American Idol Ending After Next Season
It's been a rough few years for American Idol. Thanks to an onslaught of competitors, weird backstage shenanigans leading to a few winners fading into obscurity, and a struggle to catch the right demographic, the show is a shadow of its former superstar making self that helped us find the goddess Kelly Clarkson. If you haven't followed my weekly segment, American Idol-izer, I've been a fan of the show since its inception. I've stuck it out through the good times and bad, and I've noticed quite a few changes over the years. And this season in particular has been through the roughest changes, leading to one of the most boring seasons in series history.
With the writing on the wall, it was a matter of time before the show would come to an end. According to Variety, American Idol is premiering its final season in January 2016 with all of the current judges and showrunners in tow. It kind of makes sense only because I assume the program is hemorrhaging money. Without Coca Cola and the former Interscope records, I'm guessing either the current record studio in charge, Big Machine, nor Fox wanted to pony up the difference. But that's just wild conjecture. I've got some more to say about the show's decline over the next couple of pages.
[via Variety]
[The Weekly Swarm] 5/4 - 5/10
Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you wonderful Moms out in the world. I hope all of you had your fill of flowers, brunches, cards, hugs, kisses, and well wishes yesterday - hell, everyday! If you're playing catch up with Mom today, be sure to share some of our amazing content from last week with her. Some highlights include news of The Simpsons' two season renewal, Tribeca Film Festival reviews for (T)ERROR and A Courtship, Nintendo entering the theme park game with Universal Theme Parks, a solo Kurt Cobain album announcement, and more! Find our full week of content below.
How The (British) Avengers Inspired a New Age for Women on Television
Nintendo Attractions to Appear at Universal Theme Parks
The Force Awakened at Geek Bar Beta
The Peanuts Wish Mothers a Happy Mother's Day
Avengers: Age of Ultron Is a Cinematic Event Comic That Introduces Generic New Characters
Casting Call for Spike Lee's Film Set for Saturday
List of Rumored Spider-Man Directors Released
[Weekly Netflix Fix] First May Update Features Great Films
[Tribeca Review] (T)ERROR
[Tribeca Review] A Courtship
Broad City Girls and Paul Feig Working on Upcoming Film
The Peanuts Wish Mothers a Happy Mother's Day
[Playlist of the Week] 10 Anticipated Albums for the Spring
Solo Kurt Cobain Album Coming This Summer
[American Idol-izer] Top 3 Perform
[This Week In TV] Penny Dreadful; Big Bang Theory; New Girl
The Simpsons Renewed for Two More Seasons
How The (British) Avengers Inspired a New Age for Women on Television
[Weekly Netflix Fix] First May Update Features Great Films
[American Idol-izer] Top 3 Perform
Broad City Girls and Paul Feig Working on Upcoming Film
Broad City Girls and Paul Feig Working on Upcoming Film
Over the past couple of months, my household has become kind of Broad City central. It's rare for a day to go by where I don't, at the very least, re-watch an episode or two of stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer's outrageous shenanigans in New York. At a time when comedy actresses and comediennes are rising in ways they haven't before, Broad City serves as one of the pinnacles of contemporary female-centric comedy. If you don't believe me, try watching an episode or two without chuckling at Abbi's inherent awkwardness or Ilana's in-your-face comfort/confidence and the dynamics that each bring to their friendship. It was only a matter of time before the two brought their talents to the silver screen, but that day is finally upon us, and with a Hollywood heavy hitter known for spotlighting hilarious women in comedy.
Jacobson and Glazer are writing a script for their film debut with Paul Feig (Spy, Bridesmaids) on board to produce. As of right now, the actresses are only writing the script, but they could potentially star in the film, as well. It's also pertinent to note that the film will not be a Broad City adaptation. No other information on the film is available.
I can't stress enough: If you have yet to watch Broad City, do so and feel confident knowing the next generation of funny actresses is here.
[via /Film]
[American Idol-izer] Top 3 Perform
American Idol has been particularly rough this season. I'll attribute most of it to growing pains since lots of factors screwed over the programming: Big Machine Records took over for Interscope (and ousted Jimmy Iovine as mentor, replacing him with Scott Borchetta), Coca Cola pulled their sponsorship after a decade of product placement, and Fox forced it to a single night in order to give space to Empire. So I've been sounding like a broken record each week (does that analogy mean anything to the kids?) because I can't help but mention how awkward and terrible this all is for everyone involved. I'll be going over this season in better detail in a separate post, so stay tuned for that.
The reason I bring this up is because it's done quite a number on these poor contestants. They've been put through the ringer this season, and with the finale next week, the fatigue is starting to show more and more. This week, the Top 3 contestants had three songs: Scott Borchetta's choice, Hometown Dedications, and Judges' Choice. All four of the remaining Idols sang regardless of whether or not they were going home at the end of the evening. The four of them also got the big homecoming parade they do every year, so it was a bit weird but not as awkward as I expected.
And after weeks of playing "The Comeback Kid," Rayvon's run has finally ended. Going home in a respectable fourth place and even enjoying all sorts of things like the hometown visit and three swan songs, Rayvon ended his run on a falsetto. He fought for his place, and as much criticism as I've given him over the weeks, I can't fault that effort. On the next few pages, I'll get into American Idol XIV's Top 3 night.
