Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 9/8/23

September 8, 2023

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CREDIT: FOX/Screenshot

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

Movies
–The Nun II (Theaters)

TV
–The Masked Singer Season 10 Premiere (September 10 on FOX) – Right after football.
–Jeopardy! Season 40/Second Chance Tournament (Begins September 11; check local listings)
-2023 MTV Video Music Awards (September 12 on MTV) – The VMAs are on a Tuesday this year, interesting, I wonder how that’ll go.

Music
-Courtney Barnett, End of the Day
-James Blake, Playing Robots Into Heaven – I know James Blake the tennis player, but I’ll see if James Blake the musician is also worth paying attention to.
-The Chemical Brothers, For That Beautiful Feeling
-Olivia Rodrigo, Guts
-Royal Blood, Back to the Water Below – This came out last week, but somehow I missed it, even though Royal Blood is one of my favorite bands right now.

Jmunney’s Favorite Albums of 2021

January 19, 2022

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In all the years I’ve been listing my favorite songs and albums, this is probably the first year that I’ve had a better handle on the albums. That’s mainly due to my lack of radio listening compared to earlier eras in my life. Nowadays, my most frequent music consumption habit is one album at a time on Spotify.

Here are all the releases that pleased my ears (and my feet and brain, and all the rest of me) the most in 2021, including a number one that I’ve been obsessively re-listening to over and over in a way I didn’t realize was still possible.

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Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 11/12/21

November 12, 2021

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The Shrink Next Door (CREDIT: Apple TV+)

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

Movies
–Belfast (Theaters) – This takes place in Belfast.
–Clifford the Big Red Dog (Theaters and Paramount+) – I love dogs.
–Julia (Theaters) – Documentary about Julia Child.

TV
–The Shrink Next Door Series Premiere (November 12 on Apple TV+) – Starring Will Ferrell and newly minted Sexiest Man Alive Paul Rudd.
–Snoopy in Space Season 2 (November 12 on Apple TV+)
–The World According to Jeff Goldblum Season 2 Premiere (November 12 on Disney+)
–Riverdale Season 6 Premiere (November 16 on The CW)

Music
-Damon Albarn, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows
-Courtney Barnett, Things Take Time, Take Time
-Gov’t Mule, Heavy Load Blues

SNL Recap May 21, 2016: Fred Armisen/Courtney Barnett

May 23, 2016

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SNL: Courtney Barnett, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)

 

This review was originally posted on Starpulse in May 2016.

It hardly feels like Fred Armisen, one of the longest-tenured “SNL” cast members of all time (11 seasons), has ever left 30 Rockefeller Plaza. He has returned to cameo 7 times in the 3 years since departing, and he regularly collaborates with other “SNL” vets on his current regular gigs, “Late Night” and “Portlandia” (both produced by Lorne Michaels). But he has shown restraint this season, only appearing once before (to memorialize David Bowie). So while his first time as host is in no way long overdue, it is also not overkill. Speaking of cameos, several other alums also stop by, as befitting a season finale. This means that there is some squeezing out of the regular cast, but not of the good ideas. Year 41 ends on a high note.

Bernie and Hillary – “SNL” wraps up one of its wackiest political years with its two all-star impressions: one that broke big exactly as expected and the other a delightful surprise. The dance between Kate McKinnon’s Hillary and Larry David’s Bernie is as testy as the real deal. As they really explore the studio, there is a celebratory air that the show reserves only for times when it knows it has something special to celebrate. But wisely, it is not all just kissing and making up, because there is plenty of tension in this primary that the last call setting brings into focus. This is a summary of the fictionalized version of a slice of this campaign that “SNL” has managed to have its pulse on. B

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