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The It List: Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart judge Halloween food competition, Timothée Chalamet's 'Dune' and 'The French Dispatch' premiere, Selma Blair shares deeply personal doc about her MS diagnosis and the best in pop culture the week of Oct. 18, 2021

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 Oct. 18-24, 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: Treat yourself to Snoop and Martha's Very Tasty Halloween

Already watched the traditional silly-rather-than-scary Halloween fare, like Hocus Pocus, and the new stuff, including Disney+'s Muppets Haunted Mansion, this October? Check out this special made for fans of lifestyle guru Martha Stewart and rapper and pop culture staple Snoop Dogg. In it, the pair — who've teamed up multiple times for TV — preside over a mega-baking competition, which requires the impressive contestants to prepare a sweet treat for their Halloween party. But it's not just any dessert, as competitors also have to create an immersive experience in which to present their dish. In between their planning and plotting, the spooky sounds of an organ play on a set decorated with tombstones, spider webs and more of the fun embellishments we see this time of year. All the while, Snoop and Martha offer the kind of entertainment for which they are known, like when he quips, "I can have a nibble, nibble?" — Raechal Shewfelt

Snoop and Martha's Very Tasty Halloween airs Thursday, Oct. 21 on Peacock.

WATCH IT: Timothée Chalamet and Elisabeth Moss join Wes Anderson's extended cinematic family in The French Dispatch

Next to Dom Toretto, nobody cares more about family than Wes Anderson. The fastidious auteur behind Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel has built an ever-expanding company of actors — including Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman — over the course of his career that function as a family unit. All of those "siblings" return in Anderson's latest film, The French Dispatch, which adds Elisabeth Moss and Timothée Chalamet to the clan as well. This exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette features Murray and Chalamet raving about all the perks that come with joining Anderson's merry company of actors, including family dinners and great storytelling. — Ethan Alter

The French Dispatch premieres Friday, Oct. 22 in theaters; visit Fandango for showtime and ticket information.

WATCH IT: Zoe Saldaña gets by with the help of her mystical friends in Netflix’s Maya and the Three

Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldaña can add another action heroine to her resume. In Netflix’s colorful new animated series Maya and the Three, Saldaña voices the Mesoamerican warrior Maya, aka The Eagle Warrior, who joins forces with The Skull Warrior (Stephanie Beatriz), The Rooster Wizard (Allen Maldonado) and The Puma Barbarian (Gabriel Iglesias) to take down the Lost Gods of the Underworld. Created and directed by Jorge R. Gutiérrez (The Book of Life), this nine-part spectacle’s star-studded voice cast also includes Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal (another Y Tu Mamá reunion!), Queen Latifah, Rosie Perez, Rita Moreno, Alfred Molina, Isabela Merced and Wyclef Jean. Check out an exclusive clip from the action above. — Kevin Polowy

Maya and the Three premieres Friday, Oct. 22 on Netflix.

STREAM IT: Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton stars alongside Catherine Keener in the acclaimed indie drama No Future

With Hawkins, Indiana’s branch of the Upside Down currently closed due to the pandemic turning the world upside down, Charlie Heaton is exploring his dramatic side in the small-town drama No Future. Arriving in theaters and on VOD after an acclaimed film festival run, Andrew Irvine and Mark Smoot’s sophomore film features the Stranger Things star as a recovering addict whose strict mental health regimen is shaken when he returns to his hometown after an old friend’s fatal overdose. Waiting for him there is his pal’s grief-stricken mother, played by Catherine Keener, who looks to Heaton for answers he can’t necessarily provide. This exclusive clip from the film features the two stars in a powerful scene where Heaton tries to apologize to Keener for their shared loss, but even that can’t lift the weight that’s on his heart. — E.A.

No Future premieres Friday, Oct. 22 in theaters and on most VOD platforms including Apple TV.

WATCH IT: Ballet sensation Michaela DePrince stars in Coppelia

“It’s weird, but very cool.” That’s our dance-loving daughter’s review of Coppelia, a wordless family-friendly feature starring Sierra Leone-born ballet sensation Michaela DePrince (Beyoncé’s Lemonade) that combines live ballet with cutting-edge animation techniques, making for one of the most original and ambitious cinematic experiences of the year. The DVD and Blu-ray contain bonus features including a behind-the-scenes look at the film with DePrince and cast and crew interviews. Sample Coppelia yourself with the exclusive clip above. — K.P.

Coppelia hits Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, Oct. 19. Buy it on Amazon.

