Category Archives: Books

Aug 25 2023
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Books, DVDs, Movies, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Aug. 25 – Aug. 31

Cinderella gets a new shine, life in Ireland, way-out crimes & Elvis’ Army days

FRIDAY, Aug. 25
Cinderella
Disney returns to its roots with this newly restored high-def version of its 1950 animated film classic. And didja know: A young Mike Douglas, who’d later become famous as a TV talk-show host, provided the singing voice of Prince Charming!  (Disney+).

The Escape of Carlos Ghosn
New docuseries details the true story of a CEO turned fugitive, his relentless climb to the top the corporate ladder in Japan, his shocking arrest and unbelievable escape to Lebanon (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Aug. 26
Napa Ever After
Above: After inheriting her grandmother’s winery in Napa Valley, a high-powered attorney (Denise Boutté) decides to renovate the property, with the help of a handsome local handyman (Colin Lawrence) (9 p.m., Hallmark).

Attenborough: Behind the Lens
Find out how the revered documentary filmmaker, who recently celebrated his 97th birthday, kept pushing for new ways to tell natural history for viewers using the latest technologies around the world, in every kind of climate (8 p.m., BBC America).

SUNDAY, Aug. 27
The $100,000 Pyramid
In tonight’s season finale, Wendi McLendon-Covey (from The Goldbergs) pits wits with Matt Walsh (Veep), and Amanda Kloots (host of The Talk) vies with Marcus Lemonis (The Profit) for a spot in the winner’s circle (8 p.m., ABC). 

MONDAY, Aug. 28
Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland
New series (above) takes you inside the country, and alongside the real people living in its ongoing conflict (check local listings, PBS).

Love Island
Above: Which of the beautiful couples/contestants will win the viewers’ votes will win the reality competition—set in a secluded villa where they are followed constantly (Big Brother style) with cameras and recorded by microphones—in its season 5 finale? Reality? Hardly! (Peacock).

TUESDAY, Aug. 29
A Murder at the End of the World
New murder mystery series stars Emma Corrin as an amateur sleuth trying to put the pieces of a horrific crime together inside the remote and isolated compound of a reclusive billionaire. With Clive Owen (Hulu).

Archer
The hip award-winning animated series returns tonight for its 14th and final season as Sterling Archer navigates the changing landscapes of the modern spy world (10 p.m., FXX)

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 30
Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zone
Travel the world with author Dan Buettner to discover five unique communities where residents live extraordinarily long and vibrant lives (Netflix).

My Strange Arrest
An in-depth looks at people who are arrested for (allegedly!) committing some really weird, way-out crimes (10 p.m., A&E).

BRING IT HOME

Far, far away from The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence stars in the wildly raunchy comedy No Hard Feelings (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) as a young woman hired to “make a man” of a wealthy couple’s son before he leaves for college. Yeah, that.

Learn all about the movies with The Complete Story of Film (MusicBox Films), the new box set of two acclaimed, immersive documentaries from director Mark Cousins with  definitive discourses on the development, innovations and themes of cinema around the world.

THURSDAY, Aug. 31
One Piece
A young man and his pirate crew explore a fantastical new world in search of treasure in this new adventure-filled live-action adaptation of a Japanese manga series (Netflix).

The Pact
It’s season two of the is edge-of-your-seat morality tale with lovable, complex characters under extreme pressure, navigating blood ties and divided loyalties while facing the ghosts of their past. Starring Rakie Ayola, Lloyd Everitt, Aaron Anthony and Mali Ann Rees (Sundance Now and AMC+).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

You’ve probably seen the G.I. days of Elvis referred to in documentaries and such, but usually as a passing chapter of his life before he came “home” to continue rockin’. Now in My Army Days with Elvis (Xulon Press), author Johnny Lang recalls his time as Presley’s Army buddy (in Germany, 1958-1960), where they trained, played football…and partied! It’s a rare, personal glimpse in the musical superstar during a period when he was serving his country, and from from the glare of the celebrity spotlight.

Aug 11 2023
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Television, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Aug. 11 – Aug. 17

A double dose of Elvis, a search for barbecue & telemarketer whistle blowers

FRIDAY, Aug. 11
Men In Kilts: A Road Trip with Sam and Graham
Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish hit the road again (above) for a second season of adventures, this time exploring the Down Under world of New Zealand (9:30 p.m., Starz).

Red, White and Royal Blue
In this new feature film, the son of the U.S. president and a British prince find themselves in the middle of a tabloid frenzy, out of which a deeper relationship develops. With Uma Thurman and Clifton Collins Jr. (Peacock).

NOW HEAR THIS

Celebrate the milestone 50th anniversary of Elvis Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite with a deluxe reissue of the groundbreaking 1973 event and album, loaded with bonus content—three discs of remastered and enhanced material, including a dress rehearsal, plus a 28-page booklet and the first-ever Blu-ray release of the original broadcast. Groove to such Elvis classics “Burning Love,” “My Way,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Suspicious Minds” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and a hunka-hunka lot more!

SATURDAY, Aug. 12
Hip Hop Treasures
Have you any hip hop treasures? You might, and LL Cool J and Ice T can let you know when they come to your door. They’re hosting this new series in which they track down down conic memorabilia from the musical era of hip hop, now celebrating the format’s 50th anniversary (10 p.m., A&E).

