Category Archives: Pop Culture

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!

Mar 28 2025
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch and more March 28 – April 4

Daniel Craig’s ‘Queer’ turn, a ‘Simpsons’ TV milestone & a taboo-bustin’ Oprah special

FRIDAY, March 28
Queer
Daniel Craig (above) takes a big swing away from his movie run as macho superspy James Bond to star in this heartfelt movie about a gay American in Mexico City in the 1950s, where sparks fly when he makes an intimate connection with a former U.S. soldier (Max).

The Rule of Jenny Penn
Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow star in this creepy film about sinister goings-on in a retirement home (Shudder).

Mid-Century Modern
New comedy series from the creators of Will & Grace stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham—and a parade of guest stars—in a romp (above) about three gay best friends who decide to spend their golden years in Palm Springs (Hulu).

SATURDAY, March 29
Wife Stalker
Keisha Knight Pullam stars in this new drama thriller about a woman whose husband leaves her for another female with a nefarious past (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, March 30
The Last Anniversary
Original mystery drama series (above)—set on a beautiful remote island shrouded in secrets—stars Teresa Palmer as a young woman drawn into a tangled generational web (AMC+).

The Simpsons
The longest-running primetime scripted show in TV history returns tonight for season 36 (yes, 36!) as Bart tries to become a celebrity DJ and Homer finally pushes Flanders too far (8 p.m., Fox)

Mobland
Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan (above) and Helen Mirren are among the cast of this new crime series—about power struggles within a global crime syndicate—from action-centric director Guy Richie (Paramount+).

MONDAY, March 31
Truelove
A group of old friends reunited at a funeral and make a drunken pact to see that each other dies with dignity. But such a “good” idea turns into a shocking reality in this series with an ensemble cast (Acorn TV).

An Oprah Winfrey Special: The Menopause Revolution
The Queen of daytime TV hosts this primetime event all about the inevitable event all women who live past “a certain age” will face, diving into the once-considered-taboo topic with a panel of experts and a live audience (10:01 p.m., ABC). 

TUESDAY, April 1
Audrey
A wild, snarky dark comedy about a mom who’ll do anything to achieve her dreams—even assuming the identity of her daughter when she falls into a coma. With Jackie Van Beek and Lindsay Taylor (checking streaming services for availability).

American Masters—Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
Screen icon Liza Minnelli—the daughter of legendary actor Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli—is spotlighted in this documentary with a look into her dynamic life from childhood to Broadway and the silver screen, where she found Oscar-winning superstardom in Cabaret (9 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, April 2
Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America
Find out in this new series all about the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, 30 years ago, which claimed 168 lives and changed America forever (8 p.m., National Geographic).

THURSDAY, April 3
Pulse
New medical drama—from Emmy-winning writer Carlton Cuse—stars Wilia Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell, Jack Bannon, Jessie T. Usher and Chelsea Muirhead (Netflix).

NOW HEAR THIS

Five of the top albums from one of the world’s most acclaimed bands are now available together on Fleetwood Mac 1975-1985 (Rhino), which includes the LPs Fleetwood Mac, Rumors, Tusk, Mirage and Tango in the Night, available as six LPs or five CDs. Relive hits like “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams,” “Sara,” “Gypsy,” “Landslide,” “Say You Love Me” and “Rhiannon,” plus many more.

Forty years ago, Tina Turner exploded into the pop mainstream with her iconic breakthrough album Tiny Dancer. A new 5-CD set (from Parlophone) commemorates the milestone with a grand collection of remastered original tracks, plus B-sides, extended versions, rarities, previously unreleased cuts, two live in-concert discs and a Blu-ray of promo videos for “Let’s Stay Together,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “Better Be Good to Me” and “Private Dancer.”

BRING IT HOME

A truly “modern” love story, Companion (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) stars Sophie Thatcher, Lukas Gage and Jack Quaid in this horror tale of a super-serviant android built for companionship that goes murderously rogue.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Vitamin V: Video and the Moving Image (Phaidon) takes a highly visual look at how film and video have become integrated into modern art, with more than 850 examples from some 100 artists from around the world who use “contemporary technologies in unexpected and often revolutionary ways.” And an essay explains how it all got started in the 1960s.

