‘Selena + Chef’ returns, ‘Star Trek’ gets animated, Ed Sheeran releases new album

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 Oct. 25-31, including the best deals we could find for each. (Yahoo Entertainment may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.)

STREAM IT: Selena Gomez serves up a third season of her cooking show, Selena + Chef

“I’m back, and I’m blonde,” the singer and Only Murders in the Building actress teases in the trailer for the third season of the show that pairs her with accomplished chefs to prepare delectable meals. This season, Gomez collaborates with Ayesha Curry, Padma Lakshmi, Aarón Sánchez, Jamie Oliver and more. Although she definitely demonstrates more familiarity and expertise in the kitchen than audiences saw previously, she continues to struggle with her knife skills. Gomez also works with liquid nitrogen, whips her “favorite meal I’ve ever made” and gets flirty with one of her guests. This isn’t one of those dusty old cooking shows, y’all. — Raechal Shewfelt

The third season of Selena + Chef premieres Thursday, Oct. 28 on HBO Max.

WATCH IT: Antlers points to a good time at the movies for horror buffs

Halloween weekend is coming up, which means horror fiends are surely on the lookout for a new fix. Scott Cooper’s Antlers should do the trick. Keri Russell stars as an Oregon teacher who becomes convinced one of her students is harboring and feeding a dangerous supernatural creature, and this Guillermo del Toro-produced thriller has everything: a super-creepy kid, animal organs galore, Jesse Plemons with a mustache… Check out the exclusive clip above and tell us you didn’t get at least a few goosebumps. — Kevin Polowy

Antlers opens in theaters Friday,Oct. 29. Get tickets from Fandango.

WATCH IT: Cedric the Entertainer and Stacey Abrams discuss the past, present and future of policing in Protect or Neglect

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The death of George Floyd in police custody last year led to an ongoing conversation about what policing in America might look like going froward. That conversation continues in Protect or Neglect, a new documentary airing this week on the Bounce entertainment network, and its Brown Sugar streaming service. Cedric the Entertainer is among the subjects interviewed for the hour-long film, and discusses Floyd’s death — as well as the thorny relationship between the Black community and police departments — with his teenage daughter, Lucky Kyles. The filmmakers also spoke to widely-admired activist Stacey Abrams, who shares a painful brush with prejudice that she experienced as a child in this exclusive clip from Protect or Neglect. — Ethan Alter

Protect or Neglect premieres Wednesday, Oct. 27 on Bounce, and streams on Brown Sugar starting Thursday, Oct. 28.

WATCH IT: Snakehead sets action and thrills in the heart of NYC’s Chinatown

The 1974 classic Chinatown famously had the line, “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.” 2021’s Snakehead now adds, “Chinatown doesn’t change for anyone.” Written and directed by Evan Jackson Leong, the new action-thriller stars Shuya Chang as Sister Tse, a woman who arrives in New York through a human smuggling chain and rises to take on Chinatown’s most infamous crime family. Check out an exclusive clip from the film festival darling — inspired by the true life of Sister Ping, who lead mass migration of the Fujianese people to America — above. – K.P.

Snakehead opens in theaters and on VOD Friday, Oct. 29. Get tickets from Fandango.

STREAM IT: Doctor Who’s Pearl Mackie is on the case in the new Britbox procedural The Long Call

Pearl Mackie may only have spent a single season in the TARDIS, but that was enough to enshrine her amongst Doctor Who’s most beloved contemporary companions. The actress’s latest role keeps her grounded on terra firma: Mackie stars alongside Fleabag’s Ben Aldridge in The Long Call, a gripping small-town British crime story that makes its stateside streaming premiere on Oct. 28 on Britbox. Based on the book by Ann Cleeves, the story follows detective Matthew Venn (Aldridge) who returns to the ultra-religious community he fled decades ago following a high-profile murder. Mackie plays fellow investigator and single mother, Jen Rafferty, who moved to Venn’s former hometown after experiencing her own youthful trauma in London. This exclusive clip from the series shows Rafferty making inquiries into the case on her own… and maybe making a love connection. — E.A.

The Long Call premieres Thursday, Oct. 28 on Britbox.

WATCH IT: A Mouthful of Air looks at the dangers of postpartum depression

Amanda Seyfried plays Julie Davis, a woman who suffers from severe postpartum depression. She has to face it head on when she finds out she’s pregnant with her second child. The drama is based on the novel by the same name. Author Amy Koppelman, who wrote the book in 2003, will direct the film, which she says differs slightly from the original. “Amanda and I hope that — in some small way — Julie’s story will help remove the stigma of mental illness from motherhood or at the very least help women talk more openly about how scary it is to be a mom,” Koppelman told Deadline. “We are so grateful to everyone who helped bring this meaningful story to the screen.” — Taryn Ryder

A Mouthful of Air hits theaters Friday, Oct. 29.

