Pop Culture Odds and Ends – Battle of the Bastards Aftermath Edition

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m still reeling from last week’s episode of Game of Thrones. No spoilers, but that was intense; I had so many emotions running through my system and I couldn’t sit still. At one point, I moved from sitting on my perfectly comfortable couch to sitting on my living room floor, just because that put me closer to the TV. I don’t know why exactly I felt like I needed to be closer to the TV, but it had to be done. Every week I look forward to Sunday nights just so I can watch Game of Thrones and I’m so sad that another season is almost over. I swear, the fastest 10 weeks of the year are when that show is on. And then the very long break begins as we wait for the new season. That bums me out just thinking about it.

But one thing that you can count on to help you through the dark days of no Game of Thrones is the pop culture roundup. It’s been a crazy week and there’s probably a lot you missed, so this is a one stop shop to turn you into a pop culture expert. So kick back, relax and get your pop culture groove on with this week’s roundup.

• Orphan Black will end after 5 seasons.
• That finale had me worried, but Archer has been renewed for three more seasons.
• Kate Winslet signs on for Woody Allen’s next movie.
• Bryan Cranston will play Zordon in the Power Rangers reboot.
• Eli Roth will direct Bruce Willis in a remake of Death Wish.
• Roth will also team up with Jim Carrey to adapt the comic Aleister Arcane.
• Someone is opening a Golden Girls-themed restaurant in NYC. Expect a blog post on that down the line.
•  The LEGO Movie 2 has been delayed until 2019. #EverythingIsNotAwesome
• John Boyega has joined Kathryn Bigelow’s drama about Detroit riots.
• The Wicked movie adaptation won’t hit theaters until 2019.
• Sorry Hamilton fans….Leslie Odom, Jr. is also leaving the show on July 9^th.
• A woman (rightfully) dumped her boyfriend after he tried to give away her Hamilton tickets.
• WNYC explores waiting in the Hamilton cancellation line.  What I want to know is WHO IN THE HELL is cancelling on tickets to see Hamilton?!?! I saw it with a sprained ankle and regret nothing.
• Phillipa Soo had joined the Amelie musical.
• A ton of Broadway stars got together to record a single to raise money for Orlando.
• #Ham4Ham was #Ham4Orlando:

 

• Paul McCartney, Demi Lovato, The Dixie Chicks, Beyoncé, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Joel, and Christina Aguilera all paid tribute to the Orlando victims as well.
• Penny Dreadful has been cancelled after 3 seasons.
• Leonardo DiCaprio will have to testify in a Wolf of Wall Street defamation case.
• Rihanna and Coldplay will headline Jay Z’s Made in America festival.
• Quentin Tarantino gave the AFI Conservatory commencement address.
• Take a virtual trip on EPCOT’s new Frozen Ever After boat ride
• Kim Kardashian says that Kanye has Taylor Swift approving the song lyrics that she got angry about.
• Katy Perry named her new perfume Mad Love, perhaps a shot at Swift. Taylor be beefin with everyone.
• Paul Feig has an idea for a Spy sequel – and it would mean way more Jason Statham.
• Early signs of a potential train wreck – the MacGyver reboot has been rebooted.
• Anthony Kiedis saved a child’s life during Carpool Karaoke.
• Common to star in the TV adaptation of Black Samurai.
• Jimmy Fallon got The Rock to have candy for the first time since 1989:

 

• The filmmakers behind Making A Murderer have a new target: Johnson & Johnson.
• The Fast and Furious franchise finally added what it was always missing: Helen Mirren.
• Chance the Rapper announces tour dates.
• Supergirl has found its Superman. Lynda Carter has also been cast as the fictional president.
• Here are when your favorite network shows will return this fall.
• Channing Tatum is releasing his own brand of vodka.
• Anna Gunn signs on for the second season of Shades of Blue.
• Check your Ticketmaster and Amazon accounts – you might have some free credits.
• American Gods brings Orlando Jones on board.
• Josh Radnor will direct the sci-fi drama The Leaves.
• Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, and Sant-N-Pepa will be celebrated at VH1’s Hip Hop Honors.
• Henry Rollins almost played Negan on The Walking Dead.
• Steven Spielberg has promised not to kill Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones 5.
• Sicario will likely be a trilogy.
• Watch Scott Ian from Anthrax get a Game of Thrones makeover:

 

