The It List: Sylvester Stallone comes to reality TV in 'The Family Stallone,' 'NCIS: Los Angeles' signs off, Lewis Capaldi and Kesha drop new albums and all the best in pop culture the week of May 15, 2023
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 15-21, including the best deals we could find for each.
STREAM IT: Box-office heavyweight Sylvester Stallone joins the reality TV fray with The Family Stallone
In what looks like a variation of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the Rocky star and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, co-headline this new series alongside adult daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet. The ladies laugh at their superstar dad as he cleans their cat and engages in other mundane tasks for the camera, while they host a podcast and otherwise pursue careers in the entertainment industry. Flavin, who split from and then got back together with Stallone last year, provides the now obligatory message that we've come to expect in shows of this genre: "I know we're insane. I know we're crazy, but we love each other so much." TBD whether this will be a ratings knockout for Stallone. — Raechal Shewfelt
The Family Stallone premieres Wednesday, May 17 on Paramount+.
WATCH IT: Say so long to NCIS: Los Angeles with a farewell salute
After 14 years of solving military-adjacent crimes, NCIS: Los Angeles is standing down. After Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J and Daniela Ruah crack their last case in the series finale — which airs at 9 p.m. on CBS — stick around for a primetime farewell special hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier. The hour-long event will feature interviews with cast members past and present and recap some of the show's most memorable storylines and scenes. And don't worry: the NCIS mothership show is still going strong, recently scoring a franchise-best 21st season. — Ethan Alter
A Salute to NCIS: Los Angeles airs Sunday, May 21 at 10 p.m. on CBS.
STREAM IT: Queenmaker brings the Gawker era back to life
New York City in the early aughts was a playground where socialites like Paris Hilton and Tinsley Mortimer could become overnight celebrities courtesy of a little thing called the internet. That's where gossip sites like Gawker and Park Avenue Peerage tracked the movements of these non-Hollywood stars, breathlessly reporting on what they were doing and where they were seen. The new Hulu documentary Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl, time travels back to that not-so-distant past, with new interviews from the rising stars of that era as well as the journalists that covered them back in the day. This exclusive clip from the film features Mortimer reflecting on how she part of her just wants to be a "real housewife" — but not that kind of real housewife. — E.A.
Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl premieres May 17 on Hulu.
WATCH IT: Paul Schrader concludes his 'man in a room' trilogy with Master Gardener
Peter Jackson and Christopher Nolan don't have a monopoly on trilogies. With Master Gardener, writer-director Paul Schrader — the mind behind Taxi Driver as well as Blue Collar and Mishima — concludes the "man in a room" triptych that began with 2018's First Reformed and continued with 2021's The Card Counter. Joel Edgerton plays a horticulturist with a dark past whose employer (Sigourney Weaver) asks him to welcome her wayward great-niece (Quintessa Swindell) onto his staff. The two inevitably strike up a romance that tests his previously held beliefs — not to mention the audience's ideas of who merits forgiveness. This exclusive clip from the film features Weaver informing Edgerton what she expects from him... and sets the stage for how those expectations are upended. — E.A.
Master Gardener premieres Friday, May 19 in theaters; visit Fandango for showtime and ticket information.
STREAM IT: Take a ride on a 100 Foot Wave as the HBO docuseries wraps up Season 2
Hanging 10 at 100 feet isn't for the faint of heart. But pro surfer Garrett McNamara set his sights on achieving that goal, and cameras have followed his efforts for two seasons now on HBO's docuseries 100 Foot Wave. The show wraps up its second season on May 21, and the finale features the same mixture of incredible surfing footage and insightful interviews with McNamara and his surfing pals. This exclusive clip from the finale picks up after the fifth episode's cliffhanger ending and features one of the surfers describing his roller-coaster experience riding a killer wave. — E.A.
The Season 2 finale of 100 Foot Wave airs Sunday, May 21 at 8 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max; all episodes are streaming now on HBO Max.
STREAM IT: Game of Thrones star Gemma Whelan scales The Tower for another season
Gemma Whelan's watch definitely hasn't ended. The former Game of Thrones star is back for another chapter of The Tower, based on British author Kate London's bestselling series of crime novels. Newly transferred to Homicide Command, Det. Sgt. Sarah Collins is assigned to a missing girl cold case that gets warm again as she uncovers new intel. This exclusive clip from the four-episode series features Sarah preparing to re-open the files on the case, much to the frustration of her new colleagues. — E.A.
The Tower 2: Death Message premieres Tuesday, May 16 on BritBox.
WATCH IT: It's a literal and figurative final face-off on Season 9 of The Masked Singer
After weeks of big reveals ranging from Debbie Gibson to Dee Snider, it all comes down to the Macaw, who's probably American Idol runner-up David Archuleta, vs. the Medusa, who's probably alt-rock star Bishop Briggs. So, can Archie win the entire competition, and not only do what past American Idol/Masked Singer alumni Chris Daughtry, Katharine McPhee, Todrick Hall and Tori Kelly could not, but also bring closure to those poor, viral crying fangirls, 15 years after he controversially lost on Idol? Or will it be comeback queen the Medusa, who was historically saved from elimination this season in a Masked Singer first, that slithers to the Season 9 winner's circle? In their own ways, they're both seeking second chances, and they're both deserving. Find out who prevails — and if our guesses were actually correct — on what might be the series' most competitive finale yet. — Lyndsey Parker
The Masked Singer Season 9 finale airs Wednesday, May 17 at 8 p.m. on Fox.
