Category Archives: Humor

Aug 15 2025
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DVDs, Humor, Movies, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to Watch, and more! Aug. 15 – 21

John Cena kicks bad-guy butt, Sheryl Crow stands up to cancer & virgins compete for some lovin’!

FRIDAY, Aug. 15
The Rainmaker
Two friends at different law firms and find themselves on opposite sides of a weighty case in this new legal series starring Milo Callaghan, Lana Parrilla and John Slattery (8 p.m., USA Network).

Stand Up to Cancer Special
Sheryl Crow hosts this all-star benefit concert from Nashville, with appearances from Dolly Parton, Jelly Roll, Jonas Brothers and many other stars, some in pretaped segments (7 p.m., ABC, NBC and CBS).

SATURDAY, Aug. 16
I’ll Never Let You Go
Inspired by real stories, this torrid tale stars Meagan Good as a successful art gallery owner whose life takes a dark turn after an affair with a charismatic Italian artist (8 p.m., Lifetime).

The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Summer
Celeb bakers including Jesse Tyler Ferguson, June Diane Raphel and Andrew Rannells are about for this single-episode special of the popular food competition held under a big tent (Roku Channel).

SUNDAY, Aug. 17
Women Wearing Shoulder Pads
Quirky new stop-motion quarter-hour Spanish-language comedy series (with English subtitles) about a wealthy Spanish woman navigating life, business and love—and fighting guinea pigs in a bullfighting ring. OK! (Adult Swim).

Sister Act
Whoopi Goldberg stars in this 1992 comedy as a nightclub singer taking refuge from the mob in a church—and transforming the singers into a soulful chorus. With Harvey Keitel and Kathy Najimy (8:30 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, Aug. 18
Lego Masters Jr.
Kelly Osborne hosts this spinoff featuring kid builders paired with celebs for challenging building-block projects (8 p.m., Fox).

Are You My First?
Former NFL player Colton Underwood and former Bachelor contestant Kaitlyn Bristowe host this new reality-dating experiment with a group of—ahem—virgins, brought to a tropical paradise to explore…in every way (Hulu).

TUESDAY, Aug. 19
Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson
The Grammy-winning pop singer, daytime TV host and American Idol winner spreads the musical goodness around with this four-part primetime special featuring the Jonas Brothers, Teddy Swims and Lizzo (10 p.m. NBC).

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox
Grace Van Patten (above) stars in this based-on-a-true-story episodic saga of Knox, wrongly convicted for the tragic murder of her roommate, and her 16-year struggle to set herself free (Hulu).

Inside the Worlds of Epic Universe
Joe Manganiello hosts this one-hour special exploring the new Universal theme park in Orlando, with five immersive “worlds” built around movies including the Harry Potter franchise, Super Nintendo and How to Train Your Dragon. Guest appearances by Bowen Yang, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vin Diesel and more (9 p.m., NBC).

THURSDAY, Aug. 21
Churchy
Season two of the workplace comedy stars Kevin Fredericks as a pastor who, after being passed over for leadership at his father’s mega-church, moves to Lubbock, Texas, to build his own ministry from the ground up (BET+).  

Peacemaker
Vigilante superhero Chris Smith (John Cena) struggles in season two to reconcile his past with a newfound sense of purpose—which involves continuing to kick self-righteous evil-doers in the butt (9 p.m., Max)

NOW HEAR THIS

The band Van Halen marks the 30th anniversary of their 1995 album Balance with a new expanded edition full of songs and surprises. It’s got all the tunes from the original LP, plus some rarities and other goodies, including videos and live versions of the hits “Jump,” “You Really Got Me,” “L.A. Woman” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.” (Rhino).

And if you need to dust the rust off your “Rebel Yell,” here’s a trio of newly remastered anniversary colored vinyl editions of classic Billy Idol albums—Charmed Life, Whiplash Smile and Don’t Stop—with hits including “Cradle of Love,” “Mony Mony” and “Dancin’ With Myself.” As Idol himself sings, it’s “more, more, more, more, more!”

BRING IT HOME

Revel in retro cinematic badassery with Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 2 (Shout! Factory), a 12-disc collection of six genre touchstones including Foxy Brown, Friday Foster, Cotton Comes to Harlem and Slaughter. You’ll see Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Yaphet Kotto, Red Foxx, Eartha Kitt, Jim Backus, Ed McMahon and more! And it’s loaded with bonus features!

Aug 08 2025
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DVDs, Humor, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Aug. 8 – 14

A hunka-hunka weeklong dose of Elvis, a new ‘Alien’ invasion & supermarket food that knows how to party!

Watch ‘Blue Hawaii’ and other Elvis flicks all this week!

FRIDAY, Aug. 8
Freaky Tales
Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn and Jay Ellis are among the cast of this movie, set in 1987, about a group of colorful characters (an NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teen punks, neo-Nazis and a debt collector) on a collision course in Oakland (HBO Max).

Outlander: Blood of My Blood
Prequel to the hit romantic series (below) stars Hermoine Corfield, Jeremy Irvine, Harriet Slater and Jamie Roy and is set in the Highlands of 18th century Scotland (8 p.m., Starz).

SATURDAY, Aug. 9
Finding Faith
Paula Patton stars as a woman whose life is shattered by an unexpected tragedy that makes her lose faith in God, but then embarks on a journey of rediscovery, hope an purpose (Lifetime).

American Prince: JFK Jr.
Documentary examines the remarkable life and enduring legacy of President John F. Kennedy’s son, John Jr., from his father’s assassination to founding the political magazine George and beyond (9 p.m., CNN).

