Ben Affleck (left), Bill Maher and Sam Harris. Courtesy HBO Today's pop-culture roundup includes the most riveting and unexpected moment of the weekend, the weekend box office, a pregnant gossip girl, a not-so-secret honeymoon, our mystery music video and much more.DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING: Of the best weekend leftover, per The Wrap, 'Ben Affleck and Bill Maher engaged in a heated debate over the nature of Islam on Friday evening's episode of HBO's 'Real Time With Bill Maher.' 'It's the only religion that acts like the mafia - that will f***ing kill you if you say the wrong thing, draw the wrong picture, or write the wrong book,' Maher told Affleck.
'But the 'Gone Girl' star didn't agree with Maher and panelist Sam Harris, who were painting the religion with broad, negative strokes. Affleck insisted the majority of the 1.5 billion people who practice Islam were neither violent nor tolerant of violence. 'Hold on - are you the person who officially understands the codified doctrine of Islam?' Affleck asked. '[Your characterization] is gross and racist. It's like saying, 'Oh, you shifty Jew!' ' '' http://bit.ly/1n9JxId
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Drama beats horror, per the Los Angeles Times, 'David Fincher's 'Gone Girl' edged out low-budget horror film 'Anabelle' by less than $1 million to claim the top spot at the weekend box office.
'Although 'Annabelle' posted big numbers early in the weekend, Fincher's thriller ended up on top with a three-day estimated gross of $38 million, while the horror film finished with $37.2 million. Both heavily marketed, R-rated films trumped tracking figures and studio expectations by more than $10 million. The films, which received B grades from audience polling firm CinemaScore, boosted a box office that had suffered a summer slump.' http://lat.ms/1trsJcE
BABY NEWS: For those who care about such things, per Us Weekly, 'Blake's having a baby! Blake Lively is pregnant and expecting her first child with husband Ryan Reynolds, the actress and model has announced on her website, Preserve.
'Somewhat cryptically, Lively launched a Preserve Celebration of Family on her website, celebrating in particular 'that special moment at the creation of family.' She published an array of pictures of happily pregnant ladies, and after congratulating 'all the expecting mothers out there,' the Gossip Girl alum added in one extra picture -- of her blooming pregnant belly!' http://usm.ag/1vIAZst
OBIT: Just the facts, per Rolling Stone, 'Paul Revere, organist and ringleader of the long-running rock band the Raiders, passed away October 4th at his home in Idaho, the band's official website revealed. Revere was 76.
'No cause of death was revealed, but TMZ reports that Revere (born Paul Revere Dick) battled with cancer over the past year. Thanks to his colorful clothing and infectious stage persona, Revere earned a reputation as 'the madman of rock & roll.' He and his Raiders scored a handful of hits throughout their five decades together, including their anti-drug smash 'Kicks.' '' http://rol.st/1yFSqhX
FEELS LIKE HOME: Or not, per The Hollywood Reporter, 'Homeland returned to Showtime on Sunday night, and longtime viewers who tuned in likely did so with a great deal of uncertainty. When the drama last aired, half of its central duo was stung up in an Iranian public square - laying waste to the central dynamic in place since the 2011 premiere.
'The new Homeland, which aired two back-to-back episodes, spent little time ruminating on the deceased (at least during the first hour), instead shifting its focus to Carrie Mathison's (Claire Danes) new Islamabad appointment with the CIA. Things didn't get off to the smoothest of starts, when a bureau chief played by guest star Corey Stoll was beaten to death in front of Carrie and Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend).' http://bit.ly/1s12jSm
WATCHING HOOPS: NBA and Disney renew partnership, per Deadline, 'The new contract runs through the 2024-2025 season, and will cost the companies about twice as much as they currently pay - now about $485M a year for Disney (at ESPN and ABC) and $445M for Turner (at TNT) - The Wall Street Journal reports. A formal announcement to extend the current deals, which expire in 2016, is expected today.
'But the most intriguing twist is that the NBA will partner with ESPN to create an online service that will stream live games during the regular season, including to people who don't subscribe to pay TV.' http://bit.ly/1n9QZDl
TARDY HOUSEWIFE: Hey, she has little free time left, per TMZ, 'Some people eat their favorite meals, some people say their goodbyes ... but Teresa Giudice prepared for prison by pissing off her castmates -- showing up over 4 hours late to their reunion taping.
'Sources close to the production tell us her 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' co-stars were furious about the tardiness Sunday afternoon ... same for Bravo head honcho Andy Cohen. And what's worse ... we're told Giudice continued to delay the process once they began filming -- making producers continually start and stop the taping because Teresa said she was 'going through a lot' and needed a break.' http://bit.ly/10ETfs0
'INHERENT VICE': Of a review, per indieWIRE, 'Released in 2009, Thomas Pynchon's '70-era stoner detective novel 'Inherent Vice' was deemed by many diehard fans as one of the loopy writer's lesser efforts. You could pigeonhole Paul Thomas Anderson's largely faithful adaptation along similar lines, as it lacks the advanced cinematic gestures of his last few movies. But both works stand on steadier ground when considered outside their creators' other achievements.
'Pynchon's book translates to the screen with a wandering narrative that's as muddled as it is endearing. It's a narrative in the grand tradition of discursive storytelling: 'Inherent Vice' joins the ranks of 'The Big Sleep,' 'The Long Goodbye,' and 'The Big Lebowski,' shaggy dog tales of baffled private investigators in which the plot barely adds up and doesn't really matter, anyway.' http://bit.ly/1trywik
THE NEED TO KNOW: Or something like that, per X17, 'George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin may be trying to keep their honeymoon location secret, but they can't hide from us! X17online can report, exclusively, the couple are vacationing in the Seychelles islands at the North Island resort. So chic!
'George and Amal wrapped up their four-day wedding in Venice, Italy on Monday after their civil service and jetted off to an unknown location for their first vacation together as husband and wife. But X17 has tracked the newlyweds to the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean.' http://bit.ly/1try2J3
AND FINALLY: Today's mystery music video: http://bit.ly/ZpfAZ I
swood@wjla.com
Posted by Unknown on Monday, October 6, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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