Category Archives: Books

Jul 17 2026
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to Watch, and More! Friday, July 17 – Thursday, July 24

Keanu and Sandra’s bus bomb, excavating the mysteries of Pompeii & Bill Maher’s big night

Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock steer a bus with a ticking bomb in ‘Speed.’

FRIDAY, July 17
They Fight
Boxing drama about a reformed ex-con (Andre Holland) determined to reintegrate into society so he can be with the mother of his toddler son (Hulu).

Exit 8
Based on the video game, horror flick follows a man (Kazunari Ninomiya) trapped in an endless subway passageway as he sets out to find Exit 8 (Shudder).

SATURDAY, July 18
Crowning at the Prom
A single mom discovers her teenage daughter has been hiding a life-changing secret. Starring Danielle Panabaker and Anwar O’Driscoll (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Speed
Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper star in this Oscar-winning 1994 thriller about a city bus rigged with a bomb that will detonate if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour. Hang on! (8:33 p.m., ABC).

SUNDAY, July 19
King of the Hill
In the season 15 opener of the animated sitcom, Hank and Peggy settle into retirement life while attempting to keep their neighbors from going off the rails (Hulu).  

MONDAY, July 20
Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross
Season two finds the award-winning actress, above, heading to Australia, Thailand and Switzerland to relish the experience of “enjoying my own company (Roku Channel).

TUESDAY, July 21
Bill Maher: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Louis C.K., Whitney Cummins, Woody Harrelson and more gather to celebrate comedy icon Bill Maher as he accepts the Kennedy Center’s highest honor for humor (Netflix).

WEDNESDAY, July 22
Who Wants to be a Millionaire
New season begins tonight with Jimmy Kimmel returning as host, and pairs of celebrity contestants playing together in the hopes of winning $1 million for the charity of their choice (8 p.m., ABC).

THURSDAY, July 23
Restaurant Impossible: Last Call
Chef Aarón Sánchez and Canadian restaurateur Jen Agg lead the charge to rescue struggling restaurants across North America (8 p.m., Food Network).

Pompeii: Out of Time
Actor Tom Hiddleston takes us to Rome in this three-part series, part storytelling and part investigation of the city-destroying eruption of Mt. Vesuvius 2,000 years ago (9 p.m. Disney+ and Hulu).

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe
In this Big Bang Theory spinoff series, comic bookstore owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon (9 p.m., HBO Max).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Football hasn’t always been a guys-only game. In Gridiron Invasion: The Hidden History of Women’s Football (University of Tennessee Press), author Katie Taylor looks at the long, often hard road of females who longed to get between the goalposts, long before the official leagues were devised in the 1960s.  

NOW HEAR THIS

Keith Urban sets sail with Flow State (MCA), his new album of smooooth-groove yacht rock tunes like “Steal Away,” “Baby Come Back,” “Summer Breeze” and “On and On,” with assists from Michael McDonald, John Mayer and Little Big Town.

Rock ‘n’ roll never dies, as the saying goes. And the Rolling Stones keep on rolling! The band’s new album, Foreign Tongues (Capitol Records) has 14 new songs and was recorded in London by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood, with assists from Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

And speaking of Paul McCartney, he’s back with a brand-new album, his first in more than five years. The Boys of Dungeon Lane is a collection of revealing glimpses into the former Beatle’s memories and a revisit to the formative years that shaped not only his life, but the very foundations of modern popular culture.

BRING IT HOME

A rollicking cinematic fantasy from the late 1950s has been spiffed up for a new release. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (AV Entertainment) stars Kerwin Matthews and Katherine Grant, with groundbreaking stop-motion special “monster” effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. Buy it HERE.


Jul 10 2026
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to Watch, and More! Week of July 10 – July 16

Murray and Dreyfuss mix it up, the Home Run Derby & searching for the nation’s dumbest gameshow players

Bill Murray and Richard Drefuss didn’t get along in “What About Bob.”

FRIDAY, July 10
The Presidents: JFK
First of a two-parter about the life, presidency, and legacy of John F. Kennedy (9 p.m., PBS).

Reminders of Him
Colleen Hoover‘s bestselling novel becomes a transformative film about motherhood, forgiveness and the power of love. Starring Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Lauren Graham, Bradley Whitford and Lainey Wilson (Peacock).

SATURDAY, July 11
He Couldn’t Let Go
Christina Milian stars as a woman whose ability to read body language helps her escape a terrifying ordeal (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Hearts of Heroes
Brooke Shields—joined by disaster-recovery expert Sheldon Yellen—hosts season eight of this celebration of first responders and everyday do-gooders, above (check listings, ABC).

SUNDAY, July 12
The Westies
Crime drama about New York City’s infamously violent Irish gang of the same name stars J.K. Simmons and Titus Welliver (9 p.m., MGM+).

What About Bob?
Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss (who famously didn’t get along!) teamed for this 1991 comedy about a neurotic psych patient who makes his buttoned-up doctor’s life spin out of control (8:33 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, July 13
Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro
A dozen up-and-coming dancers move into one house and compete in a grueling audition process, all vying for a coveted spot as a pro dancer on Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars (8 p.m., ABC).

MLB Home Run Derby
Who’s the top slugger in all baseball? This annual friendly slugfest pits hitters against hitters, to see who can get the most balls “over the fence” (Netflix).

Homestead Rescue: Intervention
New series finds the Raneys helping off-gridders hold onto their failing homesteads in remote locations (8 p.m., Discovery).