READ IT: The Art and Soul of Dune

A companion to Denis Villeneuve’s breathtaking cinematic opus, The Art and Soul of Dune, written by the film’s executive producer Tanya LaPointe, compiles reams of stunning concept art, storyboards and production stills tracing the development of the new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi staple. Added bonus: The movie’s Oscar-winning composer, Hans Zimmer, was so taken by this tome that he created his own soundtrack specifically to enhance the reading experience, so fans can download Dune tunes and be transported to that that faraway galaxy inhabited by the likes of Timothée Chalamat, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista — and, of course, those toothy sandworms. — Marcus Errico

Cover art and interior images from The Art and Soul of Dune. (Image: courtesy of Insight Editions)

The Art and Soul of Dune is now available at Amazon and other booksellers.

HEAR IT: Ed Sheeran gets ‘equal’ time

The British troubadour’s first solo album since 2017, = (pronounced “equals”) is Sheeran’s “coming-of-age” record reflecting on his recent huge life changes — like falling in love and getting married (“The Joker and the Queen,” “First Times,” “2step”), becoming a dad (“Sandman,” “Leave Your Life”) and experiencing loss (“Visiting Hours”). It’s the fourth installment in his “symbol album” series, following, +, x, and ÷. — Lyndsey Parker

= by Ed Sheeran is available Friday, Oct. 29 to download/stream on Apple Music.

STREAM IT: Star Trek: Prodigy aims to enlist young audiences in Starfleet with the help of Captain Janeway

The Star Trek franchise boldly goes into the realm of children’s entertainment with its first Nickelodeon animated series, Prodigy. When a group of young Delta Quadrant aliens board the abandoned Starfleet vessel the Protostar, they’re greeted by a holographic authority figure: Voyager captain, Kathryn Janeway (voiced by Kate Mulgrew). She provides the inexperienced crew with guidance as they try to navigate their way to the Alpha Quadrant, encountering lots of new worlds and new civilizations along the way. Jason Mantzoukas, Daveed Diggs and Jameela Jamil also earn their Starfleet stripes as members of the supporting vocal cast. — E.A.

Star Trek: Prodigy premieres Thursday, Oct. 28 on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.

WATCH IT: Lifetime tells a ripped-from-the-headlines story in Torn From Her Arms

The network’s latest timely drama is inspired by the true story of Cindy Madrid and her then 6-year-old daughter Ximena (spelled Jimena in some published reports), who, in June 2018, were separated at the United States border under President Trump’s Zero Tolerance policy on immigration as they arrived. They had been fleeing gang violence in their home country of El Salvador. The Madrids’ story became widely known after ProPublica published heartbreaking, secretly recorded audio of Jimena and other children crying. Fátima Molina and Camila Núñez play mother and daughter, while Gloria Reuben (Mr. Robot) and former Devious Maids actress Judy Reyes play Ginger Thompson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter behind the story, and Thelma Garcia, the Texas immigration lawyer working the case, respectively. — R.S.

Torn From Her Arms premieres Saturday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.

READ IT: Katie Couric reports what happened behind the scenes in Going There

The famed journalist returned to her former show, Today, this week to explain why she wrote this career memoir: “I wanted to kind of share the messy parts, what real life was like. I think you see all sides of me, and my truth. I feel comfortable with that. I think it’s kind of an emotional rollercoaster.” And she definitely shares the messy parts, with stories about her reaction to disgraced former co-worker Matt Lauer being fired from the network in 2017 after several women accused him of sexual misconduct, her 2016 decision to leave comments that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had made about NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protests out of a Yahoo News story, a nanny’s alleged attempt to wreck her marriage and more. — R.S.

Going There by Katie Couric is available Tuesday, Oct. 26 at bookstores everywhere, including Barnes and Noble.

STREAM IT: William Jackson Harper is looking for love in all the wrong places in the second season of Love Life

Love Life’s first season was one of the strongest offerings amongst HBO Max’s launch titles last year, and Season 2 promises to be even better as the spotlight shifts from Anna Kendrick to William Jackson Harper. The former Good Place star plays Marcus Watkins, a publishing professional whose quest to find love in the Big Apple sends him down some wild paths. Jessica Williams, Leslie Bibb and Saturday Night Live players Ego Nwodim and Punky Johnson also join the cast this season, which has more on its mind than just romance. Marcus’s 10-episode journey also offers trenchant commentary on the obstacles facing Black authors in the book industry. — E.A.

