The It List: Jason Aldean looks back at Route 91 Harvest Music Festival shooting in '11 minutes' doc, 'Sex, Lies and the College Cult' goes inside Larry Ray's Sarah Lawrence scandal and all the best in pop culture the week of Sept. 26, 2022

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 Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 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: Jason Aldean relives a deadly Las Vegas mass shooting in 11 Minutes

Jason Aldean will never be able to forget his performance at the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Musical Festival in Las Vegas... as much as he might want to. During the country superstar's set on Oct. 1, 2017, a shooter opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Eleven minutes later, 58 people lay dead, and over 800 people were injured — making it the largest mass shooting in American history. Aldean is among the survivors interviewed for the new four-part Paramount+ docuseries, 11 Minutes, which reconstructs the events of that night through eyewitness testimony and never-before-seen news and cell phone camera footage. "It was like any other day," Aldean remarks in the series about how Oct. 1 dawned, with no one suspecting the tragedy that lay ahead. Sadly, we've seen too many similar days in this country since. — Ethan Alter

11 Minutes premieres Tuesday, Sept. 27 on Paramount+.

WATCH IT: The Gabby Petito Story captures a tragic story that captivated the nation

Little more than a year after 22-year-old Gabby Petito disappeared while on a road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, who was ultimately found to have been her killer, Lifetime is dramatizing the story. Ghost World star Thora Birch directed and costars as Petito's mother, while Scream Queens's Skyler Samuels portrays Petito and Evan Hall (Orange Is the New Black) is Laundrie. The ripped-from-the-headlines movie has drawn criticism not only because it happened so recently, but because Petito's mother has reportedly said it was not approved by the family. For her part, Birch has revealed that she's been in an abusive relationship and wants to help others in the situation. "The thing is that I wouldn't have looked back on that relationship and said to myself, 'Oh wow, I guess that was an abusive relationship,'" she told RogerEbert.com while promoting the movie in May. "But it was, and I think that if we could help anybody see the warning signs, that would be fantastic because you just don't see them when you're in that situation." — Raechal Shewfelt

The Gabby Petito Story premieres Saturday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.

STREAM IT: Sex, Lies and the College Cult digs into the bizarre, true story of cult leader Larry Ray

In Sept. 2010, a man named Lawrence "Larry" Ray, who had just been released from prison, moved into his daughter's dorm room at prestigious Sarah Lawrence College. While that's strange enough, things got really weird when he started an abusive sex cult there. This documentary uncovers how Ray came to wield such influence and how he tricked the victims, some of whom are part of this documentary, to send him roughly $1 million over the next decade. And the money was far from the worst of it. We know because, in April 2022, he was convicted on federal charges of sex trafficking, forced labor, extortion and more. According to court documents, he had acted as a father figure to the students, even holding therapy sessions with them. As one of the prosecuting attorneys in the case told NBC after his conviction, he "used violence, threats and psychological abuse to try to control and destroy" the lives of students. He did it by creating an entirely new reality for the victims — one in which he reigned supreme. — R.S.

Sex, Lies and the College Cult premieres Wednesday, Sept. 28 on Peacock.

WATCH/STREAM IT: The Curse of Robert the Doll explores the world's most terrifying haunted doll

The latest installment in the Travel Channel's Shock Docs series is the two-hour special The Curse of Robert the Doll, which explores what's considered to be the world's most haunted doll. Currently the doll resides in a museum in Key West, Fla., and that's where psychic medium Cindy Kaza begins to uncover the mystery of why and how it became so cursed. "You go down he list, anything bad that's happened has been blamed on Robert: fires, floods, illness... it doesn't end."

The Curse of Robert the Doll premieres Friday, Sept. 30 on Travel Channel and Discovery+.

WATCH IT: Kate Hudson meets a mental hospital escapee with secret powers in Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon

Kate Hudson is wrapping the year up nicely. The actress is already drawing early raves for her zany performance in December’s Knives Out sequel Glass Onion. But before that premieres to non-festival audiences, she’ll be seen as the unlikely caretaker to an escaped mental patient with supernatural powers (Burning breakout Jeon Jong-seo) in the stylish thriller Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, the latest subversion from acclaimed writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home at Night, The Bad Batch). Check out an exclusive clip from the film above. — Kevin Polowy

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon opens in select theaters and VOD on Friday, Sept. 30. Get tickets from Fandango.

WATCH/STREAM IT: Nothing Compares to Sinéad O'Connor's story

Focusing on Sinéad O?Connor?s career between 1987 and 1993, Kathryn Ferguson’s documentary Nothing Compares chronicles the iconic Irish singer-songwriter's early fame and post-SNL fall from grace from a much-needed feminist perspective. Incorporating previously unseen archival footage along with a rare new interview with the 55-year-old O’Connor herself, the powerful film will surely generate new respect and appreciation for this unique, uncategorizable and unfortunately often misunderstood artist. — Lyndsey Parker

Nothing Compares premieres Friday, Sept. 30 on Showtime’s streaming service before making its on-air debut on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 10 p.m.

