Category Archives: Music

Jul 04 2025
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more, July 4 – 11

‘Jaws’ at 50, a lotta fireworks & families go back to the 1800s!

Learn all about the movie that created the concept of summer blockbusters back in ’75.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, July 4
A Capitol Fourth
Celebrate our nation’s 249th birthday with this annual tradition, live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, with fireworks along the Potomac and musical performances from multiple genres of music (8 p.m., PBS).

Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks
In addition to a lot of kaboomy razzle-dazzle up in the sky, there’ll also be ground-level performances from Eric Church, the Jonas Brothers, Lenny Kravitz, Keke Palmer and Trisha Yearwood (8 p.m., NBC). 

SATURDAY, July 5
The Summer Hikaru Died
Anime thriller based on an award-winning manga novel about a young man in a rural Japanese village who discovers his best friend has been “replaced” with a replicant (Netflix).

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Show
All this month, you can watch material from the groundbreaking talk show, spanning the 1960s into the early ’90s, with 50 episodes (never before seen after their original airings) featuring classic Carson bits, sketches, guests and musical acts. It’s a time capsule of retro TV, when Johnny ruled late night (MeTV).

SUNDAY, July 6
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
Yep, that Wild Kingdom, the great-grandaddy of wildlife TV series hosted by Marlin Perkins for more than two decades beginning in 1963, returns in reruns (7 a.m., MeTV).

The Princess Bride
Always worth a rewatch, this 1987 classic from director Rob Reiner has an all-star cast (Billy Crystal! Robin Wright! Chris Sarandon! Andre the Giant!) in a whimsical, swashbuckling bedtime-story tale of a princess, a giant and “true love” (9:03 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, July 7
Such Brave Girls
A young woman, her sister and their mother flee their cramped, crumbling home for a shot at love and adoration in this six-episode comedy series. With Kate Sadler, Lizzie Davidson and Louise Brealey (Hulu).

Bachelor in Paradise
Returning cast members from across the franchise hit the beach in Costa Rica for season 10 or the hit reality-show matchmaking competition (8 p.m., ABC).

TUESDAY, July 8
Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty
How the greatest works of art in western civilization sprung from one of the most turbulent periods in history (9 p.m., PBS).

Born to be Viral: The Real Lives of Kid Influencers
Six-episode docuseries follows the first generation of kids to be raised in the media spotlight, with their lives streamed to millions—and some of them becoming millionaires in the process (Hulu)

WEDNESDAY, July 9
South Park
The acclaimed animated grownup comedy from Trey Parker and Matt Stone (above) begins season 27 tonight. So they must be doing something right, right? (Comedy Central).

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The gang of chronic underachievers stoops even lower in season 17 in their cravings for money and societal privileges. With Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Katilin Olson and Danny Devito (FXX and Hulu).

THURSDAY, July 10
Brick
A couple becomes trapped in their apartment behind an impenetrable, futuristic wall that has materialized overnight, enclosing their entire building. Can everyone band together to find a way out, solve the mystery, and survive? (Netflix). 

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story
Go inside the making and behind-the-scenes shark drama of the movie that launched the era of summer blockbusters back in ’75—and made just about everyone afraid of going in the water (National Geographic).

Back to the Frontier
Chip and Joanna Gaines challenge three families in this new adventure/reality series to reimagine their lives as 1880s homesteaders, forgoing present-day comforts for old-fashioned life on the frontier (Magnolia Network and Max).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Everyone’s a photographer now, with cameras built into phones. But decades ago, when photography was a marvelous new thing, there were all sorts of innovations and experimentation to be found—and all sorts of new “high tech” trickery even danger. Anika Burgess’ fascinating Flashes of Brilliance (W.W. Norton) examines the long arc of photographic advancement, from early cameras attached to ballons, to X-rays, photography deep under the sea, on the moon and deep into the cosmos. It’s an engrossing combination of science, history, art and wild eccentricities about the human desire to document our existence in our world, and beyond.

Find out what it’s really like—and I mean really, really like—to be a stand-up comedian in Doing Time (Jawbone Press), author JT Habersaat’s refreshingly candid and gloriously uncensored look at the artistry and hard work that go into making people laugh. With reflections and recollections, and more than a few hard-earned battle scars, from Patton Oswalt, Bobcat Goldthwait, The Kids in the Hall, Dana Gould and dozens of others who share their anecdotes and stories.

Remember the promotional-tie-in toys you used to get with food at McDonalds, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and other fast-food places? Author Jonathan Alexandrotos for sure does, in Free With Every Kids Meal (McFarland), he digs deep to examine the past and present, the cultural impact, and the full-throttle fun of all sorts of “happy meals.”

BRING IT HOME

Vampires attack the South in Sinners (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), a tale of two brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who return home after World War II only to face an even greater (and graver) threat than the Klan. Hailee Steinfeld also stars in this horror show gloriously a-swirl with undertones about music, culture, history and race. Loaded with extras and bonus features, including making-of docs, interviews and a closer look at the movie soundtrack.

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Get deep into the retro grooves of The Legends of Surf Guitar, recorded live in California, with musicians from the ‘70s and ‘80s surf-music revival recreating such classics as “Wipe Out,” “Pipeline,” the Peter Gunn theme and “Baby Elephant Walk.” And some special guest stars take the stage, too!  Surf’s up! (Oglio Records).

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Jun 27 2025
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DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more, June 27 – July 3

Mormon wives, a new Capt. Nemo & Jayne Mansfield’s daughter tells all!

It’s a ‘Mormon Wives’ reunion!

FRIDAY, June 27
Smoke
Taron Edgerton stars in this based-on-real-event drama about an arson investigator who teams with a police detective in a twisted game of secrets and suspicions. With Jurnee Smollett, Rafe Spall, Greg Kinnear, John Leguizamo and Anna Chlumsky (Apple TV+).

My Mom Jayne
Come along for actress and director Mariska Harigaty’s journey to understand and embrace the public and private legacy of her mother, Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield, in this probing documentary (8 p.m., HBO).

SATURDAY, June 28
Pretty Hurts
Hillary Duff stars in this new network movie as a mom who discovers the ugly truths behind the glamor of the teen pageant world, highlighting a disease for which young people are especially at risk (8 p.m., Lifetime).

What Would You Do?
Onlookers and bystanders react to a workers’ comp scam, customers being rude to an employee with Down Syndrome and a mother pressuring her gay son into conversion therapy (8 p.m., ABC).

SUNDAY, June 29
Nautilus
Epic adventure drama (above), inspired by Jules Verne’s classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, tells the story of an Indian Prince seeking a fabled Viking treasure—but you know him better as Capt. Nemo. Starring Black Mirror’s Shazad Latif (9 p.m., AMC).

Homeward Bound
Two dogs and a cat set off on a heartwarming adventure to reunite with their owners (9 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, June 30
The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys
New season begins of the doc series about a Missouri mega-rancher and his family, now facing personal and business challenges including an FBI investigation and possible foreclosure (Bravo).

TUESDAY, July 1
Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel
Featuring interviews with insiders and former staff, this exposé traces American Apparel’s journey from fashion phenomenon to financial flop (Netflix).

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
The cast of the show—all the #MomTok and #DadTok—congregates again in this reunion special to watch unseen footage, uncover new secrets and scandals and make a surprise announcement (Hulu).

WEDNESDAY, July 2
The Old Guard
Charlize Theron, Henry Golding and Uma Thurman are among the ensemble cast in this flick about a team of immortal warriors on a mission to protect the world (Netflix).

THURSDAY, July 3
The Sandman, Vol. I
Season two begins of the adaption based on the DC comic book series by Neil Gaiman about Morpheus, the King of Dreams, as he seeks to regain his power after a century of imprisonment (Netflix).

BRING IT HOME

The cheerleading comedy classic gets a rah-rah resurrection in the 25th anniversary re-release of Bring It On (Shout! Studios), starring Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union. Bonus content includes a making-of doc, audio commentary, wardrobe and makeup tests and deleted scenes. And didja know both Dunst and Union were real-life high school cheerleaders?

A wind-up toy simian causes all kinds of hellzapoppin’ in master horror director Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey (Neon Home Entertainment), based on a Stephen King story and starring Theo James, Tatiana Maslany and Collin O’Brien.

Hell of a Summer (Neon) is a coming-of-age horror/slasher comedy (yes, really) about a young summer-camp counsellor (Fred Hechinger) who discovers something deadly lurking in the woods. Both familiar (to horror fans) and fresh at the same time, it also marks the co-directorial debut of Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard, who provides commentary in one of the bonus features.

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Bruce Springsteen breaks out the pedal steel, fiddle and other Nash-centric instruments with Somewhere North of Nashville (Sony), a previously unreleased collection of rockabilly, honky-tonk tunes and foot-tapping country. The Boss says the songs were recorded back in 1995, when he was working on what would become The Ghost of Tom Joad album. “I ended up making a country record on the side,” he says, but those side songs never made it onto an album…until now!

Jun 20 2025
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more, June 20 – June 26

‘The Bear’ roars, Janis Ian breaks the silence & see Nashville’s biggest party

Jeremy Allan White heats up the kitchen in season four of “The Bear.”

FRIDAY, June 20
Janis Ian: Breaking the Silence
All about singer-songwriter Janis Ian—who hit the charts in 1976 with “At Seventeen”—and how she continues to make music that challenges social norms and speaks her truth (9 p.m., PBS).

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Guy Fieri gets funky in Atlanta with chicken sandwiches, patty melt empanadas and hot fish (9 p.m., Food Network).

SATURDAY, June 21
Dateless to Dangerous: My Son’s Secret Life
Jody Sweeten stars in this network drama as a mom dealing with a son who tumbles into the dark online world of incels—celibates guys who they think they’re not attractive to girls, and hostile toward girls and boys who are sexually active (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, June 22
The Gilded Age
Season three of the Julian (Downton Abbey) Fellowes’ lavish period drama—set in 1880s New York—returns tonight with Carrie Coon (above), Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon and Taissa Farmiga among its sprawling cast (9 p.m., HBO).

WWE LFG
The LFG stands for “Legends and Future Greats” in this wrestling “greatest hits” smackdown competition (10 p.m., A&E).

MONDAY, June 23
Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything
Feature-length documentary examine the broadcast legend’s career, her pivotal role in journalism history and her pioneering example for women in the industry (Hulu).

TUESDAY, June 24
Chopped
The kitchen is buzzing tonight as four social media influencers take to the stoves for a bout of post-worthy food challenges (8 p.m., Food Network).

Enigma
Documentary explores transgender identity through the paths of women who helped shape trans culture and history (9 p.m., HBO).

WEDNESDAY, June 25
The Bear
Season four of the Emmy-winning series finds the restaurant team not just even more determined to survive, but also looking for ways to take The Bear to the next level. With Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Abby Elliot (Hulu)

Human Footprint
A biologist travels the globe in this docuseries, telling the ongoing story of how our everyday choices shape the planet and reflect who we really are (9 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, June 26
Butchers of L.A.
True-crime doc about three predators whose horrifying crimes terrorized Southern California for more than two decades, killing more than 50 victims (Sundance Now).

CMA Fest
In case you didn’t make it to Nashville for June’s annual week of country music shows and fan events, you can watch this special of on- and offstage highlights hosted by entertainers Ashley McBride and Cody Johnson (8 p.m., ABC).

Rush Hour Marathon
Watch all three of the 1998-2006 buddy-cop comedy flicks starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in this back-to-back movie “rush” (10 p.m., TNT).

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Dance like it’s the ‘80s again with this splendid reissue of albums by the B-52s, the era’s ultimate party band. The Warner and Reprise Years (Rhino) collects all the Georgia-based band’s 1979-1992 albums—on 9 vinyl discs or 8 CDs—into a rainbow-hued set with the songs “Rock Lobster,” “Private Idaho,” “Good Stuff,” “Love Shack” “Roam” and dozens of other shake-your-groove-thing tracks.

The golden cinematic era of Western movies made in Italy, with their signature soundtracks, is revisited in Jeymes Samuel’s Spaghetti Western Collection (CAM Sugar/UME), a roundup of classic film music from composers of 1963-1972 flicks like Django, In a Colt’s Shadow and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

Didja ever wonder what classic Creedence Clearwater Revival songs would sound like as bluegrass? Well, now you find out, with Pickin’ On Creedence Clearwater Revival (CMH Records), a new take on CCR hits like “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and more, all performed by the group Iron Horse, the crackerjack acoustic ensemble behind all the “Pickin’ On” toe-tapping tribute projects to Aerosmith, the Allman Brothers and The Beatles, Taylor Swift, U2 and ZZ Top.

