Lifestyle
Streaming in March 2025: ‘Mufasa,’ Will Smith music, ‘The Studio’

Will Smith releasing his first new album in 20 years and “Mufasa: The Lion King,” Barry Jenkins’ photorealistic prequel to the 1994 animated classic, are some of this week’s new streaming entertainment releases are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: and Seth Rogen stars in a new Hollywood satire called “The Studio” for Apple TV+, Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” and, for video game fans, British studio Rebellion imagines the aftermath of a 1957 accident at a nuclear reactor in the northwest United Kingdom with the title Atomfall.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM MARCH 24-30
— “Mufasa: The Lion King” started out a little like a cub in theaters but ultimately roared to $717 million in worldwide ticket sales. On March 28, Barry Jenkins’ photorealistic prequel arrives on Disney+. In it, Mufasa ( Aaron Pierre ) tells the story of how he was washed away from the pride lands by a flood but returns years later to to fulfill his destiny. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that “Mufasa” “isn’t simply checking off fan services boxes and overexplaining origins that never needed them: It’s actually good.”
– James Mangold’s Bob Dylan drama “A Complete Unknown” (March 27 on Hulu) might not have won any of the eight awards it was nominated for at the Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor for Timothée Chalamet. But was a hit in theaters and managed a possibly even more elusive prize: the blessing of Dylan, himself. The film charts Dylan’s arrival in New York in 1961 and leads up to his infamous Newport Folk Festival appearance four years later. In his review, AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy praised “A Complete Unknown” as more about the Dylan effect than a revealing portrait of enigmatic musician: “It’s not who Dylan is but what he does to us.”
— The second 2024 Luca Guadagnino film penned by Justin Kuritzkes and scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “Queer,” arrives Mach 28 on Max. While drastically different from Guadagnino’s “Challengers,” his William S. Burroughs’ adaptation, starring Daniel Craig as the Burroughs alter ego Lee, is likewise concerned with the mysteries of romantic connection. “‘Queer’ is best when it’s a character study of Lee, who in Craig’s hands is charming, selfish, arrogant, abrasive, foppish and sometimes unable to read a room,” Kennedy wrote in his review.
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM MARCH 24-30
— On Friday, March 28, Will Smith will release the 14-track “Based on a True Story.” Previously released songs may offer some hints about what fans can expect. The record will include “You Can Make It,” which Smith debuted at the 2024 BET Awards alongside Kirk Franklin, Fridayy and the gospel choir Sunday Service. Then there are the rap tracks “Tantrum,” with Joyner Lucas, “Beautiful Scars” with Big Sean and “Work Of Art” with Russ and his son Jaden Smith.
— Perfume Genius, the musical moniker of Mike Hadreas, creates at a tension point. On “Glory,” out Friday, March 28, his latest collection is at the conceptual intersection of external ambition and a predilection for isolation. On the single “It’s A Mirror,” he makes the stress known in a familiar twang: “What do I get out of being established?” he sings, “I still run and hide when a man’s at the door.” This is sinewy, expansive indie-folk, where domesticity is both scary and sexy and everything in between.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
NEW SHOWS TO STREAM MARCH 24-30
— Shows about high-speed racing like Formula One and NASCAR have helped boost the popularity of motorsports but female racers have typically been overlooked by the genre. Just this month, Katherine Legge became the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race since Danica Patrick in 2018. A new docuseries from Prime Video called “First to Finish” is dedicated to women in motorsports. It follows Heather Hadley and Sally Mott — both female drivers — and Shea Holbrook, a female team owner as they compete in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship. “First to Finish” debuts Tuesday on Prime Video.
— Seth Rogen stars in a new satire called “The Studio” for Apple TV+. Rogen plays Matt Remick, the new head of The Continental, a storied Hollywood studio. Remick loves moviemaking and his romanticized version of the business is often at odds with its need to make money. Rogen is a co-creator on the series and also its writer, director and executive producer alongside his partner Evan Goldberg. Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara, Chase Sui Wonder also co-star as industry executives. The show also has guest appearances including Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie, Ted Sarandos and Olivia Wilde — all playing exaggerated versions of themselves. It debuts Wednesday.
