The It List: Letterman's 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction' features pre-slap Will Smith, new Netflix doc explores Korea's 'Nth Room' sex scandal, 'Masked Singer' and 'Idol' crown winners and the best in pop culture the week of May 16, 2022
The It List is Yahoo's weekly look at the best in pop culture, including movies, music, TV, streaming, games, books, podcasts and more. Here are our picks for May 16-22, including the best deals we could find for each. (Yahoo Entertainment may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.)
STREAM IT: An icon returns to the small screen in a new season of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman
In his fourth season on Netflix, beloved former late night host David Letterman sits down for a deep conversation with Will Smith — who made his appearance before the shocking slap of Chris Rock during the Oscars — on his Emmy-nominated gabfest. The early taping is too bad because Letterman, at least, would have had something to say about the much-discussed moment. (The day after the incident, Letterman quipped on YouTube that at least "no one got hit" during his critically panned performance as host of the 1995 Oscars.) In addition to the King Richard star, Grammy winners Cardi B and Billie Eilish, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and actors Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Ryan Reynolds are featured in the first new episodes of the series since Oct. 2020. — Raechal Shewfelt
The fourth season of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman premieres Friday, May 20 on Netflix.
WATCH IT: A New Era begins for the residents of Downton Abbey
Twelve years after we first entered the storied halls of Downton Abbey, the blockbuster British TV series-turned-film franchise arrives at an ending... and a new beginning. Downton Abbey: A New Era handles that transition with grace and good humor, paying off some long-running relationships between the upstairs and downstairs residents we know and love, and setting the stage for the English manor's future as the timeline creeps into the tumultuous 1930s. Downton mastermind Julian Fellowes splits the new movie's narrative into two main strands: While Lord and Lady Grantham head to the French Riviera to investigate some potentially scandalous secrets about the Dowager Countess's younger years, Mary stays on the homefront to oversee a film crew that's paying handsomely to make a picture on the premises. (That storyline takes an amusing turn into Singin' in the Rain territory when the filmmakers have to turn the silent picture into a talkie.) It may be filled with as much fan service as any Marvel movie, but A New Era builds to a genuinely emotional climax filled with satisfying farewells to some fan-favorite characters. This almost certainly isn't the last Downton tale, but it does mark the end of an era. Watch Lord Grantham pass the torch to his daughter in this exclusive clip from the film. — Ethan Alter
Downton Abbey: A New Era premieres Friday, May 20 in theaters; visit Fandango for showtime and ticket information.
STREAM IT: Andy Samberg and John Mulaney make animated showbiz movie magic in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Sunset Blvd. The Player. Mulholland Drive… Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers? A tale as old as time, Disney+’s new animated comedy is Hollywood’s latest feature film to look at the trials and tribulations of show business, this time through the eyes of Chip (John Mulaney) and Dale (Andy Samberg), the animated anthropomorphic chipmunks who were huge in the late-'80s before seemingly falling off the face of the Earth (here because Dale ditched Chip for his own spinoff). They re-team in modern times for a crime-solving adventure in this hilarious, nostalgia-soaked, Easter Egg-full adventure directed by Samberg’s Lonely Island cohort Akiva Schaffer. — Kevin Polowy
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers premieres Friday, May 20 on Disney+.
HEAR IT: Harry's House is a very, very, very fine house
Perhaps the most anticipated album release of this year so far, the third LP by unstoppable former One Directioner and recent Coachella headliner Harry Styles has already spawned the massive hit “As It Was” — a sparkling indie-disco banger that set the Guinness World Record for Spotify’s most-streamed track within 24 hours by a male artist, and also broke Apple Music’s record for most first-day streams for a 2022 release. Styles will properly celebrate Harry's House later this year with an epic multi-date, multi-city House party — doing extended concert residencies at New York’s Madison Square Garden (10 nights with opening act Blood Orange), Austin’s Moody Center (five shows with Gabriels), Chicago’s United Center (five dates with Jessie Ware), L.A.’s Forum (10 shows with Ben Harper) and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena (a pair of dates with Madi Diaz). — Lyndsey Parker
Harry’s House by Harry Styles is available Friday, May 20 to download/stream on Apple Music.
STREAM IT: Believe it or not, Young Sheldon is 100... episodes old
Family sitcoms... they grow up so fast. Premiering in 2017 — two years before its "parent" show The Big Bang Theory left the airwaves — the CBS prequel series, Young Sheldon, wrapped up its fifth year this month, and surpassed 100 episodes in the process. All five seasons are now available on most digital platforms, and if you pick up a Season Pass, you can watch a new featurette that takes fans behind the scenes of the show's 100th episode, which originally aired on March 31. This exclusive clip from that bonus feature shows "Old Sheldon" Jim Parsons directing his younger counterpart, Iain Armitage, and Ghostbusters comedy legend Annie Potts demonstrating her door-slamming technique. — E.A.
