The It List: Stream 'Why Women Kill,' celebrate the 40th anniversary of 'Apocalypse Now,' watch 'Avengers: Endgame' from your couch, get a Battle Royale bus for your Fortnite figures and the best in pop culture the week of August 12, 2019
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 Aug. 12-18, including the best deals we could find for each.
WATCH IT: Marc Cherry explores Why Women Kill on CBS All Access
Fifteen years after Desperate Housewives became a sensation, creator Marc Cherry joins the streaming age with this addictive time-skipping drama. Unfolding in three different decades — 1963, 1984 and 2019 — the series presents a triptych of women who share one thing in common: a sudden urge to do away with the men in their lives. As Ginnifer Goodwin’s model ‘60s housewife, Beth Ann, confronts her husband’s infidelity, Lucy Liu’s big-haired ‘80s fashionista, Simone, struggles to contain a scandal involving her closeted spouse that could upend their social standing. And in the present day, Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s Taylor experiences the joys and the drama that come with an open marriage arrangement. Each episode elegantly cuts between the separate time periods, advancing each individual story without confusing the overall picture. And Cherry’s primetime soap opera instincts remain as sharp as ever, keeping viewers hooked with a steady stream of crazysexycool plot twists and couplings. In any era, this would be must see TV.
Why Women Kill premieres Aug. 15 on CBS All Access.
WATCH IT: For its 40th anniversary, Apocalypse Now: Final Cut will be shown in the way Francis Coppola has always meant for it to be seen
Following its premiere at April's Tribeca Film Festival, Francis Ford Coppola's painstakingly restored war classic hits theaters this week for all to see. Coppola's haunting Vietnam-set odyssey starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and a very young Laurence Fishburne will be shown in 4K UHD quality — or in other words, the best next-generation resolution on the market. That's "as it was meant to be seen," as the film's official site touts (props to Mr. Coppola for the foresight). We love the smell of new technology in the morning.
Get tickets for Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut on Fandango.
EXPERIENCE IT: Celebrate ‘Maisel Day’ in Los Angeles on Aug. 15
Did ya hear the one about it being Maisel Day in L.A.? In honor of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel nabbing a record 20 Emmy nominations, Amazon Prime has organized a special day to commemorate the show about a privileged young Jewish comedienne from the Big Apple. More than 25 businesses — from restaurants to salons and even a gas station — are offering retro deals, so people can channel their inner Midge while paying 1959 prices. For instance, fans can get a Maisel-inspired haircut at Starring by Ted Gibson for just $2.50 — or, for less of a commitment, a themed blowout at Drybar ($2) before getting their makeup done at Blushington ($2.50). It's not all beauty related — if you find yourself more of a Susie or Abe — Canter's Deli has a $.99 Maisel pastrami sandwich on its menu while other food establishments, Mel's and Pink's included, are offering ice cream specials, cupcakes, hotdogs, macarons and coffee, so you can almost feel like you're at The Stage Coach Deli with Midge. Going beyond that, Chevron Santa Monica will be selling gas for $.30/gallon for up to 20 gallons (expect a line!), Bay Theatre is selling movie tickets for $.51 and Hollywood Improv will be reducing its admission to just $1. And if you're feeling extra celebratory, make a night of it because the Hollywood Roosevelt and Sportsmen’s Lodge Hotel are offering special $40 room rates. So, put that on your plate, or on your credit card, and go. Speaking of Maisel, the first photo from Season 3 is out and Midge is headed to Miami. No release date has been announced.
For more information, visit MaiselDay.com.
WATCH IT: Avengers fans around can assemble once more for the in-home release of Avengers: Endgame
How many times have you seen Avengers: Endgame? The world's highest grossing movie of all time — it's taken in a massive $2.8 billion smackeroos — is on Blu-ray and DVD this week, which means you can watch the climactic battle between Marvel's super-squad and intergalactic supervillain Thanos over and over and over. Assuming you have a lot of time on your hands, that is. Remember, the Russo brothers' epic fourth entry in the Avengers series runs a cool 181 minutes. But what a perfectly satisfying conclusion they crafted, filled with laughter, tears, cameos, Easter Eggs, A TIME HEIST and a couple truly heart-wrenching death scenes. Prepare to have your breath taken away as many times as you want.
Buy Avengers: Endgame on Digital at Amazon and on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD at Target or Best Buy.
HEAR IT: The Baby-Sitters Club is back!
