Category Archives: DVDs

Oct 27 2023
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Television, TV, Uncategorized

The Entertainment Forecast

Oct. 27 – Nov. 2

Emily Blunt hustles pain, a marathon of ‘Beetlejuice,’ a killer kid & heavy metal Halloween

FRIDAY, Oct. 27
Pain Hustlers
Emily Blunt stars in this new twisty movie (coming off its limited theatrical run tonight and onto streaming) as a jobless blue-collar mom who finds a lifeline—and more drama than she bargained for—when she meets a pharma sales rep (Chris Evans) and his boss (Andy Garcia) and finds herself in middle of a dangerous racketeering scheme, below (Netflix).

Shorsey
Jared Kelso stars in this new comedy series about a Canadian hockey team determined to never lose again (Hulu).

SATURDAY, Oct. 28
Beetlejuice
In the spirit of Halloween fun and a gonzo performance by Michael Keaton, settle in for 24 hours of the 1998 horror comedy costarring Geena Davis, Winona Ryder and Alec Baldwin (3 p.m., TBS).

Would You Kill For Me? The Mary Bailey Story
Melissa Joan Hart stars in this movie (above) based on the true story of an 11-year-old girl coaxed into killing her abusive stepfather by her mother and grandmother (8 p.m., Lifetime).
Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Oct. 29
The Guilded Age
Season two begins of the ornate period drama from Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes, about high life in the late 1800s. Carrie Coon, Cynthia Nixon, Jack Gilpin, Nathan Lane and Audra McDonald are among the sprawling cast, above (Max).

Hocus Pocus
Thirty years ago, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy starred in this now-classic Disney Halloween film as a trio of Salem witches who stir up a cauldron of trouble. Now you can re-watch it on its anniversary (8 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, Oct. 30
Mayflies
British dramatic series about life, love, dying and the passage of time stars Martin Compston and Tony Curran, in a touching story adapted from a novel by Andrew O’Hagan (Acorn TV).

Hellhouse LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor
Horror flick about a group of young cold case investigators who dare to stay overnight at a place where a series of grisly and unsolved murders occurred in the 1980s (Shudder/AMC+).

TUESDAY, Oct. 31
Heavy Metal Halloween
In addition to other spooky-entertainment programming throughout the day, tonight brings a trio of musical rock docs all in the spirit of the season: Songs about the devil, songs about murder and songs about magic. Happy Halloween! (AXS TV).

Live With Kelly and Mark
The daytime hosts put on their creative costumes and usher in a bunch of celebrity guests for this Halloween special (syndicated, check local listings).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 1
Ancient Earth: Humans
How did we get here? Using cutting-edge animation, this eye-opening new documentary traces the history, evolution and spread of the planets’s most advanced mammals, the upright humanoids (9 p.m, PBS) 

Black Cake
Based on a bestselling novel by Charmaine Wilkinson, this new streaming drama series follows about a pair of modern-day siblings as they discover the legacy of the mother, who disappeared off the coast of Jamaica in the 1960s under suspicion of murder (Hulu)

Ryan Ashley is a judge on the tattoo competition series ‘Ink Masters.’

Ink Master
New season of the tattoo competition series begins tonight with host Joel Madden, the lead singer of the band Good Charlotte, returning to host more epic ink battles (Paramount+).

THURSDAY, Nov. 2
All the Light We Cannot See
Mark Ruffalo, Ari Mia Loberti and Hugh Laurie lead the cast of this limited series (below), based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a blind French girl and her father fleeing German-occupied Paris with a legendary diamond to keep it from falling into the hands of Nazis (Netflix).

Kingdom Business
Season two of the drama series further explores the lives of fictional gospel music characters in a state of chaos after lust, love and denial have created a rift in the “kingdom.” With Yolanda Adams, Michael Jai White, Loretta Devine, Louis Gossett Jr. and Michelle Williams (BET+).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

One of the most storied songwriters in all of music, Willie Nelson, tells all in Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs (William Morrow), in which the “Red Headed Stranger” digs into the details of 160 of his tunes, plus his superstar collaborators and friends, his extended musical “family” and the themes that have inspired him. It’s a must-have for Willie-philes!

