andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Fight Clubstar Edward Norton finished the New York City Marathon in three hours, 48 minutes and one second, reports E! News. Norton, 40, ran on behalf of Kenya-based charity Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, and finished faster than any other celebrity who ran the race.

Canadian Singer Alanis Morissette, ER’s Anthony Edwards, Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes, and Biggest Loser Tara Costa all participated, and finished, the 26-mile race.

Meb Keflezighi placed first with a time of two hours, nine minutes and 15 seconds.

If record-store people were smart, they would file breakup music in a separate section. Because even though breakup songs cross almost every genre, it’s a very distinct kind of music. We’ve chosen five Breakup Music Hall of Fame first-ballot inductees to accompany this article, and none of them is simply a love song. They’re all about getting dumped and getting even. In the best breakup music, the song is actually an instrument of vengeance.

5. ¨Cry Me A River¨ – Justin Timberlake (2002)

Classic breakup line: “Girl I refuse, you must have me confused/ with some other guy/ Your bridges were burned, and now it’s your turn to cry.”

The fact that Justin Timberlake wrote this for Britney Spears makes it legendary in its own right. This bittersweet song captured the heart of thousands of fans, and was a staple item in the beginning of Timberlake´s career. Bet he´s glad everything worked out the way it did.

4. ¨Piece Of My Heart¨ – Erma Franklin (1967)

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Alanis Morissette has landed a recurring role in the upcoming fifth season of the Showtime series “Weeds.”

The Canuck singer will play an obstetrician who treats the pregnant Nancy Botwin (played by Mary Louis Parker), whose exploits as a suburban-widow-turned-marijuana-dealer form the series’ premise.

Morissette will appear in at least seven of the season’s 13 episodes, which kick off on Showtime in the U.S. on June 8 and on Showcase in Canada this fall. She may also return for season six.

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Nelly Furtado, Alanis Morissette and Rufus Wainwright make up the Canadian contingent in a live John Lennon tribute DVD that will be released next month.

“Come Together: A Night for John Lennon’s Words & Music” was filmed at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall Oct. 2, 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11 attacks.

All proceeds from the event, which had been planned ahead of the attacks, were donated to 9/11 recovery efforts.

For the concert, performers were given free reign to reinterpret songs from Lennon’s catalogue.

Furtado teamed up with Dave Stewart for “Instant Karma,” Morissette covered “Dear Prudence” and Wainwright put his own spin on “This Boy” with Sean Lennon. The latter two also team up with Moby for “Across the Universe.”

As well, the 90-minute DVD features commentary from actors James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steve Buscemi, Kevin Bacon and Kevin Spacey, who share their memories and speak about Lennon’s message of peace. Spacey contributes his own rendition of Lennon’s “Mind Games.”

Proceeds from the DVD’s sale will go to the Robin Hood Foundation.

Here are the performances featured on the “Come Together” DVD:

John Lennon, Yolanda Williams and Billy Preston — “Imagine”
Dave Matthews — “In My Life”
Stone Temple Pilots — “Revolution”
Alanis Morissette — “Dear Prudence”
Moby, Sean Lennon and Rufus Wainwright — “Across The Universe”
Cyndi Lauper — “Strawberry Fields Forever”
Marc Anthony — “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”
Shelby Lynne — “Mother”
Nelly Furtado and Dave Stewart — “Instant Karma”
Lou Reed — “Jealous Guy”
Natalie Merchant — “Nowhere Man”
Kevin Spacey — “Mind Games”
Craig David — “Come Together”
Sean Lennon and Rufus Wainwright — “This Boy”
Sean Lennon — “Julia”
Everybody — “Give Peace A Chance” / “Power To The People”

Canadian heartthrob Ryan Reynolds previously called off his engagement to Alanis Morissette. So could he really be ready to take the plunge with his newest flame?

The New York Daily News is reporting that Reynolds has popped the question to Scarlett Johansson. Though Johansson’s rep denied the rumour, the paper’s source indicated that the public could expect an official announcement soon.

Reynolds and Johansson have been dating for just under a year. In comparison, Reynolds and Morissette dated for two years before their engagement, which they called off two years later.

Fittingly, one of Reynolds’ upcoming films is entitled, “The Proposal,” which will co-star Sandra Bullock.

Reynolds is 31 and Johansson is 23.