• Looking at the current line of succession on Game of Thrones.
• Everyone’s favorite GoT Wildling Kristofer Hivju (aka Tormund) just landed a role in Justice League.
• Someone illustrated the Targaryen family tree.
• The Game of Thrones cast (at least those who survive) will get a big pay bump for season 8.
• This dude is a Jon Snow doppelgänger:

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Just me with a little kitty. #kitty #aww #longhairdontcare #decentlookingguywithakitty #cutedudecuterkitty #bringbackjonsnow

A post shared by @ facialfollicles on Jun 28, 2015 at 6:36pm PDT

 

• Game of Thrones is getting its own Con.
• The guy who plays Wun Wun isn’t a giant, but he is 7 feet tall.
• Hannibal Buress has joined the cast of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Donald Glover will also appear as will Martin Starr. And Beasts of No Nation’s Abraham Attah has just signed on.
• Monopoly the Musical? Sure…why not?
• Shrek may be making a return.
• The cast of RuPaul’s All Stars Drag Race 2 has been revealed.
• She Loves Me will be the first Broadway show to be livestreamed.
• Ricky Gervais’ new David Brent mockumentary will be available on Netflix.
• Domhnall Gleeson will star along Margot Robbbie in a biopic about the creator of Winnie The Pooh.
• Kanye West added another new song to The Life of Pablo. #He’llNeverBeSatisfied
• Governors Ball had to cancel Kanye’s performance because of weather, so they are giving his a new festival to headline.
• Jeff Garlin will be the director and star of Netflix’s Handsome.
• Zac Efron is back in the musical game, joining Hugh Jackman in the P.T. Barnum biopic.
• James Corden and Kevin Hart had a rap battle:

 

• Joel McHale will play a futuristic matchmaker for Hulu. Patton Oswalt will also appear in the anthology series.
• Lady Gaga in talks for Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born remake.
• Harry Styles rumored to be playing Mick Jagger in upcoming biopic.
• Regina King will return for the third season of American Crime.
• An IBM programmer just built a real-life sorting hat.
• Versace used an unreleased Price song during a fashion show.
• The CW announces the new cast of MADtv.
• Alexander Skarsgard praised the kissing prowess of his True Blood co-star Ryan Kwanten. The fan fiction writes itself.
• Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell to star in The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
• J.J. Abrams is developing a TV series about Michael Jackson’s final days.
• John Stamos is heading to Scream Queens.
• Kristin Chenoweth has joined Hairspray Live!
• There is going to be a live Cheers theater show.
• Ryan Reynolds paid out of pocket to use Bea Arthur’s likeness in Deadpool.
• Doctor Who is getting a new writer and a returning character.
• The star of the new Pixar short, Piper, is pretty dang adorable.
• Wilmer Valderrama will appear on NCIS.
• A new Childish Gambino album is indeed coming.
• Orange Is The New Black’s Samira Wiley will appear on You’re The Worst.
• This is disappointing – no Adult Swim series have been created by women.

Time for some trailers….

• Next year’s Oscar contender (you heard it here first), The Birth of a Nation:

 

• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children:

 

• Ben-Hur:

 

• The Fundamentals of Caring:

 

• David Brent: Life on the Road:

 

• All Eyez on Me:

 

• The Lovers and the Despot:

 

• Westworld:

 

• Ron Howard’s documentary, The Beatles: Eight Days A Week:

 

• The Strain, season 3:

 

• Difficult People, season 2:

 

• Storks:

 

• The Young Pope:

 

• Outlaws and Angels:

 

• Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour:

 

• Almost Christmas:

 

• Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life:

 

• Gleason:

 

• Morris From America:

 

• American Honey:

 

• Roseanne For President:

 

• The Girl With All The Gifts:

 

• Pistol Shrimps:

 

• Looking: The Movie:

 

• I, Daniel Blake:

 

• A 15-album Weird Al deluxe box set will be released next year.
• Real Time with Bill Maher will air special live shows during the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
• Evan Peters thinks Quicksilver and Deadpool should have a Marvel team-up.
• Netflix will release the EDM comedy XOXO.
• Fun Home will end its Broadway run.
• Lewis Black will have a limited Broadway engagement.
• A Ghostbusters animated series in coming in 2018.
• Metallica’s James Hetfield will lend his voice to Skylanders Academy.
• Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel are doing a digital series about Uber experiences.
• Norman Reedus and Greg Nicotero are opening a restaurant.
• The creepy nun from The Conjuring 2 is getting her own spinoff.
• Here’s what’s coming to HBO Now in July. And Amazon Prime. And Netflix.
• Ben Schwartz has joined Sam Rockwell in the comedy Blue Iguana.
• Xzibit will be a season regular on the third season of Empire.
• Here are the celebrity panelists for the Match Game reboot.
• Selena Gomez is the latest person to do Carpool Karaoke:

