Pop Culture Odds and Ends – Summer Solstice Edition

Summer is officially here! To all my friends that are teachers – your watch has ended. To my friends that are parents – your watch has begun. This is shaping up to be a weird summer for me since I don’t have much of anything on the calendar. I already took a quick vacation and my summertime commitments are pretty limited. So really, all that summer means to me is time to catch up television, which is alright by me.

Speaking of catching up, this new edition of the roundup is your chance to get up to speed on all pop culture that you may have missed. It’s the longest day of the year, so you have time!

Television

• Jon Snow’s real name may have accidentally been revealed.
• Star Trek: Discovery will split its first season and will debut September 24^th.
• Damon Lindelof is developing a Watchmen TV series for HBO.
• Martin Freeman is adapting Paradise Lost as a modern TV series.
• David Fincher’s Mindhunter series has a release date on Netflix.
• NBC has set its fall premiere dates.
• Glenn Close will play a zombie in George Saunders’ Amazon comedy pilot.
• Tony Danza to star in the Netflix dramedy The Good Cop.
• T.I. has been cast in Fox’s drama Atlanta’s Most Wanted.
• Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are working on a series about Dracula.
• The DuckTales reboot has an updated theme song.
• Sorry to confirm bad news, but Barb won’t return to Stranger Things.
• Bill Nye Saves The World renewed on Netflix.
• You can watch Adam West’s unaired episode of Powerless on YouTube.
• Some props and costumes from Community are being auctioned off.
• The CW is trying for another Supernatural spin-off.
• Last Man Standing will not find a new home at CMT.
• The John Wick TV series will focus on the chain of hotels where assassins stay.
• Summertime means one thing – a new cast for Big Brother.
• Aisha Taylor is leaving The Talk.
• Michael Phelps will race a great white shark during Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.
• Here are the TCA Awards nominees.
• NeNe Leakes is returning to Real Housewives of Atlanta.
• SpongeBob SquarePants will do a stop-motion episode for Halloween.
• Ranking the clones on Orphan Black.
• Paul Shaffer returned to The Late Show.
• Filming will resume on Bachelor in Paradise after an investigation in allegations of misconduct.
• Here’s what’s coming and going to Amazon Prime in July. And Hulu. And Netflix.

Movies

• Phil Lord and Chris Miller out as directors of Han Solo. Ron Howard is rumored to be taking over.
• The Dark Tower movie is a continuation of the book series.
• Daniel Day-Lewis is retiring from acting.
• Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in talks for Paul Feig’s adaptation of A Simple Favor.
• Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart’s remake of The Intouchables will hit theaters March 2018.
• Jack Black to star in Eli Roth’s adaptation of The House With A Clock In Its Walls.
• The Nightcrawler team is reuniting to work on a new mystery project.
• The Mummy will lose an estimated $95 million.
• Lucy Liu joined the Netflix comedy feature Set It Up.
• Oona Chaplin has joined the cast of the Avatar sequels.
• Mark Wahlberg says that he’s done with the Transformers franchise.
• The Twilight Zone movie has found a writer.
• David Mamet is in talks to write an adaptation of Don Winslow’s The Force.
• Judy Greer joined the cast of Richard Linklater’s comedy-drama Where’d You Go, Bernadette.
• A sequel to Book of Life has been announced.
• Kyle Chandler and Corey Stoll to star in Damien Chazelle’s First Man. Ryan Gosling will also star.
• Neither Jada Pinkett Smith nor 50 Cent were fans of the Tupac biopic, All Eyez On Me.
• Moana is now on Netflix.
• Emily Ratajkowski joins the cast of I Feel Pretty.
• Michael Bay has an idea for a sequel to The Rock.

