This week’s new entertainment releases include ‘Cry Macho,’ McCreery and ‘The Morning Show’

By The Associated Press

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.

MOVIES

— Clint Eastwood has gone back to his Western roots with “Cry Macho,” which the 91-year-old directs and stars in as a former rodeo star who’s hired to bring a young man in Mexico back to his father in the U.S. People have been trying to adapt N. Richard Nash’s novel since it was published in 1975, with everyone from Roy Scheider to Arnold Schwarzenegger attached over the years. Even Eastwood himself reportedly circled the role over 30 years ago. Like all Warner Bros. films in 2021, “Cry Macho” will debut simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday.

— A 16-year-old dreams of becoming a drag queen in “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,” a coming-of-age-musical-comedy that hits Amazon Prime Video on Friday. It’s inspired by the true story of a 15-year-old kid from the U.K. who wore a dress to his school prom which became the subject of a documentary and then a successful West End production. Max Harwood leads as Jamie New in a cast that includes Sarah Lancashire as his supportive mother, Ralph Ineson, Sharon Horgan and Richard E. Grant. Jonathan Butterell, who also directed the stage show, directs.

— Also on Amazon Prime on Friday is a new film from actor-writer-director Mélanie Laurent who has adapted “The Mad Women’s Ball,” Victoria Mas’s prize-winning novel about women in the Salpêtrière asylum in 1885 Paris. Lou de Laâge, who was also in Laurent’s “Breathe,” stars as a wealthy, educated and rebellious woman who refuses to conform to her father and brother’s expectations and is thus institutionalized. Laurent also appears in a supporting role as a nurse in the hospital.

— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

MUSIC

— Self-titled albums are important milestones and Lindsey Buckingham is releasing one on Friday at age 71. It’s the former Fleetwood Mac singer and guitarist’s first solo release since 2011’s “Seeds We Sow” and his seventh solo studio collection. “Lindsey Buckingham” was finished nearly four years ago and has as its singles, “I Don’t Mind,”“Scream” and “On the Wrong Side.” Lately, Buckingham has been appearing on other artists’ work, including The Killers’ “Imploding the Mirage” and Halsey’s “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.”

— The hurricane of talent that is Cynthia Erivo drops a defining album on Friday, the 12-track “Ch. 1 Vs. 1.” The Tony-, Grammy- and Emmy-winner (not to mention Oscar-nominated actor) has released a few singles already, including the sublime soul/R&B anthem “Glowing Up,” with the lyrics “Diamonds don’t shine/Until they’ve been buried alive.” The album of all original material is executive produced by Will Wells, who has worked with Imagine Dragons and Anthony Ramos. “This is probably one of the first times I’ll get to just be myself, and be myself fully,” Erivo says in the press release.

— Country music and trucks are like peanut butter and jelly, so its comforting to know that Scott McCreery’s fifth album is titled “Same Truck,” out Friday. Its singles include “Carolina to Me” — with the North Carolina tourist board-ready lyrics ”We all believe what we believe/But everything that’s heaven to you/Is Carolina to me” — and the real-life newlywed’s romantic ditty “You Time.” McCreery has said the album’s title emerged during a fraught 2020 — “less divide, more togetherness.”

— AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy

TELEVISION

— “Jeopardy!” begins its new season Monday, and it’s reasonable to guess some viewers will tune in to see Mike Richards. It’s a small window, since Richards exited as host after taping a handful of episodes and was subsequently dropped as executive producer because of past unsavory podcast comments. But the real reason to watch is returning champ Matt Amodio, who ended last season in style by winning 18 consecutive games and collecting $574,801 — a total that makes him third in all-time, regular-season winnings. Check local listings for stations and times for the syndicated series.

— Fatherhood frequently fails to get its media due when compared to momhood. “OWN Spotlight: They Call Me Dad,” airing Tuesday, takes a step in the right direction with a celebration of Black fathers and the bond they have with their children. The OWN channel special offers intimate away-from-the-spotlight profiles of four celebrity dads and the joys and sorrows of parenthood. Actors Derek Luke and Tristan Mack Wilds, gospel musician and pastor Marvin Sapp and music mogul Master P are featured.

— Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell and Billy Crudup and we could go on, but “The Morning Show” audience knows the exceptional cast. They also are acutely aware they’ve waited since the season one finale aired in December 2019 to find out what happened after Alex (Aniston) and Bradley (Witherspoon) turn the show into a #MeToo megaphone. And there’s the tragic death of talent booker Hannah (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), which could have been purposeful or accidental. The first of season two’s 10 episodes is out Friday on Apple TV+, followed by weekly releases of the rest.

— AP Television Writer Lynn Elber

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