Here’s a roundup of picks from AP entertainment reporters about what’s on TV, streaming services, and music and video game platforms this week.
Movie— Romantic comedy queen Jennifer Lopez returns to the genre she most identifies with in “Shotgun Wedding,” which premieres Friday on Amazon’s Prime Video. Lopez and Josh Duhamel star as a couple whose wedding at a Philippine beach resort goes awry when the wedding party is hijacked. Lopez married Ben Affleck at a Las Vegas drive-in church last year, her second wedding-themed rom-com last year, following 2022’s “Marry Me.” This one, at least, features “White Lotus” star Jennifer Coolidge (who is now required by Hollywood law to star in all exotic stories).
— “Black” creators Kenya Barris and Jonah Hill are co-creating “You People,” a new Netflix comedy about an interracial Los Angeles couple and their family’s culture clashes. Lauren London and Hill star as the couple, Eddie Murphy and Nia Long play her Muslim parents, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny play his Jewish parents. Barris directed the film, which airs Friday.
— Associated Press film writer Jack Coyle
music—Singer-songwriter Sam Smith is releasing “Gloria,” an album the singer-songwriter calls “coming of age.” Early singles included the epic, sexy stage pop “Unholy,” starring Kim Petras, and the intimate, self-affirming ballad “Love Me More,” with the line: “Every day I try not to hate myself / But lately it It’s never been like this before.” Smith, who recorded the album in Jamaica, Los Angeles and London, said, “It felt like an emotional, sexual and spiritual liberation. I sang. Oddly enough, it feels like my first record. It feels like a coming of age.”
— Celebrating one of the music industry’s best voices, Roberta Flack, in the feature-length documentary “Roberta,” which aired Tuesday as part of PBS’s “American Masters” series. The film “explores the depth and complexity of her lyrical and thematic choices, as well as the complex mix of classical and soul influences on her style.” This year marks Flack’s landmark fourth album, Killing Me Softly. For the 50th anniversary, she has a new children’s book about her musical career, “The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music.”
— For an ironic look at life, look no further than Elle King, whose album “Come Get Your Wife” will be 2023’s biggest hit. The country collection celebrates every facet of the artist, from “messy, glorious” transitions and a woman into herself. There are tongue-in-cheek singles “Tulsa” and “Try Jesus,” the latter finding King looking for a higher-level relationship after the man in her life let her down. It was accompanied by a hysterical video of her dressing up as all the bad guys while shopping at a dollar store.
—Entertainment writer Mark Kennedy
television— The new Fox series “Accidental” has an interesting premise. Each episode features a new cast member, one of whom is on trial for a crime. The series then explains what happened from the defendant’s point of view, leading up to the outcome of the trial. The cast includes Michael Chiklis, Jill Hennessy and Malcom-Jamal Warner. Howard Gordon, who created “24” and “Homeland,” is executive producer. “The Accused,” premiering on Sunday, is an adaptation of the BBC program of the same name.
— “Knockout” and “Glass Onion” writer-director Rian Johnson describes his new drama “Poker Face,” starring Natasha Lyonne, as “how,” not “who.” Lyonne stars as Charlie, a quick-witted, friendly drifter who possesses an uncanny ability to instantly know if someone is lying. Charlie is on the run from casino gangs, working odd jobs and meeting new friends. She also often finds herself in the front row seat of mystery when she suspects someone isn’t telling the truth, triggering her internal lie detector. If the reviews are correct, “Poker Face” could be Peacock’s first number one hit. Its first three episodes air on Mondays, and the rest of the first season will air every Monday.
— Alicia Rancirio
video games— New York, New York: If you can succeed there, you can succeed anywhere. That’s good news for Frey Holland, the heroine of Square Enix’s Forspoken, who finds herself pulled from the Big Apple and dropped into a dazzling but dilapidated world called Athia, run by three evil witches rule. Luckily, Frey has learned some spells and some crazy parkour tricks, and she’s equipped with a chatty, sarcastic bracelet eager to help her find her way home. The designers at Forspoken worked on 2016’s Final Fantasy XV, and while their new game might not be quite as epic, it’s possible that it will grab fans ahead of the release of Final Fantasy XVI this summer. Frey’s Adventures starts Tuesday on PlayStation 5 and PC.
— Lou Kesten
