Tis the season of giving and I could think of nothing better to give my dear readers than an extra jam packed stocking of pop culture links. There is a lot in here, which will hopefully keep you entertained as the blog takes a mini-holiday hiatus for a couple of days. If all goes according to plan, I should be back Friday with a Wolf of Wall Street review.
And now, my gift to you: more pop culture knowledge than you can shake a stick at:
- Beyoncé apparently got bored and decided to suddenly drop an album on iTunes. Target and Amazon have refused to carry it, because why not cut off your nose to spite your face.
- ABC is adapting Stephen King’s short story The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates.
- Jason Segal will play David Foster Wallace in the upcoming film The End of the Tour.
- How I Met Your Mother will finally wrap up the series with an hour-long episode on Monday March 31st.
- Taking a cue from The Avengers, Spider-Man will have spinoff movies for Venom and The Sinister Six.
- R. Kelly did a Q&A on Twitter; it did not go well.
- Judd Apatow is doing a movie with Key and Peele.
- You can now watch Metallica’s entire concert in Antarctica:
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt wants to help bring Neil Gaiman’s Sandman to the big screen.
- Need a last minute gift idea for a Game of Thrones fan? How about a 4D puzzle map of Westeros?
- Gilligan’s Island is going to be a movie.
- Rob Corddry and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to star in an HBO pilot. That’s an odd pairing.
- The book Top of the Morning, which chronicled the drama over Ann Curry’s stint hosting The Today Show, is going to be a Lifetime original movie. You KNOW I’ll be watching!
- Lifetime has also announced dates for their Flowers in the Attic and Lizzie Borden movies.
- Anna Paquin’s Rogue has been cut from X-Men: Days of Future Past.
- The Hallmark Channel has revealed the lineup for their Kitten Bowl.
- Matthew Perry will write and star in an Odd Couple reboot for CBS.
- Usher and Shakira will once again replace Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo Green for the next season of The Voice.
- GQ has an interview with Bradley Cooper.
- And so it begins……CNN has allegedly approached Jay Leno about doing show for them. Watch your back, Fallon!
- J.K. Rowling is co-producing a play about Harry Potter’s early years.
- I will definitely be watching the new webseries Louis CK’s Comedy Academy.
- I did very well on this “Guess the 30 Rock Quote” game.
- Sir Paul McCartney almost caught a free t-shirt at a Brooklyn Nets game.
- R.I.P. Peter O’Toole and author Ned Vizzini.
- Aaron Paul continues to be great. This time he helped a fan propose. I want to be his friend.
- Kate Winslet has picked a name for her newborn son and yes, it’s unusual (though kudos for NOT giving the kid his father’s last name of Rocknroll).
- Bruce Willis is going to be a father again.
- TruTV has ordered a magic reality series.
- Author Stieg Larsson is long dead, but a 4th The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo book is going to be released with a new author.
- The Simpsons had another tribute to the departed Marcia Wallace in their holiday episode.
- NBC is doing a 12 hour miniseries on Jesus, a sequel to The Bible.
- Kurt Sutter, the twisted mind behind Sons of Anarchy, is working on a period drama pilot for FX. From motorcycle gangs to 14th Century England – that’s a natural progression.
- STOP THE PRESSES – a Tom Hiddleston/Benedict Cumberbatch dance-off:
I think the Internet just exploded.
- Britney Spears’ newest album is her worst-selling ever.
- I have long maintained that Shia LaBeouf is a doofus, but his recent plagiarism of a comic book and then plagiarism in his apology for said plagiarism kind of proves my opinion right.
- You can thank Joel McHale and Jim Rash for Dan Harmon’s return to Community.
- This is hilarious – the BBC did a man on the street interview and you’ll never believe who they stopped.
- Michae Pena has joined the U.S. reboot of Broadchurch. Nick Nolte will appear as well.
- Demi Lovato is leaving X Factor.
- Jennifer Lawrence paid a surprise visit to a children’s hospital in Kentucky.
- The Walking Dead’s former showrunner is suing AMC for a ton of cash.
- I have no idea what this means for her character, but a Game of Thrones actress has been cast in the Terminator reboot.
- Pulp Fiction and Mary Poppins are among the films recently added to the National Film Registry.
