Thanks to Mother Nature, I have something of a snow day today. I did go into the office this morning for a few hours, since it was hard to justify staying home when no snow had fallen, but once the flakes started flying, I took advantage of liberal leave to get home before the roads got really bad. I’m still working today, but at least I’m doing so from the comfort and safety of my couch. The main downside is that my cat intern is not being a cooperative co-worker.
So while I curse the wonders of modern technology that mean I’m never not working, get caught up on the pop culture that you might missed with this week’s roundup.
Television
- HBO orders J.J. Abrams’ fantasy/sci fi drama to series.
- American Gods has found its new showrunner for season 2.
- Ryan Murphy’s Netflix show may land Ben Platt, Barbara Streisand, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger to star in a “Western event series” for Amazon.
- Sherlock won’t be back for a while.
- The current season of Once Upon A Time will be its last.
- NBC has picked up Julian Fellowes’ new series, The Gilded Age.
- Jenny Slate will voice Miss Nanny in the Muppet Babies reboot, which is inspired casting.
- Katherine Heigl is joining the cast of Suits.
- Lake Bell will star in a new comedy from New Girl creator Liz Meriwether.
- HBO’s controversial Confederacy series looks unlikely to move forward.
- Fox has ordered a pilot for a Gone Baby Gone TV series (based on the movie, based on the book).
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to host a reality competition show.
- The Good Place and Parks and Recreation apparently exist in the same universe.
- An end date has been set for Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.
- The CW has ordered a Roswell reboot.
- Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik will oversee Amazon’s new Conan series.
- Brandon Michael Hall to star in the CBS drama pilot God Friended Me.
- Legion returns to FX this spring.
- Gal Godot will voice herself on The Simpsons.
- SyFy and USA networks are going to start letting the expletives fly.
- Charles Barkley to host SNL in March.
- Chris Carter has perhaps changed his mind and would do more X-Files – even without Scully.
- Mamie Gummer joins the cast of True Detective.
- Chuck Norris is suing CBS over Walker, Texas Ranger over royalties.
- Christopher Lloyd has been cast in an NBC comedy pilot.
- CBS has ordered pilots for a series based on L.A. Confidential and a drama inspired by Eric Holder.
Movies
- Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are getting their own Star Wars spin-off series.
- Leonardo DiCaprio to play Leonardo Da Vinci in an upcoming film.
- Jordan Peele is considering a sequel to Get Out.
- Michelle MacLaren will direct Chris Pratt in Cowboy Ninja Viking. She’s directed some of your favorite episodes of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones.
- The synopsis of Shazam has been revealed.
- Ian McKellen to be the subject of a documentary.
- Drew Barrymore will star in and produce the comedy The Stand-In.
- Adam Shankman to direct Taraji P. Henson in What Men Want.
- Octavia Spencer set to reunite with The Help director Tate Taylor for the thriller Ma.
- The Fantastic Beasts sequel won’t acknowledge Dumbledore being gay.
- Hilary Duff will play Sharon Tate in an upcoming horror movie.
- Before his death, Heath Ledger has planned to reprise his role as The Joker.
- Tiffany Haddish and Paul Thomas Anderson are kicking around movie ideas.
- Stephen Merchant has joined the cast of The Girl In The Spider’s Web.
- Jessica Chastain’s role in The Death and Life of John F. Donovan was cut.
- Lethal Weapon 5 is most likely DOA.
- The Harry & Meghan Lifetime movie has found its titular characters.
- Nintendo is making a new Mario movie.
- The Disney Channel is making a live-action Kim Possible movie.
- Black Panther was almost made in the 1990s with Wesley Snipes.
- Neil Young is starring in a Western directed by girlfriend Daryl Hannah.
Trailers
- Solo: A Star Wars Story:
- Avengers: Infinity War:
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom:
- The Cloverfield Paradox:
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout:
- A Quiet Place:
- Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan:
- Westworld, season 2:
- Champions:
- Castle Rock:
- Life of the Party:
- Jessica Jones, season 2:
- Skyscraper:
- Everything Sucks!:
- Death Wish:
- Disobedience:
- Josie:
- Aardvark:
- Love After Love:
- The Week Of:
- Game Night:
- Custody:
- A Deadpool 2 teaser:
- Irreplaceable You:
- November:
- Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars:
Music
- Kendrick Lamar has released the banging track list for the Black Panther soundtrack.
- Lamar and SZA released the first music video from the Black Panther soundtrack.
- Lady Gaga canceled her final 10 tour dates because of severe pain.
- Cardi B will join Bruno Mars on the last leg of his tour.
- Paul Simon has retired from touring after his current tour.
- They Might Be Giants are going out on tour.
- Smashing Pumpkins are recording a new album with most of the original lineup.
- Vulture ranked every Super Time halftime show since 1993 (excluding 2018).
- Pussy Riot will embark on their first U.S. tour.
- BTS has become the first K-Pop band to go gold.
- Willie Nelson canceled his February tour dates because of the flu.
- There was a Spice Girls reunion.
Books
- John Cena can add children’s author to his resume.
- Hocus Pocus finally gets a sequel – as a book.
- An unproduced Planet of the Apes screenplay by Rod Serling to be turned into a graphic novel.
- Trevor Noah is working on a follow-up to his 2016 memoir.
Stand-Up
- Russell Brand is getting a Netflix special.
Theater
- The Helen Hayes Theater in NYC is reopening.
Odds and Ends
- Donald Glover is the cover story for the upcoming issue of Esquire.
- Uma Thurman shared her Harvey Weinstein experience – and says Quentin Tarantino forced her to a dangerous stunt in Kill Bill. Tarantino has responded.
- Further challenging my Tarantino fandom this week – he previously defended Roman Polanski.
- Monopoly is creating a special “cheaters edition.”
- Actor Robert Wagner is now a “person of interest” in the mysterious 1981 death of his then-wife actress Natalie Wood.
- Alex Winter says he was sexually abused as a child actor.
- Charlie Sheen has been accused of murder and knowingly spreading HIV by former friend Lenny Dykstra.
- Dwayne Johnson discusses his mother’s suicide attempt when he was 15.
- Lana Del Rey’s stalker was arrested after an alleged kidnap attempt.
- The Dancing with the Stars tour bus was involved in a fatal multi-car pileup.
- A Bachelor contestant was reported missing by her mother after she forgot to tell her mom she was going on the show.
- After months of speculation, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott confirm that they welcomed a baby girl.
- Portia De Rossi gave Ellen DeGeneres a pretty spectacular birthday gift.
- Stan Lee is recovering after being rushed to the hospital.
- Christopher Cattrall, the missing brother of actress Kim Cattrall has been found dead.
- Sarah Silverman and Michael Mann have split after four years together.
- Connie Sawyer, Hollywood’s oldest working actress, has passed away. She was 105.
- Dennis Edwards, lead singer of The Temptations, has died. He was 74.
- Actor John Mahoney has passed away. He was 77.
Mashups and Supercuts
- Fifty Shades of DeVito:
- Fifty Shades of Corden:
- A cello performance of “No Woman, No Cry”:
- Jimmy Fallon channels Bob Dylan:
- SNL did a Stranger Things parody: