This combination of images shows promotional art for "Being the Riccardos," a film streaming Dec. 21 on Amazon, left, "Don't Look Up," a film premiering Dec. 24 on Netflix, canter, and "The Mezzotint," premiering Dec. 24 on BritBox. (Amazon/Netflix/BritBox via AP)
Here's a collection curated by The Associated Press' entertainment journalists of what's arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
MOVIES
— Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Aaron Sorkin's "Being the Ricardos," a smart and quippy showbiz pic that takes audiences behind the curtains of a tricky relationship on an especially fraught week of "I Love Lucy." Neither of the stars especially look like the icons they're portraying, and the filmmakers have gotten some understandable criticism over casting Bardem, who is Spanish, as a Cuban-American, but they do seem to capture the spirit of the characters and all of their fascinating contradictions. "Being the Ricardos" will be available on Amazon Prime Video on Monday.
— It's hard to believe it's been 22 years since the red pill/blue pill conundrum came into our lives, but Lana Wachowski has come back to make us question our realities once more with "The Matrix Resurrections," in theaters and streaming on HBO Max starting Wednesday. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss return as Neo and Trinity in massive cast that includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Christina Ricci and Priyanka Chopra. And if you need a little refresher before diving into the fourth installment, the first three are also currently streaming on HBO Max.
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— Leonardo DiCaprio leads an all-star cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep in "Don't Look Up," an end of the world comedy that starts streaming on Netflix on Friday. Directed and co-written by Adam McKay, who also took on the Cheneys in "Vice" and the financial crisis in "The Big Short," this climate change allegory features DiCaprio and Lawrence as scientists who discover an extinction-sized comet that's headed towards Earth. The problem is no one seems to care.
— Tireless "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda lent eight original songs to Disney's latest animated charmer, "Encanto," about a magical Colombian family and the one daughter who seems to have missed out. AP's Mark Kennedy wrote in his review that, "'Encanto' is a film about the pressure of living up to high expectations and the fear of revealing imperfections. It's about outcasts and misfits in plain sight." Families who didn't get to go to the theater to see it at Thanksgiving will have another chance when the film hits Disney+ on Friday, right in time for the Christmas break.
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
MUSIC
— A live posthumous album by Chuck Berry is being released this Christmas time as a digital download. "Live From Blueberry Hill" is taken from performances recorded between July 2005 and January 2006 at Blueberry Hill café in St. Louis, one of Berry's favorite places to play. The album features Berry tearing through classics like "Roll Over Beethoven," "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Johnny B. Goode." More songs off the live album include "Rock and Roll Music," "Let It Rock," "Carol/Little Queenie," "Around and Around," "Nadine" and "Mean Old World."
— New music from U2 is included in the soundtrack for the animated "Sing 2," which opens Wednesday. The film sequel — which features the band's singer and songwriter Bono voicing a character called Clay Calloway — also features "bad guy" by Billie Eilish, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John and Scarlett Johansson singing U2's "Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of." Taron Egerton covers "A Sky Full of Stars" and Halsey tackles The Struts' "Could Have Been Me." Another U2 song — "Where the Streets Have No Name" — is performed by Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton, Johansson, Reese Witherspoon and Nick Kroll.
— AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy
TELEVISION
— TCM is in marathon mode, running holiday movies — or those with enough spirit to count — nonstop this week through Christmas Day. Among the standouts: 1944's "Meet Me in St. Louis" (8 p.m. EST Tuesday), with Judy Garland's timeless version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas); 1940's "The Shop Around the Corner" (2 p.m. EST Friday), starring Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart in a romance so durable it's been remade twice, including 1998's "You've Got Mail"; and 1947's "The Bishop's Wife," with Cary Grant as a well-dressed angel sent to help man-of-the-cloth David Niven and wife Loretta Young (8 p.m. EST Friday).
— Tune in for the Kennedy Center honorees, stay for the impressive line-up of actors, singers and comedians on hand to salute their contributions to American culture. In the spotlight for the 44th annual "Kennedy Centers Honors" are opera singer Justino Díaz; Motown founder Berry Gordy; "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels; actor-singer Bette Midler; and singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Among those paying tribute are Andra Day, Herbie Hancock, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Martin, Chita Rivera and Stevie Wonder. The two-hour special airs 9 p.m. EST Wednesday on CBS.
— In the grand tradition of British ghost stories for Christmas comes "The Mezzotint," debuting Friday on the BritBox streaming service. Rory Kinnear stars as university museum curator Mr. Williams, who receives an engraved picture that appears to show simply a country house at night. But is there a figure in the corner, one that keeps moving, and is there a frightening tale behind it? Well, of course! If you'd like to whet your appetite for the half-hour special adapted by actor-writer Mark Gatiss from a M.R. James short story, BritBox is offering a wealth of similarly chilling U.K. tales from the 1970s and on, starting Monday.
— AP Television Writer Lynn Elber
Top albums of 2021: Olivia Rodrigo's 'SOUR,' H.E.R., Billie Eilish
Olivia Rodrigo, 'SOUR'
This image released by Geffen Records shows "SOUR" released by Olivia Rodrigo.
Olivia Rodrigo kicks off her debut album “SOUR” with the words “I want it to be, like, messy” and she goes on to deliver just that. The 11 songs from the 18-year-old singer-songwriter’s breakup album are raw and angry, dreamy and mocking, playful and profane, with shards of punk and princess pop. It’s an astonishing human hello from the youngest solo artist ever to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Taylor Swift is clearly a role model — and even gets a writing credit for a Swift interpolation in “1 step forward, 3 steps back” — but there also are echoes of Alanis Morissette’s fury from “Jagged Little Pill.” It’s indeed a messy album, and messy was perfect for 2021.
H.E.R., 'Back of My Mind'
This cover image released by MBK Entertainment/RCA Records shows "Back of My Mind" by H.E.R.
It’s hard to believe that H.E.R.’s first solo studio album came this year, especially with all her commercial success and the fact she’s already raked in four Grammys and an Oscar from her self-titled album and songs like “I Can’t Breathe” and “Better Than I Imagined.” With all the accolades, H.E.R. showed why she earned those awards with “Back of My Mind,” which is a brilliant piece of work. The 21-track album is filled with several gems, including the radio-friendly “Damage,” the smooth single “Come Through” featuring Chris Brown, her masterful duet with Ty Dolla $ign on “Back of My Mind” and the upbeat “Find a Way” featuring Lil Baby.
Billie Eilish, 'Happier Than Ever'
This album cover provide by Darkroom/Interscope Records shows "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish.
Billie Eilish faced a potential sophomore slump and blew it away with “Happier Than Ever,” a fascinating look at a complicated pop star’s life. As diaristic as Taylor Swift but more self-critical and emotionally candid, Eilish’s expressive and whispery-lush vocals explored fame and its murky sides, like exposing unequal power structures or the paparazzi. “Happier Than Ever” is fuller and grander than her debut, the songs stronger in their construction, crisper. There are terrific kiss-off songs (“I Didn’t Change My Number,” “Lost Cause” and the slow-building “Happier Than Ever”) and Eilish and her producer brother Finneas even play with bossa nova. But Eilish is best in the shadows, exploring our messiest impulses, and this album sparkles in the dark.
Yola, 'Stand For Myself'
Yola performs during the 2021 Ohana Festival on Sept. 26, 2021, in Dana Point, Calif.
The British singer-songwriter Yola perfectly encapsulates the freedom of finally feeling alive after years of sacrificing yourself to society’s expectations. As a Black singer whose artistry was often shoved into tiny genre-specific boxes, her sophomore album “Stand For Myself” is a glorious exploration of her musical breadth. Yola, the musical therapist, is telling you she’s been in your shoes, barely struggling to get by, but she’s making you dance away in tears to a ’70s disco beat. The Grammy-nominated “Diamond Studded Shoes” is a self-reflective protest anthem that acknowledges that the kids are not alright and you gotta put up a fight. Yola’s impressive vocals carry you along a soulful, rocking journey of discovery.
Kanye West, 'Donda'
Kanye West at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2020.
Kanye West took his religious musical walk a step forward on his 10th studio album “Donda.” The highly anticipated album — named after his late mother Donda West — lived up to the hype with a healthy dose of talent from Jay-Z on “Jail,” “Pure Souls” with Roddy Ricch and Lil Baby and The Weeknd on “Hurricane.” Throughout the album, recorded wise words were featured by his mother, who died in 2007 following plastic surgery complications.