Kings of Barbecue
Black-ish star Anthony Anderson and comedian Cedric the Entertainer (above) travel across the country and fire up the grill in search of their one of their favorite foods, and the people who make it, in this new docuseries (9 p.m., A&E).

SUNDAY, Aug. 13
Telemarketers
Docuseries about two amateur sleuths in the early 2000s who set out to expose a crooked industry from within. It’s a madcap, sometimes witty odyssey stretching over 20 years into the dark side of American capitalism and the misuse of consumer trust (10 p.m., HBO).

Billions
The award-winning hit series (above), exploring a group of suit-and-tie money moguls embroiled in an escalating war driven by power, money and greed, returns for its seventh and final season, with Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll and Maggie Siff (8 p.m., Showtime).

MONDAY, Aug. 14
Solar Opposites
Season four begins of the animated chaotic comedy series (below) about a group of space aliens who can’t decide if Earth is awesome, or awful. Voices by Dan Stevens, Thomas Middleditch, Mary Mack and Sean Giambrone (Hulu).

TUESDAY, Aug. 15
Re-Inventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback
Documentary examines the dramatic creation of the groundbreaking hour-long TV event that triggered the comeback of Elvis Presley (Paramount+).

The Love Experiment
New dating-game twist features a relationship expert guiding three young women through a literal “hall” of eligible men, and coaching them on how to make the best choices (10 p.m., MTV).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Go deep into football’s past in Gridiron Legacy by Gregg Ficery (Gramarye Media/The Story Plant), which traces the sport’s origins all the way back to its muddy roots in the late 1800s. It’s a treasure trove of forgotten sports history and pics, long before the Super Bowl and millionaire superstar athletes were a thing.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16
Grown-ish
Oh, more college drama! Dean Miller recruits Aaron (Trevor Jackson) to convince Andre (Marcus Shribner) and the rest of their fraternity to cultivate a relationship with a problematic alum (10 p.m., Freeform).

THURSDAY, Aug. 17
The Wonder Years
The family embarks on a road trip to Austin College, the makes a stop at Disneyworld, where Bill (Dulè Hill) meets up with some old bandmates and reflects on his life choices (9:30 p.m., ABC).

Tracy Morgan: Takin’ It Too Far
The former SNL star goes on stage for this stand-up comedy special from the Wilbur Theater in Boston, where he takes on a variety of topics, including the 2014 car crash that left him with several broken bones and a brain injury (Max).

Aug 04 2023
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Books, DVDs, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, Aug. 4 – Thursday, Aug. 10

Sigourney’s ‘Lost Flowers,’ a Boy in the Walls, Lovers Who Kill and Musical Stars Find their Superfans

FRIDAY, Aug. 4
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
Sigourney Weaver (above) stars in this film adaptation of Holly Ringland’s internationally best-selling book, about a woman who learns troubling, decades-deep secrets about her family after a wrenching tragedy (Prime).

Women on Death Row
They are the rarest of criminals—women who have been found guilty of murder and sentenced to die. Each episode of this new series follows a harrowing trial and its proceedings that ultimately set the wheels turning for capital punishment—and shows how some of these women are facing their fates (9 p.m., A&E).

SATURDAY, Aug. 5
A Boy in the Walls
A family in rural Connecticut discover there’s someone secretly living in their home in this thriller (above) starring Ryan Michelle Bathe, Luke Camilleri and Cassandra Sawtell (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Great Chocolate Showdown
Ten top bakers complete tonight by building chocolate Tic-Tac-Toe boards and a diorama. And mom always told you not to play with your food! (8 p.m., The CW).

Debbie Reynolds and Frank Sinatra in ‘The Tender Trap.’

SUNDAY, Aug. 6
Celebrating Debbie Reynolds
Celebrate the singer, dancer and actress whose career spanned nearly 70 years—and who was the mom of Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher—in this daylong collection of some of her top movies, including The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, Bundle of Joy, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Singing in the Rain, The Tender Trap and The Gazebo (Turner Classic Movies).

MONDAY, Aug. 7
Meet Marry Murder
Actress Helen Hunt returns as narrator for season two of this true-crime series about spouses who kill their partners. Yikes! (10 p.m., Lifetime).

BRING IT HOME

More fast cars, more spectacular crashes, more revenge, more crowd-pleasing, turbo-charged destruction. That’s Fast X (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), the latest full-throttle epic in the successful franchise, with a sprawling ensemble cast that includes Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Brie Larson and Helen Mirren. Vrooom, y’all!

TUESDAY, Aug. 8
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets
What’s it like to knock heads with a pro team on the football field. This documentary takes you inside the Jets’ training camp in Florida, where coach Robert Saleh puts newcomers and returning superstars (Aaron Rogers! C.J. Mosley) through their grueling paces (10 p.m., Max).

Only Murders in the Building
New season of the comedy whodunnit (above) starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez as three residents of an apartment complex where the mysteries—and murders—just keep piling up (Hulu).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Experts on all things Oz-ian can dig up the bricks in the Yellow Brick Road in The Characters of Oz (McFarland), a fascinating collection of academic essays on the characters and themes of L. Frank Baum classic that became a landmark movie. Two of my favorite parts of the book were a deeps analysis of the Winged Monkeys, and a new way of looking at the Cowardly Lion!

