New Movies
The quantity of current movie releases? Very high.
The quality? Not so much.
Perhaps this week's entries will reverse the trend. "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," a sequel to the widely-panned but commercially-successful 2009 blockbuster, hits theaters for action lovers' viewing pleasure.
The tween demographic will most likely be attracted to director Andrew Niccol's adaptation of "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer's "The Host."
Serious film fans will be keeping an eye on the crime drama "The Place Beyond the Pines," the latest from "Blue Valentine" director Derek Cianfrance, which once again stars Ryan Gosling.
LenoGate, Round 2
Another late-night war has been brewing for the past few weeks at a struggling NBC, as executives reportedly plan to force Jay Leno into retirement.
Leno's replacement will reportedly be Jimmy Fallon, whose youthful energy could revive ratings. Leno is not going down without a fight, though, taking cracks at NBC in his opening monologue every night last week.
This saga echoes the 2009 debacle, in which NBC moved Leno to primetime and fired his "Tonight Show" replacement Conan O'Brien.
Fox is allegedly courting Leno if NBC gives him the boot, so don't cry for him just yet.
Jane Got a Gun
"Jane Got a Gun," an upcoming Western starring Natalie Portman, has been experiencing shenanigans of its own.
First, Michael Fassbender dropped out due to conflicts with his shooting schedule for "X-Men: Days of Future Past."
Next, Director Lynne Ramsay quit the production by failing to report to the set on the first day of shooting.
Jude Law followed suit the next day, allegedly because he had signed on to work with Ramsay, not the studio's replacement, "Warrior" director Gavin O'Connor.
"Jane Got a Gun," but we might not get a movie.
Idol Success
Despite recent dramatic ratings declines, "American Idol" retains one claim to fame that other singing shows have yet to accomplish: musical success.
Last year's winner Phillip Phillips recently celebrated quadruple-platinum status on his debut single "Home."
Phillips' runner-up, Jessica Sanchez, just debuted her catchy new dance single "Tonight," featuring Ne-Yo.
This week, Season 9 runner-up Crystal Bowersox released a critically-acclaimed sophomore album, while Season 7 winner David Archuleta also presents a collection of new material culled by his record label while he is away on a three-year mission in Chile.
Romance No More
After twelve years of angsty alternative rock, dark concept albums like "The Black Parade" and hit songs like "Teenagers" and "Sing," My Chemical Romance announced their breakup and retirement in a March 22 blog post on their web site.
"Beyond any sadness, what I feel most is pride," lead singer Gerard Way tweeted on Friday.
The band appears to have broken up simply because they are satisfied with the music they've made and the experiences they've had, a refreshingly direct and logical reason to pursue other avenues.
mlieberman@theeagleonline.com
