Willie Nelson's 152nd album and Benedict Cumberbatch playing a curmudgeon puppeteer in âEricâ on Netflix are some of the new television, movies, music and games near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Pressâ : George Clooneyâs sports drama âThe Boys in the Boat,â the British musical comedy âWe Are Lady Partsâ returns for a second season and home improvement gurus Chip and Joanna Gaines fix up a mid-century modern lake house on HGTV.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
â died in 1990 at the age of 53 but his Muppet creations and their rambunctious spirit have long outlived him. Ron Howardâs (Now on Disney+) is an attempt to document the life and imagination behind one of the most beloved entertainers. Howard made the film with the involvement of the Henson family and use of its extensive archive. ( .)
â George Clooneyâs (Now on Prime Video) is an almost daringly old-fashioned sports drama that makes âSeabiscuitâ look comparatively cutting edge. It tells the true-life tale of the University of Washington rowing team who in 1936 reached the Olympics in Berlin. , AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck wrote that âClooney has gone for stirring and a bit stodgy, pleasing and a bit predictable.â
â In the Nordic Western (Now on Hulu), the frontier is Denmarkâs remote Jutland heath, where a retired army captain (Mads Mikkelsen) travels with royal permission to cultivate a farm in 1755. His adventures, a loosely true history adapted from Ida Jessenâs 2020 bestseller âThe Captain and Ann Barbara,â give Mikkelsen a sweeping backdrop for his magnetic presence.
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NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
â âThe Border,â 152nd album â you read that correctly, at least, according to â arrives Friday. Across the release, Nelson offers idiosyncratic interpretations of compositions from country songwriting greats: Mike Reid (âNobody Knows Me Like Youâ), Rodney Crowell with Will Jennings (âMany a Long and Lonesome Highwayâ), and Larry Cordle with Erin Enderlin (âI Wrote This Song for Youâ) among them. The title track, âThe Borderâ is another reimagination of Crowell, a track from his 2019 album âTexas.â Itâs a love letter to the Lone Star state, the kind Nelson knows better than anyone else. ( )
â It wasnât so long ago that every conversation about the focused on their digital avatars. The quartet are actually an octet, if their AI counterparts are to be counted â an inventive exercise in transmedia storytelling to match their sound. But that was then. Now the group is preparing to release their debut full-length studio album, âArmageddon.â Lead single âSupernovaâ samples âs âPlanet Rockâ from 1982 and brings their electronic experiments even further into the future.
â Grammy-, Tony- and Emmy-winner brings his Broadway-sized pop to a third studio album, âHoneymind.â Itâs a cheery pop-rock record (produced by Dave Cobb, known for his work with country greats , and most recently, Zayn Malik), deeply informed by his own love story and melodies. Itâs an ideal record for musical theater fans looking for a different change of pace.
â TanerĂ©lle, Republic Records latest signee, is preparing to release a new EP, âElectric Honey.â The Atlanta singer-songwriterâs strength is her rich vocal tone â classic and futuristic-sounding in the same breathy delivery of her grounded R&B. She might be a new name to some, but sheâs already landed some impressive co-signs in the form of A-list syncs: Her music has been used in Spike Leeâs and âs great HBO drama âInsecure.â
â And now for something completely different: On Friday, BMG Records released âPepito y Paquito,â the earliest collection of recorded material from flamenco legends Paco de LucĂa and Pepe de LucĂa â restored partially by using AI technology â originally captured when they were 11 and 13 years old, respectively. (Before working under their own names, they were known as âPepito y Paquito.â) Thereâs a lot to love here, but begin with âMe Falta La Resistencia,â the boysâ adaptation of the La Repompa de MĂĄlaga tango.
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NEW SHOWS TO STREAM
â Itâs 1980s New York in the new and Benedict Cumberbatch plays a curmudgeon puppeteer named Vincent with a crumbling marriage. When Vincentâs son Edgar goes missing, he becomes obsessed with finishing a puppet that the boy was drawing, convinced its key to bringing him home. âEricâ premiered Thursday on Netflix.
â Peacockâs acclaimed British musical comedy returns for a second season. It follows the members of a female all-Muslim rock band in London. The new episodes pick up after a time jump. Lady Parts now has fans, a rival music group to compete with, and theyâre gearing up to release a full album. Activist Malala Yousafzai makes a guest appearance in the new episodes.
â A new Lifetime docuseries called shares before she and Ron Goldman were murdered outside her home, thirty years ago on June 12, 1994. Her ex-husband, O.J. Simpson was acquitted of their murders after a lengthy trial that aired live on TV. Simpson, who died in April from cancer, always maintained his innocence. The two-part docuseries premieres Saturday and Sunday on Lifetime and will stream on mylifetime.com. Both parts will also be available for purchase on VOD platforms.
â Chip and Joanna Gaines get a taste of #lakelife with their latest project filmed for TV. Theyâre fixing up a mid-century modern lake house near Lake Waco, just in time for the 10-year anniversary of âFixer Upperâ on HGTV. premieres Sunday on the Magnolia Network and HGTV. It will also stream same day on Max and Discovery+.
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NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
â For 25 years, Super Smash Bros. has owned its self-created category â goofy, family-friendly, multiplayer brawling â because none of Nintendoâs competitors have its deep bench of characters. Warner Bros. Games could mount a serious challenge, though, with . Why not team up Wonder Woman and Jason Voorhees vs. Bugs Bunny and Steven Universe? And have them fight it out in the Batcave or the throne room from âGame of Thronesâ? And itâs free-to-play, although WB hopes youâll spend cash on season passes and cosmetic upgrades. The initial roster has a couple dozen fighters, and who knows how far WB will dig into its massive film library? Dirty Harry and The Exorcist go toe-to-toe in Casablanca? Battle on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox Series X/S/One and PC.
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