This Week in Pop Culture Roundup (Nov. 5, 2011)

While you were too absorbed wondering whether or not Kim Kardashian’s wedding was a sham and in pondering the prospects of Herman Cain in light of the sexual harassment allegations, here are some of the pop culture stories you might have missed this week. Check out the links below.

Movies

FDR
"An army without leaders is like a foot without a big toe." -- Stripes

John Goodman and Justin Timberlake are in cast of upcoming Coen Brothers film about the 1960s folk scene, Inside Llewyn Davis.

We have nothing to fear but . . . Bill Murray is playing Franklin D. Roosevelt in an upcoming film.

Albert Brooks turned down roles in Dead Poets Society, Big, Pretty Woman, and Boogie Nights. Regarding the latter, he was up for the Burt Reynolds role, not the Mark Wahlberg role.

What’s the story of Terrence Malick’s upcoming untitled film with Ben Affleck (in editing now)?

The new James Bond film, featuring Javier Bardem as the villain, will be called “Skyfall.” I wonder if Bardem will flip a coin. I also wonder why the New York Daily News story at the link still has Bardem’s name misspelled in the headline a day after posting the story.

James Franco plans to communicate with Tennessee Williams via Ouija Board.

New movie “Tower Heist” make use of anger at Wall Street.

In more serious film news, an Iranian appeals court overturned a sentence of prison and 90 lashes for actress Marzieh Vafamehr for appearing in a film.

Music

Director David Lynch is releasing his first music CD. Hear it on NPR.

Writer-critic Chuck Klosterman wrote an article about the new Metallica and Lou Reed album . . . and how it relates to quarterback Tim Tebow.

The official version of “Smile” from the Beach Boys was finally released. Also, here and you can stream all 40 tracks. (via @ThatEricAlper)

Fallon spoofs Bieber. It’s not my baby, baby, baby. . .

Liz Anderson, writer of several hit country songs for Merle Haggard and others, passed away. She co-wrote “I am a Lonesome Fugitive.”

Television

60 Minutes
commentator Andy Rooney passed away on Friday in New York City. Embedding is disabled, but you may watch his final regular appearance on 60 Minutes here.

Ellen DeGeneres talked about her experience on American Idol in a new interview.

Conan O’Brien officiated a gay wedding on his late-night show.

The U.S. State Department is employing a secret weapon to teach tolerance in Pakistan: Sesame Street. But Elmo leaves Big Bird in U.S.

What’s the deal with this missing Regis guy?” Jerry Seinfeld will be first guest host on Live! with Kelly.

What was your favorite story this week? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Pop Culture Roundup for Late October 2011

    Below are links to some of the latest pop culture stories you might have missed. . .

    Halloween

    Prince Charles
    The new Dracula costume?

    The Chicago Tribune‘s listed the top 25 scariest movies for Halloween.

    Batty? Prince Charles claims he is related to Dracula.

    Salon is featuring a slide show of the top ten Halloween special moments from The Simpsons.

    Zombies rise again in pop culture. Wait, what’s that at my door. . . arrrrrr.. . .


    Literature

    Renovation of Edgar Allen Poe’s cottage in the Bronx, where he wrote “Cask of Amontillado,” is almost finished.

    Did you know the original Pinocchio is a tragedy that ends with Pinocchio’s execution?


    Movies

    The Guinness Book of World Records named Samuel L. Jackson as highest grossing actor of all time. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness.

    “He’s brought the theater of the absurd to the masses.”- Jack Black on Will Ferrell receiving Mark Twain Prize.

    Check out this review of new documentary about the band The Swell Season, which features Once stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

    Tim Burton has designed a balloon for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

    A new biography delves into the life and career of Spencer Tracy.

    The Princess Bride cast reunited for a recent photo shoot.

    Washington Cougars Clock
    Betty White is now a Cougar.

    Television

    Betty White received an honorary doctorate degree from Washington State Univ. She’s a Cougar now.

    Survivor’s Rupert Boneham is running for governor of Indiana.

    Music

    U2 revisits Achtung Baby while pondering the band’s future.

    Listen to Tom Waits’s new album, Bad as Me on the NPR website.

    “I love to be in a barbershop where I know I don’t have to get a haircut.” — Tom Waits in interview about new CD.

    The Flaming Lips will pay tribute to Steve Jobs by playing “Revolution” by the Beatles at the O Music Awards.

    One writer gave a nice appreciation of Extreme’s “More Than Words” . . . with words. (from Popdose)

    If you are a fan of Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, you should check out this person’s blog.

    Folk-singer Pete Seeger enters his ninth decade as an activist.

    The iPod turns 10 this month. How has it changed music?


    What are your favorite pop culture stories this month? Leave your two cents in the comments section.

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    October Pop Culture Roundup

    In case you might have missed some of the recent stories in popular culture, check out the following links from around the Internet:

    In TV-related news . . .

    – Conan O’Brien returned to NBC to pick up Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on Jimmy Fallon’s show.

    Homer Simpson Halloween Mask

    – “Woo Hoo! I outlasted Andy Rooney!” — Homer Simpson, in Fox statement announcing The Simpsons has been renewed.

    – Sorry Homer, the #1 choice for Halloween costume is. . . Charlie Sheen.

    In Music news. . .

    – Bids may go “high.” Willie Nelson’s tour bus is for sale.