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
How many colons can I used in this blurb: Maybe two or three: Maybe more. Tune in tonight to kick off the final season of the Emmy-nominated series based on the High School Musical movie franchise, about a group of high schoolers puttin’ on one last, blowout show (Disney+).

Superfan
Unscripted series—call it reality TV if you’d like—about six music-superstar acts (Kelsea Ballerini, Gloria Estefan, Little Big Town (above) , LL Cool J, Pitbull and Shania Twain—and their biggest fans (8 p.m., CBS).

THURSDAY, Aug. 10
Painkiller
Matthew Broderick (above), Taylor Kitsch and Uzo Aduba lead the cast in this new fictionalized series about America’s opioid crisis, its perpetrators and its victims, and a system of accountability that repeated failed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Hello, Emmy nominations (Netflix).

Rap Sh!t
Season two begins tonight of the Issa Rae-produced drama about a pair of high school friends (Aida Osman and KaMillion, above) who form a rap group but are challenged to conform to the demands of the music industry (Max).

Jul 21 2023
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Books, DVDs, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, July 21 – Thursday, July 27

Nicole K roars like a lioness, hot dogs in Cali, dystopian drivers & a Zoey reunion!

Nicole Kidman stars in the new terrorism thriller ‘Special Ops: Lioness’

FRIDAY, July 21
Praise Petey
Animated series about a New York City “it” girl who attempts to modernize her father’s small-town cult. With voices by Annie Murphy, John Cho, Stephen Root, Amy Hill and Christine Baranski (10 p.m., Freeform).

Minx
Season two begins tonight of the L.A.-based workplace comedy, in which a young feminist (Ophelia Lovibond) aligns with a scrappy adult-magazine publisher (Jake Johnson) to create the first erotic magazine for women in the ’70s (9 p.m., Starz).

Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond star in season two of ‘Minx,’ inspired by the rise in the 1970s of fem-centric magazines like ‘Playgirl’ and ‘Cosmopolitan.’

SATURDAY, July 22
Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators
Jo Joyner (who plays Lu Shakespeare) and Mark Benton (as Frank Hathaway) wrap up season one tonight with double episodes of this lively BBC crime-solving drama about a hard-boiled detective and his rookie sidekick poking around crimes and misdemeanors in Stratford-Upon-Avon (Ovation).

SUNDAY, July 23
Special Ops: Lioness
Espionage thriller stars Zoe Saldana as a CIA operative trying to prevent the next terrorist attack on America. With Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman (Paramount+).

Carnival Eats
In tonight’s episode, “Some Like It Hot Dog,” host Noah Cappe travels the country to sample more fair food, including the Devil Dog at the OC Winterfest in Costa Mesa, Calif., and other goodies in Tucson and West Palm Beach (9 p.m., Cooking Channel).

Shark Week!
Who better to host than the guy who lives under the sea? Jason Momoa (he plays Aquaman in DC movies) hosts this week-long dive into all stuff shark-y (Discovery).

MONDAY, July 24
Futurama
After a decade-long hiatus, the satirical animated sci-fi series (created by The Simpsons’ Matt Groening) returns, with voices by Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio and Billy West (Hulu).

The Golden Boy
Put ‘em up! Boxing fans will feel like they’re in the ring with this two-part doc on a gloved legend, Oscar De La Hoya, the “Golden Boy” who won an Olympic gold medal at age 19 and went on to become a pro boxing legend—and a role model to the Mexican-American community (HBO).

TUESDAY, July 25
Under G-D
Kicking off a new season of the acclaimed PBS shorts, this 24-minute documentary looks at the abortion controversy through a group of Jewish women fighting to protect rights, uphold the separation of church and state, and oppose rabbis and other clergy who want to overturn the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade (available on streaming via PBS.org and the PBSApp).

BRING IT HOME

Another new release for movie buffs, Soundies: The Ultimate Collection (Kino Lorber) spotlights some 200 musical “jukebox” short films that kept Americans entertained during the World War II era. These early music videos included performances by Doris Day, Cab Calloway, Liberace, Duke Ellington, Spike Jones, Merle Travis and many more, and they played on coin-operated machines in neighborhood bars and taverns all over the country.

The madcap comedy thriller So I Married an Axe Murderer, starring Nancy Travers and a pre-Austin Powers Mike Myers, is 30 years old! Can you believe it? The new 4K anniversary release contains half an hour of unused and deleted scenes (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment).

WEDNESDAY, July 26
On the Case with Paula Zahn
In tonight’s episode, chilling evidence found inside a quaint Utah bookstore leads to the murderer of its beloved owner—or does it? (10 p.m., ID).

Abbott Elementary
It’s not quite back-to-school time, but classroom is in full session of TV’s award-winning comedy series. Tonight, the AE teachers must decide which two of them deserves a plum district award—a pair of courtside tickets to a 76ers game (9:30 p.m., ABC).

LISTEN UP!

Unleash your white winged dove and fly high with Stevie Nicks: Complete Studio Albums and Rarities (Rhino). Available digitally, as a 10-CD box 16 LPs, it’s all of her solo albums, newly unearthed tracks (of course) her hits, including “Stop Dragging My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty), “Leather and Lace” (with Don Henley) and more. Get your Stevie on! 

