Entertainment Express: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, 24, Rodriguez, The Fault in Our Stars, Usher

Happy Monday – don’t get caught by the Beygency!

* It was a semi-big weekend for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Andrew Garfield roped in the help of his on-and-off screen girlfriend Emma Stone to host SNL, while the movie opened in the US to a strong figure of just over $90 million. Not as big as the bigwigs would’ve liked, but just enough to indicate that the Summer movie season is officially a-go. Now if only Summer itself would join the party…

* Eight seasons and a TV movie later, I thought we had seen the last of Jack Bauer. But Kiefer Sutherland is back, albeit for a limited series for 24: Live Another Day, which kicks off on Monday night. Many critics seem to feel the new run is not a hark back to the show’s heyday, but we’ll see what fans have to say in the weeks to come.

* It seems there’s been a twist in the royalties saga surrounding musician Rodriguez, subject of the Oscar-winning Searching for Sugar Man. Now, there’s a lawsuit claiming that the music exec who signed the Detroit musician circumvented another deal and committed fraud to get the musician to record music with him. Curiouser and curiouser.

* The Fault in Our Stars had its first public screening this weekend. I was in the audience as dozens of fans, who had queues for hours to be among the first to see the best-seller turned into a movie, packed into the cinema in Chelsea. As an added bonus, there was a Q-and-A with the book’s author John Green (who received as many, if not more, cheers as the film’s stars), director Josh Boone, Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Nat Wolff, Sam Trammell and the wonderful Laura Dern.

* Today, Usher reminds us he is a singer first and a judge second, releasing the first single off his upcoming eighth studio album. Titled Good Kisser, it has a slick R ‘n B bass and lyrics that are oh-so Usher.