Your week in pop culture: America's mysterious infatuation with royal baby

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By Tanita Gaither - email

A man and woman had a baby. The difference between them and everyone else is that the head of their family is the queen of England. (Source: FNC/MGN Online)

This clue is more obvious than any clue on 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' (Source: WGBH Design/Wikimedia Commons)

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder and former NL MVP Ryan Braun was suspended Monday for the rest of 2013. (Source: Steve Paluch/MGN Online)

(RNN) – Hear ye, hear ye: the Prince and Princess of Cambridge welcomed to the world Prince George Alexander Louis on July 22 in London.

An ocean away, us Yanks couldn't get enough of the little bugger's entrance into a world most will never experience – wealth, privilege, high society and having the queen for a great-grandmother.

Many royal-watching Americans got bogged down with updates on social media and over-the-top news coverage.

It begs the question: why do Americans care so much? Didn't we fight a war against England to free ourselves from bothersome things like taxes on tea and the birth of princes?

YWIPC is not disrespecting babies – we love babies, but they are born every day. Late Night host Jimmy Fallon also welcomed his child into the world this week. Is his daughter, little Winnie Rose (so cute) the future queen of late night and sketch comedy? Can we dub her now and plan a coronation once Fallon retires from The Tonight Show?

Too bad we don't have more Kennedys; we could be fawning over Camelot instead of the House of Windsor.

TV: Carmen Sandiego is back in rerun form & '90s kids love it

Hey, '90s kids - Did you want to discover "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"

Did you want to meet the Chief (and were you understandably intimidated by her)? Did you want to be serenaded by Rockapella? Did you want to be trained by ACME's Greg Lee to become a highly trained crime-fighting gumshoe/special agent?

You aren't the only one. The popular computer game became a hugely popular television show on PBS from 1991 to 1996.

Those who miss the show may be in luck. On its Tumblr, PBS left a subtle clue – Sandiego's notorious red hat and black gloves with the question saying, "Where in the world did this come from? Stay tuned for something awesome!"

While PBS warned that new episodes are not forthcoming, it has led to speculation that re-airings of the edutainment show could appear.

Even Carmen Sandiego herself has chimed in on Twitter, not answering rumors directly, but being as elusive as ever, saying, "If I were to re-air my old PBS episodes, would you watch me? xo – Carmen." Who knew she was still so trendy?

If they bring Carmen back, let's just go completely '90s – Blossom, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Salute Your Shorts, The Adventures of Pete and Pete. DON'T DENY ME us '90s kids of the simple pleasures of our upbringings.

Sports: NFL QB eats crow thanks to Ryan Braun

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers owes a Twitter fan some money and some of that crow he is eating now.

Back on Feb. 23, 2012, Rodgers took to his Twitter to defend his friend, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, on his overturned suspension.

"When its guilty until proven innocent, all u need are the facts. #howsthecrowmlb #exonerated," Rodgers tweeted.

Rodger's bravado of one rich athlete sticking up for another did not impress Denver man Todd Sutton, who called him "#delusional."

"@toddsutton ya I'd put my salary next year on it. #ponyup #exonerated," Rodgers replied.

Braun was then suspended for 65 games – the rest of the 2013 season, including the playoffs – for "violations of the Basic Agreement and its Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program." He has made a statement since the suspension, but otherwise evoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself.

The suspension will cost Braun $3.5 million in salary. It also costs Aaron Rodgers some face, and doesn't give him enough time to wipe the egg off before Packers training camp starts.

As for the bet, Rodgers makes $4.5 million in 2013, but Sutton told USA Today that he would take a game check. Rodgers has not tweeted since July 19.

Major League Baseball's terrible record of keeping the game clean may come crashing down shortly. The next shoe to drop may land on beleaguered New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. It is reported that his involvement with the Biogenesis clinic is more damning than Braun's.

Movies: Ryan Reynolds should add better scripts to his 'To-do List'

As much as we love Ryan Reynolds, moviegoers did not this last weekend. He was the headliner in two movies last weekend: Turbo and R.I.P.D., both of which debuted at No. 3 and No. 7, respectively.

A surprise showing at No. 1 – The Conjuring, a scary thriller starting Ron Livingston, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farminga debuted in the top spot, ending the long streak of animated films that owned No. 1 for most of the summer.