BRING IT HOME

Remember when Mel Gibson and Danny Glover teamed up in the ‘80s for the rip-roaring’ buddy-cop action comedy Lethal Weapon? Now that 1987 classic is available for the first time on digital and 4K, accompanied by a later “director’s cut” with footage never seen in theaters, plus a salute to the film’s late director, Richard Donner. (Warner Bros.  Discover Home Entertainment).

The first-ever live-action movie spinoff of the popular videogame, A Minecraft Movie stars Jack Black and Jason Momoa and made big box-office bucks in theaters earlier this year. Now it’s available on 4K UHD, Blue-ray and DVD (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), loaded with extras, including features on the film’s special effects and music.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Visit an apocalyptic, post-nuclear world in artist/author Ben Mauro’s Huxley, the fantastically detailed, six-part graphic novel about a A.I.,  cloned humans, interplanetary wars and a robot named Huxley, all with chilling overtones about where we might be headed, indeed, in our world. And it’s probably no coincidence that the robot has the name of the British author of the classic Brave New World, about a future where humanity is dehumanized to uphold an authoritarian ideal. (Thames & Hudson)

Jun 13 2025
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more, June 13 – June 19

Henry Winkler’s ‘Hazardous History,’ the Swedish mafia & ride, Sally, ride!

The former Fonzie finds looks for dangerous playthings and precarious products.

FRIDAY, June 13
Twin Peaks
The genre-bending murder-mystery freak show from David Lynch and Mark Frost that redefined television in the early ‘90s—about a special agent (Kyle McLachlin) investigating the death of Laura Palmer, a teenage girl—gets a new streaming home for repeats of its two seasons, plus its follow-up, Twin Peaks: The Return (MUBI).

Not a Box
New kid-centric animated series encourages preschoolers to embrace the power of imagination through the character of a bunny who uses a cardboard box to conjure up magical worlds, new friends and fantastic adventures (Apple TV+). 

Cleaner
Daisy Ridley and Clive Owen star in this new movie about a window cleaner trying to save 300 hostages held prisoner by radical activists (Max).6.15

SATURDAY, June 14
Hazardous History with Henry Winkler
The Happy Days star hosts this new series looking into things we used to do that have been deemed unadvisible by the passage of time, from perilous playthings to precarious products. Can you believe asbestos was once widely used just about everywhere? Or that there was radioactivity in toys? Fast-paced, fun and a bit scary! (10 p.m., History).

The Chosen: Last Supper
The global-hit life-of-Christ drama (above) enters season five as Jesus is welcomed as a “king” into Jerusalem, shares a final meal with his closest followers and prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice (Prime). 

SUNDAY, June 15
Sally
National Space Day was May 2, but it’s never too late to learn about pioneering astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel into space, in this new award-winning documentary. Ride, Sally, ride! (9 p.m., National Geographic).

Underdogs
Actor Ryan Reynolds narrates this celebration of nature’s unsung animal heroes, demonstrating a spectrum of bizarre mating strategies, surprising superpowers, deception, dubious parenting skills and gross-out behaviors (9 p.m., National Geographic).

MONDAY, June 16
Walking with Dinosaurs
Six-part BBC production uses science and cutting-edge visual effects to bring prehistoric creatures—and their stories of domination and survival—to life (8 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, June 17
American Cats: The Good, The Bad and the Cuddly
Celebrate Animal Rights Awareness Week with this documentary about the controversial world of cat declawing and the multimillion-dollar industry behind the procedure (available on digital).

Hell Motel
Will and Grace’s Eric McCormack stars in this new horror anthology series about dark history repeating itself at the site of an unsolved mass murder at a motel (Shudder).

WEDNESDAY, June 18
Outrageous
New period drama series is based on the true story of headstrong, aristocratic sisters in the 1930s who lived by their own rules…with sometimes disastrous consequences. Starring Bessie Carter, Joanna Vanderham and Shannon Watson (Britbox).

We Were Liars
In this twisted YA drama based on a novel, a teenage girl returns to her summer home in Martha’s Vineyard searching for answers after a mysterious accident has left her with a traumatic brain injury—and no memory of how it happened. Starring Emily AlynLind and Shubham Maheshwari (Prime).

THURSDAY, June 19
The Waterfront
Drama about a North Carolina fishing family trying to keep their sinking business afloat. Starring Holt McCallany, Maria Bello and Melissa Benoist (Netflix).

Mafia
Nordic crime drama about the violent rise of a crime boss and a lone cop facing his menace—inspired by real events in Sweden in the 1990s (Viaplay).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Take a tour inside a citadel of rock history with Buzz Me In: Inside the Record Plant, a fascinating look at the sprawling recording studio operation—in New York, California, plus multiple mobile recording trucks—that became a recording icon of the ‘70s. Authors Martin Porter and David Goggin—two veteran journalists who now run the Record Plant Facebook page—interviewed countless music professionals and artists to recount, session by session, what it was like to catch lightning in a bottle by Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Bob Marley, John Lennon, the Eagles and more rock legends. It’s a previously untold story of classic rock’s most famous hit factory. (Thames & Hudson)

The late great multi-instrumentalist for The Band gets his due in Richard Manuel (Shiffer Publishing), author Stephen T. Lewis’ masterful examination at his talents and influence in one of the founding groups for rootsy rock. A quiet but essential presence in The Band, Manuel, who died in 1986, never gave many interviews, but others sing his praises here, including Eric Clapton and Van Morrison. Other recount his musical life and his role in The Band’s progression, including helping Bob Dylan “go electric,” performing at Woodstock and making one of the greatest in-concert documentaries of all time, The Last Waltz.

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Get retro groovy with Gratest Hits (Dead.net), the newly released 60th anniversary collection of the Grateful Dead’s “greatest” (get it?) studio tracks, including “Truckin’,” “Touch of Grey,” “Friend of the Devil” and more on CD, vinyl and digital. A testament to one of the world’s most iconic bands across more than half a century, it’s jam-tastic!