WATCH IT: Dune will knock your socks off

Not even the maestro David Lynch could crack Dune, and ever since the Mulholland Drive director’s disappointing 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel the source material has been called “unfilmable.” Enter Denis Villeneuve. From Enemy to Sicario to Arrival, the French-Canadian filmmaker’s movies just keep getting better, though we didn’t think he could possible top the electrifying Blade Runner 2049. Spoiler alert: He has. Dune is an absolute triumph, a tense and gripping visual knockout that, like 2049, sets up about 30 minutes of exposition before accelerating the action’s pace and never letting up until the credits roll. Yes, it’s available on HBO Max, but we beg you to see it on the big screen where it belongs. — K.P.

Dune opens in theaters and on HBO Max Friday, Oct. 22. Get tickets on Fandango.

HEAR IT: Elton John is back with A-list collabs in The Lockdown Sessions

Elton John
Elton John's latest album features a roster of A-list talent including Stevie Wonder, Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X and more. (Image: Interscope)

Elton John has been busy during the pandemic and soon the world will reap the benefits. The iconic singer is soon to release The Lockdown Sessions, an album of collaborations recorded remotely over the last couple years with such artists like Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile, Charlie Puth, Lil Was X, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Stevie Wonder (their single “Finish Line” is a masterclass) and more. Not to mention, the album also includes a posthumous duet with country legend Glen Campbell. The album is certainly a full circle moment for John as he returns to his roots as a session musician in perhaps one of the most devastating years to have hit the industry. John and Lipa’s single “Cold Hearts” has already entered into the U.K. top 10 singles chart, proving that even though John might be done with touring (so he says), he will never (and should never) stop creating music. — David Artavia

The Lockdown Sessions by Elton John is available Friday, Oct. 22 to download/stream on Apple Music.

STREAM IT: Introducing, Selma Blair depicts the Cruel Intentions star’s painful battle with multiple sclerosis

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, Selma Blair allows director Rachel Fleit to document the impact of the disease on her mind and body. When she’s not receiving intensive medical treatments, the star of such hit movies as Cruel Intentions and Hellboy reflects on her Hollywood career, and how she feels she never found her place in an industry that often demands that actresses subscribe to a specific appearance and behaviors. A candid, open-hearted portrait of a challenging life, Introducing, Selma Blair received an award for Special Jury Recognition for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling when it premiered at the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year. — E.A.

Introducing, Selma Blair premieres Oct. 21 on Discovery+.

READ IT: The Story of Marvel Studios belongs on every True Believer's bookshelf

"Iron Man" concept art by Ryan Meinerding. (Image: <em>The Story of Marvel Studios</em> © 2021 Marvel/Abrams)
"Iron Man" concept art by Ryan Meinerding. (Image: The Story of Marvel Studios © 2021 Marvel/Abrams)

Marvel has always had a plan when it comes to the studio’s cinematic universe. And this breathtaking, exhaustive two-volume set traces the development of the MCU from sketches and script excerpts to the unmatched run of boffo blockbusters, featuring behind-the-scenes stories from the architects themselves, including Kevin Feige, Robert Downey Jr. and the late Chadwick Boseman. Jam-packed with concept art and set photos, The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe tells the full origin, touching on pre-MCU movies like Blade, X-Men and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and then going in depth on the franchise-launching Iron Man through the Phase Three-capping Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Marvel aficionados will love it 3,000. — Marcus Errico

Storyboards from the Battle of New York in
Storyboards from the Battle of New York in "The Avengers" by Federico D’Alessandro. (Image: The Story of Marvel Studios © 2021 Marvel/Abrams)

The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is available Tuesday, Oct. 19 from Amazon and other booksellers.

WATCH IT: Michelle Young's journey to find love unfolds on the new season of The Bachelorette

Michelle Young is ready to hand out the roses and find her soulmate as The Bachelorette returns to ABC. The star of Season 18 of the ABC reality dating series is 2021's second Bachelorette, following Katie Thurston's quest to find love earlier this year. Young, who's a fifth-grade teacher in Minnesota and a college basketball star, stole hearts as Matt James's runner-up, and her journey to find love will be a wild ride. The 28-year-old told Extra she's looking for "somebody I can laugh with, somebody that is going to stuck in with it and get through the difficult times, somebody who is a goal setter and supportive.” Co-hosts and former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe return to guide her on her journey. — Alexis Shaw

The Bachelorette Season 18 premieres Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

HEAR IT: Duran Duran goes back to the Future

The elder statesmen of new wave triumphantly and elegantly return with their first album in five years, the aptly titled Future Past. Sounding modern and nostalgic all at once, DD’s 15th studio LP finds them working with Blur guitarist Graham Coxon (call this collab “Bluran Bluran,” if you will), rising Japanese post-rock duo Chai, Swedish pop sensation Tove Lo and — in a pairing that seems decades in the making — iconic producer Giorgio Moroder. As a nod to the album title’s theme, the Moroder-engineered track “Anniversary” is packed with Easter eggs referencing songs from Duran’s classic catalog. — Lyndsey Parker

Future Past by Duran Duran is available Friday, Oct. 22 to download/stream on Apple Music.