TUESDAY, July 14
Once Upon a Time in Space
Documentary series tells the stories behind one of our most extraordinary endeavors: the exploration of space (9 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, July 15
Nation’s Dumbest
New competition channels celebrities’ school spirit as they face a mix of brain-teasing tasks, fast-paced physical challenges and long-buried classroom knowledge (9 p.m., Fox).

Lucky
New drama series about a heist gone sideways stars Anya Taylor-Joy (below) Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant and Clifton Collins Jr. Based on a bestselling novel (Apple TV).

Ride or Die
New action comedy starring and executive produced by Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham, below, about two women—one with a big secret—running for their lives across Europe (Prime Video).

THURSDAY, July 16
The Five Star Weekend
A woman schedules a weekend with her gal pals to help her get over a devastating loss. Starring Jennifer Garner, D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, and Timothy Olyphant (Peacock).

The Hawk
Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Luke Wilson, Chris Parnell and Fortune Feimster star in this new 10-episode comedy series, below, about a golfer teeing off for a comeback (Netflix).

BRING IT HOME

They’re gonna need a bigger boat…or a better airplane! In Deep Water (Magenta Light Studios), passengers and crew of on an international flight crash into the Pacific Ocean, where they soon discover they’re not alone. The shark-fest stars Ben Kingsley and Aaron Eckhart.

Enjoy the whole action-packed debut season of NCIS: Tony & Ziva (Paramount Home Video), as the two special agents (Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo) are forced to go on the run from a dangerous conspiracy with their young daughter. Special features a gag reel and a mini-doc about filming on location.

In director Steven Soderbergh’s critically acclaimed The Christophers (Paramount Home Entertainment), the adult children of a once-celebrated artist enlist a forger to access his unfinished work in a deceptive bid to secure an inheritance. Starring Ian McKellan and Michaela Coel.

The Year Before the War (IndiePix Films) is a fantasia set in 1913, just before the breakout of World War I. It follows a doorman in Lativa (Petr Buchta) on a surreal odyssey that connects him to communists, anarchists, proto-fascists and others involved in the conflict that would soon engulf the globe.

They Will Kill You (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), a blend of horror, action and dark comedy, stars Zazie Beetz as a young woman who must avoid a twisted death-trap of a lair. With Tom Felton, Heather Graham, and Patricia Arquette.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Back in the ‘70s, Alicia Bridges sang how she “loved the nightlife.” Well gurl, you need to read Up All Night (Grove Atlantic), Imogen Willetts’ sweeping chronicle of how humans have behaved—and misbehaved—when the sun goes down…and before it comes up again. Par-tay!

What can we learn from Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the witches in The Wizard of Oz and its Wicked spinoffs? A lot, according to Steven Keslowitz in Traveling the Yellow Brick Road (McFarland). It’s a trip down memory lane, and into the fantasy, lore and lure of one of everyone’s favorite tall tales.

Jul 03 2026
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of July 3 – July 9

A teen’s “Last Resort,” America turns 250 & a sizzling Burning Man doc!

FRIDAY, July 3
Summer’s Last Resort
Jerry O’Connell and Sophia Bush star in this summer-shenanigans film (above) about a teen (Violet McGraw) trying to break up romance between her mom and her high school principal (Tubi).

Touch Me
Two codependent best friends become addicted to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world. Starring Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jordan Gavaris and Lou Taylor Pucci (Shudder).

SATURDAY, July 4
America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together
Live performance, music, historic interpretation and large-scale visual spectacle celebrates the ideas, people, and defining moments that gave rise to the United States (8 p.m., PBS).

Ralph Lauren’s American Icons
Thirty-minute documentary explores the legendary designer’s curation of a collection of 13 United States Postal Service stamps honoring iconic American imagery (7:30 p.m., History Channel).

SUNDAY, July 5
Sharkfest
The 14th year of fin-tastic programming (above) kicks off tonight with Hammerhead Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory, followed by more programming through the month across Disney+, Hulu and NatGeo platforms (Disney+ and Hulu).

Sparks of Tomorrow
Animated tale is based inside an alternate reality at the dawn of the 20th century in Tokyo, which has unfolded without electricity and instead relies on steam (Netflix).

MONDAY, July 6
Inspector Ellis
Sharon D Clark returns for season two of the British crime drama and murder mystery series (Acorn TV).

TUESDAY, July 7
Breaking the Deadlock: How to Fix an Election
Panelists explore hypothetical scenarios around election issues and government integrity, against the backdrop of America’s 250th anniversary (9 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, July 8
Guy’s Grocery Games: Global Games
Guy Fieri hosts eight all-star masters of world cuisines competing in the new five-part tournament for a chance to win the trophy and a $50,000 grand prize (8 p.m., Food Network).

Wardriver
A hacker (Dane DeHaan) lured into a million-dollar cyberheist discovers it’s actually a deadly game of digital-code cat and mouse, above (Paramount+).

THURSDAY, July 9
Five Star Weekend
Jennifer Garner stars in this new drama series about old friends and life that turns out differently that you planned. With D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Harlow Jane and Timothy Olyphant (Peacock).

The Man Will Burn
Documentary about the Burning Man festival and its growth from anarchic counterculture roots in San Francisco to a globally recognized spectacle (HBO Max).

"A young girl draws back on a slingshot and takes aim. "
Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls in episode one of ‘Little House on the Prairie.‘

Little House on the Prairie
New take (above) on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical Little House books, previously made into an iconic NBC TV series of the 1970s and ‘80s (Netflix)

READ ALL ABOUT IT

How well do you know your goddesses? Goddess of the World (McFarland) examines the deities once regarded as humanity’s supreme beings, cultures in which they still hold the throne, and the traces of the feminine cloaked inside major modern religions.

