The It List: Former NBA star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf reflects on taking a 'Stand,' Shania Twain drops her first album in 6 years, Warren Jeffs doc 'Prisoner of the Prophet' debuts and all the best in pop culture the week of Jan. 30, 2023

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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 Jan. 30-Feb. 5, including the best deals we could find for each. (Yahoo Entertainment may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.)

STREAM IT: Stand highlights the courage of basketball star-turned-activist Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, formerly known as Chris Jackson

Long before Colin Kaepernick ignited fierce debates across the country by kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial inequality, there was Chris Jackson. The man now known as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was one of the NBA's best shooters in the early '90s, "Steph Curry before Steph Curry," as Mahershala Ali calls him in the new Showtime documentary Stand. The doc highlights the somewhat-forgotten story of Abdul-Rauf, who, during the 1995-96 season, refused to stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner," calling the U.S. flag a symbol of oppression. Many believe that, like with Kaepernick, the protests cost Abdul-Rauf his livelihood. — Kevin Polowy

Stand premieres Friday, Feb. 3 on Showtime.

STREAM IT: Prisoner of the Prophet depicts abuses within Warren Jeffs's polygamist Mormon cult

Brielle Decker was 18 years old when she became the 65th wife of Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — a polygamist splinter sect of the Mormon church. She eventually escaped the FLDS, and shares her shocking story in a new Discovery+ documentary, Prisoner of the Prophet, which covers her years in the cult and Jeffs's eventual downfall following his arrest on charges of sexually abusing children. Convicted in 2011, he's currently serving a life sentence in prison. — Ethan Alter

Prisoner of the Prophet premieres Monday, Jan. 30 on Discovery+

STREAM IT: Watch the unbelievable story of Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA

Producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer collaborated with documentary veteran R.J. Cutler, the director of The September Issue and a producer of The War Room, on the strange but true tale of the man known as Jack Roland Murphy, who was not only a champion surfer who managed to pull off what was then the biggest jewel heist in American history, but also a convicted murderer and a born-again Christian. But what was fact and what was fiction? In Murphy's 2020 obituary in the New York Times, writer Robert D. McFadden noted that the man was "an enigma of fabled deeds and crimes," though "the mainstream press portrayed him as a kind of folk hero." In perhaps his most notorious moment, Murphy was one of several men who stole the Star of India, a blue sapphire larger than a golf ball, and other priceless gems from the Museum of Natural History in New York City in 1964. Even now, Murf is still sometimes referred to as TV's first true-crime celebrity, so of course he needs his own doc in an era that's rife with them. — Raechal Shewfelt

Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA is available Sunday, Feb. 5 on MGM+.

STREAM IT: Colin Kaepernick takes on policing in America in a timely Hulu docu-series

Former — and maybe future — NFL star, Colin Kaepernick is keeping busy off the field, too, teaming up with Hulu to release the timely new docu-series, Killing County. A collaboration with Kaepernick Media and ABC News Studios, the film revisits the case of Jorge Ramirez, who was shot and killed by Bakersfield, California police officers in 2013 despite supposedly working with them as an informant. Killing County takes a deep dive into the case, uncovering fresh details that indicate internal corruption might have been behind Ramirez's death — a story that takes on new resonance in the wake of the Tyre Nichols case. In this exclusive behind-the-scenes clip, Kaepernick explains how he hopes Killing County challenges people's views of policing. "I hope it moves people to action, to correct those wrongs and look to build a future that is different than the one that we currently live in." — E.A.

Killing Country premieres Feb. 3 on Hulu

STREAM IT: Pamela, A Love Story hands the mic to the one and only Pamela Anderson

One year after Hulu turned her life into the divisive Pam & Tommy series, Pamela Anderson reclaims her own narrative in a new Netflix documentary. Directed by Ryan White, the film is being released in tandem with the former Baywatch star's new memoir, Love, Pamela, and both deliver fresh revelations about her life in the spotlight. While juicy tidbits about Tim Allen and Sylvester Stallone have already made headlines, White tells Yahoo Entertainment that honesty is the movie's main policy. "I would put my money behind anything Pamela Anderson ever says." — E.A.

Pamela, A Love Story premieres Tuesday, Jan. 31 on Netflix.

HEAR IT: Shania Twain is still the one

Let's go, girls! The star of the recent acclaimed documentary Not Just a Girl, Harry Styles's surprise Coachella duet partner and all-around queen of country-pop is reclaiming her throne with her first studio album in six years, the aptly titled Queen of Me. Making a triumphant return after her voice was forever changed due to her battle with Lyme disease, the "Giddy Up" diva will hit the road to promote the album with a 76-date tour starting April 28. And that does impress us much! — Lyndsey Parker

Queen of Me by Shania Twain is available Friday, Feb. 3 to download/stream on Apple Music.

BUY IT: Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead comes back alive on 4K Ultra HD

(Photo: Shout! Factory)
(Photo: Shout! Factory)

While he most known today for his polarizing work in the DC Extended Universe (and the fan army that fought for his Justice League re-release), Zack Snyder was an accomplished filmmaker before he buddied up with Batman and Superman. There's 300, sure, but there's also 2004's Dawn of the Dead, an inspired twist on the George A. Romero zombie classic that both pays homage to and reinvents the original. It has a killer cast (Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames), and, in an interesting coincidence, was written by newly minted DC co-chief James Gunn. The film is resurrected on 4K Ultra HD this week, with extras including audio commentary, featurettes and hidden Easter eggs. — K.P.