- Daenerys Targaryen now has a sea slug named after her. Score?
- Shakespeare in Love is getting a sequel.
- Paul Feig appears to be the only man in Hollywood who thinks women are funny.
- Rashida Jones is producing a show about a nail salon for HBO.
- I do love me some touchdown celebrations, so I appreciate the Wall Street Journal analyzing all 1,150 in the 2013 season:
They also created this fancy chart.
- When Seth Meyers takes over Late Night from Fallon, his first guest will be Amy Poehler (great choice!).
- Showtime is releasing an improv special starring the House of Lies cast.
- Kelly Clarkson is headed to Nashville – the ABC drama, not the city.
- Hugh Jackman may play Blackbeard in the upcoming Peter Pan movie.
- Miller Lite is bringing back their retro cans in honor of Ron Burgundy.
- Entertainment Weekly rates the plethora of cameos in Anchorman 2.
- Some infographics for the first Anchorman movie.
- David Koechner will star in a sketch comedy pilot for NBC.
- My friend Mike was very upset with me over my Anchorman 2 review.
- Watch Ron Burgundy perform “Ride Like the Wind” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- On a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Steve Carell admitted that he’s a little tired of “that’s what she said” jokes.
- Paul Rudd told Letterman about the time he tried to break up a drag queen fight while in his Anchorman 2 costume:
THAT should have been added to the movie!
- Will Ferrell and Adam McKay tried to get President Obama to cameo in Anchorman 2.
- Obama was also offered a cameo in House of Cards. Popular guy.
- A new reality show on E! will focus on fixing botched plastic surgeries.
- There is a Lost fan event planned for 2014, the 10 year (!) anniversary of the show’s debut.
- Rounders 2 might be a thing now.
- Good Will Hunting may become a TV show.
- Business Insider looks at the most popular TV show set in each state.
- The short list for potential foreign language film nominees for the Oscars has been released.
- 75 original songs are in contention for an Oscar nomination.
- The From Dusk Till Dawn TV series added some additional cast members.
- The 2014 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced.
- Disney may make a Jesse Owens biopic.
- The Sing-Off is going out on tour.
- A former cast member of The Wire has joined the new 24 series.
- A guy named Walter White was sentenced to 12 years in prison for – you guessed it – dealing meth.
- This is promising – a bunch of writers from Breaking Bad have been hired for the Better Call Saul spinoff.
- Netflix has already nabbed the streaming rights to the show.
- Put Conan, Ice Cube and Kevin Hart together and watch the magic happen:
- Conan also visited The American Doll store.
I think Conan has just earned his way to a season pass on my DVR. He’s killing it lately.
- I co-sign this article on UPROXX: “Can Someone Please Nominate Walton Goggins For Something?”
- The team behind Little Miss Sunshine may adapt the latest novel from the author of Silver Linings Playbook.
- Who knew? David Beckham is a Friends fan (though the crying during it is a little problematic).
- Some possible Easter Eggs hidden in Frozen.
- The Office is being adapted for Czech TV.
- The Jim Gaffigan comedy pilot has cast one of Ted’s former girlfriends from How I Met Your Mother. Comic Michael Ian Black will also appear.
- Joaquin Phoenix may play the villain in Batman vs. Superman.
- Was James Bond an alcoholic? Research indicates yes.
- Watch a Jeopardy! contestant do his best Bane impression:
- A Naked Gun reboot is in the works starring Ed Helms.
- I enjoyed this Cougar Town ad created from thousands of corks. The Cul-de-sac crew loves its vino!
- This is probably a good idea: Argo writer to revise the Batman vs. Superman script.
- Lord Infamous, founding member of Three 6 Mafia, has passed away.
- Paul Rudd is officially Ant-Man. I’m officially excited.
- Just in time for the holidays, Crazy Charlie Sheen has resurfaced. He isn’t happy with ex-wife Denise Richards or Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson.
- I always got the impression that these two didn’t like each other much, but Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt may reunite in Go Like Hell.
- Cracker Barrel pulled, then restocked, their Duck Dynasty merchandise after Phil Robertson’s controversial GQ interview.
- Cougar Town’s Josh Hopkins joined the cast of the upcoming James Brown biopic.
