This Week in Pop Culture: March 30 - April 5, 2019

The first teaser footage for the upcoming movie Joker debuted this week, and the movie looks scary — as in deeply, disturbingly, scary. This new take on the Batman villain, starring Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, will be released in October.

A vigil was held in L.A. for rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was gunned down in front of a clothing store he owned. Hussle, whose given name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was 33 years old. A dichotomy is when two things that are opposed exist together at the same time, like when danger and chaos erupt at a memorial vigil which is supposed to be peaceful and solemn.

Ariana Grande keeps putting out new music — her latest is a duet with Victoria Monet entitled Monopoly. Monet is a frequent collaborator with Grande, credited as a co-writer on thank u, next and 7 Rings. To flaunt is to show off what you’ve got, whether it’s wealth, talent, good looks, or all of the above.

The legendary Mark Hamill will be voicing Chucky the murderous doll in the remake of the horror film Child's Play, which is due out this summer. Here, franchise refers to a movie, its sequels, and all its associated products and spinoffs.

Are you one of the royal-watchers who’s betting on the gender, the date of birth, and the name of Harry and Meghan’s impending bundle of joy? If so, here’s something worth considering, according to those in the know at the palace: Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, which is close to the due date (which is itself an educated guess by those same insiders), so her name is definitely on the “maybe” list.

The ninth season of The Walking Dead wrapped up this week, and fans who like their finales action-packed are calling it a disappointment. This episode was more about setting the stage for events next season, but the edge-of-your-seat action was in the penultimate episode the week before.

The Rolling Stones were supposed to start another concert tour soon, but the legendary band has had to postpone it because lead singer Mick Jagger had heart surgery this week. Jagger is 75 years old, but is reportedly in "extraordinary physical shape," and is expected to make a full recovery. The tour is supposed to be rescheduled for the summer.

Remembrances and tributes to Nipsey Hussle have been pouring in since his murder. In addition to his music, he is being remembered for the work he did to revitalize the troubled neighborhood he came from by investing in businesses and sparking economic activity.

The other big teaser trailer released this week was for Avengers: Endgame. In it, the remaining superheroes are just trying to pick up the pieces from the catastrophic events of Avengers: Infinity War and the destruction and strife wrought by Thanos. Tickets also went on pre-sale so that fans could secure their seats for the April 26th opening. The movie immediately broke the record for first-day pre-sales in just six hours.

iHeartRadio has established the Titanium Award for those artists whose songs have a billion or more “Total Audience Spins” for the calendar year. The first 32 honorees to receive this award include familiar names like Taylor Swift, Cardi B., Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran and Demi Lovato. A threshold is a point beyond which something changes. A threshold can mark entrance to a room or, as in this case, crossing a milestone into new territory.