Meet Raymond Hoser, known as Australia’s “snakeman,” a serpent wrangler who later discovered and named thousands of new species, more snakes than any scientist. Snake Men (W.W.Norton) is his story, a fang-tastic tale of a triumph of taxinomy…and accusations that Hoser was a rebellious interloper short-circuiting the tightly coiled scientific process.

In The Future of Bananas (Melville House), professor James Dale explains how the world’s most-eaten fruit is imperiled by disease and climate change, and what’s being done to ensure it sticks around.

Robyn Hitchcock, a self-described rock ‘n’ roll “surrealist” who considers his songs “paintings you can listen to,” recounts the wild ride of his life and career in Stranded in the Future (Akashic), his second memoir. It’s a rollicking trip down memory lane, hinged on the 1970s and his influential alt-rock band the Soft Boys.

If you’ve forgotten about all the scary movies of the previous decade, well, here’s some handy-dandy help. John Kenneth Muir’s Horror Films of the 2010s (McFarland), is loaded with info and insight about, well, just about every horror film of the era, from indie flicks to blockbusters and franchise faves. And it’s also a spotlight on how the anxieties of the times shaped horror movies, and how horror movies responded and reflected their times.

For centuries, clowns have been everywhere—at the circus, on TV, in freak shows, and sometimes in our nightmares. In Beyond Bozo (McFarland), you’ll all about these pop-cultural pranksters and how they’ve excited our imagination across the ages.

We remember all those birds menacing Tippi Hedren, Cary Grant running from a crop duster, and James Stewart peering from his wheelchair out his Rear Window. But how well do we remember what they were wearing? Hitchcock fans and film buffs will love Fashioning Hitchcock (Bloomsbury Academic), in which author Caroline Young examines the clothes carefully chosen for the characters in the director’s classic movies, exploring the larger role of costume design in filmmaking.

BRING IT HOME

A young couple’s wedding plans take a hilariously unexpected turn in The Drama (A24), starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, who’ll reunite later this month in the big-screen take on Homer’s The Odyssey! Alana Haim plays a maid of honor.

Pamela Baywatch Anderson shines in The Last Showgirl (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) as a past-her-prime Las Vegas dancer facing the end of her career. Can she make a comeback…or accept her “new” life? With Jamie Lee Curtis. Buy it HERE.

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Jun 26 2026
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to Watch, and More! Week of June 26 – July 2

The return of Enola Holmes, Paul Simon in concert & America’s top female athletes!

The new ‘Enola Holmes’ adventure streams this week on Netflix.

FRIDAY, June 26
Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Un-Happiness
Larry David’s new sketch show stars a host of guest stars (including Barack Obama, who’s one of the producers!), a bunch of Curb Your Enthusiasm cohorts…and Larry David. Those who don’t know history are doomed…to watch Larry David repeat it (9 p.m., HBO).

Little Brother
A well-organized real estate agent’s carefully curated world is upended when his eccentric wild-card “little brother” unexpectedly reappears. Starring John Cena and Eric Andre (Netflix).

Paul Simon: The Quiet Celebration Concert
Live concert film recorded during the legendary singer-songwriter’s “A Quiet Celebration” Tour, an intimate evening spanning his vast career and celebrating new arrangements of timeless classics, deep cuts and new musical discoveries (Disney+ and Hulu).

SATURDAY, June 27
Single Black Tenant
Tia Mowery stars in this true-crime story as a woman who begins to suspect that the home she thought would save her may ultimately destroy her (8 p.m., Lifetime).

In the Eye of the Storm
New season begins of the high-stakes drama at the epicenter of recent natural disasters, as told through firsthand accounts and mobile phone footage filmed by everyday people caught in the maelstrom (10 p.m., Discovery).

SUNDAY, June 28
The BET Awards
Lauryn Hill will receive the Living Legend Icon Award at tonight’s live annual event honoring Black entertainers in film, music and other arenas (8 p.m., BET).

Black Americans and the Revolutionary War
Documentary that follows the stories of enslaved and eventually freed Black Americans who believed, exercised and fought for democracy for themselves, their families and their communities (10 p.m., PBS).

MONDAY, June 29
Adventure Time: Side Quests
Animated series about a young hero and his magical dog best friend as they embark on adventures across the fantastical land of Ooo. With voices by Sasha Knight and John DiMaggio (Disney+).

Disney Celebrates America: The Pursuit of Happiness
Two-hour event honors American “firsts” by turning Disney World into a portal for American stories, triumphs and traditions (8 p.m., ABC).

TUESDAY, June 30
The Crown Prince and the President
Examines the alliance between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Donald Trump, and how Trump and Jared Kushner opened doors to arms deals, investments and personal profit, despite Saudi abuses (10 p.m., PBS).

Lexi Minetree stars as Elle Woods in the prequel to “Legally Blonde.”

WEDNESDAY, July 1
Elle
This prequel to Legally Blonde follows young Elle Woods (Lexi Minetree) in high school as she begins to become the young woman we met in the 2001 film. Reese Witherspoon, who starred as grownup Elle in the original film, is one of the producers (Prime Video).

Enola Holmes 3
Adventure chases detective Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) to Malta, where personal and professional dreams collide on tangled and treacherous case. With Henry Cavill and Helena Bonham Carter (Netflix).

THURSDAY, July 2
Gamechangers: America’s Top 25 Female Athletes
Interviews with star athletes, sports media voices and celebrities, celebrating the legacy and impact of the greatest female athletes in American sports history (Roku Channel).

