We’re only 20 days into 2016 and we’ve already had to say goodbye to more than our fair share of celebrities. Sadly the news that Glenn Frey passed away greeted us on Monday, which makes me wonder if some higher power isn’t putting together one hell of a music festival up in heaven. I’ve been a fan of The Eagles for a long time, so I was very bummed to hear about Frey’s passing. I’m now kicking myself for not taking advantage of the handful of opportunities that I had to see The Eagles live. Frey was responsible for writing a lot of my favorite Eagles’ songs, but since he wrote many of the bands biggest hits, Glenn Frey pretty much wrote everyone’s favorite Eagles songs. He also lent his vocals to a number of great songs, like “Take It Easy,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Already Gone,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “New Kid in Town,” and my personal favorite, “Heartache Tonight.” And of course, Frey (as portrayed by Will Ferrell) plays an integral part in one of the weirder digital shorts on Saturday Night Live, “The H is O.” Who knows why he he was selected as the subject of this sketch; it’s a weirdly specific detail that makes it work, mostly because there is no rhyme or reason to it. That short never fails to make me laugh.
Yesterday in Frey’s honor we listened to Eagles songs all day in my office (my assistant was thankfully OK with this). The world just keeps getting a little less musical with all these departures.
And now….on to your weekly installment of the pop culture roundup.
- In case you missed it, here’s the full list of Oscar nominees.
- Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith may boycott the Oscars over the lack of diversity.
- The President of the Academy has responded to the failure of the Oscars to nominate any actors of color for the second straight year.
- George Clooney thinks that the Oscars are “moving in the wrong direction.”
- The Razzie nominations have also been released.
- Ranking the breakups on Friends.
- The “Friends reunion” will not feature all of the friends (and isn’t really a reunion).
- Breaking Bad writer Moira Walley-Beckett is writing an Anne of Green Gables reboot for CBC.
- Deadpool has received the R-rating that was promised.
- China is not impressed – they have banned the movie.
- Make sure to stick around for a post-credits scene if you see Deadpool.
- This week in duh – Empire was renewed for a third season.
- Jennifer Lawrence will play Fidel Castro’s former lover in Marita.
- Watch The Mountain from Game of Thrones set a world record in fridge carrying.
- The Americans new season has a premiere date.
- Bonnaroo announced their 2016 lineup.
- For the first time, the west coast will get to watch the Grammys live as well.
- Neil Patrick Harris in talks to join Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.
- He hasn’t even debuted on Daredevil yet, but a Punisher spinoff is already in development at Netflix.
- PBS will air a documentary about Hamilton (the musical, not the actual dude).
- Here’s a complete compendium of all the #Ham4Ham preshows to date.
- This made me so delighted – Amy Schumer shuts down “kid” critic Lights Camera Jackson, who I hate so freaking much.
- Just when you thought things about this case couldn’t get any stranger, the brother of Making a Murder’s Brendan Dassey has recorded a rap about the case.
- Tracy Morgan and Jordan Peele are making a comedy at FX.
- Universal almost pulled the plug on The 40-Year-Old Virgin for a hilarious reason.
- The directors of Captain America: Civil War support a solo Black Widow movie.
- In case you missed it, here’s Adele doing Carpool Karaoke with James Corden:
- Seth Meyers will host Late Night through 2021.
- Pearl Jam has announced tour dates.
- Christian Bale has exited Enzo Ferrari after health concerns about gaining the necessary weight in time.
- The Rock has been named the world’s top international movie star.
- There have been plenty of tributes to David Bowie in the last week, but these are my favorites:
- A 600-year old tower played “Space Oddity” on church bells.
- New Orleans and Arcade Fire held a parade in memory of Bowie. When I die, I want a second line parade in my honor.
- Someone altered a street sign in Austin to honor Bowie. The city allowed the change to stay until yesterday.
- Coldplay shares a memory of Bowie not collaborating with them because he didn’t think their song was good enough.
- Was Han Solo *gasp* not a very good shot?
- Heroes Reborn’s rebirth was short lived.
- Season 7 of Archer will premiere March 31.
- James Gunn has finished the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 script.
- Derek Zoolander made the cover of Vogue:
- Per Chris Pine, Wonder Woman is set during WWI.
- Lip Sync Battle has been renewed for a third season.
- Perhaps the Oscar nomination helped change his mind – George Miller will direct more Mad Max movies.
- Jason Alexander discusses the Seinfeld spinoffs that he wanted NBC to pursue (none feature George).
- Fox is making a drama series about a female baseball player.
- Room’s Jacob Tremblay had an adorable moment with Oscar Isaac after the Golden Globes.
- NBC’s next live musical will be Hairspray.
- Adam Lambert and Tim Curry will both participate in Fox’s Rocky Horror TV remake.