WATCH IT: Saturday Night Live returns with some new Not Ready for Primetime Players

Live from New York... it's Season 48 of Saturday Night Live! And the late night institution celebrated its latest year by shedding a few longtime cast members — Pete Davidson, Chris Redd, Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant were among the Not Ready for Primetime Players that headed for Studio 8H's exit door. Four new featured players will join the cast for the Oct. 1 season premiere, hosted by Top Gun: Maverick star, Miles Teller. (Upcoming emcees include Brendan Gleeson and Megan Thee Stallion.) We're ready to meet the next Target Lady or Debbie Downer. — E.A.

Saturday Night Live Season 48 premieres Saturday, Oct. 1 on NBC and Peacock.

WATCH/STREAM IT: Anne Rice's bloodsuckers are back in AMC's new Interview With the Vampire series

Readers first met vampire lovers Lestat and Louis in Anne Rice's 1976 bestseller, Interview With the Vampire, which spawned an entire book franchise and two feature films. One year after the author's death, Interview comes to television with an AMC series starring Game of Thrones's Jacob Anderson as Louis and Sam Reid as Lestat. With Anderson in the lead role, the new Interview will add a timely dynamic to Rice's narrative, dealing with Louis's experiences as a Black man in early 20th century America. — E.A.

Interview With the Vampire premieres Sunday, Oct. 2 on AMC and AMC+.

HEAR IT: Bj?rk goes home again

The 10th studio album by Bj?rk is her first since 2017, and during that recording hiatus, the Icelandic iconoclast lost her mother; took a lot of mushrooms; and spent more time in her homeland than she had since her teens (due to both the pandemic and her desire to move away from “unfathomable” recent violence in America). In a recent Pitchfork interview, Bj?rk described the result, Fossora, as her “Iceland album,” partially inspired by her country's traditional choral and folk music. The record features experimental Brooklyn artist Serpentwithfeet, Indonesian dance duo Gabber Modus Operandi, bass clarinet sextet Murmuri and Bj?rk’s two children. — L.P.

Fossora by Bj?rk is available Friday, Sept. 30 to download/stream on Apple Music.

STREAM IT: Ana de Armas has her Marilyn Monroe moment in Blonde

While the latest movie about the screen siren has been in limited release at U.S. movie theaters since Sept. 16, many more Marilyn fans will have access to it once it hits Netflix. They'll see de Armas take on a role that many actresses have played over the years, and for which she's been praised by critics, even if the movie itself has not. Director Andrew Dominick, who helmed Brad Pitt's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford in 2007, based this film on the 2000 novel of the same name, a fictionalization of the late star's life, which was written by Joyce Carol Oates. While most of the hubbub about Blonde has been about de Armas — as it should be — the movie costars some familiar names: Bobby Cannavale plays a Joe DiMaggio-type, while Adrien Brody portrays the character inspired by Arthur Miller. — R.S.

Blonde is available Wednesday, Sept. 28 on Netflix.

BUILD IT: Lego does Dunder Mifflin, from Angela's cat to Michael's Dundie

The brickmasters have delivered again, painstakingly recreating Dunder Mifflin’s iconic Scranton division from The Office in Lego form. Featuring minifigures of the entire main cast, this 1,164-piece set is a must for fans of the seminal sitcom, packed with tons of callbacks and Easter eggs from classic episodes, including Michael’s “World’s Best Boss” mug, Jim’s teapot and letter to Pam, Kevin’s chili and — our favorite — Dwight’s stapler entombed in Jell-O. — Marcus Errico

Lego’s The Office set is available Saturday, Oct. 1 from Lego’s online store and other retailers.

HEAR IT: Freddie Gibbs is a $uper$tar

The hotly anticipated fifth album from underground Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs has generated even more hype ever since he revealed its star-studded tracklist. $oul $old $eparately features Pusha T, Offset, Raekwon, Anderson .Paak, Musiq Soulchild, DJ Paul, Rick Ross, Moneybagg Yo, Musiq Soulchild, Scarface and Kelly Price. Gibbs’s first full-length release for major label Warner Records, $oul $old $eparately is now on track to be one of the most acclaimed hip-hop albums of 2022. — L.P.

$oul $old $eparately by Freddie Gibbs is available Friday, Sept. 30 to download/stream on Apple Music.

WATCH IT: Thor: Love & Thunder and its screaming goats come crashing onto 4K Ultra HD

For whatever reasons, Thor: Love & Thunder, Taika Waititi’s second Thor movie after 2017’s beloved Ragnarok and the fourth standalone entry for Chris Hemsworth’s hammer-wielding Asgardian god, didn’t connect with all audiences. But we stand by our initial proclamation that it’s one of Marvel’s most deliriously and sublimely entertaining — and absolutely the funniest — adventures yet. Sure, Christian Bale brings the brutishness as Gorr the God Butcher, but nearly every other character (especially Hemsworth, Russell Crowe and those screaming goats) are here for laughs. What’s wrong with that? — K.P.

