Pop Culture Odds and Ends – Sick and Tired Edition

Somehow I am sick again – or sick still. I can’t really tell anymore. I feel like I have been coughing and sneezing non-stop for weeks now. I’m healthy enough to be functional and go about my daily life, but sick enough that I generally feel “meh” about doing much of anything. I was looking forward to spending last weekend hitting up the cinema and catching up on some of the movies that I’ve missed, but instead I spent almost the entire weekend sleeping or trying to will myself to get out of bed or off the couch. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. The day that I’m not sniffling or downing cough drops like candy will be a happy day indeed.

So while I look into getting an IV drip of vitamin C, catch yourself up on all the pop culture that you might have missed with this week’s roundup.

Television

• Today in obvious news: Stranger Things is officially getting a third season. Netflix ain’t stupid.
• Netflix has also picked up Mindhunter for a second season.
• House of Cards will return for an eight-episode, Spacey-less final season.
• Netflix has canceled Haters Back Off.
• Danny Masterson has been fired from Netflix’s The Ranch as he stand accused of four rapes.
• This is potentially worrisome – Bryan Fuller and Michael Green have quit as showrunners on American Gods.
• Conon O’Brien will executive produce an Obama/Biden time-traveling buddy comedy animated series that I will 100% watch.
• There’s a new Game of Thrones theory making the rounds.
• Black Mirror season 4 will debut December 29.
• Netflix has given a two-season, straight-to-series order to the Riverdale spin-off about Sabrina the teenage witch.
• The remaining cast of Netflix’s Umbrella Academy has been rounded out.
• Johnny Galecki will return as David for the Roseanne revival.
• Said Taghmaoui has abruptly left the cast of Legion.
• Aaron Sorkin has a vision for a West Wing reboot starring Sterling K. Brown that I’m here for.
• CBS All Access is doing a psychological thriller series based on fairy tales with Kevin Williamson
• Catherine Keener will have a recurring role on the Fred Armisen/Maya Rudolph Amazon series.
• Ken Jeong and David Alan Grier have joined the cast of A Christmas Story Live!
• HBO passed on the Lord of the Rings TV series that Amazon picked up.
• Alice Eve joins the cast for the second season of Iron Fist.
• Fox has ordered more episodes of Ghosted, but may reframe the show as a workplace comedy.
• Showtime has given SMILF a second season.
• Westworld and other shows have been forced to shut down production due to the wildfires in California.
• Danneel Ackles will have a recurring role on Supernatural.
• Netflix is developing a Choose Your Own Adventure show for adults.
• Will Smith will host Darren Aronofsky’s Nat Geo series One Strange Rock.
• Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune will be added to the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
• The documentary I Am Sam Kinison will air on Spike TV later this month.

Movies

• Bryan Singer has been fired as director from the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
• Quentin Tarantino’s next movie has a release date – August 9, 2019. *sets countdown timer*
• Tarantino and J.J. Abrams are teaming up to pitch a new Star Trek movie.
• Chinese actress Liu Yifei will play the lead in Disney’s live-action Mulan.
• Cameron Britton, who was fantastic in Mindhunter, has joined the cast of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo sequel. Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason will play Daniel Craig’s role.
• Margot Robbie is developing her own Harley Quinn movie – not to be confused with all the other potential movies featuring the character.
• A Baby Driver sequel is in the works.
• John Travolta’s Gotti biopic pulled 10 days from its scheduled release.
• James Franco to play Shel Silverstein in an upcoming biopic.
• Speaking of Franco, Vulture ranks his performances.
• The Frozen short is being removed from screenings of Coco.
• Hugh Jackman could have been James Bond.
• Misha Green, co-creator of Underground (R.I.P.), will write and produce a Cleopatra Jones remake.
• The Hellboy reboot with David Harbour will be released in 2019.
• Hank Azaria has responded to the documentary The Problem with Apu.
• Michael Moore’s sequel to Fahrenheit 9/11 is in jeopardy due to the ongoing issues at The Weinstein Company.
• Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink joins the cast of the horror movie Eli.
• The lineup for the 2018 Sundance film festival has been announced.
• Netflix will debut a Gloria Allred documentary in 2018.
• Kathryn Newton to star in a live-action Pokémon movie.
• Gremlins is returning to theaters this month.
• The Masters of the Universe reboot has found a new director.
• Lady Gaga will be credited as Stefani Germanotta in the A Star is Born remake.