- The Sundance Channel is developing a drama about the NRA. I’m sure that will go over well.
- Jessica Lange will play Mark Wahlberg’s mother in The Gambler.
- BBC America will debut their mini-series Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond on January 29th.
- The Raid 2 will be released March 28th; if you haven’t seen the first film, definitely worth checking out.
- David Spade is doing a comedy series at HBO.
- Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen continue to be awesome.
- This is a pretty spectacular LEGO model of Rivendell.
- Zoolander 2 is “on hold.”
- John Oliver is taking the head writer for The Daily Show with him to HBO.
- Disney has announced Moana will be released in 2018.
- Justin Timberlake photobombed some people at his concert:
- George R.R. Martin will hold a free screening of every episode of Game of Thrones in his New Mexico theater. Less movie screenings, more writing.
- This sounds interesting: a Netflix like subscription plan available for e-books.
- After a lot of criticism the last few months about the show’s lack of diversity, Saturday Night Live held an audition exclusively for black female performers.
- Daft Punk and Kendrick Lamar are among those confirmed to be performing at next year’s Grammys.
- Ha! Watch Michael K. Williams (OMAR!) promote the Chalky White line of children’s books:
- Pitch Perfect’s Skylar Astin will appear on Glee.
- Helena Bonham Carter and Carey Milligan will star in the upcoming period piece Suffragette.
- Vin Diesel announced a new release date for Fast & Furious 7. Footage of Paul Walker shot before his death will remain in the film.
- Diesel is also officially confirmed for a role in Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Watch Benedict Cumberbatch do some motion capture work for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
- I’ll be on the market for a new car within a year; perhaps I should look into this LEGO car.
- A veteran Disney animator shares his concept art for a (hypothetical) Wicked movie.
- An animated version of The Diary of Anne Frank? Are we sure that this is a good idea?
For your holiday perusal – a tone of trailers:
- A new teaser for Community (January 2! Can’t wait!)
- A teaser trailer for the new season of Orphan Black:
- Anne Hathaway and Jamie Foxx in Rio 2:
- A promo for Patton Oswalt’s new standup special:
- A longer look at HBO’s Looking:
- An animated trailer for Community:
- Did the Oscars always have trailers?
- Ha! Netflix did a trailer for their streaming Yule Log:
- A trailer for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel:
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes:
- The first trailer for Draft Day with Kevin Costner has been released. This team in this film was originally going to be my Bills 😦
- A red band trailer for 22 Jump Street:
- The Other Woman starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton:
- The Expendables 3 teaser trailer:
- Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore team up for what I’m already predicting will be one of the worst movies of 2014:
- Jon Hamm + Baseball = Heather’s wheelhouse. I will see Million Dollar Arm 100 times.
- A third season trailer for Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee:
- Cartoon Netowrk has released a trailer for the return of The Powerpuff Girls.
- This guy has an impressive collection of photos with celebrities.
- Fred Armisen will return to Brooklyn Nine-Nine. An upcoming episode will also reveal Captain Holt’s husband.
- Drake will host the first Saturday Night Live of 2014. Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake brought the show its highest ratings in two years.
- Ryan Murphy confirmed what the original ending of Glee would have been.
- Prince is reportedly going to appear on an episode of New Girl. Linda Cardellini will also have a recurring role.
- The cast of The Big Bang Theory are looking for a big payday.
- I was all set to skip The Purge 2, but then they had to add some of my favorites from Friday Night Lights and The Wire to the cast. Damn you, Purge 2!
- If you feel like reading your movies, you can download over 30 screenplays for 2013 movies.
- These parents recreated famous movies scenes with their baby.
- FOX has picked up Tina Fey’s college sitcom pilot.
- Gnarls Barkley are reuniting in 2014.
- Lorde is going out on tour.
- David Mamet is developing a miniseries for FOX.
- I have never seen Kanye as happy as he is in this photo, eating ice cream:
- It does not sound like all is well in the Judd family.
- ABC is staying in the Shonda Rhimes business; they ordered another pilot from her.
- Fred Armisen will appear on House of Lies.
- Tumblrs of the week: Lionel Stitchie and Star Wars.
- Ha! SAMCRO gingerbread cookies. I may need to order some of these!
