The It List: Menudo docuseries makes the case for Menendez brothers' innocence, new doc sheds light on early years of King Charles, Megan Fox goes blonde in 'Johnny & Clyde' and all the best in pop culture the week of May 1, 2023
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 May 1-7, 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: A former boybander accuses the Menendez brothers' father of rape in Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed
In 1996, when twentysomething brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez were on trial for the murder of their Beverly Hills parents, Jóse and Kitty, their legal team argued that they had committed the crime because they were afraid of their father. Twenty-seven years later, Peacock's three-part docuseries features an interview with Roy Rosselló, who was a member of the boy band Menudo in the mid-'80s, and his shocking revelation — which emerged this month — that he was raped by Jóse, who was a music executive. "I know what he did to me in his house," Rosselló says of Menendez, who was reportedly "obsessed" with his band. Erik and Lyle were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. So could this change anything? — Raechal Shewfelt
Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed premieres Tuesday, May 2 on Peacock.
STREAM IT: King Charles: The Boy Who Walked Alone zooms in on the former Prince of Wales
Just in time for the May 6 coronation of King Charles III, this documentary dissects the royal's early years, with former classmates remembering him being bullied on campus and treated coolly at home by his royal parents. Former girlfriends and others share photos and letters that they exchanged with Charles. Allen Peters, a former royal protection officer, recounts Charles's relationship with the late Princess Diana: "I can categorically say that the first person that strayed in the marriage was the Princess of Wales." King Charles's goddaughter, India Hicks, and his former pilot and chef are here, too, all to examine what makes Charles the man he is today, difficult relationship with Prince Harry and all. — R.S.
King Charles: The Boy Who Walked Alone premieres Tuesday, May 2 on Paramount+.
WATCH IT: Megan Fox goes blonde in the supernatural thriller Johnny & Clyde
Move over Bonnie and Clyde: Megan Fox is hunting for Johnny & Clyde in Tom DeNucci's criminals-on-the-run picture that comes with a supernatural twist. The ex-Transformers star plays Alana, a casino boss who employs a demonic warrior to keep her business safe. But Johnny (Avan Jogia) and Clyde (Ajani Russell) are gunning for a big score and aren't going to be scared away by a demon. This exclusive clip from the film features Fox — modeling her new blonde 'do — calling her "daddy" to discuss the incoming threat to their casino. — Ethan Alter
Johnny & Clyde premieres Friday, May 5 in theaters and on most VOD services.
STREAM IT: A Small Light tells the story of the woman that hid Anne Frank
Anne Frank's immortal diary took readers inside the Amsterdam attic where the Jewish teenager and her family sought to avoid capture by the Nazis during World War II. The new National Geographic series A Small Light depicts what happened in the world outside their claustrophobic hiding space, following the efforts of brave secretary, Miep Gies (played by Bel Powley), to keep the Franks alive and safe as German troops patrol the city's streets. This exclusive clip from the timely series depicts life under occupation as Miep uses her connections to get a simple ingredient — an orange — from non-simple sources. — E.A.
A Small Light premieres Monday, May 1 on National Geographic and will stream the day after on Disney+.
WATCH IT: Lily James asks the eternal question — What's Love Got to Do With It?
Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, right? That's not the case for childhood friends-turned-London singles Zoe (Lily James) and Kaz (Shazad Latif). That's why successful doctor Kaz has decided to explore the arranged marriage option with the help of his British Pakistani family, and documentary filmmaker Zoe follows that journey, even as her own feelings for him threaten to spoil the big day. Debuting in theaters following its premiere at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, What's Love Go to Do With It also stars Emma Thompson as Zoe's kooky mother. In this exclusive clip, Thompson tells her onscreen daughter why she's so eager to see her find the perfect match. — E.A.
What's Love Got to Do With It premieres Friday, May 5 in theaters.
STREAM IT: Undercover Underage returns to catch more predators
With Chris Hansen out of the predator-catching game, Roo Powell and her Safe from Online Sex Abuse group (better known as SOSA) are leading televised efforts to prevent the exploitation and abuse of minors. Season 2 of Undercover Underage continues to document the various undercover methods that SOSA employs to ensnare predators before they strike, including inventing fictional decoys and fake social media profiles. And they've been getting results: The efforts of Powell's team led to 16 arrests this season. This exclusive clip from the series offers a look into how SOSA operates. — E.A.
Undercover Underage Season 2 premieres Monday, May 1 on ID and Discovery+.
HEAR/STREAM IT: Ed Sheeran sums it all up
Following his massive albums +, ×, ÷ and =, Ed Sheeran finishes off this symbolic run not just with his fifth solo studio album, – (Subtract), but with a new Disney+ docuseries fittingly titled The Sum of It All. The series dives into the little-seen personal side of the British singer-songwriter’s journey from “an unlikely child with a stutter” to “one of the biggest global music superstars,” focusing on two of his most formative relationships: with Jamal Edwards, the music entrepreneur who helped launch Sheeran’s career and died last year at age 31, and with Sheeran’s wife Cherry Seaborn, who recently battled cancer while pregnant. “I’ve always been very guarded in my personal and private life; the only documentary I’ve ever made has been one that focused on my songwriting,” Sheeran said in a statement. “Disney approached me to make a four-part documentary, and it felt like the right time to open the door and let people in.” — Lyndsey Parker
Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All premieres Wednesday, May 3 on Disney+; Sheeran’s album – is available Friday, May 5 to download/stream on Apple Music.
