Category Archives: Books

Feb 09 2024
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television, Uncategorized

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 9 – Feb. 15

Marissa Tomei gets ‘Upgraded,’ Justin Hartley tracks bad guys, plus Black spacemen & pet shenanigans

Sara Silverman gets ‘stupid’ with all kinds of pets.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 9
Upgraded
Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux star in this romcom set in the art world, where an intern at an art museum pretends to be the director, setting off a white lie that sets off a glamorous chain of romance, perks and opportunity…like flying first-class—and causes some very serious problems (Prime). 

Gospel Live!
Henry Lewis Gates Jr. hosts a celebration of roof-raising gospel music, with performances by John Legend, Erica Campbell, Anthony Hamilton and others, performed in front a live audience at a church in Los Angeles (9 p.m., PBS).

SATURDAY, Feb. 10
Super Bowl Soulful Celebration 25th Anniversary
Cedric and Entertainer and Tichina Arnold (of TV’s The Neighborhood) host this pre-taped pre-game concert blowout (ahead of tomorrow’s game), which has come along way from its humble roots as a gospel-themed brunch in Miami (8 p.m., CBS)

CMT’s Campfire Sessions
A sweet lead-up to Cupid’s big day, country stars gather ‘round the campfire for acoustic performances of some of the format’s greatest love songs. Performers include Chris Young, Darius Rucker, Sara Evans, Caitlyn Smith and Tenille Townes (10 p.m., CMT).

SUNDAY, Feb. 11
Tracker  
Justin Hartley (from This is Us) stars in this new series (above) as a lone-wolf survivalist who roams the country tracking down bad guys and using his expert skills to help law enforcement and ordinary citizens (on CBS, following the Super Bowl).

MONDAY, Feb. 12
Gospel
Two-night special event traces the history of Black spirituality through worship and song, hosted by professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. (check listings, PBS).

The Space Race
Documentary (above) about pioneering Black astronauts, scientists and engineers who joined NASA to serve America’s space program in the 1960s, even as their country was failing to achieve equality for them back on Earth (NatGeo).

TUESDAY, Feb. 13
Five Blind Dates
Australian import movie about a woman told by a fortune teller that she’ll meet her soulmate in the next five blind dates she goes on (Prime).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14
The New Look
Ben Mendelsohn stars as Christian Dior and Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel in this new drama series (above) about how the iconic designers (and others) navigated the horrors of World War II and launched modern fashion (Apple TV+)

Players
Romcom about moving from one-night stands into a steady relationship stars Gina Rodriguez and Daymon Wayans Jr. (Netflix).

THURSDAY, Feb. 15
Bold & Bougie
Reality series follows a group of Black female entrepreneurs (above) who have charted their own professional—and personal—courses (9 p.m., AMC). 

Far North
Tonight’s two-episode premiere of the international crime caper dramedy is inspired by New Zealand’s largest meth bust, as an Australian gang’s lucrative drug deal with a global cartel goes away and they’re left stranded with 500kg of speed, nowhere to turn…and a boatload of lies (AMC+).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Memory is one of the mysteries of the mind, but psychology and neuroscience professor Charan Ranganath sheds some eye-opening new light on the subject in Why We Remember (Doubleday), a fascinating tour of the role our recollections play in our lives, from recalling faces and names to learning new things, making decisions, charting career courses, dealing with trauma and finding happiness. Also, why we keep forgetting to lock doors, turn off ovens, and…hey, where’s my car keys?

Now that technology has advanced to the point where everyone has a camera on standby (on our ever-present mobile phones), the lavishly illustrated Collaboration: A Potential History of Photography (Thames & Hudson) is a fascinating examination of why—and how—photographs are mementoes, historical records, art, souvenirs…and “collaborations” representing what’s in front of the camera and who’s behind it. This deep dive into the wide world of photography should be required reading for all shutterbugs.

2.15

BRING IT HOME          

Jack Black’s cult-classic gonzo movie masterpiece from 2006, Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny, now finally debuts on Blu-ray, with his cohort and collaborator Kyle Glass and musical guests and celeb cameos from Fred Armisen, Amy Poehler, Dave Grohl and Ronnie James Dio. Plus commentary, behind the scenes and more! (Shout! Factory)

Feb 02 2024
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Books, Humor, Movies, Pop Culture, Television, Uncategorized

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 2 – Feb. 8

Spy shenanigans, dummies on stage, and big South American blockheads

All times Eastern.

They’re spies deep undercover—as a married couple!

FRIDAY, Feb. 2
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
New series stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine (above) as two employees of a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of sexy espionage, world travel and a home in a dreamy Manhattan brownstone. The catch: They have to change their names and get married (Prime).

The Tiger’s Apprentice
Based on this best-selling novel, this animated family film—about a Chinese American teenager and mythical tiger—features the voices of Soo Hoo, Henry Golding, Sandra Oh and Michelle Yeoh (Paramount +).

Love & WWE: Bianca and Montez
Go beyond the ring and into the lives of pro wrestling’s hottest couple, Bianca Belair and Montez Ford (above), in this new docuseries (Hulu).

SATURDAY, Feb. 3
Jeff Dunham: I’m With Cupid
Get ready for Valentine’s Day with this comedy special filmed in Tampa, Fla., featuring the ventriloquist and his dummy cohorts Walter, Bubba J, Peanu, Jose Jalapeno and more (8 p.m., Comedy Central).

SUNDAY, Feb. 4
The Grammy Awards
SZA, Phoebe Bridgers, Jon Batiste, Brandy Clark, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish are among the top contenders for this years’ live industry-voted ceremony honoring the best in all genres of music (9 p.m., CBS).