Trailers

• Detroit:

 

• Pitch Perfect 3:

 

• Goodbye Christopher Robin:

 

• Netflix’s Atypical:

 

• Transparent, season 4:

 

• Thank You For Your Service:

 

• Daddy’s Home 2:

 

• Happy Death Day:

 

• The Trip to Spain:

 

• Annabelle Creation:

 

• Okja:

 

• Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press:

 

• Brigsby Bear:

 

• Midnighters:

 

• Jungle:

 

• American Assassins:

 

• Friends From College:

 

Music

• Jay Z is dropping a new Tidal exclusive album on June 30^th.
• Jay Z, formerly known as Jay-Z, is now going by JAY-Z.
• The Grammys will allow members to vote online.
• Lorde announced North American tour dates.
• Shania Twain announced a new album and released a new single.
• Bruce Springsteen will play a series of concerts on Broadway.
• A new LCD Soundsystem album will be released in September.
• St. Vincent announced a tour.
• Foo Fighters announced a new album, a new tour, and their own festival.
• Dave Grohl’s eight-year-old daughter Harper played drums with the Foo Fighters in Iceland.
• The Killers released their first new single since 2012.
• Queens of the Stone Age released a new song.
• Gene Simmons is trying to trademark the devil horns hand gesture.
• Danny Elfman will do the music for Justice League.
• Yoko Ono will get a songwriting credit on “Imagine.”

Stand-Up

• Judd Apatow will have a stand-up special on Netflix later this year.
• Natasha Leggero and Moshe Kasher are going out on The Endless Honeymoon Tour.
• Iliza Schlesinger said some stuff about other female comics and it did not go over well.

Books

• A John Wick comic book will explore his origin.
• John Carpenter is writing a Big Trouble in Little China comic book series.

Theater

• Indecent will close on Broadway.
• Amy Schumer is in talks to star in Steve Martin’s new Broadway play.
• Ingrid Michaelson will make her Broadway debut in The Great Comet.

Podcasts

• Bob’s Burgers’ Eugene Mirman is launching a podcast.

Odds and Ends

• Beyoncé may have given birth to twins.
• Mahershala Ali was profiled in GQ.
• Yaron Versoano, Gal Gadot’s husband, wore the perfect shirt.
• Scarlet Johansson and her grandma doppelganger hung out at the premiere of Rough Night.
• Mattel has unveiled a new line of more diverse Ken dolls.
• A year after his wife’s sudden death, Patton Oswalt appeared on the red carpet with actress Meredith Salenger.
• Josh Peck married his girlfriend Paige O’Brien over the weekend, but the real news is that he didn’t invite his Drake & Josh co-star Drake Bell to the wedding. Feelings were hurt, things were said.
• Rebel Wilson won a defamation suit against a magazine publisher.
• Miles Teller was allegedly arrested for public intoxication.
• An autopsy found heroin and cocaine in Carrie Fisher’s system at her time of death.
• Director John G. Avildsen (Rocky, The Karate Kid) passed away. He was 81.
• Actor Stephen Furst, Animal House’s Flounder, has died.
• Rapper Prodigy, half of Mobb Depp, has died. He was 42.

Mashups and Supercuts

• An orchestra covered Daft Punk’s ”Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”:

 

• A vintage cover of “Say It Ain’t So”:

 

• Lightening McQueen gets a 30 for 30 short:

 

• Game of Thrones characters sing “I Will Survive”:

 

Pop Culture Odds and Ends – Bring Back Spring Edition

What happened to spring? It’s been cold and rainy here lately, especially on the weekends. It’s kind of a bummer. I’m sure it’s good for the grass and the plants, but it’s not so nice for humans who want to be outside. I’m not a big outdoorsy person, but this is the time of year when it’s fun to sit outside on a patio with an adult beverage. Soon enough it will be too hot and humid to want to spend much time anywhere without air conditioning. So it would be nice to not have turn the heat back on in May. Remind I said all of this when I am complaining about how hot it is in Austin next week.

But enough about out rainy spring – there is pop culture new to be had. As usual, the roundup catches all of the pop culture news that you might have missed. So while I dig out my sweatshirts and umbrellas, enjoy the latest from the world of pop.

