September will always bring back memories of school.
Although I don’t have any children or have ever seen a classroom, this month will always be “back to school” time for me.
This is perfect for this week’s newsletter, as some of the top entertainment options are available.
Season 2 of ‘Abbott Elementary”
Quinta Brunson, creator of “Abbott Elementary”, is a wonderful person.
Her sitcom is one the most popular on television right now. It also gave Sheryl Lee Ralph the opportunity to shine, and she recently won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Ralph Brunson, Janine Teagues (who also plays the role of teacher Janine Teagues), and the rest are back for another hilarious season. It will be a great season!
ABC’s “Abbott Elementary”, airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m.; Hulu will stream the episodes the next day.
‘Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’
His name has almost become synonymous with serial murder.
Jeffrey Dahmer, who committed horrendous crimes including murder, cannibalism, and necrophilia has been the subject many true crime books, TV series, and movies. Ryan Murphy is the latest Netflix narrator.
A limited series that dramatizes his grisly crime, “Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”, is also available. It “focuses on the underserved victims of systemic racism and institutional failures in the police,” the streaming platform stated in a statement.
The series is now available on Netflix.
Season 2 of ‘The Kardashians”
Just when you thought you knew everything about the Kardashians it turns out that they have been keeping their distance.
According to reports, the new season of Hulu’s family reality show will feature a health scare for Kris Jenner’s matriarch and Kim Kardashian’s “seasons of independence.” It’s going to be a big start: Kardashian told “Good Morning America” that the season premiere is “a really deeply, vulnerable episode that hasn’t been talked about.”
She added, “I think people’s going to be really surprised.”
The first episode of the series is now available on Hulu.
You can be sure that people will be reading between the lines in Kelsea Ballerini’s latest album, after she filed for divorce from Morgan Evans, a fellow singer-songwriter.
“Subject To Change,” Ballerini’s fourth full-length album, features the now-29-year-old country singer with an entirely new perspective on life.
She told Billboard that she had taken a lot of time in the last few years to get to know herself and be open to her feelings.
“Subject to Change,” is now available.
5 Seconds of Summer cannot release a new album during the fall. There’s no law that says so, and the Australian pop-rock group is doing exactly that with “5SOS5”.
The group has been around for more than a decade. They quickly gained a reputation for their catchy songs – and hard partying.
The bandmates are now a bit more settled into adulthood. With time to reflect on the years and the pause caused by a pandemic they have found a new place for their songwriting.
Ashton Irwin, singer, told The Guardian that a lot of the new album is about romantic relationships and friendships. “But it’s about realising that you might not have the emotional tools to understand why they affect you as well.
“5SOS5” is also available now.
Brava to “The Woman King.”
Viola Davis is the star of one of my favorite films of the year. She plays the leader of the Agojie (an all-female group that protects the West African kingdomof Dahomey for hundreds of years).
The film was a success at the box office, but there were concerns about the movie’s treatment of Dahomey rulers who sold their African enemies into slavery.
I was reminded by the controversy that social media has a tendency to encourage people to be vocal about many things without being able to make informed decisions.
“It was the realization that at the time we’re setting it, that the kingdom is at a crossroads,” Gina Prince-Bythewood, director, said in a recent interview to Vox. “Half the kingdom and its people wanted to abolish the trade, while the other half wanted to keep it because they had the wealth. She explained that she was able “use these women to be the voice of change” because of the movie’s focus upon the Agojie.
Adnan Syed’s case is a reminder of how investigative journalism can be powerful and can make a difference in people’s lives.
His case was not well known outside of Baltimore until Sarah Koenig, a journalist I worked with in the late 1990s at Baltimore Sun, took up his cause for “Serial,” a podcast that was released in 2014.
Syed was a high school student when he was charged and convicted of the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, his ex-girlfriend. Although he was sentenced in 2000 to life imprisonment, there was widespread concern about his conviction and calls for a reexamination.
Monday’s Baltimore City Circuit Court judge overturned Syed’s conviction. Prosecutors in the city had provided new evidence. Syed was released that day, pending a possible future retrial.
This post is on Instagram. It was shared by Lisa Respers France (@lisafrance).