 

• Future Carpool Karaoke participant will be Michelle Obama.
• Early reviews of Independence Day: Resurgence ain’t great.
• Ron Perlman and Kelsey Grammer will lend their voices to Guillermo Del Toro’s Trollhunters.
• South Park could live on a video game series once the show is finished.
• Alison Brie is pretty chill about her fans who fetishize her feet.
• The oral history of Doug.
• Talk about commitment – someone did a magazine-length parody of The New Yorker.
• Demi Lovato took a break from social media; it lasted 24 hours. .
• Could the Spice Girls replace Sporty and Posh on tour?
• A contributing factor of Tom DeLonge quitting Blink-182? UFOs.
• Pewdiepie (ask your kids) was evicted from his apartment.
• Eddie Redmayne became a father for the first time on Father’s Day.
• Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are giving their daughter a sibling.
• The Beyhive raised $82,000 for the Flint water crisis at Beyoncé’s Detroit concert.
• Selma Blair was taken off a flight on a stretcher after a mid-flight freak out.
• A rant by the star of The Real O’Neals almost tanked the whole damn show.
• Bill Eichner and Ross Matthews got into a Twitter dustup. Even Andy Cohen got involved.
• Andrew W.K.’s brother golfed in the U.S. Open.
• Kevin Hart’s home was burgled of $500,000 worth of stuff.
• Sharon Tate’s family is not happy with how her murder is handled on Aquarius.
• Some of David Bowie’s hair is going on the auction block.
• Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston are possibly dating or staging a photo opportunity, depending who you believe. Based on this W Magazine shoot, Swift is a lucky woman.
• Snoop Dogg paid tribute to his wife on their wedding anniversary:

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19. Years today @bosslady_ent Happy anniversary been a1 from day 1 💝💕🌹🌟🌟🙏🏾 thanks for my kids 💫💝💕🕊🕊

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on Jun 14, 2016 at 3:05pm PDT

• Frank Ocean penned a message in the wake of the Orlando shootings.
• Meat Loaf collapsed on stage.
• Both Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez fell of stages this week.
• Iggy Azalea has kicked Nick Young to the curb.
• Someone finally spilled the beans on Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx dating.
• Anne Hathaway has been named a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador.
• Kerry Washington designed a purse to raise money for victims of domestic violence.
• Actor Anton Yelchin died in what sounds to be a freak accident. He was 27.
• Ron Lester, Billy Bob on Varsity Blues, has died. Co-Star James Van der Beek paid tribute.
• Ann Morgan Guilbert has passed away at 87. She was best known from roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Nanny.
• Author Lois Duncan (I Know What You Did Last Summer) has passed away at 82.
• Prince Be of P.M. Dawn has died. He was 46.

As always, we end with the mashups and supercuts….

• DJ Earworm’s Summermash ‘16:

 

• They Might Be Giants meets Star Wars: The Force Awakens:

 

• Here’s Michael Shannon lip-syncing “It’s the End of the World”:

 

• If Game of Thrones, season 6 episode 9 took place entirely on Snapchat:

 

• A vintage cover of “Black Hole Son”:

 

• I expect this watermelon Night King at my next BBQ:

 

• The evolution of Pixar:

 

• Ghostbusters vs Luke Skywalker:

 

• American Psycho with a female lead:

 

• I have been this person:

 

• Doom 2 meets Seinfeld’s apartment:

 

• The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra covers “The Boys Are Back In Town”:

 

• Star Squad:

 

• Jon Snow’s Play of the Game:

 

I love, love, love this reimagining of Hamilton as a video game – especially the “….and Peggy” bonus round:

• And finally, Barney covers “Big Poppa”:

Pop Culture Odds and Ends – Happy Thanksgiving Edition

Hooray – it’s almost Thanksgiving, though honestly I am more excited about the 4 day weekend than the actual holiday. I’ve been running around way too much in the last week and I really just need a few days to relax and get myself back on track. I’m looking forward to just sleeping in and taking it easy and watching a shameful number of movies. I’ll enjoy the turkey dinner and the moment to reflect on all that I’m thankful for (which is a lot), but I’m really ready for some R&R. The last two weeks have kicked my butt.