Television

• HBO is working on some Game of Thrones spinoffs because HBO ain’t stupid.
• How much would the weddings cost on Game of Thrones.
• Netflix has renewed 13 Reasons Why.
• HBO will pull all its shows from Amazon Prime.
• Hulu gives Marvel’s Runaways a series order.
• Jennifer Morrison is leaving Once Upon A Time.
• Alec Baldwin joined the cast of Hulu’s 9/11 drama, The Looming Tower.
• Danny DeVito and Jeff Goldblum to play washed-up musicians in a series for Amazon.
• Hulu has renewed The Handmaid’s Tale for a second season.
• The Jim Jefferies Show will debut on Comedy Central in June.
• Much to my annoyance, ABC is bringing back American Idol.
• NBC renews Taken.
• John Singleton’s series Snowfall will debut on FX in July.
• Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune renewed through 2020.
• How to make your favorite foods from Seinfeld:

• Watching Veep may be a hazard to your health.
• Amazon has ordered a new comedy from Bryan Cranston.
• Season 3 of The Carmichael Show debuts May 31^st.
• Fox canceled Rosewood after two seasons.
• Fox also pulled the plug on Sleepy Hollow.
• NBC canceled Emerald City.
• NBC passed on three pilots, including the gender-swapping What About Barb?
• The CW pulled the plug on No Tomorrow and Frequency.
• NBC has greenlit the comedy AP Bio, which means Glenn Howerton is almost definitely not returning to It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
• Psych is retuning with a TV movie.
• HBO will air a Princess Diana documentary for the 20^th anniversary of her death.
• Mariska Hargitay is collaborating with HBO on a documentary about untested rape kits.
• The Chris Gethard Show has moved to truTV.
• Congrats cord-cutters – Hulu obtained the streaming rights for Atlanta.
• The future of NBC’s comedy streaming service Seeso may be in doubt.
• Designated Survivor is getting a new showrunner.
• Raven’s Home will debut in July.
• Phendra Parks has been reportedly fired from Real Housewives of Atlanta.
• Girl Meets World is officially dead.

Movies

• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Christina Hendriks to star in a new project from Brian De Palma.
• Will Ferrell will play Jason Momoa’s dad in an upcoming comedy.
• Steve McQueen set to direct an authorized Tupac documentary.
• Peter Dinklage to play Herve Villechaize for the HBO film My Dinner With Herve.
• Ranking all the Stan Lee cameos from MCU films.
• Dave Chappelle joins the cast of the A Star Is Born remake.
• Both Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt will return for the sequel to Edge of Tomorrow.
• Cliff Curtis has been cast as the new lead for the upcoming Avatar movies.
• Rumor of the week: Is Josh Gad going to play The Penguin?
• Neil deGrasse Tyson reviews summer movies:

• The director of The Sandlot has another baseball movie ready to go.
• There may be a new Hellboy move after all, but it would star David Harbour.
• You can rent the house from A Christmas Story for the night (I stopped by last time I was in Cleveland).
• Netflix may make the drug thriller Triple Frontier with Ben and Casey Affleck.
• David Spade and Nat Faxon to star in an Adam Sandler produced comedy for Netflix.
• People still have theories about Titanic.
• Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda will star in a movie about a sexy book club.
• Charlie Plummer to play J. Paul Getty III in Ridley Scott’s kidnapping movie.
• Warner Brothers has bumped back the release of Godzilla vs. Kong.

Trailers

• The Dark Tower:

 

• Blade Runner 2049:

 

• Wonder Woman:

 

• The Defenders:

 

• Orange is the New Black, season 5:

 

• It:

 

• The Gifted:

 

• Dunkirk:

 

• Rough Night:

 

• Inconceivable:

 

• The Mist:

 

• Everything Evreything:

 

• Woodshock:

 

• Game Over, Man:

 

• Tracy Morgan: Staying Alive:

 

• Bloodline season 3:

 

• The Limehouse Golem:

Music

• Jay Z will headline the 2017 Meadows Festival.
• The Decemberists unveil a new folk side project, Offa Rex.
• Chance the Rapper canceled his European tour.
• Grizzly Bear released a new song.
• Vin Diesel is making an EDM track with Steve Aoki.
• Barack Obama shared a new playlist.
• MGMT announced a new album.
• Linkin Park and Blink-182 have merged to form Blinkin Park.
• Erykah Badu is going out on a world tour.
• Kanye is reportedly making his next album on the top of a mountain. You do you, Kanye.

