Q: We have a third bathroom in our finished basement that has a stall shower. My brother-in-law says it’s only considered a half-bath because it doesn’t have a bathtub. Is he correct?

A: Your brother-in-law is wrong. Bathrooms go by the number of fixtures. A bathroom with a sink and a toilet is a two-fixture bath, which is also referred to as a half-bath or a lav. A full bath has a sink, toilet, and either a bathtub or shower, or both, so it can be either a three- or four-fixture full bath.

Home maintenance tip

Are you losing up to 25% of your heat because you don’t have $40 to $80 worth of insulation in your basement? Having been in literally over a thousand homes over the years, I get to observe a lot of things. One thing I have noticed, especially in homes built before the 1980s, is the lack of insulation around the rim joist in the basement. That is where all the joists rest on top of the basement wall. If you see insulation, you’re good, but if you see bare wood, you’re losing money out of your pocket every minute during the cold weather here in Michigan.

The fix is simple: buy a roll or two of insulation and cut pieces to fit up in all of the cavities. (If you have bay windows or kitchen sinks that are in a bay with plumbing pipes, then consult with a professional on the correct way to insulate the bay.) It’s a good idea to wear gloves, long sleeves, safety glasses and a face mask when handling insulation. You can take it a step further and seal all the joints with a foam sealant first before adding the insulation. I recommend consulting your home improvement store or a contractor/handyman as to the best way to go about it for your home. As long as you do something, you will start saving money right away.

Market update

November’s market update for Macomb County and Oakland County’s housing market (house and condo sales) is as follows: In Macomb County, the average sales price was up by almost 3% and Oakland County’s was up by more than 2%. Macomb County’s on-market inventory was down by almost 2% and Oakland County’s was up by almost 4%. Macomb County’s average days on market was 35 days and Oakland County’s was 32 days. Closed sales in Macomb County were up by almost 3% and were down by almost 9% in Oakland County. (All comparisons are month to month, year to year.)

By the long-standing historical definition from the National Association of Realtors, which has been in existence since 1908, a buyer’s market is when there is a seven-month supply or more of inventory on the market. A balanced market between buyers and sellers is when there is a six-month supply of inventory. A seller’s market is when there is a five-month or less supply of inventory. Inventory has continued to stay low. In November, the state of Michigan’s inventory was at 2.6 months of supply. Macomb County’s inventory was at 2.4 months of supply and Oakland County’s inventory was at 2.3 months of supply. By definition, it’s still not close to a buyer’s market.

Steve Meyers is a real estate agent/Realtor at Realty Executives Home Towne in Shelby Township. He can be contacted with questions at 586-997-5480 or emailed at Steve@MeyersRealtor.com. You can also visit his website at  AnswersToRealEstateQuestions.com.

The new year is only a few days old, but Sponge is looking at plowing its way through a busy year ahead.

The Detroit band — whose gold-certified 1994 debut album “Rotting Pinata” launched the hits “Plowed” and “Molly (16 Candles”) — has an abundant schedule of shows already on tap, including the ’90s Cruise later this month with Sugar Ray, Tonic, Smash Mouth and others. Come July, Sponge will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its second album, “Wax Ecstatic,” and sometime this year, it will be releasing a new set, “Enclosing,” that frontman and co-founder Vin Dombroski says will likely be the band’s last.

“We’ve done many records,” explains Dombroski, citing listening habits and marketplace trends as reasons for a re-think. “It’s nice to talk about ‘a record’ … but everybody goes to YouTube and listens online. We sell some records at the shows, but I scratch my head and go, ‘Why am I even putting the effort into making a full-length record?’

“I’ll release songs, sure,” adds Dombroski, who describes “Enclosing” as “really dark.” “Nowadays, if you want content, just release a song. Why wait? But as far as a full-length album, I really have no more motivation to do it.”

Dombroski says Sponge hasn’t started thinking about “Wax Ecstatic’s” anniversary, but anticipates doing something to commemorate the album. Sponge also has its annual Bus Tour in St. Clair Shores set for March 28, and while he did not anticipate the band’s longevity, Dombroski is certainly happy to still be at it all these years later.

“I remember playing ‘Plowed’ the first time at the Ritz in Roseville, before anything was going on, and we got a really good reaction and thought, ‘Right, this one’s a keeper,'” says Dombroski, who recently released a single, “Maggot Wind,” with the Lucid, an all-star band he’s also part of. “Radio still plays it, and ‘Molly’ and sometimes others. We’re fortunate to have songs in movies sometimes, all kinds of stuff.

“It’s really the willingness of the guys in the band to get in the van and keep doing it. A lot of bands won’t do it like that anymore. We pretty much have this all down. Everybody gets along really well. They’re talented guys and decent people. I’m willing to do it, of course, but without the guys being good people and feeling the same way, I couldn’t do it.

Sponge performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10 at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com. Sponge also performs with Everclear on March 18 at District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte. Doors at 7 p.m. district142live.com.

Other music events of note this weekend (all subject to change) include …

FRIDAY, JAN. 9

• Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah lays down the law at 8 p.m. at Sound Board in the MotorCity Casino Hotel, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit. 800-745-3000 or soundboarddetroit.com.

• Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble comes home to launch its latest tour with four shows — at 7 and 9 p.m. each night — through Saturday. Jan. 10 at the Blue Llama Jazz Club, 314 S. First St., Ann Arbor. 734-372-3200 or bluellamaclub.com.

• The Detroit Symphony Orchestra plays along with a screening of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” at 7:30 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-576-5111 or dso.org.

• Eclectic New York singer and songwriter Nellie McKay performs for Friday Night Live! at 7 p.m. at the Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-833-7900 or dia.org.

• Vocalist Lexie Blue sings at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• Trumpeter Trunino Lowe blows his horn through Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, 97 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe. 313-882-5399 or dirtydogjazz.com.

• The Detroit Jazz Project takes over at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• Eastside Elvis & the Motor City Mafia shake it up at 8:30 p.m. at the Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

• Penarth, the Walk Talkers and the Mansion triple-bill at 7 p.m. at the New Dodge Lounge, 8850 Jos Campau, Hamtramck. 313-638-1508 or thenewdodgelounge.com.

• Adjust the Sails, Dear Cincinnati, Hummus Vacuum and Loudfoxcult pile up at 8 p.m. at the Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit. 313-500-1475 or thelagerhouse.com.

• Reverend Robert Jones and Todd Albright team up at 7:30 p.m. at the Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. 734-436-6302 or trinityhousetheatre.org.

• That Arena Rock Show does just that at District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte. And Rush Experience will create its own kind of arena rock experience there on Saturday, Jan. 10. Doors at 7 p.m. both nights. district142live.com.

• Blues guitarist Duke Tumatoe squeezes into The Ark for an 8 p.m. show. 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1800 or theark.org.

• Virtual: Depeche Mode’s concert film “M,” which debuted at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival and had a limited run in theaters in October, premieres on Netflix.

SATURDAY, JAN. 10

• The Detroit Symphony Orchestra Pops plays “Total Eclipse of the Charts: ’80s Chart Toppers” at 8 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11 at Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. A “Total Eclipse of the Chart: Afterdark” dance party takes place at 10 p.m. Saturday in The Cube. 313-576-5111 or dso.org.

• Performance artist Satori Circus presents Lads Insane: A Musical Celebration of David Bowie to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the British music icon’s death at 8 p.m. at the Tangent Gallery/Hastings Street Ballroom, 715 E. Milwaukee St., Detroit. tangentgallery.com.

• Albany punk rockers State Champs visit the Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Doors at 6 p.m. Real Friends, Driveways and Summerbruise are also on the bill. 313-833-9700 or majesticdetroit.com.

• Michigan music mainstay Joe Hertler performs a solo acoustic show at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• Singer-songwriter and comedian Kristin Key takes the stage at 8 p.m. at the Flagstar Strand Theatre, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac. 248-309-6445 or flagstarstrand.com.

• Never The Crash, The Lion Within, Allen Pond and other bands perform as part of the Rise from the Ashes Benefit concert for those affected by the Sto-Away Self Storage fire in November in Rochester Hills. The show starts at 2 p.m. at the Diesel Concert Lounge, 33151 23 Mile Road, Chesterfield Township. 586-933-3503 or dieselconcerts.com.

• Detroit’s Lager House hosts Darkness on the Edge of Corktown 3, with more than 30 local artists playing tribute to Bruce Springsteen, at 8 p.m. Proceeds go to the Motor City Mitten Mission. 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit. 313-500-1475 or thelagerhouse.com.

• Problems, Deadbeatdad, Origami Phase and Seanni B rock hard at 7 p.m. at the Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck. 313-462-4117 or sanctuarydetroit.com.

• Bassist Gwenyth Hayes leads her band at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• Singer-songwriters Tom Alter, Bob Sky Young and Mary Hartman get together at 7:30 p.m. at the Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. 734-436-6302 or trinityhousetheatre.org.

• Popular local cover bands the Mega 80’s and the Square Pegz square off in an 80’s vs. 90’s show at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-544-1991 or themagicbag.com.

• Hotel California — The Original Eagles Tribute takes it to the limit at the Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens. Doors at 7 p.m. 586-630-0120 or theemeraldtheatre.com.

• The Loving Touch hosts a Broadway Rave. 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-820-5596 or thelovingtouchferndale.com.

• Popular local singer-songwriter Jill Jack holds her annual Birthday Bash at 8 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1800 or theark.org.

• Virtual: The Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series presents “The Stars of I Puritani” in theaters worldwide. metopera.org for theaters and showtimes.

SUNDAY, JAN. 11

• R&B singer Carl Thomas croons at 7:30 p.m. at Sound Board in the MotorCity Casino Hotel, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit. 800-745-3000 or soundboarddetroit.com.

• Dan Devins and the Blues Delegation play at a 3 p.m. matinee at the Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

• Trumpeter Mason Bays closes the weekend at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• Ember & Ash, the duo of the Ragbirds’ Erin Zindle and Native Howl’s Alex Holycross, burns at 7:30 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1800 or theark.org.

• Ann Arbor trio the Triumvirate starts at 6 p.m. at the Blue Llama Jazz Club, 314 S. First St., Ann Arbor. 734-372-3200 or bluellamaclub.com.

In Meadow Brook Theatre’s upcoming production of “All Shook Up,” Chad (Nick Cortazzo) shakes things up among some uptight small-town residents when he arrives with his guitar, playing Elvis tunes.

“Chad is a roustabout who has music inside of his heart,” said Cortazzo, a Pittsburgh native who lives in New York City. “He travels to little towns and communities and spreads joy, love and music.“

The people in this unnamed town are “stuck in their ways” until Chad shows up, Cortazzo said. The musical follows the plot of (Shakespeare’s) “Twelfth Night,” he noted. “It’s a big love web triangle. Everyone’s in love with everyone.

“Natalie (Mirabella Ziegler) is a mechanic in her dad’s garage. Her dad, Jim (Danny Gurwin), is getting over the death of his wife. He eventually falls in love with Sandra (Kassandra Aguilar-Haddock).

“Sylvia (Milika Cherée) runs the bar in town, and she has a daughter, Lorraine (Lauren M. Smith), who falls in love with Dean (Chase Williams), son of the mayor Matilda (Amy Hillner Larsen). She is strict, and everything needs to be her way. She doesn’t allow dancing, hip gyrating.”

Natalie falls in love with Chad. But Chad is in love with Sandra, who owns the town museum. Sandra is in love with Ed (Natalie in disguise). “She puts on a hat, draws with grease a fake beard and becomes Ed. She disguises herself so she can get close to Chad because he doesn’t give her the time of day,” Cortazzo said.