Before you head off to spend some time with your loved ones and eat some stuffing, get yourself up to speed on the world of pop culture with your biweekly pop culture roundup. It’s on the long side this week, so there’s plenty to keep you occupied over the long weekend. Plus you never know when you’ll have to make small talk with a relative and there is a little bit of something for everyone in this roundup. So pour over this collection of links before the tryptophan kicks in.

• GQ has a great interview with Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad.

• Someone indexed every death in the Game of Thrones books (so far):

• Whew – Paramount will block the proposed It’s a Wonderful Life sequel. There is a God

• NOOOOOO!!!!!!!! They are remaking Road House. It has better include the line “I used to f*ck guys like you in prison” or it will be complete sacrilege.

This week in Ron Burgundy news:

• Great news – Paramount has moved up the release date for the film by two days.

• Will Ferrell will host the 6pm episode of SportsCenter on ESPN December 6^th – in character.

• The Channel 4 gang sang “Afternoon Delight” at the Australian premiere:

 

• 12 fun facts from a visit to the Anchorman 2 edit bay.

• Hot Topic is turning Black Friday into Burgundy Friday.

• I’m actually super bummed that I won’t see this – Burgundy will call a pro curling event in Winnipeg.

• Emerson University renamed their communication school after Burgundy – for one day.

• Burgundy took over Conan last week and sang a campaign song for Toronto Mayor and crack enthusiast Rob Ford:

 

• Ron Burgundy tries to understand Doctor Who.

• There was a live reading of the original Anchorman to raise money for charity.

• Baxter got his own movie poster:

 

• I wrote earlier this week about an unexpected death on Family Guy; fans didn’t take the development well and 40,000 of them have signed a petition demanding the character be brought back.

• The new Britney Spears album is streaming on iTunes.

• This article looks at how Friends decided to pair off Monica and Chandler.

• The Mindy Project is going on hiatus due to low ratings. Other shakeups at FOX – Dads has been removed from the schedule despite receiving a full season order and Brooklyn Nine-Nine is moving to 9:30 (in The Mindy Project’s old slot).

• The Monty Python reunion show sold out in 43 seconds. The gang is now doing 5 shows instead of just one.

• The actor that plays King Joffrey says he’s retiring from acting once he’s done on Game of Thrones.

• Bruce Springsteen is releasing a new album in January 2014. Happy day!

• EW looks at 12 big changes made in the film adaptation of Catching Fire.

• The forthcoming The Walking Dead spinoff may be a prequel.

• Netflix is bringing back The Killing for one more season. This show has nine lives!

• FXX has struck a deal that will allow episodes of The Simpsons from the first 24 seasons to be streamed on-line.

• This isn’t a pairing I would have come up with: Oprah and Diablo Cody are working on a new HBO comedy.

• This one is for my mom: FOX Japan is going to air the first 10 season of NCIS non-stop and in order over 10 days.

• Stevie Nicks is apparently having a good time over on American Horror Story: Coven since she is sticking around for another week.

• Sadly, Jessica Lange will be leaving the series after next season.

• Once Upon a Time in Wonderland will go on hiatus.

• Jeopardy! recently poked some fun at the Houston Astros’ terrible season in one of their answers.

• Chris Hemsworth and his wife are expecting baby number 2.

• Kelly Clarkson is pregnant.

• James Franco and Seth Rogan did a parody of Kanye’s video for “Bound 2”:

Surprisingly, Kim and Kanye (neither known for their killer sense of humor) apparently found it funny.

• The Hollywood Reporter did a lengthy eye-opening feature on the treatment of animals in Hollywood.

• George Takei is now in the fragrance game.

• The Heat may not be getting a sequel, but two minor characters will get a spinoff.

• Sigh…..CBS is going forward with How I Met Your Dad. That horse is dead – stop beating it.

• Winona Ryder indicated Beetlejuice 2 might happen.

• Anjelica Houston wants to be on Downton Abbey.

• Lauren Hill will perform her first show since being released from prison.

• Orphan Black returns in the US on April 19^th.

• FX has picked up The Strain for series.

• Arcade Fire is asking their fans to dress up for their new tour.

