I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on Dear Santa, The Series, Oyate Woyaka, Wicked, Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler, Lauren Spencer Smith, The Weeknd, Lykke Li
- TRAVERSE32 and Sweet World Films today announced that the second season of the acclaimed television program “Dear Santa, The Series” will debut on all ABC Owned Television Stations this November and will also be available on Hulu this holiday season. [Press downloads.] Like the critically acclaimed Christmas documentary “Dear Santa” — which was streamed on Hulu and was included on the Entertainment Weekly, Town and Country, Women’s Health and Men's Health magazines’ lists of must-watch holiday films — “Dear Santa, The Series” focuses on the U. S. Postal Service’s beloved 112-year-old USPS Operation Santa program. This is the latest installment of the family-friendly documentary series which premiered during the 2022 holiday season. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT37zJL9zUY
- Oyate Woyaka is available to stream on the PBS Passport app starting November 2. You can also check local listings at www.pbs.org/stations for local broadcast dates and times. Indigenous languages are at risk -- and without immense support, Lakota, the language of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, will likely be extinct within the next fifteen years. Oyate Woyaka highlights how valuable indigenous language and culture is to the world. In addition to restoring the language within the community and using it to heal from historical trauma, Indigenous languages can help the world address biodiversity loss, mental health and climate change. Indigenous culture has a long history of suppression due to racism and colonization. In July 2021, the Oyate Woyaka production team followed the Sicangu Oyate as they brought home the human remains of nine children from the Carlisle Boarding School cemetery for ceremony and burial in their ancestral land. The children had been left there for 142 years. As horrifying as this history is, it still lives in the present day lives of indigenous people. Many of the elders in Oyate Woyaka survived boarding schools. The film allows those elders to express the historical, cultural and spiritual significance of these events and how we can move forward, together, as a nation.
- After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights), Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration. Wicked Part Two is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 26, 2025. Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
- Multi-platinum singers, songwriters, and producers Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler release their long-awaited brent iii album, the third part of their beloved brent series and their first-ever collaborative album together. The highly-anticipated 11-track project completes the brent trilogy five years after the first brent EP’s release and breakout success, and includes their new single “ashes & rust,” which has been building buzz online amongst fans. Listen to brent iii out now via Mercury Records HERE. On the album, Chelsea shares, “brent isn’t just a comforting and safe place for us, it has also become one for so many fans. There’s a lot of intimacy, authenticity, love, and friendship embedded in brent iii.” Jeremy chimes in, saying, “brent iii is the culmination of everything we’ve been tapping into and making music about. I hope you listen to it, and it colors your moments, memories, and experiences. Maybe it can make things a little better.”
- Ready to speak her truth like never before, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Lauren Spencer Smith returns with an honest and open-hearted new single entitled “small” out now via Island/Republic. It notably marks her first release since the 2023 arrival of her acclaimed full-length debut LP, Mirror, and it hints at much more to come. Listen HERE. “small” is definitely one of the most personal songs I've ever written. It’s about anyone who's felt the need to be a smaller version of themself to fit in society, whether it’s body image or being quiet in a crowded room. It’s an issue that isn't always talked about, so my hopes are that this song can help break that barrier."
- The Weeknd debuts his highly anticipated song and music video for “São Paulo” featuring Brazilian superstar Anitta. Watch it HERE. Directed by the visionary FREEKA, the video takes a dark, jarring turn as Anitta, who is pregnant in the storyline, reveals an ever-emerging face within her belly. This bizarre and haunting imagery amplifies another bold visual chapter for The Weeknd. Alongside the video premiere, “São Paulo” will be available on all streaming platforms worldwide. The release of “São Paulo” follows a series of record-breaking accomplishments for The Weeknd. He recently surpassed his own record as the artist with the highest monthly listeners on Spotify, with over 120 million monthly listeners. This milestone comes on the heels of chart-topping releases like “Timeless” featuring Playboi Carti, produced by Pharrell Williams, which debuted in the top 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Dancing in the Flames.” Both tracks are set to appear on his upcoming album, Hurry Up Tomorrow.
- Lykke Li has shared the reverse engineered version of her latest, immersive, audiovisual album EYEYE (2022) (pronounced EYE). The new version, ƎYƎYƎ, is out today via Play It Again Sam / Crush Music. The new album is accompanied with the re-release of her 40-minute audio-visual Odyssey EYEYE ODYSSEY for the first time ever on virtual platforms. The new album arrives with "TЯAƎH ЯUOY OT YAWHӘIH", featuring NATURE via Sounds Right, in collaboration with the music industry’s climate foundation EarthPercent. ‘NATURE’ officially launched as a musical artist on major streaming platforms through Sounds Right, an initiative from the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live and partners, which allows nature to generate royalties and funding from her own sounds. Watch the EYEYE ODYSSEY video