Audiences must wait till the end of the show to see who winds up with whom, Cortazzo said.

There are 24 Elvis songs throughout the show. Cortazzo sings most of them, “but we spread the wealth,” he said. “Everyone gets their chance to shine.”

The show starts with “Jailhouse Rock,” the first act ends with “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and the second act starts with “All Shook Up.” The last song is “Burning Love.”

“The show was on Broadway in early to mid-2000s, and after that, they did a little reworking before launching the national tour,” Cortazzo said.

During his freshman year in high school, he played Dennis, who is portrayed by Jackson Cole Cook in this production.

“It’s fun to revisit the show in a different role 12 years later,” Cortazzo said. As the lead, he’s in almost every scene. “It’s a heavy lift, but it’s a fun challenge.”

Cortazzo graduated in musical theater in 2021 from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. He moved to New York and toured with “Hairspray” as Link Larkin from 2022-23. After that, he performed in regional theater productions. From 2023-24, he was part of the first national tour of “Hadestown.”

This is his first time at Meadow Brook.

“I didn’t know anyone in the cast before coming here,” he said. “It’s been great getting to know new people. Most of the leads (except actors playing Natalie and Dean, who are OU students) are from New York. The ensemble is primarily OU students.

“I hope everyone dances the night away with us!”

The show opens Wednesday, Jan. 7 and runs through Feb. 1 at the theatre on the campus of Oakland University, 378 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester.

“All Shook Up” is directed by Travis W. Walter with choreography by Jacob ben Widmar and music direction by Eric Shorey. Scenic design is by Jen Price Fick, assistant scenic design by Annie Eloise Findlay, lighting design by Matt Fick, assistant lighting design by Ash Ritter, costume design by Whitney Locher, wig design by Chad Harlow, assistant costume design by Trish Brown, sound design by Kyle Jensen and assistant sound design by Lorelei Preiss. The dance captain is Emily Ann Stys, and the assistant dance captain is Naomi Jarvis. Brittanie Nichole Sicker is the stage manager and Ellen Marie Peck is the assistant stage manager.

Tickets range from $40 to $48 and are available by calling the Meadow Brook Theatre box office at 248-377-3300 or going online to ticketmaster.com. Student discounts are available at the box office. Groups of eight or more should call 248-370-3316 for group pricing.

For decades, Avenida Revolución in Tijuana was a bustling tourist zone, attracting U.S. visitors with its colorful souvenir shops, restaurants and nightlife.

But at some point, popular interest in the historic district faded.

State and city officials have been trying to revitalize the area for some time to attract more tourists, with hopes of making it a place locals want to hang out, too.

The latest move involves closing off a few blocks to vehicles to make way for a pedestrian promenade. Visitors can now wander from Fourth to Seventh streets along the 136-year-old avenue.

When unveiling the $1.3 million project in October, Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila pledged to restore more public spaces to promote cultural, musical and recreational activities.

“This is what Tijuana deserves,” she said in a video posted on social media. “These spaces represent Tijuana.”

So far, it seems to be working.

Isabel Hernández and her fiancé, Ramón Félix, are street vendors who craft bracelets and necklaces on a bench in the area to sell later in the day. One recent Saturday morning, the couple was particularly busy, preparing for two events taking place on different blocks of the same stretch of the avenue within a few hours — a food festival followed by a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

The couple said many visitors have come to check out the revamped spot, surrounded by hotels, coffee shops, pharmacies and restaurants.

Officials said people can expect more artistic activities in the plaza, such as music and theatrical performances.

“They come with their children, play with them for a while, have some ice cream, and stay for a bit,” Félix noted.

Tijuana’s landmark 

Avenida Revolución is at the center of much of the city’s history. In 1889, it became the first street in the city to be paved and provided with utilities, boosting its draw as a commercial and tourist hub. Throughout its history, the avenue has had five names, adopting its current one in 1932.

The concept of creating a pedestrian square was inspired by other cities, said José Carlos Robles, president of the Association of Merchants and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Avenida Revolución. He cited several examples, including the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego, which has experimented with a pedestrian promenade.

Robles said that Tijuana was missing that experience in its downtown area. “When you visit any city, you always want to go downtown and see the historic sites,” he said.

Robles said that some businesses reported increased sales after the opening of the pedestrian plaza and that the project has attracted others to open their businesses on the popular avenue, which is better known by locals as “La Revu.”

The project has faced some opposition, as some businesses were not on board with the idea. A vendor from a souvenir shop within the pedestrian plaza said the change didn’t help the business because it relies more on international tourists who come by bus or car than on locals who walk through the area.

U.S. tourists, including those traveling for medical reasons, still frequently visit Avenida Revolución. But there was a time when it was far more popular, recalled José Gabriel Rivera, head of the Baja California Historical Archive.

In the Prohibition era, when alcohol was banned in the U.S., people flocked to Tijuana to drink and gamble. It was around this time that the world-famous Caesar salad was created in the area.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Avenida Revolución was a mecca for San Diegans looking to party. Some took advantage of the fact that the legal drinking age in Mexico is 18 instead of 21.

However, that all changed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when crossing the U.S.-Mexico border became a more rigorous endeavor. Reports of cartel-related violence in the city around that time also discouraged many visitors.

This led to a binational tourism crisis, Rivera said, prompting a shift in focus to attract local tourism.

Rivera welcomed the ongoing efforts to improve the ever-changing avenue and its surroundings, but noted that it could be more attractive to locals.

“The Avenida Revolución is a landmark and icon in Tijuana’s history,” he said. “It’s important to develop different types of policies to revitalize it.”

On a recent Saturday, locals Óscar Díaz and his mother, Sanjuana Nachez, ran an errand a few blocks away and took the opportunity to visit the food festival and explore the new pedestrian plaza.

Díaz reminisced about the late ’80s, when he used to party in the area. He said that back then, it was common to see many visitors from the United States. “Many people from San Diego came,” his mother echoed. But nowadays, not as many, they said.

“It was about time they renovated the Revolución,” he said. “Hopefully, it will attract tourism.”

Local life

For the past three years, Mariana Sánchez — known on social media as Nana en Tijuana — has been giving walking tours of her hometown. Her bilingual tours begin on Avenida Revolución. As she points out, to understand the city, you have to go back to where it all began.

Throughout her time working in the industry, she has noticed the interests of tourists changing. She said that many want to “experience life as we live it.”

“They want to know where we go, what we eat and how we get around,” she said. “Many people are searching for that feeling of local life.”

That still often includes the souvenir shops and famous salad at Caesar’s Restaurant, which long ago relocated onto Avenida Revolución. But tourists are also venturing farther from downtown, trying the numerous taquerías scattered throughout the city or attending a Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles soccer game or a Toros baseball game, Sánchez said.

Caesar’s, which many agree is one of the most touristy places on the avenue, is situated within the new pedestrian plaza. Visitors can no longer valet park in front of the restaurant. Instead, they must look for public parking nearby.

While Sánchez welcomes the idea, she said there is still work to be done. For instance, although the avenue is closed to vehicles, the side streets are not, which may confuse pedestrians and drivers.

“It’s an interesting time to analyze and rethink tourism strategies,” she said. “The pedestrian plaza has presented new opportunities for some vendors, as well as some challenges that need to be considered.”

Charlie Polinger achieves a lot with relatively little with his feature directorial debut, “The Plague.”

Getting a wide release this week, this slice of psychological horror is quite effective despite its small scale and a cast consisting largely of little-known young actors.

A cross between “Lord of the Flies” and … some other movie set at a youth water polo camp, “The Plague” explores, as Polinger puts it in his directorial statement, “the clumsy liminal space between childhood and adolescence, when the id grows too fast and too strong for the conscience to keep up.”

Also the film’s writer, Polinger found inspiration for the story when he unearthed old journals from when he was 12. He read his tales of a youth sports camp, where boys told tall tales of a mysterious “plague” that had infected one unfortunate kid — it was the reason for his acne-covered face and was turning his brain to “mush.”

That is the situation 12-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck) encounters when he joins the second session of a water polo camp after moving to the area from another city in summer 2003. A bunch of the boys — led by the charismatic Jake (Kayo Martin) — have ostracized another with a skin issue, Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), which they make very clear as they accept Ben into their fold.

“Those aren’t regular pimples,” Jake tells Ben as they sit on the bottom part of a bunk bed, several feet from Eli. “Those are plague pimples. That’s a plague face.”

Jake proceeds to fill Ben’s head with more disturbing details, including the fate of the unfortunate boy who supposedly gave the plague to Eli. (Spoiler alert: He’s said to be spending his time in a mental institution playing “Jenga.”)

You can tell from Ben’s face that he doesn’t believe any of this to be true — mostly, kinda, probably — but he does as instructed, scrubbing his skin quickly after any physical contact with the outcast. He’s just trying to fit in, especially after Jake gives him a hard time about having trouble pronouncing “t” sounds, earning him the cruel nickname “Soppy” as a result. We’ve all been there — if roughly, not precisely.

That’s why “The Plague” feels so authentic for its first long stretch: It’s relatable in a way you may not enjoy thinking about, even if you were more follower than leader, more Ben than Jake, in your youth.

As the film progresses, however, Polinger skillfully blurs the line between childhood nonsense and reality in a really potent and, at times, downright chilling way, as Ben takes the inevitable turn away from Jake and toward Eli — despite the latter’s odd social behavior. (To be clear, Eli’s idiosyncrasies feel authentic for an outcast kid … at least for the most part.)

With the help of collaborators who include director of photography Steven Breckon, production designer Chad Keith and sound designer Damian Volpe, Polinger creates an aesthetic that evolves from lovely (the opening underwater shots) to unsettling (well, you’ll see).

Plenty of heavy lifting is also done by the aforementioned actors, with Blunck (“Griffin in Summer”) compelling as a pre-teen everyman — not exactly cool but able to vaguely fake it — and newcomer Rasmussen, who throws himself into the role of a boy trying to make the best of being separated from the group at camp.

The standout, though, is Martin, who, as the ringleader, straddles the line between angel and devil, aided by an often-present smile that can be read either way. (Also into skating and boxing, the youth has about a million Instagram followers.)

Joel Edgerton (“Boy Erased,” “Train Dreams”) portrays the only meaningful adult role, that of the boys’ coach, Daddy Wags, and he turns in solid work, both when his character lays into Jake for his behavior and later tries to comfort Ben.

Know that a viewer isn’t likely to find much comfort in “The Plague.” It isn’t a fun experience, the film dipping its toes into such upsetting topics as self-mutilation, but it is impactful.

Without hinting at the nature of the conclusion, Polinger sticks the landing, leaving the viewer wanting more — not of “The Plague” but of him.

‘The Plague’

Where: Theaters.

When: Jan. 2.

Rated: R for language, sexual material, self-harm/bloody images, and some drug and alcohol use – all involving children.

Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes.

Stars (of four): 3.

By Nicole Dieker, Bankrate.com

No one wants to deal with the inconvenience of long lines every time you have a flight to catch. Instead, you can take a leisurely stroll through airport security by enrolling in TSA PreCheck. This trusted traveler program allows people to access a separate security line at the airport and eliminates some of the hassles involved in clearing airport security … for a price.

A TSA PreCheck membership costs $77 and remains valid for five years, so it’s relatively affordable. However, you may get that fee back if you have one of the top travel credit cards. Many of these cards reimburse the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee by granting a credit of up to $120. That means you can make the most of your card benefits and offset part of your annual fee by learning how to get TSA PreCheck with your credit card.

Here’s how to get TSA PreCheck by using your credit card.

How does TSA PreCheck work?

TSA PreCheck is an official trusted traveler program set up through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It requires you to go through a short online application and in-person interview where you’ll be fingerprinted and have your photo taken.

