Pharrell’s world takeover continues.
Four Grammy wins and seven nominations. A performance slot on the Oscar ceremony. An Oscar nomination. A producing credit on recent albums by Beck, Beyonce and countless others. And now, Pharrell has another notch to add to his 2014 resume: his second solo album, playfully titled “G.I.R.L.” will arrive on March 3, a day after the Oscars. Better yet, the veteran producer’s second solo record will feature collaborations with some of the modern pop elite: Daft Punk, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus.
If you want to get in on the Pharrell auction, his instant-classic Grammy headgear is available for sale on eBay right now. Proceeds go to Pharrell’s educational non-profit, From One Hand to Another. In short, praise Pharrell.
The curse of the eye infection takes its toll.
Bob Costas hosted every night of NBC’s Olympics primetime broadcasts from 1988 until 2014 – 257 full-length extravaganzas, to be exact. But his streak ended with this year’s Winter Olympics, all thanks to an unfortunate case of eye-itis (look elsewhere for the medical term). Costas tried to muddle through even while his eyes looked progressively worse each night, but last week he took a six-night break, ceding his anchor chair first to Matt Lauer and then to Meredith Vieira, the first woman to host an Olympics broadcast in the United States. By Feb. 17 Costas resumed his duties, though his eye has still yet to fully recover. Unfortunate timing, to say the least.
The fantastic four is just two so far.
Late on Feb. 19, the movie industry was abuzz with the news that the long-gestating “Fantastic Four” reboot, to be directed by Josh Trank (“Chronicle”) had finally locked down its main cast. Though those reports proved to be premature, a clearer sense of the central quartet has been revealed. Michael B. Jordan (“Fruitvale Station”), if confirmed, will become the first black man to play the Human Torch, while his “That Awkward Moment” might be reuniting with him as Mr. Fantastic. Kate Mara (late of “House of Cards”) will likely play the group’s lone female, the Invisible Woman, and Jamie Bell (“Man on a Ledge”) is the surprising pick for The Thing.
How many Twitter followers does it take to cast one season of “True Detective”?
Social media was abuzz yesterday as everyone from critics to fans theorized about who will fill Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’s shoes when HBO’s buzzworthy anthology series “True Detective” begins its second season. Serious pairings like Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”) and Holly Hunter (“Top of the Lake”) mixed with joke contenders like Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele and even Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal (“Prisoners”). HBO is in a good place with this show now. Let’s hope the new season delivers on the promise of the first.
“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” continues.
Missed “Anchorman 2” the first time? You’re in luck. Will Ferrell revealed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” that the movie will be re-released in theaters next Friday. The twist? The movie has been upgraded with upwards of 700 new jokes culled from takes that were initially recycled during production. The actors’ passion for improv left plenty of comedy gold on the cutting room floor, Ferrell said. This re-release with new material is fairly rare and should provide a boost of publicity for a film that seemed to lose momentum after a lengthy pre-release build up.
