by Here’s a collection curated by the entertainment journalists at The Associated Press, covering what’s hitting TV, streaming services, and music and video game platforms this week.
MOVIES
– The 95th Academy Awards are Sunday March 12th, which means time is running out to catch up on the nominees. The show itself can be streamed beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC.com and the ABC app with carrier authentication, as well as Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV. Most nominees stream or are available for digital rental. If you’re already familiar with the features, many of the shorts are worth checking out, including Pamela Ribon’s animated nominee My Year of Dicks. the Russian arctic documentary “Halout” and João Gonzalez’s “Ice Merchants”. Over on the Criterion Channel, the Michelle Yeoh Kicks Ass film series is streaming to honor the Everything Everywhere All at Once star and Best Actress nominee. The series collects some of her highlights as an action star in Hong Kong, including Yes, Madam! (1985), Royal Warriors (1986) and Ang Lee’s masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).
— Does Idris Elba need James Bond? if he has John Luther? In Luther: The Fallen Sun Elba returns as the London homicide detective he played on the BBC crime series for almost a decade. The Fallen Sun, which streams on Netflix on Friday, March 10, gets Luther his first feature film treatment. In it, a serial killer (Andy Serkis) terrorizes London while Luther sits behind bars on various crimes.
– The long tradition of Disney sports underdog films gets a new entry in Jingyi Shao’s Chang Can Dunk. Premieres Friday, March 10, on Disney+. Bloom Li plays an often underestimated 16-year-old high school student with one mission: scuba diving.
MUSIC
— Miley Cyrus earned ALL the flowers. The single “Flowers” from their forthcoming album is the most-streamed song in a single week in Spotify history and a chart-topping hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It will be featured on “Endless Summer Vacation,” which premieres Friday, March 10th with contributions from Brandi Carlile and Sia appear. Recorded in Los Angeles and produced with Kid Harpoon, Greg Kurstin, Mike WiLL Made-It and Tyler Johnson, Miley describes the album as her “love letter to LA”. The I’m fine without you single “Flowers” was interpreted as a response song to Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man”. and it was released on her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. Fans can also check out the Disney+ original special event, Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions), which premieres March 10.
— If you really liked “Asphalt Meadows”. by Death Cab for Cutie, but think you like it a little mellower, you’re in luck: “Asphalt Meadows (Acoustic)” is a new, stripped down version of their critically acclaimed 10th studio album, published by the New York Times praised, saying, “The band brings their incisive, angsty writing to a particularly 2022 mark of existential angst.” Fans of the band will also find a new song recorded by lead vocalist and guitarist Ben Gibbard as the theme song for Apple TV+, “Shrinking,” starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford was co-written.
— AP Entertainment writer Mark Kennedy
TV
— Bravo’s “Top Chef” expands its scope with an all-star edition for its 20th season, debuting Thursday. Winners and finalists from different Top Chef iterations will compete against each other. The contestants represent Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and even Kentucky in season 20. Episodes were filmed in London but the finale was moved to Paris. For the first time, an entire “Top Chef” season will take place abroad.
— The new series “School Ghosts” isn’t about a homecoming truck or high school mascot, it’s a YA mystery. In it, Peyton List (“Cobra Kai”) plays a teenage girl stuck in the afterlife after her murder. She enlists the help of other ghost friends to track down her killer. The series is based on a graphic novel by siblings Megan and Nate Trinrud, which is due out this fall. The eight episodes of the first season debut March 9 on Paramount+.
– Kerry Washington returns to television in a half-hour comedy titled UnPrisoned on Hulu. Washington was created by author Tracy McMillan and is based on her real life. Washington plays a single mother working as a relationship therapist whose father (played by Delroy Lindo from The Good Fight) moves in with her and their teenage son after his release from prison. “UnPrisoned” premieres on Friday, March 10th.
– Alicia Rancilio
VIDEO GAMES
— Some promising games from smaller Japanese studios will be in the spotlight over the next few days. Paranormasight: The Seven Secrets of Honjo lets you examine some of Tokyo’s most enduring urban legends. There are scorned lovers, a man on fire, and a whispering canal, and then things get really weird: one involves a giant, bloody foot that smashes through the ceiling of a mansion and has to be washed every night. Embrace the mystery on Thursday, March 9th on Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS and Android.
— Oni: The path to becoming the most powerful Oni digs into older folklore. The protagonist, Kuuta, is a small but brave goblin who is on a mission to overthrow Momotaro, the human who now rules Onigashima Island after destroying most of his demons. It’s a welcome twist on the Monster Hunter formula, with lively animation and a more forgiving approach to combat than you’d typically find in the genre. Kuuta’s Quest begins Thursday, March 9th on PlayStation 5/4, Nintendo Switch and PC.
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Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/apf-entertainment.