After you’re approved, you’ll have access to dedicated security lines and expedited security procedures at many U.S. airports, allowing you to keep your laptop and travel-sized liquids in your bag. Plus, you’ll keep your wait time to a minimum since 99% of TSA PreCheck members wait less than 10 minutes to make it through security, according to the TSA.

How to get TSA PreCheck free with a credit card

There are several ways a credit card can help you get TSA PreCheck for free:

—The easiest way is by paying for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application with a card that reimburses it. You’ll automatically receive a statement credit to cover the cost.

—You could use the rewards you’ve earned through an airline or hotel loyalty program to pay for it.

—You could use your credit card rewards to cover the fee.

Using a statement credit to get TSA PreCheck

Nearly 40 credit cards offer an application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and that includes business credit cards and co-branded airline and hotel credit cards. However, it is important to note that most travel credit cards that cover TSA PreCheck come with an annual fee of anywhere from $95 to $695.

While there are travel credit cards with no annual fee, it’s uncommon for them to include a TSA PreCheck benefit. That said, occasionally you may be able to find a travel card with this benefit and no annual fee — but there will likely be a catch.

For example, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business card, which comes with no annual fee the first year, offers an up to $120 reimbursement credit for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck every four years. However, this card charges an annual fee every year thereafter.

Using a loyalty program to get TSA PreCheck

Many airline and hotel loyalty programs allow you to redeem the rewards you earn for TSA PreCheck. Some of these programs include:

—IHG One Rewards

—Marriott Bonvoy

—Orbitz Rewards Platinum Members

—United Mileage Plus

However, this method usually isn’t the best option since you’ll typically spend $100 or more in rewards — which is more than the cost of a TSA PreCheck membership. If you have a bank of points or miles that are about to expire, then it could be a decent option.

These loyalty programs also occasionally offer promotions and deals on TSA PreCheck, which may help you to get a discounted membership or a free membership with certain levels of elite status.

Using credit card rewards to get TSA PreCheck

If you’re not interested in a travel credit card or paying an annual fee, rewards from one of the top cash-back cards could help you cover your TSA PreCheck fee. These credit cards allow you to earn rewards or welcome bonuses that you can then redeem as statement credits to cover your TSA PreCheck application.

Bankrate’s take: If you travel internationally and would like to shorten your trips through customs, consider applying for Global Entry instead of TSA PreCheck. Global Entry includes all the benefits of TSA PreCheck plus expedited customs screening for travelers entering the United States, and membership costs $120 for five years.

Which credit card with TSA PreCheck credits is right for you?

When determining which travel credit card is right for you, take a few factors into account, including the card’s

—annual fee

—general rewards structure

—additional benefits

You’ll also want to think about how it fits into your current spending habits and lifestyle. If a particular card is only appealing because it pays for TSA PreCheck, then you should consider a different card that better aligns with your spending habits and interests — even if that card is just a general rewards card that will help you to earn enough cash back to cover the application fee.

Keep in mind that many business, airline and hotel credit cards offer a TSA PreCheck benefit. If you own a business, you may want to consider a general business travel credit card (which offers more flexibility) or a credit card for an airline or hotel that you use frequently (which will offer airline- or hotel-specific perks).

The bottom line

If you want to get TSA PreCheck for free, there are a lot of credit cards out there that can help you cover the cost.

Whether you choose a card that reimburses your TSA PreCheck fee or a card that helps you earn rewards to cover the fee, you’ll have plenty of options to save on the cost of your TSA PreCheck membership. And once you’ve got that TSA PreCheck stamp on your boarding pass, you’ll be able to save time (and effort) at the airport.

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The overriding theme defining television in recent years has been a fear of the new. Which is why reboots and spinoffs continue apace, with old titles brought back from the dead (“Scrubs”) or from the not-so-distant past (“The Night Manager”) and intellectual property milked within an inch of its life (somehow HBO has yet another “Game of Thrones” series coming our way).

It’s as if everyone in Hollywood ran out of new ideas all at once. Don’t blame writers, but executives who are rapidly shepherding their industry towards irrelevance with an over-reliance on reworked IP, while original ideas are left unproduced. In better news, the winter Olympic Games are this year, with the opening ceremony taking place Feb. 6 on NBC. (The Super Bowl is that Sunday as well.)

“The Pitt”

The Pittsburgh-set medical drama from “ER” showrunner John Wells is back for a second season, premiering almost exactly a year after it first debuted. Imagine, a streaming series returning on a reliable schedule! Dr. Robby (“ER” veteran Noah Wyle) is back once again, overseeing the managed chaos, student doctors and medical residents of his emergency department. One of the best examples of competency as comfort, something we could all use more of at the moment in real life. From Jan. 8 on HBO Max.

“The Night Manager”

Stylish and prestige-y as hell, Season 1 of this Tom Hiddleston spy drama premiered (squints) eight years ago. Welp, this is how TV works today. Season 2 follows Hiddleston’s character across the UK, Spain, Colombia and France as he “races to expose a conspiracy designed to destabilize a nation.” From Jan. 11 on Amazon. 

“Hijack”

The first season of this “Die Hard” ripoff starring Idris Elba took place on a seven-hour flight from Dubai to London. For the entirely unnecessary second season, the setting is now a subway in Berlin that’s been taken hostage. If Elba’s character doesn’t say “Why does this keep happening to me?!” at any point, then what are we even doing here? From Jan. 14 on Apple TV.  

“Ponies”

“Game of Thrones” alum Emilia Clarke stars in this 1977-set Cold War thriller about two women (the other is played by Haley Lu Richardson) who become CIA operatives after their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances in Moscow. The pair become “ponies” in the parlance — persons of no interest — in order to uncover the truth of what really happened. From Jan. 15 on Peacock. 

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”

Another “Game of Thrones” spinoff. A prequel, this one takes place a hundred years before the events of “GoT,” as two unlikely heroes wander through Westeros: “A young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.” From Jan. 18 on HBO. 

“Steal”

Here I am typing “Game of Thrones” again because the show’s alum Sophie Turner returns to TV in this thriller about a heist at a British pension fund investment company: “But who would steal billions of pounds of ordinary people’s pensions and why? DCI Rhys (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) is determined to find out, but as a recently relapsed gambling addict, Rhys must keep his own money problems at bay while dealing with the secret agendas and competing interests at the center of this far-reaching crime.” From Jan. 21 on Amazon.  

“Drops of God”

I really liked the first season of this emotionally engrossing drama about two young wine experts who battle for a massive inheritance. The series was also criminally underseen, likely because: 1) Apple’s approach to promotion leaves much to be desired; 2) there are no recognizable (American) stars; and 3) that title, which makes sense once you’ve seen the show, but otherwise … nope. It’s back for a second season and if you’ve been missing that frisson of discovery in your TV viewing, this one is worth seeking out. From Jan. 21 on Apple TV.  

“Bridgerton”

Not a fan of this show, but plenty are, so mark your calendars. The Shonda Rhimes historical romance returns for Season 4, with a focus on the family’s second-eldest son, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), who falls for a servant who sneaks into a masquerade ball. Netflix is chopping the season into two parts. From Jan. 29 on Netflix; the second half premieres Feb. 26.  

“Dark Winds”

This adaptation of Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels, with their stories of the Navajo Tribal Police in the 1970s, continues with a fourth season about a missing Navajo girl, which takes our investigators out of their usual setting and sends them to the underbelly of organized crime in Los Angeles. A tick or two better than your typical cop show, star Zahn McClarnon is reason enough to watch. From Feb. 15 on AMC.  

“Scrubs”

The medical comedy from the early aughts is back, reuniting the old gang: J.D. (Zach Braff), Turk (Donald Faison), Elliot (Sarah Chalke), Carla (Judy Reyes) and John C. McGinley’s memorably tangy Dr. Cox. New cast members include Vanessa Bayer and Joel Kim Booster. The premise appears to be the same as it was, picking up where the show left off. From Feb. 25 on ABC.

“Scarpetta”

A crime thriller based on Patricia Cornwell’s book series about the forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta, played by Nicole Kidman. According to the marketing blurb: “With skilled hands and an unnerving eye, this unrelenting medical examiner is determined to serve as the voice of the victims, unmask a serial killer, and prove that her career-making case from 28 years prior isn’t also her undoing. Set against the backdrop of modern forensic investigation, the series delves beyond the crime scene to explore the psychological complexities of both perpetrators and investigators, creating a multi-layered thriller that examines the toll of pursuing justice at all costs.” From March 11 on Amazon.  

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press

As technology distracts, polarizes and automates, people are still finding refuge on analog islands in the digital sea.

The holdouts span the generation gaps, uniting elderly and middle-aged enclaves born in the pre-internet times with the digital natives raised in the era of online ubiquity.

They are setting down their devices to paint, color, knit and play board games. Others carve out time to mail birthday cards and salutations written in their own hand. Some drive cars with manual transmissions while surrounded by automobiles increasingly able to drive themselves. And a widening audience is turning to vinyl albums, resuscitating an analog format that was on its deathbed 20 years ago.

The analog havens provide a nostalgic escape from tumultuous times for generations born from 1946 through 1980, says Martin Bispels, 57, a former QVC executive who recently started Retroactv, a company that sells rock music merchandise dating to the 1960s and 1970s.

“The past gives comfort. The past is knowable,” Bispels says. “And you can define it because you can remember it the way you want.”

But analog escapes also beckon to the members of the millennials and Generation Z, those born from 1981 through 2012 — younger people immersed in a digital culture that has put instant information and entertainment at their fingertips.

Despite that convenience and instant gratification, even younger people growing up on technology’s cutting edge are yearning for more tactile, deliberate and personal activities that don’t evaporate in the digital ephemera, says Pamela Paul, author of “100 Things We’ve Lost To The Internet.”

“Younger generations have an almost longing wistfulness because because so little of their life feels tangible,” Paul says. “They are starting to recognize how the internet has changed their lives, and they are trying to revive these in-person, low-tech environments that older generations took for granted.”

Here are some glimpses into how the old ways are new again.

Keeping those cards coming

People have been exchanging cards for centuries. It’s a ritual in danger of being obliterated by the tsunami of texting and social media posts. Besides being quicker and more convenient, digital communication has become more economical as the cost of a first-class U.S. postage stamp has soared from 33 to 78 cents during the past 25 years.

But tradition is hanging on thanks to people like Megan Evans, who started the Facebook group called “Random Acts of Cardness” a decade ago when she was just 21 in hopes of fostering and maintaining more human connections in an increasingly impersonal world.

“Anybody can send a text message that says ‘Happy Birthday!’ But sending a card is a much more intentional way of telling somebody that you care,” says Evans, who lives in Wickliff, Ohio. “It’s something that the sender has touched with their own hand, and that you are going to hold in your own hand.”

More than 15,000 people are now part of Evans’ Facebook group, including Billy-Jo Dieter, who sends at least 100 cards per month commemorating birthdays, holidays and other milestones. “A dying art,” she calls it.

“My goal has been to try to make at least one person smile each day,” says Dieter, 48, who lives in Ellsworth, Maine. “When you sit down and you put the pen to the paper, it becomes something that’s even more just for that person.”

The singularity of a stick shift

Before technology futurist Ray Kurzweil came up with a concept that he dubbed the “Singularity” to describe his vision of computers melding with humanity, the roads were crammed with stick-shift cars working in concert with people.

