The It List: Elizabeth Smart produces Lifetime movie 'Abducted by My Teacher' chronicling Elizabeth Thomas's kidnapping story; 'Survivor,' 'American Ninja Warrior' and 'Naked and Afraid' veterans compete on the new 'Fight to Survive' and all the best in pop culture the week of Aug. 7, 2023

The It List is Yahoo's weekly look at the best in pop culture, including movies, music, TV, streaming, games, books, podcasts and more. Here are our picks for Aug. 7-13, including the best deals we could find for each.

WATCH IT: Abducted by My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story recounts an unbelievable, ripped-from-the-headlines case

Lifetime's August offerings include this depiction of Elizabeth Thomas's terrifying story, in which, at 15, she was abducted by a teacher to whom she was close. He held her for 39 days, taking her from her home in Culleoka, Tenn., to a cabin in Northern California. Tad Cummins was eventually caught and pleaded guilty to the crime, while Thomas still struggles with all that happened to her. The movie is produced by Elizabeth Smart, who famously survived her own kidnapping to become a child safety advocate, and it stars Summer H. Howell, as Thomas, and Roseanne alum Michael Fishman as her abductor. The movie will be followed by a Smart-hosted special about the facts of the crime. — R.S.

Abducted by My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story premieres Saturday, Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.

WATCH IT: It's a Fight to Survive on The CW's newest reality series

Don't try any of those Survivor-style alliances on Fight to Survive. Instead, this new reality series from The CW and Roku is a full-on survival brawl with contestants pitted against each other in addition to the elements. Among the cast are veterans of other competitive reality programs, including Survivor: Ghost Island's Libby Vincek, Naked and Afraid's Amal Alyassiri and American Ninja Warrior's Jonathan Ruiz. On this show, snuffing someone's torch might just get you punched. — Ethan Alter

Fight to Survive premieres Thursday, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m. on The CW.

WATCH IT: Ashley Judd lends her voice to the second season of #TextMeWhenYouGetHome

Lifetime's true-crime series #TextMeWhenYouGetHome is back, with Ashley Judd as the narrator of stories about women who sent a text and then disappeared, leaving loved ones concerned about their whereabouts. Upsettingly, the women featured in each episode were abducted… or worse. Their cases are explained with evidence, recreations and in interviews with those close to the situation. The title of the show is based on a social media hashtag popularized after the 2021 death of Sarah Everard in the United Kingdom. — Raechal Shewfelt

#TextMeWhenYouGetHome Season 2 premieres Monday, Aug. 7 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.

WATCH IT: Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor join The Pod Generation

If you think parents today have it rough, wait until you see what's in store for the moms and dads of tomorrow in the futuristic fable The Pod Generation. Written and directed by Sophie Barthes, the film takes place in a high-tech future where couples who love each other very much have the opportunity to start a family with artificial wombs. Marvel Cinematic Universe players Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor are one such couple, but they quickly discover that this utopic mode of conception isn't all its cracked up to be. This exclusive clip from the film features them expressing their concerns about their impending addition. — E.A.

The Pod Generation premieres Friday, Aug. 11 in theaters; visit Fandango for showtime and ticket information.

STREAM IT: Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City crashes onto digital

Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and star-studded quirky comedies from writer-director Wes Anderson. His latest affair brings together Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johannson, Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Margot Robbie, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Maya Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Jeff Goldblum and even more names you’d recognize for a cheeky movie-style-play-within-a-movie (it’ll make sense when you see it) as a group of strangers witness an alien encounter. Check out an exclusive clip from the film’s digital release this week above. — Kevin Polowy

Asteroid City is available on digital beginning Friday, Aug. 11.

WATCH IT: King on Screen reveals the tricks of bringing Stephen King's nightmares to the big screen

What do Frank Darabont, Mick Garris and Tom Holland (no, not that one) have in common? They're all members in an exclusive club of directors who can boast to putting Stephen King's books on the big and small screen. And the new documentary King on Screen allows them to share their secrets behind adapting such seminal horror stories as The Mist, The Stand and The Langoliers, with additional insights provided by some of the actors they've directed. This exclusive clip from the film makes note of the huge impact King's books have had on popular culture, finding their way into other media like The Simpsons and even the English language. — E.A.

King on Screen premieres Friday, Aug. 11 in theaters, followed by VOD and Blu-ray on Sep. 8.

STREAM IT: This Ex-Wife won't let her husband leave quietly in BritBox's new thriller

It can be tough to be the new spouse in a second marriage — especially when your predecessor won't leave you alone. That's the set-up for The Ex-Wife, an adaptation of Jess Ryder's bestselling thriller that stars Warrior's Celine Buckens and Sleepy Hollow's Tom Mison as Tasha and Jack, a recently-wed couple who have to regularly deal with intrusions by his ex, Jen, played by Janet Montgomery. Hostilities escalate when Jen decides to show up at their house unannounced one day... and puts Tasha through the wringer. This exclusive clip from the film reveals the moment where Tasha realizes her uninvited houseguest isn't planning on leaving anytime soon. — E.A.