SUNDAY, Aug. 10
Professor T
Season four of the British crime drama stars Ben Mlller as professor Jasper Tempest, a criminologist working at Cambridge University using his genius intellect to solve crimes, all while suffering from OCD and an overbearing mother (PBS Masterpiece).

MONDAY, Aug. 11
Irish Blood
Alicia Silverstone (who’s come a long way since appearing in Aerosmith’s 1993 video for “Cryin'”) stars in this new crime drama series (above) as a divorce lawyer who discovers the truth about her father…and about the family she never knew even existed (Acorn).

Marvel’s Iron Man and His Awesome Friends
The title kinda says it all. The Marvel Comics superhero gets kid-sized for preschoolers in this new animated series also featuring Captain America, Black Panther and Iron Spider (Disney Jr.)

Elvis Week
Seven days of The King’s movies, including Roustabout, G.I. Blues, Blue Hawaii and Fun in Acapulco, starts today. It’s a hunka-hunka Elvis flicks, for sure! (4 p.m., AXS TV).

TUESDAY, Aug. 12
Alien: Earth
New series spinoff from the film franchise, about a ragtag group of soldiers who make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat. Starring Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther and Timothy Olyphant (FX and Hulu).

Chef Grudge Match
Boxing champ Laila Ali jumps into the ring for the new season of this series, a winner-takes-all culinary battle between elite chefs (9 p.m., Food Network).

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 13
Sausage Party: Foodtopia
The bawdy for-adults-only animated comedy series—featuring various supermarket foods as characters—based on the 2016 movie now returns for season two (above), with voices of creator Seth Rogen plus Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera and Ed Norton, among others (Amazon Prime).

Butterfly
Character-driven spy thriller that explores complex family dynamics within the treacherous world of global espionage, starring Daniel Dae Kim and Piper Perabo (Prime Video).

THURSDAY, Aug. 14
It Could Have Been Us
Feature film sheds light on the harsh realities of exclusion while offering glimpses of resilience, hope, and moments of joy as Emma Örtlund and Ida Johansson, from the Catwalk docuseries, explore the historical treatment of individuals with disabilities (Viaplay).

True Crime Story: Smugshot
Season two begins tonight, spotlighting more privileged individuals with a lot to lose who think they can get away with elaborate misdeeds (Sundance TV and Sundance Now).

NOW HEAR THIS

Fleetwood Mac’s first album is 50, and the remixed re-release of the band’s self-titled 1975 debut is now available from Rhino. (Happy anniversary, all!) Rediscover what made the album the pop breakthrough for Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Christie McVie, with songs including “Rhinnon,” “Over My Head,” “Landside” and “Say You Love Me.”

BRING IT HOME

Ben Affleck returns to the action-packed world of The Accountant in The Accountant 2 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) with more murder, another deadly conspiracy and some serious cloak-and-dagger. With Jon Bernthal and Cynthia Addai-Robinson.

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Feb 14 2025
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Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 14 – Feb. 20

Valentine’s Day ‘toons, a Marvel marathon & the return of ‘The White Lotus’

Peter and Lois get frisky on a Valentine’s Day-themed ‘Family Guy.’

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 14
Valentine’s Day Marathon
Love is in the air, and on the screen, with back-to-back romantically themed episodes of King of the Hill, The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy and Futurama (begins 9 a.m, FXX).

The Gorge
Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy star in this new thriller about an unseen enemy, a cataclysmic threat against humanity, and two sentries stationed on opposite sides of a massive gorge (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Feb. 15
Marvel Movie Marathon
After yesterday’s lovey-dovey, bulk up with some superhero action alongside Iron Man 3, Thor: Love and Thunder, Captain America: The First Avenger, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and more (7:30 am, continuing 8 a.m tomorrow, FX).

Cats, Cows and Cryptorchids
Dr. Cori gives a cow a pregnancy test, and her colleague Dr. Allison gets a lucky break. And, p.s., cryptorchids are undescended testicles (10 p.m., National Geographic).

SUNDAY, Feb. 16
Lockerbie: The Bombing of Pan Am 103
New four-part investigative series tracks the mysterious circumstances behind the bomb explosion of a Pan Am flight over Scotland in 1988, resulting in the deaths of 270 people, the majority of whom were Americans (9 p.m., CNN).

The White Lotus
The eight-episode third season of the twisty, Emmy-winning mystery drama from creator Mike White is this time set in an exclusive Thai resort, with a new cast that includes Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan and Parker Posey (HBO).

MONDAY, Feb. 17
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story
Lucy Boynton (above) stars in this four-part series about the last woman hanged in England, in 1955, exposing British obsessions of class, sex and death (Britbox).

On TV: A Black History Month Special
Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner, the first Black co-hosting team for Entertainment Tonight, host this look back at trailblazing Black TV actors and others forging new paths today (8 p.m., CBS).

TUESDAY, Feb. 18
We Beat the Dream Team
The little-known story of a group of college basketball players who beat the legendary “Dream Team” (Larry Byrd, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordon) in a 1992 scrimmage (Max).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19
Good Cop/Bad Cop
Leighton Meester, Luke Cook and Clancy Brown star in new comedic drama series about a brother/sister odd-couple detective team investigating crimes in the picturesque Pacific Northwest (9 p.m., The CW).

Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief
Discover the secret networks of curators and dealers who made fortunes from Nazi-looted art in the aftermath of WWII, perpetuating a decades-long war crime that’s never been fully revealed or resolved (10 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, Feb. 20
Memes and Nightmares
Satirical film framed as a dark “buddy comedy” dives into the culture of memes, viral moments and digital fandom that have turned college basketball into a 24/7 cultural phenomena (Hulu).

