What we'll be listening to, watching, and reading to sate our pop culture needs.
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This weekend is full of the greats: a new series starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, plus Diane Keaton in all her cinematic glory. Who could ask for more? Besides another weekend to get through all that and more.
When Netflix announced they’d be releasing a series co-starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin last year, DAME did a little dance of joy. And the day for that odd-couple-like show created by Friends’ Marta Kauffman has finally arrived. In it, Fonda’s Grace and Tomlin’s Frankie are learning to live as frenemies-turned-roommates after their husbands (Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston) left them for one another. And truth be told, we’d watch them in anything.
No-bullshit country star Shelby Lynne is back with her 13th album, a deep dive into bluesy-rock, intimate singer/songwriter fare, and upbeat soul. Lynne rocked the music world in 2000 with her pop-oriented record I Am Shelby Lynne, and with this album she’s about to rock it again. It’s Lynne at her finest—lyrical, honest, and oh boy, that voice.
The follow-up to Kate Atkinson’s 2013 novel Life After Life, A God In Ruins re-introduces us to the same family of characters; this time the protagonist is Teddy Todd, the younger brother of Life’s central character Ursula. The book spans nearly 50 years of his life—including his experiences as a World War II bomber, his stoic marriage, the hippie childhood of his grandchildren—all while exploring loss, grief, secrecy, and trust. A worthy companion to her original bestseller.
We’ve been with Alicia Florrick through a lot, and hopefully we’ll be with her for at least a season more. CBS has yet to confirm The Good Wife’s renewal, but we won’t let that put a damper on our enjoyment of the last episode of the season. There’s too much to stress about as is. Like, what will happen to Alicia after her voter fraud scandal? What will Finn’s answer be? And for god’s sake, what about Kalinda??
We’re wary to give either one of these flicks a hearty thumbs up, but we’re gonna go ahead and give them the benefit of the doubt. To be honest, Hot Pursuit, the buddy flick starring Reese Witherspoon as a cop escorting Sofia Vergara’s star witness to trial, looks far less than stellar. But we can’t help but want a female buddy movie to make some money, especially since it’s produced by both Witherspoon (who nailed it with Wild) and Vergara, who could use some extra support since her ex is taking her to court over embryos. 5 Flights Up, starring Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman as a married couple selling their Brooklyn flat (bonus: Cynthia Nixon is their realtor), looks like a sweet if toothless film, but if Keaton is in, so are we.