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Tag: comedy

  • ‘Severance’ and ‘The Studio’ could rake in early awards at the Creative Arts Emmys

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    LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Severance” and “The Studio” could bring in a boatload of early Emmys this weekend.

    Over the next two days, nearly 100 trophies will be handed out to many of TV’s finest at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the annual precursor to the main Primetime Emmy Awards, which will air on Sept. 14 on CBS.

    “Severance,” the top overall nominee this year with 27, could win as many as 13 for Apple TV+ on Saturday, which will be devoted to scripted shows while Sunday is dedicated to variety and reality TV. “The Studio,” also from Apple, is the top comedy nominee with 23, and could bring in as many as 12 this weekend.

    The Creative Arts Emmys mostly go to technical and craft nominees who have little name recognition outside their field. Categories include best sci-fi or period hairstyles and best stunt coordination for a comedy.

    But big stars and big moments also emerge. Last year, “Shogun” broke a record for most Emmys for a series in a season with 14 at the Creative Arts ceremony, before it went on to dominate the main ceremony. And the songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul sneakily joined the elite EGOT club when they won their first Emmy to go with their Oscar, Tony and Grammy trophies for a song they co-wrote for “Only Murders in the Building.”

    The always star-studded guest acting categories will be handed out on Saturday. The guests who played themselves on “The Studio,” the Hollywood satire starring and cocreated by Seth Rogen, make for an A-list set of nominees. Directors Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese are up for their first acting Emmys, and they’ll be competing with fellow “Studio” guests Anthony Mackie and Bryan Cranston for guest actor in a drama.

    The best guest actress in a comedy category includes Oscar winners Jamie Lee Curtis and Olivia Colman, both up for their roles on “The Bear.”

    And on Sunday, Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé are both nominated for football halftime shows, while Barack Obama’s competition for his second Emmy in the narration category includes Tom Hanks and Idris Elba.

    The big names don’t always show up to claim their Emmys at these ceremonies, but many nominees this year are also presenters, including Howard, Curtis, Questlove and Maya Rudolph.

    Because of the abundance of more technical awards including prosthetics and visual effects, the Creative Arts Emmys are often a time for genre shows to shine. “The Penguin” and “The Last of Us” could easily collect a set of wins for HBO and streaming partner Max, which led all outlets this year with 142 overall nominations.

    So could “Andor” the gritty, revolutionary “Star Wars” series that is a rare Emmy bright spot for Disney+. Snubbed in the acting categories, 11 of its 14 categories will be handed out Saturday. They include best character voice-over for Alan Tudyk, who provided the bluntly honest dialogue of the droid K-2SO.

    Tudyk’s category shows the strange range of nominees the Creative Arts ceremony can bring. His voice-over competitors include Julie Andrews for “Bridgerton,” Hank Azaria for “The Simpsons,” and Rudolph for “Big Mouth.”

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    For more coverage on this year’s Emmy Awards and recent television shows, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/television

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  • A TCU Alum is Joining the Cast of SNL This Season

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    After a months-long celebration of the 50th season of Saturday Night Live, it’s back to business as usual for the iconic sketch comedy show. Just a few weeks away from the Oct. 4 premiere of SNL season 51, the show announced the abrupt firing of four cast members, including Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Heidi Gardner…

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    Simon Pruitt

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  • Comedy Show Aims to Fundraise Financial Aid for Undocumented College Students

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    For the last 24 years, Texas has provided in-state tuition to undocumented students through the Texas Dream Act, which was signed into law by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry in 2001. On June 4, a lawsuit from President Donald Trump’s administration challenging the policy was upheld by federal Judge Reed O’Connor, abruptly invalidating the Texas Dream Act and jeopardizing the education of 57,000 students statewide, plus at least 197,000 students under the age of 18 ahead of their high school graduation…

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    Simon Pruitt

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  • Movie Review: In ‘The Baltimorons,’ emergency dental work prompts an unlikely rom-com

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    There are all kinds of movies that are either endangered or practically extinct. The big-studio comedy. The original musical. But the sweet and shaggy regular-people movie — more a province of the 1970s, always one that required a little hunting down — is a particularly rare breed.

    “Baltimorons” is one of those little movies you might stumble across and be surprised that it hooks you. It does so despite — or more likely because — of its complete lack of flashiness or any self-evident attempt to “hook you.” Instead, it manages that simply with low-key charm and a warm, unpretentious humanity.

    Director Jay Duplass’ film is about a young Baltimore man in recovery for two things. Cliff (Michael Strassner) has quit both drinking and improv comedy. If “yes, and” had been his personal mantra, he’s now, after a failed suicide attempt seen in the movie’s first moments, pledged to give up both for his girlfriend, Brittany (Olivia Luccardi).

    It doesn’t take us long to grasp that this state of affairs is trying for Cliff, a gregarious and easygoing guy, but an aimless one. The alcohol isn’t so much the problem, though. More difficult is going cold turkey on riffing his way through life.

    On Christmas Eve, while Cliff is heading to Brittany’s family home for a holiday celebration, he trips and chips his tooth. With most dentist offices closed, he ends up at the door of Didi (Liz Larsen). Their interactions are, at first, awkward. Cliff is informal and prying; Didi, many years his senior, is more official. As a partner for Cliff’s eager conversation, Didi, a woman with a defeated, just-getting-through-the-day, middle-aged melancholy, would seem about the least genial match.

    But each gets little windows into the other’s life. Didi, divorced, learns her daughter won’t be with her that evening — a phone call overheard by Cliff. And when the dental work is done, Cliff realizes his car has been towed. Didi reluctantly offers a ride, and, from there, the two end up on an unlikely Christmas Eve odyssey together, without the supernatural qualities of Dickens but nevertheless with ghosts from the past along the way, such as Didi’s ex-husband and Cliff’s former improv troupe (named The Baltimorons).

    “Rom-com” or “May-December romance” would be reasonable labels to put on Duplass’ film, written by him and Strassner. But part of the freewheeling charm of the film is that it doesn’t try to define the relationship that evolves during its lightly paced night. These are just a couple of people (both actors are wonderfully natural) a bit disappointed by life, who find each other at the right time.

    Jay Duplass and his brother, Mark Duplass (a producer here), first made their mark in the early ‘00s with micro-budget comedies like “The Puffy Chair.” “The Baltimorons,” though, doesn’t feel like it’s trying to shake up the movie industry. Like its characters, it’s just trying to get by, and maybe find a little companionship along the way.

    “The Baltimorons,” an Independent Film Company release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language. Running time: 100 minutes. Three stars out of four.

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  • A Guide to Saturday Night Live’s Five Newest Cast Members

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    Live from Studio 8H… it’s five new Saturday Night Live cast members. On Tuesday, NBC announced that it’s adding Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska to the cast of the long-running sketch series.

    After SNL‘s 50th season—which included two major televised specials in the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert and SNL 50: The Anniversary Celebration—rumors swirled that Michaels was looking to reshape the cast in a major way. Last week, a raft of departures were announced: Emil Wakim leaves the series after a single season. Devon Walker and Michael Longfellow have both departed after three years with the program. Most surprisingly of all—unless you’ve been paying attention—longtime cast member Heidi Gardner announced she’d be leaving Saturday Night Live after eight seasons as one of the show’s most visible faces.

    With room on the roster, Michaels has made good on his promise to shake things up, hiring five rising comedians to join the cast as featured players. But who made the cut, and why does one of them look so familiar? Here’s a breakdown of SNL’s newest cast members.

    Ben Marshall

    Marshall may be technically new to the show’s cast, but he isn’t new to Saturday Night Live. In 2021, he boarded the show as part of the comedy troupe “Please Don’t Destroy,” along with his partners Martin Herlihy and John Higgins. Together, the trio made digital shorts for SNL, a la “The Lonely Island” from the early aughts; several of those videos, including “Roast” with Dakota Johnson, went viral.

