Friday, June 17, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of June 13 - 17

Music
- Selena Gomez released her new song! WOOOO! It's "Love You Like a Love Song." She also released "Dices," the Spanish-language version of "Who Says". Please to enjoy both songs. (JSYK)
- And her BF Justin Bieber (well, Chris Brown featuring Justin Bieber (that applies to the song, not the relationship (Hopefully.))) released "Next to You." (JSYK)
- Aaaand friend of the show Cody Simpson released the video for his song "On My Mind". Good on ya, mate. (Cambio)
- Joe Jonas wanted to be part of Britney Spears' tour this summer, but she turned him down. She said it was because she wanted an "all girls" tour, but I swear I've heard that excuse before. (Cambio)
- Selena Gomez is healthy again, and blames her love of junk food for her recent brief stay in the hospital. Eat your vegetables, kids, and try not to smother them in cheese. (Cambio)
- Rihanna has been named the new tourism ambassador by her native Barbados. In othernews, sales of vacation packages to Barbados just skyrocketed. (Cambio)
- Michael Buble is writing a memoir. I hope it's full of advice about following your dreams! (Cambio)
- Justin Timberlake said in a recent interview with Playboy that he thinks Justin Bieber is a talented kid, and he hopes that JB has a good support system around him and a good plan for the future. Otherwise, instead of having staying power like the one and only JT, he could rapidly fade into obscurity like all of JT's former bandmates. (Cambio)
- Lady Gaga's meat dress is now in the Rock Hall of Fame, after it was chemically preserved. Because the process basically turned it into beef jerky, the dress was then painted so it would look as raw as it did the day she grossed out the entire planet. (TweenTribune)


Movies
- Chelsea Handler is in negotiations to play Victoria Justice's mom in the upcoming Paramount movie "Fun Size." Anyone know if Chelsea is still claiming to be 31? (Cambio)
- In a recent interview, James McAvoy said that releasing movies in 3-D is just a ploy by the Man to squeeze extra money out of the movie-going public, that 3-D is a waste of time and money, and that he was very happy that his movie "X-Men: First Class" was only released in 2-D. I'm with ya, Jimmy Mac. I'm with ya. (Cambio)
- In honor of the identity-swapping Monte Carlo, Cambio is doing a "No! I'm Selena" contest, where viewers submit their Selena look-alike photos. The winner will get a trip to LA, a Selena makeover by a Cambio stylist, and "an evening fit for a Monte Carlo princess," but no photo op with the original Selena. What a ripoff. (Cambio)
- Natalie Portman finally gave birth! I really could have sworn she was due a week after the Oscars. Huh. Regardless, mom and baby boy are doing well. (Cambio)


TV
- "The Nine Lives of Chloe King" premiered on Tuesday! You set your season pass on your Tivo, right?
- Jennifer Lopez hasn't decided yet whether she'll return to American Idol, since she's developing a Latin TV talent show and she might have a new film role in the works. So will she or won't she? Can she be the mom with the career who has it all?? Who WILL be the next American Idol??? The suspense is killing me! (Cambio)
- Kim Kardashian is getting a prenup before marrying the guy with the same name as her mother. I just... but... it's... WHEN WILL THIS KARDASHIAN PHASE BE OVER??? (Cambio)


Doing Good
- Remember the Justin Bieber perfume called "Someday"? It hasn't even hit shelves yet, but pre-sale proceeds have been donated to Pencils of Promise and Make-a-Wish, and JB is also auctioning a meet-n-greet at the launch party in NYC on June 23, with the money raised from that going to Communities in Schools and the Give Back Brands Foundation. (JSYK)
- In an effort to curb childhood obesity and show the diabetes epidemic, the Los Angeles Unified School District finally banned flavored milk from its cafeterias, although the more-sugar-laden fruit juices are still permitted. Baby steps. (TweenTribune)
- A school in Pennsylvania will save $15,000 this year by handing its lawn-mowing duties over to a flock of sheep. No word yet on how much it will cost them to clean up after the sheep, though. (TweenTribune)


Like Whoa
- Remember that tornado that went through western Massachusetts on June 1st? Well one of the houses it destroyed had 7 cats in it, and after a week and a half of searching through the rubble, all 7 cats were found alive and well. If only the house also had 9 lives. (TweenTribune)


Movies That Opened this Weekend (imdb)
Green Lantern
Mr. Popper's Penguins
The Art of Getting By (limited)
Buck (limited)
Page One: Inside the New York Times (NYC)


Top 10 in the Box Office Last Weekend (imdb)
1. Super 8
2. X-Men: First Class
3. The Hangover Part 2
4. Kung Fu Panda 2
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
6. Bridesmaids
7. Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
8. Midnight in Paris
9. Thor
10. Fast Five

So many sequels!! Fast Five, Kung Fu Panda 2, Super 8...

Friday, June 10, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of June 6-10

Movies
- In preparation for the July 1 release of "Monte Carlo," Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy are going on a 10-city mall tour to promote it, starting June 10. (JSYK) UPDATE: Selena Gomez was hospitalized after appearing on The Tonight Show on Thursday, and is undergoing "routine tests". No word on when the CDC will quarantine Jay Leno for the safety of the American public. (JSYK)
- Dakota Fanning graduated from high school this week. Show-off. (JSYK)
- And in other scholastic news, Emma Watson quit Brown University back in April, and now we find out that she'll be a student at Oxford in the fall. She claims she's transferring because of what she wanted to study, but I suspect she just missed Hogwarts. (Cambio)
- A poster has been released for the upcoming "The Three Musketeers" that manages to make the movie look even worse than I'd thought. It's impressive. (JSYK)
- Shia LaBeouf said in an interview this week that Transformers 3 will be his last Transformers movie. In other news, Shia LaBeouf is a big fat liar. (Cambio)


TV
- Michelle Obama will do a guest spot on "iCarly." I guess Sasha and Malia must be fans... (Cambio)
- Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Chord Overstreet did a "Thelma & Louise" skit for the CMT awards that apparently set a new gold standard in comedy. We should all take notes. (JSYK)
- Justin Bieber and Rascal Flatts won the CMT Music Award for Collaborative Video of the Year, but then JB had to go and ruin everything by saying he was so honored to be at the "Country Music Awards" instead of the Country Music Television Music Awards. Dumbass. (JSYK)
- YES! Snoop Dogg is making the rounds, pitching a hip-hop version of American Idol. That show has to happen. It has to. (Cambio)
- Naya Rivera is the latest Glee castmember to get a record deal. Well done there! (JSYK)
- But she's still got a ways to go to catch up with Chris Colfer, who has already written a screenplay that is currently in preproduction, a pilot for Disney, and has now signed a 2-book deal with publisher Little Brown Book group. (Cambio)
- MTV canceled "Skins." Can't imagine why. (JSYK)
- It seems like a million years ago, but the MTV Movie Awards were only last Sunday. Complete list of winners here. (Cambio)


Music
- Kat Graham (of Vampire Diaries fame) is now also a singer. She just released the video for her single "I Want it All." (JSYK)
- A rough cut of the music video for the Justin Bieber/Chris Brown collaboration "Next 2 You" was leaked online this week. Still no word on why they used the number 2 but not the letter U in the title of the track. (JSYK)
- In one of those all-too-perfect moments, Lady Gaga had a "wardrobe malfunction" while she was accepting the CFDA Award for Fashion Icon. Brilliant. (Cambio)
- Shania Twain will take over the Las Vegas stage built for Celine Dion. She has signed on for a two-year run at the Caesar's Palace venue. (Cambio)
- Florence + The Machine are going on tour this summer, kicking off at Bonnaroo this week, and finishing in Milwaukee in July. (Cambio)
- Katy Perry created a dorky teenage alter-ego for her single "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" and set up Facebook and Twitter accounts for this Kathy Beth Terry. (Cambio)
- Jason Mraz is single again, ladies. He and now-ex-fiancee Tristan Prettyman split after less than 6 months of engagementship, with Mraz publicly siting his heavy workload and "clinging" too much too his art. (Cambio)
- Forbes released its list of best-paid celebs under the age of 30, and surprise-bloody-surprise,Lady Gaga is #1, and Justin Bieber is #2. Lebron James, Roger Federer, and Taylor Swift round out the top 5. (Cambio)
- MDot Finley is out of the hospital, Sean Kingston is still in but is walking around, andJennifer Hudson checked in with stomach pain. Maybe all these medical stories should go in the "Trends" category. (Cambio)


Seriously, WTF
- A teenager in China literally gave his right kidney for an iPad 2. He sold the organ for $3,400 and immediately bought the iPad 2, but the gadget got his mom all suspicious because where could he have gotten that kind of money? She figured it out and filed a police report, but it looks like karma is providing the bigger punishment: the hospital where he got the kidney removed isn't exactly qualified to perform surgery, and the kid is having a bit of a hard time recovering. Hence the commandment "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's iPad 2." (JSYK)
- Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream shop in Columbia, Missouri, created and immediately sold out of a new flavor of ice cream: cicada. Yes, the bugs. The gross, ugly, crunchy, disgusting bugs. The department of public health has, thankfully, taken umbrage with the practice of adding cicadas to ice cream, but the locals apparently love it. (TweenTribune)


Doing Good
- When Prince William and Kate got married in that splashy wedding in April, they asked guests, well-wishers, and fans to make donations to a wedding fund in lieu of sending gifts. That fund raised $1.6 million, which they distributed to 26 charities that support the armed forces, children, conservation, the elderly, art, and sports. (Cambio)
- Angelina Jolie and Missouri-born Brad Pitt donated $500,000 to relief efforts in Joplin, MO. (Cambio)
- Lady Gaga is auctioning off her grand piano and plans to donate the proceeds to Ten O'Clock Classics, a charity that provides classical music venues for young musicians. But according to Forbes, she could have just given them a crapload of money. (Cambio)


Movies Opening This Weekend
Super 8
Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
Trollhunter (limited)
The Trip (limited)
Bride Flight (limited)
Viva Riva! (LA/NY)


Top 10 in the Box Office last weekend (imdb)
1. X-Men: First Class
2. The Hangover Part II
3. Kung Fu Panda 2
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
5. Bridesmaids
6. Thor
7. Fast Five
8. Midnight in Paris
9. Something Borrowed
10. Jumping the Broom

Friday, June 3, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of May 30 - June 3

Bieber
- OMFG he got ANOTHER tattoo! No, he probably didn't, but photos from his Memorial Day fishing expedition show a giant star on his left elbow. Skeptics agree it's probably yet another Bieber prank. Biebrank. (JSYK)
- Because he is a little bit country in addition to being a little bit rock 'n roll, Justin Bieber willpresent an award at the CMT Music Awards. (Cambio)


Movies
- The first "Breaking Dawn" footage will premier this weekend at the MTV Movie Awards. Get excited!! (JSYK)
- Apparently all teen movie series based on popular novel series must have one more film than book. First Harry Potter, then Twilight, and now there are rumblings that there will be 4 Hunger Games movies based on the 3 Hunger Games books. All the better to fleece you with, my dear. (Cambio)
- The tricksy hobbitses are back!! Titles and release dates for Peter Jackson's two movies based on The Hobbit have finally been announced. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" will land in theaters December 14, 2012, and "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" will follow on December 13, 2013. The movies will star Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, and Orlando Bloom, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Ian McKellen, and Cate Blanchett in their roles from the LOTR trilogy. This brings joy to my nerdy little heart. (Cambio)
- "The Hangover: Part II" got the highest opening weekend gross ever for a comedy, further proving my theory that Bridesmaids would have done a lot better if it had starred a bunch of dudes. (Cambio)


Music
- More than a million copies of Lady Gaga's album "Born This Way" have now been sold. Take THAT, weak economy! (Cambio)
- With less than a month to go before the release of her album "When The Sun Goes Down,"Selena Gomez has FINALLY released the track list, tweeting a link to her website. (JSYK)
- Adele canceled a couple of North American tour dates due to laryngitis, then went ahead and just canceled the rest of the tour because her doctor put her on full vocal rest. For anyone lucky enough never to have been prescribed full vocal rest, it means no singing, no talking, no whispering, no nothing. In short, it's torture. (Cambio)
- Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" tour has officially begun. AT LAST! (JSYK)
- Sean Kingston is in stable condition in a Miami hospital after a jet-ski accident over Memorial Day weekend. (JSYK)
- And MDot Finley was hospitalized this week after he was in a motorcycle accident. All these injuries kind of make me miss the days when rappers just shot each other and were done with it. But not really. At all. Best wishes for speedy recoveries to both MDot and Sean Kingston. (Cambio)
- Joe Jonas finally released his single "See No More" today, and there was much rejoicing. Yaaaaaay. (Cambio)
- Leann Rimes is making us wait until July 18th for her single "Give." (Cambio)
- Next year, Coachella will take place over two weekends, because you can never have too much of a good thing or too many drugs. Wait. Might be wrong about that last part. (Cambio)
- First Ke$ha asked her fans to send her their teeth so she could make a necklace from them, and now she's asking them to name her puppy for her. TOO FAR, KE$HA. YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR. (Cambio)


TV
- Jane Lynch will host this year's Primetime Emmys in September, and I for one would like to thank the Academy. (Cambio)


Sports
- Shaq announced his retirement from basketball this week. Here's hoping he'll now pursue his acting career full-time. Kazaam! (Cambio)
- Spelling officially became a sport this week, when Sukanya Roy won the National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word "cymotrichous." The final five had been battling it out for ages, correctly spelling word after made-up word, but in the end, Sukanya was the victor. No word on whether she's getting an endorsement deal with Wheaties, or if she's headed to Disneyworld. (TweenTribune)


Doing Good
- The lead singer of Never Shout Never (not to be confused with anything Bieber) is fromJoplin, MO, and although neither he nor his family were injured in the tornado, he's still a wee bit upset about the massive natural disaster and has set a goal of raising $1 million to help other tornado victims in Joplin. (JSYK)
- Movie Star and professional Timothy Olyphant-impersonator Josh Duhamel has been honored by the Red Cross with their coveted Crystal Cross prize (not to be confused with their not-so coveted Kris Kross prize) for his support and fundraising efforts. (Cambio)


Trends
- A study published in the journal Pediatrics says that teens should not drink sports drinkslike Gatorade unless they are athletes, and that no teens whatsoever should drink energy drinks like Monster or 5 Hour Energy. Why? Well, sports drinks often have massive amounts of calories, and most teens can't burn them off, leading to obesity. As for energy drinks, they're loaded with caffeine, which is really bad for anyone still growing. Awesome. (JSYK)
- Pink is the latest Hollywood Mom. She gave birth to her daughter Willow Sage Hart on Wednesday. (Cambio)
- And Kim Kardashian insists that she will NOT be the next Hollywood Mom, and that rumors that she's pregnant and that her wedding to Kris Humphries will be a shotgun wedding are totally false. Huh. Only time will tell. Time, and math. (Cambio)
- Blake Lively told Glamour Magazine that she has sworn off wardrobe stylists because she likes dressing herself. This was probably not the right thing to say mere days after naked pictures allegedly of her were leaked on the internet. (Cambio)
- And speaking of clothes, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson are going to launch a new clothing line aimed at tweens. It will be part of Jessica's already-successful line. Who'd have thought she'd be the head of a business empire? Not I. Not even close. (Cambio)
- Gwyneth Paltrow joined Facebook and Twitter this week. Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there, tiger. Gotta ease into these things. Wouldn't want you to accidentally Tumblr and hurt yourself. (Cambio)
- Because the old food pyramid actually added up to like 12,000 calories per day, the Department of Agriculture finally released updated eating guidelines this week, swapping out the pyramid and replacing it with "My Plate", which is actually a plate plus a little additional ancillary plate or bowl. Makes total sense. I am now immediately healthy. (TweenTribune)
- The Webby Awards' Person of the Year is not a person. It's Watson. The Jeopardy-winning supercomputer. All hail our computer overlords! (TweenTribune)


Movies Opening This Weekend (imdb)
X-Men: First Class
Beginners (limited)
Submarine (limited)
Beautiful Boy (LA/NYC)
Rejoice and Shout (limited)


Top 10 in the Box Office Last Weekend (imdb)
1. The Hangover: Part II
2. Kung Fu Panda 2
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
4. Bridesmaids
5. Thor
6. Fast Five
7. Midnight in Paris
8. Something Borrowed
9. Jumping the Broom
10. Rio

Friday, May 27, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of May 23 - 27

Justin Bieber
- The Bieb got more ink! Last year for his 16th birthday he got a tattoo of a seagull (family tradition, apparently), and this year he got the word "Jesus" in Hebrew. Not sure, but I think he's sending mixed messages. (JSYK)
- JB has a commercial out for his new perfume "Someday," and according to the commercial, Justin Bieber is the new Beetlejuice - just spray the perfume three times and he appears. (JSYK)
- Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez and their families went on vacation in Maui this week, and Justin & Selena totally got caught kissing again by the paparazzi! OMG! (JJJ)


TV
- Scotty McCreery won American Idol, and went straight home to take a test in English class. If that doesn't say "rockstar lifestyle," I don't know what does. (JSYK)
- And Hines Ward won this season of Dancing With The Stars. Too bad - I had $50 on Gary Busey. (Cambio)
- Big Time Rush got picked up for a 3rd season. Good call, Nickelodeon. (Cambio)


Movies
- The first official poster for "Breaking Dawn" has been released, and it might as well just be a hand-written note tacked on a corkboard. (Cambio)
- The release date for the Julia Roberts "Snow White" movie got shifted earlier, so now that one's opening before the other one - "Snow White & The Huntsman". Oh, and there's aSnow White TV pilot, too. I like to think this sudden interest in Snow White is all thanks to the increased popularity of vampires in the past couple years. (Cambio)
- The first trailer for "The Muppets" came out this week, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the real plot of the movie. HOORAY MUPPETS!! (Cambio)
- Aaaaaand since "The Hunger Games" can apparently have an infinite cast, Lenny Kravitzwas added to the cast list this week. (Cambio)
- "Pirates 4", despite nearly universal bad reviews, broke international box office recordswhen it took in $364.4 million overseas in its opening weekend. Now I really want to see it in a different language. (Cambio)
- Abigail Breslin was paid $275,000 for one week's work on the movie "New Year's Eve," plus another $100,000 if the movie does well in the box office, plus $40,000 per day for any pickups. Yeah, well, who didn't earn that as a 15 year old? (Teen.com)


Music
- Ever wondered how to crash a website as big as Amazon? Well, the answer is: sell Lady Gaga's album Born This Way for 99 cents. What's up, iTunes? What you got?? You got NOTHIN! (Cambio)
- On the off-chance you care, the new We the Kings music video is out, for their song "Friday is Forever." (JSYK)
- Taylor Swift's Speak Now tour includes elements that were inspired by Cirque du Soleil, including aerialists, dancers and glow sticks, along with the usual pyrotechnics and lighting stuff. (JSYK)
- Joe Jonas released a teaser video for his aptly-named single "See No More". (Cambio)
- Oh right the Billboard Music Awards were Sunday! Eminem and Justin Bieber won the most awards of the night with 6 each, and Taylor Swift nabbed 3 awards. Anyone else think the Billboard Award categories are ridiculously narrow? (JSYK)
- When "Hairspray" hits the Hollywood Bowl in early August, the cast will include alumni Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winkour, and newbies Nick Jonas, John Stamos, Drew Carey, Diana DeGarmo, Mo Gaffney, Darlene Love, Tara Macri, and Corbin Bleu. Someone please remind me not to try to drive anywhere near the Bowl that week. (Cambio)
- Just like the killer bees, Miley Cyrus's "Gypsy Heart" tour is slowly making its way up through South & Central America, and has reached Mexico. Hey Texas, run for cover!!! (JJJ)


Trending Topics
- A high school in Arizona is charging its seniors $25 to participate in their own graduation ceremony. As can be expected, the kids are a bit miffed. But back in my day, I swear we had to pay a $70 gown rental fee, so they should just shut the front door. (JSYK)
- And a senior prank at a Colorado high school shut the entire school down for 4 days. Seniors put 30 bales of hay in the school's common areas, which doesn't seem like it could possibly warrant a cleanup bill of $100,000 (which it did) until you think about how that crap gets EVERYWHERE, plus it releases an amazing amount of mold and other allergens into the air, which can cause some intense respiratory problems. A few days and a lot of money later, though, everything's back to normal there. (JSYK)
- Kim Kardashian got engaged to Kris Humphries this week. Still no word on the Freudian implications of marrying a man who has the exact same first name as your MOTHER. (Cambio)
- The Backstreet Boys went vegetarian for their current tour. Just for the record: consumption of meat does not affect vocal performance. Regardless, PETA has applauded the 'boys decision. (Cambio)


Doing Good
- Lea Michele wrote to officials at the National Institute of Health asking for help saving 14 chimpanzees at a medical research facility in Texas. (Cambio)
- Blake Lively told a British newspaper that she is determined not to let her fame cause her to make the same mistakes that a lot of other young stars make (*cough* LINDSAY *cough*), and that young fans need more positive role models (like her). (Cambio)
- As reported last week, Taylor Swift opened up one of her soundchecks to fans, charging $50 per ticket, and in doing so raised $750,000 toward tornado relief. After Joplin, though, she may want to do that a couple more times. (Cambio)
- The cast of Pretty Little Liars did a PSA for Staples for Students, a campaign by the office-supply chain to get school supplies for underprivileged students. (JJJ)


Movies Opening This Weekend (imdb)
Kung Fu Panda 2
The Hangover Part 2
The Tree of Life

Top 10 in the Box Office Last Weekend (imdb)
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
2. Bridesmaids
3. Thor
4. Fast Five
5. Priest
6. Rio
7. Jumping the Broom
8. Something Borrowed
9. Water for Elephants
10. Madea's Big Happy Family

Friday, May 20, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of May 16 - 20

Bieb the World
- Building on the success of his unisex "My World" fragrance, Justin Bieber will soon launch aperfume for women, called "Someday." He's such a tease. (JSYK)
- Bieber and his GF Selena Gomez will be presenters at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, which will be on Sunday if the world hasn't ended by then. (JSYK)
- Justin Bieber's world tour took him to Japan this week, where he took the time to meet with some kids who were affected by the tsunami. He actually wanted to perform in the tsunami area, but it's kind of radioactive at the moment. (JSYK)
- Justin Bieber has teamed up with PhoneGuard to boost his message against texting while driving. $1 from each concert ticket sold will go to PhoneGuard, makers of the Drive Safe app that disables texting and email when users are in a car driving more than 10mph. (JSYK)


Music
- Selena Gomez leaked the cover art for her upcoming album (dropping June 28), which will apparently no longer be called Otherside, and will now instead be called "When the Sun Goes Down." (JSYK)
- Joe Jonas is still a thing, and he's releasing a single called "See No More" on June 3rd. (JSYK)
- Katy Perry has a rider that forbids her tour chauffeurs from speaking to her or even looking at her. Because she's a singer of the people. (Cambio)
- Avril Lavigne released the video for her new single "Smile." Great. (Cambio)
- Ke$ha has asked her fans to give her their teeth so she can make a necklace with them. I repeat, Ke$ha has asked her fans to give her their TEETH so she can make a NECKLACE with them. WHEN WILL EVERYONE REALIZE SHE'S F#@KING CRAZY?? (Cambio)


Movies
- Entertainment Weekly published the first photos of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in The Hunger Games. I still really want to read those books. Anyone have a copy they could lend me? For serious. (JSYK)
- The Muppets movie poster was released this week. Get excited! But not too excited - the movie isn't coming out until late fall. (Cambio)
- Alex Pettyfer is now backtracking like crazy on the anti-Hollywood rant he went on in an interview with VMAN magazine. Apparently he actually does still want to have a career. And an American work permit. And possibly a social life. Who knew? (Cambio)
- Armie Hammer, better known as the Winkelvi from The Social Network, has been cast asThe Lone Ranger to Johnny Depp's Tonto in a new Lone Ranger movie. (Cambio)
- Sam Raimi will direct a Wizard of Oz prequel called "Oz: Great and Powerful", which will feature James Franco, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, and Michelle Williams as Glinda the Good Witch. (Cambio)
- Chris Hemsworth will play the Huntsman in "Snow White & The Huntsman", oppositeKristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and friend of the show Sam Claflin. (Cambio)
- The movie "Titanic" will be re-released in 3-D in 2012. And James Cameron will donate all profits to charity. That last part is the opposite of true. (NYTimes)


Trends
- Remember the Connecticut kid who took that prom sign thing to a whole new level and got banned from prom by school administrators for posting his prom proposal in giant cardboard letters on the side of the school? Well, thanks to a massive Facebook initiative, tons of Tweets, and an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the school backed down and is letting him go to prom (with the girl he was asking out. How could she say no?). They did make sure to say that he would still be punished, just in a different way. How terrifying. (JSYK)
- You know how Oprah has been at the top of Forbes' Celebrity Power 100 list for the past 4 years? Well not any more - this year it's Lady Gaga, possibly for being the first person to have10 million Twitter followers. This year's top 10 in order are Gaga, Oprah, Justin Bieber, U2, Elton John, Tiger Woods, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Simon Cowell, and LeBron James. (Cambio)
- Hailee Steinfeld is the new face of Miu Miu, following in the footsteps of Katie Holmes, Kirsten Dunst, and Vanessa Paradis. (Cambio)
- Schools are increasingly turning to online teaching during what would otherwise be snow days. School districts save money and school years aren't pushed into mid-summer, but families without internet access (or without enough computers for each of their kids) can't participate. Still, in this increasingly Day After Tomorrow-esque world, online learning is probably a really good idea. (TweenTribune)


Doing Good
- When the Collins Academy in Chicago won the "Get MotivatED Challenge" (a national competition to improve attendance rates), their grand prize was to get Nicki Minaj as their principal for a day. And now they can all go back to skipping school and not hanging out with hip hop moguls. (JSYK)
- Miranda Cosgrove and the casts of iCarly and Victorious spent Sunday at a charity event for St. Jude's, and the St. Jude's kids tried to make the day about her, by giving her a giant birthday cake in honor of her 18th. It was very sweet, but Miranda didn't let it go to her head - she kept the day all about the St. Jude's kids. (JSYK)
- The newly-single Leonardo DiCaprio has raised over $200,000 for relief efforts in Haiti, and only $70k of that was his own money. (Cambio)


What?!
- A missing chihuahua has been reunited with its owners... FIVE YEARS after it disappeared! Microchips really do work, but only if someone finds the dog. No word on what Cookie was up to for five years, but something tells me Disney will have a movie out about it within a year. (TweenTribune)
- A man was not allowed to board a train in northern Wales this week when he attempted to board it with his pony. It wasn't even a miniature pony, it was just a pony pony, and for some reason he thought no one would have a problem with having a large, hoofed animal in a moving train car. Only in Wales. Or New Zealand. (TweenTribune)


Movies Opening This Weekend (imdb)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Midnight in Paris (limited)
Louder Than a Bomb (limited)


Top 10 in the Box Office last Weekend (imdb)
1. Thor
2. Bridesmaids
3. Fast Five
4. Priest
5. Rio
6. Jumping the Broom
7. Something Borrowed
8. Water for Elephants
9. Madea's Big Happy Family
10. Soul Surfer

Friday, May 13, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of May 9 - 13

Bieberiffic
- OMGOMGOMG "Never Say Never" was released on DVD today!!!!! And because there's always more money to be made, the Bieb-machine set up a website (NSNweekend.com) which, when linked to your Facebook page, gives you access to JB t-shirt stencils, Twitter skin, printables, recipes, and more. (JSYK)
- At a press conference in Indonesia, Justin Bieber kissed Selena Gomez. Well that explains ONE of the Twitter outages this week... (JSYK)
- A 14-year-old girl who lost her father in the 9/11 attacks wrote to President Obama not asking to meet the president, but asking if he could arrange for her to meet Justin Bieber. Obama invited her to the ceremony at Ground Zero, and when he met her there he promised to try to help reach the Bieb. Bieber read about this story and tweeted that Obama will keep his promise, although JB didn't actually reach out to the girl. Smart money is, if Obama can track down Bin Laden, he can probably track down His Biebness. (Cambio)


TV
- Ashton is the new Charlie. Hopefully just on TV. Kutcher will replace Sheen on "Two and a Half Men" in a plot device that Chuck Lorre describes as "hilarious." We shall see, Lorre. We shall see. (Cambio)
- During a radio interview with Europe 1, "CSI" actress Marg Helgenberger said that during his recent guest appearances on the show, Justin Bieber was "kind of a brat." Ha! Apparently he locked a producer in a closet, and destroyed a cake that was on the cast's table. Granted, he was sort of part of the cast that day, but clearly they were having none of his shenanigans. (CNN)
- Following the season wrap of Glee, Diana Agron chopped her hair. This is not news. (JSYK)
- ION will broadcast the Young Hollywood Awards on May 26. Giuliana Rancic will present awards to Elle Fanning, Hailee Steinfed, Aimee Teegarden and more. (JJJ)
- Once her show wraps this year, Oprah is headed to Broadway! She has met with producers and they are figuring out which play to do, but it "is really going to happen." (Cambio)
- Betraying every definition of the word "reality," Bristol Palin will co-star in a new reality series on BIO Channel with Chris & Kyle Massey. The three, plus Bristol's son Tripp, will all move into a house together and Bristol will work at a small charity. (Cambio)


Movies
- Zac Efron has joined the cast of "The Paperboy," based on the 1995 novel by Pete Dexter. Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, and Sofia Vergara are already on board. (Cambio)
- Will Smith's ginormous trailer at the set of Men In Black III caused so many complaints that Mayor Bloomberg demanded that the 2-story mobile McMansion be moved to a private parking lot. Will had been quoted as saying the ire of the locals was "hilarious," which I'm sure the Manhattanites appreciated. (Cambio)


Music
- And in another sign that humanity is doomed, Lady Gaga will be releasing songs from her upcoming album on FarmVille. Yes, FarmVille. The game makers have created a farm called GagaVille, and players will be able to unlock one Gaga track per day from May 17 to 19 by completing tasks. No word yet whether those tasks will involve begging you to buy them cows on Facebook, although that scenario seems likely. (AP)
- YouTube has started its own music chart tracking the popularity of music videos, andJennifer Lopez is their first #1, with her song "On the Floor." (Cambio)
- And Katy Perry just set a record of her own, becoming the first artist ever to stay in the Billboard Hot 100's Top 10 for an entire year. Well done there! (Cambio)
- Selena Gomez announced the name of her next single via Twitter: "I Love You Like a Love Song Baby." There is rampant speculation that she's talking to/about Bieber. (JSYK)
- And Britney Spears' next single will be "I Wanna Go," but unlike Newt Gingrich, she did not announce it through Twitter. (Cambio)
- Rihanna released the video for her song "California King Bed" this week. (Cambio)
- Taylor Swift has released the video for her song "Mean" which is all about ultimately triumphing over bullies. I really only wish she'd actually used Kanye's name. (JSYK)


All Broken Up
- Lady Gaga split up with her boyfriend, and blames her hectic work schedule for her "miserably pathetic" love life. Because it couldn't have been the meat dress. (Cambio)
- Adele's ex-boyfriend wants a cut of the royalties from the album 21 because their breakup inspired a few tracks. Someone please tell him muses don't get paid. (Cambio)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Schriver split up this week, reenergizing the market for quotes from '80s Arnold movies. (Cambio)


Doing Good
- Seventeen magazine and ABC Family are launching the Delete Digital Drama initiative this summer to raise awareness for the problem of cyberbullying. They're even running a new made-for-tv movie on ABCF called "Cyberbully" starring Emily Osment, Kelly Rowan, and Kay Panabaker. (Cambio)
- After seeing cell phone footage of the tornadoes last month, Taylor Swift decided to open her rehearsals to the public, donating ticket money raised to tornado relief. (Cambio)
- CMT also got in on the tornado relief action. Last night they did a live, 90-minute concert special to raise money and awareness. Lots of big names from the world of country music performed. It was probably awesome. (Cambio)


Awesome
- Remember the jet-pack guy from last fall? Yves Rossy? He just flew across the Grand Canyon! Check it out. (TweenTribune)


Movies Opening This Weekend
Priest
Bridesmaids
Hesher (NY/LA)
Everything Must Go (limited)
Go For It! (limited)
Skateland (limited)
L'amour fou (NYC)
City of Life and Death (NY/LA)


Top 10 in the Box Office Last Weekend (imdb
1. Thooooooooooooooooor!
2. Fast Five
3. Jumping the Broom
4. Something Borrowed
5. Rio
6. Water for Elephants
7. Madea's Big Happy Family
8. Soul Surfer
9. Prom
10. Hoodwinked Too! Hood VS. Evil

Friday, May 6, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of May 2 - 6

Bieber
- Justin Bieber was pelted with eggs during his concert in Sydney last Friday, and after a video of the incident made the rounds on the interwebs, the Sydney police arrested a 17-year-old totally jealous boy who is the alleged culprit. (JSYK)
- Remember the YouTube video where the skinny little kid was bullying the bigger one until the bigger one snapped, picked the bully up, and slammed him down, breaking the kid's leg? Yeah, so does Justin Bieber, who met with the bullied kid while touring in Australia this week. Bieb told the kid, who he'd had flown in from Melbourne, that he was proud of him for standing up for himself. (JSYK)


TV
- Teen Mom has been renewed for a 4th season. Where on Earth are they going to find moreteen moms? Oh, right, the show is self-perpetuating. (Teen.com)
- Selena Gomez will host the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto in June. MuchMusic is like MTV, only, y'know, Canadian. (JJJ)


Movies
- "Fast Five" set box office records, and so of course now we're getting yet another Fast & Furious sequel. I'm hoping they'll call it "Fast Five 2: Faster and Fiver." (Cambio)
- As we already know, Glee is going on tour again this summer, but they will also be coming to a movie theater near you, starting August 12. Oh yes, "Glee Live! 3D!" will be the multidimensional concert movie extravaganza of the summer. Count on it. (JSYK)


Music
- Adele turned 23 this week and sang at her own birthday party, mostly because it was a karaoke party. But also because she loves singing. (Cambio)
- Jordin Sparks has a new single called "I Am Woman", which will be on her next album. (JSYK)
- Selena Gomez's next album will be called "Otherside", and is due out June 28th. I'm pretty sure there's supposed to be a space in there somewhere, but that's why she's the artist. (Cambio)
- During her concert in Ecuador on Friday, Miley Cyrus covered Nirvana's "Smells Like TeenSpirit." Reviews are mixed, but most people who actually remember 1991 agree it wasn't exactly advisable. (JSYK)
- OMG Joe Jonas is going to be at Wango Tango! Remember when the Jonas Brothers were a thing? (Cambio)
- Mariah Carey named her twin babies: the girl is Monroe and the boy is Moroccan Scott. This is not newsworthy information. (Cambio)
- Lady Gaga has a rider on her venue contracts stating that ice for beverages is banned starting 30 minutes before her shows, because she's afraid her fans will throw it at her. Unrelated: remember when Charlize Theron was on Arrested Development and at first they thought her character's fashion sense was quirky? (Cambio)


Trends
- Demi Lovato is blogging! For Seventeen Magazine. (Cambio)


Doing Good
- After releasing her official video for Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" campaign, Beyoncemade a surprise visit to students at PS 161 in Harlem while they were taking part in a "Let's Move! Flash Workout." She jumped right in and danced the routine with them, the kids all freaked out, and everyone had a great time. (JSYK)
- And Beyonce is raising money for the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund by releasing her cover of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" as a single. (Cambio)
- Wayne Brady surprised a teacher and classroom full of kids with $1000 worth of classroom supplies, plus a day full of activities as part of Office Max's "A Day Made Better" program. Call me old fashioned, but having a corporate sponsor in the name of your charity, and then expecting others to donate to it, well, it seems wrong. (JSYK)
- Britney Spears is hosting a dinner to raise funds for ongoing Hurricane Katrina relief. Can you believe it's almost been 6 years? Where does the time go. (Cambio)


Movies Opening this Weekend (imdb)
Thor
Something Borrowed
Jumping the Broom
The Beaver (limited)
Last Night (limited)
Hobo with a Shotgun (limited)
Passion Play (limited)
There Be Dragons (limited)


Top 10 Movies in the Box Office Last Weekend (imdb)
1. Fast Five
2. Rio
3. Madea's Big Happy Family
4. Water for Elephants
5. Prom
6. Hoodwinked Too! Hood VS Evil
7. Soul Surfer
8. Insidious
9. Hop
10. Source Code

Friday, April 29, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of April 25 - 29

Ripley's Belieb It or Not
- Justin Bieber and Rascal Flatts got a CMT Music Award nomination for their collaboration, "That Should Be Me." So, I guess it is them. If they win, anyway. (JSYK)
- The Bieb is working on a new album that will be released later this year! Rumor has it the new album will actually have new material, and will not be a re-re-re-re-remix of his old stuff. (JSYK)
- His stint on CSI did lead to bigger and better things! First Ashton recruited him for a movie, and now Mark Wahlberg is jumping on the bandwagon, putting together a Paramount movie with himself and the one and only Bieber. (Cambio)
- During one of his concerts in Indonesia, JB performed a bit of Selena Gomez's song "Who Says," much to the dismay of the crowd who wanted to hear "Baby" and who also, presumably, want to believe he's still single and saving himself for them. (JSYK)
- Bieber tweeted his phone number and told his fans to call, except it totally wasn't his phone number it was his friend's and it was a birthday prank OMG LOL HE'S SO FUNNY! (Cambio)


Movies
- The trailer for Harry Potter 7.2 is out! Watch it. (JSYK)
- And the new trailer for X-Men: First Class! Hooray James McAvoy! (Cambio)
- Kristin Stewart thinks the birthing scene in Breaking Dawn isn't gross/graphic/nightmarish enough, and says it would have been so much more awesome if the movie were R-rated. Yeahno, I don't think that's necessary at all. At. All. (Cambio)
- In a publicity stunt that hopefully will become standard practice for movie promotion blitzes,Hayley Kiyoko and 15 dancers did a flash-mob in the Grove's Apple store to promote "Lemonade Mouth." It didn't make the movie any better, but it entertained a few people. (JSYK)
- The official poster for Monte Carlo makes Selena Gomez look like a kneeless dwarf. I'm not kidding. (Cambio)
- Emma Watson will be transferring out of Brown University in order to take courses not offered there. Even though you can totally just take courses elsewhere and transfer the credits in and graduate from Brown. But she's smart, I'm sure she thought of that option... (JSYK)
- Elizabeth Banks is the latest star signed on to The Hunger Games, joining Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, and Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence. Yep, this is gonna be the next Twilight Potter. (Cambio)


Music
- The band Hot Chelle Rae released the video for their latest single "Tonight Tonight," featuring the one and only Chord Overstreet. A hell of a get, until you find out that Chord's brother is the lead guitarist in the band. (JSYK)
- Train and Maroon 5 will co-headline a giant national tour this summer, starting in July and wrapping up in Houston in September. Good call waiting that long to get to H-town - it'll probably have cooled off to like 95 degrees there by then. (Cambio)
- Chris Brown smacked down rumors that he'd proposed to his girlfriend Karrueche Tran. Too soon? (Cambio)
- Britney Spears is also apparently not engaged, she's just a fan of sparkly jewelry. (Cambio)


TV
- On Fallon this week, Daniel Radcliffe showed the world he's not just a movie star and Broadway actor - he also does stand-up. Or he did, anyway, making his first attempt at the art form right there on national television. Bold. (JSYK)
- Former American Idol Jennifer Hudson wants to return to TV as a guest judge on Simon's new show X-Factor. I'm sensing some complex motivations at work there. (Cambio)
- "The Voice" premiered this week, and according to my Facebook NewsFeed, it's pretty damn good. (Cambio)


Trends
- Now Ryan Phillippe is going to quit acting. Boy I tell ya, if they aren't quitting Twitter, they're quitting acting, and if they aren't quitting acting, they're having babies. (Cambio)
- Speaking of which, Kate Hudson is expecting her second child later this year, and has announced she will take a break from making movies for a while in order to be more present in the raising of her children. Can't wait to see The Onion article about the upcoming Rom-Com shortage. (Cambio)
- Even Justin Guarini is a parent now. I know, I forgot about Idol Season 1, too! (Cambio)
- Hayden Panettiere warned her fans this week not to get foreign-language tattoos in foreign countries, after learning that her Italian-language tattoo (which she got in Italy) is spelled wrong. Fantastically, the tattoo was supposed to read "live without regrets." I <3 irony. So, so much. (Cambio)


Awesome
- Heather found this awesome story about a Dutch soccer team signing this 18-month-oldto a 10-year contract after seeing the video of him kicking soccer balls into his toy box. If you only watch one video from this week's news, make it this one. (Yahoo Sports)
- Jamie Oliver is winning! He went on Jimmy Kimmel this week with the LAUSD Superintendent, who announced that when the school board convenes in July, he'll recommendbanning flavored milk, as part of a bid to cub childhood obesity. (TweenTribune)
- And an intrepid duck in Medina, Ohio, built a nest on a pile of mulch bags outside a supermarket, and she ain't movin. The momma Mallard has laid 10 eggs in the nest, and the store has put a sign next to the bags, urging customers to leave the duck alone and get their mulch from another pile. Go ducks go! (TweenTribune)
- A British woman vacationing in Florida saved a 1-year-old's life, catching the little girl after she fell from a 4th story balcony. This is not recommended as replacement entertainment during the NFL lockout. (TweenTribune)


Movies Opening This Weekend (imdb)
Fast Five
Prom
Hoodwinked Too! Hood VS Evil
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (limited)
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (limited)
13 Assassins (limited)
Sympathy for Delicious (NY/LA)
The Robber (NY/SF)


Top 10 Movies in the Box Office Last Weekend (imdb)
1. Rio
2. Big Momma's Big Happy Family
3. Water For Elephants
4. Hop
5. Scream 4
6. African Cats
7. Soul Surfer
8. Hanna
9. Insidious
10. Source Code

Friday, April 22, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of April 18 - 22

Movies
- James Franco isn't satisfied with having a BA from UCLA, an MFA from Columbia, and his impending PhD from Yale - he has enrolled at the University of Houston in their literature and creative writing department, seeking his second PhD. He also turned 33 on Tuesday. Is there anything he isn't currently doing? (Cambio)
- Blake Lively was just cast in Oliver Stone's upcoming movie "Savages." Lindsay Lohansays she'd had her heart set on the role, but someone should tell Lindsay that so did everyone else, and she had the same chance they did. (Cambio)
- A remake of "Total Recall" is in the works, with Colin Farrell in the Schwarzenegger role, and Kate Beckinsale subbing in for Sharon Stone. I'm thinking Oscars for everyone! (Cambio)
- This week we finally learned that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will not play the Riddler in Batception, but will play a Gotham police officer instead. Marion Cotillard will also join the cast, as a high-powered socialite. This could be the best Nolan Batman yet! Especially when Batman has to enter Bane's dreams and plant the idea that he has to leave Gotham City. (Cambio)


Music
- Friends of the show Augustana have released the video for their song "Steal Your Heart." Check it. (TeenVogue)
- Nick Jonas co-wrote and produced Charice's new song "One Day", but he doesn't sing on it. DEALBREAKER. (JSYK)
- Before opening for Selena Gomez on her summer tour, All Star Weekend will do their own headlining tour around North America, starting May 14 in Burlington, VT, and including 16 dates before they join Selena on July 24. Yeah but I headlined five tours around both Americas, so... (JSYK)
- And they're smart to strike out on their own, because Selena Gomez said in an interview recently that she would like to stop touring as a musician and focus on her acting career instead. (Cambio)
- In a recent interview with Time Magazine, Justin Bieber said he thought the most influential person in the world is Charlie Sheen because, and I'm completely serious here, Charlie got a million Twitter followers in a day, has tiger blood, and is "always winning." My mind is boggled. I keep forgetting he's just some teenager. (JSYK) This may or may not have had anything to do with Bieber being named to Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world, alongside Blake Lively, the soon-to-be-wed royal couple, and of course Obama and Oprah. (Cambio)
- The Ready Set has released the video for their single "Young Forever." W00t. (JSYK)
- Mere weeks after Justin Bieber surprised Willow Smith on stage during one of her concerts, Joel Madden did the same to the Bieb during his concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Way to be original, Joel. (Cambio)
- Lady Gaga has apologized for using the word "retarded" during an interview with British music mag NME. But only after a bunch of advocacy groups got completely up in arms over it. She used the word in reference to people thinking she totally ripped off Madonna for "Born This Way." Riiiight. I'm starting a pool on how long she has left before her career completely implodes. Who wants in? (Cambio)
- And Rihanna's song "S&M" went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, her 10th chart-topper in under 5 years, which is the fastest a solo artist has ever managed to get 10 #1 hit songs. Of course, the Beatles did it in under two years. Just sayin. (Cambio)


TV
- Chris Colfer wrote a pilot for the Disney Channel called "The Little Leftover Witch," based on a children's book, and the pilot is due to start shooting soon. Because it's always that easy. (JSYK)
- Apparently JLo has been enjoying her American Idol gig, because she has signed a deal to develop a TV series searching for untapped musical talent in Latin America. Where have I heard that concept before?? (Cambio)
- Matthew Morrison is campaigning to get Adele to guest star on Glee. That wouldn't suck. (Cambio)
- Demi Lovato will not be returning to her show "Sonny With a Chance," and will instead focus on her music. It is unclear whether she or Disney made that decision, but she's making the best of it. (Cambio)


Trendz
- The biggest star on YouTube this week was a little penguin named Cookie, who laughs when tickled. It's adorable. (TweenTribune)
- Lauren Conrad has launched a new beauty website, TheBeautyDepartment.com, which aims to give beauty tips and tutorials on hair & makeup to girls, because, as Lauren said, she never learned how to do these things properly when she was young and the results weren't always great. Her words, not mine. (JSYK)
- In an effort to curb childhood obesity, schools in Malaysia will start adding the student'sBody-Mass Index to their report card, so that their parents will know if the child needs to change their eating patterns. The government has already banned fast-food and sugary soft drinks from school cafeterias, and they hope adding the BMI to report cards will further help to reverse trends in childhood obesity. (TweenTribune)


Doing Good
- Richard Branson is creating a lemur colony on Moskito Island, his uninhabited island in the Caribbean. That felt like a MadLib. Lemurs are endangered primates, and this new colony will be the only wild lemurs outside of Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. (TweenTribune)


Movies Opening This Weekend (imdb)
Water for Elephants
Madea's Big Happy Family
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (limited)
African Cats
Incendies (limited)
Stake Land (limited)
When Harry Tries to Marry (NY/LA)
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (limited)


Top 10 in the Box Office Last Weekend (imdb)
1. Rio
2. Scream 4
3. Hop
4. Hanna
5. Soul Surfer
6. Arthur
7. Insidious
8. Source Code
9. Your Highness
10. Limitless

Friday, April 15, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of April 11 - 15

Movies
- Tom Hanks' production company bought the movie rights to the Green Day Broadway musical "American Idiot." I hope it turns out exactly like "That Thing You Do!" (Cambio)
- The trailer is out for Selena Gomez and Cory Monteith's upcoming movie "Monte Carlo." Watch it. Or don't. (JSYK)


Music
- Taylor Swift bought her parents a $1.4M home in Nashville, not too far from her condo. Careful, Tay. If you give a mouse a cookie... (JSYK)
- Yellowcard and Good Charlotte will co-headline a 5-week tour starting in June. (JSYK)


TV
- Miranda Cosgrove has been accepted to NYU and USC, but hasn't decided which one she'll attend yet. What Would Carly Do? (JSYK) Especially since "iCarly" was just renewed for a 5th season? (Cambio)
- Kelly Ripa is devastated that "All My Children" was cancelled. Toootally forgot she used to be on that show! (Cambio)
- Kim Kardashian is reportedly already shopping for wedding dresses and knows what kind of engagement ring she wants from basketball player boyfriend Kris Humphries, even though he hasn't popped the question. No word yet whether she's trying for her own spin-off series on E!, or whether she's at all freaked out that her boyfriend spells his name the same way as her mom. (Cambio)


Tech
- That Flip cam is now a collector's item - Cisco announced this week that it is discontinuing production of Flips. It seems they were no match for the video recording prowess of smartphones. (JSYK)


Trends
- Justin Bieber is the latest celeb to take a Twitter break (or "Twake"), and somehow people are blaming Israel. Typical. (JSYK)
- Soccer is now the #1 sport among tween girls who have watched this video. (JSYK)
- Glee + Flash Mob = Glee Flash Mob (JSYK)


Cashing In
- Cody Simpson is now a breakfast cereal. Cody Crunch. It's an appalling part of a healthy breakfast! (JSYK)


Movies Opening This Weekend (imdb)
Rio
Scream 4
Henry's Crime (limited)
The Conspirator (limited)


Top 10 in the Box Office Last Weekend
1. Hop
2. Hanna
3. Arthur
4. Soul Surfer
5. Insidious
6. Your Highness
7. Source Code
8. Limitless
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 Rodrick Rules
10. The Lincoln Lawyer

Friday, April 8, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of April 4 - 8

TV
- Gregg Sulkin had to leave the Wizards of Waverly Place set yesterday afternoon for an emergency appendectomy. The surgery was a success, and the now appendix-free actor will return to the show soon. (Cambio)
- In an interview with the Daily Mail, Betty White said she's disgusted by "ungrateful" starslike Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen, who take their success for granted and don't appreciate their fame. Amen, sista. (Cambio)
- Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham isn't done exposing the torrid details of her life for profit - since TV is so limiting, she's now writing an autobiography. I think this'll be the Great American Novel, don't you? (JSYK)
- The notorious Justin Bieber put in an appearance on the season premiere of Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory on MTV, and to the shock and surprise of absolutely no one, JB managed to complete the missions set to him, and won the prize: a 3-wheeled purple motorcycle. (JSYK)
- Selena Gomez sang "Who Says" during a guest appearance on Dancing With the Stars this week. Hooray. (JJJ)
- Tina Fey is pregnant with her second child. No word yet how this will affect Liz Lemon's quest for love. (Cambio)


Movies
- Hailee Steinteld has been cast in an independent production of Romeo & Juliet, to be shot (poor word choice) in Italy later this year. (JSYK)
- Robert Pattinson is pissed off that photos from the Breaking Dawn set were leaked online, and is saying as much to everyone in earshot. Seems like an overreaction, but I hear that's a good way to get an Oscar a few years down the line. (Cambio)
- Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth were cast in The Hunger Games this week, joining the recently-announced Jennifer Lawrence. (JSYK)
- Will Smith is teaming up with his son Jaden again, this time for a sci-fi movie with M. Night Shyamalan. What they don't realize is that M Night has actually been a dead alien the whole time. (JJJ)
- The trailer is out for Selena Gomez's movie "Monte Carlo." (Cambio)
- The latest addition to the cast of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is Mae Whitman. (...her?) She joins Emma Watson and Logan Lerman. (JJJ)


Music
- Matthew Morrison is doing a solo tour this summer, and he wants regional glee clubs to open for him in each city. The contest to be chosen begins today, so submit your videos now! (JSYK)
- Selena Gomez isn't sure whether she'll record a duet with her boyfriend Justin Bieber. This is not news. (JSYK)
- Taylor Swift won Entertainer of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards last weekend. She responded with well-produced gushing about her fans. (JSYK)
- Nicki Minaj is the latest performer to be mentioned as a possible Enrique substitute on Britney Spears's tour this summer. Turns out Usher hasn't signed up for the tour yet. I stand by last week's speculation as to why. (Cambio)
- Dolce & Gabbana will throw Justin Bieber a party in Milan after his concert there on Saturday just because he's such a good kid and wears their clothing on the red carpet all the time. (JSYK)
- A new study at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed a very strong correlation between teen depression and listening to a lot of music, but they did not figure out whether listening to that much music causes depression, or whether depressed teens use music as an escape. But if they're listening to The Cure, I bet I know which way the causality goes. (JSYK)


Wait, What?
- When her parents wouldn't get her a horse, a 15-year-old in Germany spent two years training the family's cow to jump gates as if it were a horse. It's cray-cray for totes. (JSYK)
- Miley isn't getting enough attention, so she reactivated her Twitter account and is trying to get one million followers by next week. C'mon people, LET'S MAKE THIS HAPPEN! (JSYK)
- Rutgers University is paying Nobel-winning novelist Toni Morrison $30,000 to do their commencement address this spring, but they paid $#%@ing Snooki $32,000 to just show up and yak about GTL and her hair. Seriously. Because apparently they believe none of this crop of Rutgers students will ever win a Nobel, but if they set their minds to it, they might just be able to achieve an Oompa Loompa shade of orange like the Snookster. (TweenTribune)
- The Boy Scouts of America organization is introducing a new merit badge next week:robotics! In addition to actually being fun for once, the badge will promote science, technology, engineering, and math. (TweenTribune)


Doing Good
- Kelly Clarkson visited an orphanage in South Africa recently. The House of Hope looks after abused and abandoned children with HIV in Cape Town. (Cambio)
- A new PSA by the New Boyz (timed to coincide with the release of their album "Too Cool to Care") urges teens to embrace their originality, be themselves, and be Too Cool to Care (and presumably buy the album and quote it and get that meme going). (JSYK)
- Darren Criss will perform with the Yale Glee Club at a gala in San Francisco in May to benefit an anti-bullying NPO and one that strives to get teens thinking about social issues in a productive way and to help them make healthier life choices. (JSYK)
- The Smithsonian and MIT have created a massive online science game for middle schoolers that already has thousands of participants despite not launching until 4/11. The game requires students to gather clues at their local museums, then collaborate in online forums with kids across the country, and to use critical thinking and problem-solving to figure out the mystery. I'll admit, I'm very very jealous and want to play, too. (TweenTribune)


Movies Opening This Weekend (imdb)
Your Highness
Arthur
Hanna
Born to be Wild
Soul Surfer
Meek's Cutoff (NY/LA)
Ceremony (NY/LA)


Top 10 in the Box Office Last Weekend (imdb)
1. Hop
2. Source Code
3. Insidious
4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules
5. Limitless
6. The Lincoln Lawyer
7. Sucker Punch
8. Rango
9. Paul
10. Battle: Los Angeles

Friday, April 1, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of March 28 - April 1

TV
- Jenelle Evans from Teen Mom season 2 was arrested for breaking in & entering and marijuana possession, and ceded guardianship of her kid to her mother, but now she's gone and actually done something bad. Over the weekend, she was videotaped beating the crap out of a girl, allegedly because the girl was flirting with Jenelle's boyfriend, and of course the video made the rounds on the internet. I'm so glad we're giving today's youth role models like this on television, aren't you? (JSYK)
- Betty White is the host and EP of a new prank show on NBC called "Off Their Rockers". In the show, a group of senior citizens plays practical jokes on unsuspecting young rubes. Although this sounds like a joke pitch, I'm assured it is in fact real. (Cambio)
- There was a big ol' article about Miranda Cosgrove in last Sunday's New York Times magazine. Interesting stuff! (NYTimes)


Music
- Bieber's latest prank victim is Willow Smith, but it's more of a surprise than a prank. During her concert in Manchester (UK) last week, Biebs, Scooter, Jaden Smith, and another Bieber entourage member all joined Willow on stage for "Whip Your Hair". Bieber even added some cowbell to the tune. pranking starts 1:30 in. Willow has vowed revenge. (JSYK)
- Katy Perry released the video for her song "E.T." this week. It's every bit as bland, literal, and low-budget-looking as you'd expect from a video by Mrs. Brand featuring Kanye. (Cambio)
- Enrique Iglesias opted out of Britney Spears' tour this summer. Undaunted, Britney invitedUsher to join her instead. No word on whether she realizes he's a performer, or if she thinks he'll just help steer her to the stage every night. (Cambio)
- Taylor Swift's album sales passed the 20,000,000 mark this week. She was presented with a plaque commemorating the event backstage before her concert in London on Wednesday. 3 albums, 20 million copies. Damn, son. That's a lot of love. (Cambio)


Movies
- John Travolta officially signed on to play John Gotti in Nick Cassavetes' upcoming biopic of the "alleged" mobster. (Cambio)
- Russel Brand has two more comedies currently in development, and he told reporters he wants to direct both films. I'm sure as an actor he's prepared for that job. After all, I've had lots of dental work done over the years, which has fully qualified me to be a dentist. (Cambio)
- Batman is getting re-re-booted. After next year's "The Dark Knight Rises," Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale will be done with their trilogy, and Warner Brothers will "reinvent" the franchise yet again. Because clearly that was necessary. Um... (Cambio)
- Hide your kids, hide your wife: Justin Bieber is in talks to star in an R-rated comedy withAshton Kutcher called "What Would Kenny Do?" about a 17-year-old who meets a hologram (claiming to be his 30-year-old future self), who helps him navigate high school and whatever will get them an R rating. (CNN)
- James Franco will actually be a professor at NYU, teaching a directing class to 3rd year grad students. This portion of his inevitable biopic will be very boring, but will probably introduce the romantic foil who will carry us into Act 2. (Cambio)
- Jennifer Garner will play Miss Marple in an upcoming "reimagining" of Agatha Christie's classic detective stories. Because if there's one actress who springs to mind when you think of an old unassuming biddy from the English countryside who can investigate and solve crimes undetected because no one would think such a nice old lady would be doing anything like that, it's Jennifer Garner. (Cambio)
- The latest addition to the Superman cast is Amy Adams as Lois Lane. (Cambio)


In the Series of Tubes
- Tyler "Tornado Boy" Tubbs blew up online this week after he posted a video he shot as a tornado touched down next to his home in western Pennsylvania. The video has gotten almost 400,000 hits on YouTube, and has been mentioned on GMA and Jimmy Kimmel. Spoiler Alert: he survived the twister. (JSYK)
- This week, Amazon.com released their new products: Cloud Drive and Cloud Player. Cloud Drive is basically an online external hard drive, much like Google Docs but with more structure, and it can be accessed using any browser. You can store everything up there including music, and use Cloud Player to play that music on any web-enabled device. 5GB free, or pay for up to 1000 GB. (Cambio)
- While the Egyptian cobra was on the loose this week after escaping her cage in the Bronx Zoo, she popped up on Twitter, under the name @BronxZoosCobra. I'll admit, I was a big fan, and I wasn't alone - over 200,000 followers kept up with the cobra's adventures around NYC. (Twitter)
- My other online obsession right now is the website for Sokoblovsky Farms, Russia's Finest Purveyors of Miniature Lap Giraffes (like the one seen in those DirecTV ads). The site has a giraffe-cam, where you can watch the tiny Vladimir in his enclosure on the farm. Seriously, check it out. And as they say, "if not see him, don't worry he come back." You will, too. Nearly half a million people have signed up to be on the waiting list for their very own miniature lap giraffe. Awesome.
- Jackie Chan is not dead, although he was the latest celeb to get an "RIP" trending topic on Twitter this week. Glad he's still with us. (Cambio)


Trends
- President Obama wants to overhaul the current national education laws, and reduce the amount of standardized testing. Tests would be administered every few years instead of annually, and schools would also be assessed by other measures, like attendance. Representatives of the manufacturers of #2 pencils could not be reached for comment. (TweenTribune)
- Teen hospital visits due to complications from use of the drug Ecstasy increased 74% between 2004 and 2008. I, for one, am impressed. That's a hell of an increase. (JSYK)


Doing Good
- Miranda Cosgrove is the face of Nickelodeon's new anti-bullying TV campaign. (Cambio)


Movies Opening This Weekend
Hop
Source Code
Insidious
Super
In A Better World (NY/LA)
Cat Run (limited)
Rubber (NY/LA/Austin)
Trust (limited)


Top 10 in the box office last weekend
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules
2. Sucker Punch
3. Limitless
4. The Lincoln Lawyer
5. Rango
6. Paul
7. Battle: Los Angeles
8. Red Riding Hood
9. The Adjustment Bureau
10. Mars Needs Moms

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Weekly News Roundup - week of March 14 - 18

Biebieber
- Justin Bieber dropped by the London Madame Tussauds for the unveiling of his wax doppelganger, and if you want to see a really creepy picture, click here. (JSYK)
- The long-awaited collaboration between JB and Rascal Flatts has finally been released. Check out the video for "That Should Be Me." (JSYK)
- The Fab One was forced out of his hotel in Liverpool, England, after two fans dressed as maids snuck into his room and photos of his stuff using their cell phones (or "mobiles" as they call them there). This was, of course, after a mob of screaming girls had assembled outside the hotel, and the police had warned Bieber that if he made an appearance on his balcony, he would be arrested for inciting a riot. (Cambio)


Movies
- Taylor Swift has signed on to the cast of The Lorax (scheduled to release in March 2012), joining Zac Efron, Betty White, Ed Helms, Danny DeVito, Rob Riggle, and others. (JSYK)
- Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence will star as Katniss in the movie version of The Hunger Games (aka the next Twilight series). Now we can go back to speculating which other Inception cast-member will be in the next announced villain in the new Batman movie. (JSYK)
- There's a new teaser out for HP7.2! Check it out. (Cambio)
- Kevin Costner will play Superman's adoptive dad in the new Zach Snyder movie. He joins the already-cast Henry Cavill and Diane Lane. (Cambio)
- A decade after the first movie bombed, "Daredevil" is getting a reboot. Ben Affleck is not expected to have anything to do with the new version. Somehow I still don't think it'll work. (Cambio)


Music
- Rebecca Black's "Friday" is being hailed by critics and fans alike as being the hands-down absolute worst song of all time bar none. Can't say I disagree. (JSYK)
- Lady Gaga is being honored... but not for her music. She is this year's recipient of the CFDA Style Icon award. Her stylists and designers sure did earn it! (Cambio)
- Billy Ray Cyrus has decided not to get divorced, and instead to patch things up with his family. Best of luck to you, BRC. (Cambio)
- The Maine will be going on tour with friends of the show Augustana, starting May 12th in Dallas, and wrapping up in Phoenix on June18th. (Cambio)


TV
- Christina Applegate has signed on to an untitled NBC sitcom about a working mom, her stay-at-home husband, and her inevitably opinionated parents. (Cambio)
- And David Henrie has been cast as the lead in the CBS pilot "Assistants", which is about... assistants. To celebrities. Someone strained a few brain cells coming up with that one. (JJJ)
- Matthew Morrison will direct a few of the upcoming episodes of Glee. I hope that turns out to be better in practice than in theory. (Cambio)


Blatant Gossip
- OH NOES! Ashley Greene and Joe Jonas split up! And mere months short of their one-year anniversary! (JSYK)


Technology
- Finally satisfying the demands of the nation, there is now an app called "90210 - The Game", where the whole point is to be popular. Huzzah! (JSYK)
- Eminem is officially the most popular person on Facebook, having overtaken Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga. Guess he's Not Afraid of meaningless victory! (Cambio)


Innovation
- A 13-year-old kid in Ohio created a line of "man candles" as a counterpoint to the "girly"-scented candles made by his sister. The Man Candles come in several different varieties of scents that men like, including bacon, pizza, and sawdust. (JSYK)


Doing Good
- UNICEF has a contest right now where for $5 you can enter to win a Celebrity Tap Pack, which is a case of water poured from celebrities' home faucets (Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Robin Williams, Adrian Grenier, and Taylor Swift are among the participating celebs). I seriously hope their tap water tastes better than the rest of the tap water in LA. (JSYK)
- Meanwhile, stars like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga have been encouraging fans to donate to Japan disaster relief. The Lady even designed "We Pray for Japan" bracelets that fans can buy for $5, with all proceeds going to tsunami relief. (JSYK)
- Sandra Bullock, meanwhile, cut out the middleman by donating $1,000,000 to the Red Cross for disaster relief. Even after the Red Cross takes their cut, that's a heck of a donation! (Cambio)
- After learning that thieves had stolen computers from a high school in his hometown of Philadelphia (in West Philadelphia he was born and raised), Will Smith donated 29 brand-new computers to the school. What a prince! (Cambio)


Movies Opening This Weekend (imdb)
Paul
Limitless
The Lincoln Lawyer
Win Win
Bill Cunningham New York (NYC)
Cracks (NYC)
Winter in Wartime (NYC/LA)
The Music Never Stopped (limited)


Top 10 in the Box Office Last Weekend (imsb)
1. Battle: Los Angeles
2. Rango
3. Red Riding Hood
4. The Adjustment Bureau
5. Mars Needs Moms
6. Beastly
7. Hall Pass
8. Just Go With It
9. Gnomeo & Juliet
10. The King's Speech