HEAR IT: Kesha embraces the darkness on gag-worthy fifth album
Embattled pop survivor Kesha joins forces with legendary super-producer Rick Rubin on her much-anticipated fifth studio LP, which she has described as "post-pop" and an "emotional exorcism." Headline-grabbingly titled Gag Order — a reference to her long-running legal battle with former producer Dr. Luke, about which she is still not able to publicly comment — the record, on which Kesha served as executive producer, allows the music to do all the talking. The singer-songwriter has explained that she will take the listener on "a stream-of-conscious journey through the psychedelic dark depths of the human psyche followed by basking in the cleansing light when finally reaching the surface." — L.P.
Gag Order by Kesha is available Friday, May 19 to download/stream on Apple Music.
HEAR IT: Lewis Capaldi's sophomore album is something to love
Following his brave, confessional documentary How I'm Feeling Now — in which the Scottish "Someone You Loved" balladeer opened up about his struggles with anxiety, imposter syndrome, sudden fame, writer's block, the internal and external pressure to follow up his massive 2019 debut album and avoid a sophomore slump — Lewis Capaldi finally returns with his lovely second album, Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent. And he proves that not only did he have nothing to worry about, but the record was well worth the wait. — L.P.
Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sentby Lewis Capaldi is available Friday, May 19 to download/stream on Apple Music.
READ IT: IDW's Star Trek: Echoes continues The Motion Picture's journey
It may not be a Wrath of Khan level banger, but Star Trek: The Motion Picture has its passionate fans for a reason. The first big-screen voyage of the classic Enterprise crew may be slow at times, but it also offers vintage '70s special effects and a real sense of wonder at the vastness of the galaxy. IDW's new five-part comic series Star Trek: Echoes, hopes to continue burnishing that 1979 movie's reputation, picking up immediately after the events of the film and sending the reunited team out on another adventure involving the Romulans and a new super-weapon. — E.A.
Star Trek: Echoes is available Wednesday, May 17 at most comics retailers.
WATCH IT: Kieran, dim the lights! And your new American idol is…
Who will win American Idol Season 21: seeming frontrunner and fan favorite Iam Tongi, or one of this year's small-town country crooners, Megan Danielle or Colin Stough? Whatever the result, it remains to be seen if Idol's next champion can follow in the footsteps of superstars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, or Adam Lambert (or David Archuleta, for that matter). But Sunday's three-hour finale will be an all-star affair no matter what, with performances by Kylie Minogue, TLC, Ellie Goulding, James Blunt, Jazmine Sullivan, Jelly Roll, Lauren Daigle, Pitbull, REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin, returning fan favorites Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, all three judges, and former Idol judge Keith Urban, who'll also mentor the top three. — L.P.
The American Idol Season 21 finale airs Sunday, May 21 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
HEAR IT: Brandy Clark makes a name for herself
The fourth, self-titled studio album by Nashville songwriter-to-the-stars Brandy Clark unsurprisingly finds the seven-time Grammy nominee in great company, collaborating with Derek Trucks, Lucius and another country A-lister by a similar name, Brandi Carlile, who produced the record. "Brandy is one of the greatest songwriters I've ever known," Carlile gushed in a statement about the Grammy-bait release. "And I feel like I now know exactly who Brandy Clark is through the portal of this singular brilliantly written album. When I heard the songs for this album, they took me back to the first time I heard [Lucinda Williams's] Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. I was thinking about Tom Petty, the Pretenders, Kim Richey, Sheryl Crow, Shelby Lynne and the soul of '90s Americana before it had a name. This is the time Brandy has chosen to reveal herself to the world as an artist and a woman, and I was blessed beyond measure to be the person she trusted to support and facilitate that swan dive." Carlile added: "Brandy's voice is like a friend you've had your whole life the second you hear it. I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. This is her moment. This is the one. Sometimes an artist only gets one shot at an album like this in their life." — L.P.
Brandy Clark by Brandy Clark is available Friday, May 19 to download/stream on Apple Music.
HEAR IT: Dave Matthews Band shoots for the moon
The 10th studio album by jam scene heroes the Dave Matthews Band, Walk Around the Moon, is their first LP since 2018, but their devoted fanbase has already heard much of it, since seven of its 12 tracks were played live prior to this past January's official album announcement. That being said, anticipation for the record runs high, because a new Dave Matthews album means a new U.S. tour — which will kick off at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Woodlands, Texas on the day of Walk Around the Moon's release. — L.P.
Walk Around the Moon by the Dave Matthews Band is available Friday, May 19 to download/stream on Apple Music.
WEAR IT: Have a side of Hello Kitty with your rom-com
Nearly five years after the movie version of Jenny Han's YA novel To All the Boys I've Loved Before debuted on Netflix, a new TV series, XO, Kitty, centering on main character Laura Jean's little sister, Kitty (played by Anna Cathcart ), is debuting on Netflix. Just in time for that, Forever 21 has teamed up with Sanrio to make a limited-edition XO, Kitty x Hello Kitty collection that includes 16 fun pieces that fit right into the universe that Han has created with her novels, which includes Kitty's new life at the Korean Independent School of Seoul. The preppy polo shirts, varsity jackets, mini-skirts and more apparel to sport during your viewing party range in price from $12.99 to $64.99. — R.S.
XO, Kitty premieres Thursday, May 18 on Netflix, and the XO, Kitty x Hello Kitty collection is available now at Forever 21 stores and Forever21.com.
