Eddie Murphy reprising his role as Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” and country music star Zach Bryan releasing a new studio album are some of the latest news in television, movies, music and games going to a device near to you.
Also among the worthwhile streaming deals selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Emma Roberts is accepted into a competitive NASA training program in the movie “Space Cadet”, Discovery Channel’s annual “Shark Week” hopes to capture a slice of the primetime audience and the video game Zenless Zone Zero takes place in an urban wasteland with some interesting creatures.
– After almost 30 years of fits and starts, the fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie has finally arrived. Eddie Murphy reprises his role as Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” which debuts on Netflix on Wednesday. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton also return, but get fresh blood in a detective played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Captain (Kevin Bacon). Taylour Paige also joins the group as Axel’s daughter. The original “Beverly Hills Cop,” which launched Murphy to stardom in 1984, is also streaming on Netflix now.
– Emma Roberts is “living her best life in Florida” when she remembers her lifelong dream of being an astronaut in “Space Cadet.” Unbeknownst to her, a friend (“Hacks” co-star Poppy Liu) embellishes her resume and she is accepted into a competitive NASA training program. She aspires to be a sort of “Legally Blonde” and “Private Benjamin” (who wouldn’t dream of such heights) and will be available to stream on Prime Video starting Thursday.
— The Criterion Channel continues to offer the best, most insightful film libraries, carefully curated and grouped into fun themes that update on the first of every month. Monday brings a neo noir series (“Out of sight,” “LA Confidential” and two “Bad Lieutenants” among them), one about pop Shakespeare including Baz Luhrmann “Romeo + Juliet,” with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, and Michael Almereyda’s “Hamlet”, with Ethan Hawke, and a selection of films by Nicolas Roeg, including Donald Sutherland’s classic “Don’t Look Now”. The channel will also present the streaming premiere of the animation “Chicken For Linda!”
– Lindsey Bahr, AP Film Writer
— On the 4th of July, country music star Zach Bryan will release a new studio album, “The Great American Bar Scene”. Little is known about this yet. There will be 18 tracks – 17 songs and a poem – and will be performed in bars across the US and Canada before being broadcast on Independence Day. (Listen, it would be foolish to expect a mainstream release from the sometimes irreverent musician, who just two years ago released a live album titled “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.”) The album will feature “Purple Gas,” a duet with up-and-coming Canadian Noeline Hofmann, as well as “Pink Skies,” a folk song that AP recently named one of summer songs. This song is an example of Bryan’s specific skill set – little more than an acoustic guitar, a harmonica, and a raspy, specific narrative that reveals universal truths. “The kids are in town for a funeral,” he sings. “Then pack the car and dry your eyes.” He’s an expert at writing a novel in a nutshell, so get ready to take notes.
– AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— The animated beloved children’s series “Bluey”, about a family of dogs, roll super short episodes this summer, between one and three minutes long. The first seven minisodes will begin airing Wednesday on Disney+. A second batch of minisodes will be released later this year.
– NBC’s “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks” is now in its 48th year. That Independence Day, the sky over New York’s Hudson River will light up with patriotic colors and pyrotechnics. country singer Mickey Guyton will host alongside media personality Zuri Hall. The festivities will air live on Wednesday starting at 8 pm ET on NBC and Peacock.
— Summer is for sharks. Discovery Channel Annual “Shark Week” kicks off on Sunday, July 7th with John Cena as host. The network has 21 hours of original programming for you to dive into, hosted by John Cena. “Shark Week” will also stream on Max.
– Former reality TV star Hannah Berner, who was part of the cast of Bravo’s “Summer House,” is set to premiere her first comedy special. “We rode at dawn” arrives Sunday, July 7th on Netflix. Berner also co-hosts the popular podcast “Giggly Squad” with former “Summer House” cast member Paige DeSorbo.
– While TikTok gets most of the headlines, Chinese video games have increasingly found a Western audience in recent years. Riding the wave is Shanghai-based MiHoYo, developer of fantasy RPG Genshin Impact and sci-fi epic Honkai: Star Rail. The studio’s new adventure, Zenless Zero Zone, takes place in an urban wasteland that is under attack by creatures from alternate dimensions. Like MiHoYo’s previous hits, ZZZ is free to play – although you’re certainly encouraged to spend money on collectibles found around town. You can start trying to find your Zen Thursday on PlayStation 5, PC, iOS or Android.
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