The It List: 'Uprooted' dives into the injustice of the 1986 unsolved hanging death of a 19-year-old Black man, Kanye West's Netflix doc debuts, new TLC reality series looks at bizarre things that get stuck inside the human body and the best in pop culture the week of Feb. 14, 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 Feb. 14-20, 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: Uprooted spotlights the suspicious 1986 death of Keith Warren
On July 31, 1986, Keith Warren, a 19-year-old Black man, was found hanging from a tree in Silver Spring, Md. The police immediately ruled it a suicide. His family knew that couldn't be true, and they've been seeking justice ever since. In this three-part docuseries, Keith's sister, Sherri, and other family members explain the abnormalities in the case: For example, they said no autopsy was done and they were turned away three times from the funeral home where Keith's body had been taken. Others, including Del Walters, a former investigative reporter for WJLA TV, the Washington, D.C.-area affiliate for ABC, provide context. Walters compared the county's tense racial dynamics to America's in general in 2022. And it's telling that he was working on a story about lynchings in the area when Warren's body was found. "How in the hell do you get a young Black man hanging from a tree and that not send alarm bells all the way up through the hierarchy at the police department?" he asks now. "The fact that it wasn't covered [by the media] speaks to the racism of the time." The show will be accompanied by a six-part podcast series hosted by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza and featuring activists and artists. — Raechal Shewfelt
Uprooted premieres Friday, Feb. 18 on discovery+.
STREAM IT: Lincoln's Dilemma reflects on the life and legacy of America's 16th president
Few American presidents have been as closely studied as Abraham Lincoln... but that's because there's always something new to learn about the politician also known as the Great Emancipator. The four-part Apple TV+ docuseries Lincoln's Dilemma dedicates itself to depicting the man behind the legend, placing Lincoln in the context of his turbulent times and examining his complex relationship to the institution of slavery. Narrated by Jeffrey Wright, the series juxtaposes period documents, photographs and artwork with contemporary interviews and stylistic recreations of key events, like Lincoln's encounters with former slave-turned-staunch abolitionist, Frederick Douglass (voiced by Hamilton star Leslie Odom, Jr.). This exclusive clip depicts Douglass and Lincoln's last in-person meeting following the 16th president's inauguration. — Ethan Alter
Lincoln's Dilemma premieres Friday, Feb. 18 on Apple TV+.
WATCH IT: Doctors extract objects lodged inside peoples' bodies in Stuck
If you think you’ve seen all there is in medical reality television… think again! TLC is taking the genre up a notch with the series premiere of Stuck, documenting all the bizarre things that accidentally (or not?) get stuck inside the human body — and how medical professionals begin the process of extracting them. Picture a bug lodged deeply inside your ear, a high heel through the face, an arrow through the wrist, even a butt plug stuck inside you-know-where. Get the idea? Featuring true stories of real people with jaw-dropping conundrums that leave doctors and surgeons with incredible rescue missions that boggle the mind and test their medical limits. Cameras are given access behind the surgical curtain to witness these high-stakes procedures in real time. Shot at several facilities across the country, Stuck promises to deliver the most fascinating interventions required to free objects lodged inside peoples’ bodies where, frankly, there’s virtually no exit plan. Buckle up, viewers. It’s gonna be a bumpy watch. — David Artavia
Stuck premieres Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 10 p.m. on TLC.
STREAM IT: Ali Wong stars in Don Wong
After Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, Wong is back onstage, this time at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in New Jersey, to riff on life as she sees it as a wife and mother of two daughters. She noted back in November, when it was filmed, that, unlike in her first two specials, she wouldn't be pregnant this time around. But there are still plenty of humorous stories to share. While the teaser trailer for Don Wong doesn't give away much, it does assure the audience that the Always Be My Maybe star and her hilarious attitude remain firmly intact. It shows her standing in front of a car that a crime boss might have driven back in the day and wearing a fancy coat over her signature animal-print dress, presumably to take her place at the head of her family. — R.S.
Ali Wong: Don Wong premieres Monday, Feb. 14 on Netflix.
STREAM IT: See an all-new side of Kanye West in the three-part documentary jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
Think you know everything there is to know about Kanye West? Think again. Twenty-one years in the making, Clarence "Coodie" Simmons and Chike Ozah's three-part documentary jeen-yuhs stretches all the way back to West's earliest days in the music business as a little-known Chicago beat-maker. That's where Coodie — then a stand-up comic and underground TV host — first captured him on camera ... and then never stopped filming. His fly-on-the-wall footage in the first two parts depicts West's early attempts to get noticed and taken seriously by hip-hop labels, as well as the recording sessions of such seminal albums as The College Dropout and Late Registration. The third installment, meanwhile, picks up the narrative after West has rocketed to super-stardom, and Coodie tries to re-discover the artist he once knew. — E.A.
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy premieres Wednesday, Feb. 16 on Netflix.
HEAR IT: Lavender Country rides again
In 1973, Lavender Country, boldly led by LGBTQ+ activist Patrick Haggerty, self-released the first known queer-themed album in country music history. The cult classic LP found a new audience in 2014 when it was reissued by indie label Paradise of Bachelors — and now, a half-century later, the 77-year-old Haggerty returns with Lavender Country’s follow-up, Blackberry Rose, ready to entertain and inspire a new generation of alt-country fans raised on Orville Peck and Trixie Mattel. — Lyndsey Parker
Blackberry Rose by Lavender Country is available Friday, Feb. 18 to download/stream on Apple Music.
READ IT: New Star Wars concept art collections goes deep into the Mando-verse
While the first season of The Mandalorian had fans cheering, the second go-round of Disney+’s flagship Star Wars spinoff soared to a whole new level, with Mando and Grogu meeting such fan-favorites as Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze and a Krayt dragon, while also introducing the likes of the Marshal (aka Cobb Vanth, see an exclusive image below) and the Magistrate (aka Morgan Elsbeth). This collection of dazzling concept art and development notes traces the evolution of the series, showing how Lucasfilm paid homage the iconic vision of original designer Ralph McQuarrie, offering a glimpse at Easter eggs you may have missed, and — our favorite part — revealing how producers kept the season finale’s big Luke return a secret with a surprise stand-in Jedi. It is the way… to kill time until Season 3 premieres later this year. — Marcus Errico
The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Season 2) is available Tuesday, Feb. 15 on Amazon.
WATCH IT: Channing Tatum has Dog, will travel in his canine-themed directorial debut
Channing Tatum isn't just a dog lover in real life, he also plays one on the big screen. The Magic Mike frontman codirects and costars opposite a breakout canine performer (actually, three of them) in Dog, in which two army veterans — one human and one... well, dog — hit the road to pay tribute to a fallen comrade. Along the way, the duo encounter a variety of guest stars (including Kevin Nash, Bill Burr and Ethan Suplee) and experience some emotional healing. And no need to consult internet sources to discover the dog's fate: Tatum has already spilled the beans on the movie's happy ending. Yet another reason why he's dog's best friend. — E.A.
Dog premieres Friday, Feb. 18 in theaters; visit Fandango for showtime and ticket information.
HEAR IT: Khruangbin & Leon Bridges are Lone Stars
Forming a sort of genre-defying Texas supergroup, buzzy psychedelic rock trio Khruangbin and Americana-soul singer Bridges follow up their collaborative Texas Sun EP two years later with its mellow, more introspective companion piece, Texas Moon. “I think we’re redefining how people perceive Texas music — that beautiful marriage of country and R&B — and really paying homage to that,” the Fort Worth-raised Bridges recently told Jambase. “They’re from Houston, so they’re aware of the whole chopped ‘n’ screwed thing, and I gravitated to that growing up as well. And when I picked up a guitar, I began to discover Townes Van Zandt and Willie Nelson and that side of it. The writing is a reflection of a lot of those things.” — L.P.
Texas Moon by Khruangbin & Leon Bridges is available Friday, Feb. 18 to download/stream on Apple Music.
WATCH IT: Will Smith commands the screen in King Richard, now served on Blu-ray
We’ll admit it: We were a bit skeptical hearing that a biopic focused on the Williams family was serving up more on father Richard than his two superstar daughters Venus and Serena. But indeed, there was a true-life fairy tale just waiting to be told about the unbelievable story of how Will Smith’s Richard willed his girls from the blocks of Compton to global tennis domination with a meticulously crafted (if sometimes faulty and just plain stubborn) game plan. Smith could very well win Best Actor at March’s Oscars ceremony for his rugged and transformative performance in a powerful and emotional film that brings some nice edge to the enjoyable but often cheesy or at least predictable world of inspirational sports movies. The film scored a total of six Oscar nominations last week, also including Best Picture, just in time for its home entertainment release. — Kevin Polowy
King Richard on 4K, Blu-ray or DVD is available Tuesday, Feb. 15 on Amazon.
HEAR IT: Midnight Oil burns one last time
After five decades of alt-rock activism, Australia’s post-punk provocateurs Midnight Oil are going out with a bang, with their 13th and final album, Resist. Staying true to their longtime mission statement, Peter Garrett and company describe the record’s lead single, “Rising Seas,” as an “uncompromising song” that “adds the band's unique voice to billions of others around the world seeking a safe, habitable and fair future for our planet.” — L.P.
Resist by Midnight Oil is available Friday, Feb. 18 to download/stream on Apple Music.
HEAR IT: Beach House reaches high tide
Sub Pop dream-pop duo Beach House returns with Once Twice Melody, their first album since 2018 and their grandest and most ambitious project yet. The 18-song double-album is divided into four chapters that have gradually rolled out since November 2021, and it’s the band’s first record to feature a live string ensemble, arranged by the legendary David Campbell. — L.P.
Once Twice Melody by Beach House is available Friday, Feb. 18 to download/stream on Apple Music.
— Video produced by Anne Lilburn and edited by John Santo
