The sports world is feeling the crunch of suddenly having absolutely nothing going on. Athletes are creating makeshift sports at home, while fans cling to repeats of The Ocho. Kids got Frozen 2 early and free Amazon content but sports fans have been left in the cold.

Until now.

ESPN as stepped up and is delivering the hotly anticipated, 10-part Michael Jordan documentary months early. It will now be premiering now on April 19th.

The documentary series, The Last Dance, details Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls. For millennial sports fans, it’s tough to understate how big this is. In the late 90s, there was nothing cooler than Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. And with literally nothing else in the sports world even happening, everyone will be tuned in for this. Even the final trailer seems incredible and leaves fans awash in nostalgia for a time when people could actually gather in public.

On April 19 … IT BEGINS 🍿#TheLastDance | @StateFarm pic.twitter.com/BTxWjWyqdY

— ESPN (@espn) March 31, 2020

This is big enough news that even athletes can’t wait for the series. LeBron James is the only basketball player in a generation to even get close to the Jordan discussion (and some may say James is the better player). And even LeBron can’t wait for the documentary.

April 19th can’t come fast enough. I CAN NOT WAIT!! 🗣Yessir!🍿 #LastDance

— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 31, 2020

The 97-98 Bulls was one of the more unique versions of the dynasty, as outside of Jordan you had Steve Kerr (now a wildly successful coach), Scottie Pippen (at the height of his career), Dennis Rodman (before he was a North Korean spokesperson) and Phil Jackson (always the Zen Master). That’s a lot of personalities around the biggest personality in basketball history.

Mark your calendars. #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/4ARKdzTq6p

— ESPN (@espn)

Celebrities and sports fans were relentless with their calls, so it’s great to see the sports behemoth finally deliver some good news. The subsequent renewal of the Jordan v. LeBron debates should hold us all over until football picks back up in the fall.

RELEASE THE DOC!!! @ESPN These are our March programming demands:

1. The Jordan Doc.
2. re-runs of ‘Cheap Seats’
3. Two free Weeks of ESPN+ (or all episodes of ‘DETAILS’)
4. Re-Air ‘Playmakers’

You have 48 hours to respond https://t.co/vTJjc0RnCi

— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) March 15, 2020

Last week, news came down of Solar Opposites, a new show from the Justin Roiland, the co-creator of Rick and Morty. The show has a very Rick and Morty vibe, complete with the science-fictiony twist about a group of aliens who crash-land on earth and need to make their way in this strange new world.

It feels like Rick and Morty, but it’s not Rick and Morty.

Thankfully, Rick and Morty is coming back, and today they dropped the trailer for the long-awaited batch of episodes that makes up the second half of season four. Rick and Morty: The Other Five looks like more of the same, which is exactly what fans expect, and why they’re so rabid about the show.

The first five episodes of the season saw the pair running through various types of stories, but some fans were disappointed that those outings didn’t seem to connect to the larger story that the show had been building the previous 3 seasons. We’ll see how the second half connects, but there’s one plot point that continues: the search for Summer.

The trailer is set to Thin Lizzy’s rollicking “The Boys are Back in Town” and showcases the titular duo continuing their mission to find Morty’s sister, Summer. The last time we saw the gang, they were hawking Pringles during the Super Bowl, so it’s nice to see them back in their typical surroundings on Adult Swim.

The half-season hits the Cartoon Network on May 3, which is probably going to be exactly when we need some hi-jinx most.

John Krasinski was supposed to be celebrating the premiere of the sequel to his 2018 blockbuster The Quiet Place. Alas, COVID-19 had other plans, and the movie, along with just about every other major studio release slated for this year, was delayed. So, like the rest of us, the former Office star needs to find other ways to fill his time.

Thankfully for us, he decided to do that publicly. And with his famous friends.

The actor/writer/director has started a series on YouTube called “Some Good News,” via which he attempts to spread a little positivity during these trying times. The channel, which only launched yesterday and already has over 650,000 subscribers, features Krasinski himself sharing heartwarming and positive stories of humanity during the pandemic.