Independence Day
1996 sci-fi action film about an attack by extraterrestrials stars Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Vivica A. Fox (8 p.m., ABC).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In Sisters, Saints and Sybils (Thames & Hudson), photographer Nan Golden presents a highly personalized portrait using old family snapshots, her own photos and hospital reports to present the life story of her late sister. It’s visual tapestry exploring addiction, abuse, trauma and the medical community’s mistreatment of female mental health in the 20th century.

How have humans sought to predict the future? Prophesies (Thames & Hudson) traces the long—long—history of prediction and fortune telling, from ancient Egyptians to Roman augers, animals, supernatural signs, Aztec omens and Japanese divinations. I predict…you’ll dig it!

American music has often glorified “outlaws” and rule-breakers.  The Midnight Special (W.W. Norton) by Colin Asher tells the true story of the criminal-justice system’s impact on music makers, from Lead Belly to Johnny Cash and Tupac Shakur and many others who transcended their grim, dehumanizing existence with sounds of joy, rebellion and righteousness.

Ever wonder how a little faux-documentary frolic helped four lads from Liverpool make the leap from music to movies—and forever changed the way the world saw pop music? Find out in A Hard Day’s Night (Bloomsbury/British Film Institute), BBC broadcaster Samira Ahmed’s fascinating rewind to the 1960s and a black and white film that became a cinematic landmark.

NOW HEAR THIS

Calling all Deadheads! The Grateful Dead’s classic Steal Your Face live album from 1976 has been remastered for a special 50th anniversary edition. It’s full of road-tested rockers and then-new material from members’ solo projects—and it marked the return of the iconic group after a long self-imposed touring hiatus. (Order at dead.net).

BRING IT HOME

Paranoia has a new home in A Yard of Jackals (IndiePix Films), a gripping psychological thriller set in Chile about isolation, moral decay and a spirit being crushed under authoritarian rule. Includes commentary from director Diego Figueroa and filmmaker Inti Carrizo-Ortiz.

In the heist thriller Crime 101 (Alliance Home Entertainment), a jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) lands the score of a lifetime but must evade a relentless detective closing in on his string of heists. With Mark Ruffolo, Barry Keogan, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Halle Berry. And a bit part by Nick Nolte!

Tagged , , , , ,
Jun 19 2026
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of June 19 – June 25

Butch & Sundance, Marilyn Monroe’s crime scene, Tom Hanks on America & the rising tide of human migration

FRIDAY, June 19
The Clash of Nations: Joe Lewis vs. Max Schmeling
Documentary about one of the most iconic rivalries in boxing history and how their late 1930s bouts came to symbolize the coming showdown between freedom and fascism (8 p.m., History Channel).

How to Make a Killing
Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley star in movie about a man disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, now seeking to reclaim his inheritance—at any cost (8 p.m., HBO).

SATURDAY, June 20
Don’t Trust the Girls Upstairs
Remy Ma stars as a woman forced to confront her past when her life begins to unravel and she opens her home to her orphaned teenage niece (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, June 21
Celebrity Crime Scene: Marilyn Monroe
Re-examining the evidence to the enduring mystery of the screen goddess’ death in August 1962 (8 p.m., Fox).

House of the Dragon
Tonight begins season three of the series, above, set centuries before the events of Game of Thrones. With Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke (HBO).

MONDAY, June 22
Harry Wild
Fan-fave murder-mystery series starring Jane Seymour as a British crime-solver returns for its new season (Acorn TV).

The Last Ship
Eric Dane and Adam Baldwin star in this series (originally on TNT) about the crew of a U.S. Navy destroyer that has somehow avoided a global pandemic that’s wiped out most of the world’s population. See seasons 1 to 3 streaming on Netflix.

TUESDAY, June 23
Movies by Director George Roy Hill
Get your Paul Newman and Robert Redford fix on with a trio of classic flicks from the late director: The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Great Waldo Pepper (8 p.m., TCM).

The Welcome Table
Documentary about climate change causing massive migrations of humans across the globe. Where will all those people go? (9 p.m., HBO).

WEDNESDAY, June 24
Expedition Unknown
Global explorer Josh Gates returns for an all-new season, exploring far-flung jungles, remote waters and vastcaves hunting for vanished civilizations (9 p.m., Discovery). 

The American Experiment
Tom Hanks is part of this sweeping five-part documentary series reexamining the improbable achievement of America’s founding and the radical question at its center: Can a people govern themselves? (Netflix).

THURSDAY, June 25
CMA Fest Presented by SoFI
The music event of the summer, filmed in June at CMA Fest in Nashville, features all-star performances and surprise collaborations from country music’s hottest acts, including Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Jelly Roll and Carly Pearce (8 p.m., ABC).

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Season two begins of the animated TV spinoff of the hit sci-fi movie series, about a future world broken into warring kingdoms based on the elements of water, earth, fire and air (Netflix).

NOW HEAR THIS

Steve Martin and Edie Brickell join The Steep Canyon Rangers for Next Act (Yep Roc Records), which reconnects the acclaimed group with its bluegrass roots. Tracks include “Circling the Drain,” “Hard Times” and “Babylon Stone.”

BRING IT HOME


Now you can own the entire first season of the hit HBO prequel to Game of Thrones. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stars Peter Caffey as the lowborn titular knight, and Dexter Sol Arsell as the young prince he takes as his squire. The DVD features exclusive behind-the-scenes and bonus content.

Mira Sorvino, John Savage, and TikTok phenom Jessica Hosam star in The Goat (MVD Entertainment), an Arabic-Italian drama about a 11-year-old girl fleeing a forced marriage and making a perilous journey across the desert—with a goat.