• Chris Brown has been sent to rehab.

• Outkast may reunite at Coachella this summer.

• Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are starring in a new special on E!

• Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA taught a class at the University of Toronto.

• Scarlett Johannsson’s voice work in the upcoming Spike Jonze film Her cannot be considered for a Golden Globe.

• An Underground Railroad miniseries is coming to FX.

• In a Q&A with Chef Mario Batali, he revealed that he ordered 200 pairs of orange Crocs when he heard that they were retiring his signature footwear.

• The person behind the Seinfeld 2000 Twitter account made a music video for Arcade Fire’s song “Here Comes the Night Time.”

• AMC has ordered two new drama pilots.

• The Purge 2 will be released June 2014.

• Zach Braff may have pulled off the greatest photobomb of all time:

• A Star Wars burlesque show now exists.

• Sutton Foster and Amy Sherman-Palladino are reuniting for a Broadway show. (R.I.P. Bunheads)

• Once Upon a Time has cast an actor from Covert Affairs for a guest role.

• Watch Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul read the Breaking Bad finale for the first time (spoilers if you aren’t current):

 

• Wilmer Valderrama has joined the cast of the From Dusk Till Dawn TV show.

• Dave Chappelle sat down for a rare interview with a local news station in Minneapolis.

• You can watch the pilots of HBO’s new comedies Ja’mie: Private School Girl and Getting On online.

• A&E has officially renewed Longmire for a third season, which makes me happy.

• You can explore Middle Earth in Google Maps.

• For those of you that can’t get enough of Jennifer Lawrence (and who can?), here’s a photo of her in junior high.

• Mad Max: Fury Road will be released in 2015.

• Adam Brody (The O.C.) and Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) are engaged.

• I wish this is had happened when I was just there – a kid dressed up like Harry Potter and tried to find the Hogwarts Express in Penn Station.

• Wait….George Brett had something to do with Lorde’s hit song “Royals?”

• Batkid is back on the case, this time rescuing Pitbull from the Joker on Good Morning America.

• Tori Amos is releasing a new album and going out on tour in 2014.

• U2 has released a new song for the movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

• Kanye West may have another album by next summer.

• Something to buy your favorite Game of Thrones fan for the holidays: A Dragon Egg Cookie Jar.

• Well here’s a headline you don’t see every day: “Photo of Rick Springfield’s Buttocks Shown to Jury, Which Start Deliberating Today in Injury Lawsuit.”

• I’m not a Doctor Who fan, but the series was honored with a Google Doodle last week in honor of its fiftieth anniversary.

• The Doctor Who 50^th anniversary special drew 10 million viewers in the UK.  The special also had plenty of Easter eggs for the die-hard fans.

• USA network has cancelled Necessary Roughness.

• More Doctor Who: The BBC created an interactive map that allows fans to explore the time travel adventures of all 11 Doctors.

• The surviving members of the Beastie Boys penned an open letter explain their dispute with toymaker GoldieBlox. Their song “Girls” has since been pulled from the commercial.

• Willie Nelson’s tour has been put on hold after a bus accident involving his band.

• James Franco and Chris O’Dowd are on their way to Broadway.

• Wiz Khalifa and Adele are collaborating? Interesting.

• According to this graphic, many Sesame Street character have mental disorders.

• Once Upon a Time co-stars Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas are expecting a baby.

• Jon Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift and Prince William performed “Livin’ on a Prayer” at a gala.

• Anna Gunn and Jacki Weaver will appear in the U.S. adaptation of Broadchurch.

• You can now watch a short film, Aningaaq, which sheds light on the other side of Sandra Bullock’s call in Gravity.

• I like The Vampire Diaries, but all the relationships can be confusing. TV Guide has a relationship roadmap for the show to help keep everything straight.

• Watch Robert DeNiro’s audition for the role of Sonny in The Godfather:

 

• Empire has a Q&A with George R.R. Martin, who should spend less time giving interviews and more time finishing the damn book series.

• Well….that was short lived – MSNBC fired Alec Baldwin.

• Lifetime has renewed Witches of East End.

• Comedy Central has picked up @midnight for 40 more weeks.

• The Friday the 13^th franchise will release a new film in 2015. True story – though I am a horror fan, I’ve never seen any of these movies.

• Kevin Spacey gave Woody Allen a Netflix subscription.