His first full episode featured a “visit” from his Entertainment Correspondent and former co-star Steve Carell, aka Michael Scott. Carell appeared on the show to chat with his friend about The Office’s 15th anniversary, and to share some of their favorite moments from the classic sitcom and talk about the enduring bond between the cast members.

The pair had a good time laughing and reminiscing together, and Krasinski also featured an interview with Courtney “Coco” Johnson, a teenager who recently had her last chemotherapy treatment but remains under isolation due to the coronavirus.

Check it out for Some Good News – then around the 5:30 mark John talks Office!

If you’re anything like me, this quarantine has got you pretty bored.

Sure, there are jobs to be done, and homeschooling to help with, and parenting to half-ass, but there’s also a fair amount of free time that can’t be filled with trips to our favorite restaurants or bars or movie theaters or concert venues or friends’ places. We’re all stuck inside, killing time with Netflix and jigsaw puzzles.

Thankfully, streaming services have stepped up to offer as much content as they can, both new and old, artists and musicians and streaming performances on Instagram and YouTube. You can even find stripped-down versions of late-night shows, with hosts like Seth Myers and Jimmy Kimmel speaking to viewers from their homes.

You can even hear podcasts featuring your favorite animated characters, like Stewie and Brian from Family Guy.

Like the rest of us, Stewie and Brian are bored AF, stuck inside, looking for ways to entertain themselves, so they’ve started a quarantine podcast. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane posted an image of Brian wearing a mask on Instagram to announce the podcast: “Stewie and Brian made a podcast. Check it out on IGTV.”

Stewie and Brian, of course, are both voiced by MacFarlane himself, as is Peter Griffin, who also appears on the show. Aside from the usual Family Guy-style tomfoolery, the podcast actually offers some resources, with characters offering tips for staying occupied, telling listeners not to hoard supplies, and exhorting listeners to stay home.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Seth MacFarlane (@macfarlaneseth) on Mar 25, 2020 at 6:48pm PDT

MacFarlane also posted a drawing of Stewie and exhorted people to stay home and be safe.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

For this brief duration: STAY HOME. You may feel healthy. You may BE healthy. The vast majority of COVID-19 cases are mild or asymptomatic. But you still may be a carrier, and you could pass it on to someone more vulnerable to it. This is not the apocalypse. The world has seen pandemics before. This will pass, and life will return to normal. But if you don’t make a temporary life adjustment during this pause, you will be helping to increase the likelihood that this disease will spread, resulting in the inability of hospitals to care for the number of serious cases. You can choose to help save lives, or to disregard them. So for the sake of those most exposed to harm, stay home if you have the means. There are people who don’t have that option — from doctors to firefighters to transit workers to all those who don’t have the financial luxury that perhaps you do — and you will increase their exposure as well if you insist on going to that bar. A virus is not invincible. It can be suffocated, but only with a communal effort can we do so with speed and efficiency, and without buying 100 rolls of toilet paper. Be responsible, and it will pay off.

A post shared by Seth MacFarlane (@macfarlaneseth) on Mar 15, 2020 at 12:33pm PDT

According to TV Guide, Family Guy is one of the few shows still in production, with the animators collaborating over a shared storyboard program called Toon Boom. So maybe we’ll get some new episodes soon.

But until then, we’ve got the podcast!

Despite some new movies being made available to stream, most of the content being released on various platforms is old stuff. Don’t get me wrong, it’s admirable that these companies are doing what they can to help get us through the Coronavirus quarantine, and when you have kids, it’s super helpful, even if the content is stuff everyone has likely seen before.

But it’s also nice to get some brand new content. Which is just one of the reasons we can’t wait for May 8th. That’s when Solar Opposites hits Hulu. Solar Opposites is an animated show about four aliens who crash land on earth and have to start new lives. Oh, and it’s from the guy who created Rick & Morty.

Got your attention now?

Justin Roiland, who co-created Rick & Morty with Dan Harmon (Community), is the man behind this new show, which drops every episode in early May. Hopefully, after we’ve all gotten out of confinement! A teaser for the show was just released.

“Solar Opposites is coming! We can only show you the teaser right now, but the whole season will be out in a matter of weeks! Stay inside and stay healthy so you can watch and love this show and call us geniuses and all that shit.”