BRING IT HOME

DC’s Blue Beetle, about a young man (Xolo Maridueña) gifted with extraordinary powers who decides to become a superhero, comes to DVD after its short theatrical run.

It’s bigger, fatter and Greek-er than ever. It’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, writer/director Nia Vardolos’ latest installment of her quasi-autobiographical romcom trilogy, which comes to DVD loaded with bonus content, including commentary and behind-the-scenes features about making the picture on location in (where else?) Greece.

NOW HEAR THIS

Beatles fans will groove to the super new 2023 editions of the band’s career-spanning albums, 1962-1966 and 1967-70 (known as the “Red” and “Blue” LPs), which contain all the hits—plus, now, one last Beatles song, “Now and Then,” written and sung by John Lennon with contributions from Paul McCarthy, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and finally finished as a post-Beatles single, 40 years later, by McCarthy and Starr. The Apple Corps/Capitol/UME release is available on CD and vinyl.

Oct 20 2023
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Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Pop Culture, Television, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Oct. 20 – Oct. 26

Funny ‘Dads,’ serious ‘Bosch’ & a Wonder Woman two-fer

Bokeem Woodbine, Bobby Cannavale and Bill Burr are “Old Dads.”

FRIDAY, Oct. 20
Everyone Else Burns
Simon Bird and Kate O’Flynn star in this new British-based sitcom series about a puritanical family preparing for a big move—away from the woes of Earth, avoiding the fires of hell and basking in blissful eternity. Can they “save” themselves, and anyone else who’ll listen? (9:30 p.m., The CW).

Old Dads
Bill Burr, Bobby Canavale and Bookeem Woodbine star in this new comedy flick as a trio of guys who become fathers later in life and have a steep learning curve with school principals, millennial CEOs and a world that’s changed a bit since the 1980s (Netflix).

Bosch: Legacy
Titus Welliver returns (above) to the role of the former homicide detective, based on the lead character of crime novels by Michael Connelly, in season two of the hit procedural series as he seeks out a killer before he finds him first. With Mimi Rogers (Freevee).

SATURDAY, Oct. 21
NFL Icons
Season three of the pigskin docuseries profiles Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Charles Woodson, Bill Cowher and Mike Singletary (MGM+).

Wonder Woman Day
Stretch out with your golden lasso and enjoy Gal Godot (above) in her two standalone films as the warrior princess, back to back in Wonder Woman and its sequel, Wonder Woman 1984 (12:45 p.m., TBS).

SUNDAY, Oct. 22
Fear the Walking Dead
In season eight, Madison (Kim Dickens) goes about making the old Stadium a safe haven, but it attracts some unwanted attention—of the walking dead kind! (9 p.m., AMC).

WB 100th Anniversary Movie Monster Marathon
Pick yous favorite monster and watch ‘em go in this all-day slate of three Godzillas, a Kong, one Meg and Dwayne Johnson’s Rampage (10:45 a.m., TNT)

Godzilla roars in three movies this Sunday.

AKA Mr. Chow
Find out how a lad from Shanghai would eventually triumph over childhood trauma, personal loss and systemic prejudice to forge a new identity and open the first of what would become his franchise of iconic Chinese restaurants (9 p.m., HBO)

MONDAY, Oct. 23
The Royals: A New Era
New documentary examines the state and future of the monarchy in the modern world a year after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, featuring interviews with palace confidants and royal experts (9 p.m, The CW).

Rembember Milli Vanilli (above)? Find out what happened to the lip-synching pop duo in a new documentary.

TUESDAY, Oct. 24
Milli Vanilli
Girl, you know it’s true. This documentary tells the story of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, two childhood friends who became superstars in the late-‘80s duo Milli Vanilli—before a career-ending lip-synching incident led to their downfall (Paramount+).

Help! I’m in a Secret Relationship!
Well, it won’t be secret much longer now that you’re disclosing it on season two of this reality show, in which people who think they’ve found the loves of their lives discover it’s really only a pack of lies (9 p.m., MTV).

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 25
Spy in the Ocean, A Nature Miniseries
Go deep into the seas and discover what it’s like to dive with sharks, leap high above the water with a dolphin or swim like an octopus in this new series, which uses high-tech cameras designed and disguised to look like marine animals (8 p.m., PBS).

Life on Our Planet
New documentary series shows the battle for adaptability and survival that has shaped our planet since the beginning of time (Netflix). 

THURSDAY, Oct. 26
American Horror Story
The bloody-good horror anthology returns for the fall with a four-episode “Huluween” event (Hulu). 

The Vanishing Triangle
New original psychological thriller series (above) is inspired by true events that shook Ireland in the 1990s, when several women disappeared, never to be seen again. With India Mullen and Allen Leech (Sundance Now).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Fans of ‘80s rock will groove to Police Diaries (Rocket88), drummer Stewart Copeland’s firsthand account of the early days of The Police, the British trio that took over the charts with “Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne,” “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” and many more hits. Packed with photos from Copeland’s deep personal archive, “it’s a big, noisy book about one heckuva ride.”

It’s the fuel that keeps us going, but some of our food is disappearing. In Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods (WW Norton), food historian author Sarah Lohman points out the growing list of local comestibles in danger of extinction and the urgent efforts by farmers, shepherds and fishers to save them.

Afterlife is big business and a deep-set cultural touchstone, and author Greg Melville unearths the details in Over My Dead Body (Abrams), a colorful history of cemeteries, interment customs and other practices of saying our final goodbyes.

BRING IT HOME

You’re gonna need a MUCH bigger boat for Meg 2: The Trench (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) in which Jason Statham returns to face an even bigger fin foe—and other monstrous creatures—from the deepest depths of the ocean.

Dracula hitches a ride on a merchant ship and makes his way from the Old World toward England in The Last Voyage of the Demeter (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), the latest bloody adventure of novelist Bram Stoker’s iconic blood-sucker. Features include an alternate opening, commentary, and a look in the filmmaking process of conjuring up a nautical nightmare for the screen.

Sep 29 2023
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

September 29 – October 5

Emma is ‘Cruella,’ Brits rock, ‘Family Guy’ turns 22 & Milla fights monsters!

Emma Stone stars in Cruella on Disney+.

FRIDAY, Sept. 29
Gen V
What happens at a college especially for young adults who want to become superheroes? Find out in this zingy new series (below) connected to The Boys and starring Jensen Ackles, Patrick Schwarznegger and Lizzie Broadway (Prime).

The New York Times Presents: How to Fix a Pageant
Investigative docuseries digs into the Miss USA and Miss Universe organizations, a recent scandal, and how the “beauty pageants” are struggling to remain successful, relevant and significant in the modern world (10 p.m., FX). 

Brits Rock!
Cool! This block of programming celebrates the music and legacies three iconic British rock artists: The Beatles, Adele and David Bowie (All Arts TV).

Reptile
Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake (above) and Alicia Siverstone star in this new network original movie about the brutal murder of a young real estate executive and a hardened detective who attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems (Netflix).

Flora and Son
Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in this original drama about a mom, her rebellious teenage son (Orén Kinlan) and how the transformative power of music brings them together in newfound harmony (AppleTV+).

SATURDAY, Sept. 30
Hot Dish with Franco
World-class chef Franco Noriega puts his Peruvian and Italian roots down in the kitchen for some hot-stuff, flavorful dishes in this new culinary series (12 p.m., Food Network).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

It’s never too early to think about Christmas! The Christmas Book (Phaidon) is a treasure trove of the traditions, lore, rituals and spirituality of “the most wonderful time of the year” with photographs, paintings and other pop-cultural artifacts. Santa, Scrooge, snow, nutcrackers, silent nights, nativity scenes—it’s all here, and more!

Fans of ‘80s rock will groove to Police Diaries (Rocket88), drummer Stewart Copeland’s firsthand account of the early days of The Police, the British trio that took over the charts with “Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne,” “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” and many more hits. Packed with photos from Copeland’s deep personal archive, “it’s a big, noisy book about one heckuva ride.”

We know the ocean is big, it’s deep and it’s the stuff of folklore and legend. But Helen Czerski’s The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works (WW Norton) reminds us how the vast sea is a massive aquatic engine, constantly churning with energy, life and raw materials. Read it and marvel anew—and raise your awareness of how this ancient, gravity-defying feature of the Earth’s topography, now faces new, modern environmental threats.

Take an armchair trip to some of the world’s most scenic getaways in The Alps (Phaidon), with hundreds of photos of winter-playground places in France, Switzerland, Italy, AAustria and Germany. Here, you don’t have to be a celebrity—or a wealthy international traveler—to enjoy the views.

SUNDAY, Oct. 1
Family Guy
Seth McFarlane’s classic animated sitcom for grownups returns for season 22 tonight. Meg’s having a baby, Peter takes flight and Stewie gets his rock-star on! (9:30 p.m., Fox).

Jack Osborne’s Night of Terror
Ozzy’s son launches another season of spine-tingling paranormal investigations (below), kicking off with a trip to a haunted hotel in Santa Paula, Calif., accompanied by his mom, Sharon (10 p.m., Travel Channel).

MONDAY, Oct. 2
Spin’s 100 Greatest Rock Stars Since That Was a Thing
You wanna rock? Then tune in for this new docuseries, spotlighting all the greats—Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Page, David Bowie, Grace Slick, and many more, with commentary from Dee Snider, Stewart Copeland, Carnie Wilson and other musical icons. Rock on! (8 p.m., AXS).

The Partridge Family
C’mon, get happy! All 96 episodes of the classic ‘70s TV musical sitcom series (below), about a peppy “family band” of rock musicians (led by Shirley Jones and David Cassidy), return to TV beginning today as part of the network’s new “Retro Binge,” which also includes The Monkees (9 p.m., AXS).

TUESDAY, Oct. 3
The Found
Shanola Hampton—she played Veronica Fisher in Shameless—now stars in this new weekly series as a foster care professional searching for a missing 14-year-old, but the case becomes much more complicated than she first imagined (10 p.m., NBC). 

Cruella
Emma Stone plays a young villainess-in-making (who’d grow up to be Cruella Deville of 101 Dalmatians) in this feisty, fab-fashion live-action 2021 remake of the Disney classic (7:50 p.m., Freeform).

BRING IT HOME

Get ready for Halloween with some of the greatest ghouls of all time: Universal Classic Monsters (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), the new eight-disc set of restored, 4K versions of The Invisible Man, The Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Phantom of the Opera and The Creature From the Black Lagoon. Plus, an accompanying book is filled with rare pix, and trivia.

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4
Monster Hunter
Not many people saw it when it was released theatrically in the early days of the COVID pandemic. Not you can watch it twice, back to back, as model-turned-sci-fi-actress Milla Jovovich kicks some serious monster butt in a futuristic, apocalyptic world, all based on a popular video game (7:20 p.m., FXM).

Quantum Leap
Season two of the sequel series to the 1989-93 TV drama stars Raymond Lee as a physicist who discovers many wrongs to right after his “unauthorized” leap into the past. Plus, he has a sweetie (Caitlin Bassett) he left behind (9 p.m., NBC).

THURSDAY, Oct. 5
Our Flag Means Death
Season two of the high-seas pirate comedy sets sail tonight, with filmmaker/actor Taika Waititi in the lead role of this swashbuckling tongue-in-cheek tale loosely based on real-life 18th century would-be buccaneer Stede Bonnet (Max).

Accused: Guilty of Innocent
What happens when someone is formally charged with a crime and sent to the courtroom? New season of the true-crime series picks up tonight with more inside stories of people facing the wheels of justice for serious crimes they are alleged to have committed. But did they?  (10 p.m., A&E).

Sep 01 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, Sept. 1 – Thursday, Sept. 7

‘The Little Mermaid,’ love in the Smoky Mountains & a sordid scouting scandal

Disney’s live-action ‘Little Mermaid’ comes ashore for streaming this week.

FRIDAY, Sept. 1
The Wheel of Time
Season two begins tonight, about a farm boy who may destroy the world and a group of sorceresses fighting his power and madness (below). With Rosamund Pike (Prime Video).

Power Book IV: Force
The hit franchise returns tonight, as Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) charts new territory, capitalizes on his competitors’ weaknesses and makes a play at becoming Chicago’s top drug dealer (8 p.m., Starz).

SATURDAY, Sept. 2
Unforgotten
No, it’s not the Clint Eastwood Western, which was Unforgiven—but rather season five of the British crime series in which London detectives solve a new variety of cold-case disappearances and murder (9 p.m., PBS)

SUNDAY, Sept. 3
Love in the Great Smoky Mountains
Arielle Kebbell and Zach Roerig (above) star as a pair of former sweethearts who rediscover romance while working together on a project in the nation’s most-visited national park (8 p.m., Hallmark).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

You’ll get the “feels” with Motherhood (Tate Publishing), a heartwarming collection of visual representations of motherhood as depicted by artists over the centuries.

A host of vocalist all-stars tell what it’s like to do what they do in The Singers Talk (Permuted Press), featuring more than 70 revealing, wide-ranging interviews, including Tony Bennett, Emmylou Harris, Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson, Stevie Nicks, Ozzie Osborne and many more!

Fans of everything royal will delight at Queen Elizabeth II: A Photographic Portrait (Thames & Hudson), a splendid collection (and reflection) on the royal highness and her 70 years on the throne, from her first official baby portrait to her Platinum Jubilee last year. More than 200 images, from acclaimed photographers, trace her life and reign, with essays by bestselling historian and author Philip Ziegler.

MONDAY, Sept. 4
Secrets of Penthouse
Four-episode series tells the true story of the rise and fall of Bob Guccione, who made millions as the founder of Penthouse magazine, which challenged Playboy for the girlie-mag market—and pushed the envelope of adult publishing further than it had ever been before (9 p.m., A&E)

Ancient Empires
Three-night event explores the legacies of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Cleopatra (8 p.m., History).

While We Watched
Strong-stuff documentary offers an unfiltered looks at NDTV, once the bastion of information within India’s TV networks, now spiraling downward in waves of fake news, financial setbacks, creeping nationalism and extremist attacks on truth. It’s a snapshot of a world in crisis, told through the microcosm of one television network that stands as a representative of modern journalism (10 p.m., PBS). 

TUESDAY, Sept. 5

BRING IT HOME

Worlds collide in the acclaimed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), in which multiple versions of the character intersect in a dazzling spectacle of animated adventure. With Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali and Oscar Isaac.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
The reality series returns for a new season (below) with frigid family dynamics, red hot international travel and a shocking betrayal that none of the women saw coming (9 p.m., Bravo).

One Shot: Overtime Elite
Six-part sports documentary series follows the new generation of NBA top draft-pick rookies, led by Amen and Ausar Thompson, Jakhi Howard, Rob Dillingham and Eli Ellis (Prime).

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 6
Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America
How did the Scouts try to cover up one of history’s most horrific sexual abuse scandals? Find out in this documentary, which talks to whistleblowers, survivors and former BSA employees (Netflix).

The Little Mermaid
Disney’s recent live-action re-imagining of its “under the sea” music-filled classic comes today to streaming, with Halle Bailey as Ariel, Javier Bardem as King Triton and Melissa McCarthy as the evil Ursula (Disney+).

THURSDAY, Sept. 7
The Dead Files
Season three of the spooky reality series finds psychic medium Cindy Kaza and homicide detective Steve DiSchiavia teaming up again for more investigations of the paranormal (10 p.m., Travel).

Virgin River
Alexandra Breckinridge (above) returns as midwife “Mel” Monroe for season five of the romantic drama series as the characters face a shocking breakup, a wrenching court trial and a wildfire that threatens their northern California town (Netflix). 

Aug 25 2023
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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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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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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 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).

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