How could two very different songs, separated by an ocean, recorded within weeks of each other, offer so much insight into America in the 1970s, the British empire, and almost everything associated with global culture? Peter Silverton‘s engrossing London Calling New York New York (Trouser Press), breaks it all down in a fascinating tale-of-two-cities treatise built on these two seminal works of music from The Clash and Frank Sinatra.

Mar 21 2025
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more, March 21 – March 27

Nicole Kidman goes Dutch, ‘Wicked’ streams & David Blaine pushes boundaries

Nicole Kidman stars in ‘Holland.’

FRIDAY, March 21
Sing Sing
Acclaimed film about a theatrical program for inmates at the New York prison stars Dominique Colman and Paul Raci (Max).

Wicked
Yes, Wicked! If you missed it in theaters, or just want to see it again (and again, and again), the spectacular-looking Hollywood treatment of the hit Broadway musical with the backstory of the Wizard of Oz witches, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, below, comes to streaming (Peacock). 

SATURDAY, March 22
Single Black Female 3: The Final Chapter
Original network movie stars Raven Goodwin, Porsha Williams and Kennedy Chanel in the tale of a woman wrongly convicted of murder, then exonerated, but discovering that freedom can come at a price (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, March 23
Do Not Attempt
Join magician and “endurance artist” David Blaine on a globe-trotting exploration of the boundaries between the real world and the realm of magic. But kids, don’t try this at home! (National Geographic).

Marie Antionette
In season two, the seeds of revolution begin to take root, threatening the foundations of France’s long-standing monarchy. With Emila Schüle and Louis Cunningham (10 p.m., PBS).

MONDAY, March 24
Home Court
Documentary about a Columbian American high school basketball prodigy who finds her life intensifying amid college recruitment, injury and triumph (streaming on Independent Lens, the PBS App and PBS Passport).

TUESDAY, March 25
The Cleaning Lady
Season four begins about the increasingly dangerous double life of a former surgeon now an undocumented immigrant in Las Vegas and evading the law as part of a criminal organization. Cleaning can be complicated (8 p.m., Fox).

Family Legacy
Meet more kids of famous music-makers—including the Go-Go’s, Slipknot, Lil John and Matchbox 20—in the new season of this half-hour cross-genre docuseries (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, March 26
Side Quest
Four-part anthology based on the Mythic Quest universe and starring Rob McElhenney looks at the game’s impact on players and makers with a blend of docu-reality and comedy (Apple TV+). 

The Studio
New comedy series, above, stars Seth Rogen (who also writes and directs) as a newly appointed Hollywood exec walking the line between success and failure. With Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn and Ike Barinholtz (AppleTV+).

THURSDAY, March 27
Paul American
Reality series go into the world of internet-sensation “content creators” Jake and Logan Paul and their burgeoning empire of followers, fight promotion, sports drinks, men’s products and gaming (Max).

Holland
Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen, Jude Hill and Gael Garcia Bernal star in this twisty tale of a teacher whose life is upended by suspicions, secrets and the realization that things—in picture-perfect Holland, Mich.—aren’t what they seem (Prime).

NOW HEAR THIS

Forty years ago, Tina Turner exploded into the pop mainstream with her iconic breakthrough album Tiny Dancer. A new 5-CD set (from Parlophone) commemorates the milestone with a grand collection of remastered original tracks, plus B-sides, extended versions, rarities, previously unreleased cuts, two live in-concert discs and a Blu-ray of promo videos for “Let’s Stay Together,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “Better Be Good to Me” and “Private Dancer.”

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of its release, Paul McCartney’s chart-topping 1975 album Venus and Mars has been remastered from the original tapes to sound even better than before. It has all the tunes (including “Rock Show,” “Listen to What the Man Said” and the title track) plus other goodies, like a pair of posters and a bookmark sticker.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

How can we trust what our eyes see? It’s getting hard, in the age of artificially generated images online and in other media. In the fascinating The Synthetic Eye: Photography Transformed in the Age of A.I. (Thames & Hudson), author Fred Ritchin, a digital photography expert, investigates how artificial intelligence continues to transform our sense of what’s real, and its enormous ramifications for the future.

Get the inside scoop on one of America’s formative festivals for music, art, politics and freakshows, in Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival (St. Martins Press). It’s an oral history of the groundbreaking event as told by insiders and musicians who lived it during the ‘90s, including Pearl Jam, Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day and more.

Mar 14 2025
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DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch (and more!) the week of March 14 – March 20

An Opry milestone, a ‘Ludwig’ who’s not Beethoven & Dennis Quaid puts on a “Happy Face”

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, March 14
Dope Thief
Brian Tyree Henry stars in the new eight-episode series about two longtime Philly delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob a house, only to have their small-time grift become a life-or-death enterprise (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, March 15
Taken at a Basketball Game
Can you guess what this new Lifetime movie’s about? If you guessed “A girl gets abducted at a basketball game,” you’re right! Starring D.B. Woodside and Claire Qute (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, March 16
Malawi Wildlife Rescue: Crocodile Capers
In tonight’s episode, the team calms restless primates at the rescue centre and says goodbye to a rescued crocodile (10 p.m., NatGeo Wild).

MONDAY, March 17
The Calling: A Medical School Journey
Documentary follows med students in the Bronx, capturing the experience of what it’s like to be an aspiring doctor in one of the nation’s most underserved communities (10 p.m., PBS).

A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read
Did she kill her cop boyfriend and dump his body on a cold Boston night in January? Investigators thought so. But her 2024 trial created a lasting swirl of questions over what really happened, including a defense argument that something even more nefarious was at play (9 p.m., ID).

TUESDAY, March 18
The Class
Dramatic six-part series, filmed over the course of the 2020-21 school year, follows a class of seniors and their teacher in Antioch, Calif., as they confront an unprecedented moment in modern time—the COVID-19 pandemic (check local listings, PBS). 

WEDNESDAY, March 19
Good American Family
It had to happen. Netflix’s wild-tale documentary about Nathalia Grace was so popular it spawned two follow-ups and has now inspired this TV drama series (above), about how an adopted orphan girl born with a rare form of dwarfism upended her adoptive family—just like the real story! It stars Ellen Pompeo, Mark Duplass and Imogene Reid (Hulu).

Opry 100
Country music’s most venerated institution celebrates a century of music and stars with this live three-hour TV special hosted by Blake Shelton and featuring Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Carrie Underwood, Marty Stuart, Reba McEntire, Jelly Roll and many more of today’s Nashville stars (8 p.m., NBC).

THURSDAY, March 20
Ludwig
No, not Beethoven. This British brain twister is about a puzzle maker (David Mitchell) who takes on the identity of his disappeared brother, calling on his expertise in all things cryptic to get to the bottom of what happened (BritBox).

The Residence
New Shondaland drama about a (fictional) murder scandal involving the staff of the White House. Starring Uzo Abuda, Giancarlo Esposito, Ken Marino, Jason Lee, Molly Griggs and Bronson Pinchot (Netflix).

Happy Face
Dennis Quaid (above) and Annaleigh Ashford star in this new drama series based on the true story of a podcaster who discovers that her father was a prolific serial killer (Paramount+).

Farmer Wants a Wife
A third season of hunky hayseeds hankering for love and lifemates, this time hosted by Kimberly Williams-Paisley (9 p.m., Fox).

BRING IT HOME

Horror fans will howl with hairy delight at the latest take on The Wolf Man (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), which stars Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott in a modern take on the classic tale from the re-makers of another classic, The Invisible Man. Bonus features includes a doc on the look of the new wolf man, as filmmakers set out to design a beast unlike any seen before.

Guess what’s turning 50? The outrageously entertaining “rock opera” Tommy, which became a cult classic—about “a deaf, dumb blind kid” who became a pinball wizard—after its theatrical release in 1975. The all-star cast includes The Who’s Roger Daltry, plus Jack Nicholson, Ann-Margaret, drummer Keith Moon, Elton John, Tina Turner and Oliver Reed. It’s a trip! (Shout! Studios)

Now fans of TV’s hit Emmy-winning series Shameless can own it all—134 episodes from 11 seasons and with a dynamic ensemble cast headed by William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White and Cameron Monaghan—on Shameless: The Complete Series (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment). And it’s “shameless” how many extras and bonus features you’ll get, too!

Feb 28 2025
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 28 – March 6

Hollywood biggest night, a murderous gigolo & Kevin Hart goes to ‘toon town

Will Conclave, Wicked or The Substance take home the night’s big Oscars?

FRIDAY, Feb. 28
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Guy Fieri loads up on barbecue, turkey legs and brisket fries on a trip to Memphis before heading to New York and blueberry pierogies, meatballs and cheddar chicken (9 p.m., Food Network).

Why You Like It: Decoding Musical Tastes
Composer and musicologist Dr. Nolan Gasser explores the science and culture behind our musical preferences (check local listings, PBS).

SATURDAY, March 1
Killing the Competition
Melissa Joan Hart stars in this new network movie inspired by the real-life story of a mother who turns to kidnapping when her daughter is cut from her high school dance team (Lifetime).

Million Dollar Zombie Flips
House flippers fix up dilapidated homes in the Seattle area, turning them into mansions (11 a.m., A&E).

SUNDAY, March 2
The Oscars
Conan O’Brien hosts, and we’ll see who comes out on top among top contenders including Emelia Peréz, The Brutalist, Conclave, Anora, A Complete Unknown and Wicked. And Karla Sofia Gascòn has already made history as the first openly trans woman to be nominated for Best Actress. But can she win after her “mean tweets” on social media?  (7 p.m., ABC).

Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue
Eric McCormack, Lydia Wilson and Adam Long are among the cast in this thriller series about survivors of a plane crash in the Mexican jungle who later begin to die in strange and violent ways. Ten passports, nine bodies, one deadly secret. (9 p.m., MGM+).

MONDAY, March 3
Recipes for Love and Murder
In the new season of the culinary murder mystery (above), a massive fire engulfs the small town of Eden, and a fateful chain of events brings together the lead characters in a multiple homidide investigation that uncovers the town’s darkest secrets (Acorn TV).

Celtic City
Nine-part documentary series chronicles the Boston Celtics, the city’s winningest sports franchise, from its founding to its triumphant 2024 season (HBO Sports).

Sin City Gigolo: A Murder in Las Vegas
Docuseries (above) about the investigation of a former cast member of the TV reality show Gigolos, who was arrested for killing a young woman in his home in a bloody tangle of sex work, fame and the lure of “Sin City” (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, March 4
The Rare Breed
No, it’s not the English Foxhound. Rather, it’s this rugged 1966 Western starring James Stewart, Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith—a rather unlikely combo of stars from It’s a Wonderful Life, The Parent Trap and TV’s Family Affair, in a tale that mixes bull breeding, greedy criminals and untamed Texas (8:45 p.m., TCM).

WEDNESDAY, March 5
The Amazing Race
On your mark, get set…go! Go to the couch, that is, to watch as the 37th race in the hit TV competition begins tonight with a group of 14 new teams (above) kicking off their global trek in Japan (9:30 p.m., CBS).

THURSDAY, March 6
Deli Boys
Comedy about a pair of Pakistani-American brothers who uncover the secret life of their late convenience-store magnate father (Hulu).

Lil Kev
Adult animated comedy was inspired by Kevin Hart’s childhood in Philadelphia, with voices by Hart, Wanda Sykes and Deon Cole (BET+).

NOW HEAR THIS

The iconic 1986 Bon Jovi album Slippery When Wet, which catapulted the group into the rock mainstream and sold more than 12 million copies, has been re-released on multiple formats—including one with heavy-duty vinyl encasing a blue liquid…which looks slippery ‘n’ wet indeed! Hear classic hits (“You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Lilvin’ on a Prayer”), plus newly added bonus features on the digital edition, including live tracks from the group’s 1987 tour.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

What do termite mounds, dolphins, rainbows, carnivals, the Roman poet Ovid, our sense of balance, caves and animal feces all have in common? They’re all in Phenomena: An Infographic Guide to Almost Everything (Thames & Hudson), an engrossing collection of charts, graphics and other “visualized” information. Dig in and prepare to be well-informed!

BRING IT HOME

When Santa (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped from the North Pole, his beefy head of security (Dwayne Johnson) springs into action with the help of a wisecracking bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to bring him home and save Christmas. It’s merry mayhem in Red One (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), with appearances by Lucy Liu, Bonnie Hunt and Nick Kroll.

Feb 21 2025
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 21 – Feb. 27

A ‘Star Wars’ marathon, Tom Hanks the all-American & the king of Israel is in da ‘House’!

The ‘Saving Private Ryan’ star narrates a 10-part doc about the Americas.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 21
Surface
In season two of the psychological thriller, Gugu Mbatha-Raw returns to the starring role as a young London woman who’s lost her memory and trying to piece her life back together—and realizing she’s in the company of some very dangerous people (Apple TV+).

A Thousand Blows
The latest from the creator of Peaky Blinders, this new series (below) set in the brutal world of illegal boxing was inspired by true-life tales of survival in the criminal underbelly of 1880s Victorian London (Hulu).  

SATURDAY, Feb. 22
Abducted in the Everglades
Tori Spelling stars in this lurid TV movie as a mom searching for her daughter that goes missing on a spring break trip in Miami (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Star Wars Marathon
Strap in and make the jump to hyperspace with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker (begins 1:45 p.m., TBS).

SUNDAY, Feb. 23
The Americas
Sprawling ten-part nature documentary series about our “supercontinent” of North and South America, narrated by Tom Hanks, was five years in the making—and you can see why! (NBC and BBC). 

Grosse Point Garden Society
Members of a suburban garden club find their lives interwoven by scandal, mischief and a scared secret. New series stars AnnaSopha Robb, Ben Rappapport and Nancy Travis (10 p.m., NBC).

MONDAY, Feb. 24
Beyond the Gates
New daytime drama is set in a leafy Maryland suburb, one of the most affluent Black counties in America (and just beyond the gates of the White House). Starring Michelle Visage, Clifton Davis and Daphne Duplaix (2 p.m., CBS).

Bike Vessel
After several heath crises, a 70-year-old man embarks on a transformative long-distance cycling trip with his son in this moving documentary (Independent Lens).

TUESDAY, Feb. 25
Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP
Meet the longtime leader of the NAACP and one of the most influential—but least known—figures in civil rights history (9 p.m., PBS).

Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015
Six-part anthology illuminates the bold stories of people and communities who continue to work for equality and racial justice in the decades following the American civil rights movement (HBO).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 26
Baltimore’s Bridge Collapse
Find out more about the 2024 disaster when a massive container ship plowed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six highway workers. Are other bridges at risk of the same thing? (9 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, Feb. 27
The House of David
New series based on the biblical story of David (Michael Iskander) and how he eventually became the most celebrated and storied king of Israel (Prime Video).

The Case of Iwona Wieczorek
This gripping docuseries delves into one of the best-known disappearances in recent Polish history, about a 19-year-old high school graduate who vanished on the way home from a party (Viaplay).

READ ALL ABOUT

The British ‘rock scene comes alive in Dennis Morris: Music + Life (Thames & Hudson), a handsome retrospective of the lauded rock photographer’s exploration of music, race, culture and class, and his capture-the-moment lens work with Bob Marley, Oasis, The Sex Pistols, The Pretenders, LL Cool J, Oasis, Grace Jones, Patti Smith, Marianne Faithful and other British celebs.

Baseball season only lasts about half a year, but A Baseball Book of Days (McFarland) by Phil Coffin stretches out the saga of the game through an entire year—a chronically arranged compendium of trivia, facts, record-setting achievements, firsts, onlys and what-might-have-beens made to last from January thru December. It’s a grand slam of goodies for baseball fans of any stripe.

NOW HEAR THIS

Celebrated the 40th anniversary of David Lee Roth’s post-Van Halen debut as a solo act with The Warner Recordings 1985-1994 (Rhino), a splendid five-disc set with “Just a Gigilo,” “California Girls,” “Tobacco Road,” “Just Like Paradise” and much more music from Diamond Dave’s albums and EPs, including Crazy From the Heat, Eat ‘Em and Smile and Skyscraper.