    Now Marshall is getting bumped up to featured player, while Herlihy—whose father, Tim Herlihy, wrote for SNL and is a frequent Adam Sandler collaborator—is reportedly sticking around as a writer for season 51. Higgins, whose father Steve Higgins is a longtime writer and producer on SNL as well as the announcer for The Tonight Show, is leaving the show to pursue other acting projects. So this year, Marshall will be on his own on Saturday Night Live for the first time—but he’s got 4 years of SNL experience under his belt. Standing well over six feet and with bright red hair, he’ll certainly stand out.

    Veronika Skolikowska

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    Chris Murphy

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  • What to Stream: ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘The Paper,’ MTV Video Music Awards and a Hollow Knight sequel

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    A follow-up TV comedy of “The Office” called “The Paper” and the buddy live action comedy “Lilo & Stitch” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Mark Ruffalo starring in the new cat-and-mouse thriller “Task,” a sequel to the indie legend video game Hollow Knight arrives and David Byrne releases a new album, “Who Is the Sky?”

    — “Friendship,” Andrew DeYoung’s auspicious debut feature, makes its streaming debut Saturday, Sept. 6 on HBO Max, a day after debuting on HBO. The movie tackles modern masculinity and male loneliness with biting satire and humor, taking detours into horror and the surreal. My review said we see Tim Robinson at his awkward best and Paul Rudd at his charismatic best in this quirky look at bromances.

    — The live-action “Lilo & Stitch,” which in just 17 days made more domestically than the live-action “The Little Mermaid” did in its entire run, pops up on Disney+ on Wednesday. It’s the tale of a 6-year-old lonely Native girl in Hawaii who befriends an alien outcast. In my review, I was unhappy that the original 2002 animated story had been swamped by weird temporal portals, a Jet Ski chase and an overwrought conclusion. Audiences flocked to the movie, which is the year’s biggest hit with more than $1 billion earned at the box office.

    — AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy

    — Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is in no way slowing down. On Friday, the 73-year-old idiosyncratic artist will release a new album, “Who Is the Sky?”, a collection of avant-garde pop for fans of his band and beyond. There’s a real joy here.

    — There are glam rock icons and then there is Marc Bolan, a pioneer of the ’70s movement with his visionary band T. Rex, a larger-than-life figure now celebrated in a new documentary. “AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex” hits streaming on Friday, Sept. 5. Expect rare footage and to be overwhelmed by a strong desire to purchase sequined pants.

    — It is that time of year again: The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards are right around the corner. The three-hour show will broadcast live on CBS and available to stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific, live from the UBS Arena just outside New York City. Lady Gaga leads the nominations, so get ready for some “Mayhem.”

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — “The Office” follow-up called “The Paper” makes its anticipated debut on Peacock this week. On the show, the documentary crew that once filmed the staff of Dunder Mifflin paper company in Scranton, Penn. has now begun following the staff of a small newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. To their surprise, one of the accountants who works on staff is none other than Oscar Martinez, a crossover character from ‘The Office” played by Oscar Nunez. Domhnall Gleeson (“The Patient”) and Sabrina Impacciatore (“White Lotus” season 2) also star. All 10 episodes drop on Monday.

    — Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo star in a new series about their “NCIS” characters called, “NCIS: Tony & Ziva,” debuting Monday on Paramount+. The show picks up 10 years after de Pablo left “NCIS” with Tony and Ziva — or Tiva as fans call them — living in France and co-parenting their daughter. When they become the target of a conspiracy, the former agents go on the run. This is the sixth spinoff in the “NCIS” universe and a departure from the procedural format its known for. “Tony & Ziva” is more of a mixed bag with action, drama, romance and comedy.

    — Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey star in a new cat-and-mouse thriller for HBO called “Task.” Ruffalo plays an FBI agent in Pennsylvania assigned to lead a task force investigating violent robberies. The show is from the creator of the stellar “Mare of Easttown.” It premieres Thursday and streams on Max.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — Hollow Knight, a 2D exploration game that came out in 2017, has become an indie legend over the years, selling millions of copies and landing on plenty of best-games-ever lists. Australian studio Team Cherry announced a sequel in 2019 — and after a long gestation period, Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally arrived. The essence remains the same: Making your way through a lush, vibrant landscape while fighting off the bugs and other nuisances that live there. The protagonist, a princess named Hornet, is more acrobatic than the original hero, but the developer is promising more of the challenging and tightly focused combat fans love. It arrives Thursday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Switch and PC.

    — The developers at Bandai Namco Studios Singapore are known for their bruising work on fighters like Tekken and Soul Calibur, but their new game takes on a more delicate art: origami. Hirogami stars a master of folding named Hiro who can transform into creatures like a soaring bird, a barrier-smashing armadillo and a high-jumping frog. A soundtrack featuring traditional Japanese instruments creates a mellow vibe as Hiro defends his paper-crafted 3D world from “deadly digital invaders.” Know when to fold ’em starting Wednesday on PlayStation 5 and PC.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • Movie Review: Murder, she solved — Helen Mirren channels Angela Lansbury in ‘Thursday Murder Club’

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    First of all, is this really what retirement looks like?

    If so, perhaps we should all sign up, no matter our age. In “The Thursday Murder Club,” an amiable, cozy, pleasantly entertaining adaptation of Richard Osman’s mystery novel, the lucky club members live in a retirement home that resembles Downton Abbey.

    The food at this dreamy manor house nestled in the English countryside is scrumptious, with a choice of wines at lunch. The apartments are huge, the antiques tasteful, the archery and life-drawing classes top-notch. And the emotional support animals are llamas. Yes, llamas.

    This is the setting, quaintly called Coopers Chase, in which four retirees, led by Helen Mirren in her no-nonsense plaid blazers, depart from yoga and Sudoku each week to consider cold cases. Old folks solving cases — and outthinking police — is nothing new in our popular culture. Let’s recall “Murder, She Wrote,” in which Angela Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher solved cases in tiny Cabot Cove, Maine — where close to 300 murders somehow occurred during the show’s 12-year run.

    The crime-busting seniors in “The Thursday Murder Club,” directed by Chris Columbus, are nowhere near that fortunate in terms of body count. But they approach their weekly meetings with gusto. Mirren’s Elizabeth has skills from a career in “international affairs” (smells like espionage). Pierce Brosnan’s Ron is former trade unionist, and Ben Kingsley’s Ibrahim a former psychiatrist. As we begin, the trio is considering a case from the ’70s in which a woman fell out a window under mysterious circumstances.

    But they need medical expertise, and thus they recruit new resident Joyce (Celia Imrie), an expert baker and former trauma nurse. We meet her as she’s showing off the grounds to her haughty daughter, who manages a hedge fund and can’t eat Mom’s cakes because she’s perimenopausal. “Everybody’s doing llamas these days, Mum,” she says, unimpressed with the surroundings.

    But Joyce is thrilled to join the club, and even more thrilled when, one morning, news comes that an actual murder has occurred — a co-owner of Coopers Chase, actually. “Now we’ve got a real case to solve!” she gushes, with “Disco Inferno” suddenly playing on the soundtrack (that’s a little much), as she pulls Ron from aqua aerobics for a meeting. “Isn’t it wonderful!”

    But no, it isn’t all wonderful — the deceased had promised to protect the retirees from the plans of another co-owner to demolish the home and make an event space. The shady Ian Ventham (David Tennant) also intends to uproot the cemetery. Ron organizes a noisy protest. And then, yet another murder happens.

    Naomi Ackie is appealing as a police officer who aches for exciting work, and Daniel Mays very funny as her clueless boss. As for the plot – well, the rather dry storyline is not what brings pleasure here.

    No, that pleasure is derived from seeing these veterans strut their stuff, foremost among them Mirren. (Kingsley, alas, gets almost no good lines). Her most delicious moment is a direct nod to her Oscar-winning role as a different Elizabeth. Heading out on an incognito mission with Joyce, she dons a silk headscarf, a comfy cardigan, a tartan skirt and a walking stick. “You look like the Queen!” notes her husband. “Do I?” she asks, cheekily.

    But moments later, on the bus with Joyce, Elizabeth has a scene that rings false. Reading a text message, she asks her friend: “What does WTF mean?” Joyce explains, loudly, what it means, saying she learned it from her daughter. A young mother with a child nearby is shocked at the profanity. It’s all too cute by half. We’re supposed to believe razor-sharp Elizabeth doesn’t know what “WTF” means?

    It’s a few moments like this that cause some discomfort, raising the question of whether these characters are being, well, caricatured. Columbus seems to acknowledge the issue with an exchange where Joyce tells Elizabeth that she feels like she’s in “one of those Sunday night dramas about two bright-eyed, feisty, old lady detectives outsmarting the police at every turn.” Annoyed, Elizabeth tells her never to utter the words again.

    In any case, there’s a sadder undertone that provides some grounding here. Elizabeth’s husband — poignantly played by Jonathan Pryce — is in the early stages of dementia, a fact Elizabeth is keeping from him. He has his good days and his bad ones, she explains to a friend. Sometimes he’s his old self, and sometimes he’s just gone.

    It’s a message that even if our main protagonists seem healthy and active, they’re at a stage in life where every day is a bit more precarious. “Cherish the good moments,” the friend tells Elizabeth.

    It’s a good message, overall, for the movie. The script could certainly be sharper, the comedy more clever. But for two hours on Netflix, Coopers Chase is rather a comfy place to be, with some moments to cherish.

    “The Thursday Murder Club,” a Netflix release, has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association “for violent content/bloody images, strong language and some sexual references.” Running time: 118 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

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  • The SNL Departure Announcements Have Begun

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    Photo: Caro Scarimbolo/NBC

    Don’t hide your feelings; it’s okay to be sad and let your mascara run! Changes are hard, especially when your favorite emotional support Saturday Night Live writers announce their departure from the show. After celebrating 50 years at 30 Rock, some of the crew are taking this moment to say their goodbyes to SNL as season 51 quickly approaches — October’s season premiere will be here before you know it. Here’s everyone who’s saying farewell to Studio 8H, from the cast to the writers, who’ll be enjoying having their weekends free this Fall.

    After three seasons, cast member Devon Walker is not returning to SNL and he’s finding a more light-hearted approach to hard launching the news, writing “me and baby broke up” on Instagram. At the top of the note on the third slide, he asks, “wait… did he quit or did he get fired?” before addressing that it doesn’t really matter. “To me, jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages,” he begins. “Some of em last for a long time if we’re lucky, but most of them are fleeting. Permanent until they’re not. That’s the deal. You know what it is it when you sign up.” Walker does look to the future, with hopes of landing a gig on a “prestige drama” sometime soon, “ideally something with Julianne Moore.”

    Behind the screen, two writers have confirmed they’ll not be returning to SNL. Celeste Yim, who frequently wrote with Bowen Yang, announced on August 25 that they’re departing the show after five seasons, giving Yang a special shout-out. “Thank you Bowen for changing my life and for making me feel normal,” Yim wrote. Rosebud Baker, who wrote for four seasons, is also leaving the writers’ room for SNL the same day as she announced a fall comedy tour.

    SNL is back on October 4. There’s no host or musical guest announced yet, but if we had to nominate anyone, may we suggest a showgirl?

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    Alejandra Gularte

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  • Marc Maron Had Real Time to Come After Bill Maher

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    Marc Maron may suffer from crippling anxiety, but he doesn’t suffer fools. Maron went off on Bill Maher on Pod Save America, calling him “desperate” in an episode released August 24. “I can’t do it,” he said, when Jon Lovett asked him about Maher. “I always had a problem with his tone.” He elaborated that with Maher, “and it happens with some of the other boomers, there’s this desperate chasing of relevance that changes someone’s mind in terms of how they approach what they do and also kind of makes the whole undertaking feel desperate.”

    Maron did caveat that he’d been on Maher’s shows Politically Incorrect and Real Time before (he was on Real Time thrice between 2011 and 2015). Then he offered the Kendrick Lamar–esque kill shot: “He’s got good joke writers who know how to write for his tone, but I can’t see past the desperation and what he’s willing to do to stay in the conversation.” Next, Maron claims Maher disappoints his entire family.

    Earlier this year, the WTF host criticized Maher for telling people that he agreed with “some of the things” that Trump was doing. “Are you going to be like Bill Maher, you know, ‘I’m going to agree with some of the things that Trump is doing,’” Maron said on a March episode of WTF with W. Kamau Bell. “It’s like, dude, you’re a bitch.” That may be Politically Incorrect, but it’s funny.

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    Jason P. Frank

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  • Stewart Francis is a short-joke sniper—bullseyes only (24 Photos)

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    Bite-sized jokes, anyone?

    Stewart Francis, the Canadian comedian, is a wizard when it comes to wordplay and wit.

    Known for his deadpan delivery of irreverent one-liners, he’s like an assassin on stage, debatably one of the best short-joke kings of all time.

    We’ve memefied some of his best material. Soak it all in.

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    Ty

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  • Why do so many jobs require a license?

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    Around 20 percent of American workers must hold a professional license to do their job. Why? 

    Andrew Heaton has an answer. And it’s infuriating.

    The post Why Do So Many Jobs Require a License? appeared first on Reason.com.

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    Andrew Heaton

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  • Best Bets: Name of the Game, Essays in Motion and With Malice Towards None

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    Kids are back in school, and we’re well on our way to fall, even if it doesn’t feel like it temperature-wise. You can still beat the heat and avoid the rain with our mostly indoor best bets. This week, we’ve got world premiere dance works, bravura filmmaking, and live music. Keep reading for these and more below.


    NobleMotion Dance     returns to the MATCH tonight, August 21, at 7:30 p.m. with Pressure Point, a program featuring four world premieres and returning fan favorite KinkyKool Fan Blowing Hard. Andy Noble, NobleMotion’s co-artistic director with wife Dionne Sparkman Noble, recently told the Houston Press, “It moves quickly from one section to the next, and it gives you a taste of how we play with structure and form, how we play with line, how we play with a little bit of humor and being a little irreverent, how we play with metaphor, and how physical we want our dances to be. It showcases all of that in 12 minutes.” Additional performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, August 22, and Saturday, August 23. Thursday night’s performance is pay-what-you-can (minimum $5), with tickets to the other performances priced at $20 to $35. Tickets are available here.


    Though the exact origin of the word mariachi is unknown, the “music is an unmistakable symbol of Mexico and Mexican culture throughout the world,” born from a long history “of revolution, urbanization, industrialization, yearning for the past, and the quest to forge a uniquely Mexican national identity.”  On Friday, August 22, at 7 p.m., you can hear some of the best mariachi musicians from across the state and some of the best ballet folklórico dancers when Performing Arts Houston opens the 6th Annual Mariachi Festival. Mariachi Imperial de America, Mexico en Danzas Grupo Folklórico, University of Houston Mariachi Pumas, and the Mariachi High School All-Star Group will open the three-day festival, with tickets available here for $29 to $149. The festival continues at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 23, and 3 p.m. Sunday, August 24.

    If Magic Mike and Chippendales are your only points of reference for male exotic dancing, get a different perspective, one from South Central Los Angeles in the late 1980s until the early 2000s, in Name of the Game, a 2023 documentary directed by William Forbes and Douglas Skinner. The film is now making its way around art house theaters, including River Oaks Theatre, where it will screen on Friday, August 22, at 7:15 p.m., followed by a special Q&A with the filmmakers and documentary participants. Of the film, Skinner has said, “This is Black male exotic. It’s a little different. There’s not really a category or a lane for this. So, we said we’re going to be the ones to spearhead this and get this out.” Tickets to the screening can be purchased here for $16.

    A host of special guests, including Houston Poet Laureate Emeritus Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, members of Houston Ebony Opera Guild and Houston Chamber Choir, will join Apollo Chamber Players at Miller Outdoor Theatre on Friday, August 22, at 8 p.m., when the ensemble presents With Malice Toward None. The program that will pull works from its 2021 album of the same name and newer pieces from their upcoming album BAN: Stories of Censorship, which will also be released Friday. The performance is free, and you can reserve a ticket here starting at 10 a.m. today, August 21, or you can plan to sit on the Hill, where no ticket is required. If you can’t make it out to Miller, the concert will be livestreamed on the Miller Outdoor Theatre website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page.

    click to enlarge

    Creative Minds Collaborative will present an evening of dance on Saturday at the MATCH.

    Photo by Nao Kusuzaki

    Houston leader Donna Fujimoto Cole went from a divorced 27-year-old with a young daughter and only $5,000 in the bank to the president and CEO of a company with revenues exceeding $80 million. Cole inspired Mandala, a trio choreographed by Nao Kusuzaki, a former Houston Ballet soloist and current executive and artistic director of Creative Minds Collaborative. On Saturday, August 23, at 2:30 p.m. at the MATCH, the organization will present Essays in Motion, a dance program also featuring a duet from Hayden Stark of Houston Ballet and dancer-choreographer Shohei Iwahama; a reworked version of Jennifer Mabus’s Tuning to Grace, originally created for 6 o’Clock Dance Theatre; and Kusuzaki’s world premiere She, Unfolding. The program will be performed a second time on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here for $20 to $30.

    Saturday Night Live cast member Marcello Hernández made his first appearance as “Domingo” on the long-running sketch comedy show back in October and quickly went viral, with his “other man” character even popping up during SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration in another viral sketch featuring the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, and Pedro Pascal. Hernández continues to ride the wave of pop culture popularity with a recent role in Happy Gilmore 2 and a soon-to-be filmed Netflix stand-up special in his hometown of Miami, Florida. But if you can’t wait, on Saturday, August 23, at 7 p.m., you can enjoy Hernández’s stand-up set when he performs at Cullen Performance Hall. But if you want to see the show, you have to be quick: Only a few tickets remain here for $51 to $115.

    When Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low made it to American shores in 1963, The New York Times declared it “one of the best detective thrillers ever filmed,” a sentiment that has not changed over the last 60 years (see Spike Lee’s recent reimagined Highest 2 Lowest with Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky). Kurosawa’s film, adapted from an American pulp novel, finds the family of a wealthy Japanese industrialist the target of a kidnapping scheme, with the result “a model of its genre, pegged on a harassed man’s moral decision, laced with firm characterizations and tingling detail and finally attaining an incredibly colorful crescendo of microscopic police sleuthing.” The film will close the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Akira Kurosawa: The Eternal Master series on Sunday, August 24, at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here for $7 to $9.
    Since its release in 2003, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code has sold over 80 million copies and launched a three-film series starring Tom Hanks as protagonist Robert Langdon that has “made a combined $1.47 billion in worldwide box office.” On Sunday, August 24, at 6 p.m., you can catch the Harvard symbologist’s most popular adventure, which finds him going from a murder in the Louvre to a conspiracy with a secret about the Holy Grail at its heart, on the big screen when the Alley Theatre and Houston Cinema Arts Society present The Da Vinci Code at River Oaks Theatre. Tickets for the screening are available here for $16. And don’t miss The Da Vinci Code on stage when the Alley opens the play on Friday, September 19. You can learn more here.

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    Natalie de la Garza

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  • ‘Weapons’ horror film scores a box office victory

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    LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s August, and horror and humor came to play.

    In a month that’s long been known to let edgier movies thrive, Zach Cregger’s highly anticipated horror film “Weapons” did not disappoint, topping the box office during its debut weekend with $42.5 million domestically from 3,202 theaters. It made $70 million internationally.

    The film’s success also handed its distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, the seventh No. 1 opening of the year, and became the studio’s sixth film in a row to debut with over $40 million domestically.

    “Freakier Friday,” Disney’s chaotic sequel to the 2003 classic, “Freaky Friday,” took the second spot during its premiere weekend, earning $29 million in 3,975 North American theaters. Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis return, this time for a double body-swapping between the mother-daughter duo and Lohan’s teen daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter.

    This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Cary Christopher in a scene from “Weapons.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

    Viral marketing tactics, coupled with strong social media word-of-mouth, boded well for both films’ success, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore.

    “The top two films could not be more different, and that’s what makes this weekend so appealing for moviegoers,” Dergarabedian said. “Both are perfectly tailored for their audiences to react in real time over the weekend to these films and then post on social media.”

    “Weapons” transports audiences to the small town of Maybrook, where 17 kids up and leave their homes at 2:17 a.m., leaving bewildered parents in their wake. The town is left to navigate the lingering effects of trauma through horror, paranoia and a touch of existential humor.

    The film is Cregger’s follow-up to his solo directorial debut with the 2022 genre-bending horror, “Barbarian.” That critically-acclaimed film had a slower start and smaller budget, but still topped the charts during its premiere with $10 million domestically and made a splash in the genre.

    “Weapons” generated a lot of buzz for its strong reviews (95% on Rotten Tomatoes).

    This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Cary Christopher in a scene from "Weapons." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

    This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Cary Christopher in a scene from “Weapons.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

    “The internet’s exploding right now between Friday and today. You just see that people are having a great time with it,” said Jeffrey Goldstein, president of global distribution for Warner Bros. “It starts with an exceptional movie, an exceptional marketing campaign, and the date was exceptional too.”

    The success of the comedy-horror double premiere meant “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” surrendered its two-week run in the top spot and landed in the third position, bringing in $15.5 million domestically. The superhero movie enjoyed a strong $118 million debut, but stumbled in its second weekend.

    “The Bad Guys 2,” which got a healthy start at the No. 2 spot during its premiere weekend, came in fourth place, earning $10.4 million domestically. “The Naked Gun” had a similar fate, reaching the fifth position with $8.4 million in North American theaters.

    “Jurassic World Rebirth,” which came in seventh this week, is expected to hit $800 million globally by Monday, according to NBC Universal, following a successful run in theaters.

    Warner Bros. started off slow this year, but made a comeback with the box-office hit, “A Minecraft Movie,” which opened with $157 million domestically. Since then, movies like “Sinners,” “Superman” and now, “Weapons,” have found success.

    This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Cary Christopher in a scene from "Weapons." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

    This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Cary Christopher in a scene from “Weapons.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

    The studio set “a blueprint to how to create a perfect summer lineup,” Dergarabedian said.

    “Weapons ”also joins a stream of successful horror movies this year, its opening numbers coming in just behind “Final Destination: Bloodlines” and “Sinners.”

    Top 10 movies by domestic box office

    With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

    1. “Weapons,” $42.5 million.

    2. “Freakier Friday,” $29 million.

    3. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” $15.5 million.

    4. “The Bad Guys 2,” $10.4 million.

    5. “The Naked Gun,” $8.4 million.

    6. “Superman,” $7.8 million.

    7. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $4.7 million.

    8. “F1: The Movie,” $2.9 million.

    9. “Together,” $2.6 million.

    10. “Sketch,” $2.5 million.

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  • What to stream: ‘Yellowstone’ starts its end, Eddie Redmayne as a sniper and Aubrey Plaza gets high

    What to stream: ‘Yellowstone’ starts its end, Eddie Redmayne as a sniper and Aubrey Plaza gets high

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    Eddie Redmayne starring as a sniper for hire in the new limited series “The Day of the Jackal” and “Yellowstone” riding off into the sunset with the launch of its final episodes are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Aubrey Plaza stars in the coming-of-age comedy “My Old Ass,” two famous Nintendo siblings team up for the video game Mario & Luigi Brothership and Whitney Houston’s epic 1994 concert video in post-apartheid South Africa.

    – Is there a better way to spend election week than with a psychedelic mushroom-induced Aubrey Plaza? Well, yes, there probably is. But, still, Megan Park’s “My Old Ass” (streaming Thursday on Prime Video) is a uniquely charming and oddly moving coming-of-age drama. The film stars Maisy Stella as Elliott, an 18-year-old whose birthday mushroom trip, while camping in Ontario’s Muskoka region, conjures a surreal visitor: her 39-year-old self (played by Plaza). In his review, AP’s Mark Kennedy called the results “uneven but (Park) sticks the landing.”

    – Of the many fans of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s films, none is more passionate than Martin Scorsese. In “Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger” (airing Thursday on TCM), Scorsese narrates his journey through movies that have had a profound effect on the filmmaker. In it, he describes being “so bewitched by them as a child that they make a big part of my films’ subconscious.” The documentary, directed by David Hinton and produced by Thelma Schoonmaker, isn’t just a chronicle of films like “The Red Shoes,” “Black Narcissus” and “I Know Where I’m Going!” but captures how movies can transfix you, change you and live alongside you as you grow older.

    — With many glued to screens for the election results Tuesday, it might be a good week to revisit some of the best films about American politics. Alan Pakula’s chilling assassination thriller “The Parallax View” is streaming on Paramount+. On Hoopla, you can find both John Frankenheimer’s mind control masterpiece “The Manchurian Candidate” and Elia Kazan’s prescient “A Face in the Crowd.” “Election,” Alexander Payne’s biting satire, is streaming on Fubo. Spike Lee’s towering “Malcolm X” is available to rent, as is Steven Spielberg’s epic “Lincoln.” But if you’re feeling more cynical, Mike Judge’s “Idiocracy” can be found on Hulu.

    — AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

    — On Friday, Nov. 8, the Whitney Houston estate and Legacy Recording will release “The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban),” the recording of her epic concert in post-apartheid South Africa, staged after President Nelson Mandela’s landmark election. It follows the fully remastered theatrical release of a concert film of the same name. In 1994, Houston took the stage for three concerts in South Africa including in Durban at Kings Park Stadium, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Over 200,000 people attended. The album is also Houston’s first ever live concert album (but not her first ever live album, give credit where credit is due — to 2014’s “Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances” and “VH1 Divas 1999.”) She’s never sounded better.

    — Another look back at the ’90s: Tsunami, the ferocious indie rock band lead by frontwomen Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson, co-owners of the Simple Machines record label, are receiving a long overdue, career-spanning collection from the prolific Numero Group: A five LP, vinyl box set that features demos, singles, 1993’s “Deep End,” 1994’s “The Heart’s Tremolo,” and for the first time ever pressed to wax, 1997’s “A Brilliant Mistake.” If that’s too much physical media, don’t fret — listeners will be able to get an education on streaming platforms as well.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — Eddie Redmayne hasn’t starred in a TV series since the 2012 two-part World War I saga, “Birdsong.” He marks his return as a sniper for hire in the new Peacock limited series, “The Day of the Jackal.” It’s an updated version of a Frederick Forsyth novel published in 1971. Lashana Lynch plays an intelligence officer, intent on catching Redmayne’s mysterious killer who goes by the moniker The Jackal. “The Day of the Jackal” debuts Thursday on Peacock.

    — Prime Video’s spy franchise “Citadel” now includes “Citadel: Honey Bunny.” This version is set in India and is a prequel to the 2023 original that starred Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden. It takes place in the 1990s and introduces viewers to the parents of Chopra Jonas’ character, Nadia. Samantha Ruth Prabhu plays Nadia’s mother, Honey, with Varun Dhawan portraying her father, Bunny. The series debuts Thursday.

    — “Yellowstone,” the contemporary Western about a family whose ownership of the largest cattle ranch in the U.S. goes back generations, returns for the second half of its final season on Sunday, Nov. 10. Fans will want to tune in to learn how Kevin Costner is written off the show and what happens to couple Rip and Beth, played by Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly. “Yellowstone” season 5B debuts on Paramount Network.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — Mario may be the biggest celebrity in the Nintendo universe, but some of his most satisfying adventures have co-starred his gangly brother, Luigi. The boys are teaming up again for Mario & Luigi: Brothership, in which they explore an ocean dotted by a variety of islands. You’ll need to switch between the two to solve various puzzles, and sometimes they’ll need to team up to fly over or knock down obstacles. When they run into an enemy, the action switches to turn-based combat in which timing is everything. Mamma mia! Set sail Thursday on the Switch.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • Paula Poundstone visits Phoenix for Harris/Walz political fundraiser

    Paula Poundstone visits Phoenix for Harris/Walz political fundraiser

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    Not much seems funny about the upcoming presidential election, but comedian Paula Poundstone is coming to Phoenix on Monday to generate some laughs — and some money for the Harris/Walz campaign. Poundstone, along with fellow comedians Jimmy Tingle and Tony Tripoli, will appear in the Valley in a program called “Headliners for Harris,” presented by Mark Robert Gordon (DNC National Committeeman, AZ) and the Maricopa County LGBTQ+ Committee…

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    Timothy Rawles

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  • What to stream: ‘Warriors’ album, ‘The Dating Game’ killer, ‘NCIS: Origins’ and Travis Kelce’s games

    What to stream: ‘Warriors’ album, ‘The Dating Game’ killer, ‘NCIS: Origins’ and Travis Kelce’s games

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    Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume with “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film, are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Anna Kendrick stars in a movie about the time a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game,” Nintendo fans get Super Mario Party Jamboree and “NCIS” looks back at character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins,” a series set 25 years before the original.

    NEW MOVIES TO STREAM OCT. 14-20

    — In 1978, a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game.” Rodney Alcala was already a murderer by the time he appeared on the show as one of three bachelors seeking a date with a woman named Cheryl Bradshaw. He even won. Had they done a background check, they might have discovered that he’d been on the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives list and already been imprisoned for violent crimes against an 8-year-old. In the new Netflix film “Woman of the Hour,” streaming on Friday, Oct. 18, Anna Kendrick (also making her directorial debut) stars as the woman on the show (spelled Sheryl here) and puts the attention back on the victims. “Woman of the Hour” received good reviews out of the Toronto Film Festival last year.

    — If fake serial killers are more your style, “MaXXXine” starts streaming on MAX on Friday, Oct. 18. The third film in Ti West and Mia Goth’s unlikely trilogy (following “X” and “Pearl”) takes the audience to the sleazy underground of 1980s Hollywood. Goth’s Maxine Minx is an adult film star hoping for a big break in mainstream movies. She gets a shot from Elizabeth Debicki’s refined director. But she’s also running from her past and a killer terrorizing the town. It’s very stylized and a little silly and underdeveloped but it’s a fun watch with a fun, extended Lily Collins cameo.

    — And for those looking for a comedy, Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage play brothers, and former partners in crime in a starry new movie coming to Prime Video on Thursday. Brolin is the one trying for a more normal life when Dinklage convinces him to embark on a road trip to a promised big score. “Brothers,” directed by Max Barbakow (who made the delightful time loop romantic comedy “Palm Springs”) also features Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, Brendan Fraser and Taylour Paige in its big ensemble.

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    NEW MUSIC TO STREAM OCT. 14-20

    — On Friday, Oct. 18, Lin-Manuel Miranda — in his first full post-“Hamilton” musical — and the award-winning actor and playwright Eisa Davis will release “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film that follows a street gang as they make their way from the Bronx to their home turf of Coney Island amid an all-out blitz. There are some notable departures here, including some gender-flipping and inventive genre-melding, no doubt an extension of its all-star cast, which features everyone from Ms. Lauryn Hill and Marc Anthony to Colman Domingo, Busta Rhymes and more. Last month, the duo told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that their version of “Warriors” is about unity and peace. But it sounds full of action.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    NEW SHOWS TO STREAM OCT. 14-20

    — Austin Stowell plays a younger version of Mark Harmon’s “NCIS” character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins,” a series set 25 years before the original. We meet this Gibbs as he’s beginning his career as a naval investigator. “NCIS: Origins” debuts Monday on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

    — A new Peacock docuseries digs into the wild but true story of Elizabeth Finch, a former writer on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Finch wrote storylines she claimed were inspired by her own life and medical history, including a battle with bone cancer. She later admitted to lying. The three-part docuseries also tells the story of Finch’s ex-wife, who was the one to expose her deceit in the first place. “Anatomy of Lies” streams Tuesday on Peacock.

    — Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume. The Kansas City Chiefs tight-end hosts “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” beginning Wednesday on Prime Video. On the show, adult contestants answer elementary grade questions with a pool of celebrities on standby ready to help.

    — In the Apple TV+’s dramedy “Shrinking,” Jason Segel plays Jimmy, a therapist grieving the death of his wife and trying to navigate being a single parent to a teen daughter. In season one, he begins to give his patients unorthodox advice, like inviting one (Luke Tennie) to move into his home. We also saw a new kind of family blossom between Jimmy, his colleagues (Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams), and neighbor (Christa Miller). Season two of the heartwarming comedy premieres Wednesday on the streamer.

    — In season three of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Mickey Haller is rocked by the murder of his former client Gloria Days (Fiona Rene), but he also agrees to defend the man accused of killing her. The story is based on No. 5 of Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer book series called “The Gods of Guilt.” It premieres Thursday on Netflix.

    — The “Sheldon-verse” continues with “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” debuting Thursday on CBS. The series stars Montana Jordan as Sheldon’s older brother George “Georgie” Cooper and his new bride Mandy, played by Emily Osment. It’s a sequel to “Young Sheldon” which wrapped last May after seven seasons. Episodes also stream on Paramount+.

    — “Hysteria!”, coming to Peacock on Friday, Oct. 18, follows members of a high school band who pretend to be in a Satanic cult for attention. Their plan falls apart when town members target the teens in a witch hunt. The series stars Julie Bowen of “Modern Family” and “Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

    — Holiday season is almost here, and for Nintendo fans, there’s no party like a Mario Party. Super Mario Party Jamboree follows the classic formula: It’s a virtual board game in which most of the spaces lead to a multiplayer contest. Up to four people can play in-person or online, though one online mode lets up to 20 compete in a hectic “Koopathlon.” There are 22 characters, seven different boards and more than 110 minigames covering the gamut of Mario Party silliness, from races to brawls to minigolf. And there are few cooperative challenges, like a cooking game where four chefs try to slice and dice in rhythm. The festivities start Thursday on Switch.

    — Barcelona-based Nomada Studio gained plenty of fans and a handful of awards with 2018’s stylish Gris, a haunting tale in which a young girl worked through grief by solving puzzles and collecting stars. The indie developer’s Neva starts in a similarly gloomy place: A warrior named Alba sets out with a white wolf, Neva, to explore a dying world. Nomada calls it “a love song dedicated to our children, our parents and our planet,” and the arresting, painterly landscapes will look familiar to fans of Gris. The journey begins Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch and PC.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • What to stream: ‘Warriors’ album, ‘The Dating Game’ killer, ‘NCIS: Origins’ and Travis Kelce’s games

    What to stream: ‘Warriors’ album, ‘The Dating Game’ killer, ‘NCIS: Origins’ and Travis Kelce’s games

    [ad_1]

    Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume with “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film, are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Anna Kendrick stars in a movie about the time a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game,” Nintendo fans get Super Mario Party Jamboree and “NCIS” looks back at character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins,” a series set 25 years before the original.

    — In 1978, a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game.” Rodney Alcala was already a murderer by the time he appeared on the show as one of three bachelors seeking a date with a woman named Cheryl Bradshaw. He even won. Had they done a background check, they might have discovered that he’d been on the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives list and already been imprisoned for violent crimes against an 8-year-old. In the new Netflix film “Woman of the Hour,” streaming on Friday, Oct. 18, Anna Kendrick (also making her directorial debut) stars as the woman on the show (spelled Sheryl here) and puts the attention back on the victims. “Woman of the Hour” received good reviews out of the Toronto Film Festival last year.

    — If fake serial killers are more your style, “MaXXXine” starts streaming on MAX on Friday, Oct. 18. The third film in Ti West and Mia Goth’s unlikely trilogy (following “X” and “Pearl”) takes the audience to the sleazy underground of 1980s Hollywood. Goth’s Maxine Minx is an adult film star hoping for a big break in mainstream movies. She gets a shot from Elizabeth Debicki’s refined director. But she’s also running from her past and a killer terrorizing the town. It’s very stylized and a little silly and underdeveloped but it’s a fun watch with a fun, extended Lily Collins cameo.

    — And for those looking for a comedy, Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage play brothers, and former partners in crime in a starry new movie coming to Prime Video on Thursday. Brolin is the one trying for a more normal life when Dinklage convinces him to embark on a road trip to a promised big score. “Brothers,” directed by Max Barbakow (who made the delightful time loop romantic comedy “Palm Springs”) also features Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, Brendan Fraser and Taylour Paige in its big ensemble.

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    — On Friday, Oct. 18, Lin-Manuel Miranda — in his first full post-“Hamilton” musical — and the award-winning actor and playwright Eisa Davis will release “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film that follows a street gang as they make their way from the Bronx to their home turf of Coney Island amid an all-out blitz. There are some notable departures here, including some gender-flipping and inventive genre-melding, no doubt an extension of its all-star cast, which features everyone from Ms. Lauryn Hill and Marc Anthony to Colman Domingo, Busta Rhymes and more. Last month, the duo told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that their version of “Warriors” is about unity and peace. But it sounds full of action.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — Austin Stowell plays a younger version of Mark Harmon’s “NCIS” character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins,” a series set 25 years before the original. We meet this Gibbs as he’s beginning his career as a naval investigator. “NCIS: Origins” debuts Monday on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

    — A new Peacock docuseries digs into the wild but true story of Elizabeth Finch, a former writer on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Finch wrote storylines she claimed were inspired by her own life and medical history, including a battle with bone cancer. She later admitted to lying. The three-part docuseries also tells the story of Finch’s ex-wife, who was the one to expose her deceit in the first place. “Anatomy of Lies” streams Tuesday on Peacock.

    — Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume. The Kansas City Chiefs tight-end hosts “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” beginning Wednesday on Prime Video. On the show, adult contestants answer elementary grade questions with a pool of celebrities on standby ready to help.

    — In the Apple TV+’s dramedy “Shrinking,” Jason Segel plays Jimmy, a therapist grieving the death of his wife and trying to navigate being a single parent to a teen daughter. In season one, he begins to give his patients unorthodox advice, like inviting one (Luke Tennie) to move into his home. We also saw a new kind of family blossom between Jimmy, his colleagues (Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams), and neighbor (Christa Miller). Season two of the heartwarming comedy premieres Wednesday on the streamer.

    — In season three of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Mickey Haller is rocked by the murder of his former client Gloria Days (Fiona Rene), but he also agrees to defend the man accused of killing her. The story is based on No. 5 of Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer book series called “The Gods of Guilt.” It premieres Thursday on Netflix.

    — The “Sheldon-verse” continues with “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” debuting Thursday on CBS. The series stars Montana Jordan as Sheldon’s older brother George “Georgie” Cooper and his new bride Mandy, played by Emily Osment. It’s a sequel to “Young Sheldon” which wrapped last May after seven seasons. Episodes also stream on Paramount+.

    — “Hysteria!”, coming to Peacock on Friday, Oct. 18, follows members of a high school band who pretend to be in a Satanic cult for attention. Their plan falls apart when town members target the teens in a witch hunt. The series stars Julie Bowen of “Modern Family” and “Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — Holiday season is almost here, and for Nintendo fans, there’s no party like a Mario Party. Super Mario Party Jamboree follows the classic formula: It’s a virtual board game in which most of the spaces lead to a multiplayer contest. Up to four people can play in-person or online, though one online mode lets up to 20 compete in a hectic “Koopathlon.” There are 22 characters, seven different boards and more than 110 minigames covering the gamut of Mario Party silliness, from races to brawls to minigolf. And there are few cooperative challenges, like a cooking game where four chefs try to slice and dice in rhythm. The festivities start Thursday on Switch.

    — Barcelona-based Nomada Studio gained plenty of fans and a handful of awards with 2018’s stylish Gris, a haunting tale in which a young girl worked through grief by solving puzzles and collecting stars. The indie developer’s Neva starts in a similarly gloomy place: A warrior named Alba sets out with a white wolf, Neva, to explore a dying world. Nomada calls it “a love song dedicated to our children, our parents and our planet,” and the arresting, painterly landscapes will look familiar to fans of Gris. The journey begins Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch and PC.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • ‘Terrifier 3’ slashes ‘Joker’ to take No. 1 at the box office, Trump film ‘The Apprentice’ fizzles

    ‘Terrifier 3’ slashes ‘Joker’ to take No. 1 at the box office, Trump film ‘The Apprentice’ fizzles

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    NEW YORK — The choices on the movie marquee this weekend included Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, a film about Donald Trump, a “Saturday Night Live” origin story and even Pharrell Williams as a Lego. In the end, all were trounced by an ax-wielding clown.

    “Terrifier 3,” a gory, low-budget slasher from the small distributor Cineverse, topped the weekend box office with $18.3 million, according to estimates Sunday. The film, a sequel to 2022’s “Terrifier 2” ($15 million worldwide in ticket sales), brings back the murderous Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) and lets him loose, under the guise of Santa, at a Christmas party.

    That “Terrifier 3” could notably overperform expectations and leapfrog both major studios and awards hopefuls was only possible due to the disaster of “Joker: Folie à Deux.” After Todd Phillips’ “Joker” sequel, starring Phoenix and Lady Gaga, got off to a much-diminished start last weekend (and a “D” CinemaScore from audiences), the Warner Bros. release fell a staggering 81% in its second weekend, bringing in just $7.1 million.

    For a superhero film, such a drop has little precedent. Disappointments like “The Marvels,” “The Flash” and “Shazam Fury of the Gods” all managed better second weekends. Such a mass rejection by audiences and critics is particularly unusually for a follow-up to a massive hit like 2019’s “Joker.” That film, also from Phillips and Phoenix, grossed more than $1 billion worldwide against a $60 million budget.

    The sequel was pricier, costing about $200 million to make. That means “Joker: Folie à Deux” is headed for certain box-office disaster. Globally, it’s collected $165.3 million in ticket sales.

    “This is an outlier of a weekend if ever there was one,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “If you had asked anyone a month ago or even a week ago: Would ‘Terrifier 3’ be the number one movie amongst all these major-studio films and awards contenders? To have a movie like this come along just shows you that the audience is the ultimate arbiter of what wins at the box office.”

    The “Joker” slide allowed “The Wild Robot,” the acclaimed Universal Pictures and DreamWorks animated movie, to take second place in its third weekend with $13.4 million. Strong reviews for Chris Sanders’ adaptation of Peter Brown’s book have led the movie, with Lupita Nyong’o voicing the robot protagonist, to $83.7 million domestically and $148 million worldwide.

    The young Donald Trump film “The Apprentice,” distributed by Briarcliff Entertainment in 1,740 theaters, opened in a distant 10th place, managing a paltry $1.6 million in ticket sales. While expectations weren’t much higher, audiences still showed little enthusiasm for an election-year origin story of the Republican nominee.

    If headlines translated to ticket sales, Ali Abbasi’s film might have done better. “The Apprentice,” starring Sebastian Stan as Trump under the mentorship of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), has been making news since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, up to its last-minute release just weeks before the election. The Trump campaign has called the movie “election interference by Hollywood elites.”

    Abbasi’s film, set in the 1970s and 1980s, tested moviegoer’s appetite for a political film in an election year. Major studios and specialty labels passed on acquiring it in part because of the question of whether a movie about Trump would turn off both liberal and conservative moviegoers, alike. “The Apprentice” will depend on continued awards conversation for Strong and Stan to make a significant mark in theaters before voters turn out at the polls.

    Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” failed to ignite its nationwide expansion. The film, with an ensemble cast led by Gabriel LaBelle’s Lorne Michaels, collected $3.4 million from 2,288 locations. The Sony Pictures release, about the backstage drama as the NBC sketch comedy show is about to air for the first time in 1975, will likely need to make more of an impact with audiences to carry it through awards season.

    “Piece by Piece,” a Pharrell Williams documentary-biopic hybrid animated in Lego form, had also been hoping to click better with moviegoers. The acclaimed Focus Features release, directed by veteran documentarian Morgan Neville (“20 Feet From Stardom,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”), opened with $3.8 million from 1,865 theaters.

    But the debut for “Piece By Piece,” while low for a Lego animated movie, was very high for a documentary. “Piece By Piece,” which had the weekend’s best CinemaScore, an “A” from audiences, could play well for weeks to come. The film, which was modestly budgeted at $16 million, is also likely to end up the year’s highest grossing doc — if “Piece by Piece” can be called that.

    “We Live in Time,” the weepy drama starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, had one of the year’s best per-theater averages in its five-screen opening. The A24 release, which will expand nationwide next weekend, debuted with $255,911 and a $51,000 per-screen average.

    Outside of the success of Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (which pulled in $7.1 million in its six weekends of release despite recently launching on video-on-demand), Hollywood’s fall has struggled to get going. Low-budget horror, like “Terrifier 3,” continues to be one good bet in theaters, but this autumn has been mostly characterized by bombs like “Joker: Folie à Deux” and “Megalopolis.”

    This time last year, Taylor Swift was giving the box office a massive lift with “The Eras Tour.” This weekend compared with the same time last year was down 45% according to Comscore.

    Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

    1. “Terrifier 3,” $18.3 million.

    2. “The Wild Robot,” $13.5 million.

    3. “Joker: Folie à Deux,” $7.1 million.

    4. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” $7.1 million.

    5. “Piece by Piece,” $3.8 million.

    6. “Transformers One,” $3.7 million.

    7. “Saturday Night,” $3.4 million.

    8. “My Hero Academia: You’re Next,” $3 million.

    9. “Nightmare Before Christmas,” $2.3 million.

    10. “The Apprentice,” $1.6 million.

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  • Comedian Ms. Pat brings ‘Hot and Flashy Tour’ to Orlando’s Steinmetz Hall

    Comedian Ms. Pat brings ‘Hot and Flashy Tour’ to Orlando’s Steinmetz Hall

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    Comedian Ms. Pat tours into Orlando

    Y’all wanna hear something crazy? It’s time for Orlando to get a “Patdown” from the multi-talented comedian, author, radio host, podcaster and actress Ms. Pat.

    A Variety “Top Ten Comic to Watch,” Ms. Pat brings her “Hot and Flashy Tour” to Steinmetz Hall, with a set chock-full of honest, straight-up and sometimes provocative comedy about the difficulties of parenting, family relationships and growing up in challenging circumstances.

    Boasting a résumé complete with The Ms. Pat Show, an Emmy-nominated sitcom spanning four seasons, and Netflix special Y’all Wanna Hear Something Crazy?, the Atlanta-born comedian is best known for spinning her own experiences and life stories into raw, hilarious and critically-acclaimed stand-up.

    Don’t miss a fiery, relatable rising comedic star dubbed by the New York Times “brutally honest and outrageous.”

    7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, Steinmetz Hall, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, $35.50- $150.50.


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    Lucy Dillon

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  • What to Stream: Clooney & Pitt, Will & Harper, a Legend of Zelda game and two Ryan Murphy TV series

    What to Stream: Clooney & Pitt, Will & Harper, a Legend of Zelda game and two Ryan Murphy TV series

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    What Ellen DeGeneres says is her last comedy special landing on Netflix and George Clooney and Brad Pitt starring in a sleek, New York City caper are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Serj Tankian, frontman of the Grammy-award winning Armenian-American nu-metal band System of a Down, releases a solo EP, we get two Ryan Murphy series — “Grotesquerie” on FX and the ABC medical drama “Doctor Odyssey” — and nearly 40 years after the debut of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo is finally making the title character the star of her own game.

    — Hard as this may be to believe, George Clooney and Brad Pitt are good together. Yes, stop the presses and all that. But it’s been a while since Clooney and Pitt, who first teamed up for “Ocean’s 11” had a movie built around their easy charisma. “Wolfs,” streaming Friday, Sept. 27, on Apple TV+, corrects that with a sleek New York caper about two fixers who have been hired for the same clean-up job. In my review of the film by writer-director Jon Watts (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”), I wrote that “Wolfs” is “designed to show you that they can still, without ever really breaking a sweat, get the job done.”

    — Some Pixar fans have quibbled in the past when the digital animation studio has leaned too hard into sequels. But the box office for “Inside Out 2” is hard to refute. With nearly $1.7 billion in ticket sales, it’s the year’s biggest box-office hit. On Wednesday, “Inside Out 2” arrives on Disney+ to make one of the most anticipated streaming debuts of the year. In it, Riley has grown up a couple years but entered a new chapter in life: puberty, bringing with it a number of new emotions. In my review, I wrote that “the filmmakers of ‘Inside Out 2’ have managed again to filter complex psychological developments into a bright, entertaining head trip that in its finest moments packs an emotional wallop.”

    — Will Ferrell and Harper Steele became friends and collaborators at “Saturday Night Live,” where Steele was head writer from 2004 to 2008. When Steele came out as transgender a few years ago, Ferrell, interested in reconnecting, proposed a road trip. In “Will & Harper,” streaming Friday, Sept. 27, on Netflix, the two embark on a cross-country expedition full of revelations about what this changes and doesn’t change in their relationship.

    — AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

    — Remember the first time you heard “Million Dollar Baby”? The rap record feels like it came out of nowhere — as so many TikTok smashes do — but continues to endure, moving from hit song of the spring to hit song of the summer to hit song of the fall and beyond. But now, fans of Tommy Richman will get to dive deeper into his musical abilities when he releases the full-length “Coyote,” on Friday, Sept. 27. Little is known about the 11-track release, but the lead singles “Whitney,” a disco-funk electro-detour, and “Thought You Were the One” – a hook-heavy R&B ballad – suggest range.

    — Serj Tankian, frontman of the Grammy-award winning Armenian-American nu-metal band System of a Down, will release a short solo EP, “Foundations” on Friday, Sept. 27. The release maintains his band’s abrasion but experiments with different forms of audial rebellion. The single “A.F. Day,” for example, is a kind of psychedelic-punk treatise on the absurdity of everyday mundanity. And it sounds explosive.

    — There is nothing predictable about the band Being Dead’s sophomore album, “EELS,” produced by Grammy-award winnerJohn Congleton. Across 16 tracks that move from asymmetrical egg punk, Devo-worship, a recording of a bus driver who has had enough, timeless, near-psychedelic harmonies and various other oddball sensibilities that make them the best college radio rock band in recent history – Being Dead’s organized chaos is future-seeking and familiar all at once.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — Ellen DeGeneres says her next comedy special coming to Netflix will be her last. “For Your Approval” drops Sept. 24 and the comedian is “going there,” by addressing reports that she was difficult to deal with behind the scenes of her daytime talk show, which ended its run in 2022 after 19 seasons. “I got kicked out of show business,” she says in the trailer.

    — Ryan Murphy has a new series on FX called “Grotesquerie” premiering on Wednesday. Niecy Nash stars as a detective who agrees to help a nun and reporter (Micaela Diamond) with a Catholic newspaper to investigate a series of gruesome murders. Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (otherwise known as Taylor Swift’s boyfriend), has a secret role in the show.

    — If “Grotesquerie” isn’t your bag, there’s another Ryan Murphy series making its debut this week. A medical drama called “Doctor Odyssey” premieres Thursday on ABC. Joshua Jackson plays a doctor on board a luxury cruise ship called the Odyssey. Don Johnson, Philippa Soo and Sean Teale also star. The show also boasts a number of guest stars including John Stamos, Kelsea Ballerini, Shania Twain and Chord Overstreet. A trailer for the show had nearly 78 million views within 48 hours, making it the most-watched trailer for a new broadcast TV show. Episodes also stream on Hulu.

    — One might assume a TV show called “Colin from Accounts” takes place in an office setting. Instead, it’s a modern day romantic comedy made in Australia. It’s created by and co-stars real-life husband and wife, Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammel, who play two people who are brought together by an injured dog named Colin. All eight episodes of season two debut Sept. 26 on Paramount+.

    — “The Walking Dead” characters Daryl and Carol, (played by Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride), make up one of the most popular platonic pairings on television. The two unlikely friends bond over similar pasts and share a deep trust. They next co-star in “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol.” It premieres Sept. 29 on AMC and AMC+.

    — Zachry Quinto is back on TV on Monday in a medical drama. But he’s not portraying any dour, by-the-rules doctor — he’s playing Dr. Oliver Sacks, the famed neurologist, path-breaking researcher and author once called the “poet laureate of medicine.” NBC’s “Brilliant Minds” takes Sack’s personality — a motorcycle-riding, fern-loving doctor who died in 2015 at 82 — and puts his career in the present day, where the creators theorize he would have no idea who Taylor Swift is or own a cell phone.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — Nearly 40 years after the debut of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo is finally making the title character the star of her own game. As The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom begins, Link — our usual hero — has vanished, so it’s off to the rescue for Princess Z. She’s hardly a damsel in distress, armed with a “Tri Rod” that lets her duplicate objects she finds outside her castle. She can even make copies of monsters and have them fight on her side. The magical staff gives Zelda the improvisational skills that made last year’s Tears of the Kingdom a smash, while the top-down dungeon exploration will remind old-school fans of early games in the franchise. The Echoes begin reverberating Thursday, Sept. 26, on Switch.

    — Lou Kesten

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