Pop Culture Sneak Peek

by Ray Rico

STREAMING

Selena: The Series

Before she became the Queen of Tejano Music, Selena Quintanilla was a young girl from Texas with big dreams and an even bigger voice. The two-part coming-of-age drama Selena: The
Series explores the once-in-a-generation performer’s journey as a young artist, from singing small gigs in Corpus Christi with her family to becoming one of the most successful Latin artists of all time — and the years of grit and sacrifice the Quintanilla family navigated together before Selena’s meteoric rise to fame. Out on Netflix December 4.

The Prom

New York City stage stars Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep) and Barry Glickman (James Corden) are in a crisis: their Broadway show is a major flop that has flatlined their careers. Meanwhile, in small- town Indiana, high schooler Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman) feels a different kind of heartbreak: despite the support from the principal (Keegan- Michael Key), the PTA prez (Kerry Washington) has banned her from attending the prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose). Dee Dee and Barry decide that Emma’s is the perfect cause to help resurrect their public images; they hit the road with fellow actors Angie (Nicole Kidman) and Trent (Andrew Rannells). Their selfish plan backfires, so the foursome rally to give Emma a night to celebrate her true self. Out on Netflix December 11.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Tensions rise during a recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious horn player Levee (Chadwick Boseman) spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives. Out on Netflix December 18.