Kokomo Tribune Entertainment NOW
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1506863
Entertainment Now | September 2 - 8, 2023 By Raye Smith TV Media WHAT'S NEW ON DISNEY+ "I Am Groot" - Season 2 The galaxy's most mischievous toddler is back to stealing hearts in Season 2 of "I Am Groot," premier- ing Wednesday, Sept. 6, on Dis- ney+. A photorealistic animated series of shorts, Season 2 follows the beloved Guardians of the Gal- axy franchise character, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel, "F9: The Fast Saga," 2021), as "this time, Baby Groot finds himself exploring the universe and beyond aboard the Guardians' spaceships, coming face-to-face — or nose-to-nose — with new and colorful creatures and environments" (Per Disney+). Throughout five new original shorts, Baby Groot "[explores] his glory days growing up — and get- ting into trouble — among the stars" (Disney+). Expanding on the original Marvel character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the se- ries is directed and written by Kirst- en Lepore ("Hi Stranger," 2016), who executive produces the series alongside Kevin Feige ("Black Pan- ther," 2018), Louis D'Esposito ("Iron Man," 2008), Victoria Alon- so ("Avengers: End Game," 2019) and Brad Winderbaum ("Thor: Love and Thunder," 2022). "The Little Mermaid" (2023) Enjoy life under the sea with Disney's live-action remake of its 1989 hit animated film, "The Little Mermaid," available to stream on Disney+, Wednesday, Sept. 6. Loosely based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, "The Little Mermaid tells the story of Ariel (Halle Bailey, "grown-ish"), a spir- ited young mermaid who dreams of grand adventures. However, as the youngest and most defiant of King Triton's (Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men," 2007) daughters, Ariel finds herself caught under her father's strict rule. When a trip to the surface leads her to fall for the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King, "World on Fire"), Ariel makes a deal with an evil sea witch named Ursula (Melissa McCarthy, "God's Favorite Idiot") in order to experi- ence life on land. When things don't exactly go to plan, Ariel finds her life and her father's kingdom in jeopardy. Directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago," 2002) and featuring a screenplay by David Magee ("Life of Pi," 2012), the film also stars Daveed Diggs ("Hamilton," 2020) as the voice of Sebastian; Awkwa- fina ("Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," 2021) as the voice of Scuttle; Jacob Tremblay ("Room," 2015) as the voice of Flounder; Noma Dumezweni ("Mary Poppins Returns," 2018) as The Queen; and Art Malik ("Home- land") as Sir Grimsby. Additionally, Disney+ subscribers have access to special bonus content, including a special performance of "Impossi- ble Child" by Javier Bardem, with music by Alan Menken ("Beauty and the Beast," 1991) and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda ("Hamilton," 2020). WHAT'S NEW ON NETFLIX "Virgin River" - Season 5, Part 1 The town is rocked by a shock- ing series of events when "Virgin River" returns to Netflix with Sea- son 5, debuting its first 10-episode installment Thursday, Sept. 7. Sea- son 5, Part 2 is set to release Thurs- day, Nov. 30, with two special holi- day episodes. Now firmly settled in Virgin River, nurse practitioner Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge, "This Is Us"), who moved to the small Northern California town in Sea- son 1, is pushed to make a big deci- sion about her future at the clinic while her pregnancy unexpectedly sparks an emotional connection to her past this season. Meanwhile, Jack (Martin Henderson, "Grey's Anatomy") faces his own demons and, of course, Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley, "Sullivan's Cross- ing"), in an attempt to prove him- self to Mel, as Doc (Tim Matheson, "Hart of Dixie") and Hope (An- nette O'Toole, "Halt and Catch Fire") must find solace and those around them when their identities are thrown into question. Season 5 also features "surprising new rela- tionships, a shocking breakup, a difficult court trial, a heartbreaking goodbye, and a wildfire that threatens the town, bringing some people of Virgin River together while tearing others apart" (per Netflix). Based on the book series of the same name by Robyn Carr, "Virgin River" was created for tele- vision by Sue Tenney ("Good Witch"). The series also stars Ben- jamin Hollingsworth ("Code Black"), Colin Lawrence ("River- dale"), Sarah Dugdale ("In the Shadow of the Moon," 2019), Zib- by Allen ("Grey's Anatomy"), Mar- co Grazzini ("Kim's Conve- nience"), Mark Ghanimé ("Helix"), Kai Bradbury ("Motherland: Fort Salem") and Teryl Rothery ("Ar- row"). WHAT'S NEW ON PRIME VIDEO "Sitting in Bars with Cake" (2023) Inspired by true events and based on the cookbook of the same name by Audrey Shulman ("Love, Inheritance and Lunch," 2019), the new rom-com "Sitting in Bars with Cake" premieres on Prime Video, Friday, Sept. 8. Young and doing their best to navigate life in Los Angeles, Corinne (Odes- sa A'zion, "Hellraiser," 2022), the ultimate extrovert, convinces her best friend, Jane (Yara Shahidi, "grown-ish"), an introverted and extremely talented home baker, to commit to a year of baking cakes and bringing them to bars — called "cakebarring" — in order to meet new people and work on building up confidence. As the friends work their way through L.A.'s vibrant nightlife scene, "Corinne receives a life-altering di- agnosis, and the pair face a chal- lenge unlike anything they've ex- perienced before," in a madcap ad- venture that is "a moving celebra- tion of female friendship, forging identity and finding joy in the most unexpected places" (per Prime Video). With a screenplay written by Shulman, "Sitting in Bars with Cake" is directed by Trish Sie ("Pitch Perfect 3," 2017) and exec- utive produced by Shahidi, Janet G. Knutsen ("Rizzoli & Isles") and Teri Simpson ("Carrie Pilby," 2016). The film also stars Bette Midler ("Beaches," 1988), Ron Livingston ("Band of Brothers"), Martha Kelly ("Baskets"), Maia Mitchell ("The Fosters"), Charlie Morgan Patton ("80 For Brady," 2023), Simone Re- casner ("The Big Leap"), Rish Shah ("Ms. Marvel"), Aaron Dominguez ("Only Murders in the Building"), Will Ropp ("The Fallout," 2021), Adina Porter ("The 100") and Nav- id Negahban ("Homeland"). WHAT'S NEW ON PARAMOUNT+ "Star Trek: Lower Decks" - Season 4 Head on down below the bridge to explore the day-to-day lives of those who keep Starfleet running when Season 4 of the animated adventure comedy "Star Trek: Low- er Decks" premieres on Para- mount+, Thursday, Sept. 7. This time around, an unknown force is destroying starships and threaten- ing galactic peace. But, luckily for the crew of the USS Cerritos, they aren't important enough for mis- sions like that. Instead, the "Lower Decks" crew — including ensigns Mariner (Tawny Newsome, "Space Force"), Boimler (Jack Quaid, "The Boys"), Tendi (Noel Wells, "Craig of the Creek") and Rutherford (Eu- gene Cordero, "Loki") — are tend- ing to their normal Starfleet duties, doing their best to avoid malevo- lent computers, encountering aliens both new and old and get- ting stuck in a couple of caves along the way. Rounding out the series voice cast are Dawnn Lewis ("A Different World") as Capt. Car- ol Freeman; Jerry O'Connell ("Slid- ers") as Cmdr. Jack Ransom; Fred Tatasciore ("Praise Petey") as Lt. Shaxsl; and Gillian Vigman ("Step Brothers," 2008) as Dr. T'Ana. The series comes from creator Mike McMahan ("Solar Opposites"). 10 | Streaming Waltman Flooring 2 x 2" Groot in "I am Groot" Kokomo Speedway 2 x 2"