Young Sheldon Seasons 1-5 are currently available on most digital services, including iTunes. The full 100th episode featurette is available with the purchase of a Season Pass.
STREAM IT: Boss Baby: Back in the Crib continues the blockbuster kid franchise
It's been five years since the first Boss Baby movie premiered in theaters and became DreamWorks's premiere animated franchise, encompassing big-screen sequels, TV spinoffs and a whole bunch of merch. Netflix is celebrating that 5-year birthday with Back in the Crib, a new series that finds Ted Templeton (voiced by JP Karliak in a role originated by Alec Baldwin) transforming back into his youthful alter ego and moving in his with his adult brother to live incognito as one of his kids. Or try to live incognito anyway. This exclusive clip from the series finds Ted getting his brother up to speed on the ground rules for their living arrangement. — E.A.
Boss Baby: Back in the Crib premieres Thursday, May 19 on Netflix.
STREAM IT: Diamond Hands recaps Wall Street's GameStop disaster
Back in January 2021 — while the rest of America was focused on the coronavirus pandemic and a contentious presidential election — Wall Street's eyes were exclusively on GameStop, the struggling video company whose stock suddenly took a huge jump when a motley crew of independent investors on Reddit bet on it big time. The wild story is re-told in the new MSNBC Films documentary, Diamond Hands, which speaks with some of the Redditors who stopped the major hedge funds in their tracks. This exclusive clip introduces you to one such investor, "Jeff Amazon," who explains his shoot-from-the-hip trading strategy. — E.A.
Diamond Hands: The Legend of WallStreetBets premieres Monday, May 16 on Peacock and will have an encore airing on MSNBC on Friday, May 20.
STREAM IT: Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror
Netflix's new, full-length true crime documentary tells the story of what's considered to be one of South Korea's most shocking cybersex crimes. Cyber Hell follows two female college students, a group of journalists and the cybercrime police officers as they chase down the "Nth Room," an online sex abuse ring that manipulated and blackmailed women — mostly teenagers — into posting sexually explicit videos that were then shared in pay-per-view chat rooms. The doc details the case and tracks the search for the man behind it all.
Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror premieres Wednesday, May 18 on Netflix.
READ IT: The Office BFFs features Pam and Angela teaming up
On the show, their characters had a tough time collaborating to plan a holiday party for their co-workers, but in real life, actresses Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey are super close personally and professionally, as co-hosts of the Office Ladies podcast. They describe their book, The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There, as "a scrapbook, a BFF journal, and a love letter to fans" all in one. It's packed with behind-the-scenes photos and stories, such as the time the whole gang assembled to watch the debut episode at Fischer's house, and she couldn't get her DVD player to work. They eventually solved the problem by changing the batteries in her remote. But while it's not a juicy tell-all, fans of the show will enjoy it as much as a day at Dunder Mifflin — minus one of Michael Scott's awkward-yet-hilarious conference room gatherings. — R.S.
The Office BFFs is available Tuesday, Ma. 17 at Amazon and other booksellers.
WATCH IT: Be a good consumer and add Succession Season 3 to your collection
Somehow, it keeps getting better, even as its characters get more and more despicable. Jesse Armstrong and Adam McKay’s skewering look at America’s .01 percent — the richest of the rich, and all they can get away with in front of our eyes — hit yet another peak in its blend of dark satire and absorbing capitalist family soap opera in Season 3. Logan rebounds (yet again), Kendall and the kids begrudgingly form a united front and Adrien Brody and Alexander Skarsg?rd swoop in for memorable guest spots in the third chapter (nine episodes) of what might very well be the best show on television, hitting home entertainment for more profits this week. — K.P.
Succession: The Complete Third Season releases on DVD and digital Tuesday, May 17 on Amazon.
PLAY IT: Light up the Upside Down with Stranger Things Lite-Brite sets
Talk about your nostalgia trips. As Netflix's '80s throwback Stranger Things prepares to premiere its long-awaited fourth season on May 27, the pop culture phenom is partnering with an '80s toy favorite that still burns bright. Basic Fun has produced an all-new Lite-Brite collection inspired by the exploits of Hawkins, Indiana's most trouble-prone paranormal investigators. Each collection comes with upwards of 650 pegs and 12 twinkling design templates, ranging from Demogorgons and other monsters, to local landmarks like Hawkins High. They'll turn your Stranger Things toy collection... Upside Down. — E.A.
Basic Fun's Stranger Things Lite-Brite collections are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.