• Pitbull and Ke$ha co-star in a new music video:

 

• Sadly, Angelina Jolie did not buy Brad Pitt a heart shaped island for his 50^th birthday.

• Tumblrs of the week: Upworthy: Springfield and Histagrams

• The Broadway musical Matilda is headed to the big screen.

• Patton Oswalt’s new comedy special will air in January on Epix.

• Javier Bardem offered Blackbeard role in Peter Pan origin movie.

• This is fantastic – a guy live tweeted a couple breaking up.

• Jennifer Love Hewitt got married and gave birth to a baby girl.

• Journey guitarist Neil Schon and White House crasher Michaele Salahi are getting married on pay-per-view. Don’t be giving Kimye ideas.

• Vulture has a roundup of all of Ruxin’s putdowns on The League.

• Frankie Munitz has suffered a second mini-stroke. The actor is 27 years old.

• Michael Chiklis is developing a TV show based on his comic book Pantheon. Show of hands – who knew Chiklis had a comic book? Me neither.

• I’m not one to tell people how to spend their money, but $27,000 for a Magic: The Gathering card seems like a bad investment.

• A J.R.R. Tolkien biopic is in development.

• Jimmy Fallon will host SNL in December with musical guest Justin Timberlake (shocker!)

• SyFy has bought the horror project The Woods from the co-creator of Chuck.

• Mad Men has a Christmas album, available only at Target.

• Flavorwire interviews Joel Hodgson on 25 years of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

• Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are developing the DC Comic’s Sleeper.

• Baz Luhrmann may direct a Napoleon miniseries for HBO.

• The A.V. Club looks at what it is like to be a contestant on The Biggest Loser.

Trailers:

• Every new trailer for HBO’s True Detective makes me more and more excited for this show:

 

• A teaser for the new Chicago Fire spin-off, Chicago PD:

 

• Sherlock Season 3:

 

• The obviously NSFW trailer has arrived from Lars von Trier’s upcoming film Nymphomaniac

 

• Season 3 trailer for HBO’s Girls:

 

• A trailer for Devil’s Knot – yet another film about the West Memphis Three:

 

• Another trailer for one of the movies I am most looking forward to this winter, American Hustle:

 

• Kellen Lutz stars in Hercules: The Legend Begins:

 

• A new trailer for Muppets Most Wanted:

 

• Wait….we’re getting another A Haunted House movie? Who asked for this?

• Norman Reedus (Daryl, The Walking Dead) will have a supporting role in The Crow reboot.

• ABC Family has released its 25 Days of Christmas schedule.

• An actor from Smash will be making a guest appearance on The Good Wife.

• Rolling Stone has a list of 50 things Millennials have never heard of.

• HBO is developing F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Last Tycoon for series.

• Cary Elwes is writing a Princess Bride memoir. I’ll be reserving my copy ASAP.

• Some deleted scenes from one of my all-time favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption:

 

• I always knew It’s Sunny in Philadelphia was ahead of its time. Does this mean kitten mittens are next?

• Whoa – Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle album was released 20 years ago. I am feeling old.

• The Wolverine sequel will be based on an existing comic book plotline.

• Mia Waskiowska and Johnny Depp are both returning for Alice in Wonderland 2.

• Sundance Channel may adapt A Visit From the Goon Squad.

• Aaron Paul has joined the cast of Fathers and Daughters (also starring Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried).

• Kevin Bacon’s daughter is Miss Golden Globes 2014.

• Clint Eastwood’s daughter married Jonah Hill’s brother and immediately wants an annulment.

• Boogie Nights almost went directly to video.

As always, we end with the mashups and supercuts:

• Mad Men without the smoking:

 

• Reaping Ball – a Hunger Games/Miley Cryrus mashup:

 

• The Wolf of Bedford Falls (It’s a Wonderful Life re-cut to look like The Wolf of Wall Street):

 

• A Rob Ford/New Jack City remix:

 

• A Rob Ford/Chris Farley mashup (Farley would have been amazing playing Ford on SNL):

 

• Team Coco put together a supercut of season 3 of Conan:

 

• The Sesame Street gang did a Hunger Games parody:

 

• And finally……a Dawson’s Creek/The Walking Dead mashup, Governor’s Creek:

 

The blog is probably going to take a few days off for the holidays, unless I just can’t help myself. Best wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving and Hanukkah!!!!