The short description of the show reads: From Justin Roiland, the co-creator of Rick and Morty comes a series about a family of aliens trying to fit in on this human-infested crap-hole of a planet called Earth.

That doesn’t say much, but the teaser helps fill in the blanks. It’s obvious this show is from the guy Rick & Morty based on the style of the jokes and the sci-fi trappings. It surely won’t be long before it develops an insanely loyal cult following (and snacks) like its predecessor.

Check the teaser:

One of the biggest challenges ahead is keeping health systems from being completely overrun by COVID-19 cases. An essential piece of this puzzle is keeping healthcare workers healthy enough to treat patients. And for that to happen, they need enough supplies to stay safe in the line of duty. Sadly, they don’t have nearly enough.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is what hospitals desperately need, and they are going to any length necessary to acquire it. Masks, gowns, and gloves are the basics, and healthcare workers are searching high and low to find them. Several medical TV dramas are heeding the call, donating their supplies to healthcare workers and actually doing something real to help people (beyond making sexy doctor dramas).

The Resident on FOX donated their supply of masks and gowns to an Atlanta-based hospital. The staff there was overjoyed to see the shipment come in, to help replenish their supply.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” . To the entire team @theresidentonfox, thank you for this incredibly generous donation of #PPE from your set, including gowns, masks, gloves, and all the things our healthcare workers need to provide safe care for our community during #COVID19. . Yesterday, I had a serious discussion with the residents about how, though supplies are low, a magical shipment of masks is unlikely to arrive. And yet, a magical shipment of masks DID arrive, in the form of this very generous gesture. This kind of community support means so much to our #frontlineproviders who are making many sacrifices to staff our hospitals and care for our community. . Thank you, @theresidentonfox and @foxtv for being helpers. We needed this kind of good news today. . PS: Sorry it’s not a great pic, but the focus was not on the photo at the time. Similarly, the team @theresidentonfox are good citizens doing good deeds and not looking for a shout out. Though I encourage all to support The Resident and the great team behind the show and to pay their good deed forward any way you can. . #Hurstlife #residentlife #emoryIMresidents #lookforthehelpers #gratitude

A post shared by klaw (@karen.ll.law) on Mar 18, 2020 at 12:27pm PDT

“Yesterday, I had a serious discussion with the residents about how, though supplies are low, a magical shipment of masks is unlikely to arrive,” wrote a doctor at the hospital. “And yet, a magical shipment of masks DID arrive, in the form of this very generous gesture. This kind of community support means so much to our #frontlineproviders who are making many sacrifices to staff our hospitals and care for our community.”

Grey’s Anatomy on ABC is one of the longest-running shows of all time, and they also followed suit, donating medical supplies, gowns, and gloves to a California-based hospital.

“At Grey’s Anatomy, we have a backstock of gowns and gloves which we are donating as well,” said producer Krista Vernoff. “We are all overwhelmed with gratitude for our healthcare workers during this incredibly difficult time, and in addition to these donations, we are doing our part to help them by staying home.”

Fire drama Station 19 donated their hundreds of N95 masks to a real fire station.

View this post on Instagram

Thank you to @station19 and @shondaland for the donation of N95 masks to help protect our firefighters during our COVID-19 response #HeroesNotJustOnTV

A post shared by Ontario Fire Department (@ontariofiredept) on Mar 18, 2020 at 12:08pm PDT

The Good Doctor, Chicago Med, and several other medical dramas plan to donate their inventory to local hospitals. Several popular medical dramas on the BBC are also donating their set supplies to hospitals in the U.K.

It’s not much, but every bit counts, and hopefully, they will inspire more to donate what they have.

Here at The Dad, we hope you, your families, and communities stay safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the latest information, please utilize online resources from local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization to remain as informed as possible.

Every day, we tell you about some new piece of content for kids to enjoy, to help children survive the unprecedented isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. But what about the parents? Won’t somebody think about the parents?

Sure, having extra content for kids to stream is helpful for parents too, and we have plenty of platforms via which to binge and chill all spring. But there’s one void that simply can’t be filled by Netflix documentaries and Office reruns: sports.

Right about now we’d be watching March Madness, tracking the NBA during the home stretch of the season, and preparing for baseball to start. Instead, we’re left with old highlights and broadcasts of old games and even Wrestlemania.

On Sunday, ESPN did what it could to ease your sports-deprived pain by bringing back ESPN Ocho for a full day of programming.

Ocho was dreamt up by the people behind the Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, which came out back in 2004.

ESPN 2 will the have “The Ocho” on all today. Anyone who’s seen dodgeball knows what I’m talking about 😂 pic.twitter.com/8d25AUJ1rr

— Lawson (@LawsonMaddison) March 22, 2020

It was a fictional eighth ESPN channel focused on some less legitimate sporting events and competitions. ESPN leaned into the joke once before, on August 8th, 2017 – the 8th day of the 8th month – and last Sunday, March 22nd, they ran it back.

But we need more.

The collection of competitions included some ridiculous, not-quite-professional stuff, like cornhole, ultimate frisbee, a Goldern Tee tournament, slippery stairs:

Slippery Stairs needs to be in the Olympics 😂#TheOcho pic.twitter.com/DKfRsYFy1n

— ESPN (@espn) March 23, 2020

and even Tetris!

A wild comeback to secure the Tetris championship 😮🎮#TheOcho | @ESPN_Esports pic.twitter.com/T1E6uLY8Qh

— SportsNation (@SportsNation) March 22, 2020

Here’s a look at the broadcast line-up:

Today ESPN2 is turning into #TheOcho again. For your #StayHome viewing pleasure… pic.twitter.com/FlVTATuUDW

— Phil Ciallela (@PhilCiallela) March 22, 2020

There was stone-skipping:

C L U T C H#TheOcho pic.twitter.com/0JxB9M48qw

— ESPN (@espn) March 22, 2020

And sign spinning and sport stacking. There’s even an electricians championship, which yielded some shockingly entertaining footage:

This is ELECTRIC 🔌💡 #TheOcho pic.twitter.com/0WfxtmUWMz

— ESPN (@espn) March 22, 2020

Pretty funny stuff. It’s always nice to be reminded that ESPN has a sense of humor beyond SportsCenter catchphrases and Kenny Maine. Hopefully, you were able to tune in on Sunday to catch your favorite non-sport sporting event.

ESPN Ocho might have to become a full-time channel soon. With the Olympics now postponed along with every other major sports league, we’ll be needing it more than ever!

Hollywood is really stepping up for parents during the COVID-19 quarantine.

Studios are shifting new movies onto streaming platforms for early rental and purchase, Disney+ has a ton of new content coming next month, and Netflix’s April releases are impressive. Now Amazon Prime has gone a step further, unlocking a bunch of kid shows so everyone can watch them free of charge.

The following shows are included: “Just Add Magic,” “Pete the Cat” and “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” as well as select seasons of PBS Kids shows including “Arthur,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Odd Squad” and “Wild Kratts.” In Europe, third-party content includes “Peppa Pig” and “Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom.”

You don’t even need to be a Prime subscriber to access this content, but you do need an Amazon account. Some of the availability may vary by location, but Amazon is offering this free access to customers worldwide. They’ve set up a landing page for it, which you can access here.

The full list of content, as published by Variety, includes a lot more:

“The Dangerous Book for Boys,” “Lost in Oz,” “Just Add Magic,” “Pete the Cat,” “Costume Quest,” “Tumble Leaf,” “Bug Diaries,” “Creative Galaxy,” “Jessy & Nessy,” “Wishenpoof,” “Annedroids,” “Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street,” “The Snowy Day” and “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”

PBS shows (for U.S. customers only) include “Arthur” season 10, starring the anthropomorphic aardvark, “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” (seasons 1-2), “Odd Squad” (seasons 1-3), “Caillou” (season 1), “Cyberchase” (season 1) and “Dinosaur Train” (seasons 1-2).