Here is last weekend's top five, according to Box Office Mojo (listed next to previous week's ranking and weekend gross):

The Conjuring (NR) $41,855,326
Despicable Me 2 (1) $24,906,360
Turbo (NR) $21,312,625
Grown Ups 2 (2) $19,872,150
Red 2 (NR) $18,048,422

Here is what's coming up this weekend:

July 26

The To Do List – High school overachiever Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza of Parks & Rec fame) takes the Advanced Placement-route to get more "experience" before she heads to college. First, she must conquer her crush on the older, popular lifeguard Rusty Waters. The summer comedy also stars Bill Hader, Rachel Bilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin'!), Andy Sandberg and Connie Britton. Behold the somewhat racy trailer:

Wolverine – For the fifth time, Hugh Jackman takes the role as the mutant X-Men character Wolverine, this time in a rare state of mortal vulnerability in modern-day Japan. Fans love the Marvel comics hero, so expect fan-boy lines at theaters this weekend. The film also stars Rila Fukushima as Logan's tough, fearless female companion.

Blue Jasmine – WOODY ALLEN FLICK ALERT – An upper-crust woman on the verge of a boozy, Xanax-riddled emotional breakdown (Cate Blanchet) reaches out to her middle-class sister (Sally Hawkins) to reconnect after her white-collar crook of a husband (cue Alec Baldwin) cleans her out financially. Also features Louis C.K., Peter Sarsgaard, Bobby Cannavale and the triumphant return of 1980s inappropriate bad boy Andrew Dice Clay.

Music: College student doesn't know Kurt Cobain is dead

Writing a letter to a band for a shout-out isn't a bad thing.

The simple request for a video that "would simply [say] 'What's up Virginia Tech? This is Nirvana. Just wanted to wish you guys a Happy Homecoming week and good luck at the game this Saturday. LETS GO HOKIES!'" is cool. YWIPC loves your school spirit.

Just do some homework first.

In other words, don't be like this unidentified Virginia Tech student/mascot, who wrote to grunge rock kings Nirvana for a shout out.

Kurt Cobain hasn't been giving shout-outs to anyone for nearly 20 years. We're guessing the letter writer was in diapers when Cobain died.
Sub Pop, which received the letter, hasn't officially represented Nirvana since 1990. But after they displayed the letter via their Tumblr, the Seattle-based record label promises a video is forthcoming. UPDATED: Sub Pop lived up to their word and released a "Nirvana" video on YouTube Thursday.
Don't EVER mention Nirvana in the same sentence as the Ying Yang Twins or Big and Rich, either written or spoken EVER AGAIN. YWIPC and musical decency forbids it.
This could be a joke, as SubPop tweeted, and she could not mean Nirvana, but want Sirvana, the recent revival remix that includes the eternal Sir Paul McCartney and surviving members of Nirvana. If that's what you want, you were better off just asking for the Foo Fighters.

We just don't know what they are teaching the young Hokies in Blacksburg, VA. It's definitely not the history of rock 'n' roll.

Jam of the week: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton, Can't Hold Us – This duo seems to be the new rap group for millennials. They are eclectic and fun without being too phony. Why fight fate? I love infectious pop songs that get stuck in your head because of commercials. Plus, you have to be excited after a two-year-old re-release of a single goes triple platinum.

'90s jam of the week

The Backstreet Boys have a new album coming out later this summer. The album, In A World Like This, will be released July 30, and their first single of the same name is classic BSB. The album also comes out in their 20th year as a group.

But we're taking it back to a world where it was Backstreet Boys vs. *NSYNC, and BSB was always on top. I Want It That Way is the quintessential pop song from 1999's Millennium solidified the BSB as titans of boy-band pop, and is a standard to which One Direction or The Wanted could never compare.

All *NSYNC ever did was make Justin Timberlake want to go solo.

Backstreet Boys, I Want It That Way (1999)
Boyz II Men, End of the Road (1993)
All 4 One, I Swear (1994)
*NSYNC, Tearing Up My Heart (1997)
Five, When The Lights Go Out (1998)

A little something from YouTube – 'Ice, Ice Baby' sung by the movies

You'll be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't know Vanilla Ice's biggest hit Ice, Ice Baby. From its weak sample of Under Pressure, the bandwagon-jumping wearing of a University of Miami sweater in the video, and those robotic but inexplicably fresh dance moves, you've heard it, you kind of love it, but no one would openly admit it.

Well, here it is as you've never heard it - sung by the movies.

To be exact, 280 movies, perfectly mashed up by YouTube user dondrapersayswhat. He has also perfectly mashed up Sir Mix-a-Lot's hit Baby Got Back.

The mash-up is better than the original. Promise.