How I Escaped My Cult
New true-crime series kicks off with the tale of one young woman who recounts her horrific time as a sex slave for cult leader Tony Alamo, holding the keys to his eventual downfall (9 p.m., Freeform).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Who was Hollywood’s first stunt woman? It was Helen Gibson, the subject of Mally O’Mera’s richly detailed biography Daughter of Daring (Hanover Square), which spotlights the former rodeo rider’s rough and tumble life in the movies in the early 1900s—long before Tom Cruise began to brag about doing his own stunts!

BRING IT HOME

The age-old tale of Dracula gets a horrifying new life in Nosferatu (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), about a vampire (Bill Skarsgård) obsessed with a young maiden (Lily-Rose Depp) in a deliciously dark, goth-drenched saga of blood, lust and unholy evil. Willem Dafoe is an equally obsessed vampire hunter, and Nicholas Hoult is a swoon-worthy young swain. It’s a top-notch take that gives an iconic horror story a fresh new set of fangs.

Jan 31 2025
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DVDs, Humor, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Jan. 31 – Feb. 6

Cruisin’ with Guy, Superbowl commercials & Amy Schumer’s baby bump

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Jan. 31
Guy’s Ultimate Family Cruise
Guy Fiero takes his family to the Caribbean in this new special celebrating his son’s high school graduation, diving into all sorts of food and adventure along the way (9 p.m., Food Network).

Vietnam: The War That Changed America
Six-part series narrated by actor Ethan Hawke commemorates the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of one of the most divisive military conflicts in American history (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Feb. 1
Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story
Biopic (starring Jearnest Corchado) all about the Puerto Rican teen who became a hit-making Latina artist with hits including “Can You Feel the Beat,” “All Cried Out” and “Lost in Emotion.” (8 p.m, Lifetime).

New York Homicide
Can’t get enough of the real-world nitty gritty? Well, here’s another show for you as a retired detective digs into season three of some of the worst murders in Big Apple history (9 p.m., Oxygen).

SUNDAY, Feb. 2
The Grammy Awards
Queen B (that’s Beyonce, in case you’ve been living in a hole), brings her all-time record number of Grammy noms to 99 with her nods in 11 categories for this year. But will her “Cowboy Carter” win for Album of Year, a top-line category that has thus far eluded her? Tune in to tonight’s live ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah, to find out! (8 p.m., CBS).

Very Scary Lovers
Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg host this series examining some of the most diabolical, twisted and murderous relationships in modern history (10 p.m., ID).

MONDAY, Feb. 3
The Hunting Party
A small team of investigators track down and capture the country’s most dangerous killers in this new series (above) starring Melissa Roxburth and Nick Wechsler (10 p.m, NBC).

The Strike
How did a small hunger strike at California’s Pelican Bay Prison turn into a massive statewide protest? Find out in this probing documentary (Independent Lens and PBS apps).

TUESDAY, Feb. 4
Burden of Guilt
Docuseries follows a woman’s quest to solve the mystery of what really killed her four-month-old baby brother, 25 years ago (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5
Super Bowl Greatest Commercials
A lot of people watch the Super Bowl not for the football game, but for the big-budget TV spots in between. Tonight’s annual rundown, hosted by Nate Burleson and actress Daniela Ruah, features highlights from Super Bowls past (9 pm., ABC).

Wild Cards
More steam from the new season of this steamy drama about a hunky cop (Giacomo Bianniotti) and a sexy con woman (Vanessa Morgan), who find themselves deeper in lust…and trouble (8 p.m., The CW).

Kinda Pregnant
Amy Schumer is back on TV with this new movie comedy (above) as a woman who fakes a baby bump because she likes the attention it brings her…then meets the man of her dreams. With Jillian Bell, Will Forte and Damon Wayans (Netflix).

THURSDAY, Feb. 6
The Takedown: American Aryans
Four-part series takes viewers inside the cult-like world of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, an organized crime gang built on Nazism and extreme violence, from the late 2000s to the present (Max).

The Z-Suite
Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls and Superstore’s Doug Garcia star in this new streaming series about an advertising maven and her right-hand man pushed into the irrelevant zone by a rising tide of Gen-Z employees on Madison Avenue (Tubi).

BRING IT HOME

Clint Eastwood directs the legal thriller Juror #2 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), in which a family man (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself in a serious moral dilemma while serving on the jury of a high-profile murder trial. With Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons and Keifer Sutherland.

What’s big and green and now on Blu-ray? It’s Wicked (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), the lavish big-screen treatment of the hit Broadway musical about the backstory of The Wizard of Oz. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are forces of nature as the two young women who’ll grow up to become Oz’s iconic witches, and Jeff Goldblum is the whiz of a wiz. Loaded with bonus features, too!

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenburg (who also wrote and directed) are superb in A Real Pain (Searchlight), a drama with heart and rich humanity about two mismatched cousins on a tour through Poland honor their beloved grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. Bonus features on the Blu-ray include a making-of documentary. See why the film won an award at Sundance and was nominated for four Golden Globes.

For some bona fide funny business, get The Wayans Brothers: The Complete Series (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), available now for the first time on DVD. It’s got all five seasons of the iconic sitcom that ran on the WB network in the late ‘90s, about a pair of Harlem brothers, their friends and family. You’ll howl along with real-life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans, plus others, including John Witherspoon, Mitch Mullany and Ja’Net Dubois. The show was unceremoniously canceled in 1999 and never got a proper finale. Boo!!!!

Jan 24 2025
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The Entertainment Forecast

Jan. 24 – Jan. 30

Disney duds, 50 years of SNL musical highlights, and Reese and Will Farrell team up

All times Eastern.

Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell star in the wedding comedy “You’re Cordially Invited.”

FRIDAY, Jan. 24
Star Trek: Section 31
The most prolific sci-fi space franchise of all time spins off another flick, this one a streamer starring Michelle Yeoh (above) reprising her previous TV role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Paramount+).