Dawn of the Dead on 4K Ultra HD is available Tuesday, Jan. 31 at Amazon and other retailers.

WATCH IT: Dean Devlin's Syfy series The Ark blasts viewers into deep space

All aboard the legacy ships! In the (hopefully) distant future, mankind is looking to relocate from an increasingly unlivable Earth and sends giant spaceships with thousands of cryogenically frozen travelers off into deep space in search of a new home. But what if one of those oversized space arks wakes up early? That's the premise behind The Ark, the latest series from Stargate co-creator Dean Devlin, which opens with a cataclysmic deep space accident and then follows the surviving crew members as they try to complete their mission, while also dealing with pesky problems like lack of water and a murderer on the loose. At least there aren't any Xenomorphs about... yet. — E.A.

The Ark premieres Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 10 p.m. on Syfy.

READ IT: The Fresh Prince Project tells all about Will Smith's hit NBC sitcom

Author Chris Palmer recounts how Smith's life got twisted upside down in this tome, which is officially titled The Fresh Prince Project: How the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Remixed America. Interviews with the sitcom's cast, crew and creators shed light on how the show catapulted Smith into fame and, more importantly, changed the way that Americans think about race, class and other issues. The book also explores the show's legacy, including the 2022 reboot Bel-Air and Smith's infamous Oscars slap, more than 30 years after the actor first pulled up to his kingdom. — R.S.

The Fresh Prince Project: How the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Remixed America is available Tuesday, Jan. 31 at booksellers, including Barnes and Noble.

WATCH IT: The Grammys are about to experience a Renaissance

It's music’s biggest night… and it may be Beyoncé's biggest night as well. While Bey is the most-awarded performing artist and most-awarded woman in Grammy history, with 28 wins to date, she has never actually triumphed in any of the "Big Four" categories (namely Album, Record, and Song of the Year). But this Sunday, at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, that could finally change, because she's this year’s most-nominated artist — with nine total nods, including Record of the Year for "Break My Soul" and Album of the Year for Renaissance. Many industry pundits feel she should have won that latter award in either 2015 for Beyoncé, when she surprisingly lost to underdog Beck's Morning Phase, or in 2017 for Lemonade, when Adele won for 25 and practically proclaimed during her acceptance speech that Beyoncé was robbed. This year, Renaissance is pitted against Adele's 30 (alongside LPs by other Recording Academy darlings like Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Coldplay, and Lizzo), but Beyoncé is the frontrunner. However, no matter what happens Sunday, it's going to be a great ceremony, with performances by Blige, Carlile, Lizzo, fellow Album of the Year nominee Bad Bunny, and Sam Smith with Kim Petras, plus more to be announced. — L.P.

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+.

BUY IT: Cinephile fantasy Bergman Island enters the Criterion Collection

(Photo: The Criterion Collection)
(Photo: The Criterion Collection)

Vicky Krieps, Tim Roth, Ingmar Bergman and the Criterion Collection: cinephile word salad, or a cinephile's dream? Mia Hansen-Løve's 2021 arthouse favorite Bergman Island — starring Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) and Tim Roth (you already know), as a pair of American filmmakers who venture to the native land of famed Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman for inspiration — wasted little time in getting a home entertainment upgrade from the tastemakers at Criterion. The Blu-ray comes stocked with everything but wild strawberries (a 2K digital master, new interviews with Hansen-Løve and Krieps, a short film and more). — K.P.

Bergman Island: The Criterion Collection is available Tuesday, Jan. 31. Buy it on Amazon.

READ IT: A new House of the Dragon book reveals the making of HBO's hit Game of Thrones prequel

A lavishly-illustrated spread from the making-of book, Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon. (Photo: Courtesy Insight Editions)
A lavishly illustrated spread from the making-of book, Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon. (Photo: Courtesy Insight Editions)

Step onto the set of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon with an all-new behind-the-scenes tome courtesy of Insight Editions. Boasting concept art, on-set photography and interviews with the major creative forces in charge of the series, the lavishly illustrated book is the closest thing to being part of House Targaryen. Dragons not included. — E.A.

Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon is available Tuesday, Jan. 31 at booksellers, including Amazon.

BUY IT: Celebrate 20 years of Naruto with new Playmobil figures

Playmobil has a new line of Naruto figures celebrating the franchise's 20th anniversary. (Photo: Courtesy Playmobil)
Playmobil has a new line of Naruto figures celebrating the anime franchise's 20th anniversary. (Photo: Courtesy Playmobil)

Originating in the pages of Japan's Weekly Shōnen Jump, the wily ninja Naruto made the leap to onscreen anime in 2002 and is still a major pop culture force today. Playmobil marks the 20th anniversary with all-new figures of 12 key characters from the series, from Naruto himself to Sasuke, Yamato and Shizune. Enjoy anime-specific accessories and fantastically-detailed recreations of all their famous lewks. — E.A.

Naruto figures are available now at the official Playmobil website.