BRING IT HOME

One of the most widely celebrated war heroes of WWII, Audie Murphy went on to become a Hollywood superstar, appearing in more than 40 films, mostly war movies and Westerns. The Audie Murphy Collection rounds up three of his “cowboy” films from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s—Walk the Proud Land, Seven Ways From Sundown and Bullet for a Badman—in a package jam-packed with other stars, including Anne Bancroft, Jay Silverheels (Tonto from The Lone Ranger), Darren McGavin and Beverly Owen, who played Marilyn on TV’s The Munsters (kinolarber.com).

Jun 06 2025
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more!

June 6 – June 12

The Black Mafia, going deep into our oceans & secrets of a notorious brothel

Brice Dallas Howard (center) goes under “Deep Cover” to find criminals.

FRIDAY, June 6
BMF
Season four begins of the family crime drama about the Black Mafia Family, a drug trafficking and money laundering operation based on the true story of two Detroit brothers who started what would become one of America’s most influential crime families (Starz).

Straw
Taraji P. Henson and Sheri Shepherd star in director Tyler Perry’s drama about a struggling single mom facing an unexpected path and involved in a situation she never imagined—and facing suspicion in a world that seems indifferent to her very existence (Netflix). 

SATURDAY, June 7
Kidnapped by a Killer: The Heather Robinson Story
Yes, another “ripped from the headlines” flick from Lifetime, this one about a woman who’d been abducted as a baby and raised by the family of…drum roll, please…the serial killer…another drum roll, please….who’d murdered her mom (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Ocean with David Attenborough
Documentary special highlights the importance of the world’s oceans and their crucial role in the future of our planet (9 p.m., National Geographic). 

SUNDAY, June 8
The 78th Tony Awards
Live awards show from New York’s Radio City Music Hall honors the best of Broadway, hosted by Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo (8 p.m., CBS).

SNL50: The Anniversary Special
If you missed it the first time around, here’s an encore, with cast members past and present (above) joined by the biggest stars from five decades (hosts, performers) for a big blowout evening of skits, music and more (7:30 p.m., NBC).

MONDAY, June 9
Art Detectives
New British series about a duo (Stephen Moyer and Sina Singh) solving murders connected to the tony world of high-end art and antiques (Acorn TV).

Tyler Perry’s Divorces Sistas
New series follows five close friends as they navigate life, love and the challenges that come with breakups, marriage and dating. Starring LaToya Luckett, Porscha Coleman and Briana Price (BET). 

TUESDAY, June 10

Big Brother
New season of the reality show begins season 27 tonight with a 90-minute kickoff, Julie Chen Moonves returning as host and a new group of “guests” who’ve agreed to be part of the nationally televised, constantly monitored social experiment (8 p.m., CBS).

The Snake
New “social survival” competition series puts contestants to the task of winning others over—to the point of not becoming eliminated by the “Snake” in each episode’s closing moments (9 p.m., Fox).

WEDNESDAY, June 11
Our Times
South Korean sci-fi about a time-traveling high-schoolers who form an alliance to help each other find their dream dates (Netflix).

Snow White
Disney’s live-action remake of its 1937 classic, based on a German fairy tale, stars Rachel Ziegler as fair-skinned princess who sings “Someday My Prince Will Come” (Disney+)

THURSDAY, June 12
Deep Cover
Bryce Dallas-Howard stars in this action comedy as a London-based acting coach offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to infiltrate the city’s notorious gangland by going undercover to impersonate dangerous criminals. With Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed (Prime Video).

Secrets of the Bunny Ranch
Uncover the dark underbelly in this six-part series of one of the world’s most famous brothels, open since the 1950s outside Las Vegas (9 p.m., A&E).

READ ABOUT IT

We take color photography for granted, but there was a time when it was new, novel and something to really wow the eyes. The Color of Clothes (Thames & Hudson) is itself an eye-popping look at how the fashion world responded to autochrome, or glass-plate photography, with dramatic new splashes, flamboyance and even flights of fantasy, as fashion-historian author Cally Blackman examines in this highly visual exploration of the early stages of color imagery, how the equally young world of commercial fashion ran with it, and the visionary practitioners—many of them women—who were critical to the advancement of photography in the vibrant shades of “living color.”

In Speak, Memorably: The Art of Captivating an Audience (Harper Collns), former TV producer/reporter Bill McGowan (now a public speaking guru) breaks down how anyone, of any age, can “develop” a strong, distinctive communicating voice—especially in our modern world’s “lazy era” of texting, looking at screens and constant distractions. His helpful tips and advice will help you understand why he’s been the go-to guy for Alex Rodriguez, Jeff Bezos, Kim Kardashian and more.  

All aboard for Mexico! In Casa Mexicana (Thames & Hudson), architecture photographer Edmund Sumner takes you inside off more than 25 new homes, all curated and designed to fit into the extraordinary landscapes of the country, from the jungle to the seaside and the city. If you can’t live in one, you can at least see what it would be like. Viva la Mexico, and these fine homes!

BRING IT HOME

If you’re a fan of the Japanese artform known as anime, you’ll dig Dan Da Dan: Season One (Shout! Studios), about a young girl in a family of spirit mediums fighting ghosts and space aliens. Based on the serialized manga comics of Yukinobu Tatsu and “popularized” by such major streamers as Disney+, Hulu and Netflix on it’s eye-popping, beautifully bonkers entertainment.

Jason Statham slams down the hammer in A Working  Man (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) as a former black ops military man who comes out of “retirement” when his boss’ daughter gets nabbed by human traffickers. And it was written by Sylvester Stallone, who knows a thing or two about action flicks! 

Fresh off season three of The White Lotus, Meghann Fahy stars the twisty-turny nail biter Drop (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment) as a widowed mom whose first date turns into a nightmare when she starts receiving anonymous threatening messages on her phone. Bonus features include commentary from director Christopher Landon and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

His name is Bond, James Bond—and six of his classic films, starring Sean Connery in the iconic superspy role, have been rounded up and remastered for the 6-Film Sean Connery Collection (MGM/Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), marking their first time in 4k Ultra hi-definition. You’ll thrill anew to Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever. Good to see you again, James, in such rich new light!