The Harlem Hellfighters
Hour-long documentary produced by Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts examines the predominately Black military unit fought nearly impossible odds to become an extraordinary fighting force in World War II (9 p.m., History).

Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Emmy Award-winning series begins its twelfth and final ten-episode season tonight, with Larry David wrapping it up as an over-the-top version of himself (Max).

MONDAY, Feb. 5
Sister Una Lived a Good Life
Touching documentary chronicles the inspring journey of a Boston-born, California-raised Irish Catholic nun, who lived a life full of bawdy humor, fun and good deeds, eventually succumbing to cancer and planning her own funeral (8 p.m., PBS). 

TUESDAY, Feb. 6
Cybersleuths: The Idaho Murders
True-crime fans will want to tune into this three-part docuseries which looks at the surging world of self-appointed online sleuths who sifting through clues to the savage slaying of four University of Idaho students in 2022 (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7
The Connors
John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert head into season six of the prime-time comedy series, grappling with more financial pressures, parenting issues, marriage ups and downs and aging (8 p.m., ABC).

Easter Island Origins
Those enigmatic oversized stone heads facing the ocean on a South American island? Now new research reveals intriguing evidence of their origins and the ancient people who created them (9 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, Feb. 8
Tokyo Vice
Ten-episode second season of the dramatic series starring Ansel Elgort (above) goes even deeper into the Japanese criminal underworld (Max).

Impractical Jokers
The master pranksters (above) return for a tenth season of hidden camera hijinks featuring a host of celebrities in cameos (10 p.m., truTV).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

I’ve known the guys in Sawyer Brown since their earliest days, just after they won TV’s Star Search and got signed in the mid-80s to Nashville’s Capitol Records. In The Boys and Me (Forefront, Feb. 6), front man Mark Miller recounts his four decades in the hit-making, hard-touring band, which became a radio mainstay with “Step That Step,” “Thank God for You” and some 50 other hits. Find out how a kid from Ohio found went from stunt skiing at Disney World to leading a country music supergroup to the top of the charts.  

Jan 26 2024
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Television, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Jan. 26 – Feb. 2

Nicole K’s in the Far East, Tom Hanks puts flyboys in the air, & the inside story of the ’80s biggest global anthem

All times Eastern.

Nicole Kidman stars in ‘Expat.’

FRIDAY, Jan. 26
Expats
Nicole Kidman stars in this new series (above) based on the internationally best-selling novel about three women in Hong Kong whose lives fatefully intersect after a family tragedy (Prime Video).

Masters of the Air
Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman—the producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific—now turn their wartime storytelling mojo to this action-packed series (below) that presents the true story of an American bomber group in World War I. Starring Austin (Elvis) Butler and Barry (Saltburn) Keoghan (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Jan. 27
Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero
Rock doc follows the Grammy-winning rapper as he embarks on his first-ever headlining U.S. tour (8 p.m., Max)

SUNDAY, Jan. 28
The Many Lives of Martha Stewart
You might think you know her, but this docuseries sheds new light on the barrier-breaking former stockbroker who became a self-made billionaire and media mogul…then a prison inmate (9 p.m., CNN).

MONDAY, Jan. 29
The Greatest Night in Pop
Remember the ‘80s event that was “We Are The World”? This new doc (above) tells the story of how dozens of the biggest names in music (Michael Jackson! Bruce Springsteen! Dionne Warwick! Huey Lewis!) came together in 1985 to record an anthem for charity that would alter global pop culture forever (Netflix).

TUESDAY, Jan. 30
Quantum Leap
The revamped sci-fi series, starring Raymond Lee as a physicist who can “leap” through time, leaps itself into a new weeknight slot…tonight(10 p.m., NBC).

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31
FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans
The second juicy installment of creator Ryan Murphy’s anthology (above) centers on iconic author Truman Capote and a group of high society women whom he befriended—and then betrayed, leading to his downfall in a spiral of self-destruction. Starring Tom Hollander, Noami Watts, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, Calista Flockhart and Diane Lane (10. p.m., FX).

Choir
Six-part original series (below) follows kids of the Detroit Youth Choir (which appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2019) as they prepare for an important performance that will put them back in the national spotlight (Disney+)

THURSDAY, Feb. 1
Genius: MLK/X
New installment of the anthology series will focus on Dr. Martin Luther King (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre), exploring the two men’s formative years as they are molded by strong fathers and traumatic injustices (9 p.m., National Geographic).

Farmer Wants a Wife
It’s a hit in some 32 countries and has resulted in more than 200 marriages and 514 children. What is it? It’s this series (above) about “farmer” dudes finding love outside the city, hosted by country singer/actor Jennifer Nettles, and its new U.S. season begins tonight (9 p.m., Fox).

BRING IT HOME

Patrick Dempsey and Gina Gershon star in Thanksgiving, director Eli Roth’s creatively terrifying tale of a serial killer terrorizing Turkey Day in the New England town where the holiday first took place. Hey, is that blood, or just juice from the leftover cranberry sauce? (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

READ ALL ABOUT IT

You want your mummy, you say? Well, Mummy Movies (MacFarland) is for you! Author Bryan Senn’s comprehensive rundown unravels the cinematic history of mummies from 1932 (and The Mummy, starring Boris Karloff) onward, throughout the world and in an array of genres. Even Scooby-Do, Tom Cruise and Abbott & Costello met “their” mummies, and so did hundreds of other actors, in both no-budgets romps and Hollywood blockbusters. It’s a must for movie-monster fans!

Can creativity be copyrighted? In Who Owns This Sentence (wwnorton) authors David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu present an engaging exploration of history and concept of “copyright,” which arose in 1700s London and has today become a labyrinth of confusing legislation, now tackling such intangibles as jokes, ideas and other “intellectual property.”