The adventures of Kristi and the gang — all 131 volumes — are available as audiobooks for the first time. Older fans can relive every story, from Kristy’s Great Idea, published in 1986, to 1999’s The Fire at Mary Anne’s House, for a serious dose of nostalgia. Their own little ones will undoubtedly enjoy listening to actress Elle Fanning narrate the first five installments of the series about the challenges of friendship, growing up and entrepreneurship.
The Baby-Sitters Club series is now available on audiobook at Amazon.
BUILD IT: Mini-Chris Pratt battles dinos in Lego Jurassic World sets
There's no escaping Isla Nublar. Earlier this summer Universal Studios Hollywood launched its rebooted Jurassic World dinosaur death ride, now you can puzzle together much more adorable versions of the prehistoric predators courtesy of the brickmasters at Lego. Four new Jurassic-themed sets are now available, ranging from the 168-brick "Dilophosaurus on the Loose" ($19.99) to the 768-piece mega-set "T.rex vs. Dino-Mech Battle" ($89.99), these models will keep you busy until the next sequel in 2021.
The new Lego Jurassic World sets are available at Amazon.
HEAR IT: Lionel Richie showcases his recent Las Vegas residency on his new Hello From Las Vegas live album
You won’t have to wait until next year’s American Idol season to get your Richie fix. This live recording from his recent residency at the Zappos Theater at Las Vegas’s Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino should have your dancing on the ceiling in the meantime.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
WATCH IT: Zombie Tidal Wave will feed your Sharknado fix
The five-film Sharknado franchise concluded last year, but producer and actor Ian Ziering is back to take on another ridiculous enemy in a movie that promises to be so bad it’s good… or at least fun to watch. Sharknado director Anthony C. Ferrante helms the future cult classic about a fisherman named Hunter Shaw, who must defend his island community after an outbreak of, yep, zombies in the ocean. Sounds like just the kind of thing Ziering and his co-stars on the new BH90210 would joke about.
Zombie Tidal Wave premieres Aug. 17 on Syfy and can be streamed on Hulu.
BUY IT: Get in the game with the Fortnite Battle Bus
Drop in on the action IRL with Moose Toys’s replica of the signature ride from the video game phenomenon, Fortnite. This 13” tall Battle Bus includes the balloon that allows it to soar above the fray in the game, as well as 2” figures of two fan favorite skins: Burnout and Funk Ops. The vinyl playset’s interior can house an additional 15 mini-figures from the Moose’s ever-expanding line of Fortnite collectibles. Dabbing isn’t only allowed — it’s encouraged.
The Fortnite Battle Bus is available for purchase on Amazon.
WATCH IT: Blinded by the Light brings the Boss — and ’80s Britain — to life
You don’t have to hail from New Jersey to understand the power of Bruce Springsteen. Sarfraz Manzoor was a Pakistani teenager growing up in 1980s England when he first heard the Boss, and he formed a deep connection with Springsteen’s music that propelled him into a career as a journalist and author. His story provides the basis for Blinded by the Light, a new crowdpleaser from Bend it Like Beckham director, Gurinder Chadha. Like Manzoor, the film’s teenage hero, Javed (Viveik Kalra) is coming of age with his immigrant parents in Luton at the height of Thatcherism, when economic and racial divisions were deeply felt in British society. Longing for a way out of what seems to be an increasingly grim future, Javed finds escape—and inspiration—in the lyrics for such signature Springsteen anthems as “Dancing in the Dark,” “Promised Land” and, of course, “Born to Run,” which inspires a mid-movie musical number that’s part Bollywood and part MTV. But the teen’s desire to chart his own course naturally brings him into conflict with his more traditionally-minded father, as well as a town that seems eager to rip the bones from his back for daring to dream big. Although it hits some familiar dramatic beats along the way, the movie builds to a winning emotional crescendo. And it goes without saying that the soundtrack is totally Boss.
Blinded by the Light opens in theaters on Aug. 16. Visit Fandango and Atom Tickets for showtime and ticket information.
HEAR IT: Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein’s band Sleater-Kinney releases The Center Won’t Hold
The perhaps prophetically titled, St. Vincent-produced ninth album by pioneering the riot grrl trio is their last with drummer Janet Weiss, who announced her departure shortly after the release of the LP’s first single.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
BUY IT: Funko gets in on the board game fun with Funkoverse Strategy Game
Funko gets its vinyl Pops off your shelf and onto your tabletop with the company’s very first board game. Available in four themed editions — including Harry Potter, DC Comics, Rick and Morty and The Golden Girls — each box comes with four playable Pops and a board that replicates their specific environments, from Hogwarts to Gotham City. The gameplay mixes strategy and action, a combination that families are sure to enjoy.
The Funkoverse Strategy Game is available for pre-order on Amazon.
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