Learn about the original rock ‘n’ roll wildman—who made The Muppet’s drum-thrashing Animal look like a lightweight—in Beware of Mr. Baker (Kino Larber), the 2012 documentary (now on Blu-ray) about Ginger Baker. He was the volatile, hard-living Brit who helped Eric Clapton launch Cream and became known as rock’s first superstar stickman in the ‘60s and ‘70s. 

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Celebrating their 25th year in country music with Life is a Highway: Refueled Duets (Big Machine), Rascal Flatts corralled a bunch of their musical friends—Kelly Clarkson, Backstreet Boys, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean and more—to “reimagine” hits, like “Life is a Highway” and “Fast Cars and Freedom,” as new duets.

The landmark album “Why Can’t We Be Friends” by WAR celebrates its 50th anniversary in the new three-CD re-release reminding us of the group’s unique fusion of funk, soul, jazz, Latin, rock and street music. The 1975 original featured the breakthrough hits “Why Can’t We Be Friends” and “Low Rider,” and the new collection contains new bonus tracks, rare jam sessions and mixes and a recording about the making of the band’s feel-good signature song, “Why Can’t We Be Friends.” (Avenue/Rhino).

May 23 2025
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Television, Travel

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! May 23 – May 29

Pee-Wee tells all, Kevin Costner cowboys up & a Bob Dylan musical

FRIDAY, May 23
Pee-Wee as Himself
Comedian Pee-Wee Herman narrates this doc (above) about his life, career and the creation of his iconic pop-culture alter ago (Max).

Girl From the North Country
A community in Duluth, Minn., comes together in the Great Depression—to the tune of a lot of Bob Dylan songs—in this filmed Great Performance of the Broadway musical (8 p.m., PBS).  

Fountain of Youth
John Krasinski and Natalie Portman star as estranged siblings who reunite to search for the mythological stream on an epic adventure that they’re hoping will lead to immortality (Apple TV+). 

SATURDAY, May 24
Liberian Movie Marathon
Watch three of the fantasy-adventure made-for-TV movies starring Noah Wylie as the “Librarian” who protects a secret collection of rare artifacts, in today’s back-to back running of Quest for the Spear, Return to King Soloman’s Mines and Curse of the Judas Chalice (starts 1 p.m., TNT).

SUNDAY, May 25
Thunderbirds
For the first time ever, cameras take you inside the cockpit with the U.S. Air Force’s legendary flight squadron to witness the training, danger and sacrifice it takes to be part of one of America’s most revered aerial demonstration teams (Netflix).

MONDAY, May 26
The American Music Awards
Superstar Jennifer Hudson hosts the fan-voted awards show live from Las Vegas celebrating a cross-genre span of hits and artists, with Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey leading the nominations (CBS).

Sheri Papini: Caught in the Lie
Docuseries about the woman who mysteriously “returned” after her 2016 alleged abduction sparked a media firestorm and a federal investigation—and the questions that still swirl around the incident nearly a decade later (9 p.m., ID).

TUESDAY, May 27
America’s Got Talent
The megahit TV talent competition kicks off its milestone 20th season tonight, hosted by Terry Crews with former Spice Girl Mel B returning to the judges’ table alongside Simon Cowell, Howie Mandell and Sofia Vergara (8 p.m., NBC). 

Kevin Costner’s The West
The Yellowstone star cowboys up to host this look (above) at the sweeping and sometimes complicated history of the American West (8 p.m., History).

Destination X
Jeffrey Dean Morgan hosts this new game show as contestants embark on the road trip of a lifetime on a blacked-out bus, not knowing where they’re going, turning Europe into an enormous “game board” (NBC).

WEDNESDAY, May 28
The Grocery List Show
Host Emily Strong, a former Top Chef contender, visits international grocery stores across America to show how cuisine can forge cultural connections (PBS).

Adults
New comedy series about a group of 20-somethings in New York, where they find out nothing about the “grown-up” world they’ve entered is simple. Starring Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer and Jack Innaren (Hulu).

THURSDAY, May 29
The Better Sister
Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Banks and Corey Stoll star in this eight-episode series (above) about a murder—and some terrible things that drive sisters apart and ultimately bring them back together (Prime Video).

And Just Like That…
Season three continues the post-Sex and the City relationship and adventures of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Seema, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Sarita Choudhury (9 p.m., Max)

NOW HEAR  THIS

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Don Henley’s Inside Job (Rhino.com), the fourth solo album by the former Eagle, now newly remastered and available in double-LP, CD and digital versions. Originally released in 2000, it followed Henley’s 1984’s blockbuster Building the Perfect Beast with his return to the musical spotlight after an 11-year absence. Tracks include “Everything is Different Now,” “For My Wedding,” “Goodbye to a River” and “The Genie.”  

READ ALL ABOUT IT

How do you “sell” the outdoors?  The Outdoor Archive (Thames & Hudson) is a handsome hard-bound collection spanning a century of ad and catalogue graphics and photography, all intended to make going outside appealing to consumers. Design experts offer insights, like what makes those tent ads so inviting? What photo effects represent action? What colors suggest adventure? And you’ll dig the reproductions of pages from retro catalogues, like a 1927 L.L Bean.

BRING IT HOME

Robert De Niro stars—in two roles!—in The Alto Knights, a biographical drama now on DVD and Blu-ray, about two organized crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, vying for control of New York. Once the best of friends, they’re now on a collision course that will reshape the Mafia, and America, forever (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment).

What’s so scary about a woman in the yard? Watch The Woman in the Yard (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), the bone-chilling new horror flick from Blumhouse (The Black Phone, M3Gan, The Invisible Man) and you’ll find out—as a veiled in black, otherworldly woman suddenly appears outside a farmhouse, sending a grieving mother and her childing into a real-life nightmare. Starring Danielle Deadwyler and Okwui Okpokwasili.

Al Pacino is a blind retired military colonel. Chris O’Connell is the prep-school student who takes a part-time job as his companion and assistant. And they’re both in Scent of a Woman (Shout! Factory), a new 4K disc of the 1992 drama—about their wild weekend—that won three Golden Globes. With new bonus features, including an interview with director Martin Brest.

May 16 2025
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more, May 16 – May 22

Reba’s a host, Honey Boo Boo’s back & Alexander Skarsgård’s a bot!

FRIDAY, May 16
Academy of Country Music Awards
Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson are among the top nominees in this 59th annual live event honoring country music makers and their hits, and hosted by Reba McEntire (8 p.m., Prime Video).

Murderbot
Alexander Skarsgård stars in this new sci-fi comedy-thriller series, based on Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries, as a security robot given a dangerous mission, but needing to hide his abilities for free thought and emotion (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, May 17
I Was Honey Boo Boo
Alana Thompson (above)—who became reality-TV famous as “Honey Boo Boo”—returns as a young adult in this biopic from her perspective, and all the forced smiles and silent tears, scandals and legal struggles that followed her childhood TV fame (8 p.m., Lifetime)

The Handmaid’s Tale
The Emmy-winning dystopian drama returns for its sixth and final season, with Elizabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford, Ann Dowd and Yvonne Strahovski (Hulu).

SUNDAY, May 18
Tucci in Italy
Actor Stanley Tucci takes a trip across Italy showcasing the country’s distinctive culinary flavors and traditions of his ancestral homeland (8 p.m., National Geographic).

Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing
Fan favorites take on new challengers to see who can last the longest in the Australian Outback…sans clothes, of course. Bring on the pixels! (8 p.m., Discovery).

MONDAY, May 19
Mr. Polaroid
Meet Edwin Land, the visionary scientist and inventor of the Polaroid camera (9 p.m., PBS).

White Lies
Investigative journalist in South Africa (Natalie Dormer) gets caught in the ugly underbelly of the city, dragging her back to her turbulent past (Acorn TV).

TUESDAY, May 20
A Tooth Fairy Tale
Animated kid-friendly flick about a tooth fairy with a rebellious streak, with voices of Jon Lovitz, Fran Drescher, Vivica Fox, Larken Bell and BooBoo Stewart (various digital platforms).

The Last Role of Charles LeBlanc
A young drifter (Jack DeCerchio) goes to work for an aging movie legend (Arthur Roberts) and learns the hard way in this streaming flick that great actors never stop acting (Apple TV).

WEDNESDAY, May 21
Nine Perfect Strangers
New season intros more strangers (above) who discover their connections in surprising ways. Starring Nicole Kidman as a mysterious health guru, plus Henry Golding, Lena Olin, Christine Baranski and Mark Strong (Hulu).

Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service
The star chef goes “undercover” to get the scoop on the culinary “crimes” of struggling restaurants—then shows them how to make the necessary changes to their space, their menu and their staff (9 p.m., Fox). 

THURSDAY, May 22
Not Her First Rodeo
Champion bull rider Jorden Halvorsen, joined by rookies and returning pros, begins a new season of her women’s bull-riding league, with each cowgirl hoping this will be the year to win the championship buckle (10 p.m., Freeform).

BRING IT HOME

Real-life Britpop star Robbie Williams takes us through formative stages of his life and career in Better Man (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment), with a twist of monkeyshines—he’s represented as talking, singing motion-capture chimpanzee. When you see it, you’ll get it!

Fans of the cinematic subgenre of the ‘70s, action films with Black actors made for Black audiences, will dig Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 1 (Shout! Factory), a 12-disc assemblage of low-budget, explosive firepower that left high marks with popular culture, featuring Issac Hayes, Pam Grier, Fred Williamson and other brand-names-to-be. Titles include Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem and Coffy.

Apr 30 2025
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Movie Reviews, Music

Poolside with Swamp Dogg

Movie review: Wooly, wide-ranging doc spotlights the (almost) legendary cult musician and his friends

Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted
Documentary
Directed by Isaac Gale & Ryan Olsen
Unrated
In theaters Friday, May 2

He’s recorded and released more than 25 albums, worked with superstars and written million-selling songs. And most people have no idea who he is. He’s Jerry Williams Jr., better known as Swamp Dogg, a Virginia-born musician who became a cult figure during more than seven decades on the fickle, not-quite-famous fringes of the music industry.

This pleasantly quirky, engagingly colorful documentary introduces us to Williams and his two longtime housemates, Guitar Shorty and Moogstar, who shared his ranch-style home in a leafy Los Angeles suburb—where, we learn, nearly all the neighbors seem to be making porn vids. Shorty and Moog also share Dogg’s on-again, off-again relationship with what might be considered success.

We learn that Williams, now in his 80s, made his first record in the mid-1950s, toured constantly, later becoming a label exec, a producer, arranger and a multi-genre songwriter, dabbling in disco, rap, R&B and country, co-penning (with Gary U.S. Bonds) the 1971 Johnny Paycheck hit “She’s All I Got.” He started his own label, releasing what surely must be the most commercially successful of all CDs of Beatles songs “performed” by dogs, chickens, cows and sheep (1983’s “Beatle Barkers”). He recorded a duet of “Sam Stone” with John Prine, performed on the Grand Ole Opry and had his own cable-TV cooking show, If You Can Kill It, I Can Cook It. In the early ‘70s, he was investigated by the CIA in the 1970s for protesting the war in Vietnam alongside actress-turned-activist Jane Fonda.

Somewhere along the way, he devised his alter ego, Swamp Dogg. Some of his album covers—depicting him riding a giant rat rodeo-style, as a hot dog slathered in mustard and onions, or as Jesus on a cross—are visual hints of his wide-ranging, wildly idiosyncratic takes on multiple formats of music.

The film shows him working in the studio on what would be his latest album, Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St, released last year, blurring the lines between folk, blues, country, roots music and soul with a savory brew of new Swamp Dogg originals, favorites from past albums and timeless ‘50s R&B classics.

Swamp’s saga is a wooly, wide-ranging, hip ‘n’ flip tale of the ups and downs, ins and outs and upside-downs of a funky, improbably flexible lifetime in the music biz, the story of a true survivor who recounts much of his wildly unpredictable ride sitting in the shade of his backyard, watching an artist paint the bottom of his swimming pool. You don’t find out exactly what’s being painted until the end of the movie, but suffice it to say, it puts the perfect cherry on top of this swirly cinematic Swamp Dogg sundae.

Moogstar lives with Swamp Dogg in their “bachelor pad for aging musicians.”

One of the movie’s most endearing qualities is the turn of its spotlight often onto Dogg’s housemates in their “bachelor pad for aging musicians.” We learn how Guitar Shorty (whose death, in 2022, is covered in the film) was a winner on TV’s The Gong Show, and about a transformational encounter by Moogstar at the Montana gravesite of motorcycle-riding daredevil Evel Knievel. There’s a free-flowing, anything-goes kind of grooverey across time and space with a combination of archival footage, home videos and animation.

Dogg’s celebrity friends—like comedian Tom Kenny, the voice of Spongebob Squarepants, and head Jackass honcho Johnny Knoxville—also pop by the pool to swap tales and shoot the breeze. We meet one of Dogg’s five daughters, Jeri, now a neurologist. We learn how his late wife, Yvonne, became his lifelong anchor, partner and manager.

It’s a sweeping, often funny, sometimes profane and ultimately sweet story of a man whose wholly unique claim to pop culture spans decades and crosses just about all the boundary lines that typically define musical categorization. And you come away with the feeling that, despite all the yin and yang, the winning and the losing, the highs and the lows, the hits and the misses, Swamp Dogg—and Jerry Williams—wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I consider myself one of the luckiest motherf*uckers in the world,” he notes. After seeing Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, you’ll understand why.

—Neil Pond

Apr 25 2025
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more April 25 – May 1

Nicole K goes all the way, celebs share their happy places & a classic romcom gets a reboot

FRIDAY, April 25
Babygirl
Nicole Kidman gives a brave and inhibited performance in this sexually saturated flick (above) as a successful CEO who begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern (Harris Dickinson). It’s h-o-t!! (Max).

WondLa
Season two of the animated adventure series launches with Jeanine Mason returning to provide the voice of Eva, a young woman continuing her epic journey to uncover her past while pursued by a relentless force (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, April 26
Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series
Have you ever wondered why would anyone jump from a rocky precipice to flip, twist and finally plunge into water far below? Maybe you can figure out one of the world’s most extreme sports if you watch this competition (12 noon, Vice.).

Brett Goldstein: The Second Greatest Night of Your Life
The Ted Lasso star (he plays Roy Kent) gets his first HBO standup comedy special (10 p.m., HBO).

SUNDAY, April 27

Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain
Eight-episode series (above) follows the award-winning actress, producer, director and social activist on a cuisine-centric pilgrimage through the land of her ancestors (9 p.m., CNN).

My Happy Place
In this new series, a group of celebrity hosts (including Alan Cumming, Taraji P. Henson, Billy Porter and Questlove) invite you along to learn about the places across the world that have become their restorative sanctuaries (10 p.m., CNN). 

MONDAY, April 28
The Voice
Welcome aboard the new mega mentor/coaches—superstar Sheryl Crow and country powerhouse LeAnn Rimes—as this season’s Playoffs begin (8 p.m., NBC).

Yes, Chef!
Martha Stewart co-hosts as rising-star chefs compete in this new culinary challenge testing their kitchen chops, while also trying to ferret out what might be holding them back—ego, intense personality, stubbornness or short fuses (10 p.m., NBC).

TUESDAY, April 29
Free for All: The Public Library
Learn the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea become reality—and also the modern-day librarians serving the public despite our contentious age of closures and book bans (10 p.m., PBS).

Pati Jinich Explores Panamerica
The James Beard Award-winning Mexican chef and TV personality explores the Panamerican Highway, stretching from Alaska to Argentina, celebrating the many cultures along the way (9 p.m., PBS). 

WEDNESDAY, April 30
Carême
New French drama (above) series follows the world’s first “celebrity chef” (Benjamin Voisin) as he rises from humble beginnings in Paris to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s court (Apple TV+).

In the Kitchen With Harry Hamlin
The actor and his niece, chef Renee Guilbaut, cohost another season of celebrity guests, stories, dishes and dinner parties for their celebrity friends (11 p.m., AMC). 

THURSDAY, May 1
Another Simple Favor
Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively star as friends who travel to a wedding in Italy, only to find themselves in a twisty-turning adventure of glamour, murder and betrayal (Prime).

The Four Seasons
A new spin on the 1981 romcom flick, about four couples (played by Tina Fey, Will Forte, Steve Carell, Kerri Kenni-Silver, Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani) who go out of town for a relaxing weekend retreat together, but then find out one of the them is headed for a split (Netflix).

NOW HEAR THIS

Fifty-five years after its original release in 1970, Chicago II, the album that made a Midwestern “horn band” into all-American musical heavyweights, has been remastered on Blu-ray (Rhino.com). Hear the Top 10 hits “Make Me Smile,” “Colour My World” and “25 or 6 to 4” in a sparkling new musical spotlight, along with other tracks that came to define the group’s radio-ready dexterity with classical, pop and rock.

Has it really been almost 40 years since Prince rocked Purple Rain? That awesome 1984 album—with hits like “Darling Nikki,” “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and, of course, the title song that became a movie and spent 24 weeks at No. 1—has now been remixed as a high-quality Blu-ray audio. A masterwork from the artist once known as His Royal Badness (before changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol and becoming “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince”) it’s a return to a genuine musical milestone for fans of the late rock star, who died in 2016 (Warner Music Group).

BRING IT HOME

Clint Eastwood Classics
He’s received four Oscars and been lauded for a durable career extending from early TV roles to theatrical westerns, crime dramas, war movies and comedies. Now you can squint like Clint with three Clint Eastwood classic flicks from Warner Bros., newly released for the first time on 4K Ultra HD. There’s the iconic Dirty Harry (1971), a special 40th anniversary edition of Pale Rider (1985), and The Outlaw Jersey Wales (1976), all with new bonus features, making-of docs and commentary.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

How did the former Diana Spencer become a princess for the world, a pop-cultural icon and—especially in her afterlife—an almost mythological figure? Edward White breaks it all down in Dianaworld: An Obsession, a wide-ranging deep dive into the life and legacy of the royal who connected with a wider, broader and more diverse group of people—including Hollywood filmmakers, sex workers and professional impersonators—than any member of the British monarchy before her. She was a princess so familiar to so many that she became known by her first name, and Dianaworld breaks down why she was so special to so many, and how her image continues to shine decades after her 1997 death. (W.W. Norton)

More than a decade after his passing, the work of the late James Gandolfini continues to be felt by those who remember his gravitas in TV and movie roles, like The Sopranos, Killing Them Softly and Zero Dark Thirty. Now film historian and film critic and movie historian Jason Bailey shines a spotlight on the man and his work in Gandolfini: Jim, Tony and the Life of a Legend (Abrams), which follows the actor’s rise from childhood to bit parts and ultimately his crowning role as Tony Soprano, the mobster kingpin and family man.