Love LIfe Season 2 premieres Thursday, Oct. 28 on HBO Max.

HEAR IT: Tori Amos experiences a sea change

The singer-songwriter and poet wrote and recorded her 16th album, Ocean to Ocean, while in lockdown at her home in Cornwall, England. The record was inspired by the U.K.’s “landscapes and ancient myths” as well as the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021, making it the perfect companion piece to last year’s politically themed memoir, Resistance. “This is a record about your losses, and how you cope with them,” Amos explained in a statement. “Thankfully when you’ve lived long enough, you can recognize you’re not feeling like the mom you want to be, the wife you want to be, the artist you want to be. I realized that to shift this, you have to write from the place where you are. I was in my own private hell, so I told myself, then that’s where you write from — you’ve done it before…” — L.P.

Ocean to Ocean by Tori Amos is available Friday, Oct. 29 to download/stream on Apple Music.

BUY IT: Scoop up all your Funko Halloween merch before getting your trick or treat on

Funko’s Nightmare Before Christmas train set (Photo: Funko)

From vinyl collectibles to plush figures to board games, Funko has all the treats you need to enjoy Halloween to its fullest. The company’s already-robust Nightmare Before Christmas line of Funko Pops continues to grow with a train-themed collection that can be purchased individually and assembled into a seven-car set. Jack Skellington naturally captains the engine, while Sally, Zero and Oogie Boogie have their own themed carts. For grown-up horror fans, there’s also a massacre-ready Leatherface Pop (complete with his Texas Chainsaw), Pet Semetary’s dead boy and dead cat duo, a 6” Alien Queen and They Live figures. If you’re looking for something softer, Funko has a line of Five Nights at Freddy plushes in both small and super-sized variations. And speaking of FNAF, Funko Games has a tabletop version of that long-running video game franchise. — E.A.

Funko’s Halloween merchandise is available for purchase or pre-order on Entertainment Earth and Gamestop.

HEAR IT: A pair of legendary troubadours are Live at the Troubadour

(Photo: Craft Recordings)

In 1969, up-and-coming singer-songwriter James Taylor tapped reclusive songsmith Carole King to join his band for a series of shows at West Hollywood’s legendary Troubadour nightclub. Those concerts set the duo on paths towards multiplatinum superstardom. Four decades later, the iconic performers revisited the venue for a three-night stand that resulted in Live at Troubadour, featuring 15 of their greatest hits, including such seminal cuts as “You’ve Got a Friend,” “I Feel the Earth Move,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “Fire and Rain.” Now, on the cusp of King’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, comes this reissued, remastered, audiophile-friendly version available for the first time as a double-LP set on 180-gram vinyl, in Hi-Res Audio and as high-def Apple Masters, in addition to a new CD version. — M.E.

The Live at the Troubadour reissue is now available at Amazon, Apple Music and at the Craft Recordings web store.

BUY IT: You’ll love it when these Playmobil sets come together

Playmobil’s A-Team Van. (Photo: Playmobil)

Playmobil is ready to shake and stir you with the latest additions to their line of licensed vehicle playsets. The A-Team van explodes off your TV set and into your living room in a 69-piece set that’s sleek on the outside and packed with all the interior equipment required for pulling off elaborate multi-stage plans. And naturally you’ll get all four members of that classic ‘80s squad: Hannibal, Face, Murdock and the one and only B.A. Baracus and his signature hairstyle. For those who prefer cars of a ‘60s vintage, Playmobil has faithfully recreated James Bond’s beloved Aston Martin from 1964’s Goldfinger. The 54-piece gleaming silver set features an ejector seat, revolving license plate and 007 himself. — E.A.

Playmobil’s A-Team van and Goldfinger Aston Martin are available on the official Playmobil site.

HEAR IT: The War on Drugs keeps on winning

The Dylan/Springsteen/Petty-esque heartland heroes return with a fifth album of soaring, grandiose, elegiac dad-rock, anchored by TWoD frontman and modern-day bard Adam Granduciel’s unique everyman narratives, that will no doubt sound perfect at sundown during next year’s festival season. — L.P.

I Don’t Live Here Anymore by the War on Drugs is available Friday, Oct. 29 to download/stream on Apple Music.

— Video produced by Anne Lilburn and edited by Jimmie Rhee

You can view the original article HERE.