Trailers

• Teaser for Jurassic Word: Fallen Kingdom:

 

• New trailer for season 4 of Black Mirror:

 

• HBO/The Ringer’s Andre the Giant Documentary:

 

• You Were Never Really Here:

 

• Good Girls:

 

• Here and Now:

 

• A teaser trailer for HBO’s Barry:

 

• Amazon’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan:

 

• Wormwood:

 

• Black Lightning:

 

• Altered Carbon:

 

• Midnight Sun:

 

Music

• Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran released a duet.
• Jay Z reveals he and Beyoncé were working on a joint album, but she went with Lemonade instead (good choice).
• Honestly, Jay Z was quite the chatty Kathy in general with The New York Times.
• Kelly Clarkson dropped by Carpool Karaoke:

• Edgar Wright shares his 50 favorite songs of the year.
• Fleet Foxes is going out on tour.

Theater

• Armie Hammer is headed to Broadway.

Books

• Jenny Slate is writing a book of feminist essays and fables.
• John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down will get a movie adaptation.

Podcasts

• Marvel is getting into the podcast game with Wolverine: The Long Night.
• Vulture rounds up the 10 best podcasts of 2017.

Odds and Ends

• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson somehow didn’t have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That is about to be rectified.
• This week in sexual assault/harassment allegations: Israel Horovitz, Geoffrey Rush, James Levine, Robert Knepper, Peter Martins, and Melanie Martinez.
• John Oliver grilled Dustin Hoffman about allegations made against him.
• John Mayer was admitted to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy.
• Blake Lively was injured on the set of The Rhythm Section.
• Kristen Bell will host the SAG Awards.
• Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost have taken their relationship public.
• Kaley Cuoco and Karl Cook have gotten engaged.
• Lin-Manuel Miranda and wife Vanessa Nadal are expecting their second child.
• Melissa Rauch and husband Winston Beigel welcomed a baby girl.
• Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo and husband Larry are calling it quits.
• Chris Pratt has officially filed for divorce from Anna Faris.
• Actor Jim Nabors has died. He was 87.

Mashups and Supercuts

• Cookie Monster channels his inner Busta Rhymes:

 

• Chris Pratt and Chris Stapleton sing “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”:

 

• The Tonight Show brings you “Robert Mueller’s Comin’ to Town”:

 

• A mashup of 2017 movie trailers (I have missed A LOT):

 

Pop Culture Odds and Ends – Dodgers Bandwagon Edition

I’ll admit that my interest in the World Series has significantly waned now that my Yankees have been eliminated. But I still love baseball, so I’ve got to have some kind of rooting interest, even if I’m not committing myself to watching all of the games (I was starting to feel crappy last night, so I put myself to bed at 8:30 and I barely saw the first few innings). My dad is a Dodgers fan so I’m throwing my support their way, even though goodness knows that he takes glee in the Yankees not doing well.  He may be one of the few people on the planet that was never impressed with Derek Jeter in any capacity. But I’ll forgive that and side with the family. I’d even root for my brother’s team, the Mets, if they ever make it back to postseason baseball. 😉

I’m also rooting for whoever is most likely to steal a base and win me (and the rest of the country) a free taco. Unless it’s Jose Altuve – screw that guy.

So while I irrationally hate a guy that’s just good at his job, get yourself caught up on all the pop culture that you might have missed with this week’s roundup.

