Pop Culture Odds and Ends – A.B.B. (After Breaking Bad) edition

I’m still adjusting to life in a world where Breaking Bad is over. I find that I’m having trouble getting into my Fall TV shows – I’ve already dropped Once Upon a Time, Boardwalk Empire and Modern Family from sheer lack of interest and I’m pretty meh on the new pilots (more on that later this week). Episodes of Sons of Anarchy are beginning to pile up as well and I haven’t bothered to watch the premieres of Revenge or Homeland yet, so their days with a season pass may be numbered. The good news is that this general apathy means that I have a lot more time to surf the web in search of pop culture goodness to share. So really, my loss is your gain. Kick back and enjoy the fruits of my labor in this week’s edition of my pop culture round up

• Happy 63^rd birthday to the Peanuts gang!

• CNN looks at where the cast of Harry Potter is now.

• Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman (aka Ron Swanson) has written a memoir.

• R.I.P. Tom Clancy

• Jimmy Fallon is going out on tour – sadly nowhere remotely near me.

• Boardwalk Empire is getting a fifth season. I bailed on it this year. Too boring.

• Also back for season 5 – Bob’s Burgers! Hooray!

• The cover for the upcoming Ron Burgundy memoir has been released.

• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown has been renewed by CNN.

• We are getting not one, but TWO, Mister Rogers films on the way.

• American Horror Story has Jessica Lange locked down for one more season after this one. At this point I can’t imagine the show without her.

• Peter Dinklage made a stop by Sesame Street:

 

• Usher and Dinklage’s GoT co-star Lena Headey also recently made appearances.

• Mumford & Sons are planning a lengthy break.

• Guess I don’t need to catch up – BBC has cancelled Copper.

• I am not super impressed with Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience, Volume 2. It just sounds like a lot of songs that were (rightfully) scrapped from the first album.

• Ken Jeong will star and produce in a medical comedy for NBC. Please tell me this means less Chang on Community.

• Jennifer Lawrence will have a cameo in the new Dumb and Dumber movie.

• J Law will also appear in the new film adaptation of East of Eden. Busy lady!

• Who doesn’t love a Halloween themed programing? TV Tango has rounded up 360 of them airing this month. That seems a little excessive.

 

• Justified is adding three new cast members. I’m pretty excited for Michael Rapaport.

• Miley Cyrus’ new album Bangerz is streaming over at iTunes.

• Mia Farrow says that her son Ronan’s father may be Frank Sinatra, not Woody Allen.

• Sarah Michelle Gellar is now on Twitter.

• Alamo Drafthouse has scrapped their plans for a Manhattan location. Disappointing.

• Friend of the blog Jon Hamm is preparing for throat surgery. Get well soon!

• Rapper Phonte has made some pretty pitch perfect comparisons between rappers and TV shows.

• Kanye and Jimmy Kimmel are in a Twitter feud.

• The opening credits for American Horror Story: Coven has been released and they are unsurprisingly terrifying.

 

• I failed you people…the all Plinko edition of Price is Right aired and I forgot to mention it (and I forgot to DVR it). Fear not – you can watch the whole episode online. The people at The Atlantic have come up with the strategy for how to beat the game.

• Game shows are becoming sticklers for pronunciation – contestants on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune were both penalized recently.

• A blooper reel from This is The End.

• Robert DeNiro will replace James Gandolfini in an HBO miniseries.

• CBS has renewed Unforgettable.

• All good things must come to an end; Adam Scott will only do two more The Greatest Event in Television History specials. The next one will air November 4^th.

• Conan O’Brien’s Linked In page is hilarious.

• A new film starring Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Alexander Skarsgard and…..Taylor Swift? Be afraid, Skarsgard. Be very afraid.

• Well, this sounds dreadful – Modern Family may spin off Rob Riggle’s character.

• Jay Z was interviewed by Vanity Fair.

• It’s been far too long since we’ve had a new Britney Spears video. The wait is over:

 

• John Noble will have a recurring role on Sleepy Hollow.

• This week in pop culture real estate: the house from Steel Magnolias and Eminem’s childhood home.

•  An adaptation of the novel Sisterland is coming to TV.

• Construction has resumed on the monstrosity of a home that was featured in the documentary Queen of Versailles. Excellent film if you haven’t seen it.

• Vulture compares and contrasts the U.S. and Turkish versions of The O.C.

• I was a big fan of ALF back in the day. Watch him sing “Berzerk” by Eminem:

 

• ABC orders a fairytale musical comedy pilot from the creator of The Neighbors, because why have one genre when you can have them all.

• Kevin James is headed back to TV.

• I’m kind of sick of all the Wizard of Oz reboots under consideration, but this book series sounds interesting,

• The Avett Brothers played some Metal on Fallon:

 

• Death is coming to Springfield – a major character on The Simpsons will die. Who will it be?