Harpoon Hunters
Come aboard with a group of elite New England fisherman as they spear-hunt for one of the fastest fish in the sea, the Atlantic bluefin tuna (9 p.m., Discovery).

SATURDAY, Jan. 25
Asia
Explore the wildlife and natural wonders of planet’s largest continent in this seven-episode nature series narrated by (who else?) Sir David Attenborough (8 p.m., BBC America).

Kobe: The Making of a Legend
Three-part series chronicles the journey and sometimes complicated legacy of one of the greatest basketball players of all time, from his childhood in Italy to NBA superstardom—and his tragic death in a helicopter crash with his daughter (9 p.m., CNN).

SUNDAY, Jan. 26
Watson
New medical mystery series (above)—a detective drama with MD elements—centered around Sherlock Holmes’ partner, Dr. Watson stars, Morris Chesnutt (10 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, Jan. 27
Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music
New special, hosted by Questlove, with highlights of five decades of all-star performances on Saturday Night Live, plus interviews with artists including Elvis Costello, Miley Cyrus, Deborah Harry, Justin Timberlake, Paul Simon and Jack White (8 p.m, NBC).

Resistance: They Fought Back
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, so there’s no better time for this documentary about Jewish resistance against the Nazis during World War II, as told by survivors, their children and expert witnesses (10 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Jan. 28
Paradise
Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson lead the cast of this soapy new series about a shocking murder and a high-stakes investigation in an ultra-exclusive community (Hulu).

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 29
Mythic Quest
Season four launches tonight, continuing the comedic exploits of workers at a videogame studio, and with another lineup of all-star guests popping in (Apple TV+).

THURSDAY, Jan. 30
You’re Cordially Invited
When two weddings are booked on the same day at the same venue, it’s a battle between one father of one bride (Will Ferrell) and a sister of the other (Reese Witherspoon) about who’ll come out on top for the most memorable—and comically outrageous—event, above (Apple TV+).

Bullshit
Rowdy import miniseries from Denmark about Copenhagen bikers in the ‘70s and ‘80s, based on a book about real events of that era. Vrooooom! (Viaplay).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Fans of classic TV will love 1950s Television Advertising (McFarland), TV researcher Vincent Terrace’s colorful, richly detailed encyclopedia of commercials—the lifeblood of television programming—for household products, breakfast cereal, jewelry, cigarettes, housekeeping items and other products, with wide-ranging gimmicks and all-star pitch people, including Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Eden and Peter Lorre. Full of trivia, jingle lyrics and other goodies, it’s a TV-dinner feast for anyone whose retro taste buds perk up when you hear “and now, a word from our sponsors.”

When you think of Walt Disney movies, you might think of Cinderella, Pinocchio or Peter Pan. But Disney hasn’t always been as successful, especially when getting outside its animation box. Disney’s Live-Action Movie Bombs 1979-2019 (McFarland) shows how, and why, in a 40-year span, Uncle Walt’s House of Mouse movie magic wore thin with commercial misfires like The Lone Ranger, John Carter, Inspector Gadget, The Alamo, The BFG, and even fan-favorite cult classics like Tron and Hocus-Pocus.

BRING IT HOME

It brought home an armload of eight Oscars, and now you can see why all over again as Amadeus celebrates its 40th anniversary with a new 4K restoration. With star turns from F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulse (fresh outta Animal House!) as the young musical genius Wolfgang Mozart, and Jeffrey Jones (the principal from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).

Dec 27 2024
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Humor, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Dec. 27 – Jan. 2

‘Pirates’ ahoy, funny videos, Nashville’s big bash & rockers ring in the new year!

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Dec. 27
Your Fault
Based on the Culpable book trilogy by Mercedes Ron, this Spanish-language streaming flick stars Nicole Wallace and Gabriel Guevara in the continuing tale of young love and those trying to destroy it, including an ex-girlfriend seeking revenge (Prime Video).

The Greatest Home Videos: Holiday Edition
Year-end Christmas fun, cute pets and more holiday hijinks, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, below (8 p.m., CBS).

SATURDAY, Dec. 28
Pirates of the Caribbean Marathon
Set sail with Johnny Depp and the rest of the high-seas scallywags for back-to-back airings of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and The Curse of the Black Pearl (3 p.m., TNT).

SUNDAY, Dec. 29
1923: A Yellowstone Origin Story
Watch Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren in a double feature of episodes of the Yellowstone spinoff-sequel (8 p.m., Paramount).

MONDAY, Dec. 30
Darby and Joan
Season two begins tonight of the Aussie drama about a retired detective (Bryan Brown) and widowed nurse (Gretchen Scacci) in Queensland (Acorn TV).

Who I Am Not
Documentary about a South Africa beauty queen dealing with the discovery that she’s nonbinary. It’s a heart-wrenching look at a fight for acceptance in a world that’s wired differently (10 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Dec. 31
Nashville’s Big Bash
Host Keith Urban rings in the new year with Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Post Malone and other top stars in live performances from downtown Music City (8 p.m., CBS).

NYE Concert Marathon
Celebrate all day with some rocking concert performances from Fleetwood Mac, Queen, AC/DC (above), Bon Jovi, ZZ Top, Blondie, Journey, Willie Nelson and Sammy Hagar (8 a.m., TBS).

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 1
Luther: Never Too Much
Learn about the smooth soulful singer Luther Vandross, from his formative years in Harlem through his days on Sesame Street, before becoming the master of the love song (8 p.m., CNN).

THURSDAY, Jan. 2
Holiday Baking Championship
Tired of cooking after the holidays? Then sit back watch other people as they rise to the challenges of host Jesse Palmer (8 p.m., Food Network).

