Archive People Picks By Tom Gliatto and Kim Hubbard Published on December 15, 2014 12:00 PM Share Tweet Pin Email A DOZEN COOL THINGS TO SEE, HEAR, READ AND DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK FOR ADDITIONAL REVIEWS OF MOVIES, TV SHOWS, MUSIC AND BOOKS, GO TO PEOPLE.COM/PICKS No. 1 Wild Reese Witherspoon, alone with her memories, takes an incredible journey MOVIE DRAMA On the heels of Mia Wasikowska’s Tracks and Hilary Swank’s The Homesman, this is the third movie this year in which a woman subjects herself to the terrors of untamed nature. But Wild, based on Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling memoir, makes the strongest, deepest acknowledgement that this is a pilgrimage of body and soul. And that gives it a special, spiritual shimmer. Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) hikes more than 1,100 miles alone on the Pacific Crest Trail, battered by the elements and chased by memories of terrible life decisions and her relationship with her mother. Witherspoon gives a beautiful performance of resolute honesty. As her struggling mother (seen in flashback), Laura Dern is vibrantly, painfully alive. She’s the movie’s true force of nature. You watch in awe. (Dec. 5, R) No. 2 Eaten Alive TV REALITY Discovery has stirred up a buzz storm with this special, taped in the Amazon rainforest, about a man in protective gear allowing himself to be swallowed by a giant green anaconda. Well, it’s not as if anyone wants to sit at home and watch a python devour Little Dorrit. Snake expert Paul Rosolie is the voluntary herpeto-lunch, all with the larger goal of raising eco-awareness. The snake survives, by the way. (Discovery, Dec. 7, 9 p.m.) No. 3 Marco Polo Go East, young man, and have the time of your life NETFLIX DRAMA The nominal hero of this new series is the far-flung Italian merchant-adventurer who traveled to Asia and the court of Kublai Khan in the 13th century. He’s played here by Lorenzo Richelmy, who looks as if he wandered away from One Direction. But the opening episodes are really more about the military conquests and political intrigues of Mongol emperor Khan (Benedict Wong). Plenty of blood, lust and treachery—smashing good fun. (Netflix, available for streaming Dec. 12) No. 4 Kelly Clarkson ‘Wrapped in Red’ The singer brings some festive joy. MUSIC HOLIDAY We all must have been very good this year to get this early present: a new offering from the original American Idol. Though the song is the title track from her 2013 holiday album, it has returned to warm even the grinchiest Grinch’s heart thanks to a cheerful new video. With the perfect mix of belting and bells, the soulful jingle echoes the pure optimism of its muse: Love Actually. If Clarkson wants to play Santa and dole out a festive treat every year, that would be just fine. No. 5 Holiday Playlist MUSIC From revised classics to new carol wannabes, here are the latest Yuletide standouts to add to your party mix. PENTATONIX ‘That’s Christmas to Me’ Their album’s title single is an a cappella treat, the perfect soundtrack for a cozy fire. KENNY CHESNEY ‘Christmas in Blue Chair Bay’ For those in warmer climes, put on this laid-back ditty. BAND AID 30 ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ The latest reboot mixes veterans (Bono) with newbies (One Direction, Ed Sheeran) to raise money for Ebola relief efforts. BAND OF MERRYMAKERS ‘Must Be Christmas’ This clap-happy tune will keep you smiling despite the mall crowds. (Bonus: Proceeds benefit MusiCares.) IDINA MENZEL ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ While you could play Holiday Wishes on a loop, her duet with Michael Bublé of this flirty classic is a favorite. ARIANA GRANDE ‘Santa Tell Me’ Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas last year? Then get into this jam, which takes St. Nick to task. No. 6 The Colbert Report Signs off TV COMEDY Washington, D.C., has tipped toward the Republicans, so now is a propitious time for Stephen Colbert to retire the false self he created for his long-running parody of conservative punditry. He’ll make a superb new host for the Late Show, but, in all truthiness, we’ll miss him long after the finale. (Comedy Central, Dec. 18, 11:30 p.m.) No. 7 The Red Tent An obscure woman from the Bible gets her due TV DRAMA Based on Anita Diamant’s novel, Tent spins out a feminist supplement to several key chapters of the Old Testament. The heart of the story imagines the life of Jacob and Leah’s daughter Dinah, who merits