But automobiles with manual transmission appear to be on a road to oblivion as technology transforms cars into computers on wheels. Fewer than 1% of the new vehicles sold in the U.S. have manual transmission, down from 35% in 1980, according to an analysis by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

But there remain stick-shift diehards like Prabh and Divjeev Sohi, brothers who drive cars with manual transmissions to their classes at San Jose State University along Silicon Valley roads clogged with Teslas. They became enamored with stick shifts while virtually driving cars in video games as kids and riding in manual transmission vehicles operated by their father and grandfather.

So when they were old enough to drive, Prabh, 22, and Divjeev, 19, were determined to learn a skill few people their age even bother to attempt: mastering the nuances of a clutch that controls a manual transmission, a process that resulted in their 1994 Jeep Wrangler coming to a complete stop while frustrated drivers got stuck behind them.

“He stalled like five times his first time on the road,” Prabh recalls.

Even though the experience still causes Divjeev to shudder, he feels it led him to a better place.

“You are more in the moment when you are driving a car with a stick. Basically you are just there to drive and you aren’t doing anything else,” Divjeev says. “You understand the car, and if you don’t handle it correctly, that car isn’t going to move.”

Rediscovering vinyl’s virtues

Vinyl’s obsolescence seemed inevitable in the 1980s when compact discs emerged. That introduction triggered an evisceration of analog recordings that hit bottom in 2006 when 900,000 vinyl albums were sold, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. That was a death rattle for a format that peaked in 1977, when 344 million vinyl albums were sold.

But the slump unexpectedly reversed, and vinyl albums are now a growth niche. In each of the past two years, about 43 million vinyl albums have been sold, despite the widespread popularity of music streaming services that make it possible to play virtually any song by any artist at any time.

Baby boomers expanding upon their decades-old album collections aren’t the only catalyst. Younger generations are embracing the lusher sound of vinyl, too.

“I really love listening to an album on vinyl from start to finish. It feels like I am sitting with the artist,” says 24-year-old Carson Bispels. “Vinyl just adds this permanence that makes the music feel more genuine. It’s just you and the music, the way it should be.”

Carson is the son of Martin Bispels, the former QVC executive. A few years ago, Martin gave a few of his vinyl records to Carson, including Bob Marley’s “Talkin’ Blues,” an album already played so much that it sometimes cracks and pops with the scratches in it.

“I still listen to it because every time I do, I think of my dad,” says Carson, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

After starting off with about 10 vinyl albums from his dad, Carson now has about 100 and plans to keep expanding.

“The current digital age of music is fantastic, too, but there’s nothing like the personal aspect of going into the record store and thumbing through a bunch of albums while making small talk with some of the other patrons to find out what they’re listening to,” Carson says.

Paul, the author of the book about analog activities that have been devoured by the internet, says the vinyl music’s comeback story has her mulling a potential sequel. “A return to humanity,” she says, “could turn out to be another book.”

With New Year’s Day fast approaching, I want to plan on making the holiday delicious and easy. I have a one-dish lunch or dinner in mind. At my house, Jan. 1 is primarily spent relaxing in front of the TV watching the parade and football games. It’s part of our tradition.

Everyone seems to love this one-dish wonder, a baked pasta dish with sausage and black olives. You can change its personality by using a sausage that you prefer. Hot Italian sausage will yield a dish that is fiery, while mild Italian sausage makes a more kid-friendly meal. I like to use half hot and half mild. The choice is yours.

Happy New Year!

Baked Pasta with Sausage and Olives

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
• 1 pound Italian sausage removed from casings, sweet or hot, or some of both
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup pitted black olives, such as Kalamata, drained
• Salt
• 1 pound penne or ziti
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use; see cook’s notes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided use
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Cook’s notes: Use the low-moisture style of mozzarella that is harder and often used for melting, not the fresh mozzarella.

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook sausage in a large, deep skillet until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes, breaking it up with spatula or wooden spoon. Transfer sausage to a bowl.

2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and garlic; cook until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, return sausage to the skillet. Add olives and simmer until thickened, 15 to 18 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until slightly underdone. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot along with reserved water. Stir in tomato sauce.

4. Pour half of pasta into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Pour remaining pasta into dish, sprinkle with remaining cheeses and sprinkle with parsley. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.

By JENNIFER PELTZ The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — They’re ready to embark on 2026.

Three more dog breeds joined the American Kennel Club’s roster of recognized breeds on Tuesday, making them eligible for many U.S. dog shows and likely increasing their visibility to the pet-loving public.

One of the newcomers is a terrier named for a U.S. president. Another is a toy dog from Cold War-era Russia. The third is a centuries-old French hunting hound. Here’s a closer look:

The basset fauve de Bretagne

The stats: 12.5 to 15.5 inches (32 to 40 centimeters) at the base of the neck; 23 to 39 pounds (10.5 to 17.5 kilograms)

The topline: A hardy, sociable, compact hound that can hunt all day — and needs mental and physical activity.

The pronunciation: bah-SAY’ fove deh breh-TAHN’-yeh

The translation: Fawn-colored, low-set dog from Brittany

The history: Versions of these coarse-coated, tan-hued hounds go back at least as far as 16th-century French aristocratic circles. The breed has been championed in the U.S. in recent years by Cindy Hartman, a South Carolina service dog trainer who brought a pair of fauve puppies back from France in 2001. She has since trained and placed about 20 fauves as medical alert dogs for people with diabetes, she said.

The quote: “They’re wicked smart, and so if you’re wanting a dog that’s just going to lay around all day long, a fauve is not for you,” Hartman said. “But yet, when challenged mentally and physically, they’re happy to come in with you and curl up on the sofa for the evening.”

The Teddy Roosevelt terrier

The stats: 8 to 14 inches (20 to 36 centimeters) at the base of the neck; 8 to 25 pounds (3.5 to 11 kilograms)

The topline: A solid, energetic small canine that will rid your barn of rodents, alert you to strangers, do dog sports — or just entertain you with its antics.

The history: Originally seen as a short-legged variant of the rat terrier, these dogs were deemed a breed of their own in 1999. The breed was named for President Theodore Roosevelt because of his fondness for dogs, including terriers.

The quote: “They know how to get you to laugh,” says Cindy Rickey of Waynesville, North Carolina, the secretary of the American Teddy Roosevelt Terrier Club. While many terrier breeds are known for being independent-minded, her Teddy competes in obedience. “They’re terriers, no doubt about it, but they also have this tremendous desire to please,” she explains.

The Russian tsvetnaya bolonka

The stats: Up to 10¼ inches (26 centimeters) at the base of the neck; 7 to 9 pounds (3 to 4 kilograms)

The topline: A sweet but clever little companion that wants playful interaction, not just snuggling (though it likes that, too).

The pronunciation: zvit-NEYE’-ah boh-LON’-kah

The translation: Russian colored lapdog

The history: The breed was developed in Soviet-era Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) after World War II as a pet for apartment dwellers. American fans have been working to establish bolonki (the proper plural) in the U.S. since the early 2000s.

The quote: “Having a bolonka is like having a 3-year-old kid running around your house. … They can enjoy their time lying on the couch with you, but you’ve got to be prepared to play with them and keep them entertained,” says Denise Dang of Oklahoma City, the secretary of the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka Club of America. Owners also need to care for a thick, wavy coat that’s low-shedding but can get matted. Even if it’s cut fairly short, a bath every couple of weeks is wise, Dang says.

The big picture

The AKC recognizes 205 breeds, including these three newcomers. Fanciers of many others — though, as yet, no “doodles” or other popular poodle hybrids — have voluntarily entered a pipeline that takes years of breeding, documentation and consensus-building.

The club doesn’t limit the number of breeds it might eventually recognize. Spokesperson Brandi Hunter Munden says it’s not “adding dogs indiscriminately,” but rather providing “an established framework for growth, breed standards, competition and education in the U.S.”

The controversy

Animal-rights activists have long deplored dog breeding and the AKC for supporting it, and the criticism hardened this year into a lawsuit over the health of French bulldogs, pugs, dachshunds and Chinese shar-peis. The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is seeking a court order to stop the AKC from continuing to promulgate the current “standards,” or ideal characteristics, for those breeds.

PETA accused the kennel club of providing “blueprints for the breeding of deformed, unhealthy dogs.”

The AKC denies the allegations and has asked a court to dismiss the case, calling the suit frivolous. The club said it “has been — and remains — firmly committed to the health, well-being and proper treatment of all dogs.”

By Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Even with inflation, endless air travel complaints and the recent flight cancellations caused by the government shutdown, millions of Americans, including me, will begin their holiday celebrations on a plane. And while some are already making their packing lists, I am more concerned about what I should watch. In addition to getting you where you want to go, those hours spent in uncomfortable seats — first at the gate and then on board — are a guilt-free opportunity to catch up on or revisit great shows and films.

In-flight viewing is a specific, and sometimes unintentionally communal, viewing experience; not everything works. Choose tearjerkers and musicals with care. Ugly crying over “The Notebook” or singing along with “Wicked” might feel great, but it can cause your fellow passengers unnecessary consternation and/or annoyance.

If you are traveling with or seated near children, you should avoid hard-R-rated fare — as I discovered while briefly attempting to watch “Game of Thrones” while seated beside my then-young son, nudity and beheadings don’t need the sound on to be inappropriate.

Likewise, avoid anything that involves tragic or problematic air travel — catch up on the “Final Destination” franchise another time — and you also might want to skip full-attention-demanding subtitles. The perfect airplane watch allows you to immerse yourself while also remaining aware of what’s happening around you. (Including and especially requests from flight attendants.)

With all these considerations in mind, here are some suggestions.

Watch at the gate

Comedy series are best, for obvious mood-sweetening reasons (should delays occur), but also because the episodes are short and tend not to have dramatic moments that might keep you watching even after your group number has been called.

“Schitt’s Creek” (Amazon)

Each episode of this perfectly addictive series about a once-rich (and very dysfunctional) family that finds itself forced to start anew in a small town will make you laugh no matter how many times you’ve seen it.

“Derry Girls” (Netflix)

Those unfamiliar with the Northern Ireland accent may find it necessary to use subtitles, which I just cautioned against. But this show is worth breaking the rules for. Living through the Troubles in 1990s Derry, five Catholic school friends and their families cope hilariously with everyday issues, including school life under the redoubtable eye of Sister Michael (Siobhán McSweeney).

“New Girl” (Hulu)

The shenanigans of friends/roomies Jess (Zooey Deschanel), Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), Winston (Lamorne Morris) and Cece (Hannah Simone) are always a delight.

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (Netflix)

Any time’s a good time to watch the greatest police comedy series since “Barney Miller.” Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta heads a misfit but inevitably successful team of New York detectives, headed by the driest, wisest chief in TV history — Captain Holt, played by the late, great Andre Braugher.

“Abbott Elementary” (Hulu)

Celebrate the holidays with this quick-witted, revelatory and very sweet teacher-centric mockumentary-comedy created by and starring Quinta Brunson. Compared with classroom chaos, even the airport will seem like an oasis of tranquility.

“What We Do in the Shadows” (Hulu)

If you somehow missed this hilariously unique comedy-horror mockumentary about a group of vampires living in modern-day Staten Island, now is the time to rectify that.

Watch on domestic flights

All of the above comedy series work here as well — but movies are best, especially if you can time it so the film begins when altitude is achieved and ends as you’re returning your seat backs and tray tables to their full upright positions.

FILMS:

“The Da Vinci Code” (AMC+)

The perfect in-flight film, “The Da Vinci Code” offers something like cultural edification (the Louvre! The Knights Templar! Biblical history!) while not forcing you to think too much. A tour of Paris, great action sequences, the always endearing Tom Hanks and a literally beatific conclusion.

“Spy” (Amazon)

Melissa McCarthy is an everywoman intelligence agent who chooses to go into the field for the first time in this strangely unsung hero of modern comedy. Guaranteed to make you laugh even if you’re stuck in the middle seat. (Also set in Paris, it’s a perfect double feature with “The Da Vinci Code” for those five-hour flights.)