- Bette Midler is returning to Broadway in Hello, Dolly!
- The newest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise will be called Fast 8.
- Could Quentin Tarantino’s next film be a 1930s gangster movie set in Australia?
- Scream Queens will be back for a second season, set in a hospital.
- Hannibal Buress will release his Netflix special on February 5th.
- Run-DMC will receive a lifetime achievement award at this year’s Grammys.
- Weezer announced a new album and tour.
Time for some trailers…..
- Suicide Squad:
- Money Monster:
- Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising:
- Pee-wee’s Big Holiday:
- The Secret Life of Pets:
- Better Call Saul season 2:
- 10 Cloverfield Lane:
- Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill:
- Season 3 of Penny Dreadful:
- Barbershop: The Next Cut:
- Fuller House:
- Director’s Cut:
- Green Room:
- The X-Files:
- The Wave:
- Broad City:
- Standoff:
- Orphan Black season 4:
- Sing Street:
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:
- Live Witt Kelly and Michael has been renewed through 2020.
- Debra Messing will play Baby’s mom in ABC’s unnecessary Dirty Dancing remake.
- Amber Heard is rumored to be the female lead opposite Jason Momoa in Aquaman.
- Check out some early images of the LEGO Batman ’66 set, out in March. (“Pow!” and “Bam!” not included)
- Peaky Blinders may return in April.
- Macklemore and Ryan Lewis announce their second album.
- Meryl Streep will be teaching an Acting Master Class in Berlin.
- HBO is airing a seven-hour edit of The Godfather/Godfather Part II.
- Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly will play Laurel and Hardy in a biopic.
- Sting and Peter Gabriel are going out on tour together.
- Drake and Kevin Hart are coaching the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
- I kind of want this Drake coloring book.
- Saoirse Ronan gave Stephen Colbert some lessons on speaking with an Irish accent:
- Pretty in Pink will celebrate its 30th (!!!) anniversary by returning to theaters.
- Caitlyn Jenner is collaborating on her memoir with Buzz Bissinger, who wrote Friday Night Lights.
- The Violent Femmes dropped a new song from their forthcoming album, the first in 15 years.
- USA has renewed Playing House.
- Olaf from Frozen is dropping by Sofia the First.
- Netflix has ordered a series from YouTube star Miranda Sings.
- Some guy traveled 10,000 miles to visit every city mentioned in Huey Lewis and the News’ “Heart of Rock and Roll.”
- Joe Jonas and his band DNCE will be involved with Grease: Live.
- Mashable offers a definitive ranking of the men in Lizzie McGuire’s life.
- Will Forte has debuted an interesting new look:
- Megan Mullally will join Bryan Craston and James Franco in Why Him? Keegan-Michael Key has also signed up.
- My Morning Jacket is hitting the road.
- An oral history of Now That’s What I Call Music.
- Cher is donating more than 180,000 bottles of water to Flint, Michigan.
- Rumor has it that One Direction are never ever ever getting back together.
- Uproxx ranks every album that Dave Grohl has played on.
- Tyler Perry is making a Madea Halloween movie.
- WWE’s The Miz will appear on an episode of Supernatural.
- Syfy announces premiere dates for 12 Monkeys and Hunters.
- Ghostface Killah has his own brand of weed because of course he does.
- Even The Simpsons is making fun of the Philadelphia 76ers.
- This cat does in fact bear an uncanny resemblance to Adam Driver:
- Jamie Foxx pulled a man from a burning car.
- Due to his failing eyesight, Stan Lee can no longer read comic books.
- Nicky Hilton Rothschild and her husband James are expecting their first child.
- When Kevin Hart gets married, his eight year old son will be his best man.
- Singer Don McLean was arrested for domestic violence.
- Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth may be living together again.
- Drake Bell got a DUI.
- Dan Haggerty, who played Grizzly Adams, has died.
- Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter was arrested in a bar brawl in Florida.
- No one had a worse week than Celine Dion: her husband Réné Angélil and her brother both passed away.
As always, we end with the supercuts and mashups……
- A cover of “Thriller” on the fiddle:
- A Star Wars a cappella number from BYU:
- A mod lets you play Grand Theft Auto V as Lemmy:
- What is Hans Gruber played Han Solo?
- Star Wars is combined with Winnie the Pooh in Wookie the Chew:
- Smashmouth meets Larry Sanders Show:
- These nano-impressions are pretty good:
- A Glenn Miller cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”:
- The movies sing Linkin Park’s ”In The End”:
- All of Snape’s scenes from the Harry Potter movies in chronological order:
- And finally, Jimmy Fallon as Bob Dylan cover Drake’s “Hotline Bling”:
As Heather's World Turns 