East Oregonian : E.O., March 18, 2020, Page 21, Image 21

By Jessica Gosse
TV Media
“Self Made: Inspired by
the Life of Madam C.J.
Walker”
Academy Award winner Octavia
Spencer (“Truth Be Told”) takes
center stage in this new bio-
graphical drama premiering Fri-
day, March 20, on Netflix. Spencer
stars as an icon of black history,
Sarah Breedlove, or as she’s bet-
ter known, Madam C.J. Walker,
who became the first black
female self-made millionaire in
America. Walker’s success was a
result of the launch of hair prod-
ucts that catered to the needs
of black women and which she
created after suffering from hair
loss herself. Based on the book
“On Her Own Ground: The Life
and Times of Madam C.J. Walker,”
which was written by Walker’s
great-great-granddaughter, the
series follows the struggles that
Walker faced, everything from
business rivalries and betrayals to
sexism and post-slavery racism.
Spencer is joined by an incred-
ible cast, which includes Blair
Underwood (“Quantico”) as her
husband, Tiffany Haddish (“Girls
Trip,” 2017) as her daughter,
Garrett Morris (“2 Broke Girls”)
as her father-in-law, and Carmen
Ejogo (“Fantastic Beasts and
Where to Find Them,” 2017) as
her business rival, Addie Munroe.
Don’t miss this look into the life
of one of the most revolutionary
women in black history.
“The Letter for the
King”
On Friday, March 20, this medi-
eval coming-of-age series based
on Tonke Dragt’s Dutch teen
novel of the same name pre-
mieres on Netflix. For thousands
of years, the land of Eviellan has
been under attack by the king-
doms of Unauwen and Dago-
naut, but now the war is about
to change. Amir Wilson (“His
Dark Materials”) stars as Tiuri, a
teenage squire who dreams of
one day being a knight. Tiuri’s
life suddenly changes when he
is tasked with delivering a letter
to the king of Unauwen, a let-
ter that could affect the fate of
the entire kingdom. Bound by
a sense of honor, Tiuri heads off
on a dangerous mission across
the Great Mountains with his
friends Lavinia (Ruby Serkis, “Ci-
der with Rosie,” 2015) and Piak
(Nathanael Saleh, “Mary Poppins
Returns,” 2018). Tiuri learns what
it truly means to be a knight as
he faces all sorts of dangers and
enemies while on the adventure
of a lifetime.
“Black Lightning”
Season 3
Ruby Serkis and Amir Wilson in “The Letter for the King”
Cress Williams (“Hart of Dixie”)
stars as Jefferson Pierce, a prin-
cipal by day and superhero by
night, in this D.C. universe series.
You can stream the first two sea-
sons of the show now, and the
third lands Tuesday, March 17,
just days after the season finale
airs on CW. With metahuman
abilities, Pierce fought crime as
the superhero Black Lightning in
his youth, but retired when his
work threatened his home life.
Membership has
its Perks.
As a cooperative member you
qualify for bill pay options, youth A/Swigin Motors
programs, rebates and other
B/UEC
incentives.
3 x 3
Discover more at:
www.UmatillaElectric.com.
Hermiston Office
Boardman Office
750 W. Elm Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
(541) 567-6414
400 N.E. Eldrige Drive
Boardman, OR 97818
(541) 481-2220
Octavia Spencer in “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker”
As a school principal, he saves
kids in a different way, and the
family man loves nothing more
than spending time with his wife
and two daughters. But when
a nefarious gang known as The
100 bring the violence and crime
to a whole new level, an aging
Pierce must step back into his
super suit and take to the streets
to defend the defenseless once
more. He soon realizes that he is
up against far more than he ever
imagined, and his daughters step
up to help him. In the newest
season, Pierce works to bring
down A.S.A.
to a parent-teacher conference,
thinking it was a Diet Coke. You
can get a taste for Kreischer’s
hilarious comedy by watching his
other comedy specials, “The Ma-
chine” and “Secret Time,” before
catching the premiere of “Hey Big
Boy” this Tuesday.
“Bert Kreicher: Hey Big
Boy”
On Tuesday, March 17, famous
party man and standup comedian
Bert Kreischer returns for yet
another Netflix original comedy
special. Known for being the
inspiration behind the 2002 cult
classic film “Van Wilder,” the
self-described man-child almost
always starts his show by im-
mediately taking off his shirt
and taking a drink. Like most
comedians, Kreischer uses his life
experiences to fuel his comedy,
and he comments on everything
from his children, the struggles of
parenthood and his marriage to
his own health and his relation-
ship with his parents. Despite the
seemingly average subject mat-
ter, the Florida native’s life experi-
ence tends to one-up anything
you would expect. For example,
he tells a story about accidentally
bringing a Coors Light with him
Cress Williams stars in “Black Lightning”
East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald | March 18, 2020
Screentime | 9