“Crazy Rich Asians” (Netflix)

Jon M. Chu’s glorious romantic comedy will transport you into a world far beyond the dreary confines of contemporary air travel and make you feel, if only for a moment, that you too are flying in a first-class compartment that contains an actual double bed.

“Iron Man” (Disney+)

Travel back in time to the moment when Robert Downey Jr. jump-started the Marvel Cinematic Universe and remind yourself why. It really is that good.

“Sense and Sensibility” (Amazon)

The exquisite nature of the performances, writing, direction, cinematography and score has made one of the best Jane Austen adaptations a go-to comfort film for when you’re feeling ill. Which is why it’s perfect while flying.

“Paddington” and/or “Paddington 2” (Netflix)

Come for the adorable bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw), stay for the adventure and sweet hijinks (and, in “Paddington 2,” Hugh Grant!). You will reach your destination feeling more kindly to your fellow travelers, which can only improve any trip.

“Edge of Tomorrow” (Netflix)

Tom Cruise teams up with Emily Blunt to battle an alien invasion, with some help from time travel. Classic dystopian thriller with several clever twists. If you’re feeling hot and cramped, just think of Cruise and Blunt in those super suits.

“The Martian” (Netflix)

Feel bad that your flight got delayed and you might not make your connection? A little time spent with Matt Damon’s astronaut, stranded for years on Mars, will put everything in perspective. At least you don’t have to figure out how to grow potatoes in hostile soil.

“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (Amazon)

The ultimate full-immersion movie sees four teenagers sucked into a survival adventure game in which their avatars are played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan.

“Skyfall” (Amazon)

Honestly, most Bond films are a good choice but Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond and “Skyfall” features a more-than-usual presence of M (Judi Dench). Also, the song.

“Knives Out” (Amazon)

A classic manor house mystery, which revived the genre when it became a hit in 2019, “Knives Out” is the ideal blend of mystery and wit, with a cast of characters to keep you company.

SHOWS:

“Hawkeye” (Disney+)

If you’re looking for a five-hour (or so) miniseries with plenty of Marvel action and a holiday theme, look no further. A year after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” Hawkeye super fan Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) teams up with her reluctant hero, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), to face down enemies new and old. Oh, and celebrate Christmas in New York.

“Black Mirror” (Netflix)

This sci-fi anthology series is perfect plane viewing because a.) It’s so very good and b.) Each episode is its own story, so you can construct however many hours you need (and, perhaps, catch up on a show so many people continue to talk about).

“Sherlock” (PBS)

Same principle — each episode is essentially a short film and you get to wallow in the wonder of Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Martin Freeman (Watson), Mark Gatiss (Mycroft) and all the rest as they solve crimes in modern twists on the classic tales.

Watch on international flights

For flights six hours and longer, you can hunker down and make your way through a film franchise or an entire season or seasons of a television series.

FILMS:

“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy (HBO Max)

Pick the director’s cut of all three and your journey through Middle-earth will take you almost 12 hours, which is about as long as it takes to fly from L.A. to New Zealand, where it was filmed.

“Hunger Games” (HBO Max)

The four films in which Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and friends attempt to wrest a shattered land from the tyranny of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) clock in at about nine hours total, which, with bathroom and meal breaks, should get you from L.A. to London or Paris.

“Mission Impossible” films (Amazon and other platforms)

Although they often include mishaps in the air, the fantastic (in both senses of the word) nature of “Mission: Impossible” makes these films an ideal high-altitude binge. From first to last, they run more than 18 hours, which is, quite frankly, far too many hours of consecutive movie viewing. But with plenty of installments to choose from, you can accept whichever assignments (and Cruise stunts) appeal to you.

“Harry Potter” (HBO Max)

However one feels about J.K. Rowling’s politics, this is a delightful film franchise that’s even longer than “Mission; Impossible” — about 20 hours. But you can start, and stop, the series wherever you want (though I would urge you not to skip the underrated “Order of the Phoenix”).

SHOWS:

“Black Doves” (Netflix)

Keira Knightley and Whishaw play highly unlikely but ruthlessly skilled mercenary spies who work for an ice-cold Sarah Lancashire. The six-hour-long series tells a complete tale (though Season 2 is in the works) and as the events take place in London as Christmas approaches, makes a fine holiday thriller.

“House”

Pick a season, any season (there are eight of them, with an average of 22 episodes each) and the wit, wisdom and scathing insanity of Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and his team will carry you through to any destination. And unlike other medical shows, most of the ailments are so bizarre that you won’t have to worry if that cough or twinge is a sign that you’re getting one of them.

“The Durrells in Corfu” (PBS)

It’s 1935 and young widow Louisa Durrell (Keeley Hawes) decides that the answer to her financial straits is to move herself and her four children to the island of Corfu. Sweet and scenic hilarity ensues, and includes the young Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”) and Callum Woodhouse (“All Creatures Great and Small”) as two of Louisa’s sons. Four seasons, 26 episodes. You’re welcome.

“Call the Midwife” (Netflix)

Seasonal purists could just download the dozen or so Christmas episodes of this long-running and still-exceptional drama about a group of midwives working out of a convent in London’s East End. (Between the nuns and the babies, the specials are always wonderful.) But if you haven’t seen the series, best to start with Season 1 and keep going.

“Mare of Easttown” (HBO Max)

If you somehow missed Kate Winslet’s turn as a small-town Pennsylvania cop (with a great Delco accent) who is trying to solve a brutal murder, then this is your chance. If you didn’t, well, it’s time for an eight-hour rewatch in which you can use the time you spent wondering who dunit to admire all the terrific acting.

“Slow Horses” (Apple TV)

The butt-numbing hours will fly by like minutes when you immerse yourself in the TV adaptation of the first five of Mick Herron’s Slough House novels. Gary Oldman is having a blast as Jackson Lamb, the greasy, rumpled, sharp-tongued and strategically flatulent keeper of a den of MI5 misfits. Who somehow manage to save the day.

“The Crown” (Netflix)

Think your flight is long? Consider the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth, played over the course of six seasons by Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton. For a full immersive experience, it’s tough to beat the royal settings, period clothes and changing times. And with 60 hours at your fingertips, you can move through history without ever leaving your seat.

“30 Rock” (Hulu)

Tina Fey’s send-up of a fictional “Saturday Night Live”-type show, and satirical look at the television business in general, is just as biting and gimlet-eyed as it was when it premiered almost 20 years ago. It got better as it aged, so for purposes of downloading, look to Seasons 4 and 5.

“Parks and Recreation” (Peacock/Amazon)

Life is always better when you spend some time with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) and the many fine public servants in Pawnee, Indiana’s city government. The mockumentary series found its feet in Season 2, so you might want to start there.

“The Wire” (HBO Max)

David Simon’s five-season Baltimore-based crime drama is definitely R-rated (thus breaking one of our earlier stated rules) but it is the show that is consistently listed as one of the best — if not the best — TV dramas ever. So if a long-haul flight demands that you binge, why not binge big?

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Albums don’t sell like they used to, but rest assured, they’re still being released.

And they still matter.

The long-player is, in fact, still the most potent and important musical expression, a chance to go on an aural journey that keeps you engaged from start to finish. That flies in the face of conventional wisdom about limited attention spans in the streaming world, but the significant number of albums that continue to come out shows that’s how artists prefer to pursue their craft.

That was certainly the case during the past 12 months, and 2025 welcomed so many good and, yes, great, albums that the annual ritual of picking the best is never easy. But after careful consideration and some (pleasurable) relistening, these were unquestionably our dozen favorites for the year, all works that are rewarding every time you listen to them.

Clipse, “Let God Sort Em Out” (self-released): The rap duo’s long road back — 16 years between albums — reaches a triumphant destination with this 13-track set. The chemistry between Pusha T and Malice is as tight as ever, and reuniting with Pharrell Williams to produce had us partying like it was the 2000s once again — with Kendrick Lamar, Nas, John Legend, Tyler, the Creator and others on the guest list.

Alice Cooper, “The Revenge of Alice Cooper” (earMUSIC): The event tends to be greater than the quality in these kinds of reunions — in this case, the original Cooper band’s first full album since 1973. But periodic recording since 2011 has honed the surviving quartet to this point. The songs and playing stand up to those classic 1970s records, and the magic of technology even allows the late Glen Buxton to be part of a couple of tracks.

De La Soul, “Cabin in the Sky” (AOI/Mass Appeal): Another welcome hip-hop return. Nine years and one death (Trugoy the Dove) later, this is still a special and forward-looking troupe that fills its ninth studio album with high conscience and advanced intent. Sporting sharp production, tough rhymes and a who’s-who list of collaborators, the 20-track set more than lives up to the designation of Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It … series.

Dropkick Murphys, “For the People” (Dummy Luck): After two previous albums of songs set to unused Woody Guthrie lyrics, Boston’s Celtic punk lords stay on target and deliver the right album for the times — ferocious anthems of resistance (and some personal reflections) that feature guest appearances by Billy Bragg, the Mary Wallopers and the scratch. Vocalist Al Barr is back for one track, too.

Florence + the Machine, “Everybody Scream” (Polydor): Florence Welch is no stranger to turning personal turmoil into anthems of resilience and joy, and we get more of the same on album number six. With songs inspired by an ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage, Welch and her crew — including collaborators Aaron Dessner of the National and Mark Bowen of Ides — stir a wealth of emotions and mystical perspectives into life-affirming catharsis that brings everybody out better on the other end.

Lord Huron, “The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1” (Mercury): The Michigan-formed, now Los Angeles-based indie rock group hits a new peak on this semi-conceptual 12-track work, with some of Ben Schneider’s most evocative songwriting (and vocals) and collaborations with actor (and fellow Michigander) Kristen Stewart and Blonde Redhead’s Kauz Makino.

Pulp, “More” (Rough Trade): It’s been 24 years since the British group’s last studio album (sensing a theme for the year here?), but it really sounds like no time has passed. While Oasis was ruling on the road, Jarvis Cocker and company brought another wing of Britpop back with these 11 songs (as well as the group’s on tour), all of which stand alongside the best of Pulp’s previous work.

Addison Rae, “Addison” (As Long As I’m Dancing/Columbia): The actress and TikToker has been dropping musical bon mots since 2021, but her first full album shows a fully developed talent that’s maybe a little bit smarter than her pop peers, but still just as much fun when it needs to be. “Fame Is a Gun,” as she sings, and Rae’s aim is absolutely true.

Ketch Secor, “Story the Crow Told Me” (Equal Housing/Firebird Music): The Old Crow Medicine Show leader goes out on his own for the first time and delivers a winning 12-song effort rooted in tradition, but made modern in its delivery. Secor plays more than a dozen instruments himself, as is his wont, and welcomes contributions from Marty Stuart, Jaren Johnston of the Cadillac Three, Old Crow mates Critter Fuqua and Willie Watson, and Molly Tuttle, returning the favor for her latest album.

Sparks, “Mad!” (Transgressive): The Mael brothers follow “Annette — An Opera by Sparks” with their 26th studio album and 12 songs that, per usual, deftly balance quirk with pathos and melodic sensibilities that are at once classic and idiosyncratic. Fifty-four years in Ron and Russell have their own lane, and they haven’t run out of road yet.

Turnstile, “Never Enough” (Roadrunner): The hardcore quintet from Baltimore takes the format in bold new directions on its fourth studio album, and first with guitarist Meg Mills. It’s daring stuff — flute solos, anybody? — that never ceases to work and yields fresh flavors on every listen.

