The Grammys had people talking about white privilege, French robots and enormous hats. And that was only the beginning. Check out this week’s five biggest pop-culture developments in the latest installment of Mark Lieberman’s weekly column.
Elizabeth Banks will step behind the camera for a sequel sure to get people talking.
“Pitch Perfect” is one of the biggest Hollywood success stories of the last few years. Alongside “Glee,” the movie’s cultural dominance has contributed to the recently renewed interest in a capella music. Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick’s starring role in the movie boosted her into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and to the top of many people’s “best people to follow on Twitter” lists.
Now, the inevitable sequel will be characterized by another intriguing development: well-known actress Elizabeth Banks will make her directorial debut with “Pitch Perfect 2,” written by the original’s screenwriter Kay Cannon (who also writes for Fox’s “New Girl”). It’s refreshing to see a sequel led by females in front of and behind the camera as eagerly anticipated as the next “Thor” or “Captain America” movie.
“Alone Yet Not Alone” is alone again.
In an extremely rare move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declared this week that the obscure song “Alone Yet Not Alone” (from the film of the same name) has been disqualified from the Best Original Song race. The nomination was controversial as soon as it was announced, with many speculating that the low-budget religious drama only snuck into the category because of its association with Bruce Broughton, a former governor of the Academy’s music branch. The Academy explained that Broughton sent emails to the voters alerting them to the song’s presence in the list of potential nominees, a clear violation of the organization’s campaign rules.
The fifth slot in the list of nominees will not be filled. Now competing for the title: Pharrell’s “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”; “Let It Go” from “Frozen”; Karen O and Spike Jonze’s’ “Moon Song” from “Her”; and U2’s “Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” Mark Harris of Grantland tweeted it best: “Nominated yet not nominated.”
The Grammys can’t stop, and they won’t stop.
Even after the Grammys concluded at 11:40 p.m. on Jan. 26, the Internet continued to analyze and follow up on aspects of the eventful telecast. The Hollywood Reporter launched an investigation into the origins of Pharrell’s hat (they asked him where it came from), revealing a complex history of the hat’s hip-hop roots that likely eluded the show’s enormous audience. Macklemore texted Kendrick Lamar to apologize for winning Best Rap Album, and he posted his text on Instagram for the world to see. (Savvy? Self-congratulatory? Both?) Kacey Musgraves told reporters after the show that she really wanted to see what was underneath the Daft Punk helmets, echoing everyone watching the show.
And despite the timeslot overrun, this year’s Grammys were the second most-watched since 1993, drawing nearly 28.5 million viewers. Bring on more moments in 2015.
The show about nothing mounts a return.
One of the most beloved shows of all time is making an unexpected comeback. Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander were spotted at Manhattan’s Tom Diner together recently, and Seinfeld alluded to collaboration with Larry David in his recent Reddit “Ask Me Anything” stint. On a New York radio show Jan. 30, Seinfeld confirmed that “Seinfeld” is coming back, but he refused to specify the format or the platform. He debunked the much-ballyhooed rumor that the famous quartet would appear in a Super Bowl commercial together, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of a “Seinfeld” TV movie or something else unimaginable. Yada, yada, yada.
The baffling cast announcements continue for the weirdest “Superman” movie ever.
First Warner Brothers announced that the upcoming sequel to “Man of Steel” would feature the Caped Crusader. Then Ben Affleck joined the cast as Batman, rankling comic fans who would have preferred someone with more undeniable charisma. From there, the announcements have only gotten stranger: relative unknown Gal Godot was cast as Wonder Woman, adding another big-ticket superhero to an already-crowded ensemble; the film’s release was pushed back nearly a year from 2015 to 2016.
Bryan Cranston was rumored to be in the running for the role of Lex Luthor, but Warner Brothers announced a far less conventional choice today: Jesse Eisenberg, best known for capturing the idiosyncrasies of Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network,” will play the famously charismatic villain. He’ll surely differ from his predecessors, including Kevin Spacey and Gene Hackman. Will he be any good? Far more difficult to say.