Lockerbie: A Search for the Truth
What caused Pan Am Flight 103 to explode over a Scottish town in 1988, killing 259 passengers and crew. Colin Firth and Catherine McCormick star in this dramatization of the search for answers, and the truth (Peacock).

Nov 29 2024
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The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 29 – Dec. 5

Yacht rock, Jimmy Fallon’s all-star Christmas special & a ‘Brewster’s Millions’ remake

Jimmy Fallon celebrates the holiday with a festive, all-star Christmas special.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Nov. 29
The Agency
Michael Fassbender is an undercover CIA agent forced to abandon his covert persona and resume his real identity for a mission in this new political thriller series. Also starring Richard Gere (Paramount+).

Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Documentary
Find out how this breezy subgenre of soft rock became cool again decades later with artists including Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan and Toto (9 p.m., HBO).

SATURDAY, Nov. 30
Reindeer in Here
Animated special based on an award-winning book about a tiny young reindeer and his friends who band together to save Christmas (8 p.m., CBS).

Holiday Touchdown: A Chief Love Story
A young woman vies for the Kansas City Chief’s “Fan of the Year” title in this holiday romance with a little Hail Mary magic  (8 p.m., Hallmark). 

SATURDAY, Dec. 1
Earth Abides
When a monstrous plague sweeps most humans from the face of the Earth, a small band of shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into extinction. First of the new series launches tonight, starring Alexander Ludwig and Jessica Frances Dukes, above  (MGM+).

A Creature Was Stirring
Chrissy Metz from This is Us stars in this creepy tale about a mom, her teenage daughter and some very dangerous pills (Shudder).

SUNDAY, Dec. 2
All I Want for Christmas is You
Maria Carey’s Yuletime megahit was refashioned into this 2017 animated movie in which she voices a little girl who wishes for a Christmas puppy. Henry Winkler is her grandpa (7 a.m., Freeform).

Dalgliesh
Bertie Carvel returns for a new season to his role in the title detective crime drama based on a trio of popular murder mysteries by P.D. James (Acorn TV).

MONDAY, Dec. 3
As1One: The Israeli-Palestinian Pop Music Journey
Four-part docuseries spanning five years shows how music brought together members from the two nations into a pop group (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, Dec. 4
Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular
The late-night host spotlights his new festive holiday album with fanciful guest appearances by Meghan Trainer, Dolly Parton, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, “Weird” Al Yankovic and more—including a spectacular finish by the Radio City Rockettes (10 p.m., NBC).

Lighttunes
New series adopts a “webtoon” about six strangers all drawn to a mysterious light shop at the end of an alleyway, where they find the key to their past, present and future (Hulu).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5
Brewster’s Millions: Christmas
China Anne McClain and Romeo Miller (above) star in this “reimagining” of the 1985 Richard Pryor comedy, about a whopping inheritance that becomes a Christmas blessing…and Pryor’s son, Richard Jr., is in it too! (BET+).

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Annual airing of the classic animated tale of a curmudgeonly Grinch scheming to remove all the joy from Christmas…with a theme song performed by Thurl Ravencroft, who was also the voice in commercials of Tony the Tiger! (8 p.m., NBC).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Go inside the world of one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed filmmakers in The Magic Hours (University of Kentucky Press), author John Beasdale’s inside look at Terrence Malick, the enigmatic visionary director of Days of Heaven, Thin Red Line and Badlands. If you’re a movie wonk, you’ll dig reading about the acclaimed lensman whose heralded films are often cited for their use of soft natural lighting shortly after sunrise or before sunset, the so-called “magic hour,” a term that his work ushered into filmmaking lingo.

How’s your rouge and lipstick holding up today? Probably not anywhere near what top-tier fashion models are showing off in Chanel: The Allure of Makeup (Thames & Hudson), a hefty coffee-table celebration of the iconic makeup company’s 100th anniversary, with 400 pages of photos from early product shots to cinematic campaigns starring legendary women. In a rainbow of the company’s quintessential colors—black, white, beige, red, pink,  gold and blue—it’s a feast for your eyes…and eyeliner!

BRING IT HOME

Long before there was the remake starring John Travolta as a subway hijacker and Denzel Washington as the lowly dispatcher trying to thwart him, there was this 1974 version of The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 with Robert (Jaws) Shaw and Walter (The Odd Couple) Matthau in the same roles. A time-capsule classic, it’s been newly re-released with loads of bonus content, including interviews, TV and radio spots, a making-of, commentary and more. (Available at kinolarber.com).

Nov 22 2024
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Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 22 – Nov. 28

A Patsy Cline re-do, classic Beatles reissues, and a Jack Black Christmas flick!

The music of Patsy Cline gets funneled through a new generation of performers.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Nov. 22
Patsy Cline: Walkin’ After Midnight
Wynonna, Kristin Chenoweth, Kellie Pickler, Mickey Guyton, Grace Potter, Pat Benatar, actress Beverly D’Angelo and more pay homage to the late country music trailblazer (above) and her songs, including “Sweet Dreams,” “She’s Got You” and “Crazy” (9 p.m., PBS).

Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny
The Grammy-nominated comedian gives “the skinny” on appetite suppressants, raising teens and more in his first comedy special for the streaming platform (Hulu).

The Witches
What did early American women accused of witchcraft have to do with postpartum mental health? This new documentary films explores the connection with interviews from medical professionals, historians and contemporary females (Mubi).

SATURDAY, Nov. 23
Three Wiser Men and a Boy
Christmastime tale of brotherhood, a high school musical and a mom with a new boyfriend (8 p.m, Hallmark)

Die Hard
Is this 1998 Bruce Willis action flick (above) a “Christmas movie” or not? You’ve got another chance to see for yourself tonight, yippie kia yi yay! With Alan Rickman as a deliciously bad bad guy (8 p.m., TNT).