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[Weekly Netflix Fix] First May Update Features Great Films
You all know the drill by now. With a new month comes new additions to Netflix, and the first batch of Netflix Instant titles for May feature some heavy hitters. Films like Blue Velvet, The Blues Brothers, Leon: The Professional, Big Trouble in Little China, Super Troopers, and Saturday Night Fever. Check out the first batch of new Netflix Instant May 2015 updates below.
Concerning Violence
The Epic of Everest
A Few Best Men
Futuro Beach
Hayride 2
The Homesman
Little Norse Prince Valiant
Ouran High School Host Club
Winter Sleep
Meet the Mormons
Nobody's Fool
The Amazing Wizard of Paws
Anita
Bratz: Good Vibes
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam
D.L. Hughley: Clear
Knockout
Lalaloopsy: Festival of Sugary Sweets
LeapFrog Letter Factory: Word Explorers
Little Einsteins
Liv & Maddie
Mighty Med
Little Einsteins: Season 1
Mighty Med: Season 1
Liv & Maddie: Season 1
Special Agent Oso: Season 1
Sofia the First: Season 1
Little Einsteins: Season 2
Special Agent Oso: Season 2
Lab Rats: Season 3
Quincy, M.E.: Season 3
Kickin' It: Season 4
Switched at Birth: Season 4
Melissa & Joey: Season 4
Royal Pains: Season 6
Sofia the First
Special Agent Oso
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
1492: Conquest of Paradise
All Is by My Side
The Animatrix
Anna Karenina
Assassins
Author! Author!
Balto 3: Wings of Change
Beyond Clueless
The Big Empty
Big Trouble in Little China
Blown Away
Blue Velvet
The Blues Brothers
Bus Stop
The Cat's Meow
#chicagoGirl
Cypher
Death Warrant
Double Whammy
The Exorcist
Farmland
From the Terrace
Ghoulies Go to College
Grizzly Man
Harold and Maude
Heart of the Country
Hero and the Terror
Hoodwinked
The House on Telegraph Hill
The Human Centipede 2
In Dreams
Internal Affairs
Intersection
Iris
Irreplaceable
Joe Dirt
Joyride 3: Roadkill
Kiss of Death
Léon: The Professional
The Last Waltz
Leap of Faith
Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
Liberty Stands Still
Mad Hot Ballroom
A Man Called Peter
Men in Black II
Mother Goose Club
The Mule
Mysteries of the Unseen World
No No: A Dockumentary
North Dallas Forty
Novocaine
Payback
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
The Puffy Chair
The Real Blonde
Rush
Santee
Saturday Night Fever
Naruto: Season 1
Unplanned America: Season 1
Witnesses: Season 1
Mother Goose Club: Season 1
TED Talks: The Best of TEDx in Español: Season 1
Naruto: Season 2
Longmire: Season 3
Naruto: Season 3
Shameless: Series 10
Shriek If You Know What I Did Friday 13th
Stripped
Super Troopers
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Turnaround Jake
Underclassman
Unplanned America
Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
Wet Hot American Summer
What's the Worst That Could Happen?
Witnesses
Born to Defense
The Defender
The Mirror
How The (British) Avengers Inspired a New Age for Women on Television
Last week saw the release of one of this summer's most anticipated blockbuster sequels, Avengers: Age of Ultron. In Britain, the first Avengers movie was renamed Avengers Assemble, due to a much loved, if sadly little recognised these days, '60s television program beating the comics to the original title on these shores by two years. The series was Sydney Newman's first major hit, with his second being the more widely celebrated Doctor Who. Starting out as a gritty spy thriller, the British Avengers came to define the swinging sixties through its playful embrace of abstract imagery, empowered women in risqué clothing, and intrinsically English sense of humour.
The Simpsons Renewed for Two More Seasons
It's been awhile since I've actively watched The Simpsons, a product of growing increasingly busy, disinterest in actual TV, and the dwindling level of quality that's been unfortunately associated with the show in recent years. Nevertheless, The Simpsons is a cultural staple, and while its run is slowly winding down, to think of a generation of TV without The Simpsons is near unfathomable.
The inevitable has been delayed a few more years as Fox has renewed The Simpsons for two more seasons, with the run ending at 28 seasons and 625 episodes. /Film points out that the series will be just shy of breaking Gunsmoke's record of longest running scripted prime-time TV episodes at 635, so there's incentive for Fox and The Simpsons to press on past this new order.
Whether you quote The Simpsons everyday or can't tell the difference between Patty and Selma, it's hard to ignore the significance The Simpsons has had on Americana over the past four decades. Whether it can sustain enough energy or momentum to carry it into 2020 will have to be seen in time. One thing's clear: we need more official Simpsons mash-ups.
[via /Film]
[This Week In TV] Penny Dreadful; Big Bang Theory; New Girl
This Week in TV is a weekly feature reviewing the best, worst and most interesting episodes of television from the past seven days. The plan is to cover a wide variety of shows, but not always the same ones each week, so let us know in the comments which ones you’d particularly like to read about. This week sees Penny Dreadful return for a second season of Eva Green-starring gothic lunacy, Sheldon and Leonard's mothers paying the boys a visit in Big Bang Theory, and two departures in New Girl.