Jake’s Take: 17 Things I Am Looking Forward to in 2017

Happy 2017!

Here are some of the things that Jake’s Take is looking forward to this year:

Arnold takes over The Celebrity Apprentice (January 2017)

Now that series creator Donald Trump is about to take over the Oval Office, NBC has picked out the new man to take over the Boardroom…former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Governator will watch over 16 contestants including Boy George, Carnie Wilson, Carson Kressley, Jon Lovitz, Laila Ali, Lisa Leslie, Matt Iseman, Lisa Leslie, and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi as they compete to become the next Celebrity Apprentice.

The View’s 20^th Anniversary Year continues (January to December 2017)

The View continues to celebrate its 20^th anniversary on January 3, 2017. After saying goodbye to Candace Cameron Bure and Raven-Symone, the panel is down to six hosts, and this might be the time that both Whoopi and the Powers-That-Be might confirm that she would be leaving the show by the end of the season. Besides, it would be fascinating to hear the ladies comment on President-elect Trump’s first 100 days in the White House.

Lady Gaga takes over the Super Bowl (February 2017)

Lady Gaga will take over the Super Bowl in February! There are so many questions I have? Will she just perform songs from Joanne or her greatest hits? Will some of her biggest friends and collaborators (Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Sir Elton John, and Tony Bennett) join her? We will all find out on Sunday, February 7.

The 59^th Annual Grammy Awards (February 2017)

Will Beyonce become the Queen of the Grammys? Or will Adele stage a triumph? Who will be the performers? Everything will be revealed as The Late Late Show host and King of Carpool Karaoke himself, James Corden, hosts the 59^th Grammy Awards on February 12!

 

Shaping Sound’s new show (March 2017)

My friends, Shaping Sound Dance Company, will unleash a brand-new show this March! A new generation of dancers will join founders Nick Lazzarini, Kyle Robinson, and Emmy-winning choreographer Travis Wall for the next chapter in Shaping Sound’s history: Travis Wall’s Shaping Sound: After the Curtain. The show will stop in cities such as Toronto, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Baltimore, Nashville, Kansas City, and Denver before concluding in Seattle on March 25.

 

Collabro’s Home (Early 2017)

Another group that I am proud to call friends of the blog is Collabro. The Britain’s Got Talent winners will unleash their third studio album: Home. Among the songs that will be on this album include Jekyll & Hyde’s “This is the Moment,” The Lion King’s “He Lives in You,” the title track of Beauty & The Beast, and Wicked’s “For Good.” Also, for the first time, Collabro will release their very first original song: “Lighthouse.” The third album is expected to drop early 2017.

Once Upon a Time-Season Six, Part Two (March 2017)

Once Upon a Time will resume its Season Six in March. Now that the Black Fairy has transformed Belle and Gold’s son, Gideon, into the Hooded Figure that will eventually slay Emma Swan; can the estranged couple rally Storybrooke behind them to save him before he kills the Savior? Meanwhile, how will Emma and Regina escape the cursed realm and will the former Evil Queen convince its version of Robin Hood return to Storybrooke with them? All answers will be revealed when Once Upon A Time resumes.

 

Saban’s Power Rangers (March 2017)

Go Go Power Rangers! The Power Rangers will return to the Silver Screen after a 20-year absence. Saban’s Power Rangers is the reboot of technicolored peacekeepers franchise. The film will follow the adventures of Jason (Dacre Montgomery), Billy (RJ Cyler), Kimberly (Naomi Scott), Zack (Ludi Lin), and Trini (Becky G) as they must save the world from the dreaded Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks). The film is set to be released on March 24, 2017.

 

Lionel Richie & Mariah Carey sing All the Hits (March-April 2017)

Two of music’s greatest voices will take the country by storm starting in Baltimore on March 15. Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey are two of the most recognizable R&B singer-songwriters of all-time, and for the first time in their respective careers, the two chart-toppers will go out on tour! The duo is expected to bring the show to New York City, Boston, Kansas City, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Denver, and Los Angeles.

American Ninja Warrior returns to KC (April 2017)

For the second time in two years, NBC’s hit summer fitness competition returns to Kansas City. While no location details have been revealed yet, athletes will have until April 24 to train until the nation’s most challenging obstacle course lands in KC. If you cannot make it to Kansas City, you can audition in Los Angeles, San Antonio, Daytona, Cleveland, and Denver!

America’s Got Talent: Season 12 (May 2017)

Simon Cowell returns to America’s Got Talent to begin his second year as a judge! He will be rejoined by AGT veterans Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Nick Cannon, who will mark his ninth season hosting the NBC talent competition. Currently, Season 12 Auditions are being held across the country, and the Judges’ Auditions will be taped sometime early spring.

 

Wonder Woman flies solo (June 2017)

For the first time in her storied 76-year history, the Amazonian Warrior will star in her first solo film. Gal Gadot will once again play Wonder Woman as she meets Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), who encourages her to discover man’s world and they are dragged into World War I. Connie Neilson, Robin Wright, and Lucy Davis rounds out the cast, while Allan Heinberg, Geoff Johns, and Patty Jenkins have written the screenplay, while the latter has directed the film. Wonder Woman is expected to be released on June 2.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 2017)

Last year, Tom Holland made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War. Now, he will fly solo in his film: Spider-Man: Homecoming. The silver screen adventure will showcase Spider-Man’s misadventures in high school as he takes on the Vulture (Michael Keaton) and Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine) while trying to stay in Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.)’s good graces. Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, and Marisa Tomei round-out the cast. Spider-Man: Homecoming is expected to drop into theaters on July 7.

Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams Tour returns to North America (August to October 2017)

The seven-time Grammy-winning band Coldplay will return to North America for the home stretch of their massive A Head Full of Dreams Tour. The band is expected to bring their tour to Montreal, Minneapolis, Omaha, Kansas City, Chicago, Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland before concluding the tour in San Diego on October 8.

 

Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo’s DC Universe event (Summer 2017)

The creative team of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo is one of my all-time favorite comic book partnerships of the 2010s. This summer, the former Batman collaborators are expected to release a “Batman heavy metal rock opera which would be ‘Celebratory, Huge, & Crazy’” according to both comic book news-related websites CBR & Newsarama.  After their bombastic and epic stories such as “The Court of Owls,” “Death of a Family,” and “Endgame,” I honestly believe that they are going to rock the DC Comics Universe to its core.

Justice League Assembles (November 2017)

After years of waiting, the Justice League will assemble on the silver screen! Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) must gather a group of superheroes to prevent the invasion of Steppenwolf and the Parademons. Among the heroes that will help the Dark Knight and the Amazon Warrior include Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and a resurrected Superman (Henry Cavill). Justice League is expected to be released on November 17, 2017.

Star Wars: Episode VIII (December 2017)

The next chapter in the Star Wars story is scheduled to be released on December 15, 2017, and will continue the story told in The Force Awakens. Will Rey (Daisy Ridley) be able to convince Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to come out of hiding and assist the Resistance in defeating the Grand Order? Sadly, this will mark Carrie Fisher’s final time portraying Leia Organa. Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Gwendoline Christine (Captain Phasma) are expected to return to the film, while Benicio del Toro and Laura Dern will be joining the cast.