WATCH IT: New TV series Queens stars real-life music royalty

The premise of Queens — that the members of 1990s powerhouse group Nasty Bitches are reuniting, more than 20 years after their heyday — is a perfect setup for storylines about women grappling with aging, family and ambition, plus plenty of tunes. The all-star cast features music greats Eve, Naturi Naughton and Brandy, as well as former My Name Is Earl regular Nadine Velazquez, taking the stage for the BET Awards. For the Sitting Up in My Room singer, the project was an easy yes. "Music is my first love so, to be able to be a part of a show that is representing women empowerment and a '90s legendary group — that's never been done before," Brandy said. "I felt like I could relate to my character Naomi, you know, being a single mom, trying to balance [everything] even though she doesn't do a good job at it." — R.S.

Queens premieres Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 10 p.m. on ABC.

STREAM IT: The Boulet Brothers' Dragula conjures scary monsters and super creeps

Hello, uglies! Underground nightlife impresarios and performance artists the Boulet Brothers’ Dragula — think a darker, spookier, more punk-rock alternative to RuPaul’s Drag Race — returns for a freaky fourth season, just in time for Halloween. Creepy queens like Formelda Hyde, Bitter Betty, Sigourney Beaver and Drag Race alumnus Jade Jolie compete for the thorny crown of “The World’s Next Drag Supermonster,” following the four principles of “Drag,” “Filth,” “Horror” and “Glamour” and sinking their fangs into challenges involving costume creation, special-effects makeup and live performance. — L.P.

The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Search for the World's Next Drag Supermonster Season 4 is available Tuesday, Oct. 19 to stream on Shudder.

READ IT: Jamie Foxx's new book is a love letter to the women in his life

Estelle Marie Talley, the late grandmother who raised Foxx, inspired the title of his new memoir, Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me. But as the title implies, his daughters, including actress Corinne, 27, and 13-year-old Anelise, are prominently featured too. The book, which is pitched as both "hilarious and heartfelt," is all about being a dad — albeit one with both an Oscar and a Grammy. For instance, he recalls teaching Anelise to play the piano and noticing one day that she was down. "Why is it that when you play the piano everybody sits around and listens? Then when I play piano no one comes around. I feel like I’m not being seen," she said. Foxx remembers that he told his daughter she had to play "really well" if she wanted an audience. He was careful to avoid squashing any aspirations she held. "When I hear you playing, I'm not sure if you want to be bothered. I tell myself, 'Let Anelise do her thing,'" he told her. Then he added an incentive that only a celeb dad could offer: "I looked at her and smiled. 'I will make sure I come in and listen to you next time.' And to encourage her, I told her, 'If you play well enough, we'll send it to Billie Eilish.'" — R.S.

Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me by Jamie Foxx is available Tuesday, Oct. 19 at Amazon.

HEAR IT: Lana Del Rey is in a Blue mood

This past March, provocative pop poetess Lana Del Rey released her seventh LP, Chemtrails Over the Country Club — followed just one day later with a teaser for a still-unreleased country album, Rock Candy Sweet, originally slated for June 2021. But Lana is always one to keep her fans (and detractors) guessing, so she has pivoted with another record, Blue Banisters, which she announced with the Instagram caption “Sometimes life makes you change just in time for the next chapter.” (She also tweeted, “I'm writing my own story. And no one can tell it but me,” seemingly referencing the backlash she has received throughout her career.) The three songs already released from the record, which was originally supposed to come out in July 2021 — “Text Book,” “Wildflower Wildfire” and the title track — are less folky than Chemtrails and definitely not country, instead showcasing the shapeshifting chanteuse’s ethereal voice against a backdrop of layered, heavily reverbed piano and chamber strings. — L.P.

Blue Banisters by Lana Del Rey is available Friday, Oct. 22 to download/stream on Apple Music.