Dec 29 2023
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Books, Movies, Pop Culture, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Dec. 29 – Jan. 4

All about Burt, Rob Lowe has a new game, & Happy New Year!

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Dec. 29
Prepare to Die
A young man trains in martial arts to seek vengeance on the corrupt landowner who murdered his family (Tubi).

SATURDAY, Dec. 30
Time Bomb Y2K
This darkly humorous tale, fashioned through archival footage, takes us back to the alarming days at the close of the 20th century and the widespread concerns that the world was facing the greatest technological disaster in the history of mankind (10 p.m., HBO).

I Am Burt Reynolds
Watch this acclaimed documentary about the late iconic movie Florida-born actor, who started in TV and went on to star in Smokey and the Bandit, Deliverance, The Longest Yard, Boogie Nights and Striptease (8 p.m., The CW).

The AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: 50th Anniversary
Host Ben Mankiewicz looks back at five decades of one of film’s highest honors and the cinematic achievements of a stellar list of actors and filmmakers, including Denzel Washington, Al Pacino, Warren Beatty, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Taylor (8 p.m., TCM).

SUNDAY, Dec. 31
The Simpsons
Kick off the new year with 24 hours—and 48 episodes—of the long-running primetime series (above) about Springfield’s first family of comedy (9 p.m., FXX).

Nashville’s Big Bash
Ring in the New Year with Thomas Rhett, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lainey Wilson performing live in Music City (7:30 p.m., CBS).

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest have art: NewJeans
Ring in the new with hosts Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora live from Times Square in New York City, with superstar performers (including Post Malone and the K-pop sensation NewJeans), lots of pumped-up revelers and remotes from Hollywood with Jeannie Mae (8 p.m., ABC).

The Lasts on the Lasts
Say goodbye to 2023 with this marathon of finale “farewell” episodes from classic TV series including The Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, Leave It to Beaver and more (begins 12 noon, MeTV).

MONDAY, Jan. 1
America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League
New series spinoff features acts from across the global franchise competing for the $250,000 grand prize. Terry Crews hosts while Mel B., Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel return to the judges’ chairs (8 p.m., NBC).

The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks
The newest chapter in the twisted true-life saga of the little girl brought to America from a Ukrainian orphanage gives Natalia herself a chance to share her story and confront her adoptive parents—who claimed she was not really a child, but a homicidal adult with intentions to harm their family (9 p.m., ID Discovery).

TUESDAY, Jan. 2
The Floor
Actor Rob Lowe hosts this new game show (below), a trivia contest in which players compete for $250,000 on a gigantic playing field resembling a board game (check local listings, Fox).

Finding Your Roots
Singers Alanis Morissette and Ciara kick off the new season of the genealogy research series as host Henry Gates Jr. helps trace their (sometimes surprising) ancestry (8 p.m., PBS). 

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 3
We Are Family
Anthony Anderson and his mom, Doris, host this musical guessing-game show (below) featuring performances by celebs and their non-famous family members (9 p.m., Fox).

THURSDAY, Jan. 4
Society of the Snow
Based on a true story, this gripping movie shows what happened in 1972 after a Uruguayan Air Force Flight, which had been chartered to take a rugby team to Cuba, crashes in the heart of the Andes mountains (Netflix).

Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale
Which witch? Those witches? There are certainly a bunch in this spooky new horror-drama streaming series (below), starring Elaine Cassidy and Helen Doup about a group of contemporary witches in modern-day England (Sundance Now).

General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling
Primetime special celebrates the iconic daytime soap with fan-favorite cast members sharing their favorite memories of the show and pulling back the TV curtain with bloopers and other surprises (10 p.m., ABC).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In House Cat: Inspirational Interiors & The Elegant Felines Who Call Them Home (Thames & Hudson), with photographs by Paul Barbera, you’ll get a meow-ful look at some fancy abodes and their pampered resident top-cat felines. It’s like an Architectural Digest for kitties.

Dec 15 2023
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Books, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Dec. 15 – Dec. 21

Mark Wahlberg in a killer role, Willie Nelson’s birthday bash & celebrating Dick Van Dyke

FRIDAY, Dec. 15

The Family Plan
Mark Wahlberg stars in this new action comedy (above) as a car salesman dad confronting his past—as an elite government assassin—without revealing his long-hidden identity. With Michelle Monaghan (Apple TV+)

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
New stop-motion animated comedy, a spinoff of the original 2000 tale of “fowl play,” features more tales from the coop with voices of Imelda Staunton, Thandie Newton, Zachary Levi and Miranda Richardson (Netflix).

The National Christmas Tree Lighting
Light up your holiday mood with this annual TV special with an all-star lineup of performers at President’s Park in Washington, D.C. (8 p.m., CBS).

SATURDAY, Dec. 16
Small Town Christmas
Inside Edition’s Megan Alexander hosts season three of this spotlight on the expressions of fun, decorations, entertainment and faith of community Christmas celebrations across America (2 p.m., Fox Business News).

Luminaire Christmas
John Blasucci, formerly of Mannheim Steamroller, leads a rocking evening of reimagined hits and new seasonal songs with performances by artists from American Idol, The Voice, Blue Man Group and more (7:30 p.m., AXS TV).

SUNDAY, Dec. 17
The Sound of Music
The hills are alive, again, this holiday season for the annual TV airing of the feel-good 1965 classic (above), based on the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer (7 p.m., ABC).

Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration
A host of stars come out to fete the iconic singer songwriter in this musical event, including The Chicks, Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, Keith Richards, George Strait and Chris Stapleton. Hosted by Jennifer Garner, Chelsea Handler, Ethan Hawke, Helen Mirren and Owen Wilson (8:30 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, Dec. 18
Mary Berry’s Highland Christmas
Join the Scottish cook (above) in her homeland as she prepares iconic holiday dishes with her celebrity foodie friends (9 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Dec. 19
The Price is Right: Holiday Heroes
Military heroes compete for cash and prizes in this special edition of the game show (8 p.m., CBS).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
New series, based on the best-selling books by Rick Riordan, launches tonight with a two-episode premier about a 12-year-old kid (Walker Scobell) who’s actually a demigod accused by Zeus of stealing a lightning bolt, causing chaos and disorder in Olympus. With Lin-Manuel Miranda, Megan Mullaly and Jay Duplass (Disney+)

Maestro
Bradley Cooper (above) gives an Oscar-worthy performance (and directs!) as iconic classical-music composer Leonard Bernstein in this tale of his lifelong love to his wife Felicia (Carey Mulligan). If you missed it in theaters, you can see it now streaming (Netflix).

BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star
Eight-part docuseries the roots, rise and phenomenal success of the South Korean boy band that’s been capturing young hearts and amassing worldwide fans since 1983 (Disney+).

THURSDAY, Dec. 21
iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour Presented by Capitol One
It’s a cumbersome title (duh, wonder who the sponsor is?) but this holiday musical special tight with with performances by Usher, Olivia Rodrigo, One Republic, Jelly Role and more (8 p.m., ABC).

Dr Death
Mandy Moore and Edgar Ramirez star in season two of this new series, based on the hit podcast about a charming young surgeon with deep secrets (Peacock).

Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic
This all-star tribute celebrates the acting icon’s milestone birthday as it time-travels back to the set of Van Dyke’s groundbreaking TV series of the 1960 with songs, special guests and lots of holiday magic and memories of his roles in Mary Poppins, Bye Bye Birdie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and more (9 p.m., CBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT


How did a raucous song from a festival all about drinking, gambling, fighting and sex become a cherished holiday classic? Pour yourself a cup of good cheer and find out in The 12 Days of Christmas: The Outlaw Carol That Wouldn’t Die (McFarland) by Harry Rand, a former Harvard prof who now works as a senior curator for the Smithsonian Institution.

BRING IT HOME


He was TV’s top cop a few decades ago, and now you own Columbo: The 1970s (KL Studio Classics), starring Peter Falk as the rumpled LA detective who made primetime a lot safer (and much more entertaining). This five-disc set includes seven full seasons of the show, with guest stars including Dick Van Dyke, William Shatner, Johnny Cash, Janet Leigh and Leonard Nimoy, and some episodes directed by Steven Spielberg!

Dec 08 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

Dec. 8 – Dec. 14

Monk cracks a new case, Julia Roberts meets the end of the world & Neil Patrick Harris collides with Dr. Who!

FRIDAY, Dec. 8
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
Tony Shalhoub returns to his fan-favorite TV role (above), 12 years later, in this feature-length film as his crime-solving OCD character returns to solve another case, this one involving his beloved stepdaughter, Molly (Melora Hardin), as she prepares for her wedding (Netflix).

Leave The World Behind
Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Chris Evans and Kevin Bacon are among the all-star cast of this drama about a family vacation that turns into an apocalyptic nightmare after a cyberattack (Netflix).

It’s the end of the world, and Julia Roberts knows it.

A Very Demi Holiday Special
Pop star Demi Levato hosts this all-star Christmas party (below) with celebrity friends including Tiffany Haddish, Paris Hilton and Rich Eisen (Roku Channel).

SATURDAY, Dec. 9
Byron Allen Presents Funny You Should Ask
The primetime special presentation of the hit game show features four half-hour episodes with comedians Adam Corolla, Whitney Cummings, Billy Gardell, Natasha Leggero, Jon Lovitz and others (8 p.m., CBS).

Dr. Who: The Giggle
TV’s 14th doctor (David Tennant, below) comes face-to-face with his most terrifying villain, the Toymaker (played by Neil Patrick Harris) (Disney+).

SUNDAY, Dec. 10
A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop
Queen Latifah, Questlove, LL Cool J, Yo-Yo and many others help celebrate the milestone anniversary and the genre’s profound cultural impact in this two-hour tribute special (8 p.m., CBS).

Science Fair: The Series
Students work to solve the world’s most complex and pressing problems in this new docu-drama based on the most competitive science fair on the planet (National Geographic).

MONDAY, Dec. 11
How to Have an American Baby
An intimate look at an industry you likely didn’t even know about: “birth tourism” for Chinese women who want to have their babies born in the United States (check local listings, PBS).

The Billion Dollar Goal
How did soccer become such a big deal in America? This probing new docuseries traces the sport from its humble beginnings as an immigrants’ game to the historic moment in 1989 when an unforgettable goal ended a 40-year World Cup qualification drought, all against the backdrop of a nation that remained, for decades, skeptical about “European football” (Paramount+). 

TUESDAY, Dec. 12
Dark Harvest
In this horror thriller (above) directed by David Spade, teens confront a legendary supernatural specter that emerges from the cornfields of a small Midwest town every fall (8 p.m., MGM+).

Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only
New documentary follows the high-profile actor/comedians as they stir up new laughs together on a tour (Netflix).

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
It’s a holiday classic! Fred Astaire narrates this timeless 1970 animated tale about St. Nick (Mickey Rooney) as a young boy with an intense desire to do good things for others (8 p.m., ABC).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13
Bart Starr: America’s Quarterback
This latest installment of the SEC Storied franchise focuses on one of the greatest QBs in the history of the sport (above), who led the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships then went on to coach them to victory in the first two Super Bowls (9 p.m., SEC network).

THURSDAY, Dec. 14
CMA Country Christmas
The 14th annual TV event, filmed in front of a live audience, features performances of Christmas classics by country stars including hosts Trisha Yearwood and Amy Grant, plus Lainey Wilson, Zach Williams, The War and Treaty and more (8 p.m., ABC).

The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Rhony Legacy
Original “housewives” reunite for a new season and an epic adventure in the Caribbean (Peacock).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Spin (McFarland) by Bill Gruber takes a spin (get it?) through the world of things that spin—like the world, figure skaters, curve balls, drill bits, propellers, washing machines—and explains the engaging physics, science and philosophy behind them. It might even make your head spin!

BRING IT HOME

It’s a wild ride in Weird: The Weird Al Story (Shout! Factory), a “fictionalized” biopic of the zany song parodist and comedian starring Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood and Rainn Wilson. And a big part of the fun is the long list of all-star cameo appearances!

A grassroots movement of videogamers turns the table on stock-market fat cats in Dumb Money (Sony Home Entertainment), a modern-day David-and-Goliath tale based on a true story and real-life characters, played by Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Nick Offeman, Pete Davidson, Shalilene Woodley and others.

Dec 01 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

Dec. 1 – Dec. 7

Eddie Murphy gets the Christmas spirit, Archie and Jughead go to India & Geddy Lee is all about that bass

Eddie Murphy stars this week in the Netflix Christmas comedy ‘Candy Cane Lane.’

FRIDAY, Dec. 1
Candy Candy Lane
Eddie Murphy has made just about every kind of movie, except a Christmas holiday comedy. And now he’s done that too! In this bright blast of yule-y fun, he plays a man determined to win his neighborhood’s annual house-decoration contest, making a deal with a pesky elf (Jillian Belle) for some Christmas magic that takes a manic turn. With Tracee Ellis Ross, Nick Offerman and Ken Marino (Netflix).

The Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd
The movie funnyman and SNL comedy pioneer (below) hosts this new docuseries, probing into some of history’s most unusual and bizarro mysteries—like the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, or a plague of killer dancing (10 p.m., History).

SATURDAY, Dec. 2
A Christmas Story Christmas
The recent movie sequel to the 1983 holiday classic comes now to TV, starring several of the original cast members in a modern-day update to the tale of a little boy who just wanted a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas (10 p.m., TBS).

Thriller 40
Has it really been four decades since Michael Jackson “thrilled” us with his 1983 hit single and album of the same name? This new documentary takes you behind the scenes of how a recording became a musical milestone for the ages (8 p.m., Showtime).

May December
Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton star in this new movie (above)—loosely based on the real-world tabloid scandal of convicted sex offender Mary Kay Letourneau—about a woman who committed a similar crime and the TV actress preparing to play her in a new movie (Netflix).

NOW HEAR THIS

The Queen of Soul reigns supreme in Aretha Franklin: A Portrait of the Queen 1970-1974, a lavish new box set of five of her classic albums from that era, plus session outtakes, B-sides and demos. Relive the funk and firepower of Aretha’s classic hits like “Son of a Preacherman,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I need to Get By,” plus deep cuts including the Queen’s takes on “Spanish Harlem,” “At Last,” “The Long and Winding Road” and The Band’s “The Weight.” 

SUNDAY, Dec. 3
Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen
British historian Lucy Worsley (below) travels the world in this new limited series that follows the footsteps and the secret life of the enigmatic writer who revolutionized the genre of detective fiction (8 p.m., PBS).

Chowchilla
Documentary about the chilling true story of one of the strangest kidnappings of all time, when three masked men boarded a school bus in 1976, taking 26 children and their driver—and burying them all in a remote underground chamber. Find out how they escaped, and how the event continues to haunt them (9 p.m., CNN). 

MONDAY, Dec. 4
The Big Bake
Contestant cooks capture the cuteness of the North Pole with goodies adorned with seasonal, winter-wonderland decorations (11 p.m., Food Network).

TUESDAY, Dec. 5
Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too?
In this new musical docuseries, the Rush band member (and bass player!) powwows at home with some of musicdom’s most famous fellow bassists and digs into their groovy stories (Paramount+)

The Canterville Ghost
Huge Laurie, Freddie Highmore and Toby Jones are among the voices you’ll hear in this animated, family-friendly reimagining of the Oscar Wilde classic about a family who moves into a haunted house in England (VOD).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6
Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis
Lewis, who formerly hosted Bravo’s Flipping Out, returns for another season of this celebrity-digs redo series, with clients including Christina Ricci, Josh Duhamel and Regina Hall (Freevee).

THURSDAY, Dec. 7
We Live Here: The Midwest
Documentary spotlights families from America’s heartland who would love to stay but face challenges because of who they are, in the face of a rising tide of discrimination and hate in their churches, schools and neighborhoods (Hulu).

My Life with the Walter Boys
Heartwarming coming-of-age series (above, from the producers of The Kissing Booth) follows a teenage girl (Nikki Rodriguez) who relocates after a tragic accident from New York City to rural Colorado, where she develops feelings for two very different brothers (Netflix). 

Christmas at the Opry
Wynonna Judd hosts this festive, two-hour celebration of Christmas classics, holiday favorites and some of today’s biggest hits, from Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry House (8 p.m., NBC).

The Archies
The retro comic book characters (Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, et al) get reimagined in this new live-action series (above) as 1960s teens in India in the fictional town of Riverdale—at least that hasn’t changed! (Netflix).

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Sure, you know Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Batman and Tarzan. But what about Waku, Prince of the Bantu… Jann of the Jungle… or Mars, the God of War? They’re all here, along with hundreds of others in Lou Mougin’s excellent Secondary Superheroes of Golden Age Comics (McFarland), a thorough (and thoroughly entertaining) scholarly rundown of lesser-known do-gooders from the 1930s through the ‘50s.

Hey, ol’ Scratch is is good company in the Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures (McFarland) by Theresa Bane. The author, a professional vampirologist, catalogues nearly 3,000 unholy terrors from the mythologies and lore of virtually every ancient society and religion. A few of my personal faves: Abaddown, the demonic angel from the bottomless pit of Sheol; the Daitya-Yuga, with a track record for trouble stretching across more than 1.5 billion years; and Paymon, the host and emcee of hell. It’s a busy underworld out there! 

He was the Beatles’ loyal friend, longtime roadie and personal friend. Find all about Mal Evans and his world in the inner circle of the legendary British band in Kevin Womack’s Living with the Beatles (Dey Street), which sometimes included jumping into recording session and even helping the Fab Four write songs. It’s a fascinating glimpse behind the Beatles’ curtain.

BRING IT HOME

Ahead of the Christmas Day theatrical release of the new remake, now you can own director Steven Spielberg’s 1995 original. The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), was nominated for 11 Oscars and marked the acting debut of Oprah Winfrey and the movie breakthrough of Whoopi Goldberg. The new 4K HD set includes several special features, including a making-of doc.

Nov 24 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 24 – Nov. 30

Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman reprise their 2008 roles in ‘Faraway Downs.’

FRIDAY, Nov. 24
The Greatest @HomeVideos
Laugh until…well, until you need to get another piece of pumpkin pie! Funnyman Cedric the Entertainer hosts this collection of holiday-themed mishaps and merriment, culled from around the globe (8 p.m., CBS).

Mickey’s Christmas Tales
Series of new stop-motion holiday shorts features beloved Disney characters (above) including Goofy, Donald and Daffy, Pluto…and, of course, Mickey House (Disney+).  

Elf
Jump in anywhere within a 24-hour period today and you’ll catch some of the marathon of the classic holiday comedy starring Will Ferrell as North Pole transplant Buddy the Elf (8 p.m., TBS).

SATURDAY, Nov. 25
Byron Allen Presents the Grio Awards
Sheryl Underwood from The Talk and comedian Roy Wood Jr. host this star-studded celebration of African American excellence in film, music, comedy, TV, sports, business, education and more, taped live at the Beverly Hilton in Hollywood (8 p.m., CBS).

SUNDAY, Nov. 26
Faraway Downs
Acclaimed Aussie director Baz Lehrmann’s six-part “reimagining” of his 2008 film Australia, this limited series reunites the stars (Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman) in a tale of a British aristocrat who travels halfway across the world to confront her wayward husband and unload a million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian Outback (Hulu).

The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration
The network holiday season staple returns for year eight with a spectacle of musical performances from Walt Disney World in Florida and Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawaii (8 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, Nov. 27
Steeltown Murders
New drama series follows the hunt for a killer in a working-class community of Wales, and how the mystery was solved nearly 30 years after the crime (Acorn TV).

Holiday: Santa in Space
Blast off for this cooking-competition special, in which bakers vie to make over-the-top cake creations around the theme of Old Saint Nick going intergalactic (11 p.m., Food Network).

TUESDAY, Nov. 28
Verified Stand-Up
If you can’t find anything to laugh about in this cavalcade of comedy from a host of stand-up pros (including Asif Ali, Nimesh Patel, Robby Hoffman and Sabrina Wu), well, you’re a true sourpuss (Netflix).

South to Black Power
New streaming documentary is based on Charles Blow’s provocative book, which calls for a “reverse migration” of African America from the North back to the South to reclaim the land, political representation and the culture they left behind (10 p.m., HBO).

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So-called “cancel culture” is nothing new, as author Kliph Nesteroff posits in Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars (Abrams), which examines pushbacks through censorship, protests and advocacy across the years on the ongoing battlefield of popular culture. Turns out, somebody has been objecting to something in entertainment for almost two hundred years!

One of the Big Apple’s most acclaimed photogs gets a spotlight in Saul Leiter: The Centennial Retrospective (Thames & Hudson), an oversized look-book of his lifelong work as a photographer and painter known for his “street scenes” of life in New York City, his 1960s fashion work for Harper’s Bazaar, and (ahem) his “intimate” portraits of people at home, in various states of undress.

Why do we like listening to music, and how do we do it? Learn all about the fascinating world of sound and our relationship to the world through music in Michael Faber’s insightful and engaging Listen: On Music, Sound and Us (Harper Collins).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 29

The Artful Dodger
Find out about the “double life” of one of Charles Dickens’ famous prince-of-thieves pickpocket in this new series (above) from Australia starring David Thewlis, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Mia Mitchell (Hulu).

Pretty Hard Cases
Tune in tonight for the third and final season of the drama series about a pair of female detectives (Meredith MacNeill and Kelly Duff) return for even more investigations the test both their professional relationship and their personal lives (Amazon Freevee).

Sex Sells
It’s a new season of AI sex toys, smutty costumes, surrogate partners, intimacy coaches, celebrity sex tapes and more in this series in which “sex positivity advocate” Weezy explores sex-related businesses and their impacts on people’s lives (10 p.m, Fuse).

THURSDAY, Nov. 30
Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays
Selena Gomez, the Only Murders in the Building star, joins culinary pros including Alex Guarnaschelli and Claudette Zepeda to whip up holiday dishes in her home kitchen (8 p.m., Food Network).

Family Switch
Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms and Rita Morena star in this new comedy (above) about a family mixup—when a rare astrological event causes a “body switch” between the parents and their kids. Wild, way out, 13-Going-on-30 fun, compounded into more than one body! (Netflix).

Nov 17 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 17 – Nov. 23

John Hamm is a bad hombre lawman in the new season of Fargo.

FRIDAY, Nov. 17
Please Don’t Destroy: The Legend of Foggy Mountain
Conan O’Brien and Bowen Yang make supporting appearances in this new Judd (Superbad) Apatow comedy romp about a trio of childhood friends fending off bears, a crazy cult leader and park rangers as they head into the wilderness in search of a fabled treasure (Peacock).

Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story
Documentary follows the actor/director (above) and movie mogul as it recounts the mother’s enduring love at the roots of his climb to the top of an industry that didn’t always want to include him (Prime).

Dashing Through the Snow
Rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Madison Skye Validum and Lil Rey Howery star in this holiday family comedy about an Atlanta social worker and his Christmas Eve journey with his estranged daughter that helps him find the joy and magic of the holidays (Disney+).

Monarch: A Legacy of Monsters
Kurt Russell and his actor son, Wyatt, star in this generation-spanning series (with both Russells playing the same character, decades apart) based on the movie’s “Monsterverse,” where creatures like Godzilla and King Kong roar and rule (above) (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Nov. 18
Christmas Plus One
Emily Alatalo and Corey Seiver star in this holiday flick about an unmarried sister looking for her soulmate and the magazine writer who helps her Christmas wish come true (9 p.m., Lifetime).

Kennedy
Peter Coyote narrates this eight-part documentary about our 35th U.S. president, timed to the 60th anniversary of his assassination and featuring more than 70 new interviews with people who knew him, worked with him and admired him (8 p.m., History).  

SUNDAY, Nov. 19
The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown
New competition series finds Santa and his Scout Elves joining cake master Duff Goldman to challenge teams of sweet-centric bakers to make edible showpieces that capture the season (8 p.m., Food Network).

The Cunninghams wish you a Merry Christmas!

A Very Merry MeTV
Beginning tonight and continuing (off and on) until Christmas, watch holiday-themed episodes of your favorite retro TV shows, including The Brady Bunch, The Waltons, All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Twilight Zone, Gilligan’s Island, The Beverly Hillbillies, Happy Days (above) and more (begins 12 noon, MeTV). 

MONDAY, Nov. 20
Spellbound
New teen fantasy series follows a vivacious 15 year old girl (Hailey Melody Romain) who relocates from America to study at the Paris Opera School in France, where she discovers a book of spells that changes her life and illuminates her surprising true identity (Hulu).

Wisdom Gone Wild
A filmmaker collaborates with her elderly mother as they confront the “wisdom” gleaned from the creeping shadows of dementia, in this moving documentary (check listings, PBS).

TUESDAY, Nov. 21
Fargo
Jon Hamm, Juno Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh are among the cast for the fifth installment of the juicy, award-winning progressive crime drama, this time set almost-contemporary Minnesota and the Dakotas. And tonight’s episode—and the whole new series, actually—has some cool “callbacks” to events in the iconic 1996 Coen Brothers movie that started it all (10 p.m., FX).

Leo
Adam Sandler, Jason Alexander, Cecily Strong, Bill Burr and other funny folks provide voices in this cute animated coming-of-age age tale (above) centered on a classroom pet, a 74-year-old lizard (Netflix).

Groundbreakers
Learn how Title IX—the game-changing legislation that guaranteed all people, regardless of gender, equal access to federally funded sports programs—shaped the lives of eight young woman who went on to excel in the fields of tennis, basketball, soccer, gymnastics and flag football (check local listings, PBS).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22
Good Burger 2
New sequel to the ‘90s hit (based on a Nickelodeon comedy series) stars Kenan Thompson, Jillian Bell, Lil Rel Howery and Kel Mitchell as employees at a fast-food chain (Paramount+).

Squid Game: The Challenge
New spinoff of the streaming hit series as new challengers enter the competition in hopes of a nearly $5 million reward that would change their lives—if the “Challenge” doesn’t end them (Netflix).

Genie
Melissa McCarthy stars in this holiday fantasy (above) about an ancient genie summoned for an unlikely mission—to help a man (Paapa Essiedu) who’s lost sight of his marriage and his family (Peacock).

THURSDAY, Nov. 23
The Naughty Nine
Danny Glover stars as Santa in this movie comedy about a group of youngsters planning a heist of Santa’s North Pole village to get the presents they think they deserve (Disney+).

The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS
Kick off the holiday with this annual network coverage of one of New York City’s iconic celebrations, a festive process down Sixth Avenue with jolly old St. Nick himself bringing up the rear (9 p.m., CBS).

NOW HEAR THIS

Is there anything she can’t do? Dolly Parton tears it up with some of rock ‘n’ roll’s legendary artists for her latest album, Rockstar, including Sting (on “Every Breath You Take”), Ann Wilson of Heart (“Magic Man”), Peter Frampton (“Baby I Love Your Way”), Deborah Harry of Blondie (“Heart of Glass”), Paul McCartney (“Let It Be”), Pat Benetar (“Heartbreaker”), members of Lynyrd Skynyrd (“Free Bird”) and more on this 30-song collection, that proves why, Dolly, we will always love you.

BRING IT HOME

Now you soar with season one of the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama series For All Mankind (Sony Home Entertainment)—with Joel Kinnaman, Casey Johnson and Shantel VanStanten among the big ensemble cast—as rocket scientists and astronauts push the boundaries of space exploration.

The highly acclaimed movie about the man who invented the atomic bomb and unleashed it into the world comes to Blu-ray and DVD with Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), with more than three hours of special features.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

If you love Hollywood history, you’ll flip for George Hurrell’s Hollywood (Running Press), the newly updated edition of vintage Tinseltown portraits taken by the great Hollywood “glamour” photographer of the 1920s and ’30. Hurrell, who worked for many of the major studios, photo’d just about everyone across multiple decades, including icons like Bogart, Garbo, Rita Hayworth and Joan Crawford. Author Mark Viera ties some 400 eye-catching images together with words about Hurrell’s long-lasting influence and how his images shaped Hollywood’s visual history.

Christmas comes early for movie fans with Jeremy Arnold’s Christmas in the Movies (Running Press), a lavishly illustrated, freshly expanded examination of some of the most beloved holiday flicks of all time, including what makes them bona fide “Christmas movies.” You’ll love revisiting The Shop Around the Corner, It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Home Alone and—yes—Die Hard, among the 35 featured films.  

Nov 10 2023
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Photography, Pop Culture, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 10 – Nov. 16

Emma Stone is cursed, NCIS goes Down Under & Blake ‘s ‘Barmageddon’ is back

THURSDAY, Nov. 10
The Curse
Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder (above) star in this new series with Rosemary’s Baby vibes about a newly married couple trying trying to conceive a child—and disturbed by something that sure feels like a curse (10 p.m., Paramount+ with Showtime).

For All Mankind
The acclaimed space-race drama blasts off tonight for season four, as a NASA flight director (Wrenn Schmidt, above) and other Mars colonists work on an asteroid mining operation that could change the future of everything on Earth (Apple TV+).

Salute to Service: A Veterans Day Celebration
Host Jon Stewart and the United States Army Field Band honor service members past and present alongside a star-studded lineup of musical guests, including country entertainer Mickey Guyton, singer/songwriter Amanda Shires and Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez (9 p.m., PBS).

SATURDAY, Nov. 11
Legends of the Fork
Celebrity baker, chef and entrepreneur Buddy Valestro (below) visits restaurants across America to find the secrets of their success (9 p.m., A&E).

Devil on My Doorstep
Jenna Dewan—one of Lifetime’s “stock players”—and Steve Kazee star in this thriller about a delivery dispatcher obsessed with a homeowner, who becomes obsessed too. Enough obsession for a new Lifetime movie (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Nov. 12
Beacon 23
Sci-fi thriller love story set in the far reaches of the Milky Way involves a government agent (Lena Hedley, below) and an ex-military man (Stephan James) trapped together in a Beacon, a lighthouse for far-flung interplanetary travelers, with an AI whose motives aren’t initially clear (MGM+).

Good Cop, Bad Cop
New series recounts detectives pursing complicated murder cases with startling twists: The perps are fellow member of law enforcement (10 p.m., Investigation Discovery).

MONDAY, Nov. 13
NCIS: Sydney
Sit back and set sail for the first international edition of the hugely popular TV franchise, filmed on location Down Under and elsewhere as a new team of special agents is tasked with keeping criminal waves at low tide in one of the most contested region of ocean in the world. Starring Olivia Swann and Todd Lasance (10 p.m., CBS).

The Ladybird Diaries
New series tells the inside story of one of the most influential and least understood First Ladies in history, featuring audio from some 123 hours of personal and revealing diaries Lady Bird Johnson began recording after the assassination of JFK in 1963 and continuing through her husband’s turbulent administration (Hulu).

Barmageddon
Hosts Blake Shelton, Carson Daly and Nikki Garcia return for season two of the “bar games” fun (below) as celebrity guest compete in drunken axe throwing, air cannon cornhole, keg curling and more (11 p.m., USA Network).

TUESDAY, Nov. 14
A Murder at the End of the World
Murder series about a tech-savvy, Gen Z amateur sleuth (Emma Corwin) who becomes part of something deadly and sinister as a part of a group invited to a remote retreat by a reclusive billionaire (Clive Owen) (Hulu).

Chopped: Julia Child’s Kitchen
Chef competitors put their expertise to the test in this five-part TV tournament with the grand prize of a Julia Child-themed trip to France (8 p.m., Food Network).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15
CMT Smashing Glass
New musical special spotlights trailblazing and groundbreaking artists, including honorees Tanya Tucker and Patti LaBelle, with performances and tributes from many others (8 p.m., CMT).

The Battle to Beat Malaria
Oh, great: Something else to worry about—the return of this mosquito-borne mega-threat that continues to plague the globe (9 p.m., PBS). 

THURSDAY, Nov. 16
Best. Christmas. Ever!
Heather Graham, Brandy Norwood and Jason Biggs star in this new holiday movie (above) about a couple of old friends brought together again by fate in the Christmas season (Netflix).

Terror Lake Drive
The anthology series returns for season three as a new South Georgia family mysteriously inherits a luxury vacation home that lures them into the troubled lakeside grounds that so horrified other characters previously (ALLBLK). 

Julia
Eight-episode second season of the original dramatic series about the iconic food star as Julia Child grapples with her rising celebrity, host her own TV cooking show and returns home to France, to find that her success has changed everything (Max).

BRING IT HOME

Get some post-Halloween terror tingles early with The Nun II (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the sequel to the 2018 horror hit in the Conjuring universe, as a demon nun wrecks more horrifying havoc in 1956 France. Starring Taissa Farmiga.

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Dogs bark, birds chirp and cows moo. But only humans “talk,” and sometimes, well, we say a real mouthful!  Jason Travis Ott’s Grandiloquent Words (Countryman Press) presents a marvelous look at unusual verbiage, antiquated phrases and fancy-schmantzy, high-falootin’ argot that have festooned our language for centuries.

Find out all about one of the world’s most famous fashionistas in The World According to Yves Saint Laurent (Thames and Hudson), which corrals the visionary couture icon’s maxims and musings on style, elegance, women, models, color, accessories and much more. A fascinating first-person look into the French-born designer who ultimately launched an eponymous fashion empire.

NOW HEAR THIS!

Beatles fans will flip their wigs over the fantastic new reissue of the career-spanning “Red” and “Blue” anthhology albums, available in both CD and vinyl, with all the band’s singles and B-sides from 1962 to 1970, plus new tracks—and the supergroup’s “last” song, “Now and Then,” a John Lennon original given finishing touches by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.

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