Amazon also released some movies through IMDB, free, but with ads, including: “Shrek Forever After,” “Scooby-Doo: The Movie,” “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,” “Stuart Little,” “Stuart Little 2,” “Short Circuit,” “Free Willy: Escape From Pirate’s Cove,” “Rugrats Go Wild,” “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” “Muppets From Space,” “The Nut Job,” “Open Season 2,” “The Smurfs,” “The Smurfs 2,” Aardman’s “Early Man,” “The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland,” “Megamind,” “Little Giants” (1994), “Baby Geniuses and the Mystery of the Crown Jewels,” “Surf’s Up,” “Kangaroo Jack,” “The Care Bears Movie,” and “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and “All Dogs Go to Heaven 2.”

While we’re pacing about indoors, for the time being, it’s comforting to know that we’re fortunate to live in the golden era of quality, readily available content. If you’ve already blown through the movies that Hollywood released early on digital platforms – don’t head for that bookshelf just yet, because here’s a crop of solid movies available to stream this April on Netflix.

Bloodsport (April 1)

One of Jean Claude Van Dam’s first starring roles is truly a sight to behold. It’s garnered a cult following for good reasons: entertaining-as-hell fight sequences punctuated with performances so laughably atrocious you’ll just have to see for yourself. Plenty of chops in this movie and none of them pertain to acting. Fun watch.

Lethal Weapon 1-4 (April 1)

The buddy cop flick to define all buddy cop flicks. Catch up with Riggs and Murtaugh as they butt heads, withstand explosions, and awaken memories of the endlessly quotable dialogue that made the franchise a hit, to begin with. “Grab the cat,” “I’m getting too old for this shit,” it’s all in there.

The Matrix 1-3 (April 1)

What’s left to be said about The Matrix? A massive technical achievement by the Wachowskis, bar none the most influential and groundbreaking work of science fiction in the age of online. The sequel and third one will also be available to stream. They are, um, also green.

The Social Network (April 1)

A movie about the website that gave us Farmville has no business being as good as this is. For starters, you have the unparalleled David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en) in the director’s chair. On script, we got walking masterclass Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball), king of snappy, riveting dialogue. Even the music from Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) is immaculate. Keep an ear out for his haunting rendition of Edvard Grieg’s “In The Hall Of The Mountain King” during a super intense rowing match.

Taxi Driver (April 1)

It’s… it’s Taxi Driver. C’mon now.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (April 5)

This should be top of the watchlist for any psychological thriller buff. Colin Farrell plays a surgeon who befriends the deeply disturbed kid of a patient he lost. This kid is so weird and unnerving, but to disclose why would ruin the surprise. A suffocating, creepy slow-burn fit for any fan of cerebral horror.

Django Unchained (April 25)

The above gif should tell you everything you need to know.

MORE THINGS DROPPING IN APRIL

4/1

David Batra: Elefanten I Rummet
How to Fix a Drug Scandal
The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show
Nailed It!: Season 4— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Sunderland ‘Til I Die: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
40 Days and 40 Nights
Cadillac Records
Can’t Hardly Wait
Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke
Deep Impact
God’s Not Dead
Just Friends
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Kim’s Convenience: Season 4
Minority Report
Molly’s Game
Mortal Kombat
Mud
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon: S3: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends
Promised Land
Road to Perdition
Salt
School Daze
Sherlock Holmes
Soul Plane
Sunrise in Heaven
The Girl with All the Gifts
The Hangover
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Roommate
The Runaways
Wildling

4/2

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll

4/3

Coffee & Kareem— NETFLIX FILM
La casa de Papel: Part 4 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Money Heist: The Phenomenon — NETFLIX FILM
Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy — NETFLIX FAMILY
StarBeam — NETFLIX FAMILY

4/4

Angel Has Fallen

4/6

The Big Show Show — NETFLIX FAMILY

4/7

TERRACE HOUSE: TOKYO 2019-2020: Part 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

4/9

Hi Score Girl: Season 2 — NETFLIX ANIME

4/10

Brews Brothers — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
LA Originals — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
La vie scolaire — NETFLIX FILM
Love Wedding Repeat — NETFLIX FILM
The Main Event — NETFLIX FILM
Tigertail — NETFLIX FILM

4/14

Chris D’Elia: No Pain — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

4/15

The Innocence Files — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Outer Banks — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

4/16

Despicable Me
Fary: Hexagone: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Fauda: Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Hail, Caesar!
Mauricio Meirelles: Levando o Caos — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
Jem and the Holograms

4/17

Betonrausch — NETFLIX FILM
#blackAF — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Earth and Blood (La terre et le sang) — NETFLIX FILM
The Last Kids on Earth: Book 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY
Legado en los huesos — NETFLIX FILM
Sergio — NETFLIX FILM
Too Hot to Handle — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

4/18

The Green Hornet

4/20

Cooked with Cannabis — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Midnight Gospel — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Vatican Tapes

4/21

Bleach: The Assault
Bleach: The Bount
Middleditch & Schwartz — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
Middleditch & Schwartz: Dream Job
Middleditch & Schwartz: Law School Magic
Middleditch & Schwartz: Parking Lot Wedding

4/22

Absurd Planet — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Circus of Books — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
El silencio del pantano — NETFLIX FILM
The Plagues of Breslau — NETFLIX FILM
The Willoughbys — NETFLIX FILM
Win the Wilderness — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

4/23

The House of Flowers : Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

4/24

After Life: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Extraction — NETFLIX FILM
Hello Ninja: Season 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY
Yours Sincerely, Kanan Gill — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

4/25

The Artist

4/26

The Last Kingdom: Season 4 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

4/27

Battle: Los Angeles
Never Have I Ever — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

4/29

A Secret Love — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Extracurricular — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Nadiya’s Time to Eat — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Summertime — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

4/30

Dangerous Lies — NETFLIX FILM
Drifting Dragons — NETFLIX ANIME
The Forest of Love: Deep Cut — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Rich in Love (Ricos de Amor) — NETFLIX FILM
The Victims’ Game — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Remember in The Naked Gun, when Nielsen’s hapless Frank Drebin uses the bathroom during a press conference about the Queen’s impending visit, and he forgets to turn off his mic, treating the audience to a live-stream? Literally?

Something similar happened to a mayor who excused himself from a meeting in order to use the facilities. And he forgot to turn his mic off just like Drebin. The original video (which is several years old) has been remastered with enhanced sound effects. It’s currently being passed off as a meeting about coronavirus, but it’s not.

Either way, it’s hilarious. We’ll take all the laughs we can get these days!

He forgets to switch his microphone off after going to the bathroom 🤣🤣😷😷😷😷 #covidー19uk #CoronavirusOutbreak pic.twitter.com/FZ3outRN82

— #Gooders (@8goody3) March 15, 2020

During this strange time of self-isolation, social distancing, and quarantine, the world is going to need heroes. Some of them are already stepping up, with athletes financially assisting arena employees, celebrities making donations and providing fun perks for kids, and doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals working overtime to try to stem the tide and protect communities.

The good news is that most of us aren’t sick, we’re just bored. And for us, streaming platforms are the real MVPs. Thankfully, they’re stepping up too.

Over the past few days, movie studios have begun releasing more content for people to consume while stuck inside. Disney+ put Frozen 2 up early, Sony has made current in-theater movies like The Hunt, Emma, and The Invisible Man available for rent, and every day more movies and shows are being let loose for our benefit. A lot of theaters are shuttering, so Hollywood is doing its best to bring the movies home to us.

Some of these movies are being put out for purchase or rental, while others will simply be there to be streamed via subscription.

The former category includes Universal’s Trolls sequel, Trolls World Tour, which you can buy or rent starting on April 10th, the same day it was meant to premiere in theaters. Margot Robbie’s DC flick Birds of Prey will be online for purchase on March 24th and to rent on April 7th, less than two months after it’s release, and Ben Affleck’s alcoholic basketball coach will be available to watch in The Way Back on that same day, three weeks after you could buy a ticket. Bad Boys 3 is dropping as a digital release on March 31, a mere 74 days after its theatrical release.

Vin Diesel’s superhero movie, Bloodshot, totally bombed when it opened, at least partially because of the quarantine, but you’ll be able to judge it for yourself on March 24th, for $19.99. Likewise for the Michael B. Jordan/Jamie Foxx legal drama Just Mercy, Guy Ritchie’s latest The Gentleman, with Matthew McConaughey, faith-based drama I Still Believe, and Stain Frances, an indie movie about a friendship between an adult and a 6-year-old.

As for “free” movies (provided you subscribe to the platform), Disney already put out Frozen 2, and Pixar made their latest release, Onward – which hit theaters a mere two weeks ago – became available on Disney+ on March 20th. (You can still sign up for Disney+ for $6.99/month or $69.99/year.) Hulu put their Pete Davidson comedy Big Time Adolescence up a week early so you can watch it now.

As this thing stretches on, expect more movies to be released to the comfort of your own home. And when this thing is all over, who knows if this practice will stop.

During a time when very few people know what’s truly going on, it can be hard for parents to know what to say to their kids about the COVID-19 situation. They’ve been suddenly cut off from school, routines, friends, as they brace for the longest and most boring spring break of all time.

Nickelodeon is trying to help in that regard, launching a new initiative for kids to help explain the crisis we’re all living through. The content is part of the #KidsTogether campaign includes some of the popular characters from Nick shows explaining what’s going on around the world.

The kid-appropriate content includes videos, social media posts and explains some terms such as social distancing. It also includes encourages handwashing courtesy of SpongeBob. We’re all gone blue in the face telling our kids to wash their hands for two happy birthdays, but a bacteria-filled cartoon sponge will help really drive the point home.

If you want some help from your friends at PAW Patrol and the Bubble Guppies to normalize your kids on our new hellscape, NickHelps.com is where it’s at. There are also ideas and other activities for your kids there, and Nickelodeon has also made their preschool learning service, “Noggin”, free for the next few months.

If you’re like me, this is how you’re learning Nickelodeon even has a preschool learning service, but you might need all the help you can get for the challenges ahead, so file it under “Good to Know.”

Here at The Dad, we hope you, your families, and communities stay safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the latest information, please utilize online resources from local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization to remain as informed as possible.

As everyone attempts to weather the Coronavirus pandemic together, people are stepping up in a variety of ways, especially Hollywood.

Disney released Frozen 2 to their streaming platform a few months early, Sony is making movies that are currently in the theater available for rent, and the other day, Gal Gadot led a collection of celebrities in an Instagram sing-a-long to help lift spirits.

One actor is taking it a step further than merely going on social media and blasting messages to the world-at-large. He’s actually offering to reach out one-on-one.

Jake Johnson, the comic actor from TV’s New Girl and the Jurassic World movies, is perhaps best-known to children as the voice of Peter Parker in 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse. And he’s putting that voice to good use, offering to call quarantined kids in character as Spider-man himself.

Johnson made the offer on Instagram, sharing an image of his animated alter-ego with a long caption offering his services, and explaining that he was getting so many DMs from parents and kids who are cooped up and watching the movie that he figured it was the least he could do.

“So, here’s my idea. If your child is home from school and wants a quick encouraging message from Peter B Peter, then send me an email with their name and I’ll try and send over a short voice note. If I don’t get to you, I apologize. #stayhome”

 

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Since the quarantine a lot of parents have DM’d me saying they’ve been watching Spiderverse with their kids. A lot. So, here’s my idea. If your child is home from school and wants a quick encouraging message from Peter B Peter, then send me an email with their name and I’ll try and send over a short voice note. If I don’t get to you, I apologize. #stayhome Email here if you wanna try this: [email protected]

A post shared by jake johnson (@mrjakejohnson) on Mar 19, 2020 at 11:26pm PDT

He added the “#stayhome” hashtag to encourage people to continue to protect themselves, and others, while the virus is making the rounds. He also included a custom email address – [email protected] – to make it easier for him to respond with a recorded message.

The post has nearly 100,000 likes, so it seems people like the idea. Jake had better stock up on lozenges because with great power comes great… difficulty speaking.

Here at The Dad, we hope you, your families, and communities stay safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the latest information, please utilize online resources from local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization to remain as informed as possible.