Television

• There was a Game of Thrones Easter egg that adds a new layer to one character’s death.
• Hulu renewed Casual for a fourth and final season.
• Mark Ruffalo will star in a limited series for HBO based on a Wally Lamb book.
• Chelsea Handler will end her Netflix show after two season.
• FX renewed Better Things for a third season.
• Issa Rae is developing a drama for HBO set in 1990’s LA. Author Angela Flournoy is also involved.
• Casey Affleck will star in a horror drama TV series from Alfonso Cuaron.
• Mindy Kaling is producing two comedies in development in NBC.
• Sara Ramirez is joining the cast of Madame Secretary.
• Zoo has been canceled after three seasons.
• Ray Donovan has been renewed for a sixth season.
• Showtime orders Peter Moffat’s Your Honor to series.
• The oral history of the Seinfeld episode, “The Contest.”
• Steve Buscemi to replace Owen Wilson in the TBS comedy Miracle Workers.
• CBS All Access has renewed Star Trek: Discovery.
• Netflix renewed Big Mouth for a second season.
•  An American Gangster prequel series with Forest Whitaker is in development.
• Alone Together gets a season two renewal ahead of its January premiere.
• Mike Schur is developing a Mexican-American family sitcom pilot with Shea Serrano.
• Tracy Morgan’s series The Last O.G. has lost its showrunner and it will be delayed until 2018.
• Fashion Police will end in November.
• Keeping Up With the Kardashians was renewed.
• A Moe’s Tavern pop-up bar has opened in Chicago.
• Hunter S. Thompson’s life is being made into a TV series.
• Simon Helberg will produce a CIA comedy in development at CBS.
• Jane Lynch is getting a daytime show.
• Ranking all the “Treehouse of Horror” episodes from The Simpsons.
• Vince Staples wants to direct an episode of American Horror Story and I say they should let him.
• An oral history of David S. Pumpkins.
• Miles Teller is not doing the Allegiant TV movie.
• Here’s what is coming to and going from Netflix in November. And Amazon Prime. And HBO Now.

Movies

• Morgan Freeman will play Colin Powell in a biopic.
• Renee Zellweger will play Judy Garland in Judy.
• Ben Medelsohn in talks to play the villain in Captain Marvel.
• Tom Hardy will play Venom through motion-capture technology.
• A Million Little Pieces is getting a big screen adaptation.
• Michael Bay is making a live action Dora the Explorer movie for some reason.
• Channing Tatum has pulled his film about sexual abuse from the Weinstein Company.
• Nine things that you may not have known about the Scream films.
• Robert Englund says that he’s too old to play Freddy Kruegar again.
• Justin Long and Donald Faison to star in the indie film The Wave.
• A new documentary will examine Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut.
• The filmmakers behind The Hunting Ground will make their next documentary about sexual assault in Hollywood.

Trailers

• Phantom Thread:

 

• I Love You, Daddy:

 

• I, Tonya:

 

• Lady Dynamite, season 2:

 

• Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built:

 

• Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond:

 

• Bright:

 

• Godless:

 

• Too Funny To Fail:

 

• UnREAL, season 3:

 

• The Chi:

 

• 12 Strong:

 

• Snake Outta Compton:

Music

• Confirmed: Justin Timberlake will return to headline the 2018 Super Bowl halftime show.
• Taylor Swift dropped a new single.
• They Might Be Giants are dropping some new music.
• Jason Aldean will release his cover of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t’ Back Down” to benefit victims of the Las Vegas shooting.

Books

• A new Sam Shepard novel, completed before his death, will be published in December.

Podcasts

• The Rock is producing a new podcast series that will investigate historical figures.

Stand-up

• Sebastian Maniscalco announced a theater tour.
• Michelle Wolf’s dubut stand-up special will drop in December.

Theater

• Jane Krakowski and Chris Diamantopoulos join A Christmas Story: Live!.
• Bruce Springsteen will reportedly extend his Broadway run.
• Lee Pace will play Joe Pitt in Broadway’s Angels in America.
• The cost of subscription to BroadwayHD will decrease.
• Michael Moore is taking his Broadway show on the road.
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will head to Australia after its Broadway run.

