Bay and switch
Although he's best known for wildly bombastic, explosion-filled action
thrillers, polarizing director Michael Bay ("Transformers" series) has taken a detour with his latest film "Pain and Gain," out this April 26.
Starring Mark Wahlberg ("Ted"), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ("G.I. Joe: Retaliation"), Anthony Mackie ("Gangster Squad') and Rebel Wilson ("Pitch Perfect"), this rollicking but dark action comedy derives its story from a series of 1999 news articles about a violent gang of Miami bodybuilders.
Fans of Bay need not worry that their favorite director has abandoned his trademark franchise, though. After working with Wahlberg here, Bay invited him to star in the latest "Transformers" film, out in 2014.
Who run the world?
Despite its rapidly dwindling audience, the legendary competition series "American Idol" continues to make history.
For the first time ever, the top five contestants are all female, guaranteeing that the show will produce its first female winner since Jordin Sparks in 2007.
The remaining finalists range from soul diva Candice Glover to fierce balladeer Angie Miller and country throwback Kree Harrison.
Meanwhile, the male competition stalled out this year. The much-maligned Lazaro Arbos, whose dismally off-key performances carried him through the competition longer than his more talented and enthusiastic peers, was the last man standing.
Boston Marathon
Television networks made cautious adjustments to their schedules following last week's tragic events.
NBC cancelled the fourth episode of "Hannibal," a serial killer drama featuring a character who brainwashes children into killing other children.
Meanwhile, Fox pulled the "Family Guy" episode "Turban Cowboy" from its rotation and web site after a YouTube editor arranged several clips to suggest that the show had depicted the Boston Marathon tragedy.
Fox had also planned to air a repeat episode of "New Girl" in which Jess suspects a character of being a serial killer. But the network swapped out this episode for another repeat.
Tweet in Harmony
Twitter unveiled a high-profile new feature last week: a music app designed to augment services like iTunes and Rdio.
Users can see what their favorite artists are listening to and find new tracks through Twitter conversations.
Twitter Music appears to offer functions similar to those of Spotify, but within the context of the popular social media site.
Early reactions have been mixed. Some users are enjoying the streamlined format and possibility for new discoveries, but others see the site as irrelevant in comparison to its competition.
This intriguing new function's fate is not yet set in stone.
Country is as Country Does
A country music superstar and a superstar aspiring to country music both release new albums April 30. Kenny Chesney's "Life on a Rock," his 14th studio album, features 10 tracks, including the hit single "Pirate Flag" and duets with The Wailers and Willie Nelson.
Meanwhile, rapper LL Cool J recently stirred up controversy with his Brad Paisley duet "Accidental Racist," but he isn't moving away from country music anytime soon.
His latest album "Authentic" features another duet with Paisley, this one entitled "Live For You."
This collaboration presumably traffics in less problematic subject matter.
mlieberman@theeagleonline.com