WATCH IT: Which Masked Singer mystery celebrity will take home the Golden Mask?
Will the winner of The Masked Singer Season 7 be the Firefly (who is for sure Teyana Taylor), the Prince (probably Cheyenne Jackson) or the Ringmaster (most likely Hayley Orrantia)? We’re still surprised that Jennifer “Miss Teddy” Holliday, or the vocal powerhouses comprising Queen Cobra, aka En Vogue, didn’t make the finals — but that just proves what a competitive season this is. Anyway, whether our top three guesses are right or completely off-base, this week’s grand finale is sure to be exciting. Take it off, take it off, take it off and tune in. — L.P.
The Masked Singer Season 7 finale airs Wednesday, May 18 on Fox.
READ IT: Jane Fonda: In Her Own Words taps into the wisdom of the actress/activist on subjects from feminism to men and acting
The latest installment of the "In Their Own Words" series turns the spotlight on the star of Barbarella, 9 to 5 and many more films. The collection of more than 300 of her public statements — perfect for your own shelf or a gift for Fonda fans — is divided by subject, including growing up, acting, men and relationships, gender and feminism. "Women are the fastest growing demographic in the world, especially older women," the 84-year-old is quoted as saying during a Dec. 2015 TED Talk. "And if we harness our power, we can change the world. And guess what? We need to. And we need to do it soon." Also included are some of her infamous words on the subject of the Vietnam War in the '70s, which led her to be nicknamed "Hanoi Jane." For example, Fonda is quoted as saying in July 1972 on Radio Hanoi, "Some day we're going to have to answer to our children for this war. Some day we are going to have to explain to the rest of the world how it is that we caused this kind of suffering and death and destruction to a people who have done us no harm. Perhaps we should start to do it now before it is too late." — R.S.
Jane Fonda: In Her Own Words is available now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
WATCH IT: Paul Thomas Anderson’s deeply personal throwback Licorice Pizza delivers on Blu-ray
Spoiler alert: There is neither licorice nor pizza (and thank heavens, no combination of the two) in Licorice Pizza, which beloved auteur Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread) named after an old Los Angeles record store chain in inside joke-fashion. What there is, however, are a pair of deeply impressive performances from leads Cooper Hoffman (son of late Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, in his acting debut) and musician-turned-actor Alana Haim (of the pop rock band Haim) as a child actor-turned-entrepreneur and twentysomething photographer’s assistant, respectively, who may or may not couple up in 1973 San Fernando Valley. Even more than most PTA joints, Licorice Pizza is definitely a vibe. Viewers have eaten it up, with the film earning three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. — K.P.
Licorice Pizza releases on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, May 17 on Amazon.
HEAR IT: Hanson reveal all their colors
Long before there was One Direction, the coolest boy band around was Hanson, who burst onto the scene 25 (yes, TWENTY-FIVE) years ago with their self-penned, Grammy-nominated teen-pop bop “MMMBop.” The all-grown-up Hanson brothers have pushed themselves artistically ever since, and their 11th studio album, RED GREEN BLUE, is clear proof of that. Divided into sections designed to highlight each band member’s unique voices, Red, Green, and Blue were respectively written/produced by Taylor, Isaac and Zac. The result is pure sibling revelry, and three great albums for the price of one. — L.P.
RED GREEN BLUE by Hanson is available Friday, May 20 to download/stream on Apple Music.
WATCH IT: And your new American Idol is…
In 2002, Ryan Seacrest declared Kelly Clarkson the next great pop superstar, and the rest was history. Two decades later, Clarkson’s career is bigger and better than ever, and American Idol has since launched dozens of other showbiz careers. Who will be the next Kelly… or the next Carrie, J.Hud, Daughtry, Fantasia or Adam? Kieran, dim the lights, and tune in Sunday to find out, as the show crowns its 20th champion. — L.P.
The American Idol Season 20 finale airs Sunday, May 22 on Fox.
HEAR IT: John Doe spins fascinating Fables
The literary frontman of seminal Los Angeles punk band X breaks out with a concept album of sorts, Fables in a Foreign Land, set entirely in the 1890s while drawing parallels to the isolation, political unrest and stimuli-deprivation of the recent pandemic era. Inspired by lockdown patio jam sessions at Doe’s Austin home and reminiscent of X’s folk/alt-country side-project the Knitters, Fables is a fascinating slice of gothic Americana featuring guests Shirley Manson, Terry Allen and Louie Pérez of X’s roots-rock contemporaries Los Lobos and X’s own poetess Exene Cervenka. — L.P.
Fables in a Foreign Land by John Doe is available Friday, May 20 to download/stream on Apple Music.
— Video produced by Anne Lilburn and edited by John Santo