Odds and Ends

• Kid Rock is not running for Senate.
• Billy Joel and wife Alexis welcomed their second child. Joel has a daughter from his marriage to Christie Brinkley.
• Jamie Pressly welcomed twins with partner Hamzi Hijazi.
• Blac Chyna is apparently suing the entire Kardashian/Jenner family.
• Michelle Williams was battling depression during her Destiny’s Child days.
• John Stamos and Caitlin McHugh are engaged.
• Jamel Parrish and Chris Long are engaged.
• Ewan McGregor has reportedly split from his wife of 22 years – and may be dating his Fargo co-star Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
• Roman Polanski is accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year old model.
• Not a good week for Marilyn Mason – his bassist Twiggy Ramirez was kicked out of the band over sexual assault and domestic violence allegations and former guitarist Daisy Berkowitz passed away.
• Actor Brent Briscoe had died. He was 56.
• R.I.P. Gord Downie, the frontman of Tragically Hip. He was 53.
• Actor Robert Guillaume has passed away. He was 89.
• Legendary musician Fats Domino has passed away. He was 89.

Mashups and Supercuts

• La La Land 2049:

 

• The Twin Peaks soundtrack mashed up with “The Loco-Motion”:

Listening to the Twin Peaks soundtrack again. You really can get a gloomy version of The Loco-Motion out of the main theme tune. pic.twitter.com/tO3egPzVbD

— Andy (@alreadytaken74) October 18, 2017

 

• The Walking Gingerbread:

 

• Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 as a horror movie:

Pop Culture Odds and Ends – Momentary Distraction Edition

It seems kind of trivial to be writing about pop culture with all that has been going on in the United States in the last week. I know this. But as important as it is to be paying attention and to engage, people also need temporary refuge from the news and reality. So I offer up this week’s pop culture roundup as a momentary distraction, a break from the very ugly world in which we are living in.

Television

• In a move that proves they are not f*cking around, Netflix lures Shonda Rhimes away from ABC with a four-year deal.
• Ava DuVernay is reportedly developing a TV series adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Dawn.
• Netflix has renewed GLOW for a second season. Yay!
• Ikea has released instructions for how to turn their rugs into Game of Thrones capes.
• Production on the second season of Atlanta will reportedly start next month.
• The Cohen brothers are making a western miniseries for Netflix that will debut in 2018.
• If Louie CK ever brings Louie back to FX, it will be the same show.
• FX has renewed Snowfall.
• David Tennant and Michael Sheen set to star in an adaptation of Good Omens.
• CBS is developing a thriller aboard a nuclear submarine.
• Aaron Eckhart joins the cast of Matthew Weiner’s The Romanoffs.
• Connie Britton has been cast in Showtime’s SMILF.
• Netflix has renewed Ozark for a second season.
• Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin will star in Chuck Lorre’s Netflix comedy.
• American Horror Story: Cult may be coming to a city near you with a mysterious bus tour.
• NBC is developing a Munsters series where the family lives in Brooklyn.
• Josh Groban will guest star on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
• Talks for a Hannibal revival are apparently happening.
• This fan’s argument for why Rachel should have ended up with Joey on Friends is pretty damn convincing.
• American Crime Story: Katrina is getting a complete overhaul. Sarah Paulson will still star.
• They are returning to the drawing board for another try at a How I Met Your Mother spinoff.
• Not sure how, but David Tennant will return for the second of Jessica Jones.
• The cast for the second season of Westworld continues to expand.
• Zosia Mamet and Lou Diamond Phillips to guest star on You’re The Worst.
• Joel McHale is being considered for a lead role in the Quantum and Woody TV series.
• Barbara Hershey will appear in the second season of The X-Files.
• Nia Vardalos has a new series inspired by Chewbacca Mom.
• Lifetime orders a drama series from Jamie Denbo and Jenji Kohan.
• Hulu obtains the rights to a series based on RuPaul’s life.
• Comedy Central is developing a series starring Alex Karpovsky.
• Ben Platt will drop by the Will & Grace reboot.
• Feeling left out, CBS is now developing a singing competition show.
• John Carpenter is directing a TV pilot.
• Cast members of This Is Us earned $250,000 bonuses from NBC.
• NBC is working with the team behind The Maze Runner films for a futuristic drama series.
• NBC is officially shuttering Seeso. Some shows have already found a new home.
• Chris Elliott will guest star and Kristin Wiig will recur on Last Man on Earth, season 4.

