BOP Daily News
March 2, 2006
The spirit of BOP News lives on in
This is So Last Week,
our pop culture week-in-review,
presented in a pleasing quiz form.
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West Wing fans take heart ... well, sort of, anyway. Rob Lowe will be returning to the series to reprise his role as Sam Seaborn, but Aaron Sorkin (creater and former executive producer) will not be assisting with the series finale. With only five episodes left (!), NBC can work only so many miracles. Lowe was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in 2001, then left the show in 2003 to star in such memorable (*ahem*) TV series as The Lyon's Den, Dr. Vegas, and Beach Girls. Though we thought he was great in Salem's Lot a couple years ago, it'll be nice to see him back near the Oval Office. Other alums of the show also will be returning for its send off. Mary-Louise Parker will come back to fill the role of arch-postmodern-feminist Amy Gardner, and Marlee Matlin will return as political pollster and advisor Joey Lucas. Other returning actors include Anna Deavere Smith (Nancy McNally), Emily Proctor (Ainsley Hayes), Gary Cole (Vice President Bob Russell), Tim Matheson (Vice President John Hoynes), Timothy Busfield (Danny Concanon), and Annabeth Gish (Elizabeth Bartlet Westin). All will appear sometime during the next five episodes, though not everyone will be seen in the very last episodes.
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Two major announcements from the music industry greeted our tired ears early this week. Madonna has agreed to play her first music festival at this year's Coachella gathering on April 30th. Yes, for the first time in her 20-plus year career, Madonna will appear at a music festival, and she'll be appearing alongside acts such as Sigur Ros, Sleater-Kinney, and Franz Ferdinand. We're wondering how the massive influx of crazed Madonna fans will do in the mosh pit among the indie-devoted alternative rock college radio fans. Madonna will use the event to kick-off yet another world tour, her first in two years.
Speaking of college radio, many of us on the BOP news staff were heavy into that scene when we were in college 15 years ago. We remember when Nevermind was glorified as true indie rock in the days after its release, and then quickly shelved two weeks later when it became popular and "too commercial." We miss the grunge movement, and we're not afraid to admit it. We doubt that Green River or the Screaming Trees will be reforming anytime soon, but we're ecstatic that Pearl Jam is releasing a new album. Set to release in early May, it will be the band's first album in five years. The first single, "World Wide Suicide," will hit the airwaves a month earlier on March 8th, though the band will also make it available for free on their web site (http://www.pearljam.com.) that same day.
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We couldn't possibly make this up. We aren't smart enough to make this up. So, you'll just have to believe us - Barry Bonds is getting his own reality TV show. ESPN announced that the series, titled "Bonds on Bonds" (ugh), will premeire April 4th on the ESPN2 channel. The show will offer a weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of the baseball superstar, the San Francisco Giants, and the drama that is professional baseball. Giants management stated they were not concerned about athletes being distracted by the dozens of production assistants, directors, camera operators, and others following Bonds every minute of his life. If the team wasn't distracted by Bonds alone, we hardly think a production crew is enough to push 'em over the edge. The only good news about this announcement is that videographers will be following Bonds everywhere - and we mean everywhere, even into the locker rooms - so there's always a chance we'll catch a glimpse of Noah Lowry naked.
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Hip-hop will finally get some recognition at The Smithsonian, and no, we're not talking about the kangaroo exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. Spear-headed by a private initiative, the Smithsonian Institution has announced the beginning of a collecting initiative called "Hip-Hop Won't Stop: the Beat, the Rhymes, the Life." The initiative is expected to cost about $2 million (all raised by private funds) over the next five years. The eventual goal is to establish an exhibition and permanent collection at the National Museum of American History that will trace the roots of hip-hop from the Bronx to everywhere else in the world. Old-skool hip-hop artists like Fab 5 Freddy, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and DJ Kool Herc have already contributed to the project, donating turntables, microphones, and boom boxes larger than most New York apartments. The collection is expected to bring in (literally) tons of items from DJs, breakdancers, graffiti painters, rappers, musicians, and other artists. We expect to see the Run-DMC Adidas and Ed Lover's various outfits from Yo! MTV Raps, but no word yet on whether the cardboard sheets from Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo will be featured in the exhibit.
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"Toby, come quick. Sam's getting his ass kicked by a girl."
Previous edition's quote: Ice Age
Box Office Prophets offers quality, reliable news about the entertainment industry. BOP is also entertaining. To that end, please be advised that some content in this column is intended to be humorous and should not be considered factual.
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