    – Coldplay will stream a live concert on YouTube on Oct. 26 (4 p.m. ET).

    In Movie news. . .

    – “I hear it’s happening. I think it’s got a ways to go.” — Laura Dern on Jurassic Park 4 sequel.

    – A new book recounts the story of Rin Tin Tin in the context of Hollywood and U.S. culture.

    – Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the opening of an Austrian museum dedicated to . . . Arnold Schwarzenegger.

    – Are the “Toy Story” writers working on a Farmville movie?

    – The popularity of this Audrey Hepburn classic film, which turned 50 years old this month, prompted a run on ginger tomcats when the film was released.

    – After eighteen years in prison, The West Memphis 3 reunited this week for a screening of the films that helped secure their release.

    . . . To keep up with events, check back here on Chimesfreedom and follow us on Twitter @Pophistory and on Facebook.

    Any thoughts on the pop culture events of this month? Leave a comment.

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    A Schoolhouse Rock Lesson for Hank Williams Jr.

    Hank Williams Jr Yesterday on Fox News, Hank Williams Jr. got in some trouble for apparently comparing Pres. Barack Obama to Hitler, resulting in ESPN pulling his opening montage for Monday Night Football (“Are You Ready for Some Football!?”). To be fair, he actually said that Pres. Obama and House Speaker John Boehner getting together would be “like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu.” So even though he showed great disdain for the president in the rest of the conversation, his controversial comment was more about the divide between the Democrats and Republicans. Still, he should have known that comparisons to Hitler are likely to cause problems. I cannot wait to see the “Downfall” video someone makes from this event.

    Williams’s comment that provoked the most humor, though, is when he called the president and the vice-president “The Three Stooges.” So, to help Mr. Williams out with his math, today we present “3 is a Magic Number” from Schoolhouse Rock:

    Schoolhouse Rock was a series of short animated musical segments that gave me a short burst of education on Saturday mornings when I was a kid. The series originally ran from 1973-1985, but the series was revived in the 1990s. The ABC series covered a range of categories, including Grammar Rock, Multiplication Rock, History Rock, and Science Rock. Several specific videos are forever etched in my memory, including “Conjunction Junction” and “How a Bill Becomes a Law.” But perhaps the one song that has had a significant life of its own among rock artists is “3 is a Magic Number.”

    Schoolhouse Rock Several of the songs have been recorded by rock artists, including on this compilation CD. But “3 is a Magic Number” seems to be the one that works best outside the Schoolhouse Rock cartoons, perhaps because it is a great song and it works as an independent song about family and love. On the other hand, “Conjunction Junction” cannot be about anything besides conjunctions. “3 is a Magic Number” has been performed by Jeff Buckley, Blind Melon, the Jonas Brothers, Alvin & the Chipmunks, Jack Johnson, and De La Soul.

    Now if we could just add Hank Williams Jr. to the list. “Are you ready for some math?”

    What is your favorite Schoolhouse Rock song? Who would you like to hear sing it?

    [Oct. 6, 2011 Update: Today ESPN announced that Hank Williams Jr. will no longer appear on Monday Night Football. Williams claims that he was the one who decided to part ways.]

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    Eat Your Heart Out Barney Fife!

    Barney's Cafe

    On a driving trip in the Southeastern U.S. this summer, I wanted to take a break from the road and happened to be near Mount Airy, North Carolina, so I thought I would check out Andy Griffith’s hometown. The town promotes itself as the “real” Mayberry that inspired the fictional town in The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968).

    As I drove into town, I was greeted by a multi-lane road with fast food, gas stations, car dealers, and similar signs of modern towns. But, once I finally arrived at the downtown area of Mount Airy, I found a charming old-fashioned downtown that reminded me of the small town in Ohio where I grew up.

    Much of the shops and restaurants are designed to capitalize on the Mayberry theme. The commercialism of Mayberry takes a little away from the charm, but one gets the sense that the Mayberry connection is what keeps many of the places in business as tourists like me come to visit. So, I cannot blame them for embracing their Mayberry heritage.

    Thelma Lou

    Just outside the Mount Airy downtown area is The Andy Griffith Museum, which opened in 2009 and has memorabilia from Andy Griffith’s career. It is a small museum, but worth a stop if you are in the area. They have the sheriff’s desk from The Andy Griffth Show. They also have the chair used by Barney Fife (Don Knotts) that was bronzed and signed by the cast as a gift for Don Knotts when he left the show.

    The best part of the museum, though, is that Betty Lynn, who played Barney’s girlfriend Thelma Lou in the series, now lives in Mount Airy and she is often at the museum to talk to fans and sign autographs. And because of some good luck, during my brief time in Mayberry, I got to meet Thelma Lou. She was very nice and willing to talk to fans. If I would have thought about it, I would have asked her about one of my favorite episodes of the show where Barney returned to the sixth season of the show to attend a reunion where he encountered Thelma Lou again. It may be the saddest episode in the series.

    Anyway, my point is that if you are in the area, it is worth visiting Mount Airy for a trip back to Mayberry, even for an afternoon. You’ll leave whistling. . .

    Thelma Lou (Betty Lynn) first appears at the beginning of this episode of The Andy Griffith Show.

    What are your favorite memories of The Andy Griffith Show? Leave a comment.

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