Books

• Bill Clinton and James Patterson are co-writing a thriller called The President Is Missing.
• George R.R. Martin has a new Game of Thrones story coming out.
• Andy Weir has a new book out in November.

Theater

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child gets a release date for Broadway.
• David Simon wrote a Broadway musical about The Pogues.
• The Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie with Sally Field will close early.
• The Broadway musical Amelie is set to close.

Stand-up

• Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, and Trevor Noah have all joined the 2017 Just for Laughs lineup.
• Jim Gaffigan, Reggie Watts and Michelle Wolf to headline Skankfest NYC 2017.
• Chris Gethard is going out on tour.
• The cast of The Big Sick are doing some comedy dates for charity.

Podcasts

• Larry Wilmore has a new podcast series with The Ringer.

Odds and Ends

• GQ has a pretty in-depth interview with Brad Pitt.
• Michael Moore has endorsed The Rock for president in 2020. So he’s got that going for him.
• Antonio Sabato, Jr. is running for Congress.
• Nicki Minaj paid for some fans’ college tuition.
• Kristin Bell helped with a Frozen-themed promposal.
• Watch Amy Schumer’s dad meet his crush Goldie Hawn in person.
• Café puts up a sign offering Liam Neeson free food, Liam Neeson appears.
• Scary stuff – Jeannie Gaffigan (wife of Jim) had a large brain tumor removed.
• Sarah Michelle Gellar reveals her struggle with postpartum depression.
• The couple that gets stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame together, stays together.
• Dance Moms’ Abby Lee Miller is going to prison.
• Jodie Sweetin’s ex-fiancé has been sentenced to six years in prison.
• Alanis Morissette’s former manager also was sentenced to six years in prison. #isn’titironic
• Steven Seagal has been deemed too dangerous to enter the Ukraine and has been banned for five years.
• A speedy recovery to country music legend Lorette Lynn, who suffered a stroke.
• Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed are expecting their first child.
• Zooey Deschanel and Jacob Pechenik welcomed their second child.
• Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin welcomed a baby boy.
• Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarbourough and Mika Brzezinski are engaged.
• Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black married in England.
• R.I.P. Christopher “Big Black” Boykin, best known from MTV’s Rob & Big.

Mashups and Supercuts

• Animals cover Smashmouth’s “All Star”:

• Tom Hardy swearing on Peaky Blinders:

• Stephen Colbert performs with Gorillaz:

 

• What if Seinfeld ended like The Sopranos:

what if all TV shows ended like The Sopranos? pic.twitter.com/isa28iivGT

— Dominick Nero (@dominicknero) May 2, 2017

 

• Evolution of douchebag style:

 

• Get-Out as a rom-com:

Ever imagined what #GetOut would be as a rom-com? @Mashable has got you covered! https://t.co/GxNqPC2JAJ

— MTV (@MTV) May 6, 2017

 

• What About Bob recut as a stalker thriller:

 

 

Pop Culture Odds and Ends – I’m An Auntie Edition

He made us wait for it, but my nephew finally made his glorious debut on this planet last week. Kudos to my sister-in-law ushering this perfect little creature into our lives. It’s amazing how much he has changed all of us already and he isn’t even a week old. So far being an auntie is pretty easy – I show up, hold the baby for a while, and then get to bail if he gets fussy. Honestly, this is kind of a perfect arrangement. And it’s amazing how biology works – obviously this isn’t my kid, but when I look down at him in my arms, I’m pretty sure that I would take a bullet for him. Hopefully that theory is never tested, but who knows – it’s too early to determine how good he’s going to be at life choices.