The classic “slasher flick” franchise I Know What You Did Last Summer (AV Entertainment) was turned into a TV series by Amazon. Now you can scare yourself silly with all episodes of its first (and only) season in 2021, about a group of friends stalked by a brutal killer. Starring Madison Iseman, Bill Heck and Brianne Tju. Buy HERE.

A 1996  Ah-nold classic gets a 30th anniversary salute in the new 4K restoration of Eraser (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), about a U.S. Marshal (Arnold Schwarzenegger) tasked with “erasing” the identities of people in the witness protection program. Then things get complicated when a witness (Vanessa Williams) uncovers a plot to unleash a weapon of mass destruction.
 

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Author George Tsakiridis, a professor of philosophy and religion at South Dakota State University, looks at a famous superhero through a religious prism in Spider-Man and the Sacred (McFarland). It shows how we can glean from comic books about the webslinger the broader themes of morality, sin, guilt and redemption and even resurrection.

Take a sweeping journey through the Big Apple in Harry Gruyart New York (Thames & Hudson), a spectacular photographic trek with the photographer who’s spent more than half a century chronicling the city’s wide spectrum of people, places, peculiarities and scenes.

Learn about the genesis of hip-hop in Bust a Move by Peter Relic, which traces the rise of the record label Delicious Vinyl and its vital role in vaulting hip-hop music into the pop mainstream with artists like Tone Loc, Young MC and Def Jeff.

Jun 12 2026
Leave a comment
Books, Humor, Movies, Photography, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of June 12 – June 18

A girls’ trip goes sideways, fighters gonna fight and spooky stories come to life

The Mexican stop-motion film ‘I Am Frankelda’ is a gorgeous ode to scary storytelling.

FRIDAY, June 12
I Am Frankelda
Animated tale of a gifted writer in Mexico whose dark tales full of monsters come to life (Netflix).

Find Your Friends
A girls’ fun trip to a boozy bacchanalia in the desert takes a nasty turn when they run into some very inhospitable locals, below. Starring Bella Thorn (Shudder).

SATURDAY, June 13
My Adventures with Superman
Season three begins of the animated series about Clark Kent (voiced by Jack Quaid) as he begins working as an intern at the Daily Planet with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen (midnight, streaming on Adult Swim on Max).

The Jealous Bride
Amber Stevens stars in this twisted tale of love, jealousy, and obsession based on bestselling novel My Sister’s Daughter by Liv Constantine (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, June 14
Patience
Season two of the crime drama about an autistic woman who works in criminal records tackling puzzling crimes begins tonight. Starring Ella Maisy Purvis (8 p.m., PBS).

The Ultimate Fighter
UFC Hall of Famers compete as coaches as former champs Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping mix it up in the ring (Paramount+)

MONDAY, June 15
The Last Twins
Liev Schrieber narrates this gripping story of an unsung hero of the Holocaust who defied the Nazis to protect dozens of young boys, many of them twins, targeted by Dr. Josef Mengele for brutal medical experimentation (10 p.m., PBS)

TUESDAY, June 16
Becoming Katherine Graham
Documentary about the woman who took over the Washington Post newspaper after her father and husband, leading to a new era of acclaimed investigative journalism (9 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, June 17
Alone
Season 13 begins of the extreme-survival series, this time bringing contestants from all over the globe to the Arctic Circle—and its freezing temps, intense isolation and dangerous wildlife (9 p.m., History Channel).

The Kimberley: Australia’s Wild West
New series about Australia’s remote northwest region, from a First Nations perspective, chronicling a year of extreme tropical seasons to reveal the stories hidden within the rugged landscape (10 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, June 18
The Capture
Holliday Grainger stars in this series about deepfakes, a government exposé and a geopolitical crisis (Peacock).

I Will Find You
A father wrongly imprisoned for his son’s murder receives evidence that his child may be alive. Series stars Sam Worthington (above), Milo Ventimiglia and Britt Lower (Netflix).

NOW HEAR THIS

Just in time for Father’s Day is Fun Intended from the Chicago-based band DadJoke. It’s the brainchild of award-winning composer Dave Remmick, who blends rock, punk, post-punk, funk, metal, jazz, folk, Broadway/Disney and R&B on silly, bone-tickling tunes like “I Hope Nobody Drops a Big Rubber Horse on My Head,” “You Have to Go Potty Too,” “What Did the Dinosaurs Say” and many more.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

The groundbreaking mid-20th century American photographer Helen Levitt, known for her street photography around her home of New York City, is the subject of this chronicle of her wide-ranging work. Take a trip back in time to the teeming street life of Gotham, as documented through her lens (Thames & Hudson).

She was a blonde goddess of the silver screen. And now, on what would have been her 100th birthday, The Marilyn Monroe Century (Abrams) celebrates her life, her transformation from Norma Jeane Mortensen into a 1950s blonde bombshell. Packed with photos by Bruno Bernard, the most sought-after shutterbug of Hollywood’s Golden Age (he was known as “Bruno of Hollywood”), it’s a tribute to the iconic, one-of-a-kind movie star, who died in 1962.

It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. In Trash (Melville House), “trashman” Simon Pare-Poupart spills the, ahem, dirt—as well as a few good yuks—about his 20 years in waste management…and why he’s still on the job, because of his love for the physical rush, his rough-and-tumble colleagues, and an honesty and freedom that no other job has given him.

Today we can pick up a phone and make a call to just about anywhere in the world. But it wasn’t always that way. In Lightning Beneath the Sea (W.W. Norton), author James M. Tabor tells the almost unbelievable tale of how the first 2,000-mile cable was laid—in the mid-1800s—across the Atlantic Ocean, beset by storms, freak accidents and even sabotage—to usher in a new era of global communication.

