Entertainment Express: Elysium, D23, Breaking Bad, Katy Perry, Kool Herc

Hello from the land of weekends-that-go-by-too-quickly!

* In the box office scheme of things, Elysium won this past weekend, scoring around $30.5 million in US takings. This isn’t as much as the $37 million District 9 took in when it debuted for American audiences, nor is it in line with what the studio Sony had hoped to gain, but it’s a solid figure in a summer of flopped blockbusters. Christopher Johnson!

* Disney held its annual conference of fun, D23, but disappointed fans by not revealing any news about Star Wars Episode VII – least of all, the film’s title. Footage from upcoming releases like Maleficent and Saving Mr. Banks was shown, with stars like Angelina Jolie, Chris Evans, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman attending.

* If you’re a fan, you won’t need reminding that the final run of Breaking Bad began on Sunday, and that 8 (make that now, 7) episodes is all that’s left of this Emmy-award-winning show about chemistry-teacher-turned-meth-lord Walter White.

* After promoting a few clips of burning blue-haired wigs and a cat becoming a lion, Katy Perry has a new song out to indicate this new direction of her music life. Roar was meant to release today, but – surprise, surprise – it already leaked online and is now available, ahead of the release of her next album, Prism, in October.    

* NYC’s SummerStage commemorated 40 years of hip hop this past weekend, with the one and only DJ Kool Herc DJing for crowds in Central Park, and then also in Queens at the street art mecca of 5 Pointz. Marley Marl also joined in the occasion – a sight to behold for any hip hop lover.