- Sons of Anarchy action figures are also on the way. I’m sure a mini-Jax will soon adorn my desk.
- Drew Barrymore revealed that she is expecting another baby girl. Kendra Wilkinson is also having a daughter.
- Pearl Jam’s manager pled guilty to stealing $300,000 from the band.
- Season 2 of Hannibal will debut February 28th.
- MasterChef Junior renewed by FOX.
- Congrats to Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union on their engagement.
- A candidate for father of the year decorated his son’s room with an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia theme will he was away at college.
- That Kevin Federline is one fertile guy – he’s going to be a father for the 6th time.
- 12/12/13 was officially “Roast King Joffrey” day on Twitter.
- Shaq and his ex-wife are battling over whether their children can appear on her reality show.
- Britney Spears has released the set list for her Vegas show.
- We may soon get a TV show about the founding of Twitter.
- Hugh Jackman will no longer star in the upcoming Houdini musical.
- Vulture lists their top ten stand-up specials of 2013.
- Marvel villain Blizzard will appear on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (a show I’m almost certainly dropping).
- Vikings second season will debut in February 2014.
- Lindsay Lohan is back in the recording studio for some unknown reason.
There has been a sudden proliferation of oral histories;
- The oral history of Kim vs the cougar on 24 (easily the show’s dumbest plot).
- The oral history of MTV’s Undressed.
- The oral history of the “Baby Got Back” video.
- The oral history of Donna losing her virginity on Beverly Hills, 90210.
- The oral history of the Cones of Dunshire board game on Parks and Recreation.
- The oral history of the Clueless party scene.
- The oral history of the Anchorman newsteam brawl.
- The oral history of Six Feet Under’s finale death montage.
- The oral history of one of Sex and the City’s most shocking episodes.
- Cybill Shepherd will appear on Trophy Wife.
- Ice Age 5 will be released in the summer of 2016.
- Kelly Rowland has gotten engaged and plans for a really small wedding.
- After two years, Katie Couric’s talk show has been cancelled.
- Eli Roth is directing a cannibal horror movie, The Green Inferno.
- The frontman of The All-American Rejects will play Gregg Allman in a biopic.
- Mobb Deep are releasing a new album and going out on tour.
- Weird Al Yankovic just won a major lawsuit against his record label.
A few quick Mashups and Supercuts
- Check out this illustrated mashup of memorable pop culture events in 2013:
- I try to keep you guys up to date, but if you want a real crash course, here’s a three minute video on 2013 pop culture:
- Watch Jeff Winger and Dean Pelton’s relationship on Community reimagined as a psychological thriller:
And finally, we end with a bunch of holiday stuff:
- A holiday themed Billy on the Street featuring Amy Poehler:
- For those of you who feel a little grinchy, an “I hate Christmas” supercut:
- This never gets old – the Happy Endings Hip Hop Santa dance-off:
- The “War on Christmas” as a Ken Burns documentary.
- A Peanuts flashmob? Outstanding!
- Conan presents the shocking director’s cut of A Miracle on 34th Street.
- Entertainment Weekly ranks the Chrismukkah episodes of The O.C.
- Umm…Italy? I think you are choosing to emphasize the wrong thing in your movie posters for 12 Years a Slave.
- Macklemore has the greatest gingerbread house that I’ve ever seen.
- Cougar Town returns January 7th and the gang did a bunch of promos inspired by A Christmas Story.
- Watch Elf re-enacted with pugs:
- Sorry peeps – Elf 2 ain’t happening.
- Whoa – check out this gingerbread Optimus Prime:
- A Reddit user was surprised to discover that Bill Gates was her secret santa.
- A song made only from Christmas tree ornaments:
- Some guy named Paul inserted himself into Home Alone:
- In honor of Festivus, a supercut of Seinfeld characters airing their grievances:
I’ve got a lot of problems with you people.
- 10 facts that you might not know about A Christmas Story (unless you visited the A Christmas Story house in Cleveland, like me)
- “Defying Gravity” as sung by Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer:
- And finally…..Conan reveals a terrifying twist for Elf on the Shelf:
Wishing you all a very happy holidays – however you choose to celebrate, I hope you are smiling.