Front Page Talking Points

FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 04, 2018

Summer sampler: Preview of high-interest movies, TV shows and music coming this season

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1.gifFind an upcoming local event of interest. Describe its appeal.

2.gifPick a photo or story about something you'd like to see or do this summer. Tell why.

3.gifNow try to spot coverage of a place in your city or state that's a warm-weather hangout. Have you visited it?

Welcome to June and three months of long days, playful weeks and summer fun. Here's a preview of diversions ahead in movie theaters, from vocal artists and on TVs or devices. The entertainment lineup for mid-2018 includes releases by Kanye and Nicki Minaj, film action in outer space and the time of dinosaurs, plus shows on smaller screens about a young couple and a spooky town in Maine.

By the end of June, based on announced release dates, we'll have new albums from Kanye West, Drake, Pusha-T, Christina Aguilera and others – some of whom will cross America to perform. "Queen" is Nicki Minaj's fourth album, coming Aug. 10. And by summer's end, a Beyoncé and Jay-Z album could drop. They hit the road June 6 for a global follow-up to their On the Run tour of 2014. U.S. shows are scheduled from July 25 in Cleveland to Sept. 29 in Santa Clara, Calif.

When you want a movie theater's air-conditioned comfort, choices already include "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and "Deadpool 2." This coming Friday brings "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," a follow-up to the 1993 dinosaurs hit, "Jurassic Park." Other films ahead (see video below) include "The Incredibles 2" (June 15), "Equalizer 2" with Denzel Washington (July 20) and "Uncle Drew," a basketball feature with Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Reggie Miller that opens June 29.

And when it rains or gets too sizzling outside, choices also feature summer TV comedies and shock drama. Liza and Kelsey are back next week (June 5) in new episodes of TV Land's sitcom "Younger." On July 25, Hulu starts presenting "Castle Rock," a spooky trip north to a town in Maine. It weaves together narratives and characters that best-selling horror novelist Stephen King created. On the last day of August, Amazon starts a realistic drama called "Jack Ryan." In the adaptation of Tom Clancy's popular spy novels, John Krasinski plays the title hero on an odyssey through Europe and the Middle East to capture a terrorist with catastrophic plans. Enjoy summertime, whatever you watch, hear and do!

Minaj album title: "Queen" has two meanings – the artist’s stature as pop royalty and a reference to her New York City home borough of Queens.

Journalist says: "Every summer, there is no shortage of new films to blow audiences away at theaters. . . . This year, things are looking especially epic, with the blockbuster season kicking off in a big way with the highly anticipated back-to-back releases of 'Deadpool 2' and 'Solo: A Star Wars Story.' . . . No matter what you're looking forward to, there's plenty to choose from." – John Boone, Entertainment Tonight

Film critic says: “There are some fine action sequences [in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’], and some that don’t make much sense at all. There are a handful of secondary characters who come close to upstaging the hero.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Front Page Talking Points is written by Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024

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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.