The It List: Celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with 'Stranger Things' Season 3, 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' and the best in pop culture the week of July 1, 2019
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 July 1-7, including the best deals we could find for each.
WATCH IT: Stranger Things (Season 3 premiere)
In case you were concerned that the two-year layoff might knock Stranger Things out of its creative groove, Netflix’s blockbuster series heads into its highly-anticipated third year with confident (and well-earned) swagger. Far from missing a beat, the entire Stranger Things crew — from the cast to the creative team — seem re-energized by their extended break. The first episode alone is packed wall-to-wall with moments that will make fans gasp, chuckle, cheer and, in the case of one terrific callback, cry. (The premiere also boasts some series-best music cues and surprise cameos by nostalgia-inducing ‘80s brands courtesy of the show’s newest setting, the totally awesome Starcourt Mall.)
Stranger Things creators, the Duffer Brothers, reap major emotional and comic dividends from the fact that the show’s young stars are now firmly in their teenage years, and their alter egos wrestle with all that entails: first loves, broken hearts and parents who just don't understand. But don’t worry, it’s not all relationship dramedy: As usual, strange things are afoot in Hawkins, with fresh threats emerging that are even more menacing than the Upside Down. Fair warning: You may want to cancel your Fourth of July plans, because once you start streaming Stranger Things, it’ll be tough to stop for anything… including fireworks.
Stranger Things premieres Thursday, July 4 on Netflix.
WATCH IT: Spider-Man: Far From Home
For as satisfying a climax as it was, Avengers: Endgame left us with plenty of questions. It was also easy to forget it wasn't technically the last chapter of the MCU's Phase 3. That would be Spider-Man: Far From Home, which answers… a few questions about what life is like in a "post-blip" world, as Thanos's Snapture is now known. And the film has plenty of fun with returning the same-aged Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and friends to high school five years later before they're whisked off for a very eventful European vacation, where Spidey will battle the Elementals, among other foes. While the first half of the film feels slightly like a retread of Homecoming's John Hughes-ian teen humor hijinks, be patient, because the third act is an absolute knockout. We can't say why, because it would spoil the fun, but know you're in for a ride — including two of the best post-credit scenes Marvel has delivered yet.
Get tickets for Spider-Man: Far From Home on Fandango.
STREAM IT: Seinfeld (30th anniversary)
Now is the perfect time for a “Summer of George”... and, you know, Jerry, Elaine and Kramer! That’s because the very first episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s sitcom premiered on July 5, 1999, 30 years ago this week. The then-named Seinfeld Chronicles debuted with no Elaine and no Kramer (Michael Richards’s character was named Kessler) only to evolve into one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time. While fans will get their fix with any episode, newbies out there might want to check out the classic Season 1 episode “The Chinese Restaurant,” which originally aired in May 1991, or just flip to one of the many reruns on cable at seemingly every hour.
All nine seasons of Seinfeld are available to stream on Hulu.
READ IT: What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal by E. Jean Carroll
Presumably you've heard of this book, written by E. Jean Carroll. Best-known for dispensing advice for decades in Elle magazine's "Ask E. Jean" column, the 75-year-old was also a writer on Saturday Night Live and is the founder of the dating app Tawkify. She came up with the idea for her book after realizing that the majority of questions she gets are related to problems women are having with men. So she road-tripped across the U.S., stopping in towns with female names (think: Tallulah, La.) to ask ladies what they need men for. Of course, her book also reveals her own “horrible history with the male sex." Weeks before the book was released, it was revealed that Donald Trump was one of those men. She alleges in the book that the now-president sexually assaulted her in the mid-'90s in a fitting room of a fancy NYC department store. He denied her claim, saying she's "not my type" and insisting he had never met her before, though a photo of them meeting a decade earlier was later surfaced. Carroll also claimed in the book that disgraced former CBS honcho Les Moonves sexually assaulted her too — in an elevator, after she interviewed him. He also denied her claims.
What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal is available on Amazon.
WATCH IT: Divorce (Season 3 premiere)
Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Haden Church are back in the HBO comedy chronicling the sometimes sweet but mostly messy split between Frances and Robert. The last new episode debuted in March 2018, but don’t let that discourage you from tuning in to the latest. This show has never been about the plot. It’s success rests on its beloved stars and their characters’s sidekicks, especially the always hilarious Molly Shannon.
The third season of Divorce premieres Monday, July 1 at 10 p.m. on HBO.
BUY IT: Stranger Things Mini Palace Arcade
Mike, Dustin, Will and Lucas may have graduated from the arcade to the mall, but there’s no reason why you still can’t get your retro gaming fix. This miniature version of a vintage arcade quarter-eater boasts ‘80s classics like Pac-Man and Dig Dug. But the main attractions are the 16 Stranger Things-themed games, which range from puzzles to side-scrollers. One game reinvents Pipe Dream as a syrup-delivery system for Eleven’s Eggos, while another plays like Frogger for Demodogs. Get your game on, already.
The Stranger Things Mini Palace Arcade is available for $29.99 on Target.
HEAR IT: Jedward, Voice of a Rebel
The X Factor U.K.’s double divas of Dublin and onetime Sharknado stars rear their perfectly coiffed heads on their first album in seven years — and they’re making up for lost time, because this one contains 22 tracks! Inspirational song titles include “Respect Your Dreams,” “Freedom You Deserve,” “Heroes of the Future” and “Choose Your Own Adventure.”
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