This Week in Pop Culture: June 22–28, 2019

Awry is a good word to describe things that don’t go as planned, like filming the next James Bond movie. Production just resumed after being put on hold for a while so that lead actor Daniel Craig could heal from an injury he sustained during an action scene, but another crew member was injured during filming this week. The film doesn’t have a title yet, and with the latest setbacks, it doesn’t have an estimated release date either.

Madonna’s new record Madame X has reached number one on the Billboard chart, making it the Material Girl’s ninth number one album. Madonna trails only Barbra Streisand for most number one albums by a female artist. Streisand has eleven to her credit. To bolster means to reinforce or increase.

Cardi B. appeared in a Queens, New York courtroom this week to face charges related to an altercation at a nightclub. The rapper, who was indicted on charges of felony assault, entered a plea of “not guilty” after rejecting a plea deal offered by prosecutors.

Toy Story 4 was the box office champ this week, earning $135 million. This was slightly below expectations for the film, but it is still expected to make about $400 million in total box office before it leaves theaters. An iteration is a different version of something, and in this sentence it refers to the fact that the movie is a sequel.

In September, pop star Avril Lavigne will launch her first tour in five years. Lavigne has recently been through a divorce and has been battling Lyme disease, so the fact that she is feeling well enough to tour is a big deal for her and her fans. A jaunt is a trip that you take to have a good time.

Stranger Things returns to Netflix on July 4th. The upcoming season takes place in the summer before the main characters go to high school. It’s the perfect in-between stage of life for things to get even stranger for our heroes, both inside and outside of the alternative dimension known as the “Upside Down”. When you describe someone as nefarious, it means they are evil.

It’s not even July yet, and there’s already a prime contender for the title of "Meme of the Summer." You’ve probably seen that painful moment when suave movie megastar Leonardo DiCaprio gets pelted in the face with a volleyball. Like many classic memes, it’s painful (yet irresistible) to watch.

After dominating the movies for the last decade, Marvel’s superheroes are breaking into the world of a theater — and possibly a theater near you. The giant entertainment company just released three short plays that were written specifically for school drama clubs to perform. Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl each get star billing in their own productions, and the third features both Thor and Loki.

Another trailer for the upcoming live-action remake of The Lion King was released this week, and this clip gave us our first listen to Beyoncé and Donald Glover singing their version of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” The soundtrack also features a new song by Beyoncé. The Lion King will be in theaters on July 19th.

A new version of Avengers:Endgame is being re-released in select theaters this week. This version contains an introduction by one of the directors and a deleted scene, as well as behind-the-scenes footage which plays during the credits. If this release does well, the movie might usurp the all-time record for ticket sales, which was set by Avatar about ten years ago.