Skip to content
Entertainment
Link copied to clipboard

When and where to watch Lady Gaga’s ‘One World’ concert — plus must-see TV, movies, and streaming events this weekend

Also playing at your house: The new series "Mrs. America," the long-anticipated Babyface-Teddy Riley battle on Versuz, and a bunch of virtual film fests and watch parties.

The star-studded One World concert, instigated by Lady Gaga, airs Saturday night. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
The star-studded One World concert, instigated by Lady Gaga, airs Saturday night. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times/TNS)Read moreJay L. Clendenin / MCT

POP MUSIC

One World: Together at Home

The big kahuna of home streams — organized by Lady Gaga and featuring Paul McCartney, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Christine & the Queens, and more. It’s presented by the antipoverty group Global Citizen and the World Health Organization, and aims to raise coronavirus awareness and celebrate frontline workers. It streams 8 p.m. Saturday on Facebook and Instagram, and also airs on CBS, ABC, and NBC, cohosted by Stephen Colbert and Jimmies Kimmel and Fallon.

— Dan DeLuca

» READ MORE: Will Lady Gaga’s ‘One World’ concert be the socially distanced Live Aid?

Babyface vs. Teddy Riley

Who doesn’t love a good faceoff? The #Verzuz series song battle on Instagram Live organized by megastars Swizz Beatz and Timbaland has brought in names like Scott Storch, The Dream, Mannie Fresh, T-Pain, and Lil Jon , but a highly anticipated battle two weeks ago between R&B producers Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Teddy Riley got postponed. In a post on Instagram last Friday, Babyface revealed that he (and his family) had tested positive for COVID-19, but said he was “happy to report we have now tested negative and are on our way back to full health.” On Sunday at 9 p.m., fans will see Edmonds and Riley go head to head.

— Brandon T. Harden

The Tweedy Show

Since the corona lockdown began, Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy has been performing nightly from his home in Chicago with sons Spencer and Sammy. His wife Susie hosts and is the iPhone camera operator. The warm and inviting shows are casual in the extreme, but also full of surprising revelations. Spencer plays drums, and Sammy is an affecting vocalist, when he can be coaxed on to the couch: “Son, please come downstairs and sing a song.” He has delivered sparkling Replacements and Chris Bell covers this week. Live shows at 10 p.m. nightly @stuffinourhouse on Instagram, archived on Susie Tweedy’s You Tube page.

D.D.

“Transcendental Social Distancing” with Dave P.

The Making Time dance parties presented by Dave Pianka have been an essential part of Philly nightlife for two decades, and the globe-trotting DJ is not about to let a global pandemic prevent him from getting the party started. This online event is a collaboration with the Klip Collective, the immersive video project headed up by Ricardo Rivera, who Pianka describes as a “futuristic warrior of the night.” Streaming 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday at Facebook.com/MakingTimeIsRad, @davep_makingtome on Instagram, and thelotradio.com.

— D.D.

Bang Bang Con

If South Korean boy band BTS is involved, will it be an online streaming event — or an online screaming event as the group elicits shrieks of ecstasy in the time-honored teen idol tradition. A planned BTS world tour has been a coronavirus casualty, but the Bangtan Boys are virtually connecting with fans to air eight previously recorded concerts, dating back as far as 2014. Starting at 11 p.m. Friday on their BangtanTV YouTube channel.

D.D.

Tiny Desk Home Concerts

NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts have always made intimacy part of their vibe, bringing big stars into a tight space, so the shift to at-home versions has been fairly seamless. There have been three episodes so far, including a multi-artist John Prine tribute. Kevin Morby and Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee do two songs from her superb new Saint Cloud. Rapper Black Thought of The Roots drops three brand new songs of jaw-dropping lyricism, including one from his upcoming off-Broadway musical Black No More. Find them all at NPR.org/music.

— D.D.

COSPLAY FROM HOME

Zenescope Virtual Comics Convention

Since comic conventions are not considered essential business, Horsham-based Zenescope is bringing the con to you — broadcast exclusively on the company’s Facebook and Instagram Live channels and offering the type of merch typically available at Zenescope booths during the convention season. There will also be guests and exclusive surprises. The con runs through Saturday, April 18, from noon-5 p.m. daily. Livestream from Zenescope’s Facebook page or from Instagram at @Zenescope.

Howard Gensler

VIRTUAL FILM FESTS AND WATCH PARTIES

Lionsgate Live! A Night at the Movies

Jamie Lee Curtis hosts and guest celebrities pop in (including YouTube personalities) as Lionsgate reaches into its vaults for four Fridays of free online movie programming — with chats, tweeting, trivia, and fund-raising for the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, which is providing financial assistance to theater employees furloughed by the COVID-19 crisis. First up at 9 p.m. this Friday, April 17, is The Hunger Games, starring Jennifer Lawrence. Watch from Lionsgate’s YouTube page or Fandango’s Movieclips YouTube page.

H.G.

“Tommy Boy” 25th Anniversary Screening

Paramount Pictures launches a series of virtual screenings with this 1995 Chris Farley-David Spade comedy, streaming online 8 p.m. Saturday at CYA.LIVE. It’s free, and viewers can interact via text and video with the film’s director, Peter Segal (Get Smart, 50 First Dates).

H.G.

Focus Movie Mondays

The movies featured in this series, all from Focus Films, are free and will seek donations to Entertainment Industry Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. At 8 p.m. this Monday, April 20, since you can’t go to the mall, watch Shannen Doherty, Ben Affleck, and other well-known faces in 1995’s R-rated Mallrats live with writer/director Kevin Smith here. Next Monday, April 27, at 8 p.m. is the 2005 R-rated British romance “My Summer of Love,” starring Natalie Press and a young Emily Blunt. Connect with them on the “Events” tab on the Focus Features Facebook page.

— H.G.

Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time

Three-part documentary by Philly natives Paul Fishbein and Irv Slifkin features dozens of filmmakers and performers discussing some of the greatest, goofiest movies ever made. Part 1, Midnight Madness, debuts Tuesday, April 21, and focuses on cult favorites like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Big Lebowski, and Jackie Brown. Hosts include Joe Dante (Gremlins), John Waters (Pink Flamingos), and Ileana Douglas (Six Feet Under) interviewing Jeff Bridges, Pam Grier, Rob Reiner, Barry Bostwick, and many more stars. Part 2 arrives in May, Part 3 in June. ($9.99 to buy, $4.99 HD rental, $3.99 regular rental on most streaming and on-demand platforms.)

H.G.

NEW MOVIES FROM HOME

Selah and the Spades

Writer/director Tayarisha Poe, who hails from West Philadelphia, makes her feature debut. The film is set at a posh boarding school and deals with the five student factions vying for power and Selah (Lovie Simone), the teenager who rules the roost. Available on Amazon Prime Video starting Friday. (Rated R)

H.G.

Why Don’t You Just Die!

Bloody black comedy from Russia concerns a young man’s quest to kill his girlfriend’s father and the older man’s unwillingness to go along with the plan. A film festival favorite, the feature debut of writer/director Kirill Sokolov was supposed to get a U.S. theatrical release, but COVID-19 killed that plan. So this offbeat film, drawing on the styles of Tarantino, Edgar Wright, and Guy Ritchie, but in Russian, may be just what the cabin fever ordered. Not rated but not for kids. (Starts Monday on streaming and video-on-demand. $9.99).

H.G.

EARTH DAY WITH MERYL STREEP

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth

Meryl Streep narrates this animated short about a 7-year-old boy who learns how amazing Earth is from both a mysterious museum exhibit and his loving parents. It’s based on the popular book and features the voices of Ruth Negga, Chris O’Dowd, and Jacob Tremblay. Premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, April 17.

— H.G.

MUST-SEE TV

Mrs. America

Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett paints a not unsympathetic portrait of Equal Rights Amendment opponent Phyllis Schlafly in this new limited series about the women’s liberation movement’s struggle to pass the ERA. The show features Rose Byrne as Gloria Steinem, Uzo Aduba as pioneering presidential candidate Rep. Shirley Chisholm, and Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan. (First three episodes now streaming on FX on Hulu.)

— Ellen Gray

The Innocence Files

From producers Alex Gibney and Liz Garbus, a new documentary series telling the stories of the wrongfully convicted. The seventh episode, “Wrong Place, Wrong Time,” deals with the case of Chester Hollman, who was freed last year, 25 years after being sentenced to life in prison for a Philadelphia murder the DA’s office has said he most likely didn’t commit. (Netflix)

E.G.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Start popping the corn. NBC Universal’s “Stay-In Theater” includes this hit, which will be shown on three of its cable networks. (7:30 p.m. Friday, USA, Syfy, E!)

E.G.

Casablanca

When TCM’s Classic Film Festival in Hollywood had to be canceled, the classic-movie network decided to bring it home to viewers. The festival, running through Sunday, features round-the-clock presentations from past festivals, including this 1942 classic, which at the 2010 event was introduced by Peter Bogdanovich and Monika Henreid, the daughter of Paul Henreid, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman’s Casablanca costar. Bogdanovich returns to cohost this on-air screening. (8 p.m. Saturday, TCM)

E.G.

Hubble: Thirty Years of Discovery

While many of us are doing our best to stay put, here’s a celebration of the Hubble Telescope, which since its April 1990 launch has been taking all of us — virtually — to places no human’s yet visited. Two-hour special includes interviews with astronauts Michael Massimino, Kathryn Thornton, Story Musgrave, Steven Smith, and John Grunsfeld. (8 p.m. Sunday, Science Channel)

E.G.

The Longest War

Following the next-to-last episode ever of Homeland, whose final season has been set in Afghanistan, this documentary from the drama’s producers Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon looks at the CIA’s “long and morally complicated history” in that country. (10 p.m. Sunday, Showtime)

E.G.

BINGE THIS

Wisting

I continue to be a sucker for Nordic noir, and it doesn’t get much noirish than this Norwegian series about the search for an American serial killer who may have been hiding out for 20 years in the homeland of his ancestors. Carrie-Anne Moss (Marvel’s Jessica Jones) plays one of two FBI agents who flies in to help in the search for one of the agency’s most-wanted. (Sundance Now)

E.G.

LOCAL THEATER AT YOUR HOUSE

“Pointless Shakespeare” on Instagram

Phoenix Theatre Associate Artistic Director Andres Gallardo Bustillo hosts the Pointless Shakespeare Knowledge Challenge, a daily show at noon Monday through Friday on Instagram @phoenixtheatrepa. Guests will have one minute to answer a Shakespeare-related question. Then it’s BYOC (bring your own cake) for a birthday party for Shakespeare at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 23. Because it’s a “surprise” party, instructions to connect will be on the theater’s website, thephoenixtheatrepa.com, that day. Free, but donations are requested, half of which will benefit the Chester County Food Bank.

— Jane Von Bergen

James Ijames in haiku

Short and sweet from Wilma Home Theater: Philadelphia playwright and Wilma co-artistic director James Ijames posts a daily Haiku play — not many words, but what’s there comes alive fast. It’s part of the lively “Wilma Home Theater” collection now on the theater’s website, at wilmatheater.org/wilma-home-theater, where the Avenue of the Arts mainstay is streaming content and paying its actors to produce it.

— JVB

Bucks County Playhouse Live!

The New Hope theater livestreams a variety show Sundays at 7 p.m. from its Facebook page. This week’s installment, Word of Mouth: Risk, will feature Julie Halston, who just completed her role of Rita Marshall in the Broadway production of Tootsie, among other talented guests. Michaela Murphy, the Playhouse’s director of education, is this weekend’s host.

— JVB

FAMOUS VOICES (AND UP-AND-COMERS)

Lawrence Brownlee and friends

Classically-inclined singers who have often come to Philadelphia are inviting Philadelphia to come to them for Coffee and a Song, hosted by tenor Lawrence Brownlee, artistic adviser to Opera Philadelphia. Brownlee — who memorably played Charlie Parker in the 2015 hit Yardbird — performs from Florida accompanied by Myra Huang in New York. Their first outing opened with Marc Blitzstein’s song “Stay in My Arms,” followed by Susanna Phillips singing Leonard Bernstein’s “Take Care of This House” and Nicholas Phan singing Ned Rorem’s “Youth, Day, Old Age & Night.” It’s not yet on a regular schedule, so keep checking Brownlee’s Facebook page, where the first performance resides.

— David Patrick Stearns

Getting to Know You: A Celebration of Young Artists

Tony Award-winner Kelli O’Hara (The King and I) hosts a virtual showcase Friday, April 17, at 7 p.m. featuring randomly selected high school students. It’s a partnership between O’Hara and the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut, and it’s such a good idea, some local Philadelphia theater company should steal it. To access, visit westportplayhouse.org, go to bottom of the home page, and click on the Facebook or YouTube icon.

— H.G.