The Ex-Wife premieres Thursday, Aug. 10 on BritBox.

WATCH IT: Bruce Lee’s greatest hit of them all, Enter the Dragon, enters 4K Ultra HD

He’s considered the greatest martial arts film star of all time, and this was his magnum opus. It doesn’t get any better than Bruce Lee’s last film, Enter the Dragon, in which he starred as a spy dispatched to an exotic island fortress to compete in a deadly tournament and bring down the crime lord running it. The 1973 classic celebrates its 50th anniversary with a release on 4K Ultra HD and special features including an introduction by Bruce’s widow Linda Lee Cadwell and commentary by producer Paul Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin. — K.P.

Enter the Dragon releases on 4K Ultra HD Tuesday, Aug. 8 on Amazon.

STREAM IT: Red, White & Royal Blue takes the rom-com cake

The subject of foreign politics is about to get… steamy. Red, White & Royal Blue the long-awaited film adaptation of the gay romance novel by Casey McQuiston follows a top secret love affair between two of the most prominent young bachelors in the world: The son of the President of the United States (played by Taylor Zakhar Perez) and the Prince of England (Nicholas Galitzine). When the unlikely pair are embroiled in an international scandal, the publicity-stunt-pals develop a bond strong enough to overpower their silly long-running feud. This dreamy royal love story will have you kicking your feet, giggling and repeatedly checking Google Flights for a quick trip across the pond. — Danica Creahan

Red, White & Royal Blue premieres Wednesday, Aug. 11 on Prime Video.

PLAY IT: A new Barbie-themed edition of Monopoly is more than Kenough

C'mon Barbie — let's go party with your very own Monopoly edition. Fresh off the success of Greta Gerwig's blockbuster movie, Mattel's most famous doll is ready to build DreamHouses on Park Place and Boardwalk. Naturally, the game board boasts Barbie's bright pink hue and special themed properties. Who gets Ken's Mojo Dojo Casa? — E.A.

Monopoly: Barbie Edition is available now on Amazon and will be available at most major retailers on Oct. 1.

HEAR IT: Rock queens Suzi Quatro & KT Tunstall face the music

Two badass women from different rock ‘n’ roll generations — Detroit’s glam-rock trailblazer Suzi Quatro, 73, and Scottish folk-rocker KT Tunstall, 48 — join fierce forces on Face to Face, a years-in-the-making collection of original duets. The collaboration is a full-circle moment for Tunstall, who dressed and posed like her idol Quatro on the cover of her 2007 solo album Drastic Fantastic, and it demonstrates Quatro’s staying power and influence after all these years. Now… let’s get Quatro into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, already! — Lyndsey Parker

Face to Face by Suzi Quatro & KT Tunstall is available Friday, Aug. 11 to download/stream on Apple Music.

HEAR IT: John Lydon goes public with his love story

While caring for his beloved wife of 44 years, Nora Forster, while she battled of Alzheimer's disease, former Sex Pistols frontman and longtime Public Image Ltd (PiL) leader honored her with his “most personal piece of songwriting” and a “love letter,” the beautiful Eurovision Song Contest entry “Hawaii.” Now, after Forster’s death this past April, Lydon has poured his love and grief into Public Image Ltd.’s first album in eight years, End of World. — Lyndsey Parker

End of World by Public Image Ltd. is available Friday, Aug. 11 to download/stream on Apple Music.

HEAR IT: It’s time to get back in a Hives mind

Howlin’ Pelle and his snazzy-suited brigade of garage-rawkin’ Swedes, the Hives, are finally back with their first album in a decade — and it’s like they never left. The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is pure, classic Hives, with riffs and laffs a-go-go positively packed into its dozen tracks and short, sharp 31 minutes. But most excitingly, the release of the band’s sixth studio LP means they’ll be touring again. Pelle is one of the best showmen in the biz — a spoken-word album consisting of just his droll stage banter would be as entertaining as Fitzsimmons — so the Hives’s show is not to be missed. — L.P.

The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons by the Hives is available Friday, Aug. 11 to download/stream on Apple Music.

HEAR IT: Welcome back to the Jungle

British indie-dance collective and festival-circuit favorites Jungle’s fourth studio album is their most soulful yet, and according to the group’s co-founder and producer Josh Lloyd-Watson, it’s their “most honest record” as well. Volcano features guests spots by U.K. trip-hop veteran Roots Manuva, Brooklyn emcee Erick the Architect, French-born Sudanese-American rapper Bas, Compton experimental hip-hop artist Channel Tres, and East London R&B singer JNR Williams. — L.P.

Volcano by Jungle is available Friday, Aug. 11 to download/stream on Apple Music.