• NBC wants an adaptation of the D.C. comic Constantine.

• Danielle Fishel (Topanga on Boy Meets World) is releasing a memoir as well.

• These Batman and Superman leg lamps are kind of cool:

 

• ABC is eyeing an origin series for Batman’s Commissioner Gordon. It’s official – now everyone is doing superhero TV shows.

Breaking Bad in over *sob* but that doesn’t mean I still don’t have some links

• Bryan Cranston and Dean Norris both appeared on the pilot for Pamela Anderson’s V.I.P. Mind blown.

• Someone listed the White family home for sale on Craigslist.

• Sadly, I did not win tickets to the Breaking Bad finale viewing party. These photos from the event make it look like I missed a hell of a time.

• This one is for my friend Brigette:

• Aaron Paul lends his vocal talents – and his catchphrase – to the single “Dance Bitch”

 

• Someone over on Tumblr created a GIF wall of the character’s first and last appearances on Breaking Bad.

• I would totally read this book:

• My pals over at Grantland put together an In Memoriam video for BB’s fallen:

 

• The Joy of Tech imagined if George R.R. Martin wrote Breaking Bad.

• A compilation of all the horrible things that befell Jesse Pinkman.

• Funny or Die gave Huell his own fictional spin-off.

• This is the song that played over the final credits. Perfection.

• See how you do on the Breaking Bad superfan quiz (I got 43/50).

• You can watch Walter White’s physical evolution in one mega-long GIF.

• A Breaking Bad tribute set to Green Day’s “Good Riddance”

 

• Don’t worry about Cranston – he already has some work lined up on How I Met Your Mother.

• The owners of Dollywood have purchased the Harlem Globetrotters. The possibilities for this combination are endless.

• Glee’s Naya Rivera was a proud sister when her brother scored his first touchdown in the NFL:

• IFC has ordered a TV show from comic duo Garfunkel and Oates. Looking forward to it!

• Adele is rumored to be attached to a Dusty Springfield biopic.

• I would totally have this LEGO kitchen island in my home. It’s so colorful!

• The cast of The Big Bang Theory are looking for a bigger payday.

• The developments in the latest Bridget Jones book may upset fans.

• A bunch of Muppets were inducted into the Smithsonian.

• Two guys dressed as Oompa Loompas were involved in a street fight in Britain.

• You can read an edited excerpt from Dave Eggers’ upcoming new novel, The Circle.

• Martin Freeman will appear on FX’s adaptation of Fargo.

• Watching Conan play Grand Theft Auto V had me literally laughing out loud.

 

• Patton Oswalt will guest star on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

• Alanis Morissette is being sued by her former nanny.

• A&E has cancelled Hoarders.

• Six songs are ready for the Dr. Horrible sequel.

• The Atlanta Braves did a “Blurred Lines” parody:

I enjoyed it, but I’m still not rooting for you in the playoffs. #TeamDodgers

• For those of you who don’t normally watch baseball but want to get into the playoffs, GQ compares playoff teams to pop culture to help. Ha – the Red Sox are the Lannisters!

• I may have to buy this Friday Night Lights fanzine just for the Tim Riggins paper doll.

• Homeland – the musical!

• See the original pitch documents for Lost, which sounds like a very different show.

• Kelly Clarkson lost her fight for the Jane Austen ring that she won at an auction.

• Kevin Smith has announced his next project; sadly it isn’t Clerks III (yet).

• ABC has renewed Mistresses.

• Nicole Kidman’s Grace of Monaco has been delayed until Spring 2014.

• Watch The Hound from Game of Thrones sing the Rolling Stones. Wait – what??

 

• Lifetime has cancelled Army Wives.

• It has been revealed when the new Captain America film takes place in the chronology of the Avengers’ universe.

• Vulture ranks all of the ESPN 30 for 30 documentaries. I am a fan of the series, though my personal rankings look very different (I was a much bigger fan of The Band That Wouldn’t Die).

• The new Sleigh Bells album is streaming over at Rolling Stone.

• Roger Rabbit is returning in a new e-book.

• The band GWAR covered Billy Ocean. For reals.

• NBC has cancelled Camp.

• Characters from Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy and American Dad got Simpsonized:

 

• The good people on Reddit debated the marital success rates for Disney Princesses.

• The sister of Chris McCandless, the guy from Into the Wild, is releasing her own memoir.

• 50 things learned from a set visit to Thor: The Dark World.

• Kurt Russell has joined Fast & Furious 7.

• Harry Weinstein wants Scream 5 to be the last of the franchise. He should have spoken up sooner.

Stop! Trailer Time!