Movies

• It’s finally official – Danial Craig will return as 007.
• Leonardo DiCaprio to play Leonardo da Vinci in a biopic based on Walter Isaacson’s upcoming book.
• Louis CK apparently made a film in secret which will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.
• Casey Affleck says that Ben Affleck won’t be in The Batman, but then walks back his comments. Little brothers, am I right?
• Ali Wong and Randall Park will star in a rom-com for Netflix.
• Showtime has been making a documentary about The New York Times since Trump’s inauguration.
• Kate Holmes will star in the film adaptation of The Secret.
• Cate Blanchett is in talks to join Eli Roth’s The House With a Clock In Its Walls.
• Nick Jonas joins Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley in Chaos Walking.
• Jamie Kennedy joins the cast of Ad Astra.
• Anya Taylor-Joy will reunite with director Robert Eggers for his Nosferatu remake.
• There will be a female-led remake of License To Drive.
• Josh Brolin turned down the Avatar sequels and James Cameron wasn’t happy.

Trailers

• The Crown, season 2:

 

• Wonder:

 

• Our Souls at Night:

 

• Molly’s Game:

 

• The Meyerowitz Stories:

 

• The Defenders:

 

• The Florida Project:

 

• Batman vs. Two-Face:

 

• The Death of Stalin:

Music

• Pink is back with a new song and a new album forthcoming.
• Pink will receive the Video Vanguard Award at the 2017 MTV VMAs.
• Kendrick Lamar will perform a headlining set at the VMAs.
• Queens of the Stone Age released a new single.
• Beck has a new album coming in October.
• Bill Hader and Cecily Strong star in a music video for Steve Martin’s “Caroline.”
• Willie Nelson had to end a concert early in Salt Lake City due to breathing problems.
• Wilco has released a benefit song for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Theater

• Ben Platt is leaving Dear Evan Hansen in November.
• There will be no trolls in the Frozen Broadway musical.
• Bruce Springsteen will do an eight-week run on Broadway.
• There is an all-male, nude production of Hamlet being performed in NYC.
• Bandstand will close on Broadway September 17.
• Joshua Jackson will make his Broadway debut in Children of a Lesser God.
• Bill Murray saw Groundhog Day on Broadway two days in a row. The joke is too obvious to make.
• Good thing he saw it now – Groundhog Day will close September 17.
• There is now a Hamilton app that I have been driving my SIL crazy with.

Books

• Actor Bruce Campbell has written a memoir.
• A My Cousin Vinny book sequel is in the works.
• A Hamilton-inspired cookbook will hit shelves this November.

Podcasts

• A new podcast will dive into the origins of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
• 2 Dope Queens is getting a series of specials on HBO.

Odds and Ends

• Wonder Woman and Riverdale did well at the Teen Choice Awards.
• Broad City now has its own line of sex toys.
• A Hunger Games theme park is really happening.
• A UK zoo named their new baby male hippo Hodor.
• A jury has ruled in favor of Taylor Swift in her lawsuit against a DJ for groping her.
• Prince officially has his own shade of purple.
• This week in pop culture real estate: Eminem is selling his house.
• Chris Cornell’s family has commissioned a statue of him to be placed in Seattle.
• Mindy Kaling has confirmed her pregnancy.
• Ric Flair was hospitalized and has undergone surgery.
• Tom Cruise was reportedly injured during a stunt on Mission: Impossible 6.
• Stuntwoman Joi Harris died in a motorcycle accident during filming Deadpool 2.

Mashups and Supercuts

• Watch Leslie Jones and Set Meyers watch Game of Thrones:

 

• Jamie Lannister’s life as a Lifetime movie trailer:

 

• A Game of Thrones/Friends mashup that employs NSFW language:

 

• Even the Night King is a fan of Drake: