Yep, we’re already 1/12 of the way through 2016; it’s ridiculous, I know.
January came and went in a haze of post-holiday binge-watching and self-loathing or resolution-keeping and exercise if that’s your thing, but either way, it’s over and done with and we’re on to February, where this year, we get an extra day, which means one more day to take in all the month has to offer.
Here’s a look at what’s coming your way this month.
Old Characters, New Books (Various Dates)
Although Chrissy Teigen drops her cookbook Cravings this month, most of February’s new releases are additions to established series and there are a lot of them. Among the authors contributing new editions to their ongoing collections are Clive Cussler, Victoria Averyard, Audrey Carlan, Lisa Gardner and Jeffrey Archer.
Super Bowl 50 (February 7)
The NFL season wraps up with the 50th Super Bowl at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California where Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos look to defeat Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Coldplay is handling the halftime entertainment and people are sure to freak out about the various expensive commercials.
New Musical Selections (Various Dates)
Even though going to the record store on a Tuesday to pick up new music is mostly a thing of the past, it’s fun to remember the good old days. This month, options to grab at your local seedy music spot include music from Foxes, Anthrax, Simple Plan, Wolfmother, Elton John, Yoko Ono and Young Thug. Oh yeah – and those two dudes that have been beefing on Twitter, Wiz Khalifa and Kanye West, who said his album is the best album ever… and he’s not into butt stuff.
NBA All-Star Weekend (February 12-14)
This little party is going down in The Six and should be a star-studded affair. The three-day weekend includes a celebrity game, the Skills Competition and then the game on Sunday at the ACC, where a pair of Raptors – DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry – will ball out for the Eastern Conference.
The Grammys (February 15)
There was a time not that long ago when I could tell you all the major Grammy nominees, who was hosting and what performances I was really looking forward to seeing. But since they’ve changed the format of the show to basically four-hours of mediocre performances, I’ve kind of been out on the whole thing. LL Cool J hosts, Kendrick Lamar netted 11 nominations and I genuinely hope that Bieber kills his performance.
New to On Demand (Various Dates)
There are a couple great movies hitting your On Demand platform this month that I highly recommend checking out. Spotlight was my favourite film of 2015 and Bridge of Spies features one of my favourite performances of the year courtesy of Mark Rylance, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Speaking of which…
88th Academy Awards (February 28)
Chris Rock is back as the host, 11 years after his first crack at commanding the crowd and this is a year where there doesn’t feel like there are as many slam dunk selections in the major categories. For my money, The Oscars are the most consistently enjoyable of all the awards shows.
New to Netflix (Various Dates)
It feels like every month there are a couple new shows to check out on the streaming platform and February is no different. In addition to Cooked and Love, which looks interesting, you’ve got the return of The Tanner Family in Fuller House. You can say you’re not interested, but you know you’re going to at least check it out for old time’s sake.
New & Returning Television (Various Dates)
On the new front, the highlights has to be American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, with Cuba Gooding Jr. as the accused, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Ross Geller David Schwimmer as Kardashian family patriarch Robert and John Travolta as Robert Shapiro. Vinyl starring Bobby Carnavale and Olivia Wilde debuts on HBO this month as well and looks promising.
As far as returnees, “Shonda Night” on ABC comes back early in the month, while The Walking Dead and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver resume on February 14.
In Theatres This Month (Various Dates)
The Coen Brothers come back with Hail, Caesar! and there are a couple “probably going to be mediocre at best, but worth a look” options later in the month, but the star of the month is Deadpool, the R-rated Marvel offering about “The Merc with a Mouth” starring Ryan Reynolds.
