Rare Round-Up: Entertainment News of the Week (08/12/2023)
We continue to rapidly get through the remainder of 2023 and gear up for the “most wonderful time of the year” as somebody mildly famous once said. So, let’s get you caught up on the happenings of the week.
Firstly, as ever, Friday is a day for, among other things, music! Whatever image that evokes for you: Friday night in the town, a wine-fuelled wind down for the week or perhaps more appropriately your work Christmas do, as is the case for us here at Rarewaves. What is also means for us though, is new CDs and new vinyl.
We had Black Friday to close last month but we’re opening this one with a Pink Friday (specifically the second one) courtesy of the so-called “Queen of Rap” Nicki Minaj. Following a false retirement from hip hop in 2019 and her subsequent recant, Pink Friday 2 promises to be "fierce, fun, and unapologetic.” Three words that could be used to describe Minaj on her worst day, never mind her best!
Staying with pop, Tate McRae returns with her second studio album Think Later. The multi-platinum-selling 20-year-old’s latest is described as being “steeped in pop appeal and infectious toplines.” Exploring the all-too-relatable feelings of falling in love and embracing those raw emotions, McRae continues her sky-rocket ascension.
Over to rock, reissues and best-ofs, both R.E.M and The Killers are hitting both physical and digital shelves once again. R.E.M’s eleventh studio album, Up, which saw its original release in 1998 is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with this special edition which features a complete, previously unreleased 11-song live set from the band’s taping for the TV series Party of Five in 1999. That’s not the only live taping you’ll get from this edition of Up: There’s also a collection of songs performed by R.E.M. at Ealing Studios in London.
As for The Killers, Rebel Diamonds features twenty tracks of greatest hits from “Mr. Brightside” and “When You Were Young” to their latest material in “Your Side of Town.” Comprised of at least one song from each of the band’s seven studio albums since 2001, Rebel Diamonds is a celebration of one of the most important voices in rock ‘n’ roll over the last two decades.
A seemingly perfect bridge between the musical and the visual, the second trailer for the Bob Marley biopic, titled One Love and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the reggae icon dropped this week. The film follows Marley’s rise to fame until his death.
Speaking of musical biopics: Back to Black, the Amy Winehouse biopic, has an official release date. The film detailing the life and career is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and stars Marisa Abela as the troubled singer-songwriter. It is set for release on April 12th 2024.
Leading the visual charge this week is Edmund Blackadder’s cunning plan to be seen in high definition! Blackadder is one of the most beloved and successful British sitcoms of all time and can now be experienced in its full glory with all the episodes, all the specials plus plenty of bonus features. Following the multiple Edmund Blackadders (Rowan Atkinson) through history from the bumbling nit-witted son of Richard IV in the Middle Ages to the quick-witted royal courtier of Queen Elizabeth I in the Tudor Era and beyond. There is surely no better way to celebrate one's love for Blackadder, or experience it for the first time!
There’s also more from the Whoniverse and its celebrated past as we celebrate 60 years since its beginnings. This coming weekend will conclude the 60th anniversary specials of Doctor Who and see Neil Patrick Harris take on the role of a familiar character: The Toymaker! Of course, if you haven’t seen the original incarnation of the Toymaker in the form of Michael Gough then you aren’t the only one. The original episodes bar the final one, are in fact lost. However just announced yesterday, as with The Underwater Menace, we are getting a fully animated presentation of all episodes on Blu-ray using the original audio recordings.
What about new releases? The new film based on the greatest inventor, magician, and chocolate maker of all time became the Willy Wonka that we know and love hits cinemas today and as with usual practice, also hits pre-order! Starring Timothée Chalamet as the titular character and co-starring Olivia Coleman, Rowan Atkinson, and Matt Lucas among others, Wonka has been described as a “suitably sweet spin on the classic character.”
On the gaming side of things, the winner of over 320 Game of the Year awards The Last of Us Part II is getting a remaster on PlayStation 5, enhancing it in ways not possible before. Making full use of the DualSense™ wireless controller's haptic feedback and adaptive triggers to fully immerse players in Ellie and Abby's every action. Of course, now the story of Joel and Ellie (and Abby) is being experienced by a whole new crowd of people thanks to the HBO television adaptation, and we’re certainly excited to see if the reaction to Part II’s events is the same! But whilst we wait for the show’s second season, why not relive the story that inspired it in the most immersive state that it’s ever been!
What are you most excited about this week?
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