Janelle Monáe, the not-so-secret weapon of 'Glass Onion'
As much as Janelle Monáe has been a natural, full-body entertainer and a red-carpet head-turner, it has sometimes seemed since her two 2016 big-screen debuts in “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight” that Hollywood hasn’t known quite how to fully harness the wide-ranging talents of such a self-propelled, mold-breaking Black female artist.
New this week: Mariah Carey special, 'Maverick,' 'Best Man'
This week’s new entertainment releases include Mariah Carey in concert on CBS singing Christmas songs, a free stream of the beloved 1965 animated special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and megahit "Top Gun: Maverick” lands on Paramount+ on Thursday.
Out magazine names Lizzo, Monae, Maddow to its Out100 list
NEW YORK – Award-winning singers Lizzo and Janelle Monae, Apple CEO Tim Cook and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow have made Out magazine’s 2020 Out100 list. Pride Media announced Thursday that its annual list honoring the 100 most influential LGBTQ+ people of the year includes 99-year-old trans WWII U.S. Navy fighter pilot Robina Asti, comedian Wanda Sykes, fashion icon André Leon Tall, the creators of “Queer Eye,” Black Lives Matter Toronto co-founder Janaya Khan and actors Jameela Jamil, Wilson Cruz, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Pope and Joe Mantello. Honorees will be celebrated Saturday at the first 2020 Out100 Virtual Honoree Induction Ceremony, which will stream live at 8 p.m. EDT at Out.com/Out100Live. Others who made this year’s list include Donald Trump’s niece, the psychologist and author Mary Trump, former baseball player Billy Bean, teen rapper Kidd Kenn and actors Lili Reinhardt, Cheyenne Jackson, Jonathan Bennett and Dashaun Wesley. Several members of President-elect Joe Biden’s team made the Out100 list, including Jamal Brown, Reggie Greer and Karine Jean-Pierre.
Horrors of slavery at center of Janelle Monae's 'Antebellum'
Much of the horror of “Antebellum” is in its unflinching depiction of the violence inflicted on slaves. Monae hopes the film acts as a catalyst for discussions about systemic racism in a politically divided nation. The movie grew out of a literal nightmare that co-writer-director Gerard Bush had after his father died. In addition to Monae, the cast also includes Jack Huston, Eric Lange, Kiersey Clemons, Gabourey Sidibe and Jena Malone. Bush said he realizes that audiences will be uncomfortable watching the film, but he believes that unsettling times calls for unsettling art.
New this week: 'Cuties,' 'Unpregnant' and fresh 'Jeopardy!'
Heres a collection curated by The Associated Press entertainment journalists of whats arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. The film from director Mamouna Doucour is a thoughtful and poignant coming-of-age drama about Amy, an 11-year-old Senegalese immigrant living in Paris. Dont judge Cuties by its cover and give it a chance when it starts streaming Wednesday. Answer: Jeopardy! The quiz show with Alex Trebek at the helm of a COVID-19-conscious season hits screens Monday. Celebrity guest hosts are all the rage these days on late night TV but a documentary airing Thursday sheds light on one who really made history.
From Dash to Coppola, highlights from TCM's Women Make Film
FILE - Julie Dash attends the New York Film Critics Circle Awards on Jan. 3, 2017, in New York. Dash's work will be featured in Turner Classic Movies' four-month Women Make Film series, airing every Tuesday night through December. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)Associated Press Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle pick some programming highlights from Turner Classic Movies' four-month Women Make Film series, airing every Tuesday night through December. In her 1976 film (airing Sept. 15 on TCM), Kopple intimately documents a grueling, 13-month coal miner's strike in a small Kentucky town. They just thought I was a funny little girl who carried a tape recorder and a camera. The film won Kopple her first Oscar.