Molly Tuttle, “So Long Little Miss Sunshine” (Nonesuch): The California-born singer, guitarist, banjoist and songwriter is among those taking bluegrass and Americana in new directions, with abundant songwriting, instrumental and vocal assistance from Ketch Secor throughout her fifth studio album. And be assured, you never heard the Icona Pop/Charli XCX hit “I Love It” quite like this.

12 others that we liked a lot

Bad Bunny, “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos” (Rimas Entertainment); Jon Batiste, “Big Money” (Naht Jona/Verve); The Black Keys, “No Rain, No Flowers” (Easy Eye Sound); David Byrne, “Who Is the Sky?” (Matador); Ethan Daniel Davidson, “Cordelia” (Blue Arrow); Olivia Dean, “The Art of Loving” (Capitol); Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, “Groove in the Face of Adversity” (Mack Avenue); Geese, “Getting Killed” (Partisan/Play It Again Sam); Kendall Jane Meade, “Space” (Mother West); Mavis Staples, “Sad and Beautiful World” (Anti-); Jeff Tweedy, “Twilight Override” (dBpm); Wolf Alice, “The Clearing” (RCA/Columbia)

Our 25 favorite concerts of 2025

Guster, Jan. 29, Majestic Theatre

Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve, March 8, Michigan Theatre

Chiodos, March 20, Royal Oak Music Theatre

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, March 25, Masonic Temple Cathedral Theatre

Kraftwerk, March 28, Masonic Cathedral Theatre

The War and Treaty, March 29, Saint Andrew’s Hall

Jack White, April 12-13, Masonic Temple Theatre

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, April 19, Masonic Temple Theatre

Gang Of Four, May 7, The Magic Bag

Devo, June 28, Fillmore Detroit

Weird Al Yankovic, July 2, Pine Knob Music Theatre

Wu-Tang Clan, July 8, Little Caesars Arena

Vince Gill, July 24, Fox Theatre

Katy Perry, Aug. 3, Little Caesars Arena

Rufus Du Sol, Aug. 5, Pine Knob Music Theatre

Lord Huron, Aug. 9, Meadow Brook Music Festival

Nine Inch Nails, Aug. 22, Little Caesars Arena

Jason Moran, Jeff Mills and Jessica Care Moore, Aug. 29, Detroit Jazz Festival

Pulp, Sept. 17, Masonic Temple Theatre

Tedeschi Trucks Band and Gov’t Mule, Sept. 20, Pine Knob Music Theatre

Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, Oct. 11, Majestic Theatre

Jon Batiste, Oct. 24, Fox Theatre

David Byrne, Oct. 25, Fox Theatre

Chris Isaak, Dec.16, Fox Theatre

Unseasonably warm weather may be the forecast for late December, but once winter finally sets in, it will be ice fishing season. Anyone looking for one of the country’s best fishing spots need look no further than the mountains along the Front Range of Colorado — more specifically, Lake Granby.

That’s according to FishingBooker, a website that connects anglers with guiding companies and excursions across the U.S. The site recently named its top 10 ice fishing destinations, in no particular order, and Lake Granby was the sole Colorado locale to make the list.

Located at nearly 8,300 feet in elevation, Lake Granby offers alpine serenity as well as plenty of lake trout and kokanee salmon to make your fishing excursion both peaceful and invigorating, FishingBooker said.

“The lake’s clear waters and high elevation make for a picturesque outing, and the experience often feels like a true wilderness escape,” the site said. “Local guides and outfitters will also help ensure your time on the ice is both safe and successful.”

Plus, there’s more to do than just fishing, FishingBooker touted, from snowshoeing to relaxing at a mountain lodge. “The combination of solitude and natural beauty makes it a standout location,” it added.

Lake Granby was one of 10 places featured on FishingBooker’s list, alongside Green Bay in Wisconsin and Flathead Lake in Montana. See the full list here. If you’re a newbie to the sport, don’t forget to check out these tips before you go.

The holiday season is the perfect time to get lost in a good mystery or thriller.

A particularly well-crafted one can take your mind off the stress that comes with the end of the year, and the books make great presents for friends and family (or for yourself — you deserve it). They’re also a staple of airport bookstores, so it’s easy to find one to keep you company on your next flight. (Maybe don’t pick a T.J. Newman novel in that particular circumstance, though.)

Sign up for our free newsletter about books, authors, reading and more

Finally, you’ve got a lot to choose from — we combed through a bunch of bestselling mysteries and thrillers published this year, and found 32 standouts.

You’re bound to find something to keep you on the edge of your seat.

SEE ALSO: 24 award-nominated 2025 books to read and add to your TBR pile

“Beautiful Ugly” by Alice Feeney

British author Feeney is one of the most reliable thriller authors in the game. Her new book follows Grady Green, a London author whose wife, Abby, goes missing near a cliff; a year later, Grady goes to a small Scottish island, where he spots a woman who looks exactly like Abby — and then things get even weirder.

“Best Offer Wins” by Marisa Kashino

This darkly funny novel follows a publicist desperate to find a house in Washington, D.C., and who keeps losing bidding wars. When she finds the perfect home, she decides she’ll stop at nothing to get it. Kashino’s debut novel became a bestseller after being selected for the “Good Morning America” book club.

“The Big Empty” by Robert Crais

This year, California author Crais published his 20th novel featuring his beloved characters, private eye Elvis Cole and his partner, Joe Pike. This time, the pair investigates the case of a man who disappeared 10 years ago in a town near L.A., and find themselves in the crosshairs of a gang of violent criminals.

“The Black Wolf” by Louise Penny

The 20th novel in Penny’s massively bestselling series of novels featuring Armand Gamache, a Quebec police inspector, sees the lawman and his associates discover a terrorist plot involving domestic terrorism and officials in high places. 

SEE ALSO: Crime author Tod Goldberg is fascinated by characters who make poor decisions

“The Bluest Night” by Aaron Philip Clark

L.A. author Clark’s third book featuring Trevor Finnegan, an ex-LAPD cop who now works as a private investigator, finds his hero trying to find out who killed his half-brother’s girlfriend in Malibu — and uncovering a large-scale conspiracy.

“The Dentist” by Tim Sullivan

In this novel, British filmmaker and author Sullivan introduces his readers to Detective Sergeant George Cross, an investigator who’s on the autism spectrum. Already a success in the U.K., the series launched in the U.S. in October and will continue rolling out books in 2026 (the follow-up, “The Cyclist,” is in stores in January with more coming in February, March and beyond).

“Count My Lies” by Sophie Stava

Southern California author Stava’s debut novel follows Sloane Caraway, a habitual fabulist who lies her way into a job as a nanny for a rich family, and discovers they might not be who they seem. Hulu is developing a limited series adaptation of the novel, starring Lindsay Lohan and Shailene Woodley.

“Dead Money” by Jakob Kerr

Lawyer and debut novelist Kerr drew on the 15 years he lived in San Francisco for this novel, which follows Mackenzie Clyde, a problem solver who works for a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, and who tries to solve the murder of a tech startup CEO.

SEE ALSO: Charles Beaumont was a spy. Now he’s writing spy novels.

“Don’t Let Him In” by Lisa Jewell

The latest novel from prolific British author Jewell hit the No. 1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list. It follows three women who are drawn into the orbit of a handsome, mysterious man who might be harboring dark secrets.

“Don’t Open Your Eyes” by Liv Constantine

Constantine is actually the pen name for two sisters, Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine, and their debut novel, “The Last Mrs. Parrish,” is in the works as a film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Jennifer Lopez. Their latest novel follows Annabelle Reynolds, a woman with a good life who is beset by nightmares that start to come true.

“Exit Strategy” by Lee Child and Andrew Child

The 30th novel featuring ex-Army police officer Jack Reacher — and the sixth since Andrew Child came on to write or co-write the series launched by his brother — sees the towering vagabond helping a young man with a gambling addiction who is being blackmailed by a shadowy criminal.

SEE ALSO: ‘Slow Horses’ author Mick Herron reveals the secret origins of Slough House

“The First Gentleman” by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

The third novel by the former president and the thriller king, following “The President Is Missing” and “The President’s Daughter,” tells the story of Cole Wright, a former professional football player who has been accused of killing his girlfriend almost two decades ago. Complicating matters is that Wright’s wife happens to be the president of the United States.

“Fog and Fury” by Rachel Howzell Hall

L.A. author Hall is known for her standalone novels and her series of books featuring Detective Elouise Norton. She kicked off a new series this year with this novel, which follows Sonny Rush, an L.A. cop turned private eye, who hopes to escape her former life by moving to a calm seaside town. Those plans go awry when the body of a teenager is found by a hiking trail.

“Gone Before Goodbye” by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben

Witherspoon has long been connected to literature as the founder of her mega-popular book club. She teamed with thriller author Coben on this novel about a former Army surgeon who takes a job treating a Russian oligarch. Complications, needless to say, ensue.

“Happy Wife” by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores

A pick for Jenna Bush Hager’s “Today” show book club, this novel follows Nora Davies, a 29-year-old woman in Winter Park, Florida, who marries Will Somerset, a wealthy lawyer and single dad. The day after Nora throws a birthday party for her husband, he disappears, and she goes in search of him.

SEE ALSO: The badass return of crime novels by Nicola Griffith and Elizabeth Hand

“The Impossible Fortune” by Richard Osman

British television host Osman scored a huge hit with his debut mystery novel, “The Thursday Murder Club,” which Netflix recently adapted as a movie. His latest novel, the fifth in his series of cozy books about crime-solving retirees, sees them trying to find a man who has disappeared and possibly been kidnapped.

“The Intruder” by Freida McFadden

Physician and author McFadden is having a big year: A film based on her bestselling thriller “The Housemaid,” starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, is scheduled to open on Christmas Day, and she’s published three novels in 2025 alone, including this one about a woman who finds a young girl, covered in blood and grasping a knife, outside her isolated cabin.

“Julie Chan Is Dead” by Liann Zhang

This debut novel by the Canadian author shot up the bestseller lists shortly after its release; it tells the story of the title character, a supermarket cashier who discovers the body of her identical twin sister, a popular influencer, and proceeds to pretend to be her — only to discover she was keeping some seriously dark secrets.

“King of Ashes” by S.A. Cosby

One of the most prominent breakout authors of the past several years, Cosby has developed a reputation as a master of the Southern noir genre. His latest novel follows a family being stalked by a dangerous drug gang; it is being developed as a Netflix series backed by the production companies of Steven Spielberg and Barack and Michelle Obama.

SEE ALSO: 100 Christmas and holiday gift book recs from Southern California bookstores

“The Maid’s Secret” by Nita Prose

Canadian author Prose took the mystery world by storm in 2022 with her bestselling novel “The Maid,” about Molly Gray, a hotel housekeeper suspected of murdering a wealthy guest. In her latest book, Molly learns that she owns a lucrative artifact, just before it’s stolen in a brazen heist.

“Murder Takes a Vacation” by Laura Lippman

Lippman is best known for her novels featuring Baltimore private eye Tess Monaghan (soon to be a television series). Her latest book focuses on a side character from those books, Muriel Blossom, who meets a man on her flight to a vacation to France; he turns up dead not long after.

“Nemesis” by Gregg Hurwitz

L.A. author Hurwitz launched his popular Orphan X series of thrillers, featuring Evan Smoak, an ex-assassin who now helps people who need it, in 2016. The 10th installment in the series finds Smoak trying to track down his former best friend to get revenge after a betrayal (and an 11th is coming in February).

“The Proving Ground” by Michael Connelly

Attorney Mickey Haller is back in the eighth installment of Connelly‘s The Lincoln Lawyer series of novels, which has been adapted into a Netflix series starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. In this novel, Haller files suit against an AI company after its chatbot advises a teenage boy to murder his ex-girlfriend.