CELEBRATE IT: May the 4th be with Hasbro's Star Wars products, including Luke Skywalker's green lightsaber
The Force is strong every May 4, and it's especially powerful this year as the signature day for Star Wars fans precedes the 40th anniversary of 1983's Return of the Jedi. To celebrate the Original Trilogy-capping adventure, Hasbro has a slew of new Jedi-themed toys leading off with an incredible replica of Luke Skywalker's trusty laser blade. The latest entry in the toy company's Black Series line, the Luke Skywalker Force FX Elite Electronic Lightsaber boasts movie-authentic light and sound effects, plus a detailed hilt that you can really hold in your (mechanical) hand. Hasbro is also releasing new action figures modeled after classic characters like Wicket the Ewok along with a playroom-friendly version of the Endor bunker. But it's not all Jedi all the time: You can also travel back to the Clone Wars with the Phase II Clone Trooper Premium Electronic Helmet, complete with electronic voice distortion. We have a good feeling about all of this Star Wars merch. — E.A.
Hasbro's Star Wars May the 4th merch is available on Hasbro Pulse and Amazon.
HEAR IT: Famous friends demonstrate their hopeless devotion to Olivia Newton-John
The world is still mourning the August 2022 death of international treasure Olivia Newton-John, but a new four-disc boxed set celebrates her legacy, with the help of some famous friends who loved and knew her best. Just the Two of Us: The Duets Collection (Vol. 1) compiles her collaborations with luminaries like John Travolta, Barry Gibb, David Foster, Michael McDonald, Mariah Carey, Paul Anka, Richard Marx, Cliff Richard and Newton-John’s talented daughter, Chloe Lattanzi. But the real highlight is Olivia’s final known recording: a cover of “Jolene” with the song’s originator, fellow blond icon Dolly Parton, captured just months before Newton-John lost her decades-long battle with cancer. — L.P.
Just the Two of Us: The Duets Collection (Vol. 1) by Olivia Newton-John is available Friday, May 5 to download/stream on Apple Music.
PLAY IT: The fate of Middle-Earth is in your hand with a new Lord of the Rings game
Here's a tabletop game to rule them all. Ravensburger's latest "Adventure Book Game" tackles J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic, letting players recreate Frodo's perilous journey to Mount Doom across multiple boards that are all housed inside a handsomely-illustrated volume. Play as the different members of the Fellowship of the Ring in a story that spans all three Lord of the Rings books. And if you're in the mood to make more Middle Earth memories, pick up Ravensburger's Lord of the Rings puzzles, which recreate scenes from the first two chapters in Peter Jackson's epic screen adaptation of Tolkien's world. — E.A.
The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game is available now at Target; LOTR puzzles are available now at Amazon.
HEAR IT: The Smashing Pumpkins come back for thirds
Billy Corgan has never been one for subtlety, and his band’s 12th studio album may be his most grandiose and ambitious project yet — as well as a full-circle one. The Smashing Pumpkins’s years-in-the-making Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts is a concept double-album that serves as a sequel to 1995’s Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and 2000’s Machina: The Machines of God, and it has rolled out over the past six months — with Act 1 debuting in November 2022, and Act 2 arriving in January 2023. Now, this week’s third and final Atum installment not only offers 11 new songs, but the concurrent release of a vinyl boxed set that contains all three Acts’ 33 songs plus 10 additional new bonus tracks. Near-infinite sadness, indeed! — L.P.
Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts by the Smashing Pumpkins is available Friday, May 5 to download/stream in its entirety on Apple Music.
READ IT: Take a tour across the Spider-Verse ahead of the upcoming sequel to the 2018 hit
Based on the early trailers, Sony's upcoming animated sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, is gonna be a bonanza of Spider-People. Learn to recognize the movie's many, many different wall-crawlers with the aid of Insight Editions's new Illustrated Guide to the Spider-Verse. Filled with helpful drawings and punchy character descriptions, this book is the perfect Spider-primer. — E.A.
Marvel: Illustrated Guide to the Spider-Verse is available Tuesday, May 2 at most major booksellers, including Amazon.
HEAR IT: New wave star Josie Cotton is too cool for school
Valley Girl just celebrated its 40th anniversary, and the rock ‘n’ roll prom queen who played three floor-filling tunes at that movie’s coolest school dance ever, Josie Cotton, is still making uniquely cinematic music with no signs of slowing down. The new wave cult star, who John Waters once described as “part Shangri-Las, part Rachel Sweet” and “a favorite hipster vocalist of mine,” joins forces with Blondie’s Clem Burke, the Stray Cats’s Lee Rocker, the Supersuckers’s Eddie Spaghetti, and Green Day/Primadonna’s Kevin Preston for her eighth album, Day of the Gun. Judging by the record’s film-noirish mix of Morricone-esque spaghetti westerns, rockabilly rave-ups, Bond-reminiscent spy songs, and swinging Nancy Sinatra-style mood music, Cotton is clearly not in the Valley — L.P.
Day of the Gun by Josie Cotton is available Friday, May 5 to download/stream on Apple Music.