only a brief mention (and an ambivalent one at that) in Genesis. Here she’s a highly competent midwife who, after a tragic romance and estrangement from her large, important family, winds up in Egypt. Not good. There’s an ample foam of Biblical suds washing over all of this, but Rebecca Ferguson—who was terrific in The White Queen—has the necessary earth-mother heft to carry it along. (Lifetime, Dec. 7-8, 9 p.m.) No. 8 The Babadook MOVIE HORROR This Aussie import is never quite what it seems. Is it a drama about a widow (Essie Davis) struggling to care for a troubled son? A psychological study of a sleep-deprived woman in denial coming unhinged? Or a monster flick about a bloody bedtime story that unleashes the demons? The ingenious Babadook will keep you guessing. (Limited release and VOD, NR) No. 9 Pitbull, Globalization MUSIC HIP-HOP Mr. Worldwide continues his nonstop party with this genre-mixing eighth effort. While some of the tracks are rotation-favorites already—like “Wild Wild Love” featuring G.R.L. and the 2014 FIFA World Cup anthem “We Are One (Ole Ola)” featuring Jennifer Lopez and Brazil’s Claudia Leitte—there are new dance-floor-primed jams. (He does occasionally slow things down to a lazier—for him—tempo, like on the smooth “Day Drinking.”) Pitbull’s latest offerings may sound familiar, but since they never fail to make you smile and shake it, that’s not a bad thing at all. No. 10 The Best New Books A Sherlock Holmesian thriller, adventures in retirement living and a time-traveling detective tale Liv Spector The Beautiful and the Wicked NOVEL Ava Day was charged with murdering her billionaire lover Jack Warren back in 2008. But Ava’s sleuth sister Lila doesn’t buy it; she returns to the past (just go with it!), and Warren’s 50th-birthday party, to uncover the real story. Nothing is what it seems here, and that makes for twisty, frothy fun. Tracy Manaster You Could Be Home by Now NOVEL The Arizona retirement community depicted in this poignant, funny debut is hardly quiet. Among the unlikely residents: a young couple escaping a family tragedy and a boy hiding out with his grandma. When gay teen blogger “Lipstick Lillian” tries to help him, things get tricky. It’s a hoot that will touch your heart. BOOK OF THE WEEK Anthony Horowitz Moriarty NOVEL Sherlock Holmes’s nemesis Professor Moriarty is dead, and the great man himself is missing. Now New York investigator Frederick Chase is in London helping Scotland Yard detective Athelney Jones track down a killer Chase thinks wants to fill Moriarty’s evil shoes. The author turns up the suspense, the sleuths turn up clues, and crooks turn up dead while Moriarty’s specter hovers. Anything but elementary, this clever thriller is sure to please Sherlock fans. GREAT PICTURE BOOKS FOR KIDS Deborah Underwood and Claudia Rueda Here Comes Santa Cat On Christmas Eve, Cat is entrenched on Santa’s Naughty List. He redeems himself, comically—in the Nick of time. (Ages 3-5) Aaron Becker Quest In this follow-up to Journey, a king gives two kids a map, a crayon and a bandolier with six empty chambers. Their quest? To collect the colors of the rainbow. (Ages 4-8) Oliver Jeffers Once Upon an Alphabet If Monty Python wrote an ABC book, it might read like this outrageously daft collection that goes from Astronaut (with acrophobia) to Zeppelin. (Ages 3-5) No. 11 Top Five MOVIE COMEDY Chris Rock, who also serves as writer and director, plays Andre Allen, a stand-up comic who found easy money and fame in a series of dumb movies titled Hammy the Bear. Now, trying to stay sober and relaunch his career, he aims both high (opening a new movie about a Haitian slave rebellion) and low (on-air marriage to a reality-TV star)—on the same day. Top Five is often charming, occasionally raunchy beyond belief and kept in balance by Rock’s smart, quick mockery (for more on Rock, see page 69). (R, Dec. 12) No. 12 The PEOPLE Magazine Awards A salute to the year’s best, biggest stars and a great hero TV LIVE The year in pop culture—and it was quite a year, wasn’t it?—gets its official People stamp and send-off with this new, star-studded awards show. The two-hour special will honor movie and TV performers as well as winners in new categories, including hero of the year, breakout star, next-generation star and even a triple-threat award. The celebrity lineup features musical performances by Maroon 5 (with 2013’s Sexiest Man Alive, Adam Levine) and 5 Seconds of Summer (with plenty of future Sexiest Men Alive). (NBC, Dec. 18, 9 p.m.)