Blerg. I’m stuck at work until at least 8:30 tonight, which means I’m putting in a solid 12+ hours at the office today. I like my job and all, but that is a long freaking day. This will also throw off my delicately calibrated television viewing schedule. While most normal adults are watching the news and having dinner with their families, I use that time to catch up on The Daily Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and whatever 10 pm shows I didn’t finish the night before. At least I’m getting some comp time.
So while I settle in for the long haul, enjoy your bi-weekly roundup of pop culture nuggets:
- People magazine announced their Sexiest Man Alive – Channing Tatum. With Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street (not to mention that body), I can’t say that I blame them. But I thought this might be Ryan Gosling’s year.
- The Discovery Channel is debuting a new program called Amish Mafia in December. Seriously.
- Comedy Central has compiled a list of 10 comics to watch.
- The allegations of sexual abuse against Elmo puppeteer (and star of the documentary Being Elmo) Kevin Clash have been recanted.
- The folks over at Overthinking.com have categorized the verdict of every case on 20 seasons of Law & Order. I spent far too much time looking at all the graphs.
- True Blood has cast (yet another) love interest for Sookie.
- Oxford dictionary has chosen their word of the year – GIF.
- With Mitt Romney losing the election, does this mean the end of Jason Sudeikis on SNL?
- If you missed it, the Science Channel will be re-airing the 10th anniversary Firefly special.
- Liza Minnelli will guest star on Smash. This had better not interfere with her ability to reprise her role as Lucille 2 on Arrested Development.
- Spike TV will air an all-star tribute to Eddie Murphy tonight.
- Weird pairing alert – Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me, Best Movie Ever Sold) is directing a 3D concert film for boy band One Direction.
- A man that looks surprisingly like Tobias Fünke (David Cross) is running for office in Berne, Switzerland.
- Conan has been doing a great bit where he imagines what the new Star Wars film would look like in the hands of different directors.
Woody Allen
Kevin Smith
Michael Moore
- Director Adam McKay gives some details about Anchorman 2.
- Steven Colbert is shutting down his super PAC.
- If you spend any time around tweens, you probably already knew this – Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have apparently called it quits.
- WTF podcaster and comedian Marc Maron’s television series will debut on IFC in June.
- A Drive/Mario Kart mashup
- Music group INXS finally gets around to announcing that they are done touring, only 15 years after lead singer Michael Hutchence’s suicide.
- Louis C.K.’s next comedy special will air on HBO (but will also be available for download on his website).
- ABC has given Nashville a full season pick up. I still haven’t had the chance to watch the show; perhaps over Thanksgiving.
- Showtime is airing a ten part documentary series, Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States. I can only imagine what that’s about.
- Tom Hanks will be playing Walt Disney in the upcoming film Saving Mr. Banks.
- This is how I want to spend my New Year’s Eve – Jay-Z and Coldplay are doing a joint show in Brooklyn.
- Vinny from The Jersey Shore is getting a talk show on MTV.
- There is going to be a third Bridget Jones book. Was anyone asking for this?
- Check it out – Joe Biden was on Carmen Sandiego in 1993
- Soundgarden released a new album and is going back out on tour.
- Vulture examines what James Bond villain plots would work and which would not with the help of an economist (If they told me I could have done stuff like this with my economics degree, I might pursued that instead.)
- AMC and Netflix are in discussion to resurrect The Killing.
- Sometimes the internet is too powerful – after erroneous rumors started that Mark Wahlberg was attached to Transformers 4, director Michael Bay made it a reality.
- California Here We Come: The O.C. & Self-Aware Culture of 21st Century America. Where the heck were these classes when I was in college? Instead, I was sitting through “The History of Economic Thought” and “Women, Politics and Development in the Third World.”
- Dave Grohl is back…..with Queens of the Stone Age (Damn you Grohl –I need more Foo Fighters!)
- Mumford and Sons + Idris Elba = Happy Heather
- Splitsider looks at the 16 greatest HBO comedies. I’m pleased to see Summer Heights High make the list.
- This casting sounds promising – Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader will be playing twins in Skeleton Twins.
- The new season of Downton Abbey will begin on January 6th in the US. Yay!
- Bret McKenzie will once again write the songs for the new Muppets film. Double Yay!
- The 2012 National Book Award Nominees have been announced. Number of them I’ve read – zero.
- I was too old for this show the first time around, but there is a Boy Meets World sequel in the works.
- The Believer has a posthumous interview with author Maurice Sendak.
- In honor of NBC pulling the plug on The Farm, check out this list of other TV spinoffs that almost happened (but didn’t).
- The Dr. Who Christmas Special will debut in the U.S. on December 25th (fitting) at 9 pn (ET) on BBC America.
- USA network has cancelled Fairly Legal, Common Law and Political Animals.
- The New York Times critic was not a fan of Guy Fieri’s new Times Square restaurant
- And finally, I saw this trailer for the new Jackie Robinson movie 42 over the weekend and I practically squealed. I seriously cannot wait for this movie.