How do animals, ahem, have sex? And what can we learn from it? You might be surprised, in Perrin Roosevelt Ireland’s illuminating Poking the Squid (W. W. Norton), to find out the many ways and means critters go about reproducing. It’s a wild illustrated ride through a spectrum of behaviors, including queerness, infidelity, consent, cannibalism and gender fluidity.

BRING IT HOME

Attention, horror fans! Scream 7 (Alliance Home Entertainment) slashes its way onto home video this week, with Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox returning for more mayhem with the supernatural villain known as Ghostface.

NOW HEAR THIS

After surgery for lung cancer, Barry Manilow is back, baby! His new What a Time, his 33rd album, features a set of 13 eclectic and reflective songs, including “Once Before I Go,” “Touched by an Angel” and “Don’t Trouble the Water.”

Jun 05 2026
Leave a comment
Books, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of June 5 – 11

A classic ‘Beach Party,’ a bloodsucking rock star & the new ‘Cape Fear’

Annette and Frankie rock out in the 1960 surf-and-sand classic.

FRIDAY, June 5
Cape Fear
New remake stars Patrick Wilson, Amy Adams and Javier Bardem—channeling his No Country For Old Men vibes as a very, very bad guy who terrorizes the husband-and-daughter attorneys who once put him behind bars (Apple TV).


Office Romance
Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein lead a raunchy romantic comedy (below) about two workaholics and their secret workplace affair. With Tony Hale, Betty Gilpin, Bradley Whitford and Edward James Olmos (Netflix).

SATURDAY, June 6
Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery
Faith-based movie about love, temptation and forgiveness features the acting debut of former NBA champ Matt Barnes as an affable detective (8 p.m., Lifetime).


Beach Party
Frankie (Avalon) and Annette (Funicello) kick up the sand in this lighthearted 1963 romp which launched a “beach party” movie craze of six more “teenage” fun flicks (TCM).

SUNDAY, June 7
The Tony Awards
Who’s the best of Broadway? Find out in tonight’s 79 annual awarding of the top theatrical honors, hosted by P!NK from Radio City Music Hall (8 p.m., CBS).


The Vampire Lestat
Sam Reid stars in this new series (above) as a blood-sucking rock-star vampire. Yes, you read that correctly (AMC).

MONDAY, June 8
The Golden Girls of Summer
Binge to fan-favorite episodes of The Golden Girls every Monday through June and into July (10 p.m., MeTV).


Alice & Steve
Jemaine Clement and Nicola Walker star in this new comedy series about a friendship that devolves into an all-out feud (Hulu).

TUESDAY, June 10
Spielberg Cinema
Steven Spielberg co-hosts an evening of his films Close Encounters of the Third Kind, A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Minority Report (TCM).


Every Year After
Series based on the bestselling romantic novel spins a tale of second chances over eight years of a couple’s relationship. Starring Sadie Soverall and Matt Cornett (Prime Video).

THURSDAY, June 11
Sweet Magnolias
Three lifelong best-friend Southern belles (above) juggle relationships, family and careers in South Carolina. Starring JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliot and Heather Headley (Netflix).


Surviving Earth
New landmark series showcasing how life not only survived but thrived through Earth’s most catastrophic environmental crises (NBC).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In The Book of Birds (W.W. Norton), authors Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris not only tell you how to identify all sorts of flying fowls, but also how to identify with them. It’s a celebration of endangered birds and a strikingly illustrated alphabetical-order compendium on the many mysteries of birdlife, from egg to air, how birds intersect with and enrich us, and how we can help them keep brightening our lives with their winged splendor.

The highly anticipated The One Day You Were My Husband (Pamela Dorman Books), the third novel from author Rosie Walsh, is a feverish page-turner about a young woman whose marriage lasts only one day when her husband is taken away by armed men, never to be seen or heard from again—and her discovery, years later, that becomes an obsession.  
 

May 29 2026
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Sports

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of May 29 -June 4

Marilyn Monroe, disaster flicks & history’s greatest machines!

Marilyn Monroe is featured in six films Monday night, including ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.’

FRIDAY, May 29
Star City
Rhys Ifans stars in this space-race alt-history thriller series, which posits the what-might-have-been if the Soviet Union had beat America to the moon (Apple TV).

Miss You, Love You
New original film about a grieving widow (Allison Janney) planning her husband’s funeral with a total stranger: her estranged son’s assistant (Andrew Rannells). Can they help each other heal? (8 p.m., HBO).

SATURDAY, May 30
Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose
The award-winning comedian hosts this new weekly series exploring what it means to be American through humor, history, and personal reflection (9 p.m., CNN).

SUNDAY, May 31
1971 Psychological Thrillers
It’s back-to-back classics, both released in the golden Hollywood year of 1971. Donald Sutherland and Jane Fonda star in Klute, which also features Roy Schieder and an uncredited, pre-Rocky Sylvester Stallone. And then Play Misty for Me, a suspense thriller written by and starring Clint Eastwood (TCM).

MONDAY, June 1
History’s Greatest Machines with Dolph Lundgren
The actor explores the engineering breakthroughs that shaped human history, including the printing press, rockets and personal computers (10 p.m, History).

Star of the Month: Marilyn Monroe
Celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of the silver screen goddess with six of her films, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, Monkey Business and I Love Trouble (TCM).  

TUESDAY, June 2
People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer
Get ready for another season of real-life, harrowing accounts of survivors who crossed paths with serial killers and lived to share their story (9 p.m., ID).

