New this week: 'White Noise,' 21 Savage and Kennedy Honors

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.

MOVIES

— Don DeLillo's 1985 novel “White Noise” has long been said to be “unfilmable." But Noah Baumbach's energetic movie, streaming Friday, Dec. 30, on Netflix, makes a spirited argument for its adaptation. In Baumbach's “White Noise,” Adam Driver stars as Jack Gladney, a college professor with a teeming suburban family (Greta Gerwig co-stars as his wife, Babette). When an “airborne toxic event” consumes their town and sends residents fleeing, a new fear of death pierces Jack's middle-class existence. In my review, I praised the film's "giddy gloom" and wholehearted embrace of the book’s dizzying, dense intensity. Be sure to stay for the LCD Soundsystem-soundtracked supermarket dance finale.

— For some, New Year's Eve was made for movie nights. And to ring in the new year, Turner Classic Movies is programming a festive run of the beloved, martini-swilling detectives Nick and Nora Charles. Beginning at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 31, TCM will run a minimarathon of 1934's “The Thin Man,” 1936's “After the Thin Man” and 1939's “Another Thin Man.” As the sophisticated husband-and-wife murder-solving team, William Powell and Myrna Loy remain delightfully fizzy company to cheers with.

— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

MUSIC

— It's the number one movie in the land so it makes sense it should be something you're also listening to. The 22-track soundtrack for “Avatar: The Way of Water” includes the original song “Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” written and performed by The Weeknd, and "The Songcord," performed by star Zoë Saldana. The soundtrack is by Grammy Award-winning composer Simon Franglen, who worked with composer James Horner on the original “Avatar” film and picked up where Horner left off following his 2015 death. For super-fans, there's also a new release — “Avatar: The Way of Water (Original Score)” — that includes 11 additional score cues from the film not available on the soundtrack.

— 21 Savage is the final performer for the 2022 season of Amazon Music Live. Streaming live on Thursday night and hosted by hip-hop star 2 Chainz, the new weekly concert series has featured some of the hottest musical acts, like A$AP Rocky, Anitta, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Wayne and Kane Brown. 21 Savage's concert is expected to include cuts from “Her Loss,” his collaborative album with Drake.

— Some Broadway royalty — including Christopher Jackson, Mandy Gonzalez and Joaquina Kalukango — are part of the third annual national PBS concert, “United in Song” alongside Grammy-winning singer Renée Fleming. The special also features Natalie Grant, Matt Doyle, Brett Young and more with the American Pops Orchestra as well as a newly commissioned performance by New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck and soloist Roman Mejia. The special premieres Saturday, Dec. 31 on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS Video App.

TELEVISION

— CBS will air the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors, which this year recognized actor George Clooney, the band U2, singers Gladys Knight and Amy Grant and composer Tania León. The Kennedy Center Honors is a lifetime achievement award given to performers for their impact on American culture through the arts. The event was filmed in early December and presenter Julia Roberts wore a custom dress featuring prints of various photos of her good pal Clooney. The Kennedy Center Honors broadcasts Wednesday night.

— The long-running, feel-good British series “Call the Midwife” will premiere its annual Christmas-themed episode on Sunday, Dec. 25 on PBS. “Call the Midwife” follows a group of midwives and nuns in east London. Although it takes place in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the series tackles important subjects including infertility, racism, and unwanted pregnancies. “Call the Midwife” is based on a memoir by Jennifer Worth and is narrated by Vanessa Redgrave. Season 12 debuts in March on PBS.

— Alicia Rancilio

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