Meanwhile, the pop culture world keeps spinning, so while I ooh and ahh over this baby get yourself caught up on everything that you might have missed in the last week with this installment of the roundup.

Television

• The WGA strike is looking likely – see how it will affect your favorite television shows.
• Fox orders another season of the X-Files revival.
• Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon to star in Fahrenheit 451 for HBO.
• Never a good sign – NBC has pulled Powerless from its line-up.
• Amazon has ordered a second season of Patriot.
• Crackle has renewed Snatch and SuperMansion.
• A Rick and Morty fan paid $14,700 for McDonald’s Szechuan sauce.
• TBS renewed The Detour for a third season.
• AMC is bringing back Into The Badlands for a third season.
• Netflix is rebooting the cult Japanese TV show Monkey and people have some concerns.
• Hulu has ordered a Locke and Key pilot.
• Here’s who will appear in Marvel’s New Warriors sitcom.
• A drama series based on the life of Snoop Dogg is in development.
• Riverdale will be recasting the role of Reggie (currently played by Ross Butler).
• Mark Consuelos will play Veronica’s dad on Riverdale.
• Netflix’s pot dispensary comedy Disjointed premieres in August. Kathy Bates stars.
• Rosario Dawson won’t appear in The Punisher.
• Michael Mann may make a miniseries about the Vietnam War.
• Supergirl has cast General Zod.
• Olivia De Havilland has no time to comment on Ryan Murphy’s Feud.
• National Geographic Channel has picked up Jay Z’s docuseries on race.
• Jack White’s docuseries American Epic hits PBS in May.
• Younger gets a fifth season at TV Land.
• National Geographic has renewed the anthology series Genius.
• Lifetime has picked up a stalker drama series from Greg Berlanti.
• Jason Alexander’s “modern-day Partridge Family” series has been picked up.
• Despite their off-screen split, Tarek and Christina El Moussa will be back for another season of Flip or Flop.
• Sir Mix-a-Lot is getting a house-flipping show on the DIY Network.
• Here’s what’s coming to Hulu in May. Here’s what’s leaving Netflix. And leaving HBO.

Movies

• Get ready parents – we now know when Frozen 2 will arrive.
• Deadpool 2 will hit theaters June 1, 2018.
• Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen will play Timon and Pumbaa in The Lion King.
• Michael K. Williams joins Chris Evans in the true-life drama Red Sea Diving Resort.
• Michael K. Williams will also play Miles Davis.
• The release date for Indiana Jones 5 has been delayed a year.
• Dwayne Johnson will reportedly return for Fast and Furious 9.
• Meanwhile, a Fast and Furious spin-off with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham is rumored to be in the works.
• Madonna is getting the biopic treatment. So is Vince McMahon.
• Callum Turner in talks to play Newt’s brother in the new Fantastic Beasts movie.
• Jeff Goldblum will appear in Jurassic World 2.
• Margot Robbie will play Elizabeth I.
• Morgan Spurlock’s next documentary subject will be brains.
• Clint Eastwood’s next film will depict the 2015 Paris train terrorist attack.
• Martin Scorsese may make a film with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro and someone needs to make this happen.
• Awkwafina is the latest cast member of the adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians.
• The Netflix movie Outlaw King may reunite Chris Pine and Ben Foster.
• Ken Jeong, David Koechner, Tituss Burgess, and Peyton List join the drama Departures.
• Will Smith is in talks to play Genie in Aladdin.
• Take this with a grain of salt – news about the Avatar sequels.
• Taissa Farmiga will star in the Conjuring spin-off The Nun.
• Chris Rock and Adam Sandler to star in a Netflix movie from Robert Smigel.
• Guillermo del Toro’s next film will arrive in December.
• Danny Pudi’s comedy Tiger Hunter will be released in the fall.
• Luke Hemsworth will star in the sci-fi drama Encounter.
• Ang Lee may direct Gemini Man.
• Vince Vaughn is producing a documentary about relations about police and race relations. I’m sure that will end well.
• Twitter may have convinced Rihanna and Lupita Nyong’o to be in a film together.