THURSDAY, July 27
The Slumber Party
Coming of age comedy fiim, based on a YA novel about a hypnotism stunt gone wrong, stars Darby Camp, Emmy Liu-Wang, Valentina Herrera and Dallas Liu (8 p.m., Disney).

Twisted Metal
Anthony Mackie (above) Wil Arnett and Thomas Hayden Church star in this new series, a rock-‘em, sock-‘em adaption of a 2001 video game about drivers and their cars in a Mad Max-ian dystopia (Peacock).

Zoey 102
Jamie Lynn Spears, Erin Sanders and other castmates from the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 return for this new film about an over-the-top wedding and a wild high school reunion (Paramount+).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

What’s Fido thinking? Canine behaviorist Louise Glazebrook’s Teach Yourself Dog (Lawrence King) is a fun matching “memory game” of cards leading you to learn how to “speak dog” by recognizing their gestures and looks as signposts to what your fur babies are feeling.

Jul 14 2023
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Books, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, July 14 – Thursday, July 20

YA drama, DC backstories, a new ‘Bird Box’ & Clint Eastwood’s apes*%t movie classic

FRIDAY, July 14
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Season three of the series based on author Jenny Han’s angsty beach-tales novel trilogy launches tonight (above), with more YA coming-of-age drama and romance in the fictional seaside town of Cousin’s Beach (Prime Video).

Goliath
Three-part sports doc examines the life and career and long-lasting impact of basketball great Wilt Chamberlain, using artificial intelligence to recreate the late NBA superstar’s narrating voice. Creepy? Maybe, but you make the call! (On Paramount+ and Showtime’s streaming subscriber platforms)

Bird Box Barcelona
The frightening world of Bird Box—the 2018 Sandra Bullock sci-fi drama about a world in which some malevolent force drives people to mass suicide if they get a glimpse of it—returns (above) with a new cast and a Spanish spin (Netflix).

SATURDAY, July 15
Every Which Way But Loose
Get up early—or set your DVR—to see this light-footed 1978 apes*#t romcom romp, the highest-grossing movie of Clint Eastwood’s acting career, in which he plays a trucker turned boxer traveling in California with an orangutan named Clyde. With Sandra Locke, who made six films with Eastwood (and had a longterm relationship with him as well). Bill McKinney, who played the notorious “mountain man” in Deliverance, also appears. Worth checking out for some retro kicks! (7:45 a.m., TCM).

SUNDAY, July 16
The Prank Panel
“Pranxsperts” Johnny Knoxville, Eric Andre and Gabourey Sidibe help facilitate a granny’s participation in a sexy video. Va-va-voom! (8 p.m., ABC)

Zoe Bakes
Pastry chef and author Zoe Francois (above) makes her favorite recipes from easy main dishes to deserts (1 p.m., Magnolia).

MONDAY, July 17
A House Made of Splinters
This Sundance Award-winning documentary examines the consequences of the war in Ukraine on its youngest citizens, the children caught in the crossfire (check local listings, PBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Rock fans will relish Backstage & Beyond Vol. 1, the new decades-spanning collection of writing and reporting by award-winning musical journalist Jim Sullivan on his lively encounters with Jerry Lee Lewis, Tina Turner, Neil Young, David Bowie, John Fogerty, the J. Geils Band, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper and many other legendary music-makers.

TUESDAY, July 18
Southern Storytellers
New three-episode series follows storytellers and “creators” whose books, songs, poems, plays and films all reflect on their regional roots. Included are country singer-songwriters Lyle Lovett and Jason Isbell and actor Billy Bob Thornton (9 p.m., PBS).

Justified: City Primeval
A U.S. Marshal (Timothy Oliphant) crosses paths with a sociopathic desperado called the Oklahoma Wildman (Boyd Holbrook) in this new spinoff series from the FX hit crime drama (10 p.m., FX).

WEDNESDAY, July 19
I Wanna Rock
Hey, all you metalheads! This totally rad three-part docuseries looks at the head-banging ‘80s, providing the untold stories of success (and failure) in the ere of leather pants, Spandex and massive hair through interviews with bands and artists who lived it (Paramount+).

CMA Fest
If you didn’t make it to Nashville for the real deal in June, here’s the next-best thing: A TV special hosted by country stars Dierks Bentley, Elle King and Lainey Wilson, featuring performance highlights from the music-festival event by dozens of artists (8 p.m., ABC).

The Deepest Breath
Take a big gulp of air and head under the waves in this jaw-dropping documentary (above) about divers who plunge into the one of the most dangerous sports in the world: freediving, holding their breath for extended underwater excursions (Netflix). 

THURSDAY, July 20
Superpowered: The DC Story
Rosario Dawson hosts this limited series examining the durable comic-book company, its origins, superheroes and many TV and movie spinoffs (Max).

Don’t Kill the Babysitter
Nail-biter about a Venezuelan woman (Valentia Andrade, above) hired as an au pair for an American couple, whose “overprotection” their young daughter makes the new nanny suspect—quite correctly—that something more sinister is going on (8 p.m., LMH)

Jul 07 2023
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Fri., July 7 – Thurs., July 13

In-law outlaws, burly barnbuilders, ghosts on camera & Miss America’s scandalous secrets!

“The Outlaws” are really in-laws, and they’re coming to Netflix!

