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A14 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 18 OctOber 2023
Upcoming 'Sesame Street' season stars Ariana DeBose, Brandi

Carlile, ASL and an octopus chef

By MARK KENNEDY got the award. In 2015, the
AP Entertainment Writer longtime PBS show began
NEW YORK (AP) — The up- a pact with HBO that gave
coming season of "Sesame the premium cable chan-
Street" features an octopus nel the right to air new epi-
as a chef, an exploration of sodes nine months before
American Sign Language they air on PBS.
and Quinta Brunson giving This season marks the sec-
Cookie Monster a little bit ond that Perez is executive
of attitude. producing the show and
The 54th season of the returns to last season's self-
iconic children's show de- identity and belonging cur-
buts Nov. 9 on MAX with a riculum. He grew up watch-
gentle satire of Brunson's ing "Sesame Street" and
hit mockumentary "Abbott joined the Sesame Work-
Elementary," mimicking shop in 2006. During this lat-
that show's single-camera est season's filming, he also
style and confessional cut- welcomed a second child.
aways. His first, a daughter now 4,
"It was really fun to kind of is, of course, a fan.
zoom in on Cookie Monster "I would be lying if I didn't
making a joke about eat- say that there were a few
ing a cookie and Quinta episodes in the season that
Brunson giving him a little This image released by Sesame Workshop shows Ariana DeBose, right, with muppet characters, were inspired by some of
bit of side-eye," says Execu- from left, Elmo, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby on the set of the children's show "Sesame the trials and tribulations
tive Producer Sal Perez in Street." Associated Press of my then-2 or 3-year old
an exclusive interview pre- as she was growing up,"
viewing the season. like Ariana DeBose, Brandi the alphabet using Ameri- segment called "Proud of says Perez. Some of those
Brunson came in with an Carlile, Eugene Cordero, can Sign Language. My Name," where Rosita include being scared by
advantage most celebrity Dan Levy and Kal Penn, Grover takes over Hooper's feels frustrated when her slides and the wonders of
guests don't have: In her who booked his ticket af- store and brings in his chef, basketball coach shortens flamingos.
early days in Los Ange- ter making a plea dressed who happens to be a mup- her name and Elmo and DeBose — the Broadway
les, she attended a pup- as Cookie Monster on "Live pet octopus. The only flaw Gabrielle encourage her to star and Oscar-winner for
pet workshop created by with Kelly & Mark" to be on is that the chef only makes speak up that she wants to "West Side Story — kicks off
Jim Henson, creator of The "Sesame Street." bread — from pita to ba- be called "Rosita." the season singing the song
Muppets. "When a celeb- Other highlights this season guettes. "Sesame Street," designed "Friendship Feeling" with
rity or a guest comes on include an exploration of "So no matter what any- by education profession- Elmo, Abby and Cookie
set with that sort of knowl- Bessie Coleman, the first body orders in the restau- als and child psycholo- Monster.
edge and understanding, it woman of African Ameri- rant, the only thing that gists, is shown in more than "It's really fun when you
just takes the content that can and Native American the octopus can make is 150 countries, has won 193 have someone like that
we're doing that much fur- descent to earn her pilot's bread," he says. "It was a Emmys, 10 Grammys and who's so excited to be with
ther," says Perez. "We were license in the U.S. And Elmo really, really unique way received a Kennedy Cen- us and able to sing along.
lucky to have her." celebrates Alphabet Day to show different cultural ter Honor for lifetime artis- Obviously having a won-
Brunson joins other celeb- by singing the ABC song identities within food." tic achievement, the first derful voice does not hurt,"
rities during the season while a deaf friend signs The season also includes a time a television program says Perez.q

John Grisham brings back ‘The Firm’ star Mitch McDeere in ‘The Exchange’

By ROB MERRILL Manhattan with his wife and take the lead on a case terrorists by working every
Associated Press two young boys. involving a Turkish compa- angle to come up with their
Thirty-two years after "The Grisham fans will love the ny that built a $400 million ransom. The action skips
Firm" launched his career as first 37 pages, as McDeere bridge to nowhere in the from New York to Rome to
a legal novelist who churns travels back to Memphis for Libyan desert that Colonel London to Tripoli to Istanbul
out bestselling books that the first time since the events Gaddafi (yes, it's the year and it's very easy to imagine
almost invariably become in "The Firm" and meets with 2000 and the Libyan dicta- the establishing aerial shots
movies, John Grisham re- an old friend. It's an excuse tor is still alive) is now refus- in the movie version as the
turns with a sequel starring for Grisham to fill in the 15- ing to pay for. When Mitch plot crosses continents.
Mitch McDeere. year time gap since Mitch assigns a London-based Grisham fans will devour it;
In "The Exchange," it's 2000 and his wife Abby fled Mem- Scully associate to go on a but there were times when
and McDeere is now a phis on the run from the Chi- fact-finding mission to the this reader wished the action
high-powered partner at cago mob, who was hunt- bridge, she is taken hostage would slow down a little so
the world's largest law firm, ing him for his role exposing and this legal thriller pretty we could spend some time
Scully & Pershing, having crimes at Bendini, Lambert much drops the adjective with the characters. Mitch is
"established a reputation & Locke, but it's inconse- and just becomes a thriller. always on the move — in a
This cover image released as a sort of legal SWAT team quential to the new story Mitch's job is not to legally car, on a plane, in a board-
by Doubleday shows "The leader sent in by Scully to Grisham has to tell. outsmart his colleague's room — conversations are
Exchange" by John Grisham. rescue clients in distress." He That narrative kicks off when captors, but to try and make clipped, and the plot pace
Associated Press lives a very privileged life in Mitch is called to Rome to sure she's not beheaded by is furious.q