Trailers

• The Keepers:

 

• Cloak and Dagger:

 

• Kingsman: The Golden Circle:

 

 

• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, season 3:

 

• Hidden America, season 2:

 

• The Beguiled:

 

• Once Upon A Time:

 

• The Exception:

 

• Churchill:

 

• Pirates of the Caribbean 5:

 

• Wrestling with Chyna:

 

• Blood Drive:

 

• Batman and Bill:

 

Music

• Here’s the full track list for the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
• Another new song from Frank Ocean.
• Bruce Springsteen unveiled a new protest song.
• Elton John cancels performances after being hospitalized with a “potentially deadly” infection.
• Bill Murray is making classical music and going out on tour.
• Lana Del Rey and the Weeknd collaborated on a new single.
• Harry Styles is doing a week long residency on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
• Paramore has released a new single.
• Roger Waters reveals first album in 24 years.
• Kenny G gave a surprise performance on a flight.
• Listen to John Melencamp’s new album here.
• Elvis Costello will perform at the Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after-party.
• Jawbreakers will reunite. So will Bananarama.
• Tori Amos has a new album coming out.
• Dinosaur Jr. and Built To Spill will play classic albums live at Riot Fest this year.
• Sony and Dr. Luke have reportedly parted ways.
• Billy Joel has sold out Madison Square Garden 40 times since 2104.

Stand-up

• Michelle Wolf had landed a HBO stand-up special.
• Netflix announced premiere dates for stand-up specials from Maria Bamford, Norm Macdonald, and Sarah Silverman.

Theater

• Chris Evans is headed to Broadway (and I assure you, I will follow).
• Baayork Lee will receive the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award.
• The Tonys will bring back the Best Sound Design categories.
• Jordan Fisher reveals the Hamilton cast tradition for each King George.

Books

• Gabrielle Union’s memoir has a title.
• Judd Apatow is writing another book about comedians.
• Marc Maron’s new book is coming out in October.
• Lena Dunham is taking her Lenny Letter newsletter out on tour.
• Things we learned from Kelly Osbourne’s new memoir.

Odds and Ends

• The 2017 Peabody Award winners were announced.
• Julia Roberts was named “Most Beautiful Woman” for a fifth time by People, which seems like overkill.
• Richard Simmons allegedly issued a statement about his recent hospitalization.
• The residents of Woodstock, Alabama are conflicted over the podcast S-Town.
• Norman Lear is launching a podcast.
• Larry David’s daughter Cazzie has a new webseries.
• The kids who crashed their dad’s BBC interview have gotten their own YouTube series.
• Rob Lowe is the new Colonel Sanders.
• John Waters is hosting his own summer camp for weirdos.
• An ant has been named after Radiohead.
• Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush are part of a group that has purchased the Miami Marlins.
• Beyoncé has launched a scholarship program.
• Sharon Purser (Stranger Things’ Barb) came out as bisexual.
• I really want this story about Tom Hardy chasing down a moped thief to be true.
• Heath Ledger’s sister dispels the rumors that the role of the Joker contributed to his overdose.
• Former Bachelor Chris Soules arrested for leaving the scene of a fatal car accident.
• Serena Williams and fiancée Alexis Ohanian are expecting their first child.
• Jesse Williams and wife Aryn Drake-Lee are set to divorce after five years of marriage.
• Amber Heard and Elon Musk are apparently a thing now.
• Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne are engaged.
• Author Robert M. Pirsig has died. He was 88.
• Musician Cuba Gooding Sr. died. He was 72.
• Actress Erin Moran has passed away at 56.

Mashups and Supercuts

• A mashup of Star Wars and The Room:

Oh hi Mark! pic.twitter.com/6K83Dhb24N

— PistolShrimps (@PistolShrimps) April 22, 2017

 

• James Corden and Kevin James do some karaoke:

 

• Ludacris rapped Llama Llama Red Pajama:

 

• The Real Grouches of Sesame Street:

 

• Silence of the Lambs as a rom-com: