picks

Reporting from Washington — President Trump announced Saturday that he’s picked a battle-hardened commander who oversaw troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to be the nation’s next top military advisor.

If confirmed by the Senate, Gen. Mark Milley, who has been chief of the Army since August 2015, would succeed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dunford’s term doesn’t end until Oct. 1. Trump said the date of transition is yet to be determined.

Trump tweeted the news, saying “I am pleased to announce my nomination of four-star General Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the United States Army — as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing General Joe Dunford, who will be retiring. I am thankful to both of these incredible men for their service to our Country!”

Dunford is a former commandant of the Marine Corps and commander of coalition troops in Afghanistan. Milley commanded troops during several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trump’s decision, which he announced before leaving Washington to attend the annual Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia, caught some in the Pentagon by surprise Friday. Normally an announcement on a new chairman wouldn’t be expected until early next year. The officials said the Air Force chief, Gen. David Goldfein, was also a strong contender for the job, but they indicated that Milley has a very good relationship with the president.

Trump hinted earlier Friday that he would make an announcement Saturday, when he attends the game and is expected to perform the coin toss to decide which team gets the ball first. “I can give you a little hint: It will have to do with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and succession,” he said.

Milley is known as a charismatic, outgoing leader who has not been afraid to offer candid and sometimes blunt assessments to Congress. Last year, he admonished the House Armed Services Committee for its inability to approve a defense budget, slamming it as “professional malpractice.” And in 2016, he told lawmakers, in answer to a direct question, that women should also have to register for the draft now that they are allowed to serve in all combat jobs.

As the Army’s top leader, he helped shepherd the groundbreaking move of women into front-line infantry and other combat positions, while warning that it would take time to do it right. More recently, he has worked with his senior officers to reverse a deficit in Army recruiting when the service fell far short of its annual goal this year.

He also played a role in one of the Army’s more contentious criminal cases. While serving as head of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., Milley was assigned to review the case of former Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who abandoned his post in Afghanistan and was held captive by the Taliban for five years.

Milley made the early decision to charge Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Bergdahl was eventually found guilty, reduced in rank to private, dishonorably discharged and fined $10,000, but was spared any additional prison time.

A native of Winchester, Mass., and a fervent supporter of the Boston Red Sox and other city teams, Milley received his Army commission from Princeton University in 1980. An infantry officer by training, he also commanded Special Forces units in a career that included deployments in the invasion of Panama in 1989, the multinational mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina to implement the Dayton Peace Accords, and the Iraq war.

The Milley move starts a series of military leadership changes in coming months, including successors in 2019 for Adm. John Richardson as the chief of Naval Operations, Gen. Robert Neller as commandant of the Marine Corps, and Air Force Gen. Paul Selva as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Trump also will pick a replacement for Milley as Army chief.

Goldfein began his term as Air Force chief of staff in 2016, so he wouldn’t be expected to step down until the summer of 2020.

PLANNING a Sun £9.50 holiday this year?

Our UK holiday parks are packed full of things to do, from live entertainment and comedy acts to climbing walls and waterparks.

But when you’re heading away on holiday, you often want to get out and explore what the local area has to offer.

Luckily, we’ve found loads of cheap things to do for the whole family – all for under £5.

From seaside classics and scenic strolls to quirky museums, here’s our top picks of fun for under £5 across every £9.50 UK destination.

Devon

The jagged coastlines of Devon are littered with famous landmarks.

Read more on £9.50 holidays

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From Dartmoor National Park to the mighty Exeter Cathedral, there’s plenty to see and do.

England’s Haldon Forest park is just one example of how this county works so well for an off-grid getaway.

Here ,there’s various nature-rich walking trails that offer pure escapism.

The popular Stick Man trail will keep little ones thoroughly amused on their ramble.

A short drive from Exeter, Sidmouth Museum is a great place for kids in summer.

There’s special activities during the school holidays that will challenge little one’s brains and keep them intrigued. 

Think picture quizzes and guessing games that will have them whizzing around the historical displays and hunting out artefacts.

The museum reopens in March this year and entry is £2.50 per adult, while those under 16 go free.

And for a bargain beach day, grab your kite and head to Saunton Sands.

This beachside spot is known for its blustery winds that will keep little ones happy for hours as they battle to keep their kite soaring high.

On the opposite side of Devon’s sprawling coast, Dawlish Warren has buckets of family fun.

It’s home to one and a half miles of sandy shores, with go-kart rides, mini golf and amusements.

Nature-loving little ones, on the other hand, will enjoy searching for marine life in the rockpools at Jennycliff Beach in Plymouth.

There’s free parking nearby and affordable cafes.

Crabbing is a tradition in these parts. The gear is super-cheap and once you’ve shelled out for it one year, you won’t need to the next.

Head to Teignmouth, Brixham Breakwater or Lee Bay.

We’d also recommend fossil hunting on the Jurassic coast or spotting the wildlife in Dartmoor National Park.

Kent and Sussex

The coastlines of Kent have surged in popularity recently, with the likes of Margate and Folkestone receiving huge cash injections to bring a new lease of life to the areas. 

Meanwhile, Sussex boasts an excellent arts scene and is home to some fascinating historic sites, including where the Battle of Hastings took place in 1066. 

If you’re up for a subterranean adventure, the Margate Caves are guaranteed to wow.

Clambering into a damp chalk mine may not sound like a conventional family day out, but it is sure to have you captivated.

And with admission costing just £12 for a family of four (£3pp), it’s a bargain experience for all ages. 

The mines were originally dug in the 18th century before being reopened as a tourist attraction during the Victorian era, receiving a makeover in 2019.

During the summer months, kids can normally join a “cave quest”, where they’re tasked with finding animals such as elephants, crocodiles and deer, illustrated on the cavernous walls.

In West Sussex, Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve offers a great introduction to birdwatching, with warblers and lapwings to be spotted.

Entry costs just £2.50 per child and a fiver for adults.

Venture into the woodlands during autumn and you’ll spot all manner of colourful mushrooms.

Over in Brighton, it would be mad not to visit the Palace Pier, which has modern arcade games that teens will love.

And if you’re in Margate, pick up a bucket and spade and spend the day unwinding at Main Sands.

There’s an abundance of classic arcades nearby and vintage fairground Dreamland has free entry.

Whitstable is one of the most charming towns on the Kent shores, with cute cafes and pastel-coloured delis lining the streets.

Alternatively, if you’ve got buckets of energy to burn, visit Cyclopark in Gravesend.

Here, young and old can explore varying trails on two wheels.

There’s an easy-to-ride area for toddlers (£4.50 per family of five) with tunnels, bridges and even mini traffic lights, as well as BMX trails, road circuits and a play area.

It’s fair to say both of these counties have an abundance of things to do, but you don’t always have to part with your cash to enjoy what’s on offer.

It’s free to visit Preston Park — Brighton’s largest — with water fountains that kids will love in summer.

And it won’t cost a penny to explore the White Cliffs of Dover.

Meanwhile, the Sussex coast is known for its fossil-rich landscapes and Cuckmere Haven is one of the best spots to go hunting for them.  

Cornwall

For a tranquil afternoon of wildlife spotting, check out Tanglewood Wild Garden in Penzance. 

The rugged forest and its small ponds attract a huge number of birds including mallards, Canadian geese and kingfishers.

You may even spot dragonflies and damselflies hovering around the water, while squirrels and rabbits run in among the trees.

Entry costs £3 per child and £6 for adults, but that can still work out at under a fiver per person for a family.

Elsewhere, near Falmouth, Cornwall Gold is a free-entry, family-friendly attraction focused on Cornish heritage.

It offers gold-panning, pottery-painting, a jewellery showroom with local designs, and an interactive tin-mining exhibition.

Those travelling with youngsters should head to Porth Beach in Newquay.

With a large patch of sand sheltered by tall cliffs, the shallow surf is great for kids to paddle in, and for adults who are less confident swimmers. 

The sands are flanked by lots of small cafes selling affordable coffee, ice cream and snacks and there are public toilets near the car park.

Nearby Porth Joke Beach is more secluded, if you prefer.

Those venturing to Bude instead should pay a visit to Summerleaze Beach.

The Blue Flag sands are dog-friendly outside busy summer months and are backed by colourful beach huts.

There are plenty of lifeguards on duty during summer to keep an eye on youngsters, as well as adults. 

Another top attraction here is the sea pool carved out at the water’s edge.  

It is free to use and just the thing for parents wanting to be able to keep an eye on their kids as they splash about.

Fortified tidal island St Michael’s Mount, now a National Trust site, is  linked to the mainland by a cobbled causeway that is walkable at low tide.

There is no charge for walking the causeway, although you must pay to explore the castle.

Art lovers, meanwhile, will love the gallery at Falmouth. It’s free to enter and hosts various exhibitions throughout the year.

Cornwall’s Camel Trail is also a must for ramblers, runners and cyclists alike.

The free 18-mile route stretches all the way from Bodmin to Padstow — although you may like to skip the Bodmin stretch and start at Wadebridge where the views become prettier. 

Reward yourself for your exertion with a delicious home-made cake from Padstow’s Cherry Trees Coffee House.

Norfolk

Time your getaway right and you could be sharing the beach with not just the whole family, but some sweet, baby seal pups. 

Norfolk is famous for its long sandy beaches, and the surrounding marine life loves them just as much as we do.

Pupping season is this month for grey seals, while you’re more likely to spot common seals from June to August. 

And where’s the best place to see them?

Horsey Beach, close to the action-packed resort town of Great Yarmouth, plus Blakeney Point are the best spots.

And even if you don’t catch a glimpse, you won’t regret visiting these gorgeous shores. 

Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach has been entertaining families since 1909, so it sure knows a thing or two about seaside fun.

Pick up a Fun Card for £5 per person, which allows entry for the whole of 2026.

Every pound uploaded can be used as a credit to go towards the many rides and attractions, which include mini rollercoasters and classic dodgems.

Essex

If you’re keen to show the kids some culture then whisk them off to the Southend Central Museum.

Here there’s loads of local history, as well as a giant planetarium.

Over in Clacton-on-Sea, there’ s loads of family-friendly options.

Harbour ferry boat rides are a fun choice, offering a 15-minute trip to Landguard beach or a quick 5 minute-trip to ride to Shotley Marina.

The boat trips cost just £4.40 for adults (17+), £3.30 for kids and ages 0-1 go free.

Clacton Pier is a classic fun-filled and affordable place to spend an afternoon.

For £5 you can get 5 credits to use on a range of games and rides – plus there’s a bowling alley and aquarium there to explore, too.

And those after a cracking night out should look no further than this glamorous county where the nightlife scene will blow your socks off. 

As will the pints at The Last Post, a Wetherspoons pub located in  Southend’s former head post office that dates back to 1896.

Essex also has its fair share of picturesque shores. 

Southend On Sea, for example, is home to the world’s longest pleasure pier promising 1.33 miles of non-stop thrills.

Suffolk

If history and the great outdoors hold great appeal, then be sure to make your way to Suffolk, where the free fun lasts for weeks on end.

Christchurch Park is an excellent place to while away the hours, with sprawling lawns that make the perfect picnic spot. 

The Abbey Gardens, on the other hand, will pique a history lover’s interest.

It’s home to the ruins of a Benedictine monastery, as well as a beautiful rose garden made up of more than 400 bushes.

Suffolk’s got its fair share of beaches to explore, too.

Southwold Beach is a hit with its colourful beach huts, whilst Aldeburgh Beach is great for rock pooling and spotting pretty fishing boats come in with the day’s catch.

And there’s plenty to see and do with kids of all ages.

Barnville in Stowmarket is an adorable indoor play where kids can role play as chefs, builders and more in themed zones.

Tickets cost £5 per child (ages 0-5) with parents going free.

Ipswich Museum offers free admission, and takes families on a journey through the Iron Age, Ancient Egypt and more.

Scotland

With its otherworldly landscapes, it is no surprise that Scotland has played host to many blockbuster movies. 

From barren, grass-topped mountains to large, tranquil lochs, it is everything the British countryside should be — and more.

The hilly city of Edinburgh frequently steals the show — and for good reason.

There’s buckets of action-packed activity for families, yet the leafy countryside is just a hop, skip and jump away.

The Royal Commonwealth Pool, at the edge of Holyrood Park, is one of the country’s most famous leisure centres.

It was built to host the Commonwealth Games in 1970. 

Today it is an excellent spot to take the kids for a dip, with swimming sessions starting at £4.25.

The Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum will be a highlight for little ones  fascinated by ancient history.

Entry costs from £4.50 per child, or £15 for a family of one adult and two kids.

Once inside, you’ll marvel at 26 carvings of animals, birds and horsemen, with works of art dating from around the 800s.

You’ll want to head further north of the main cities for properly picturesque beaches.

Some of the Scottish shores are so quiet, you will likely get the whole of the sands to yourself.

West Sands in St Andrews is simply gorgeous, known for its two miles of uninterrupted white sands, flanked by windswept, grassy dunes.

It was even used to film the opening scenes of 1982 Oscar-winner Chariots Of Fire.

The other brilliant thing about Scotland is that many of its beaches overlook peaceful lochs instead of the sea.

Take Loch Morlich, in the Cairngorms, for example.

This fresh water loch is a watersports haven, with kayaking, paddleboarding and sailing all available.

What’s truly great about this captivating country is that you really don’t need to spend money to make the most of what’s on offer here.

Unspoilt nature is what many come to this region for and much of that is free. 

The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh is a great place to de-stress.

There’s no admission fee to access the gardens, which cover 70 acres and sit just a mile from the city centre.

While you’re there, it’s well worth making the stroll to Arthur’s Seat.

There are various routes to choose from, depending on your walking ability, with some kid-friendly options.

Either way, the peak of the hill promises exceptional, panoramic views of the capital below.

Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Nothing quite says beach holiday like a classic British pier – and the one at Skegness promises lots of fun, from the clip and climb wall and ten-pin bowling to the mind-boggling escape rooms. 

Rand Farm Park, eight miles from the city of Lincoln is home to the most adorable family of Highland cows. 

Crumpet the goat will be there, too, along with his pals Charlie the donkey and Alice the alpaca.

When the sun shines, there’s no better place to head than Hubbards Hills in Louth, home to chalk‑streams that are perfect for paddling in.

And on the grassy banks you can set up camp with a picnic blanket and basket of takeaway goodies.

The woodland keeps the area cool, offering plenty of shade in the height of summer. 

Eager to spot some wildlife? Head to Donna Nook salt marsh in the north of the county for a chance to see seals.

What does Yorkshire do better than anywhere else? Tea, of course.

And you’ll be spoilt for choice with excellent coffee houses and cafes dotted all over the county, many offering views of rolling hills.

It would be a sin not to venture to a Bettys tea room.

There are two in Harrogate, two in York and one in Ilkley and they all serve its famous Fat Rascal, a scone-like biscuit packed with glace cherries and decorated with almonds to form a smiley face.

Samuel Smith’s is one of Yorkshire oldest breweries and its boozers are scattered across the county, so be sure to pop in and sink a few pints.

Tadcaster is the original site, dating back to 1758.

Isle of Wight

Hopping on a ferry adds an extra layer of excitement to a staycation. 

And the fact that the journey from the mainland to the Isle of Wight can take as little as 22 minutes  means you won’t have to deal with whines of “Are we there yet?”.

The island is frequently referred to as the Dinosaur Capital of Britain, thanks to the large number of bones and fossils that have been found on an 11-mile stretch of coastline there.

Dinosaurs are just part of what makes the Isle of Wight’s past fascinating, and you’ll uncover more interesting facts at the Museum of Island History in Newport.

The attraction, which reopens in February and costs £1 for adults and 50p for kids, offers access to hands-on displays, archaeological finds and a variety of exhibitions.

If dinosaurs are your focus, book a guided National Trust Fossil Walk at Compton Bay.

You can hunt for Cretaceous-period fossils, including dinosaur bones.

Walks cost from £3 per child and a fiver for adults and give you a real understanding of the region.

Those after traditional seaside fun can’t go far wrong with Sandown Beach, on the east of the island.

The long stretch of golden sands is ideal for building sandcastles, while a classic pier with arcade games will keep the older kids happy.

The calm waters make it a great spot for little ones to paddle, too.

On the other side of the island sits Compton Bay, a stunning two-mile stretch backed by sandstone cliffs, which make it one of the more beautiful spots.

It’s part of a National Trust site and is littered with tiny rockpools where kids can go hunting for marine life.

You have to pay for parking if you are not a National Trust ­member. 

The Donkey Sanctuary in Wroxall is free to visit, although donations are welcomed.

There’s a playground and if you’re willing to splash a bit of cash you can   learn how to care for the animals and get some exclusive time with them.

Appley Park in Ryde consists of a sweet beach-side playground with slides and climbing frames.

There’s also a budget cafe nearby as well as public toilets.

You don’t need to pay to gaze at the mighty Carisbrooke Castle, either.

The English Heritage site looks just as impressive from the outside, with its rickety stone walls and 14th century gatehouse.

Several walking routes will pass the grounds and lead you through the charming village.

Wales

Unspoilt landscapes featuring ancient castle ruins and breath-taking beaches flanked by windswept sand dunes.

And this is only a fraction of what makes Wales a cracking staycation spot.

History buffs can take their picks from Caernarfon Castle, Cardiff Castle, Castell Harlech, Conwy Castle and Kidwelly Castle, each of which has a unique story to tell.

If you decide on Cardiff, swing by the National Museum Cardiff while you’re there, which is free to enter and crammed full of ancient animal skeletons, artwork and historic artefacts.

Some downtime is crucial, too, of course. And one of the best beaches for pure relaxation is Pwll Du Bay. 

This secluded patch of sand is tucked away at the bottom of a valley, which means it can be a little challenging to reach, but it’s worth it for the magnificent views of rolling waves, crashing onto the limestone cliffs.

North East

The southern beaches of the UK may steal the limelight in summer, but that’s partly what makes a northern escape that bit better.

You can avoid the heaving crowds of Cornwall and enjoy the quiet and less commercialised coastlines in peace.

Bamburgh Beach in Northumberland is one of the best and most scenic, with views of the mighty Bamburgh Castle.

Its sands are flat and waters relatively calm so it’s great for toddlers and those who can only paddle, as well as keen sandcastle builders and bird-watching. 

Watersports fans may want to set their sights on Beadnell Bay instead of Bamburgh.

There tends to be good swell, attracting hordes of surfers year on year.

But if that sounds too challenging, pick up a body board from one of the seaside shops or have a go at stand-up paddle boarding. 

If you’re travelling to the North East then you’ll probably want to visit the energetic city of Newcastle, famous for its nightlife and family-friendly attractions.

There’s free attractions like the Discovery Museum and Great North Museum: Hancock, both of which have dedicated kids areas.

There are several National Trust sites, too, in the North East, including Cragside, Wallington and Gibside.

North West

Love a beach but not a fan of the sand? Head to the North West, where the Lake District boasts all the benefits of the beach, but without sandy toes.

Windermere is England’s largest natural lake and probably the most well-known too – for good reason. 

This is also one of the best parts of the UK to go cycling to soak up the views, so make sure to bring your bikes for a fun free activity – or simply go for a walk.

The Grizedale Forest trail offers breathtaking trail views of lakes and mountains.

It’s a great ramble for children, too, thanks to the artwork and sculptures dotted throughout the woodland.

Central England

If you’ll be staying at Newhaven, Billing Aquadrome or Malvern View Country and Leisure Park, here’s some top activities for the whole family for under a fiver.

The Peaks are right on your doorstep at Newhaven, with its famous hiking trails, woodlands and caverns to explore.

Padley Gorge is a good option for families with its wooded valley and gentle stream paths that kids love to explore.

Derby Arboretum is also nearby, and is known as Britain’s first public park.

Over in Northampton, guests at Billing Aquadrome can head to Sywell Country Park for lakeside walks, wildlife watching and your choice of scenic picnic spots.

Abington is worth a visit for both its park and free museum, which always has great hands-on exhibitions for kids.

A short drive will take you to Stanwick Lakes, where there’s everything from an assault course, adventure park and water play areas to zip lines.

The best part is you only have to pay for parking – and up to 4 hours costs just £4.90.

And for those staying at Malvern in Worcester, Herefordshire, there’s plenty to do both indoors and out.

The Malvern Hills Natural Landscape has endless walking and cycling trails to explore in the warmer weather.

Priory Park, Malvern Common and Belle Vue Island are other scenic options for outdoors-y types.

History fans can head to Malvern Museum or Great Malvern Priory for free, to take part in kids’ trails or admire stained-glass architecture.

There’s also Imagination Street nearby if you’re looking for some indoor play for younger kids, including an inflatable park – just make sure to book your slot in advance.

Dorset, Somerset and Hampshire

With three holiday park locations spread out down South, we’ve collected some of the best cheap or even free things to do if you’ll be staying at Sandford, Unity Beach or Hayling Island.

Those staying at Unity Beach in Brean Sands have plenty to explore on your doorstep.

Brean Beach has miles of golden sands to explore and is just steps away from the park – so make sure to pack your buckets and spades and inflatables to bring on holiday with you.

Brean Down Fort is a slice of history that’s free to explore, and the countryside trails around Brean Down are best explored by foot or bike.

Over in Poole, Dorset, there’s plenty to see and do for guests of Sandford holiday park.

Poole Museum has free entry and is a great rainy day option. There’s often free discovery trails and exhibitions specifically for kids.

The RNLI Poole Lifeboat Museum is another great choice.

Here you can meet Thomas Kirk Wright, a Surf class lifeboat who operated from 1939 to 1962.

And if you want to get out into the outdoors, Upton Country Park is home to huge grassy parklands, nature walks and woods perfect for den-building.

Over in Hayling Island, Hampshire, entrance to the Funland Amusement Parks is free.

Here there’s activities like a clip and climb and a pirate-themed mini golf course.

Hayling Island Donkey Sanctuary is also free to visit, though it is open to charity donations.

And entire days can be spent exploring Hayling Island beach and promenade, lined with traditional arcades and ice cream shops.

Sunday, 10 a.m. TV: NFL Ticket.

Line: Vikings by 5½. O/U: 36½.

The Packers are locked in as the No. 7 seed, and the Vikings are playing for pride. Have to believe with all the injuries his team has dealt with, Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur is going to make preserving health a priority. So no matter what happens at quarterback, I like the Vikings winning at home.

Pick: Vikings 21, Packers 16

As an editor, the lion’s share of my job is about identifying the awards season’s most compelling stories and conveying them to our readers. But I do reserve a small sliver of time for the joys of advocacy, championing work that I love and hoping that converts readers into viewers, and perhaps even voters.

So, with no new issue this week, my New Year’s Eve newsletter felt like the perfect time to reflect on the movies and TV shows that moved me in 2025. And if you give them another look before you cast your awards ballots, all the better.

MOVIES

1. ‘A Little Prayer’ and ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’

David Strathairn and Jane Levy in “A Little Prayer.”

(Music Box Films)

I am not terribly spiritual myself, but I encountered transcendence twice at the movies this year. As quiet and beseeching as its title, Angus MacLachlan’s chamber drama “A Little Prayer,” about a family man (David Strathairn) navigating marital trouble between his son (Will Pullen) and his daughter-in-law (Jane Levy), uncovers varieties of religious experience in 19th century landscape painting and small, memorable kindnesses. As sweeping as the extraordinary life it depicts, Mona Fastvold’s biographical portrait “The Testament of Ann Lee,” which follows the Shaker leader (Amanda Seyfried) and her devotees from the textile mills of Manchester to the wilderness of colonial New York, carves sensuous art from the exalted song and dance of evangelical faith. But whether the scale is intimate or epic, both capture, to quote “A Little Prayer,” that rare thing: “a powerful sense of the sublime.”

2. ‘Sinners’

Michael B. Jordan in “Sinners.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

“Sinners” has rightly been praised for its novel twist on the vampire genre, its deep investment in African and African American music, its blockbuster box office in an era largely dominated by franchise IP. But perhaps the highest compliment I can give director Ryan Coogler may be that the Jim Crow Mississippi he conjures is so richly textured, so allergic to cant or cliche, that I’d have been just as riveted if the bloodsuckers had never shown up. That’s what it’s like to be in the hands of a master.

3. ‘Sorry, Baby’

Eva Victor in “Sorry, Baby.”

(Philip Keith / A24)

Eva Victor is not the first filmmaker to face trauma with a sense of humor, but few have done it with such a gentle, humane touch. As Victor’s Agnes moves through life in the aftermath of a sexual assault on her college campus, the writer-director-star focuses squarely on the slow, ungainly, ultimately profound work of healing — and includes some of the best gags about academia this reformed graduate student has ever seen. No apology needed: “Sorry, Baby” marks the arrival of a major talent.

4. ‘One Battle After Another’

Leonardo DiCaprio in “One Battle After Another.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

With elements of action, satire, political thriller and family melodrama, Paul Thomas Anderson’s wild yarn about the members of a revolutionary group — and the fallout that comes when the past catches up with them — is well-nigh indescribable. But it’s also unforgettable. Combining high-wire filmmaking with electric performances, it never relinquishes its grip on the viewer and invites multiple viewings. Which is just as well, considering that this one is going to be on the tip of our tongues all the way through the Oscars.

5. ‘Nouvelle Vague’

Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg and Guillaume Marbeck as Jean-Luc Godard in “Nouvelle Vague.”

(Jean-Louis Fernandez)

The purest delight of the season is Richard Linklater’s mash note for the French New Wave, a zippy comedy of errors about the making of one of the most influential films of all time. As Jean-Luc Godard (the rakishly charming Guillaume Marbeck) tries to put “Breathless” together with spit, glue and attitude on the streets of Paris, “Nouvelle Vague” becomes as confident a caper as the original, with Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) and Jean Seberg (a beguiling Zoey Deutch) as the French director’s oft-befuddled collaborators — and sometimes foils. To overlook a film with this much cinematic joie de vivre would be a crime.

6. ‘Sirât’

The rave sequence that opens “Sirât.”

(Neon)

The less said the better about Spain’s acclaimed Oscar submission, which takes such twists and turns as it wends its way through the Moroccan desert that it left me frozen, after my first screening, in a sort of defensive crouch. I simply suggest that you go on the journey with filmmaker Oliver Laxe as he follows a father (Sergi López) and son (Bruno Núñez Arjona) on their search for a missing loved one, beginning with a rave so lifelike it almost had me dancing in the aisles.

7. ‘Hedda’

Tessa Thompson, center, in “Hedda.”

(Matt Towers / Prime Video)

I must admit I went warily into “Hedda.” An awards-season Ibsen adaptation had, I feared, all the makings of a fusty, dour costume drama. Mea culpa, Nia DaCosta. Mea culpa. The filmmaker’s sharp, fresh take on “Hedda Gabler,” featuring mesmerizing performances from Tessa Thompson as the devious title character and Nina Hoss as her (gender-swapped) former lover, renders the play as provocatively, and vividly, for today’s viewer as it must have been for attendees at the Munich premiere in 1891 — and in the process reminds us why the original is an enduring classic.

8. ‘Sentimental Value’

Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning in “Sentimental Value.”

(Kasper Tuxen)

No film this year has left me more eager for a rewatch than Joachim Trier’s delicate family drama, and I was rewarded with the sense that “Sentimental Value” is really two films, woven together so deftly that they can’t quite be unraveled. One is the story of two sisters (Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) bonded by generational trauma. The other is about a filmmaker, their father (Stellan Skarsgård), recruiting a sympathetic outsider (Elle Fanning) to tell the story of his own. By the time these strands reach their conclusion, on a soundstage built to resemble the family manse, Trier’s thoughtful architecture pays off in the understanding that you really can go home again, because home is a state of mind.

9. ‘The Alabama Solution’

A still from “The Alabama Solution.”

(HBO Documentary Films)

In an especially strong year for documentaries, particularly those that appreciate, emulate or chronicle the work of investigative journalism, it seems a shame to single out just one. But from the moment of its Sundance Film Festival premiere, the movie by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman registered as a prime example of nonfiction storytelling’s unmatched ability to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable,” starting with its unflinching use of Alabama state prison inmates’ contraband cellphone footage of the shocking conditions they’re forced to endure. As advocacy, as exposé, as portrait of the fight for justice, no documentary has stuck with me this year quite like “The Alabama Solution.”

10. ‘All That’s Left of You’ and ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’

Scenes from “All That’s Left of You,” left, and “The Voice of Hind Rajab.”

(Watermelon Pictures; Venice Film Festival)

One expands its tale of the Palestinian experience across continents and decades, the other condenses its saga to just 90 minutes, balanced on a knife’s edge between documentary and drama. But for all their stark stylistic differences, both “All That’s Left of You” and “The Voice of Hind Rajab” — along with films such as “Palestine 36” and “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” — urgently communicate, in specific human terms, the life-and-death consequences of a struggle for self-determination too often abstracted in the West to its “complicated” or “thorny” geopolitics. Whether the setting is Jaffa or Gaza, the subject a multigenerational family pushed to its breaking point or the fate of a single little girl, both will leave you shaken. As they should.

TV SHOWS

1. ‘Andor’

Diego Luna and Genevieve O’Reilly in “Andor.”

(Lucasfilm Ltd. / Disney)

Turning its portrait of reluctant rebel Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) into a kaleidoscopic thriller about a simmering revolution reaching the boil — and the authoritarian forces set on stopping them — “Andor’s” second season emerged, by degrees, as the year’s most astounding political allegory — on any size of screen. Aided by an ingenious structure, which divided its four-year arc into four, three-episode miniseries, it ensnared even avowed “Star Wars” skeptics, and featured both the best action set piece and the best monologue of the year.

2. ‘The Rehearsal’

Nathan Fielder in “The Rehearsal.”

(John P. Johnson / HBO)

Another sophomore step up, this iteration of “The Rehearsal” — which bordered on cavalier about its civilian subjects in Season 1 — finds impresario Nathan Fielder with more skin in the game, and so becomes a revelatory meta-comedy that lives up to its immense ambition. Come for the elaborate re-creation of American airports, stay for a surprisingly vulnerable Fielder investigating the possibility that he’s on the autism spectrum, and be wowed by the series’ real-world implications for pilot communication. Whatever aspect of “The Rehearsal” grabs you first, it’s the inimitable, inexpressible whole that makes it essential viewing.

3. ‘Adolescence’

Stephen Graham, left, and Owen Cooper in “Adolescence.”

(Netflix)

It would be easy to be jaded about “Adolescence,” which seems likely to follow in the footsteps of “Baby Reindeer” and win just about every award it’s eligible for. (It’s already notched eight Emmys.) But from the moment I first laid eyes on its extraordinary one-shots, I was persuaded that the series’ technical wizardry was no gimmick. As written by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini, in style and substance “Adolescence” captures polite society’s hold on young men spiraling out of control — and invests its central figure, Owen Cooper’s 13-year-old Jamie, with both the childishness and the menace to match.

4. ‘Elsbeth’

Carrie Preston in “Elsbeth.”

(Michael Parmelee / CBS)

I was glad to hear that CBS plans to campaign “Elsbeth” as a comedy at the Emmys in 2026, in part because it may improve Carrie Preston’s chances at a nod for her turn as irrepressible investigator Elsbeth Tascioni, and in part because the designation highlights what has always shined most in the legal universe of Robert and Michelle King. Here, it’s broader and brighter than the acerbic satire of “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight,” and embedded in a “Columbo”-esque case-of-the-week structure, but the pair’s sense of humor — always keyed to punching up — continually works wonders, especially in a world where so much crime media is unrelentingly grim.

5. ‘The Pitt’

Noah Wyle in “The Pitt.”

(Warrick Page / HBO Max)

Given that “ER” was the first show my mom let me stay up late to watch, I wasn’t surprised to like “The Pitt.” But even with my high expectations, I was dazzled by the series’ ability to introduce such a wide array of characters in the pilot episode, and then to develop them all in a seemingly infinite variety of directions while solving one medical crisis after another. Indeed, forced by its “real-time” structure to keep the focus tight even as the stakes ratchet skyward, “The Pitt” registers as even richer, subtler and more relevant than its predecessor. May its heyday last just as long.

6. ‘Dying for Sex’

Jenny Slate, left, Sissy Spacek and Michelle Williams in “Dying for Sex.”

(Sarah Shatz / FX)

Since first seeing it in the spring, I haven’t been able to get out of my head the most hilarious moment in “Dying for Sex.” When Molly (Michelle Williams), early in a journey of sexual self-discovery prompted by a recurrence of cancer, falls victim to an online ransomware scam, she drops to the floor to escape the sight of her laptop camera — soon to be joined by her loyal but scattered bestie, Nikki (Jenny Slate), who is not much help but is great company. It had me doubled over with laughter, like so much of Liz Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock’s adaptation of the real-life story. The miniseries never pulls a comic punch despite the heavy subject matter, and is peppered with idiosyncratic choices and memorable performances that make it sing. Special shout out to Rob Delaney for turning a total slob named Neighbor Guy into one of the romantic heroes of the year.

7. ‘Forever’

Michael Cooper Jr. and Lovie Simone in “Forever.”

(Elizabeth Morris / Netflix)

The Emmy success of “The Studio” and the buzz around “I Love L.A.” may have somewhat overshadowed “Forever,” but they have given me consistent opportunities in 2025 to recommend my favorite L.A.-set show of the year. Mara Brock Akil’s warmhearted, meticulously wrought teen romance, channeling Judy Blume’s condescension-free interest in young people, paints a portrait of places in the city where those other series rarely go, and does so with uncommon sensitivity. I could watch “Forever,” well, forever. Plus, it features one of the year’s finest dramatic performances: Like the series as a whole, Karen Pittman’s protective mother transforms an archetype that could easily ring with cliches into a lived-in, multilayered portrait. Give me more, Netflix!

8. ‘The Gilded Age’

Audra McDonald, left, and Denée Benton in “The Gilded Age.”

(Karolina Wojtasik / HBO)

After two enjoyably low-stakes seasons, HBO’s New York-set spin on the upstairs/downstairs drama, created by “Downton Abbey’s” Julian Fellowes, breaks out of the (opera) box in Season 3. With ruined women, roguish men and more geegaws than you can shake a stick at — not to mention a character known to the internet as Clock Twink (Ben Ahlers) — the series remains a deliciously campy prime-time soap, but it now features moments of genuine romance, or regret, to accompany the social climbing. With Peggy (Denée Benton) finding love, Ada (Cynthia Nixon) finding fortune and conniver in chief Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) finding herself on the outs with her wealthy husband (Morgan Spector), “The Gilded Age” has reached glorious maturity by developing a subplot for just about every taste, even one as lofty as the Van Rhijns’.

9. ‘The Paper’

Domhnall Gleeson in “The Paper.”

(Aaron Epstein / Peacock)

Call me a homer if you like for putting a show about the survival of local newspapers on this list. And when it comes to the indignities of 21st century journalism, “The Office” spin-off, from Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, certainly passes my fact-check. But more importantly, and sustainably, Peacock’s mockumentary treats the Toledo Truth Teller as the setting for a rock-solid workplace comedy, replete with a winsome editor in chief (Domhnall Gleeson), an ace reporter (Chelsea Frei) and a perfect foil, in the form of managing editor/aspiring influencer Esmeralda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore, in perhaps the year’s funniest performance). Sure, I’m liable to root for any film of TV show that qualifies as a “love letter” to my chosen profession, but you can’t fake credibility. “The Paper” has the goods.

10. ‘Pluribus’ and ‘Paradise’

Sterling K. Brown in “Paradise,” and Rhea Seehorn in “Pluribus.”

(Disney; Apple TV)

One is full of jaw-dropping plot twists, the other meditative, often silent. One imagines the end of the world as we know it in terms of natural disaster, the other in the form of an extraterrestrial’s utopia. What Dan Fogelman’s “Paradise” and Vince Gilligan’s “Pluribus” share, though, is far more important than what sets them apart: a commitment to postapocalyptic storytelling rooted in flawed, compelling characters, not the minutia of megavolcanoes and mRNA. Indeed, as “Paradise’s” hero, Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown), squares off against the power-mad Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) in an underground bunker, or “Pluribus’” Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) clashes with stubborn ally Manousos Oviedo (Carlos Manuel Vesga) on an Earth overtaken by happy lemmings, what becomes clear about both series — and I mean this as a high compliment — is how ordinary they are. If you want to know how you might handle doomsday, you could do worse than starting here.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert runs with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 21.

(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)

Saturday, 1:30 p.m. TV: CBS, NFL Network.

Line: Chargers by 1½. O/U: 39½.

Houston has been a hard matchup for the Chargers, and can turn up the heat on Justin Herbert. But Jim Harbaugh’s team has found new ways to win, and is capable of outscoring the Texans, who are really struggling in the red zone. Low-scoring and physical.

Pick: Chargers 20, Texans 17

De Los recently did a team huddle to determine our personal list of best albums, as well as our favorite songs released in 2025. This is not another garden variety Latin genre list, but a highlight reel of 2025 releases that showcases artists from Latin America and the diaspora.

20. Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco feat. the Marías, “Ojos Tristes”
Released months before their highly-publicized wedding in September, “I Said I Love You First,” the album by multi-hyphenate superstar Selena Gomez and hit songwriter-producer Benny Blanco, was first conceived from nights spent perusing each other’s vintage record collections. Gomez resonated with the spectral 1982 ballad “El Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes,” as originally recorded by the O.G. sad girl en español, Jeanette. After seeing the Marías in concert, the couple hit up the band to further maximize their joint slay — and revamp the classic as a bilingual dream-pop track, simply named “Ojos Tristes.” It not only topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, but it introduced a new generation to Jeanette’s timeless allure. —Suzy Exposito

19. JR Torres, “Desde Abajo Vengo”
It never fails: True to its ever reliable, unassuming ethos, the genre of música mexicana invariably delivers some of the year’s most gorgeous tunes. The melody on this two-minute single by Culiacán, Sinaloa, native JR Torres is a pearl of astounding purity, a theme developed alternately by the accordion and vocal line, and one that — like so many norteño hits — conveys an ocean of longing. The lyrics belong to the himnos de superación canon: a self-taught man outlines his road to success, paved with honesty, resilience and hard work. But it is the music itself that cements “Desde Abajo Vengo” as a Mexican classic for the ages. —Ernesto Lechner

18. Juana Rozas, “WANNA HOTEL”
Juana Rozas understands the emerging queer Latin underground, in all of its swirling genre hodgepodge, better than most. Her album “TANYA” is an unrestrained porteña whirlwind, rapidly shifting between industrial, electroclash, and doom metal, with all of these disparate influences coalescing on the highlight track “WANNA HOTEL.” The song splits the difference between atmospheric trap heaven and hardstyle hell, placing you squarely in a warehouse mosh pit. It’s vertigo-inducing sonic whiplash, complete with thumping techno and copious nose drugs. You can try to head to the hallways for a breather, but it feels better to be in the depths of Rozas’ debauchery. —Reanna Cruz

17. Macario Martinez, “Sueña Lindo, Corazón”
There isn’t a better feel-good story this year than Macario Martínez’s unexpected rise to fame. The Mexico City native and now former street sweeper went viral in January after uploading a TikTok video that showed him riding in the back of a sanitation truck at night. Soundtracking it is a snippet of “Sueña Lindo, Corazón,” a tender, stripped-down folk lullaby for a wounded heart. The clip included the following caption: “Life asks for a lot and I’m just a street sweeper who wants you to listen to his music.” Listen they did. The video has been viewed tens of millions of times and was shared by the likes of Harry Styles. turning Martínez into one of the most promising rising talents in Latin music. —Fidel Martinez

16. Dareyes de la Sierra, “Frecuencia”
The opening line of “Frecuencia” — “Yo sé que voy a morirme por eso bien loco vivo” (“I know I’m going to die, that’s why I live crazily”) — hits a little bit different once you learn that singer José Darey Castro survived an attempt on his life in 2004. Don’t let the usage of traditional música Mexicana instruments fool you; the cadence of this braggadocious track about hedonistic excess and indulgence is closer to hip-hop. With “Frecuencia,” and the album it comes from (“Redención,” which translates to “Redemption”), the regional veteran with more than two decades of experience under his belt proves that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. —F.M.

15. Cuco, “Ridin’”
For his third studio album, “Ridin’,” Cuco said he wanted to embody the timelessness of Chicano soul without being derivative. “I wanted to go for more natural sounds with the soul sound, but I think it’s just inevitable for me sometimes,” the 27-year-old multi-instrumentalist from Hawthorne told De Los this summer. “I’m just going to end up doing some psychedelic parts with the music because that’s what I’ve always been.” This happy marriage of influences is most apparent in the LP’s titular track, which starts off feeling like you’re cruising with your sweetheart down a Southern California highway in a 1964 Chevy Impala before taking off into space. —F.M.

14. Mon Laferte, “Las Flores Que Dejaste En La Mesa”
Recently, Mon Laferte told me that she was especially proud of a verse in this song where she rhymed the description of a former lover’s erection with the word architecture. The juxtaposition of poetic wordplay with graphic sexuality is one of the Chilean singer’s favorite devices — here, it adds a frisson of decadence to a lush orchestration reminiscent of John Barry’s 007 themes. A key track off Laferte’s noirish “Femme Fatale,” “Las Flores Que Dejaste En La Mesa” takes off with the quiet longing of bossa nova, boils into unhinged bolero territory, then incorporates the icy electro loops of trip-hop icons Portishead. Still, the heart of the song is Laferte’s vocal performance — wounded and incandescent. —E.L.