 

Pop Culture Odds and Ends – Almost Vacation Edition

Just when I thought that winter might finally be behind us, Mother Nature decided that we needed one last storm (I hope!) to make things all snowy and white. I am not a fan. The only thing making this bearable is the knowledge that in less than a week I will be in Florida with some of my favorite people and watching baseball. The idea of sitting in the sunshine and not having to wear a winter coat make me positively giddy. Plus it has been five dark and lonely months since I last saw my beloved Yankees, which feels like a lifetime. I’m ready for our reunion. But never fear, dear readers – you won’t be without the blog while I’m away. I’ve got some posts ready to go up in my absence. I’m just that dedicated.

So while I dream of warm weather while I scrape ice and snow off my car, here’s your biweekly round up of some of the pop culture stories that you might have missed.

• Today would have been Mister Rogers’ 85^th birthday

• Sir Ian McKellen will officiate the wedding of his X-Men costar (and on-screen nemesis) Patrick Stewart.

• Anthony Bourdain’s new CNN series Parts Unknown will debut on April 14^th.

• Christopher Meloni has been cast in a new pilot from Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Cougar Town) based on the book I Suck at Girls.

• The 20/20 Experience just dropped on Tuesday, but Justin Timberlake has confirmed that a second album will debut later in 2013. I can only hope that the JT publicity machine is not so omnipresent for volume 2.

• Enlightened has been canceled.

• Jimmy Fallon and Selena Gomez performed “Mario Kart Love Song” last night on Late Night:

 

• GQ did a cover story on Fallon.

• I’m not sure that anyone was asking for it, but Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is getting a sequel (my guess is without Jeremy Renner).

• Pitchfork is streaming the new Strokes album, Comedown Machine.

• If you’ve got nothing to do this weekend, MTV will be marathoning old seasons of The Real World. The Real World: Portland will debut on March 27^th.

• Uproxx has compiled a playlist of almost every song played on Saturday Night Live.

• The Awl looks at the Japanese pop album Alyssa Milano released as a teenager.

• Safety Not Guaranteed director has been tapped for Jurassic Park 4. I really enjoyed Safety Not Guaranteed – worth checking out on DVD. A sweet and quirky indie.

• A Walking Dead/Homeland mash-up:

 

• Writers from The Simpsons select their ten favorite musical numbers from the series. I’m partial to the Mr. Plow jingle and the Monorail song.

• The Simpsons were crowed best sitcom of the past 30 years in Vulture’s Sitcom Smackdown, which is utter garbage.

• Sorry reality TV fans – there will be no new season of Bachelor Pad this summer.

• This dog does indeed resemble Samuel L. Jackson:

• Viewers will get to choose their own ending to Psych’s 100^th episode, airing on March 27^th.

• The actor who played Captain Peacock on the British comedy Are You Being Served? has passed away.

• In this week’s installment of Pop Culture Real Estate, the house from Rocky II.

• In case you missed it, here’s Ricky Gervais reprising his role as David Brent from The Office:

 

• Rainn Wilson’s The Office spin-off might have died, but he’s been cast in the pilot for the CBS drama Backstrom.

• Even the Westboro Baptist Church likes Jennifer Lawrence, and they hate just about everyone.

• The Funny or Die website is venturing into the world of feature films. Their first product is iSteve, a comedic biopic of Steve Jobs and starring Justin Long (which has got to be better than the not intentionally funny Ashton Kutcher version).

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s production company released a cool short film:

 

• Alfred Hitchcock’s earliest films are going on a national tour.

• An Italian Ghostbusters fan made a replica of the basement in the movie.

• The blog Thumbs and Ammo has replaced all the guns from TV shows and movies with actors giving a thumbs up. The result is surprisingly positive.

• This one is for my mom – the actor who played Kevin G in Mean Girls is now a professional calligrapher

• Based on casting news for pilots, this isn’t a complete surprise: Southland may be at risk for cancellation.

• Bill Watterson may have stopped doing the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, but it lives on in fan created online comics.

• Dick Clark left his Syracuse University fraternity $1 million in his will. That’s a lot of kegs.

• Ang Lee just won an Oscar, but next up for him is directing a pilot for FX.

• Vince Vaughn will host SNL on April 13^th.

• A look at the evolution of the TV nerd.

• A letter from a school librarian led to Francis Ford Coppola directing The Outsiders.

• This is an interesting rumor: Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) may direct Sacha Baron Cohen in a Freddie Mercury biopic.

