuesday, Nov. 3

-The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

-G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

-I Love You, Beth Cooper

-Aliens in the Attic

-Night Watcher

-Will Ferrell: You’re Welcome America – A Final Night with George W. Bush

-All About My Mother

-The Dead

-Food, Inc.

-Matador

-Law of Desire

-Hardwired

-The Narrows

-Gravestoned

-Mutants

-Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live

-Fraggle Rock: The Final Season

-Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday

-The Shield: Complete Series

-Mission Impossible – 7 The Final Season

-Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut

-Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

-Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Complete Season One

-Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series

-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Complete Season 7 Set

-Six Feet Under: The Complete Series

ALBUMS arriving on Tuesday, Nov. 3

-Nirvana, “Bleach” (20th anniversary re-issue)

-Weezer, “Raditude”

-Carrie Underwood, “Play On”

-Foo Fighters, “Greatest Hits” (CD/DVD)

-Soundtrack, “Glee: The Music, Volume 1″

-Slayer, “World Painted Blood” (CD/DVD)

-The Rolling Stones, “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! The Rolling Stones In Concert” (4 CD Box Set)

-Frank Sinatra, “New York” (4 CD/1 DVD Box Set)

-Soundtrack, “A Christmas Story”

-Soundtrack, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”

-Andrea Bocelli, “My Christmas”

-Vera Lynn, “We’ll Meet Again: Very Best of Vera Lynn”

The other day I blogged about Hulu will start charging for all its content in 2010. But now reports are saying that they will NOT charge a fee. Yeah!!

Read more about it here.

Check out the first nine minutes of ABC’s upcoming new series “V.”

It premieres at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. I can’t wait!!

Paste Magazine has posted its top 20 list of worst movie sequels to good movies. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of these.

Check the list out for yourself.

No more free shows on Hulu.

Hulu is going to start charging people to watch shows online. There is no specific date when it will begin, but it sounds like sometime next year.

Paranormal Activity seems to be the new horror flick king.

It easily topped Saw VI for the No. 1 spot at the box office by earning $22 million.

Saw VI, in its debut, settled for second with $14.8 million.

Where the Wilds Things Are  dropped significantly in its second week with $14.4 million. Still, it has banked $53.9 million since opening. The biggest dud was Astro Boy with $7 million in its opening weekend.

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE

1. Paranormal Activity, $22 million

2. Saw VI, $14.8 million

3. Where the Wild Things Are, $14.4 million

4. Law Abiding Citizen, $12.7 million

5. Couples Retreat, $11.1 million

6. Astro Boy, $7 million

7. The Stepfather, $6.5 million

8. Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, $6.3 million

9. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, $5.6 million

10. Zombieland, $4.3 million

Latest Pop Culture News

-Good news, Nathan Fillion fans: ABC has picked up “Castle” for a full season.

-Comedy Central will begin airing re-runs of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” next summer. Currently, FX is airing new episodes of the Comedy’s fifth season on Thursdays. FX already ordered sixth and seventh seasons of the show to air through 2011. If you haven’t seen the show, start now. It’s hilarious!

-Spoiler Alert for Desperate Housewives: A plane crash on Wisteria Lane will kill off several characters on the show. But which ones will die?

-Bravo has renewed “Top Chef Masters” for another season. Expect new episodes in 2010.

-ABC is developing a new comedy called “I’m With Stupid” starring Judy Greer. It’s based on Elaine Szewcyk’s novel “Stupid.”

-The CW picked u a full season of “Vampire Diaries” and “Melrose Place.”

-Vote now for the People’s Choice Awards.

-Will Ferrell will star in “Everything Must Go,” an independent film that costs under $10 million. Ferrell will play a guy who loses his job and gets kicked out of the house by his wife. She puts all his belongings in the front yard and spends the next four days trying to sell his possessions.

-Lady Gaga’s “The Monster Ball” tour will make a stop Jan. 12 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. Get your tickets now!

-The Beatles can’t even help the economy. “The Beatles: Rock Band,” released Sept. 9, has sold about 595,000 copies last month. Analysts expected the game to sell at least 1 million copies. The top seller was “Halo 3: ODST” for Xbox 360 with more than 1.5 million copies.

-Kelly Ripa and hubby Mark Consuelos will go back to “All My Children” for thw show’s 40th anniversary episode. The speical episodes will air Jan. 4 and Jan. 5.

-The Flaming Lips is planning an album redo of Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic “Dark Side of the Moon.” The Lips version is a collaboration with the band Stardeath and White Dwarfs and features guest spots from Henry Rollins and Peaches.

-Seinfeld fans should check out this video. It’s a montage of every Kramer entrance on Seinfeld.

TV PREMIERES

Tonight – American Chopper (TLC); The Jeff Dunham Show (Comedy); It Only Hurts When I Laugh (TruTV); Ultimate Parkour Challenge (MTV)

Friday – Supernanny (ABC); White Collar (USA)

Saturday – The Academy (FRC); 24/7 (HBO)

Sunday – Nature (PBS)

Monday – Cake Boss (TLC)

Tuesday – The Little Couple (TLC); Monica (BET)

Wednesday – Friday Night Lights (DirecTV)    

TV FINALES

Tonight – Rob Drydek’s Fantasy Factory (MTV); Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo)

Sunday – My Antonio (VH1); P. Diddy’s Starmaker (MTV)

Monday – Real Chance of Love (VH1); Forensics: You Decide (ID)

Tuesday – Rising Icons (BET)

Wednesday – Art in the Twenty-First Century (PBS)

MOVIES arriving Friday, Oct. 23

-Saw VI

-Amelia

-Astro Boy

-Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant

-Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D (re-release)

*Oct. 28 release: Michael Jackson’s This Is It (conventional and Digital IMAX theathers)

DVDs arriving Tuesday, Oct. 27

-Pandemic

-Orphan

-Whatever Works

-Stan Helsing

-Z

-Afterwards

-The Maiden Heist

-The Asphyx

-Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

-Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

-Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut)

-Night of Death

-Night of the Creeps (Director’s Cut)

-National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Ultimate Collector’s Edition)

-The Sam Fuller Film  Collection

-Stargate (Ultimate Edition)

-The Fugitive: Season Three, Volume One

-The Guardian: First Season

-The Mannix: Third Season

ALBUMS arriving Tuesday, Oct. 27

-Michael Jackson, “This Is It”

-Creed, “Full Circle”

-Rod Stewart, “The Great American Soulbook”

-Train, “Save Me San Francisco”

-Brian McKnight, “Evolution of a Man”

-B. B. King, “The Four Kings of Blues Guitar”

-Sting, “If On A Winter’s Night…”

-Sean Lennon, “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead”

-Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Night Castle”

-Stephen Stills, “Live At Shepherd’s Bush (CD/DVD)

-R.E.M., “Live At The Olympia (2 CDs)

-Soundtrack, “Twelfth Night”

-Soundtrack, “Cold Souls”