“Not Quite Dead Yet” by Holly Jackson

Jackson is well known to young readers for her popular A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder books. This year, she made her adult fiction debut with this novel — a “Good Morning America” book club pick — about a woman assaulted by an intruder, who learns that she will die of an aneurysm, and has only a few days to solve her own murder.

SEE ALSO: 11 books and last-minute indie gift ideas for Christmas and the holidays

“The Perfect Divorce” by Jeneva Rose 

Rose had a massive hit with her 2020 novel “The Perfect Marriage,” about Sarah Morgan, a defense lawyer whose husband is suspected of killing his mistress. In this follow-up, Sarah is dealing with infidelity on the part of her new husband, just as the case against her first one is reopened.

“She Didn’t See It Coming” by Shari Lapena

Lapena had a breakout hit in 2016 with her thriller “The Couple Next Door.” Her latest novel tells the story of a woman who disappears without a trace from the luxury condominium she lives in with her husband and daughter.

“The Unraveling of Julia” by Lisa Scottoline

Beloved legal thriller author Scottoline’s new novel follows Julia Pritzker, a woman still reeling from the murder of her husband in a mugging, and who is shocked when she finds out that she has inherited a large sum of money, a vineyard, and a villa in Italy from someone she doesn’t know — and finds herself embroiled in a deadly conspiracy.

“Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)” by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Sutanto introduced her titular amateur sleuth — an elderly owner of a San Francisco tea shop — in the 2023 novel “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.” In this follow-up, Vera is determined to solve the murder of a social media influencer with a shadowy past.

“We Are All Guilty Here” by Karin Slaughter 

You might know Slaughter as the author of the Will Trent series of novels that have been adapted into the ABC show starring Ramón Rodríguez. Her latest novel kicks off a new book series, focusing on Emmy Clifton, a sheriff’s deputy in a small Georgia town searching for two missing teenage girls.

SEE ALSO: These 2025 children’s books make great holiday gifts for every age group

“Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy

Reese Witherspoon gave her imprimatur to this novel about a man and his children who live on a remote island near Antarctica, and who discover a woman who has washed ashore after a storm — and who might not be who she says she is. Amazon named this the best book of 2025.

“The Widow” by John Grisham

Grisham needs no introduction to legal thriller fans who have long read his novels like “The Firm” and “The Pelican Brief.” This year, he published his first-ever whodunit, about a lawyer representing Simon Latch, an elderly widow who is murdered, leaving Simon as a suspect.

“You Belong Here” by Megan Miranda

In her latest thriller, the “All the Missing Girls” author tells the story of Beckett Bowery, a woman who has done her best to stay away from the Virginia college where her parents taught, and where a tragedy upended her life. When her daughter receives a full scholarship to the school, she realizes that she can’t escape her past.

By AYESHA CURRY

I call this the “So This Is Christmas Cocktail.” But the drink, from my cookbook “The Full Plate,” is perfect for any family celebration, whether it’s actually Christmas or not.

In the cold winter months, the Champagne keeps you warm and the rosemary reminds you of the crisp, fresh air.

First, make the rosemary simple syrup, then combine with the other ingredients.

Rosemary Simple Syrup

Combine ½ cup water, ½ cup sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 2 cardamom pods and 2 small fresh rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Strain, transfer to a lidded jar, and refrigerate; the syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks.

So This Is Christmas Cocktail

Ingredients

½ ounce (1 tablespoon) Rosemary Simple Syrup

½ ounce (1 tablespoon) pomegranate juice

1 teaspoon fresh pomegranate seeds

Champagne, for topping glass

Rosemary sprig, for garnish

Directions

In a Champagne flute or highball glass, combine the rosemary syrup, pomegranate juice and pomegranate seeds. Top off the glass with Champagne and add a rosemary sprig for garnish.

Ayesha Curry is the bestselling author of “The Seasoned Life” and “The Full Plate,” and is an entrepreneur, television host and restaurateur. She is mom to four children, and wife to basketball star Stephen Curry. She lives in the Bay Area.

Excerpted from “The Full Plate” by Ayesha Curry. Copyright (copyright) 2020 by Ayesha Curry. Photograph by Eva Kolenko. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

By KRYSTA FAURIA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At the movies this fall, Josh O’Connor plays a hot priest with a complicated past, Keanu Reeves is an angel who lost his wings and Elizabeth Olsen has a romantic dilemma in the afterlife.

Hollywood, it seems, has found God.

But it’s not just starry big-budget Netflix films or A24 indies that are grappling with religion and its place in entertainment. In recent years, there’s been an explosion of films and television made from a confessional perspective that evangelize or portray a particular faith, often Christianity, that have performed particularly well with audiences.

There are animated biblical films from Angel, like the upcoming musical “David,” which the company said has already exceeded $14 million in theatrical pre-sale tickets ahead of its release this Friday, to docudramas like Martin Scorsese’s “The Saints.” While episodes from Season 2 are still being released, the first season of the Fox Nation series, which premiered last year, was the most watched on the platform.

“There has been a revival, a revolution of sorts, of spirituality and faith content,” proclaimed Traci Blackwell, head of targeted content for Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, at a recent Variety event in Beverly Hills for faith and spirituality in entertainment. Earlier this year, Amazon premiered the first season of its own biblical drama, “House of David,” and gained exclusive U.S. streaming rights to “The Chosen,” a massively popular drama series about the life of Jesus.

‘The Chosen’ effect

Historically some faith-based entertainment has performed well at the box office — Mel Gibson’s 2004 epic “The Passion of the Christ” was notoriously the highest-grossing R-rated film in the U.S. and Canada for two decades. But faith-based hits have been few and far between for most of this century.

“Hollywood has taken a lot of criticism by those in the faith community for not providing films that speak to them, that reflect their values,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst, emphasizing the box-office potential of faith-based films.

Studios are realizing faith-based film and television is a worthwhile investment at least in part due to the success of “The Chosen,” which Angel helped launch in 2017, even if it initially took time to see those results.

“It was like pulling teeth to get people to watch it,” recalled Angel CEO and co-founder Neal Harmon. “People have this idea that faith means cheesy or preachy. And we had to break through that barrier.”

Once they did, it paid off. Since Fathom Entertainment began distributing “The Chosen” theatrically in 2023, the series has grossed more than $116 million domestically.

Though not a Christian company, Angel aims to distribute and market “values-based entertainment” that includes but is not limited to stories of faith. They’ve released a host of religious films, with “Zero A.D.,” a biblical epic about the Massacre of the Innocents recounted in the Gospel of Matthew, on the docket for 2026.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate is set to premiere “I Can Only Imagine 2” in theaters February, a sequel to the 2018 biopic starring Dennis Quaid, which was one of the highest-grossing Christian films of all-time in the United States.

Co-director Andrew Erwin said he noticed a “massive shift” take place about five years ago, after years of disconnect between the demand for these kinds of films and Hollywood’s willingness to make them.

“For the first time, movie studios are really giving us a fair shake,” he said, though he thinks the quality of the content was also a factor. “We didn’t have the knowledge of how to do the filmmaking side of things. And so, I think the storytelling has gotten a lot better.”

Lionsgate is also set to distribute the first of Gibson’s two-part sequel to “The Passion of the Christ” in 2027.

Defining ‘faith-based’

Trying to define what counts as faith-based programming is a bit like trying to define what counts as pornography.

Themes of belief, guilt and “foolish grace” abound in O’Connor’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” — the third of filmmaker Rian Johnson’s hit Netflix franchise. But few would call it a religious film.

Amanda Seyfried preaches celibacy and endures persecution in “The Testament of Ann Lee,” the musical biopic about the founder of the Shakers sect, in theaters Christmas. But in all the acclaim and Oscar buzz surrounding the film, there’s little talk of its engagement with faith.

Even Scorsese’s 1988 “The Last Temptation of Christ” or filmmaker Paul Schrader’s Oscar-nominated “First Reformed,” which also stars Seyfried, are hardly thought of broadly as Christian films, despite the fact that both men have been outspoken about their respective traditions.

“This film was his way of exploring his faith and exploring who his God is,” Scorsese’s daughter Francesca, who directed one of the episodes of “The Saints,” said of “The Last Temptation of Christ.”

Conversely, the people behind some of these recent projects resist them being called explicitly religious, even when audiences perceive them as such.

“I wouldn’t characterize it so much as overtly Christian,” Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in “The Chosen,” told The Associated Press last year. “It’s a historical drama that centers on Jesus.”

For studios and filmmakers, acknowledging that a project is told from a religious perspective can be a double-edged sword.

“If you’re buying in on going to the movie theater for a faith-based movie, you know you’re gonna have people around you who are really into the experience,” Dergarabedian said. “The minute you say faith-based though, it kind of puts a movie in a box.”

A fad or here to stay

Many Christians celebrate the trend beyond its monetary potential. Phil Wickham, a Grammy-nominated Christian recording artist who voices the character of David in the upcoming Angel film, said it’s been gratifying to see the success of shows like “The Chosen” and “House of David.”

“Growing up, anything that was Christian media felt so preachy,” Wickham said. “Even as a pastor’s kid, it was a turn off. But now I think there’s just more opportunity to tell bigger stories over the course of a series and more people willing to really dig in and tell something with excellence and beauty.”

While it’s too soon to tell whether there’s been a sea change in Hollywood or if it’s a short-term fad, the success of some of these projects has stood out amid an otherwise perilous time in the business.

“Hollywood usually follows money,” Jason Klarman, Fox News Media’s chief digital and marketing officer, said as he touted Fox Nation’s packed slate of upcoming faith-based content, including Zachary Levi’s “David: King of Israel” docudrama. “Even when the trend ends, we’ll still be doing it.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Wrestling great Mick Foley has called it quits with the WWE over its cozy relationship with President Donald Trump, he said Tuesday, citing “incredibly cruel comments” Trump made about film director Rob Reiner’s murder.

Long concerned with the WWE’s cozy relationship with Trump amid the administration’s “ongoing cruel and inhumane treatment of immigrants,” Foley wrote in his announcement on social media, “reading the President’s incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death is the final straw for me.”

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, known in the wrestling world as Triple H, is a fixture at many White House events. Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon helmed the U.S. Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term and currently serves as U.S. Secretary of Education.

“I no longer wish to represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy,” Foley wrote. “Last night, I informed WWE talent relations that I would not be making any appearances for the company as long as this man remains in office.”

Both Foley and Trump were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, Trump as a celebrity honoree.

Hours after Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were discovered Sunday in their Los Angeles home with their throats slit, Trump posted a social media diatribe blaming Rob’s death on anger he incited with his liberal views. Blowback has come from all sides of the political spectrum. Their younger son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested for their murders.

Foley’s breakup with WWE was thorough.

“Additionally, I will not be signing a new Legends deal when my current one expires in June,” Foley wrote. “I love WWE, will always treasure my time with them, and I am deeply appreciative for all the opportunities they afforded me. But, in the words of Popeye the sailor, ’I stands all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.’ ”

With News Wire Services

As President Trump takes fire from all sides of the political spectrum for mocking slain director Rob Reiner, it’s the Hollywood icon who may have the last word.

Clips of Reiner’s compassionate response to the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk when he discussed the horrifying incident with Piers Morgan in September are flooding the internet.

“When you first heard about the murder of Charlie Kirk, what was your immediate gut reaction to it?” Morgan asked Reiner on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” as shown in a clip posted by show staffers and then reposted by its eponymous host.

“Well, horror. Absolute horror,” Reiner said. “And I unfortunately saw the video of it, and it’s beyond belief what happened to him. And that should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving problems.”

On Sunday — just three months later — Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home. Their son Nick Reiner has been charged with their slayings.

Reiner was especially struck, as were many observers, when Kirk’s widow, Erica Kirk, forgave her husband’s attacker during a national memorial service held in Kirk’s honor.

“I felt like what his wife said at the service, at the memorial they had, was exactly right,” Reiner continued. “And totally. I believe, you know, I’m Jewish, but I believe in the teachings of Jesus, and I believe in ‘do unto others,’ and I believe in forgiveness. And what she said, to me, was beautiful and absolutely, you know, she forgave his assassin, and I think that that is admirable.”

Reiner’s remarks resonated in a soft-spoken rebuke to Trump’s widely denounced vitriol, in which he blamed the director’s killing on anger supposedly generated by his liberal views, described him as “tortured and struggling” and said he suffered from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

“Rob Reiner responded with grace and compassion to Charlie’s assassination,” Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet wrote on X, echoing the public support for the 78-year-old director. “This video makes it all the more painful to hear of he and his wife’s tragic end. May God be close to the broken hearted in this terrible story.”

With News Wire Services

This was supposed to be a year that “was kind of quiet” for Trisha Yearwood.

Instead, the country star released two albums — “The Mirror,” her first album in six years, in July and then “Christmastime” in November. Both put her on the road, too, including a concert Friday, Dec. 19, with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall.

“So it turned out to be one of the busiest years so far. I wasn’t expecting that to happen,” Yearwood says. “Somebody called me not too long ago and said, ‘When are you gonna start your next cookbook?’ (laughs) I said: “You’ve got to give me a minute. I’ve got to get through 2025 first!'”

“Christmastime” — produced by Oak Park native Don Was — is Yearwood’s first holiday release since “The Sweetest Gift” in 1994. She and husband Garth Brooks teamed up for “Christmas Together” in 2016, and Brooks appears on the “Christmastime” track “Merry Christmas, Valentine,” which the couple also co-wrote.

“I just love Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday,” says the Georgia-born Yearwood, 61, who began her recording career with the 1991 single “She’s in Love With the Boy” and has since released 17 albums and scored 18 Top 10 country hits, with three Grammy Awards. “And since it’s been so long since I’ve made a (holiday) record, I had a list of songs I knew I wanted to record someday.

“When I made my first Christmas album, I’d only been making records for a couple of years … so I’ve had a long time to think about this.”

Also among the songs is “Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” which she walked down to aisle to when she and Brooks married in 2005. And “Merry Christmas, Valentine” was a personal highlight on a number of levels.

“I used to be really hard to write with,” Yearwood says, “because in my head, I didn’t believe in myself. It was like pulling teeth to work with me. But I got this newfound confidence a couple of years ago (she co-wrote all 15 tracks on ‘The Mirror’), so I said to him: ‘You need to write with me again, ’cause I’m really fun now. The switch has flipped. I’m not afraid anymore.’

“Then, I had to strong-arm my husband into singing harmony on it. But because it’s a love story for two people, he had to be the guy to sing on it … and I’m really happy with the way it came out.”

Brooks joined her for the song on their wedding anniversary, Dec. 10, in Atlanta.

Yearwood’s holiday tour features Christmas fare as well as other hits, and she plans on touring more extensively to support “The Mirror” in 2026. She also plans to explore some new food-related endeavors, perhaps even another cooking show.

“If you would’ve asked me at 5 years old what I wanted to do when I grew up, I know I wanted to be a singer. That’s all I ever wanted to do,” said Yearwood, who was a studio singer before releasing her 1991 debut studio album. “I don’t take it for granted that I can say I have been getting to do this for 35 years. To be able to live the dream. … It’s not a job, this is really a vocation, and it’s a calling, and I can’t believe I actually get to do the thing I love the most.

“And as long as I can sing, as long as my voice will do the things it needs to do, I’ll do it.”

Trisha Yearwood performs at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 at Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-576-5111 or dso.org.

Other music events of note this weekend (all subject to change) include …

FRIDAY, DEC. 19

• Global EDM star GRiZ — Southfield native Grant Kwiecinski — concludes his charitable GRiZMas event, supporting the youth nonprofit Seven Mile, with a pair of concerts through Saturday, Dec. 20 at the Masonic Temple Theatre, 500 Temple St., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m., with different supporting acts each night. 313-548-1320 or themasonic.com and 12daysofgrizmas.com.

• Carl Craig hosts a Detroit Love — Holiday Edition with two stages of DJs at 9 p.m. at Lincoln Factory, 1331 Holden St., Detroit. paxahau.com.

• The eclectic Rob Schwimmer partners with Ethan Iverson for “A Science Fiction Holiday” at 7 p.m. for the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Friday Night Live series. 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-833-7900 or dia.org.

• Polka parody troupe the Polish Muslims holds its annual holiday/anniversary show at the Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. The Redones open. 248-820-5596 or thelovingtouchferndale.com.

• Green Bay’s TAE & the Neighborly hope to pack(er) ’em in at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• Charles and Gwen Scales are home through Saturday, Dec. 20 at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, 97 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe. 313-882-5399 or dirtydogjazz.com.

• The James Carter Organ Trio presents “Yule Log of Soul & Swing” through Sunday, Dec. 21 at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• The Orbitsuns and the Carolyn Striho group team up again at 8:30 p.m. at the Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

• The Shamrock Jazz Orchestra brings its Christmas Show back at 8 p.m. at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com.

• Mild Pup and the Ethan Marc Band pair up at 8 p.m. at the Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit. 313-500-1475 or thelagerhouse.com.

• Finvarra’s Wren gets Celtic for a Solstice Show at 7:30 p.m. at the Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. 734-436-6302 or trinityhousetheatre.org.

• A Magical Motown Christmas happens at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Hall Center, 350 Madison St., Detroit. 313-887-8500 or musichall.org.

• The Nine Inch Nails tribute This Broken Machine plays two sets at Small’s, 10339 Conant, Hamtramck. Doors at 7 p.m. Access to Concrete and DJ Pinknoise also perform. 313-873-1117 or smallsbardetroit.com.

• The Ark in Ann Arbor hosts a couple of nights of Celtic music, starting with Tartan Terrors at 8 p.m. and then, at the same time Saturday, Dec. 20, the acoustic quartet Blackthorn. 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1800 or theark.org.

• Saxophonist Marcus Elliot opens the weekend at 7 p.m. at the Blue Llama Jazz Club, 314 S. First St., Ann Arbor. 734-372-3200 or bluellamaclub.com.

• Virtual: Boston horror rock outfit Ice Nine Kills premieres its concert special “I Heard They Kill You” live at 3 p.m., via veeps.com.

• Virtual: Dogs In a Pile rocks at 8 p.m. From Ardmore, Pennsylvania, with shows through Sunday. Nov. 21, via nugs.net.

• Virtual: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Port Chester, New York, at 8 p.m. and again on Saturday, Dec. 20, streaming both shows via nugs.net.

• Virtual: The Disco Biscuits play three different venues in Chicago this weekend, streaming each night at 9 p.m. via nugs.net.

• Virtual: Queens of the Stone Age’s new concert film “Alive in the Catacombs” and the companion documentary “Alive in Paris” are streaming now, for free, via YouTube.

SATURDAY, DEC. 20

• The Detroit Symphony Orchestra plays the live soundtrack for “Home Alone” at 7:30 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21 at Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-576-5111 or dso.org.

• Dutch DJ Sam Feldt mans the decks at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Doors at 9 p.m. 313-833-9700 or themajesticdetroit.com.

• DJ Minx headlines a Holiday Your Life celebration with Jon Dixon, KRW and more at 9 p.m. at Spot Lite, 2905 Beaufait St., Detroit. paxahau.com.

• The Steve Taylor Three, Stephen Clark and J.T. Harding repeat their annual Home For the Holidays Songwriter’s Round at 6 and 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. The late show is sold out. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• Detroit rapper Tay B celebrates his birthday with a 6 p.m. performance at El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Highway, Detroit. 313-757-7942 or elclubdetroit.com.

• The Motortown All Stars, the Shades of Blue and Leisa Parham are part of A Motown Merry Christmas at 7 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. 313-943-2354 or dearborntheater.com.

• Warhorses, Haf Life and the Seatbelts perform as part of Detroit Santarchy, a party and pub crawl at three Corktown venues. Get details via thelagerhouse.com.

• Local punk favorite PT’s Revenge starts a two-night stand at Small’s, 10339 Conant, Hamtramck. Doors at 7 p.m. and also on Sunday, Dec. 21. Middle Out, Frank White and Newburgh are on the bill both nights. 313-873-1117 or smallsbardetroit.com.

• Boys of Fall is at home on a bill with Stories Untold, Young Pioneer and Cloud Season at the Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-820-5596 or thelovingtouchferndale.com.

• FinalBossFight! tops a hard-rocking five-band bill at 6 p.m. at the Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck. 313-462-4117 or sanctuarydetroit.com.

• Aaron Caruso croons a special Christmas Show at 8 p.m. at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com.

• Helen Welch channels the late Karen Carpenter in the Carpenter’s Christmas tribute show at 7:30 p.m. at the Flagstar Strand Theatre, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac. 248-309-6445 or flagstarstrand.com.

• Android Paranoid pays tribute to Radiohead at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-544-1991 or themagicbag.com.

• The Nick Collins Sextet sets up at 6:30 p.m. at the Blue Llama Jazz Club, 314 S. First St., Ann Arbor. The Karim Gideon Quartet follows with a 10:15 p.m. show. 734-372-3200 or bluellamaclub.com.

• Virtual: Improvement Movement livestreams at 8 p.. from Atlanta, via nugs.net.

• Virtual: The Terrapin Family Band jams at 11 p.m. and again on Sunday, Dec. 21 from Menlo Park, California, via nugs.net.

• Virtual: Ariana Grande hosts, but it’ll be Cher who sings on the holiday episode of “Saturday Night Live” at 11:30 p.m. on NBC (WDIV, Channel 4 in Detroit).

SUNDAY, DEC. 21

• R&B singer Eric Roberson souls it up at 7:30 p.m. at Sound Board in the MotorCity Casino Hotel, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit. 800-745-3000 or soundboarddetroit.com.

• A corps of all-star musicians band together for an All-Star Detroit Organ Jazz Party at 7 p.m. at the Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. The venue also hosts A Tribute to Vince Guaraldi at 3 p.m. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

• Ann Arbor guitar hero Laith Al-Saadi struts his stuff at 8 p.m. at the Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Road, Westland. 734-513-5030 or tokenlounge.com.

• The Motor City Brass Band plays “Sounds of the Season” at 3 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. 313-943-2354 or dearborntheater.com.

• The Prolifics offer a third Motown Tribute Show at 7:30 p.m. at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com.

• DRAW presents the Christmas of Hope concert, featuring more than 60 musicians to raise money for disaster victims, at 6:30 p.m. at the Flagstar Strand Theatre, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac. 248-309-6445 or flagstarstrand.com.

• John Prine tribute specialist Mark Laavengood headlines a John Prine Tribute Show that also includes a lineup of Michigan artists at 7:30 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1800 or theark.org.

• Trumpeter Maurice Mobetta Brown blows his own horn at 6 p.m. at the Blue Llama Jazz Club, 314 S. First St., Ann Arbor. 734-372-3200 or bluellamaclub.com.

• Virtual: Brandi Carlile settles down at her log cabin for a “Merry & Gay Holiday Special” at 3 p.m., streaming via veeps.com.

• Virtual: Michigan alt-rock favorite Chiodos streams the final performance of its All’s Well That Ends Well 20th Anniversary Tour at 11:45 p.m. from Anaheim, California, via veeps.com.