SUNDAY, Nov. 24
Expedition Files
Host Josh Gates travels through history searching for new evidence and answers to unexplained mysteries (9 p.m., Discovery).

Dear Santa: The Series
Meet the real-life “Santas” in the five episodes of this new holiday series about the people who actually answer kids’ letters to Santa Claus (ABC).

A Very Merry MeTV
Get in the Thanksgiving mood with a day of Turkey Day-themed episodes of Happy Days, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan’s Island (below), The Love Boat and more (starts 11 a.m., MeTV).

MONDAY, Nov. 25
Get Millie Black
A Jamaica-born Scotland Yard detective (Tamara Lawrence) digs into missing-person cases in this new series from the UK (9 p.m., HBO).

Tsunami: Race Against Time
Four-part series uses first-person testimony and never-seen-before footage to re-examine the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean event that took over a quarter-million lives (9 p.m., NatGeo).

Dear Santa
Jack Black stars in this new Christmas comedy (above) as “Satan,” a trickster who shows up to create holiday havoc when a young boy (Robert Timothy Smith) sends his wish list to the North Pole…but with a crucial spelling error. The movie’s from the Farrelly Brothers, of Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary and Shallow Hal, so get ready for some major yuks (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, Nov. 26
It’s in the Game: Madden NFL
New series tells the story of one of the most popular and successful videogames of all time, its rise to greatness and its enduring pace in pop culture (Prime).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27
Countdown to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Wendi McLeodon-Covey hosts this sneak peek at the floats, balloons and bands that will be on display tomorrow in downtown New York City (8 p.m., NBC).

The Untold Story of Mary Poppins
This special edition of 20/20 comes at the 60th anniversary of the Disney classic starring Julie Andrews as England’s most famous magical nanny and Dick Van Dyke as a merry-chap chimneysweep (9 p.m., ABC).

THURSDAY, Nov. 28
Sweethearts
Two college freshmen (Nico Hiraga and Kiernan Shipka) make a pact to break up with their high school sweethearts over the Thanksgiving break…but things take more crazy turns that a wild turkey (Max).

The Day Before Christmas
When two parents accidentally swap their kids’ backpacks and their phones, it leads to a chaotic, heartwarming holiday mix-up…and some unexpected romance (BET+).

Blue Bloods: Celebrating a Family Legacy
ET’s Nischelle Turner hosts this hour-long special includes series highlights and interviews with the stars and guests on the popular series, including a rare look inside the show’s recurring dinner scene, above (9 p.m., CBS).

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Christmas comes early for Beatles fans with this gollywhopper of a boxed set—all seven of the band’s albums compiled for U.S. release during the early days of Beatlemania, remastered anew into new analog mono, just as the originals. (As fans know, the U.S. albums were slightly different from the original British releases, sometimes with different artwork and tracks not always on their U.K. predecessors.) With The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono (Capitol), you’ll get Meet the Beatles, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night, Something New, The Beatles’ Story, Beatles ’65 and The Early Beatles, plus new artwork inserts, sleeve graphics and essays by Beatles historian Brian Spizer.

And if your tastes are for something a little more Southern, check out the groovy gravy of the Allman Brothers’ Final Concert 10-28-14 (Peach Records), the iconic Southern Rock ensemble’s “end of the road” concert event, staged at New York City’s Beacon Theater in 2014. It’s 30 songs drawn from six Allman Brothers albums, orchestrated by the band’s most recent lineup led by Warren Haynes.

11.20

BRING IT HOME

If you missed it back in 2016 at the theatres, now can snag this collector’s re-release edition of Hush (Shout! Factory) starring scream queen Kate Siegel as a deaf-mute writer fighting a serial killer who invades her solitary life in the woods. It’s a fan-favorite slasher flick that was remade—twice—in India!

Movie fans will freak out with Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), a superb remastered 4K collection of six of the acclaimed director’s groundbreaking classics, including Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest, Psycho, Vertigo and The Birds. Plus, a cool collectible book!

DC Comics’ fan-favorite vigilante crime-fighting group returns in Watchmen Chapter II (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the latest movie installment of their animated adventures, featuring a cast of voices led by Matthew Rhys, Titus Weliver and Katee Sackhoff.

Once upon a time, back in the early ‘70s, John Lennon and Yoko Ono “took over” America’s most popular daytime talk show. Find out all about it Daytime Revolution (Kino Larber), the new documentary about the superstar Beatle and his wife “hosted” The Mike Douglas Show for a full week, filling the studio (and the airwaves) with controversial guests (Black Panther Bobby Seale, political activist Ralph Nader, edgy comedian George Carlin) and rockiin’ the house with some not-ready-for-daytime music.

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Calling the Shots: A Queer History of Photography (Thames & Hudson) is an eye-opening look at nearly two centuries of LGBTQ+ imagery and subjects illustrating homosexual and pansexual representation in the arts, on the streets and in the world at large. Hey! There’s Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, David Bowie, activist Angela Davis, rocker Patti Smith, Judy Garland, singer Dusty Springfield, Queen’s Freddie Mercury, Billie Holiday and Truman Capote! 

Are you “addicted” to shopping? Author Emily Mester takes on consumerism in American Bulk (W.W. Norton), a series of thought-provoking essays about excess and how it shapes our character, our sense of self and our connections to others. It’s a first-person narrative about our endless cycle of wanting, buying, consuming—and often discarding—all sorts of things and how it can still somehow leave us feeling empty inside. 