• Check out this LEGO paper plane folding machine (it took 600 hours to build):

 

• Mental Floss has some more LEGO fun – movie characters and scenes made using the colorful toy.

• Two men are facing trail for planning the murder of singer Joss Stone.

• The new Depche Mode album is streaming on iTunes.

• George R. R. Martin will have a cameo on Game of Thrones.

• I didn’t understand a word of this “March Madness explained with Star Wars” video

 

• Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) will star in the film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars.

• Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler will reunite for a new rom-com.

• You can watch the first three minutes of the new BBC America show Orphan Black online. The show debuts March 30^th.

• A list of actors who auditioned for The Office raises some interesting possibilities – Adam Scott as Jim?

• Sigh. I really didn’t need to stumble upon this website of pop culture tribute prints.

• A Good Times movie is being developed. Not so Dyn-o-mite, though I bet J.J. Walker is available.

• A Trainspotting sequel may start filming in 2016.

• Deadspin has a roundup of the complaint that the FCC received about this year’s Super Bowl. Who knew a woman kissing a “nerd” was so upsetting?

• It worked for The Rock; WWE wrestler Dave Bautista has joined the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy.

• Paste looks at nine great songs inspired by movie characters.

• HBO has released a trailer for the second season of Veep:

• Vampire Weekend has released two new songs: “Step” and “Diane Young.” Their new album Modern Vampires of the City is out May 7^th.

• Listen to a mix of Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie” and Daft Punk:

 

• I’m kind of annoyed I didn’t think to write this: 10 ordinary things that always conjure Seinfeld.

• A family has named their child Bane in honor of The Dark Knight Rises villain.

• Tumblr of the week is a tie: The Lemon in Winterfell (Game of Thrones/30 Rock mashup) and Arrested Miserables (Arrested Development/Les Miserable mashup)

• Who would have guessed that Rob Zombie is a Judge Judy fan?

• What every home needs – A Breaking Bad terrarium. I’m not kidding – I would put this in my living room.

• Somebody needs to release the video for this stat: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Paul Rudd reenacted Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink in 2004.

• Disney is making a live action  reimagining of Beauty and the Beast.

• Filming for the third season of the BBC’s Sherlock has begun.  A fourth season is happening as well. More Cumberbatch for everyone!

• A Shining/Dumb and Dumber mashup:

 

• The 10 greatest sports moments from Freaks and Geeks.

• Not a fan of this – Matt Lauer is rumored to be in the running to replace Alex Trebek on Jeopardy!

• Beyoncé has posted a new song on her Tumblr:

 

• The success of the Veronica Mars kickstarter raises some possibilities for the future of other cancelled TV shows.

• The A.V. Club looks at 21 TV episodes that do dream sequences right.

• We may have to wait 3 years until the next James Bond movie.

• Notorious B.I.G. may become a cartoon ghost.

• A new red-band trailer for Kick-Ass 2 has been released:

 

• This is a good dad – a game developer hacked Donkey Kong so his daughter could play the game as a female character that rescues Mario

• Whoa – Pete Campbell from Mad Men and Rory Gilmore are getting married (well – the actors that play them are, anyway)

• Watch Usher and the Afghan Whigs perform together at SXSW:

 

• Chris O’Down (Bridesmaids) will appear in Thor: The Dark World.

• Bruno Ganz, the actor who played Hitler in Downfall and in all those “Hitler Reacts to…” videos, will play the Pope in the new Showtime series The Vatican.

• I can sympathize with Hitler’s reaction in the video I linked to above – I love Google Reader and am very bummed that it will be retired soon. It’s what I use to keep track of all the links that I share with you in these roundups.

• A new trailer for Despicable Me 2 has been released:

 

• The Hollywood Reporter has the schedule for season finales.

• A sequel to the book The Devil Wears Prada will be released on June 4^th.

• TV Guide has a look inside the demise of the NBC comedy Up All Night, which is technically still not cancelled.

• ABC is planning a spin-off from Once Upon a Time that will focus on Wonderland.

• An opera about the life of Anna Nicole Smith will makes its American debut in NYC.

• Cedric the Entertainer is the new host of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

• The Amazing Spiderman 2 will be filming in Rochester, NY.

• The young man who voices Ferb on Phineas & Ferb will be appearing on Game of Thrones this season.

• Escape from New York is getting a reboot.

• And finally – The Princess Bride meets Game of Thrones: