Poppedy Popped Culture

Closing Doors for the Time Being

ph. diddy — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 02:09:44 +0000

I just don’t have the time to make a go of this blog - at least not right now.

So, this little baby is closed until further notice.

Today's Birthday - November 15, 2007

ph. diddy — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:44:10 +0000

Judge Joseph Wapner is 88.
Statesman Howard H. Baker Junior is 82.
Actor Ed Asner is 78.
Actor John Kerr is 76.
Singer Petula Clark is 75.
Comedian Jack Burns is 74.
Actress Joanna Barnes is 73.
Actor Sam Waterston is 67.
Pop singer Frida (ABBA) is 62.
Actor Bob Gunton is 62.
Director-actor James Widdoes is 54.
Rock singer-producer Mitch Easter is 53.
Actress Beverly D’Angelo is 53.
CNN anchor-reporter John Roberts is 51.
“Tonight Show” bandleader Kevin Eubanks is 50.
Comedian Judy Gold is 45.
Rapper E-40 is 40.
Actress Rachel True is 38.
Country singer Jack Ingram is 37.
Actor Jonny Lee Miller is 35.
Actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier is 34.
Christian rock musician David Carr (Third Day) is 33.
Rock singer-musician Chad Kroeger is 33.
Rock musician Jesse Sandoval is 33.
Actress Virginie Ledoyen is 31.

Alicia Keys' "No One" Is My #1 Jam

ph. diddy — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:31:36 +0000

Alicia Keys’ new single “No One” is now my #1 jam.

I hope the rest of her new CD “As I Am” is as good.

Today's Birthday - November 14, 2007

ph. diddy — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:14:47 +0000

Former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali is 85.
Actress Kathleen Hughes is 79.
Jazz musician Ellis Marsalis is 73.
Writer P.J. O’Rourke is 60.
Zydeco singer-musician Buckwheat Zydeco is 60.
Britain’s Prince Charles is 59.
Actor Robert Ginty is 59.
Rock singer-musician James Young (Styx) is 58.
Singer Stephen Bishop is 56.
Blues musician Anson Funderburgh is 53.
Pianist Yanni is 53.
Actress Laura San Giacomo is 46.
Actor D.B. Sweeney is 46.
Rapper Reverend Run (Run-DMC) is 43.
Actor Patrick Warburton is 43.
Rock musician Nic Dalton is 43.
Country singer Rockie Lynne is 43.
Pop singer Jeanette Jurado (Expose) is 42.
Rock musician Brian Yale is 39.
Rock singer Butch Walker is 38.
Actor Josh Duhamel is 35.
Rock musician Travis Barker is 32.
Contemporary Christian musician Robby Shaffer is 32.
Rapper Shyheim is 30.

They Tried to Make Me Go to WiiHab

ph. diddy — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:05:54 +0000

Enjoy this Nintendo Wii & Amy Winehouse “Rehab” parody…

Today's Birthday - November 13, 2007

ph. diddy — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:16:23 +0000

Actress Madeleine Sherwood is 85.
Journalist-author Peter Arnett is 73.
Producer-director Garry Marshall is 73.
Country singer-songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard is 61.
Actor Joe Mantegna is 60.
Actress Sheila Frazier is 59.
Actress Frances Conroy is 54.
Musician Andrew Ranken (The Pogues) is 54.
Actress Tracy Scoggins is 54.
Actress-comedian Whoopi Goldberg is 52.
Actor Chris Noth is 51.
Actor Rex Linn (”CSI: Miami”) is 51.
Actress Caroline Goodall is 48.
Actor Neil Flynn (”Scrubs”) is 47.
Rock musician Walter Kibby (Fishbone) is 43.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel is 40.
Actor Steve Zahn is 39.
Rock musician Nikolai Fraiture is 29.
Actress Monique Coleman is 27.

JJ Abram's Star Trek Spoilers

ph. diddy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:17:08 +0000

I am actually looking forward to the new Star Trek Movie. It seems to be well-casted - Chris Pine as James T. Kirk; Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock; Karl Urban as Leonard “Bones” McCoy; Simon Pegg as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott; John Cho as Hikaru Sulu; Zoe Saldana as Uhura; Anton Yelchin as Pavel Checkov; Eric Bana as Nero; Bruce Greenwood as Captain Christopher Pike; and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock.

So far, I’ve heard that they are allegedly dispensing with some Star Trek lore and heading in a new direction. That could be good news. I was so disappointed by the last Star Trek movie “Nemesis”. There was so many possibilities and storylines presented by Captain Picard’s clone. I was excited to see where they would take it. They took it nowhere. Instead of exploring new worlds, Data turned into Spock, and they shamelessly rehashed old material over and over again.

Anyway, spoilers for the new Star Trek movie have popped up over at IESB.net. I don’t dare read them yet, but if you are interested check out the Star Trek spoilers.

Rush Hour 3 Better Left Unmade

ph. diddy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:57:05 +0000

So after seeing Bourne Ultimatum, I was again willing to give another one of these three-quels a try.

Thus far, I’ve seen Spiderman 3 and was disappointed. Uncle Ben died in the first flick, stop with the rehashing. No more long speeches from Aunt May please. It would have been great if they had left out the Sandman altogether, and focused on Gwen Stacey and Eddie Brock (Venom). But that didn’t happened, and all the crying by Peter was a bit much. And don’t even get me started on Harry (rolls eyes).

I saw Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and that was one loooonnnngggg turkey. It was incredibly boring and NOT funny. And the ending was total bollocks.

I saw Shrek 3. I had no expectations. I thought the first two flicks were over-rated. But the third was alright.

Well, because Bourne Ultimatum seemed to buck the trend of suckiness for the three-quel, I was willing to give Rush Hour 3 a try. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a waste of my time. It had made-for-tv or direct-to-dvd written all over it. It was the ultimate Hollywood con that anyone was tricked into a theater to see this poor simulation of a movie. It was obvious that Jackie Chan was not into this flick. And Chris Tucker often walks a thin line between pure annoyance and actually being funny. Here, he was simply annoying. Everything seem contrived and utterly stupid. It also would have been great if they could have dispensed with the concentration on race. This is the third movie y’all. We get it. Jackie Chan is Chinese. Chris Tucker is black. Hardy, har, har. (gags)

Today's Birthday - November 12, 2007

ph. diddy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:54:53 +0000

Rhythm-and-blues singer Ruby Nash Curtis (Ruby and the Romantics) is 68.
Actor-playwright Wallace Shawn is 64.
Singer Brian Hyland is 64.
Rhythm-and-blues singer Jimmy Hayes (Persuasions) is 64.
Rock musician Booker T. Jones (Booker T. & the MGs) is 63.
Singer-songwriter Neil Young is 62.
Rock musician Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser (Blue Oyster Cult) is 60.
Country singer Barbara Fairchild is 57.
Actress-talk show host Megan Mullally is 49.
Olympic gold medal gymnast Nadia Comaneci is 46.
Rock musician David Ellefson is 43.
Actor Sam Lloyd is 40.
Figure skater Tonya Harding is 37.
Actress Radha Mitchell is 34.
Actress Lourdes Benedicto is 33.
Actress Tamala Jones is 33.
Actress Angela Watson is 33.
Singer Tevin Campbell is 31.
Actress Ashley Williams is 29.
Actor Ryan Gosling is 27.
Contemporary Christian musician Chris Huffman is 27.
Actress Anne Hathaway is 25.
Pop singer Omarion is 23.
Actress Macey Cruthird (”Hope and Faith”) is 15.

Bourne Ultimatum is Kick @ss Good

ph. diddy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:49:06 +0000

I admit that I was hesitant to see the third installment of the Bourne Trilogy. I was miffed when they unceremoniously offed his girlfriend in the second flick. Further adding to my hesitation was how disappointing bad third movie installments have been lately. Both Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Spiderman 3 faltered miserably. But despite my misgivings, Bourne Ultimatum rocked. It was probably one of the best actions movies I’ve seen in a long time. It was intelligent, yet over the top. It was cool, calm, and banging all at once. Whatever the secret sauce is to making the ultimate thrill-ride adventure movie, Ultimatum had it in spades.

Alicia Keys Could Have Been "Wild" Without Mom's Input

ph. diddy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:10:12 +0000

If it weren’t for her mother, Alicia Keys might have a radically different image. Keys, who has a new album titled “As I Am,” says that when she was trying to choose a professional name she went through a dictionary and stopped on the word “wild.”

She tells Newsweek in the magazine’s November 19th issue that she asked her mother how Alicia Wild sounded to her.

“She said “It sounds like you’re a stripper,’” Keys said.

After that, she decided to use Keys.

“It’s like the piano keys. And it can open so many doors,” said the singer born Alicia Augello-Cook.

Has the Movie Theme Song Died?

ph. diddy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:01:34 +0000

There was a time around 1997 when no matter where you were — in the car, on the StairMaster, at the dentist’s office — you couldn’t help but hear “My Heart Will Go On,” the soaring Celine Dion ballad from “Titanic.”Resistance was futile. It did go on, and on, and on — an example not just of great marketing, but of the kind of movie theme song that no longer exists.

These extinct songs were big and poignant on their own, but also used skillfully within their films. They became “a souvenir” of the theatrical experience, as six-time Oscar-nominated songwriter Diane Warren puts it.

So, has the movie theme song disappeared? Or has the way movies and music are blended changed?

Anyway, here are a few highlights from the Oscar winners for best original song since the 1970s. I bolded the ones I liked. What are some of your favorite movie songs???

1971 “Theme from Shaft” from “Shaft”

1972 “The Morning After” from “The Poseidon Adventure”

1973 “The Way We Were” from “The Way We Were”

1976 “Evergreen (Love Theme From A Star Is Born)” from “A Star Is Born”

1977 “You Light Up My Life” from “You Light Up My Life”

1978 “Last Dance” from “Thank God It’s Friday”

1980 “Fame” from “Fame”

1981 “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” from “Arthur”

1982 “Up Where We Belong” from “An Officer and a Gentleman”

1983 “Flashdance … What a Feeling” from “Flashdance”

1984 “I Just Called to Say I Love You” from “The Woman in Red”

1985 “Say You, Say Me” from “White Knights”

1986 “Take My Breath Away” from “Top Gun”

1987 “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from “Dirty Dancing”

1988 “Let the River Run” from “Working Girl”

1991 “Beauty and the Beast” from “Beauty and the Beast”

1992 “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin”

1993 “Streets of Philadelphia” from “Philadelphia”

1994 “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from “The Lion King”

1997 “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic”

1999 “You’ll Be in My Heart” from “Tarzan”

Kanye West's Mother Passes Away

ph. diddy — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:41:11 +0000

Losing one’s mom is probably one of the biggest hurts in the world. Condolences to Kanye West:

Donda West, mother of Kanye West and former chairwoman of Chicago State University’s English department, has died, a spokesman for the rapper said.

Donda West died Saturday night in Los Angeles, said the spokesman, who asked for anonymity because not all family members had been notified. Her age was not immediately known.

“The family respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief,” the spokesman said.

U.S. Estimated Weekend Box Office, November 9 - 11, 2007

ph. diddy — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:42:46 +0000

1. “Bee Movie,” $26 million.
2. “American Gangster,” $24.3 million.
3. “Fred Claus,” $19.2 million.
4. “Lions for Lambs,” $6.7 million.
5. “Dan in Real Life,” $5.9 million.
6. “Saw IV,” $5 million.
7. “The Game Plan,” $2.4 million.
8. “P2,” $2.2 million.
9. “30 Days of Night,” $2.1 million.
10. “Martian Child,” $1.75 million.

Nominees and Voting for the People Choice Awards

ph. diddy — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:31:27 +0000

The People Choice Awards are scheduled to air January 8, 2008 on CBS. In the meantime, they have released their list of nominees and opened up voting to the public.

Here are the nominees and my picks (bolded). I didn’t choose for every category, but oh well. So what are some of your choices?

Favorite Movie: The Bourne Ultimatum, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Transformers

Male Movie Star: Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis

Female Movie Star: Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon

Leading Man: Jamie Foxx, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Joaquin Phoenix

Leading Lady: Jessica Alba, Drew Barrymore, Queen Latifah

Male Action Star: Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Bruce Willis

Female Action Star: Jessica Alba, Jodie Foster, Keira Knightley

Onscreen Match-Up: Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 3, George Clooney and Brad Pitt in Ocean’s Thirteen, Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 3

Movie Drama: Disturbia, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Premonition - This is close. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Disturbia but Order of the Phoenix was also quite good - slightest of edges to Disturbia.

Movie Comedy: Knocked Up, The Simpsons Movie, Mighty Hogs - I only saw one of these movies (The Simpsons) and it wasn’t that funny. I’m not really interested in seeing the other two. Am I missing out?

Independent Movie: Becoming Jane, A Mighty Heart, Sicko

Family Movie: Evan Almighty, Ratatouille, Shrek the Third

Action Movie: 300, The Bourne Ultimatum, Transformers

Favorite Threequel: The Bourne Ultimatum, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Spider-Man 3 - The other two movies were a complete disappointment, well maybe not “complete” but I was let down for sure.

MUSIC

Male Singer: John Mayer, Tim McGraw, Justin Timberlake

Female Singer: Beyoncé, Fergie, Gwen Stefani

Group: Daughtry, Maroon 5, Rascal Flatts

Pop Song: “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” Fergie; “Irreplaceable,” Beyoncé; “What Goes Around…Comes Around,” Justin Timberlake

Hip-Hop Song: “Give It to Me,” Timbaland w/ Justin TImberlake and Nelly Furtado; “Party Like a Rock Star,” Shop Boyz; “Stronger,” Kanye West

R&B Song: “Beautiful Liar,” Beyoncé w/ Shakira; “Because of You,” Ne-Yo; “Shut Up and Drive,” Rihanna

Rock Song: “Hey There Delilah,” Plain White T’s; “Home,” Daughtry; “Makes Me Wonder,” Maroon 5

Country Song: “I Need You,” Tim McGraw w/ Faith Hill; “Never Wanted Nothing More,” Kenny Chesney; “Stand,” Rascal Flatts

Soundtrack Song: “Read My Mind,” The Killers, Friday Night Lights; “What I’ve Done,” Linkin Park, Transformers; “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” Hairspray cast

Reunion Tour: Genesis, The Police, Van Halen

TELEVISION

Male TV Star: Patrick Dempsey, Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland

Female TV Star: Sally Field, Katherine Heigl, Jennifer Love Hewitt

Scene-Stealing Star: Richard Belzer, Law & Order: SVU; Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother; Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy

Talk Show Host: Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey

TV Drama: CSI, House, Law & Order: SVU

TV Comedy: The King of Queens, My Name Is Earl, Two and a Half Men

Animated Comedy: Family Guy, King of the Hill, The Simpsons

Sci-Fi Show: Battlestar Galactica, Dr. Who, Stargate Atlantis

New TV Drama: Big Shots, Bionic Woman, Cane, Dirty Sexy Money, Gossip Girl, Journeyman, K-Ville, Life, Life Is Wild, Moonlight, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Women’s Murder Club

New TV Comedy: Aliens in America, Back to You, The Big Bang Theory, Carpoolers, Cavemen, Chuck, Reaper, Samantha Who?

Game Show: Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, Deal or No Deal, Jeopardy!Competition/Reality Show: American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

MISCELLANEOUS

Funny Female Star: Ellen DeGeneres, Wanda Sykes, Whoopi Goldberg

Funny Male Star: Will Ferrell, Robin Williams, Adam Sandler