Find out about the making of the fan-favorite sitcom Parks & Recreation by Jim O’Heir (who played Jerry Gergich), who gives a firsthand account of working alongside the top-notch cast in Welcome to Pawnee (William Morrow) and how it became a beloved pop-cultural fan favorite. Includes 60 color pics, plus interviews with Chris Pratt, Rob Lowe, Retta and the show’s co-creators.

It’s almost like being there in Midnight Moment (Phaedon), a unique photographic chronicle of watching artwork unfold in Times Square up on the gigantic electronic billboards. Learn how it’s done and see the work of more than a hundred artists who’ve been featured on one of New York City’s most iconic displays.

Magic, sleight of hand and carefully crafted and controlled illusions have been around since almost the beginning of time, so they’ve certainly made many appearances (and disappearances!) on film. In Magic and Illusion in the Movies (McFarland), author George Higham provides a thorough history of the technology, special effects, diversion and trickery (in projects as wide as early horror flicks, The Wizard of Oz, Scooby-Doo cartoons, The Sting and Spider-Man) that have been created to fool our eyes.

Oct 11 2024
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Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Photography, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Oct. 11 – Oct. 17

A ‘Young Sheldon’ spinoff, a ‘Family Guy’ Halloween & Taylor Swift’s boyfriend hosts a game show!

FRIDAY, Oct. 11
A Laurie Berkner Halloween Special
Berkner, a musician and teacher known for her kid-friendly songs, hosts this hour-long TV party of costumes, dress-up, candy and classic Halloween music videos (YouTube).

Disclaimer
Kate Blanchet (below), Kevin Kline, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Sacha Baron Cohen star in this new psychological-thriller series about an author who discoverers a new book—and is shocked to find out it’s about her and all her darkest secrets! (Apple TV+)

SATURDAY, Oct. 12
Nobody Dumps My Daughter
An overbearing mom goes to extremes when a guy takes her daughter’s virginity (gasp!) then dumps her. Former Prince percussionist Shelia E. plays a fortune teller (8 p.m., Lifetime).  

SUNDAY, Oct. 13
Tracker
Justin Hartley returns for season two of the hit series about a lone-wolf survivalist who uses his instincts to find missing people—like tonight’s family, whose abandoned car leads him into a world of organized crime (8 p.m., CBS). 

The Disappearance of Alissa Turney
True-crime docuseries about a woman who turned to a grassroots campaign of podcasting to solve the mystery of her missing sister (8 p.m., Oxygen).

MONDAY, Oct. 14
NCIS
Can you guess how many seasons this hit procedural has been on the air? I’ll give you a big hint: Tonight begins season 22, with returning star Mark Harmon, Sean Murray and Diona Reasonover (8 p.m., CBS).

Family Guy Halloween Special
Peter and his friends try to unseat the reigning champion in Quahog’s annual Pumpkin Contest by any means necessary. Glen Powell from Twisters is the guest voice (Hulu).

TUESDAY, Oct. 15
Anatomy of Lies
Docuseries follows the rise and fall of Grey’s Anatomy star writer Elisabeth Finch, whose jaw-dropping deceptions made her a master of manipulation and fooled Hollywood for years (Hulu).

American Horror Stories
Special Halloween event features five all-new scary tales from the AHS franchise, with an all-star cast that includes Michael Imperioli, Henry Winkler, Victor Garber and June Squibb (Hulu). 

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 16
Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?
New spin on an old game show is hosted by NFL star Travis Kelce, with a panel of celebs helping contestants navigate correctly through questions about subjects taught in elementary school (Prime Video).

Shrinking
Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, Harrison Ford and Christa Miller return tonight to season two of the comedy series about a therapist who tells his clients exactly what he thinks (Apple TV+).

THURSDAY, Oct. 17
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage
Montana Jordan and Emily Osment reprise their roles in this spinoff from Young Sheldon, taking their characters into the next stage of their relationship and parenthood (8 p.m., CBS).   

Brothers
A reformed criminal (Josh Brolin) tries going straight, but his best efforts are derailed by his twin brother (Peter Dinklage) on a cross-country road trip for the score of a lifetime (Prime Video).

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Attention gearheads: Immerse yourself in car culture with author Witold Rybczynsi and The Driving Machine (W.W. Norton), a highly personal treatise about automobiles as cultural icons, emblems of their era and reflections of national character. From functionality to outright fun, it breaks down (pun intended) all things automotive, from early three-wheeled vehicles to modern electric cars—and memories of the author’s first car, a VW Beetle.

What does a humanitarian world look like? In Human.Kind (Thames & Hudson) you’ll see some 300 images from around the globe, the work of 30 different photographers documenting efforts to bring more compassion and positive change to our planet. It’s an awesome tour of people living, working, playing and simply being, from every corner of Earth. Prepare to be moved, and hopefully inspired.

No, The Man in Black (Marinor Books) isn’t about Johnny Cash. It’s a collection of short stories from venerated British crime writer Elly Griffiths featuring characters from her “Ruth Galloway” mysteries and beyond. If you’re into ghost stories, “cozy” mysteries and psychologically twisty tales, curl up with these yarns of a young magician, a mysterious man in a bookstore, a fortune teller’s dire predictions, a cat’s fireside tale, and more!

BRING IT HOME

Just in time for Halloween, a classic gets a spiffy new 4K restoration. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, A Nightmare on Elm Street (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) includes additional footage, commentary, alternate endings and making-of docs in the original tale of Freddy Krueger slashing his way into your dreams….and launching an iconic horror franchise. 

Once upon a time, back in the ‘70s, a bunch of celebrated actors made a series of five feature-length TV “teleplays,” shot live on videotape (like daytime dramas used to be). In The Classic Ghosts, you’ll see Vincent Gardenia, James Keach, Robert McCallum, Susan Sarandon and more in these TV tales including The Screaming Skull, The House and the Brain and And The Bones Came Together (https://kinolorber.com/shop).