• HBO’s new comedy, Getting On:

 

• A new trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug:

 

• The latest from Chris Lilley, Ja’mie King: Private School Girl (I can’t wait!!):

 

• Aziz Ansari has a special coming out soon on Netflix:

 

• A Case of You with Justin Long, Sam Rockwell and Peter Dinklage:

 

• Disney is planning a live action Cruella de Vil film.

• Justin Bieber’s bodyguards carried him up the Great Wall of China.

• A dubstep version of the Pokémon theme song? Sure – why not.

• NBC has ordered its first pilot for 2014.

• This year’s crop of The Voice contestants have a real Hollywood pedigree: Kaley Cuoco’s sister and the woman who played Dottie in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (or voiced Tommy Pickles on Rugrats for my younger readers) both auditioned.

• This guy at a Willie Nelson concert apparent subscribes to “dance like no one is watching”

 

• The Huffington Post looks at all the times Jennifer Aniston has been rumored to be pregnant.

• Libby from Lost will appear on Young and the Restless.

• Horrible Bosses 2 is slated for a Thanksgiving 2014 release.

• FX has renewed The Bridge.

• Christoph Waltz is in talks to play the villain in Tarzan.

• The excellent BBC show Broadchurch is getting a U.S. remake. I’m skeptical.

• Nathan Lane has joined David Milch’s HBO pilot.

• Guillermo del Toro made the couch gag for this year’s The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror.

• Adam Sandler apparently turned up at Andy Samberg’s wedding in character from their movie That’s My Boy.

• Kim Kardashian will voice an alien on American Dad.

• Barneys and Jay Z have partnered for “A New York Holiday” campaign.

As always, we wrap up with the mashups and supercuts

• A mashup of MacGyver and Archer:

 

• A mashup of Breaking Bad and Need for Speed:

 

• Who can resist a Sesame Street mashup? Certainly not me.

 

• “Get Lucky Wit It”

 

• And finally – the cast of Breaking Bad sings the N’Sync classic, “Bye, Bye, Bye”

Song(s) for the Dumped*

Almost everyone has fallen in love. And just about everyone, at one point or another, has been dumped. It’s the circle of life in dating – sometimes you are the dumper and sometimes you are the dumpee, but you pick yourself up and move on to the next person until you find your soul mate (or you hit 30 and just marry the first person who asks that you can stand. Just kidding – sort of). Unless you met your partner when you were thirteen and were never “on a break,” everyone has experienced the heartache associated with a breakup. It’s one of life’s little rites of passage. Breakups aren’t fun, but it is something that everyone can relate to.

Everyone has their own method of dealing with the end of a relationship; the more ambitious among us channel their heartbreak by hitting the gym (I am not one of those people). Some people like to watch sad movies; others drown their sorrows in a bottle of whiskey or a carton of ice cream (or maybe both). For my money, there is nothing better than listening to some great break up songs. While love songs get all the attention and praise, songs that focus on the termination of a love affair can be extremely therapeutic. There’s nothing like cranking up some tunes and singing along at the top of your lungs with someone who can identify with what you’re going through. Some people find solace in sappy songs about love lost and the pain that they are going through, but I generally tend to favor songs that strike a more defiant, f*&k you tone. That is somewhat surprising as that doesn’t really fit my personality, but I guess when I am done I am DONE. Plus those songs tend to have a better beat.

So when a relationship comes to its conclusion, regardless of who ended it, I’m likely to blare one or more of the songs below to make myself feel better. The irony is that though I should associate these songs with bad memories, these are songs that I generally like. I’ll listen to them even if I’m not trying to get over something. A good song is a good song, no matter what the context. Maybe that is part of the process. Whatever the reason, these songs seem to do the trick.

Heather’s Breakup Song Hall of Fame:
“What it Takes” – Aerosmith

This is my original go to breakup song to listen to; if you heard this coming out of my room in college, it wasn’t a good thing (and I played it a lot).

Tell me what it takes to let you go.
Tell me how the pain’s supposed to go.
Tell me how it is that you can sleep in the night without thinking you lost
Everything that was good in your life to the toss of the dice?

“Since U Been Gone” – Kelly Clarkson

Grammatical issues in the title aside, this is a great anthem. When this is the first song you identify with in a relationship, it’s time to call it quits (sadly, that is a true story – be smarter than me).

But since you’ve been gone
I can breathe for the first time
I’m so moving on, oh, yeah, yeah
Thanks to you now I get, I get what I want

Honorable mention: “Stronger”

 
“Song for the Dumped” – Ben Folds Five

The song that gives this post its name may in fact be the greatest breakup song of all time.

Give me my money back
Give me my money back
You bitch
I want my money back
And don’t forget to give me back my black T-Shirt

“I’ve Done Everything for You” – Rick Springfield

Everyone knows Springfield’s hit “Jessie’s Girl,” which is a great song, but I think this song is just as catchy. It’s a little bitter, but it is danceable.

