Pop Culture Odds and Ends – April Fool’s Day Edition

http://waterfrontpgh.com/tag/pop-culture/

 

As usual, John Oliver says it best:

 

April Fool’s Day is just an annoyance. Why do we do this in the first place?

But what’s not an annoyance – the pop culture roundup. I’m not trying to prank you with any of the links that I’ve curated over the last week. So take a break from avoiding being fooled today and catch up on some of the pop culture that you might have missed.

• The title for The Walking Dead spinoff is pretty terrible.

• Steven Spielberg is slated to direct the big film adaptation of Ready Player One, which probably makes everyone else happier than it makes me.

• Trevor Noah will replace Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. His tweets are already getting him in trouble.

• The Americans has been renewed for a fourth season. People need to start watching this show – it’s fantastic!

• New Girl will get a fifth season.

• Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams will appear on the new season of Doctor Who.

• George R.R. Martin won’t write any scripts for Game of Thrones’ sixth season.

• Wolverine 3 will be Hugh Jackman’s last time wearing the mutton chops.

• An animated Smurf movie is coming in 2017.

• Helen Mirren and Jimmy Fallon inhale some helium:

 

• Willie Nelson is launching his own brand of weed, fulfilling his destiny.

• Jason Alexander will replace Larry David on Broadway.

• Jason Lee and Jeremy London will be back for Mallrats 2. Your move, Affleck.

• Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen are working together on a heist thriller.

• The Big Bang Theory is no longer the most popular show on network TV.

• The Wall Street Journal counted every elevator scene on Mad Men.

• Is CBS planning to bring back Star Trek?

• A Lost writer has penned an exhaustive history of his time on the show.

• Adam West and Burt Ward are lending their voices to a Batman animated movie.

• President Obama sat down to talk to The Wire creator David Simon:

 

• Pretty Woman originally had a much darker ending.

• Broken Lizard live-tweeted Super Troopers on Saturday.

• Idris Elba rumored to be playing the villain in Star Trek 3. Or maybe not.

• ABC Family orders the Shadowhunters, based on The Mortal Instruments series.

• They reached their funding goal for Super Troopers 2 in one day.

• Netflix has renewed Bloodline for a second season.

• Ludicrous got Comedy Central to cut the Paul Walker jokes from the Justin Bieber roast.

• Destiny’s Child reunited over the weekend.

• HBO has cancelled Looking; will wrap things up with a movie.

• Jason Segel and Drew Pearce are doing a LEGO Movie spinoff.

• The Rock in a live-action remake of Bambi (I would actually watch this):

 

• Michael Keaton and Taraji P. Henson (Cookie!) will host upcoming episodes of SNL.

• Julia Louis-Dreyfus is attached to a remake of Force Majeure.

• The new bookin Stieg Larsson’s series will be called  The Girl in the Spider’s Web.

• Ernie Hudson has joined an ABC comedy pilot.

• Director Sam Taylor-Johnson is officially out for the remaining Fifty Shades of Grey movies.

• John Hamm briefly addressed his recent trip to rehab.

• Masi Oka (Hiro) will return for Heroes Reborn.

• A portrait of George Carlin is now in the National Gallery.

• The first look at Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor:

• Bill Hader has signed up for Speilberg’s adaption of The BFG.

• Bruce Campbell will play Ronald Reagan on Fargo.

• Andy Serkis has confirmed his role in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

• I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but this one about Tupac being alive and in Cuba caught my eye.

• Matthew McConaughey will star in Billionaire’s Vinegar, a film about the world’s most expensive wine.

• Sacha Baron Cohen has returned to the Freddie Mercury biopic.

• Use Google Maps to turn your city into a game of Pac-Man.

• Disney is making a live-action Mulan as well.

• Ludacris’ new album is now streaming online.

• The O.C.’s Adam Brody will star in a CBS comedy pilot.

• Daniel Tosh asked his Twitter followers to roast him. They were up for the job.

• Martha Stewart apparently killed at the Justin Bieber roast. NSFW, obviously.

• A ranking of Will Ferrell movies.

• James Marsters joins Jenji Kohan’s HBO drama pilot.

Time for some trailers…

• Netflix’s Daredevils:

 

• A teaser for Fear The Walking Dead:

 

• A very buff looking Jake Gyllenhaal in Southpaw:

 

• JK Rowling’s Casual Vacancy:

 

• Terminator Genisys:

 

• Sir Patrick Stewart in Blunt Talk:

 

• Netflix’s Inspector Gadget:

 

• Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin in Maggie:

 

• A teaser for Spectre:

 

• Mad Max: Fury Road:

 

• Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham in Spy:

 

• Jack Black and James Marsden in The D Train:

 

• Leonard Nimoy’s son is planning a documentary on his famous father.

• Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights) has joined the horror franchise Rings.

• Jason Jones had his last night on The Daily Show.

• Is the Barenaked Ladies song “One Week” about……murder?

• Justin Kirk has joined Sarah Silverman’s HBO comedy.

• The adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies will be released February 19, 2016.

• Vincent D’Onofrio will be the villain in The Magnificent Seven remake.

• Billy Zane and Zayn Malik are not the same person.

• Audra McDonald will play Garderobe in the live-action Beauty and the Beast.

• Luke Evans and Kevin Kline will also appear in Beauty and the Beast.

• A former FBI profiler analyzes Breaking Bad’s Walter White:

 

• Gabourey Sidibe has joined Bill Eichner’s Hulu comedy.

• IFC has ordered eight episodes of Denis Leary’s hockey comedy.

• A guy was caught using a cutout of “the most interesting man in the world” in the carpool lane. Sounds legit to me.

• Lost’s Mr. Eko has signed up for Suicide Squad.

• Showtime has renewed House of Cards for a fifth season.

• Gene Simmons and WWE are launching a horror movie label.

• Ben Stiller’s youthful punk rock album is being re-released.

• David Duchovny is releasing a solo album.

• India is remaking Game of Thrones…..minus the dragons.

• Justin Guarini has turned up in a Diet Dr. Pepper commercial.

• Ricky Gervais’ Derek will wrap up on Netflix with a one-hour special.

• The Rolling Stones are going out on tour.

• So are Marilyn Manson and The Smashing Pumpkins.

• The Winklevoss Twins will make an appearance on HBO’s Silicon Valley.

• Don’t bring your selfie sticks to Coachella or Lollapalooza (or anywhere, really).

• Drea de Matteo is one of the people who lost their homes in the East Village fire.

• The Beastie Boys are officially done.

• Mariah Carey is dating Brett Ratner? I didn’t think it was possible to downgrade from Nick Cannon.

As always, we end with the mashups and supercuts…

• The LEGO Movie recut as a horror movie:

 

• Superman meets San Andreas:

 

• Hodor and Groot in a rap battle:

 

• A banjo cover of “Enter Sandman”

 

• The Walking Dead, Zombieland style:

 

• The Teletubbies mashed up with Joy Division:

 

Game of Smurfs (slightly NSFW):

 

• And finally, I can barely contain my joy at The Muppets performing “The Humpty Dance”