Thor: Love & Thunder releases on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, Sept. 27 on Amazon.

HEAR IT: Pixies go big and bold

One of the most influential and important alternative rock bands of all time returns with Doggerel, their third full-length since they epically reunited at Coachella 2004. It’s also their second album with bassist Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle, Silver Jews, Zwan) as an official member, following the 2013 exit of Kim Deal. The dystopian record, which was inspired by world events that occurred since Pixies released their last album in 2019, is somewhat of a departure for the group. Frontman Black Francis describes it as “very big and bold and orchestrated,” and guitarist Joey Santiago says, “We no longer have under two-minute songs… but still our twists in there.” — L.P.

Doggerel by Pixies is available Friday, Sept. 30 to download/stream on Apple Music.

WATCH IT: Revisit two sensational performances as Sound of Metal gets Criterion release

Riz Ahmed got loads of notice and an Academy Award nomination for his stunning turn as a touring metal drummer slowly losing his hearing, and rightfully so, in Darius Marder’s gripping 2020 drama. But perhaps our favorite story to come from the Metal-verse was the emergence of Paul Raci, the (previously) unheralded actor whose soulful performance as the musician’s deaf mentor still conjures up tears just thinking about it. You’ve good reason to revisit both of these heavy-hitting portrayals as Sound of Metal gets the Criterion Collection treatment this week. — K.P.

Sound of Metal: The Criterion Collection releases Tuesday, Sept. 27on Amazon.

PLAY IT: Alfred Hitchcock's peeping tom thriller Rear Window gets a tabletop edition

Here's a rare instance where it's OK to spy on your neighbors. Funko Games and Prospero Hall adapt the classic 1954 Alfred Hitchcock thriller Rear Window into a handsomely illustrated board game. Designed for 3-5 players, this tabletop version of the film casts one of your group as The Director, who directs the eyes of The Watchers as they try to figure out what's happening behind the windows of their apartment building. Binoculars not included. — E.A.

Funko's Rear Window game is available at most major retailers, including Amazon.

HEAR IT: Yeah Yeah Yeahs make a Cool comeback

The garage/art-rock trio of Karen O, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase is back on the map, so to speak, with their first album in nine long years, Cool It Down. Judging from the lead single “Spitting Off the Edge of the World,” a collaboration with avant-garde auteur Perfume Genius, this is a mellower, gentler YYYs than the band that gave us “Heads Will Roll” and “Date With the Night” but the NYC band is as cool as ever. — L.P.

Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs is available Friday, Sept. 30 to download/stream on Apple Music.

READ IT: The Keeper is a terrifying way to kick off the scary season

Originally conceived as a horror film, this metaphorical graphic novel, written by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes and hauntingly illustrated by Marco Finnegan, focuses on Aisha, a young Black girl orphaned following a series of family tragedies and left in the care of an amorphous dark entity known as the Keeper. While the spirit protects Aisha, its insatiable hunger threatens all those around her. Fans of Get Out, Us and Candyman will find The Keeper a chilling pre-Halloween read. — M.E.

The Keeper is available Tuesday, Sept. 27 in hardcover and digital formats from Amazon and other booksellers.

BUY IT: Score a never-before-seen chapter from a Reese’s Book Club pick — and much more, for a good cause

Eighty-nine exclusive items and experiences are up for grabs in this year’s Authors for Voices of Color auction, which is raising funds for the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books, whose goal is to diversify the publishing industry from within. For booklovers, this means the opportunity to walk away with prizes, such as new chapters from the likes of Andrea Bartz’s bestseller We Were Never Here, which was the August 2021 pick of Reese’s Book Club; annotated copies of books such as Marissa Stapley’s Lucky, which was actually Witherspoon’s December choice for her readers; and early looks at works from Caroline Kepnes, who wrote the books behind Netflix’s You; and many others. Writers will be interested in experiences such as a one-on-one consultation with no less than Roxane Gay. — R.S.

The Authors for Voices of Color auction runs through Monday, Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. at AFVOC.givesmart.com.

BREW IT: Share a mug of Central Perk coffee with all your friends

Just in time for National Coffee Day on Oct. 1 comes this line of Friends-sanctioned java perfect to sip along with your next binge of old episodes. It's available in three varieties based on classic show quotes —How You Doin’? (medium roast), Pivot Blend (medium/dark) and We Were on a Coffee Break (dark) — in whole bean, ground or pod form. Gunther not included.

Central Perk coffee can be ordered from the company website as a subscription or one-off.

— Video produced by Kyle Moss and edited by Jason Fitzpatrick