— The sequel series to Prime Video’s “Bosch” called “Bosch: Legacy” launches its third and final season on Thursday. It stars Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch, a former LAPD detective now working in the private sector. The character was first introduced in novels by Michael Connelly. And here’s a fun fact, in Connelly’s books Bosch is the half-brother of Mickey Haller, who is the subject of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
— After one of their closest friends dies, three gay men move in together in Palm Springs in Hulu’s new comedy, “Mid-Century Modern.” It stars Nathan Lane, Nathan Lee Graham and Matt Bomer (as the Rose Nylund of the group if this were “The Golden Girls,” of which there are similarities.) The show debuts Friday, March 28 and also features Linda Lavin in her final role.
— Guy Ritchie’s new mafia series “MobLand” comes to Paramount+ on Sunday, March 30. It features an all-star cast including Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Joanne Froggatt as series regulars. The show follows two rival crime families whose middle-man is played by Hardy.
— Alicia Rancilio
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
— In 1957, a nuclear reactor in the northwest United Kingdom caught fire, releasing radioactive material across Europe. Atomfall, from British studio Rebellion, imagines that the aftermath of that accident was much weirder than reported. Sure, you can expect to run into mutated beasts in the quarantine zone. You might be surprised, though, when you have to deal with rogue government agencies, a creepy cult and killer robots. The British countryside makes for a much prettier setting than what we’re used to in postnuclear games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Fallout — but watch out for the evil druids. The Geiger counter starts ticking Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
— Lou Kesten
Lifestyle
Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite dog breed race for glory in the UK’s Corgi Derby

LONDON (AP) — Some of the fastest canines on four very short legs have raced for glory in Scotland’s annual Corgi Derby.
The Musselburgh Racecourse Corgi Derby was first held in 2022 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne. The late monarch was a devoted corgi fan who owned almost 30 of the breed over the decades, along with a few dorgis – a corgi-dachshund cross.
Four-year-old Juno beat a 16-strong field of dashing dogs dressed in bright sweaters over the 230-foot (70-meter) race on Saturday at the racecourse outside Edinburgh. She came from behind in the final stretch to beat last year’s winner, Rodney.
The winner and her owners, Alisdair Tew and Fran Brandon, were presented with a trophy and dog treats by tennis coach Judy Murray, mother of Scottish star Andy Murray.
Tew told the BBC that “we trained her for this last year but this year we just resorted to just letting her chasing things, particularly seagulls” on Edinburgh’s Portobello Beach.
“Juno is always ready for treats -– that is probably why she won,” he said.
Elizabeth’s love of corgis began in 1933 when her father, King George VI, brought home a Pembroke Welsh corgi they named Dookie
Corgis were often by Elizabeth’s side in the decades before her death in September 2022 — accompanying her on official tours, reportedly sleeping in their own room at Buckingham Palace and occasionally nipping the ankles of visitors or royal family members.
Three corgis even appeared alongside the queen as she climbed into James Bond’s waiting helicopter in the spoof video that opened the 2012 London Olympics.
Lifestyle
Tariffs are likely to make having a baby cost more

Sam Rutledge and his wife have a baby due in mid-July, so they thought they had a few more months to research and buy the gear they’ll need.
But President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement in early April turned the couple’s slow walk into a sprint. In the past few weeks, they’ve bought two strollers, a car seat, a nursery glider, a crib and a high chair. All of them are made overseas.
“These are all pretty expensive under normal conditions, but when it became clear tariffs were coming we decided to buy them in case they became prohibitively expensive,” said Rutledge, who is a high school physics teacher.
Raising a child in America has never been cheap. In the first year alone, it costs an average of $20,384, according to Baby Center, a parenting website. But tariffs – ranging from 10% for imports from most countries to 145% for imports from China — will make it many times more expensive for new parents.
An estimated 90% of the core baby care products and the parts that go into making baby paraphernalia – from bottles and diaper pails to strollers and car seats – are made in Asia, according to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, a U.S. trade group. The vast majority come from China.
“Overseas manufacturing has been the norm in our industry for decades,” said Lisa Trofe, the association’s executive director.
It wasn’t always this way. When Munchkin Inc. CEO Steven Dunn founded his company in 1991, it made baby bottles in California with tooling from New Jersey. But over the years, the manufacturers he used shut down and the cost of doing business in the U.S. skyrocketed. Now, about 60% of Munchkin’s 500 products, from a $5 sippy cup to a $254 Night Owl Stroller with headlights, are made in China.
In response to the tariffs, Dunn halted orders from China and instituted a hiring freeze at Munchkin’s California headquarters, where 320 people are employed. Dunn expects Munchkin will run out of some products within three months.