Ye's latest project is a follow up to his gospel-themed album “Jesus is King,” which won a Grammy for best contemporary Christian album. But with “Donda,” West strived to create a hip-hop gospel album — not an easy task, especially with so many top-line features who he convinced to buy into creating the 27 tracks filled with an array of gospel undertones. West opens up about his marital issues with his estranged wife Kim Kardashian on “Lord I Need You.” Much like that song, he often speaks out loud in hopes that a higher being can help answers his prayers.
Tyler, The Creator, 'Call Me If You Get Lost'
Tyler, the Creator performs at the American Music Awards on Nov. 21, 2021, at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
While it was presumed that two of the biggest personalities in hip-hop, Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Drake, would battle for the No. 1 spot with their new albums, one clear winner emerged: Tyler, The Creator. Following his 2019 Grammy rap album of the year, “Igor,” this record masterfully displayed both Tyler’s MC chops and producing expertise. Whether it was the gritty, hard hitting “LUMBERJACK” or taking “Backseat” by popular 90s R&B group H-town and flipping it into “WUSYANAME,” Tyler again proved he no longer draws in listeners with the shock rhymes he once spit as a rap rookie, but because his talent and creativity are limitless.
Lucy Dacus, 'Home Video'
This cover image released by Matador shows "Home Video" by Lucy Dacus.
Lucy Dacus delivers a stunning coming-of-age portrait, exploring sexuality, morality and the impact of relationships through the lens of Christian youth culture. There’s a nostalgic feel throughout the 11 tracks as Dacus reconciles the person she was with the one she’s grown into.
The imagery in “Home Video” is vivid, tying each song to a moment and place in time. “We’re coming home/From a sermon saying how bent and evil we are,” she sings on “Christine.”
Dacus doesn’t shy away from the person she was and the influence structures like vacation bible school had on her (“In the summer of ’07/I was sure I’d go to heaven/I was hedging my bets at VBS”). There’s also a subtlety in the way she describes the impact of relationships that is highly relatable. It isn’t always a scathing remark that leaves an impression, but a partner who calls you “cerebral”—“Would it have killed you to call me pretty instead?”
All in all, “Home Video” is a moving recollection of youth — and it is a shame that it was overlooked by the Recording Academy.
Jazmine Sullivan, 'Heaux Tales'
This cover image released by RCA shows "Heaux Tales," an EP by Jazmine Sullivan.
Jazmine Sullivan’s “Heaux Tales” could easily be the year's best album. A soulful songstress always recognized for her powerful voice but never fully appreciated for her artistic brilliance, her latest project tackled femininity, relationships and Black women unapologetically owning their sexuality. R&B was never dead, but it did need some revitalization and like many things, Black women — Sullivan, H.E.R. and many of their contemporaries — came to save it.
Little Simz, 'Sometimes I Might Be Introvert'
Little Simz performs live onstage in London on Dec. 16, 2021.
With her fourth LP, British-Nigerian rapper Little Simz brings the heat.
“Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” is a captivating album that is at once personal and universal. From frank lines about her “daddy issues” in “I Love You, I Hate You” to her discussion of female empowerment in “Woman,” Little Simz covers a lot of ground in her sprawling 19-track record.
Perhaps the most powerful song on the album (though it’s difficult to choose just one) is “Little Q, Pt. II” where she describes in first person the harrowing experience her younger cousin went through after being stabbed in the chest. The amount of compassion shown toward his perpetrator is shocking: “But the boy that stabbed me is just as damaged as me … The broken homes in which we’re comin’ from, but who’s to blame when/You’re dealt the same cards from the system you’re enslaved in?”
To quote Little Simz back to herself: “Woman to woman I just want to see you glow.” Her talent is undeniable and with “Sometime I Might Be Introvert,” she’s created a masterpiece.
Snail Mail, 'Valentine'
This cover image released by Matador Records shows "Snail Mail" by Valentine.
2021 brought a lot of really great breakup albums, from Rodrigo to Adele, and if you still need some more cathartic emotional releases to sob and shout to, Snail Mail’s “Valentine” is a great one. Lindsey Jordan, who performs under the name Snail Mail, parses through post-relationship wreckage, as well as going through rehab. The album’s sharply sensitive lyrics, Jordan’s whispery falsettos and fuzzy guitars combine for an excellent sophomore showing from the young indie rock powerhouse. The synth-heavy “Ben Franklin,” carried along with a heavy bass line, is both snarky and self-deprecating as an ex-lover aware of her jealousy and trying to process the anger of broken promises. “Valentine” feels like prying through a diary filled with visceral heat-of-the-moment confessions.