Oct 04 2024
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The Entertainment Forecast

Oct. 4 – Oct. 10

Svengoulie’s monster mash, an Oprah Elvis special & kids tackle tough politics

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Oct. 4
Tia Mowery: My Next Act
Eight-episode docuseries shines the spotlight on the actress (from TV’s Sister, Sister and the movie Seventeen Again) as she breaks new ground after a divorce and learns to be newly single while entering a new phase of motherhood (9:30 p.m., WeTV).

V/H/S Beyond
Sixth installment of the horror/sci-fi anthology franchise stars Justin Long, Jordan Downey and Kate Siegel in more tales of terror and the supernatural (Shudder). 

SATURDAY, Oct. 5
The Girl Who Wasn’t Dead
Inspired by real events, it’s the tale of a girl who disappeared and was thought dead, only to reappear years later. Starring Lyndsy Forseca, Emma Tremblay and Kyle Clark (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Svengoolie’s Halloween Boo-Nanza
TV’s iconic ghoul kicks off the Halloween season today with a collection of spooky Loony Tunes cartoons before the evening’s double feature of Son of Frankenstein and Monster That Challenged the World—followed by more vintage schlock flicks into the wee hours! (10 a.m., MeTV).

SUNDAY, Oct. 6
The American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special
Tribute to a half century of the fan-voted awards ceremony from Dick Clark Productions, with live performances, artist interviews, special guests and archival footage of highlights (8 p.m., CBS).

Vinyl Obsession
Pro wrestler Eric Young takes viewers deep into his collection of some 2,000 albums he’s collected over two decades (10:30 p.m., AXS).

MONDAY, Oct. 7
What Would You Do?
Host John Quiñones returns for a new season that examines how people behave when confronting with a choice of “interfering” or just minding their own business (10 p.m., ABC).

TUESDAY, Oct. 8
Citizen Nation
Documentary series follows teens across America with diverse backgrounds as they come together to compete in the nation’s premier civics competition, “We the People,” and make sense of our troubled political climate (9 p.m., PBS).

An Oprah Special: The Presleys—Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley
Queen O sits down at fabled Graceland with Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis, for a wide-ranging conversation about her late mother Lisa Marie, the grandfather she never knew, her famous family and her mother’s unfinished memoirs—which Keough completed as a co-writer (8 p.m., CBS).

The Accused
Court is in session for season two of the hit series (above), with actors in flashback recreations of real-life crimes that ultimately land them in front of a jury. Cobie Smulders, Ken Jeong, William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman are among the new cast members (8 p.m., Fox).

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9
Scamanda
New docuseries based on a hit podcast about a blogger with cancer…and a secret she’s dying to keep (10 p.m., ABC).

La Maquina
Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Elza Gonzalez star in this Spanish language series about a boxer staging a life-or-death rematch while struggling with personal demons in the dark side of the pugilism world (Hulu).

THURSDAY, Oct. 10
Citadel: Diana
Italian actress Matilda De Angelis as a undercover agent trapped behind enemy lines in this new addition to the Citadel franchise, a foreign-language spinoff from the 2023 series (Prime).

Teacup have art
A desperate group in rural Georgia comes together to survive in this scary new series (above) inspired by the novel Stringer, adapted for the screen by horror maestro James Wan. With Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman and Chase Spencer. And as you might imply, a teacup takes on some significance (Peacock).

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To commemorate their induction into this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Foreigner has released Turning Back the Time (Rhino), a new career-spanning greatest hits collection. Turn back the time, indeed, and re-listen to the band’s radio-friendly ‘80s hits on two LPs or CDs, including “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Urgent,” “Double Vision” and “Feels Like the First Time.” Plus, the all-new title track from original members Mick Jones and Lou Graham. 

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In Crisis Averted: The Hidden Science of Fighting Outbreaks (Viking), scientist Dr. Caitlin Rivers looks at the oft-overlooked roles public-health initiatives play in our everyday lives, from the quality of air we breathe to the safety of food we consume, the bathrooms we use and the management of disease outbreaks. It’s a dirty world out there!

Is photography an art, a chronicle or a memento? In Looking at Photographs (Thames & Hudson) author Laurent Jullier examines what constitutes a “good” photo, how to interpret artistry in photography, how to take better pictures, and the many ways photos can intrigue, engage, inform, stimulate, stir our emotions—and instantly turn the present into the past. Now that almost everyone has a camera (on our smartphones), it’s essential reading on how we see the world.

Just in time for Halloween, find out about all kinds of movie monstrosities in The Cinematic Boogeyman (McFarland), a thorough look at the spectrum of characters that scare us in a larger context of psychology, history, cinematic study and folklore, tracing a thru-line from Bluebeard the pirate to Freddy Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s a compelling read for anyone who wants to dig into why we’re frightened first by mythical creatures that morphed into fairy tales and finally, the silver screen.

BRING IT HOME

If you ever wondered what happened to the actors who played Otter (Tim Matheson) and Flounder (Stephen Furst) after classic college-comedy flick Animal House, well, they teamed up again in another movie—that wasn’t quite as successful as its predecessor. Still, Up The Creek, newly re-released by Kino Lorber (https://kinolorber.com/shop), is about a couple of college cutups trying to win an intercollegiate white-water raft race. And Cheap Trick sings the movie theme song!

Time to get in the Wayback Machine and get bougie! The Gilded Age: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) brings Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Taissa Farmiiga and the rest of the “uppercrust” cast back for more of the Gilded Age period drama. Plus, more than 20 bonus features!

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