Not Suitable For Work
Mindy Kaling created this new series (above) about work-obsessed twenty-somethings striving for success and, if they have time, happiness in Manhattan’s most glamorous neighborhood (Hulu).

WEDNESDAY, June 3
The Legend of Vox Machina
The critically acclaimed animated series begins its fourth season (Prime Video).

TCM Spotlight: Disaster Films
Buckle up for a day of disaster flicks, including Airport (the original 1970 version!), The Hindenberg, Skyjacked and Zero Hour (TCM).

THURSDAY, June 4
The Witness
Three-part true-crime drama focuses on the aftermath of a 1992 murder, centered on her partner and their young son, who saw it happen. Starring Jordon Bolger and Max Fincham. (Netflix).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

If you ever wondered about the relationships between photography, feminist art and collage-making, you can take a deep dive into Cut Out (Thames & Hudson). It’s an art-filled salute to college and cutting techniques, stretching across nearly 200 years, from the Victorian era to today.

Young readers can get an appreciation of the beauty and strength of Black culture in We Are Joy (Penguin Random House), a vibrantly illustrated celebration of diversity and inclusion from award-winning author Crystal T. Giles and artist Kitt Thomas. 

Baseball fans will discover all the details about a pivotal moment in sports in The First All-Star Game: Babe Ruth, FDR and America at the Crossroads (Atlantic Monthly Press), a sweeping, richly detailed history of the game and how it grew against the backdrop of a failed presidential assassination, a rising threat in Europe…and Bonny and Clyde!  

TRUDEAU & DOONESBURY: A Biography (Abrams Press) is a must-read for anyone who remembers the newspaper strip that brought serious “bite” to “the funnies” and helped drive the national conversation about Watergate, Vietnam and other social and political events of the ‘70s.

BRING IT HOME

Version 1.0.0

Milla Jovovich stars in Protector (Magenta Light Studios), a gripping action tale of a war hero whose peaceful life is shattered with her daughter is kidnapped by sex traffickers—and she dives deep into the criminal underworld to find her. With Matthew Modine and D.B. Sweeney.

NOW HEAR THIS

Willie Nelson is on the road again! Well, not exactly—but he was in the studio to make his 156th album, Dreamchaser (Legacy). Nelson, who just turned 92, shows he’s still got the musical mojo with this all-new collection of tunes, many of which he co-wrote—like “I Can’t Read Your Mind,” “We’d Make a Good Movie,” “Whiskey Wants Me To” and “I Don’t Think I’ve Cried Today.” One of his songwriting collaborators? Bob Dylan!

May 15 2026
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of May 15 – May 21

Twain twang, another ‘Yellowstone’ spinoff & monsters in a retirement home!

Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser return in the new spinoff of ‘Yellowstone.’

FRIDAY, May 15
It’s Not Like That
Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes star in this character-driven family drama about love, loss, and starting over, from the producers of Parenthood (Prime Video).

Dutton Ranch
Both a spinoff and a sequel, this new series stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprising their Yellowstone roles as the Duttons fight to build a new future far from where they used to be (Paramount +). 

SATURDAY, May 16
Faith & Forgiveness: A Duck Dynasty Love Story
This tale of a love tested, broken and ultimately rebuilt is based on the real-life couple, Lisa and Al Robertson, from TV’s Duck Dynasty family (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, May 17
The Academy of Country Music Awards
Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Zach Top and Cody Johnson lead the nominees for these annual honors, live from Las Vegas and hosted by Shania Twain (Prime Video).

Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown
They’re naked, they’re afraid (especially of losing out on the show’s biggest cash prize ever!), they’re all previous winners, and they come from all over the world to try to outlast each other in Africa (8 p.m., Discovery).

MONDAY, May 18
You’re Killing Me
Brooke Shields stars in this six-episode murder-mystery drama series about a bestselling novelist who forms an unlikely alliance with an aspiring writer to find the killer of a close friend (Acorn TV).

TUESDAY, May 19
W.E.B. Dubois: Rebel with a Cause
Stirring doc about the late, great civil rights activist, who died just before the March on Washington in 1963, but whose legacy continues to resonate and inspire today (9 p.m., PBS).

Forever Young: A Grammy Tribute to Rod Stewart Live
Two-hour TV special honors the GRAMMY Award-winning two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and one of the best-selling artists in music history, bringing viewers on stage and behind the scenes for an all-access concert experience (8 p.m., CBS).

WEDNESDAY, May 20
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
New dark-comedy thriller stars Tatiana Maslany as a mom who thinks she’s witnessed a crime and starts her own investigation, but falls down a rabbit hole of blackmail, murder…and youth soccer (Apple TV).

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War
John Krasinski returns for another season as the iconic supersleuth on a new international covert mission that unravels a deadly conspiracy (Prime Video).

THURSDAY, May 21
Alien: Romulus
2024 sequel in the hit sci-fi franchise (the seventh film in the Alien series) stars Cailee Spaeny in the latest tale of space scavengers encountering the deadliest beastie in the universe (Hulu).

The Boroughs
Residents in a retirement community (Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard and Bill Pullman) deal with a little problem plaguing their placid golden years in the sun-drenched desert of New Mexico—and it involves monsters (Netflix).

BRING IT HOME

Based on a popular videogame, season two of the Amazon Prime sci-fi series Fallout takes its characters (Ella Purnell, Kyle McLachlin, Walton Goggins and Frances Turner) into a post-apocalyptic hellscape that was once Las Vegas. (Amazon MGM Home Video)

In The Yeti (Well Go USA), a team of explorers runs across a terrifying oversized monster in a remote region of Alaska. It’s a creature feature on ice! With Brittany Allen, Eric Nelsen and Corbin Bernsen.

Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon and Matthew Fox star in the zippity live-action Speed Racer (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the latest incarnation of the 1960s Japanese TV series.

The latest adaptation of the classic Wuthering Heights is a steamy affair, with a pair of eye-candy stars (Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi) in the leading roles as their intoxicating romance turns toxic. Directed by Emerald Fennell, whose proclivity for provocation put the spice in Saltburn and Promising Young Woman. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment).

Version 1.0.0

The Bride is much more than just Frankenstein’s sweetie. Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale star in director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s gruesomely fem-centric take on the familiar Gothic horror story. With Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal and Penélope Cruz. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment).

NOW HEAR THIS

Elvis fans will love dropping the needle on the double-disc vinyl set of Epic (Legacy Records), the soundtrack to the hit documentary—with a title that noted it stood for “Elvis Presley in Concert.” Tracks include “I Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Hound Dog,” “Polk Salad Annie,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight” and some two dozen more Elvis in-concert staples.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

It took more than a bunch of miners and gold-rushers to settle California, as you’ll learn in Unsung Heroines (City Lights Publishing). Journalist Rae Alexandra puts the spotlight on 35 largely overlooked women who made important, impactful strides in San Francisco and northern California across the centuries.

May 08 2026
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of May 8 – 14

Sally Field and an octopus, Johnny Knoxville brings the fear & a new ‘Amadeus’

FRIDAY, May 8
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Sally Field, Lewis Pullman and an octopus (yes, you read that right) star in this adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s mystery drama, above (Netflix).

Amadeus
Will Sharpe stars as Mozart, and Paul Bethany as his jealous rival Salieri, in this new adaptation of the play that was previously made into a hit movie in 1984 (Starz).

SATURDAY, May 9
K-Everything
Daniel Dae-Kim explores the cultural impact of Korea’s explosive global influence (CNN).

SUNDAY, May 10
America’s Funniest Home Videos
Ten of the season’s biggest winners vie for a $100,000 cash prize. Hilarious highlights include birthday blunders, summer snafus and kids saying the silliest things (7 p.m., ABC).

Mothers’ Day Marathon
Celebrate with mom-centric programming, including hand-picked episodes of Friends and Modern Family (begins 8:30 a.m., TBS)

MONDAY, May 11
BBQ Brawl
If you love ‘cue, you’ll dig digging into the new season of the team competition to find the ultimate pitmaster, hosted by Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan and Brooke Williamson (9 p.m., Food Network). 

TUESDAY, May 12
Squatters
Homeowner-rights advocate Flash Shelton and his team take on high-stakes missions to run squatters out of their roosts and help property owners reclaim their homes (10 p.m., A&E).

Chopped Castaways
Twelve elite chefs are “stranded” on a remote island in this new food competition series, where their culinary talents must align with basis survival skills (9 p.m., Food Network).

WEDNESDAY, May 13
Off Campus
College-based soap based on the bestselling book series by Elle Kennedy follows the “opposites attract” romance of an elite ice hockey star and a quiet songwriter, starring Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli, above (Prime Video).

Mistakes That Made America
Host Michael McBride explores the unexpected accidents, mishaps, and misunderstandings that ended up changing the course of American culture (on History’s YouTube channel and available on history.com).

THURSDAY, May 14
Fear Factor: 48 Hours of Fear
Johnny Knoxville (above) is the ringleader as six contestants compete in epic challenges testing their endurance, with one critical catch: no sleeping! (9 p.m., Fox)!

Nemesis
What happens when an unstoppable force (an expert criminal) meets an immovable object (a brilliant police detective)? Find out in this new series starring Matthew Law and Y’lan Noel (Netflix).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Trees: A Rooted History (Abrams Books) is an illustrated tree-riffic treasury of just about everything related to trees, from the many ways the benefit our world to their roles in lore and legend, and their vital importance to our global ecosystem. 

Launch your imagination into orbit with Space Journal: Art, Space & Cosmic Inspiration (Thames & Hudson), which weaves together memorabilia, revolutionary experiments and spectacular scenes to celebrate space exploration through the imagination of great dreamers—artists, photographers, filmmakers, rocketeers, astronauts, cosmonauts and scientists—across the centuries.

How did “soap operas” get to be such a pop-cultural touchstone? In Love in the Afternoon, and Evening (W.W. Norton), authors Charlotte Druckman and Mayukh Sen dig into the roots, and the reach, of so-called daytime dramas, the “art” of TV storytelling, and why soaps so often aren’t taken seriously.

Version 1.0.0

Shutterbugs, you’ll love Brooke DiDonato: Take a Picture, It Will Last Longer (Thames & Hudson), packed with beguiling pics by the highly creative photographer who loved looking at “normal” things through a lens of the fantastical and surreal—like a bouquet of flowers overflowing from a toilet, a nude body covered in books on a fireplace mantle, or a woman balancing brooms on her neck.

NOW HEAR THIS

Get down with your bad self, and get watching Soul To Soul (MVD Entertainment Group), a new DVD of the 1971 cross-cultural concert film—recorded in South Africa—featuring Wilson Pickett, Santana, Ike & Tina Turner, the Staple Singers and more.

The totally rockin’ reissue of 1972’s The J. Geils Band “Live” Full House (Rhino) reminds me of how much I loved hearing front man Peter Wolfe and crew tear through high-energy rave-ups like “First I Look at the Purse,” “Whammer Jammer” and “Lookin’ for a Love.” With new liner notes from Wolf, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, it’s a whammer jammer, indeed!

← Older posts