Apr 11 2025
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, April 11 – Thursday, April 17

Why we love our pets, rock stars align for vinyl & Marty Stuart goes to the movies

FRIDAY, April 11
Pets
It’s national Pet Day! So celebrate with this new doc (above) from director Bryce Dallas Howard about the extraordinary relationships between animals and their people—it’s a “different breed of love story” (Disney+).

Your Friends & Neighbors
Jon Hamm, Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn star in this new series about a hedge fund manager grappling with a divorce and stealing from his friends and neighbors, uncovering some dangerous secrets in the process (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, April 12
Vinyl Obsession
Celebrate National Record Store Day with rock icons—including ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons (above), STYX’s Tommy Shaw and Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach—as they visit two iconic vinyl retailers to toast the LPs that shaped their music (1:30 p.m., AXS TV).

Doctor Who
Alan Cumming guest stars in season two as a cartoon character, Mr. Ring-a-Ding, who suddenly realizes there’s a “real” world out there beyond the screen (Disney+).

SUNDAY, April 13
Patti Jinich Explores Panamerica
The James Beard Award-winning Mexican chef and TV personality explores the Panamerican Highway, stretching from Alaska to Argentina, celebrating the many cultures along the way (9 p.m., PBS). 

Godfather of Harlem
Season four of the drama series, about a bloody war for the control of Harlem against New York Mafia families, stars Forest Whitaker and Ilfenesh Hedera (MGM+).

MONDAY, April 14
Holy Marvels with Dennis Quaid
The actor returns for another season of looking into some of history’s most remarkable legends, sacred objects, holy places and secret rituals (10 p.m., History Channel).

TUESDAY, April 15
Marty Goes to the Movies
Acclaimed country and bluegrass artist Marty Stuart joins host Alicia Malone to showcase six of his favorite films—tonight and continuing April 22—including Coal Miner’s Daughter, which brought Sissy Spacek an Oscar, and Door-to-Door Maniac, which featured Johnny Cash his first acting role back in 1966 (TCM).

The Carters: Hurts to Love You
Documentary traces the soaring rise to stardom of brothers Nick (of Backstreet Boys) and Aaron—but also the heartbreaking tragedies of drugs and addiction, mental health issues and Aaron’s death, at age 34, in 2022 (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, April 16
Government Cheese
Surrealist comedy starring Daniel Oyelowo, about an unconventional California family in the 1960s gloriously unfettered by the real world as their lives spin into chaos (Apple TV+).

Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero
Angelica Houston, Oliver Jackson Cohen, Emily Hyland and Matthew Rhys star in this new limited series (above) based on the mystery queen’s 1944 novel about a scandalous celebrity divorce, a tennis star, a mysterious valet and a web of jealousy, deceit…and murder (BritBox).

THURSDAY, April 17
Leverage: Redemption
In season three of the heist drama, the team of reunited vigilante do-gooders continues to take down rich, amoral criminals and fight for those in need of their aggressive social justice (Prime Video). 

Law & Order: Organized Crime
For the fifth season, Det. Stabler (Chris Meloni) returns to New York after a decade abroad to rebuild his life during a devastating personal loss, digging into work to dismantle the Big Apple’s most vicious and violent illegal enterprises (Peacock).

BRING IT HOME

Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock & Roll
Learn about a musical legend in this rootsy documentary about Huddie “Lead Belly” Leadbetter, born into Southern poverty in 1903 but growing up to become the king of the 12-string guitar, putting his stamp on folk songs, gospel tunes and blues in songs like “Pick a Bale of Cotton,” “Midnight Special,” “Cotton Fields” and “Willy and the Poor Boys.” His wide spectrum of real-life musical topics included prison, cowboys, drinking, women, politicians, despots, hard work and good times. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, Lead Belly inspired countless other artists, including The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, the Allman Brothers and Nirvana, all of whom covered his tunes. Interviews and performance clips from Paul McCartney, B.B. King, Janis Joplin and Joan Baez further testify to his enduring legacy. (MVD Entertainment).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Wonderlands
In “I Am the Walrus,” John Lennon sang about “sitting in an English garden, waiting for the sun.” Maybe he was sitting and waiting in one of the gardens Claire Colson spotlights in Wonderlands (Penguin-Random House), a spectacular display of private manor greenspaces (and the horticultural architects who crafted them) in Great Britain. From bucolic, immaculately manicured backyards to sprawling, idiosyncratic countryside ecosystems, it offers a guided tour of tranquility abroad without ever leaving your home. P.S., the photos are so good, and so inviting, you might want to take an antihistamine before settling in for a read.

How to Giggle
Why so serious? That’s a question the Joker once asked, ominously, in The Dark Knight. It’s also a question authors Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo (hosts of the wildly popular podcast Giggly Squad) address in How to Giggle: A Guide to Taking Life Less Seriously. It’s a suggestion to tee-hee when life gets tough, through all sorts of circumstances, like awkward moments, romantic red flags and everyday anxieties. Have fun with the interactive quizzes and tips on scaling down scary situations. And lay those everyday troubles down and pick up a copy. (Simon & Schuster)

Frank Lloyd Wright
One of the world’s most celebrated and masterful architects gets the coffee-table-book treatment in this splendid look at the life and work of the Wisconsin native who designed more than 1,000 structures over 70 years and was recognized as “the greatest architect of all time.” Author Robert McCarter analyzes Wright’s work chronologically, with archival drawings, photographs, floor plans and explanations about how every project “connects” to the discipline of architecture. (Phaidon)

Caitlin Clark
How big a deal is basketball phenom Caitlin Clark? Well, big-deal enough that she now has her own Little Golden Book Biography filled with facts about her childhood, her record-setting years at the University of Iowa and being the first player chosen in the WNBA draft. Learn from author Marisa DiNovis and illustrator Joanie Stone how the little sports-loving girl from Des Moines, Iowa, grew up to be the most famous female college basketball player in the entire realm of sports…not to mention becoming the player responsible for the explosion of new interest in women’s hoops and a hero to young girls everywhere! She shoots, she scores—big!

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