This one way love affair ain’t fair, it ain’t no fair to me
It’s all give and take and you just take
I can’t take it you see
Well, I’m givin’ up on love this time
Me and my friends, we’ll do just fine

“Somebody That I Used to Know” – Gotye

It is one thing to end a relationship that wasn’t working, it is quite another when one of the people pretends that the relationship never meant anything. This song perfectly captures those emotions. It’s such a pretty song that you don’t even realize how sad it is.

But you didn’t have to cut me off
Make it like it never happened and that we were nothing
 I don’t even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger
And that feels so rough

“What Goes Around Comes Around” – Justin Timberlake

The obvious choice here would have been “Cry Me a River,” but while I like that song I actually prefer this one. For whatever reason, the lyrics to this song speak to me more.

You know I gave you the world
You had me in the palm of your hand
So why your love went away
I just can’t seem to understand
Thought it was me and you, baby
Me and you until the end
But I guess I was wrong

“The Sign” – Ace of Base
You know, I never really paid attention to the lyrics of this song so I didn’t even realize it was a breakup song at first (even as I was singing along with it). Poppy and upbeat.

 

I got a new life
You would hardly recognize me I’m so glad
How could a person like me care for you?
(Why?)Why do I bother
When you’re not the one for me

“Don’t Speak” – No Doubt

Inspired by the real life breakup of band mates Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal, which must have been awkward for them to perform together (also see pretty much the whole Rumors album by Fleetwood Mac).

You and me
We used to be together
Everyday together always
I really feel
That I’m losing my best friend
I can’t believe
This could be the end
“You’ll Think of Me” – Keith Urban

I’m not really a country fan – though I find myself listening to it more lately – but this song is just really pretty.

 

And take your cap and leave my sweater
‘Cause we have nothing left to weather
In fact I’ll feel a whole lot better
But you’ll think of me, you’ll think of me

“I Will Survive” – Cake
This is kind of the ultimate moving on song, but most people like the Gloria Gaynor classic. I actually prefer this version by Cake. I always have to be different. Plus their version has cursing.

Oh now go, walk out the door
Just turn around now, you’re not welcome anymore.
Weren’t you the one who tried to break me with desire?
Did you think I’d crumble? Did you think I’d lay down and die?

“So What” – Pink

This is a great song for when you are in full on spite mode. Pink does not strike me as a pint of ice cream girl. Plus she’s right – I AM a rock star.

So what I’m still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And I don’t need you
And guess what
I’m havin more fun
And now that were done
I’m gonna show you tonight

“You Oughta Know” – Alanis Morissette

I don’t think any list of break up songs could really be complete with this song that I remember terrifying my male class mates in college. “She’s so mad” they would say. Exactly, dummies

And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me you’d hold me
Until you died, til you died
But you’re still alive

“Wide Awake” – Katy Perry

Katy Perry songs tend to be more upbeat as a rule, but this song written after her divorce is good medicine for the broken heart.

I’m wide awake
Yeah, I was in the dark
I was falling hard
With an open heart
I’m wide awake
How did I read the stars so wrong?

“Goodbye to You” – Scandal

Yet another catchy song about being over a relationship that just isn’t working. Sometimes you just get tired of trying.

These last few weeks of holding on
The days are dull, the nights are long
Guess it’s better to say
Goodbye to you

Take your pick of Taylor Swift songs

Taylor Swift seems to have two speeds – falling in love and breaking up. She has mined her love life for material, making veiled references to past boyfriends (and not so veiled references in her liner notes). She’s good to listen to during a breakup because your love life is probably not the disaster that hers is.

I’m really gonna miss you picking fights
And me, falling for it screaming that I’m right
And you, would hide away and find your piece of mind
With some indie record that’s much cooler than mine

“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” – Bob Dylan

I love Bob Dylan and think he is an amazing songwriter. So it’s no surprise that he can write a great song about a breakup.

I ain’t saying you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don’t mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don’t think twice, it’s all right.

Honorable mention: “It Ain’t Me Babe”

“The Dance” – Garth Brooks

This song is probably the healthiest on the list and the one that best surmises how I eventually feel after the end of a relationship – the pain of heartbreak is sometimes the price you pay for wonderful memories and experiences. What you choose to dwell on is up to you, but I eventually focus more on “the dance.”

And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I’d of had to miss the dance

Now it’s your turn – what are your favorite breakup songs? What do you listen to in order to get through the end of the relationship? Sound off in the comments below.

*Disclaimer – I am not currently going through a breakup. I’ve had this idea for a post for a while and finally got around to doing it. I’m actually really happy at the moment.