The It List: Blake Lively stars in 'It Ends with Us,' 'Hard Knocks' turns its camera on the Chicago Bears, Tom Cruise brings stunts to Olympics closing ceremony
Plus, a biopic shows the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli, and an unsettling horror movie.
Hello, friends! I'm Kelsey, your guide to all things pop culture for Yahoo Entertainment, and this is the It List, our weekly rundown of what's new and notable. This week, my discerning colleagues recommended a slew of upcoming releases to watch, stream, listen to, read and binge. I’ll walk you through my favorites.
What to watch
?? The Chicago Bears are finally good enough for Hard Knocks
When: The first episode of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears is now streaming on Max.
What to know: The series follows a team through NFL training camp before the regular season starts giving fans access to practices, meetings and some of the players’ personal lives.
The last few years have been disappointing for Bears fans, but things are finally looking up.
Entertainment reporter Taryn Ryder told me that they got new quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 draft pick, as well as a bunch of great new players, so they could be real contenders. Finally.
Why I’ll be watching: Simone Biles’s husband, safety Jonathan Owens, is on the team. I gotta root for my girl in every way possible.
?? A Milli Vanilli biopic revisits one of pop’s biggest scandals
When: Girl You Know It’s True is in theaters Aug. 9.
What to know: The biopic shows the epic rise and catastrophic fall of the pop duo, who became infamous when it was revealed the vocals on their chart-topping hits weren’t their own.
When the duo, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, got caught lip-syncing, they faced lawsuits, returned a Grammy Award and became an international punchline.
Health editor Erin Donnelly told me the group’s downfall was her first experience with feeling let down as a fan, but she hopes the film offers “meaningful context and redemption.”
Why I’ll be watching: There’s a true story behind every tabloid villain of the '90s and '00s, and I’m down to uncover them all.
?? Cuckoo questions reality
When: Cuckoo is in theaters Aug. 9.
What to know: A disgruntled teenager goes to a resort with her family in the Bavarian Alps where odd things keep happening, making her question her sanity.
Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer stars with Dan Stevens, who I still think of as the prince from the live-action Beauty and the Beast.
“I think everyone was so excited every day he came to work to see what he was going to pull out of his weird little pockets,” Schafer told Yahoo Entertainment about Stevens.
Why I’ll be watching: Prestige horror is on a hot streak this summer. I love movies that scare me in a stylish, unique way.
?? It Ends with Us breaks the cycle
When: It Ends with Us is in theaters Aug. 9.
What to know: Based on an ultra-popular Colleen Hoover book, the romantic drama follows a woman who begins seeing patterns in her own relationship that remind her of her traumatic childhood.
It’s based on a book by Hoover that has sold millions of copies.
“I've never had such a challenging experience in my career,” star Blake Lively told Yahoo Entertainment in an interview about the film.
Why I’ll be watching: I read the book when it was dominating BookTok in 2022, and though it has its faults, I’m eager to see how it’s adapted for the big screen.
Read more: Director Justin Baldoni, who also stars opposite Lively, says Hoover convinced him to play Ryle. [Entertainment Weekly]
?? The 2024 Summer Olympics take a victory lap
When: The closing ceremony airs Aug. 11 at 3 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET. on NBC.
What to know: Organizers are being pretty tight-lipped about what’s going to happen, but there will be “world-renowned singers” and hundreds of happy medalists.
Jimmy Fallon and NBC’s Primetime in Paris host Mike Tirico are leading coverage of the closing ceremony.
Entertainment editor Alexis Shaw told me that Tom Cruise performing a skydiving stunt might be the perfect way to say “au revoir” to the 2024 games and “oh hello” to 2028’s host city of Los Angeles.
Why I’ll be watching: I guess the Olympics have to end so they can come back again. I’ll walk them to the door.
We’ll be back next week with our latest picks. Want more recommendations? Check out our guides to the best in summer entertainment.
Are there other things you’re excited about? Let us know in the comments below.