“There is no possibility of being able to pass on those tariffs” to customers in the form of price increases, he said.
Dunn said he tried to reduce his dependence on China in recent years, shifting some manufacturing to Vietnam and Mexico. He also spent a year communicating with American manufacturers to see if one could make Munchkin’s new Flow Nipple Shield, which allows a breastfeeding mother to see if her milk is flowing. But most said they couldn’t make the complex silicone product, Dunn said. It’s now made in Vietnam.
“There’s not enough tool makers and manufacturing expertise and automation and skilled labor in the U.S. to make the thousands of products the juvenile industry needs,” Dunn said.
Multiple baby brands and companies contacted by The Associated Press didn’t respond or said they weren’t commenting on the tariffs, including Graco, Chicco, Britax, Nuna, Dorel Juvenile, UppaBaby, Evenflo and Bugaboo.
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association said it asked the Trump administration for a tariff exemption, arguing that baby products are essential for children’s well-being. Trump exempted some baby products, including car seats and high chairs, from import taxes during his first administration. But he hasn’t said whether he would consider doing so again.
The Associated Press left a message seeking comment with the White House.
Nurture&, a company that makes a popular nursery glider and other baby furniture, said it’s trying to be transparent about the impact of tariffs.
In a recent email, the company told customers it started lowering prices on some items when the tariffs hit. The company, which was founded in 2020, said it would keep those lower prices in place until April 30, but after that it may not be able to absorb the full cost of the import duties.
“These are large purchases, these are investments, and this is a very sensitive life stage,” Nurture& Chief Merchant Jill Gruys said. “We want people to make the best decision for their budget and their family.”
Elizabeth Mahon, the owner of Three Littles, a baby store in Washington, said she’s worried the tariffs will make essential products too expensive for some families.
Mahon volunteers twice per month at the Department of Motor Vehicles, where she teaches people how to buckle their kids safely into car seats. Some families still must be persuaded to use car seats, she said. Mahon fears higher prices would be another deterrent.
“No one is dying if they can’t buy a toy, but if they don’t have access to car seats, kids will get seriously injured,” she said.
At her own store, Mahon is getting notices that some manufacturers plan to introduce steep price increases in May. She feels lucky she could rent a storage facility and build up inventory ahead of the tariffs. For many small businesses, she said, the extra costs are “a death sentence.”
At The Little Seedling baby shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, owner Molly Ging said she would normally be putting in Christmas orders at this time of year. Instead, she’s sorting through price increase notices from many of the vendors she works with.
“It’s a lot to manage, and I just have no idea how it’s going to play out,” she said.
Business is brisk right now, with customers hoping to beat tariff-related price increases. But Ging worries about her 13 employees – all moms who bring their kids to work – and about whether she can maintain enough inventory to meet future demand.
“Babies don’t stop being born because there’s tariffs,” she said.
Lifestyle
Famed Sherpa guide will attempt to climb Mount Everest for a 31st time and break his own record

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — One of the greatest mountain guides will attempt to scale the world’s highest peak for the 31st time — and possibly the 32nd time as well — and break his own record.
Kami Rita, 55, flew to Mount Everest on Sunday from Kathmandu to lead a group of climbers who will try to reach the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) summit during the spring climbing season.
“I am mentally, emotionally and physically prepared to climb the mountain,” Kami Rita told The Associated Press at Kathmandu’s airport. “I am in my top physical condition right now.”
He holds the record for the most successful ascents of Mount Everest at 30 times. In May last year he climbed the peak twice.
“My first priority is to get my client to the summit of the peak. Then I will decide on whether I will climb the peak more than one time during the season. It depends on the weather and conditions on the mountain,” he said.
His closest competitor for the most climbs of Mount Everest is fellow Sherpa guide Pasang Dawa, who has made 27 successful ascents of the mountain.
Kami Rita first climbed Everest in 1994 and has been making the trip nearly every year since. He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success each year of foreign climbers aspiring to stand on top of the mountain.
His father was among the first Sherpa mountain guides. In addition to his Everest climbs, Kami Rita has scaled several other peaks that are among the world’s highest, including K2, Cho Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.
According to Nepal’s Department of Tourism, 214 climbers have been issued permits to attempt Mount Everest from the Nepali side of the peak in the south this climbing season, which ends in May. Most climbing of Everest and nearby Himalayan peaks is done in April and May, when weather conditions are most favorable.
Everest was first climbed in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
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