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).

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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.

Feb 07 2025
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Books, History, Music, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 7 – Feb. 13

Willie’s tailgate party, puppies in a bowl & Bridget Jones is back!

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 7
The Critics Choice Awards
Conclave and Wicked lead the pack at this annual evening honoring the year’s top movies, acting and other achievements, as voted by people who cover film professionally. Chelsea Handler returns as host (7 p.m., E!)

We Live in Time
Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh star in this acclaimed movie about a couple trying to build the life they’ve always dreamed of, until a painful truth puts their love story to the test (Max).

SATURDAY, Feb. 8
I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story
Dramatized biopic (starring Joaquina Kalukango) about the rise to fame of America’s “Queen of Disco,” whose signature song “I Will Survive” became a timeless pop anthem of resilience, endurance and self-sufficiency (8 p.m., Lifetime).

65
This 2023 sci-fi adventure stars Adam Driver as an astronaut who finds—after a catastrophic crash—he’s actually stranded on Earth….65 million years ago! With Ariana Greenblatt (8 p.m., FX).

SUNDAY, Feb. 9
Puppy Bowl XXI
Are you Team Ruff or Team Fluff? Pick your side for this annual clash of cuddly cuties featuring rescue pups from around the world and spotlighting the good work of shelters that help animals find forever homes (2 p.m., Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and discovery+).

Concerts ‘Till Kickoff
Get ready for tonight’s “big game” with this daylong tailgate party, a marathon of live performances from Willie Nelson, Blackberry Smoke, ZZ Top, Toby Keith, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Zac Brown Band (9 a.m., AXS).

MONDAY, Feb. 10
Extracted
No, it’s not about a dental procedure, but rather a new competition in which  a dozen “untrained” contestants try to survive grueling and perilous conditions while their families keep watch…and refrain from hitting the “extract” button to have their loved one removed from their dire circumstances (8 p.m., Fox).

This Time Next Year
Adapted from a best-selling novel by Sophie Cousens, this romcom stars the author and Lucien Laviscount (from Emily in Paris) as two people born on the same day, in the same hospital, just one minute apart. What happens when they grow up? You’ll find out (Hulu).

TUESDAY, Feb. 11
Match Point
Mockumentary series stars former NFL players Vernon Davis and Omar Bolden as one-time Olympic tennis gold medalists who’re now hapless sports podcasters (Apple TV+ and Prime).  

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 12
Eric Clapton Unplugged…Over 30 Years Later
Ninety-minute special is an extended and remastered edition of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s live performance of “Layla,” “Tears in Heaven” and other hits originally recorded in 1992 for the MTV franchise (Paramount+).

THURSDAY, Feb. 13
Sly Lives!
Documentary about ‘70s supergroup Sly and the Family Stone features commentary by Chaka Kahn, Clive Davis, Nile Rogers, Andre 3000 and others (Hulu).

Mad About the Boy
Renee Zellweger returns in this new streamer to the role from Bridget Jones’ Diary that made her a movie romcom heroine, as Bridget is now alone once again (this time with two young children) and reenters the world of moms, kids and dating apps. Memorable movie costars Hugh Grant and Colin Firth also make appearances (Peacock).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Think there are too many rules, too much regulation, too much bureaucracy? Author Barry Lam, a professor of philosophy at the University of California, argues in the eye-opening Fewer Rules, Better People: The Case for Discretion (W.W. Norton) that a society awash in requirements and mandates makes us dumber, not smarter. Discretion and ethics play important roles in many of our everyday decisions and actions. Find out more about what can be good about that, and what the author says is not.

What’s that shiny surface? It might be a piece of art! In MirrorMirror: The Reflective Surface in Contemporary Art (Thames & Hudson), author Michael Petry shows how reflective surfaces—glass, shiny steel, vinyl, obsidian—are used all over the world in artworks that appeal to our senses, reflect our vanities and take us to places of joy, marvel and inspiration.

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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Books, Humor, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

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).

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