WATCH/BUY IT: The classic Universal Monsters crawl out of the crypt just in time for Halloween

The Noble Collection's line of Universal Monsters Bendyfigs (Photo: The Noble Collection/Universal City Studios)
The Noble Collection's line of Universal Monsters Bendyfigs. (Photo: The Noble Collection/Universal City Studios)

With apologies to Fred Dekker’s 1987 kid-move classic, Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man and the Mummy will always be the O.G. Monster Squad. Universal’s classic creatures are back and looking better than ever in the new 4K Icons of Horror Collection, which includes upscaled versions of the quartet’s pioneering features alongside a wealth of bonus tricks and treats including commentary tracks, historical featurettes and vintage trailers. (Bela Lugosi’s Dracula disc also includes the 1931 Spanish-language version that’s creepier and more atmospheric than the English-language cut.) The Universal Monsters are also getting the collectible figure treatment: the Noble Collection expands their Bendyfigs line with bendable and poseable 7-inch versions of Frankenstein’s monster, his Bride and the rest of the gang. And Jada Toys is launching a line of 6-inch figures that makes room for the Creature from the Black Lagoon alongside Frankenstein’s two monsters and Dracula. (The Invisible Man and the Wolfman will join the fun in the near future.) With all of these new releases, it’s no wonder why our love for the Universal Monsters will never die. — E.A.

Universal’s Icons of Horror Collection is available on Barnes & Noble; The Noble Collection’s Bendyfigs are available on Amazon; Jada Toys’s action figures can be pre-ordered on Entertainment Earth.

STREAM IT: Little Big Mouth reminds us that we all deserve a second chance at love

Everyone deserves a second chance at life and love — even if you’re a has-been musician with a chip on your shoulder. Still, Little Big Mouth shows that even those with chips on their shoulders can rediscover their destiny in the unlikeliest of places. In his first Netflix South Africa original film, Nay Maps stars as Siya, a talented musician who ends up getting thrown out of his band and is forced to collect the pieces wherever they land. In a chance meeting, he meets a bookkeeper mom (Amanda du-Pont) who takes it upon herself to give him shelter at the home she shares with her son and father. But even though Siya has the best intentions, proving himself to his new flatmates might be more challenging (and hilarious) than he anticipated. Little Big Mouth gives off a joyous new-age Wedding Singer vibe with a South African twist, and is the perfect reminder that love is all around us — if you’re looking in the right places. — D.A.

Little Big Mouth premieres Friday, Oct. 22 on Netflix.

PLAY IT: Add some horror to your next game night with Horrified: American Monsters and Echoes

Ravensburger's 'Horrified: American Monsters' tabletop game features Bigfoot and other homegrown baddies (Photo: Ravensburger)
Ravensburger's Horrified: American Monsters tabletop game features Bigfoot and other homegrown baddies. (Photo: Ravensburger)

Not all monsters where capes like Dracula or bandages like the Invisible Man. The gamemakers at Ravensburger follow up their terrific 2019 tabletop co-op game Horrified — which featured the Universal Monster crew — with American Monsters, where the roll call includes homegrown horrors like Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil and the Banshee of the Badlands. All of those creatures descend on the town of Cross Creek, and it’s up to you and your friends to keep them at bay. As with the previous Horrified, this edition comes with a beautifully designed game board and six detailed miniature monsters. No board is required for Ravensburger’s other Halloween-ready game Echoes, a six-chapter mystery where you scan cards with a mobile-enabled app to gather audio clues that point you to the solution. Two ear-tingling mysteries are currently available: The Dancer, about a young ghost who haunts a remote Scottish manor, and The Cocktail, where the drink menu includes… murder. — E.A.

Horrified: American Monsters is available at Target and Echoes is available at Amazon.

BACK IT: A Sky Captain art book blasts off in a new Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign

'Sky Captain' fans can back a new Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for a book of artwork inspired by the cult 2004 movie (Photo: Dynamite Entertainment/Indeigogo)
Sky Captain fans can back a book of artwork inspired by the cult 2004 movie in a new Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. (Image: Dynamite Entertainment/Indeigogo)

From the moment it was dropped into theaters — and promptly fell off a box-office cliff — in September 2004, Kerry Conran's pulp adventure, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, was destined to become a cult movie. And, sure enough, the film and its retro-future aesthetic has attracted a passionate fanbase over the ensuing seventeen years. Those fans should head straight over to Indiegogo to back Dynamite Entertainment's lavish art book filled with concept art and detailed explanations of the movie's many influences. Sky Captain and the Art of Tomorrow is overseen by Kevin Conran — Kerry's brother and the movie's production and costume designer — with many of the images coming from his personal archives. Enlist in the Flying Legion today! — E.A.

Back Sky Captain and the Art of Tomorrow at Indiegogo.

— Video produced by Anne Lilburn and edited by John Santo