FRIDAY, JULY 7
The Out-laws
Andy Divine, Nina Dubrev, Ellen Barkin and Pierce Brosnan star in this comedy about a to-be-married bank executive who suspects his in-laws are criminals (Netflix).

Salute to Summer
Nick Jonas headlines this live performance special from the Universal Citywalk, produced in partnership with the U.S. Army. Saaaaa-lute, indeed! (Peacock).

SATURDAY, July 8
Barnwood Builders
In the new season of this home-build reality series, host Mark Bowie and his team of West Virginia crafters (above) salvage more antique barns and cabins, repurposing the wood to create awesome new homes (9 p.m., Magnolia).

SUNDAY, July 9
Paranormal: Caught on Camera
Have you ever seen a ghost? Well, this series offers the next best scary thing as it begins a new season of videos purporting to capture unexplainable paranormal phenomena—apparitions, bedroom monsters, shape-shifting extraterrestrials, Bigfoot sightings, weird lights in the sky, and more things that go bump in the night (9 p.m., Travel Channel)

Running Wild with Bear Grylls
New season of the outdoor adventure series finds celebs (including Russell Brand, Bradley Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rita Ora and Troy Kotsur) push past their comfort zones to find out if they’ve got the right stuff to hang in the elements with the resourceful survivalist (9 p.m., National Geographic).

BRING IT HOME

Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen reunite in Book Club: The Next Chapter (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment) for a frisky “girls’ trip” to Italy. With Andy Garcia, Craig T. Nelson and Don Johnson. Bonus features includes interviews with the cast.  

MONDAY, July 10
BBQ Brawl
Ten-episode competition features pitmasters from across America vying for the title of “Master of ‘Cue” with the help of coaches Bobby Flay, Anne Burrell and Sunny Anderson (9 p.m., Food Network).

Secrets of Miss America
Here she is—and she’s swimming in scandal! Find out all about America’s oldest “beauty pageant,” the shocks and controversies at its core, and the organization’s struggle to remain relevant in today’s more-enlightened world (10 p.m., A&E).

Miracle Workers: End Times
It’s a miracle. Well, maybe not exactly. But it is the newest installment of the caustically witty series in which the same actors (Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, Geraldine Viswanathan and Karan Soni) return each season, but as all-new characters in brand-new scenarios. This time it’s a dystopian future overrun with radioactive mutants, killer robots and a tyrannical homeowner’s association with outrageous fees (10 p.m., TBS).

NOW HEAR THIS

The Grateful Dead perform in Des Moines, Iowa at the State Fairgrounds in May 1973.

Heads up, Deadheads! The newly released Here Comes Sunshine: 1973 (Rhino) is a whopping 17-disc set includes five complete concerts recorded live during the Grateful Dead’s heyday, including one marathon that clocks in at five hours and features Butch Trucks and Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers band sitting in. Jam on!  

TUESDAY, July 11
The Ashley Madison Party
Unscripted docuseries follows the rise, fall and resurgence of the dating website targeted to marriage cheats and adultery (Hulu).

Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories
In eight episodes beginning tonight, host David Rubinstein explores America’s history through an examination of iconic symbols, including the American Bald Eagle, the Statue of Liberty, the Hollywood sign, Fenway Park, cowboys and the Golden Gate Bridge (10 p.m., PBS). 

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Impress your friends with all the “movie meals” in Scrounging: A Cookbook (A24 Books), a collection of late-night, last-ditch, throw-together recipes inspired by more than 50 films, including The Breakfast Club, Home Alone, The Martian, Kramer vs. Kramer, Napoleon Dynamite and many more.

Readers of a certain age will certainly remember the late 1960s TV series Laugh In, revolutionary at the time by putting a spicy hippie-counterculture spin on the old-fashioned television variety format. Read all about the man who started it all, producer George Schlatter, in his autobiography Still Laughing: The George Schlatter Story (Rare Bird Books). The behind-the-scenes tale traces his coming-of-age in Hollywood and his idea for a brand new comedy that would ride the ‘60s crest of political upheaval, the Vietnam War, the drug culture and other timely—often controversial—topical events.

WEDNESDAY, July 12
The Afterparty
Tonight begins season two of the whodunnit mystery comedy series, with Tiffany Haddish (below), Sam Richardson and Zoe Chao reprising their roles alongside newcomers including Ken Jeong, Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods and Paul Walther Hauser (Apple TV+).

Celebrating Harry Belafonte
Several evenings of special programming begins tonight honoring the late singer, who died in April. Belafonte was the first Black actor to become a Hollywood leading man, a pop hitmaker and social-activist crusader. It all begins with two of his films from the 1950s, Carmen Jones and The World, The Flesh and the Devil (8 p.m., TCM).

Quarterback
Peyton Manning produced this series, which gives unprecedented access to NFL QBs Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota during games and off (Netflix).

THURSDAY, July 13
Full Circle
An investigation into a botched kidnapping uncovers long-held secrets in present-day New York City in this new streaming series starring Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes, Jim Gaffigan, Timothy Oliphant and Dennis Quaid (Max).

Project Greenlight
Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani are producers of this new docuseries, a reinvention of the HBO series of the same name that pulls back the curtain on the filmmaking process as it follows female director Meko Winbush making her first feature film, Gray Matter (Max). 

The Jewel Thief
Watch this unbelievable true-story account of a criminal mastermind, Gerald Blanchard, who leads detectives on a cat-and-mouse game across the globe while he commits increasingly elaborate heists in a quest for fame and notoriety (Hulu).

Jun 30 2023
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

June 30 – July 6, 2023

‘Tough as Nails’ goes north, 4th of July TV specials & where serial killers hide their murderous misdeeds

Meet the competitors for this season’s ‘Tough as Nails.’

FRIDAY, June 30
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
John Krasinski returns to the role of the scrappy super sleuth in the fourth and final season of the action-packed drama series (Prime Video).

Nimona
A knight in a futuristic medieval world is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, and a mischievous shape-shifting teen helps him in this animated fantasy series with voices of Riz Ahmed and Chloë Grace Martinez (Netflix).

SATURDAY, July 1
Buried in the Backyard
Where do serial killers hide their victims? Many times, it’s where they never anticipate their misdeeds will be discovered…or uncovered. Season two of the true-crime docuseries returns tonight. Bring your shovel! (8 p.m., Oxygen).

Brandi Carlile: In the Canyon Haze—Live From Laurel Canyon
Well, the title just about says it all. Not all you have to do is watch and listen as the former lead singer of the Go-Gos performs songs that shaped her life in this homage to the vibrant Hollywood Hills music scene (8 p.m., HBO).

SUNDAY, July 2
Tough as Nails
Who’s got what it takes to tough it out on this hit primetime competition that also a salute to the working class? Phil Keoghan returns as host for the new season, this time staged in Canada (8 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, July 3
A Story of Bones
Documentary (above) about the discovery in Africa of an unmarked mass burial ground of an estimated 9,000 formerly enslaved people (check local listings, PBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Revisit a “golden age” of TV in this flashback to the year color came to television in a major way—the watershed moment in which all three major networks broadcast every show on primetime “in living color.” Primetime 1966-1967 (McFarland) is an affectionate, wide-ranging look at the wide spectrum of shows that aired that momentous year, including classic programs about superheroes, sci-fi, spies, World War II, sitcoms and cops.

TUESDAY, July 4
A Capitol Fourth
For the 43rd year, the grounds of the U.S. Capitol will ring with the patriotic sounds of the 4th of July in this primetime special (8 p.m., PBS).

The Fourth in America
Fireworks and music are on tap in this Independence Day celebration, featuring performances by Alanis Morrisette, Darius Rucker, Demi Lovato, Duran Duran, Flo Rida, Sheryl Crow, the Zac Brown Band and more (7 p.m., CNN).

WEDNESDAY, July 5
Human Footprint
No, we’re not talking tracking mud into your house. But in another way, well, yeah. This new docuseries explores the many ways humans have left our “marks” on our planet, including putting into motion the global mechanics of climate change (9 p.m., PBS).

CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair
New original documentary tells the story of Nashville’s long-running country music festival, with archival performances and commentary from Vince Gill, Luke Bryan, Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood and dozens of other stars who’ve performed at the event originally known as Fan Fair, so named because of its former “home” at the state fairgrounds (Hulu).

THURSDAY, July 6
Call Her King
A judge (Naturi Naughton from Power Book II: Ghost) who has just sentenced a man (Jason Mitchell) to death suddenly finds herself a hostage when his brother hijacks her courtroom in this gripping original movie drama. Think Die Hard in a courthouse (BET+).

The Lincoln Lawyer
Season two begins of the streaming spinoff about a lawyer (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) who runs his Los Angeles practice from the back seat of his Lincoln (Netflix).

Shawn White: The Last Run
Four-part documentary spotlights the life and career of the three-time Olympic gold medalist and an icon of snowboarding and skateboarding (Max).

Jun 23 2023
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

June 23 -June 29, 2023

A ‘Jaws’ marathon, a “new” national anthem & Idris Idra gets hijacked!

You may need a bigger boat (!) to watch the original Jaws and all its sequels!

FRIDAY, June 23
World’s Best
Hip-hop musical comedy adventure flick about a 12-year-old genius mathematician who discovers a surprising new talent as a rapping superstar (Disney+).

Cinammon
Original network film stars Hailey Kilgore (above) as a small-town gas attendant whose life is rocked after a fatal crime. With Damon Wayans and 1970s icon Pam Grier (Tubi).

SATURDAY, June 24
Keyshia Cole: This is My Story
The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter makes her acting debut portraying herself in this biopic about her life and career, which started in Oakland, Calif., and led her singing backup for M.C. Hammer, releasing five albums and starring in two TV reality series (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, June 25
Jaws Marathon
Time to get back in the water with the most a marathon of the iconic shark flick of all time and its sharp-toothed spawn, Jaws 2, Jaws 3 and Jaws the Revenge (begins 8;45 a.m., TNT). 

Mini Reni
Joanna Gaines (above) and her team downsize their scale and budgets to renovate three rooms in an outdated home in one week and for under $15,000 (9 p.m., Magnolia).

MONDAY, June 26
After Sherman
Filmmaker Jon-Sesrie Goff returns to the coastal South Carolina land his family purchased after emancipation in this exploration of Black experience, trauma and wisdom (check local listings, PBS).

Cannes Confidential
Six-part international crime series, shot on location in France, stars Lucie Lucas and Jamie Bamber about a no-nonsense detective and a charming conman (Acorn TV).

TUESDAY, June 27
Happiness for Beginners
Ellie Kempler (from The Office and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) stars in this new series (above) as a newly divorced woman who joins a back-country survival hike on the Appalachian Trail with a group of oddball strangers in hopes of learning how to live—and love—again (Netflix).

Casa Susanna
This PBS-produced documentary is about an underground 1960s network in the Catskills region of New York state for transgender women and cross-dressing men (9 p.m., PBS).

BRING IT HOME

Find out about the inspiring life and astonishing career of one of the greatest boxers of all time in Big George Foreman (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), a drama about his journey from an impoverished childhood to the title of world heavyweight champion, and then into the pulpit. Khris Davis (Judas and the Black Messiah) plays Foreman.

The hit horror franchise moves out of the woods and into the ‘hoods in Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), a terrifying tale of two estranged sisters (Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland) whose urban family reunion is undermined by flesh-eating demons.

WEDNESDAY, June 28
Anthem
What would happen if Grammy-winning producer and a film composer took a journey across America to create a “new” national anthem, one as if it had been written today? Find out in this probing documentary that rei-magines “The Star Spangled Banner” for a modern era (Hulu).

Hijack
Idris Elba is one unhappy air passenger in this new thriller series (above) about the passengers on a hijacked international airplane flight and people on the ground working to avert a disaster (Apple TV+).

THURSDAY, June 29
Secret Chef
It sounds nuts, but here it is: Ten contestants from all walks of life are isolated in an underground kitchen labyrinth connected by a series of conveyor belts, where they perform various cooking challenges, guided by an animated “talking hat” on a retro TV screen. Yep (Hulu).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

When is a monster more than just a monster? That’s not a riddle, it’s the theme of Dark Dreams 2.0 (McFarland), in which author Charles Derry unpacks the real-world fears, tears and terrors that have shaped the evolution of horror movies for more than half a century—from anxieties over the atomic bomb to the Cold War, sexual liberation and other fear factors that have fueled the work of filmmakers Alfred Hitchcock, Brian de Palma, George Romero and many others.

Generation Gap
Kelly Ripa returns for season two of this game show (below) in which teams of older adults and their grandkids compete by answering pop-culture questions (9 p.m., ABC).

Jun 09 2023
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Books, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

June 9 – June 15

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Big Apple murders & British working-class chaps disrobing…again!

Jesse Garcia stars in ‘Flamin’ Hot,’ the true story of a popular snack.

FRIDAY, June 19
Flamin’ Hot have art
How hot are flamin’ Hot Cheetos? Hot enough that this movie dramatizes the inspiring story of the spicy snack’s founder, a Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage to upend the food business with a fiery new treat (Hulu).

I Am Legend
Watch (or re-watch) Will Smith as the only living New Yorker who’s not a monster-fied mutant in this latest film adaptation of the Richard Matheson apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, previously made into a pair of other movies starring Charlton Heston (1974) and Vincent Price (1964). It’s the second part of a double “Friday Night Vibes” double feature with Avengers: End Game (7 p.m., TBS)

SATURDAY, June 10
New York Homicide
Catering to TV viewer’s seemingly insatiable appetite for true crime, season two of this docuseries continues its examination of some of the most troubling murders in the Big Apple (9 p.m., Oxygen).

Build It Forward
Designer Taniya Nayak teams with builder Shane Duffy to surprise outstanding community leaders with home renovations in season two of this series inspired by an outreach program by Lowe’s (6 p.m., HGTV).

SUNDAY, June 11
The Tony Awards
Overture, curtains, lights, this is it, the night of nights. You might remember that as the memorable theme to Bugs Bunny cartoons. But, sorry Bugs, your loony tune won’t be among the showtunes, performances and projects honored tonight at this 76th annual awards event, honoring Broadway’s best and hosted by Ariana Dubose (8 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, June 12
Hey Yahoo!
Actor Tom Cavanaugh hosts this new game show in which contestants try to correctly fill in the blanks for what people are seeking on Yahoo Search (8 p.m., GSN).

TUESDAY, June 13
Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact
New stand-up special is the third for Schumer (right), the hilariously uncensored Emmy-winning Tony and Golden Globe-nominated actor, filmed on stage at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles (Netflix).

Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta
They’re women, they’re friends, and they’re all involved with Hot ‘Lanta’s hip hop scene. The so-fly docuseries returns tonight with more real-life drama and original castmates—including Spice, Bambi, Rasheeda and Bambi—as well as a trio of newcomers (8 p.m., MTV).

WEDNESDAY, June 14
Our Planet II
The acclaimed nature-documentary series returns to unravel the mysteries of migration with more compelling stories of animals “on the move” across the globe (Netflix).

The Full Monty
New original series follows the same characters from the 1997 movie, now older but living in working-class England, and thinking about putting their saucy strip show on the road again (Hulu).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Religion has always given outliers a bad name, or worse. Pagans (Thames & Hudson) takes a respectful new look at this culture that predates Christianity, looking closely at its objects, artwork, rituals and myths, with eye-opening insights into pagan magic, superstition and the afterlife.

How might you have lived through a doomsday asteroid, being eaten by dinosaurs, the civilization-destroying eruption of Mt. Pompei, or the 1906 San Francisco earthquake? Science and tech writer Cody Cassidy tells you about all those scenarios, and more, in How to Survive History (Penguin), a witty and retro-practical guide to outwitting history’s greatest calamities.

THURSDAY, June 15

Look Into My Eyes
Four-part limited series unfurls the bizarre story of Dr. George Kennedy, whose career as a high school principal (and hypnotist) was derailed after the suspicions deaths of three teenage students (Sundance and AMC+).

60 Days In
Volunteers in North Carolina go undercover into a county detention center to help bring positive changes to the system (9 p.m., A&E).

Jun 02 2023
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Books, Music, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, June 2 – Thursday, June 9

Ah-nold gets real, Shatner returns to space & dark Duggar Family secrets

The ‘Terminator’ star gets real in his new Netflix series.

FRIDAY, June 2
Searching for Soul Food
The term “soul food” means different things to different people in different places. Celebrity chef Alisha Reynolds travels the world to experience this time-honored ethnic cuisine and its various regional and international incarnations (Apple TV+)

Shooting Stars
Hoops fans will want to watch this original film, a dramatization of how LeBron James grew up to become a peerless basketball superstar (Peacock).

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets
Limited docuseries (below) exposes the dark secrets of abuse behind America’s infamous TV family (remember their reality show, 19 Kids and Counting?) and the radical, cult-like church in the background (Prime Video).

NOW HEAR THIS

Air is this year’s movie for people who say they don’t like sports movies, a feel-good flick that feels like a mashup of vibes from Jerry McGuire and Moneyball. The soundtrack is etched with deep-dish ‘80s grooves from Dire Straits, Violent Femmes, Mike & The Mechanics, Bruce Springsteen, Run-D.M.C, Squeeze and more, all woven into director-actor Ben Affleck’s true-story tale of how a third-tier shoe company launched the business of superstar sports marketing by lacing up a deal with basketball phenom Michael Jordan.

SATURDAY, June 3
TLC Forever
Don’t go chasin’ waterfalls…. Instead, watch this two-hour documentary about the Atlanta-based female group (below) that led the way with their music, message and style in the 1990s, going on to sell more 85 million records (8 p.m., Lifetime and A&E).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Jessica Lange: An Adventurer’s Heart (University Press of Kentucky) is author Anthony Uzarowski’s new deep-dive biography of the award-winning actress, covering her early years in Minnesota, her carefully guarded private life, and her fruitful partnership with playwright/actor Sam Shepard, which became one of Hollywood’s most tumultuous secretive relationships.

Ever since Moneyball, we’ve been much more savvy about how much the information age has shaped pro sports. In Game of Edges (W.W. Norton), author Bruce Schoenfeld goes even deeper for a fascinating inside look at how data analysis, tech and commercial considerations continue to reform the landscape of baseball, soccer, football, basketball and even gaming. 

You know that filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen have made some classic films, including Raising Arizona, O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Big Lebowski. Find out in The Coen Brothers and American Roots Music (McFarland) just how important the musical soundtracks have always been to their cinematic work.

SUNDAY, June 3
The Lazarus Project
New drama series follows a recruit (Paapa Essiedu) in an organization that has harnessed the ability to turn back time whenever the world is on the precipice of extinction (9 p.m., TNT).

MONDAY, June 4
The Eric Andre Show
Season six of the cult-fave grownup sketch series begins, and its slate of upcoming guest stars is pretty impressive—Natasha Lyonne, Jon Hamm, Raven-Symone, Cypress Hill, Lil Yachty and many more (midnight, Adult Swim).

TUESDAY, June 5
Stars on Mars
Star Trek icon William Shatner hosts this space-y reality competition (below) in which “celebronauts”—including Lance Armstrong, Natasha Leggero, Marshawn Lynch and Rhonda Rousey—don spacesuits and embark on a mission to see who’s got the right stuff to colonize the Red Planet (8 p.m., Fox).

Cruel Summer
Season two of the hit anthology series follows intense teenage friendships in an idyllic Pacific Northwest waterfront community (9 p.m., Freeform).

WEDNESDAY, June 6
The Luckiest Guy in the World
New two-part “30 For 30” sports doc covers the life and times of basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, known as “The Big Redhead” (8 p.m., ESPN).

Destination: European Nights
Five-part docuseries follows CBS sports analyst Gillem Balague through months of travel across Europe covering the UEFA Champions League and catching the continent-wide buzz of the world’s most prestigious annual soccer tournament (Paramount+).

THURSDAY, June 8
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It’ll be sunny tonight for fans of this acclaimed comedy series, which has become the longest-running live-action sitcom in TV history as it begins its landmark 16th season with stars Danny Devito, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney (10 p.m., FX).

Arnold
Yes, that Arnold—the Terminator, the former gov of California, the muscle man who became a movie icon. New docuseries pulls back the curtain on the fascinating story of Arnold Schwarzenegger (Netflix).

Based on a True Story
Inspired by a real event, this dark-comedy thriller (above) set in L.A. follows a realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide in a true-crime caper. Starring Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina and Tom Bateman (Peacock).

Hailey’s On It!
Auli’I Cravalho stars in this animated comedy-adventure about a teenager on a mission to complete her ambitious list of tasks to save with world. With supporting voices by Julie Bowen, Jo Koy and Al Yankovic (8 p.m., Disney Channel).

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