Jake’s Take Previews 2016

By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com

Happy 2016!

This will be a huge year for pop culture.

Here are some of the events that will make a huge impact on the entertainment world in 2016.

American Idol’s final season

For 14 years, the ground breaking American Idol has been making transforming ordinary Americans into household names. Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry and Adam Lambert are just among the countless of alumni who have to thank Idol for kick starting their careers. In addition to introducing musical superstars to the American public, Idol has also rejuvenated the careers of judges Paula Abdul, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler and introduced us to media moguls Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson and the one-and-only Simon Cowell. Idol’s farewell season begins on January 6 for a two-night premiere.

Legends of Tomorrow

Following the success of Arrow and Flash, the CW is launching their most ambitious project ever-Legends of Tomorrow.  Time traveler Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) will recruit the Arrowverse’s greatest heroes and villains to form an unstoppable supergroup who will try to save history from Vandal Savage (Casper Crump). Team members include Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller), the Atom (Brandon Routh), White Canary (Caity Lotz), Firestorm (Victor Garber and Franz Drameh) and Hawkgirl (Ciara Renee). Fans can also expect cameos from Arrow and Flash fan-favorite characters in future episodes. The adventure begins on January 21.

Sia acts out in This is Acting

For her seventh studio album, the Australian singer-songwriter extraordinaire will take fans inside her vault as she unearths some of her most treasured tunes: songs that were written for other artists.  Among some of the tunes that are highlighted in the album includes “Alive” (a song originally recorded by Adele), “Cheap Thrills” (originally a Rhianna track) and “Bird Set Free” (a song that was supposed to be included in Pitch Perfect 2). This is Acting is expected to be released January 29.

Sir Elton’s Wonderful Crazy Night

Elton John is back! For the first time since 2013’s The Diving Board, the legendary Piano Man will release new material! All of the tracks were written and composed by the GOT (Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award) icon and his longtime songwriter partner-in-crime: Mr. Bernie Taupin. This will also be the first time in 10 years that Sir Elton recorded with the Elton John Band since 2006’s The Captain & The Kid.  Expect Wonderful Crazy Night to drop on February 5.

The 58^th Annual Grammy Awards

Several big names are expected to square off during the 2016 Grammy Awards ceremony. Will Kendrick Lamar become the King of the Night and walk off with 11 Grammys? Or will the night belong to either Grammy darling Taylor Swift, hot newcomer The Weeknd or songwriter extraordinaire Max Martin? Find out on February 15 when LL Cool J hosts the 58^th Annual Grammy Awards!

 

Christina Aguilera returns to The Voice

All hail the Queen of the Voice! Original coach and six-time Grammy winner Christina Aguilera returns to the Coaches’ dais to help Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams look for the best undiscovered talent in America. The Voice’s tenth season will premiere on February 29!

Once Upon A Time celebrates their 100^th episode

ABC’s fairy tale drama is celebrating the big 100^th episode by heading to the Underworld! Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), Regina (Lana Parrilla), Gold (Robert Carlyle) and the Charming family will venture to hell to save Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue)’s soul from being claimed by the devil. While the 100^th episode will feature cameos from fan-favorite villains Cora (Barbara Hershey) and Pan (Robbie Kay), Cruella de Vil (Victoria Smurfit), Zelena (Rebecca Mader) and Hades (Greg Germann) will menace our heroes sometime during the second half of the fifth season. The 100^th episode will air on March 6 on ABC.

 

Dawn of Justice? Batman takes on Superman

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) continues to expand its world with the introductions of Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa). The Dark Knight will head to Metropolis to tackle the Man of Steel (Henry Cavill), as he fears the possibility of Superman going out of control. Expect the film to hit theatres on March 25!

Captain America: Civil War divides the Avengers

Captain America: Civil War will mark a turning point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Everyone’s favorite Star-Spangled Avenger (Chris Evans) will not only have to defend his longtime friend, the Winter Solider (Sebastian Stan), from Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), but he will face off against Secretary of State Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) and S.H.I.E.L.D. when the Superhuman Registration Act become law. You can see the fireworks in theatres nationwide on May 6.

 

Simon Cowell joins America’s Got Talent

After 10 seasons of sitting on the sidelines, the America’s Got Talent (AGT) creator will be the head judge on the show that launched a global phenomenon. While I am happy to see Simon back at the Judges’ Desk, there are two questions that are left unanswered: “Who will join Simon on the AGT Judges’ Desk?” and “Will the show return to Los Angeles?” I hope that NBC will answer these questions before AGT returns to NBC this summer.

What pop culture events are you looking forward to this year?