13. Planta Industrial, “Oi”
Hilariously named “Punkwave Sin Barreras” — a nod to the ESL learning series “Inglés Sin Barreras” — the debut EP by the Bronx Dominican duo Planta Industrial is a generous helping of punk rock, darkwave and dembow fusion. The project is powered by high school friends turned rappers, who go by the names A.K.A. The Darknight and Saso (recently featured on the song “Caribeño” with Rauw Alejandro). On “Oi,” a clever stand-in for the word “hoy,” the duo deploy frenetic breakbeats, Ramones-style gang vocals and a touch of Toño Rosario freakness to demand their dues from a cheapskate boss. “F— you, pay me, “ chant the MCs. “Mañana, no — oi oi oi!” —S.E.

12. Six Sex feat. MCR-T, “Bitches Like Me”
This year, Argentina established itself as the Latin rave epicenter, with Six Sex leading the charge. Alongside Berlin-based club DJ MCR-T, and a propulsive synth line from Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” the Buenos Aires baddie crafts one of the chicest earworms of the year. The beauty of using one of the best pop melodies of all time is that it’s already engineered for success, so MCR-T keeps it simple and silly with the addition of a thumping, four-to-the-floor beat. It plays out like a drunken freestyling session in your coolest friend’s apartment — with lines like “you are not that bitch” delivered with a heavily-accented affectation that feels seductive, but more importantly, unbothered. —R.C.

11. Rosalía feat. Yahritza Y Su Esencia, “La Perla”
Although the Spanish singer would be ineligible for this list on her own, Rosalía’s diss track “La Perla” — a scathing, ranchera-style ballad dedicated to a certain pretty boy ex with a sizable collection of other women’s bras — shines bright among her otherwise sparkling collection of orchestral pop songs in “Lux.” Rosalía wisely recruited the swooning Mexican American sierreña trio, Yahritza Y Su Esencia, to help her better emulate a Paquita La Del Barrio dress-down of a lover gone astray. The spirit of “La Perla” articulates not what it sounds like to be loved Mexicanly, but to be loathed Mexicanly — á la Catalana. —S.E.

10. Netón Vega, “Me Ha Costado”
Netón Vega’s sprawling debut album “Mi Vida Mi Muerte” makes a formidable attempt to define the rapidly-shifting sound of corridos tumbados, courtesy of one of the genre’s eminent songwriters. On “Me Ha Costado,” Vega, who hails from Baja California Sur, combines blown-out 808s with a G-funk whine to create a pan-Californian posse track. There’s an overload of shot-calling swagger dripping from every section here, from Alemán’s bouncing hook to Victor Mendivil’s shoutouts to San Andrés and Mazamitla. If you close your eyes, you could see the trio’s lowrider rolling down Whittier Blvd, with all three mischief-makers hanging out the windows. —R.C.

9. Cardi B, “Bodega Baddie”
I am tired of celebrities pretending that they go to the bodega for street cred: “if you know, you know.” One thing about Cardi B, though? I believe she remembers where she came from. “Bodega Baddie” is a bilingual ode to the Bronx’s Dominican enclaves where Cardi From The Block spent her childhood. It’s less than two minutes long, but moves at such a breakneck pace that if you close your eyes, you’re transported outside a deli on Dyckman on a hot summer day — where the fire hydrants are open, 808s are shaking storefront windows, and the whole block is outside. It’s some of the most electric mise-en-scène this year, anchored by a sample of Magic Juan’s “Ta Buena (Tipico)” merengue. —R.C.

8. Kali Uchis, “Sugar! Honey! Love!”
The Colombian American soulstress has played many roles in her songs: a baddie, a psychic, a woman adrift at sea in a yellow raincoat. But in the making of her 2025 album “Sincerely,” she explored the profound vulnerability of becoming a mother — and her sighing revelations in “Sugar! Honey! Love!” melt most beautifully into the hazy pop ether. “I was already an emotional person, [but] since my pregnancy I’ve been able to feel a lot deeper,” she told De Los in May. “When your child is born, you’re reborn in a lot of ways. It’s a death and a rebirth of yourself. But I think a lot of joy and hope comes with that.” —S.E.

7. Adrian Quesada feat. Angélica Garica, “No Juego”
At the start of “No Juego,” we hear the sound of tape being rewound, as if to suggest that we’re about to listen to something from a different era. Sure enough, the psychedelia of the keyboard, guitar and drums transports us to the late 1960s, only to be brought back to the present by the self-assured delivery of vocalist (and El Monte’s own) Angélica Garcia. “No vine pa’ pedir permiso,” she briefly raps (“I’m not here to ask for permission”), before throwing theatrical vocal daggers at a former lover who couldn’t stay true. She’s letting us know that we’re in her world and she’s not playing around. “No Juego” is easily the crown jewel of “Boleros Psicodélicos II.”—F.M.

6. Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso, “#TETAS”
Sometimes a song is only as successful as its concept. On “#TETAS,” the Argentine trickster gods Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso try to reverse-engineer a pop anthem, ChatGPT buzzwords and all. A flippant listener could dismiss “#TETAS” as just a winking novelty song — after all, what “serious” track contains a character named Gymbaland, the lyrics “let me be your Chad,” and a post-chorus counting dabs? The thing is, though, between the slinking bass line, the massive 80’s Yamaha pianos, and a final key change that soars through the ceiling, the song becomes the exact pop anthem that they’re trying to satirize. “This is a f— smash,” go the final lines of the song. We’re inclined to agree. —R.C.

5. Silvana Estrada, “Como Un Pájaro”
As we compiled the songs for this list, we struggled selecting just one track off Silvana Estrada’s stunning second album. At 28, the singer-songwriter from Veracruz informs her work with a level of maturity that most artists won’t achieve in a lifetime. Like most of the cuts in “Vendrán Suaves Lluvias,” “Como Un Pájaro” draws from the wisdom of the trova movement; enamored with the immediacy of stringed instruments, chronicling the process of healing using metaphors from the natural world. The song’s climax — Estrada’s lustrous voice intertwined with a swelling orchestral arrangement — will probably bring tears to your eyes. Fun fact: In concert, she reproduces the lilting whistled interlude to perfection. —E.L.

4. Astropical, “Fogata (Leo)”
Following a memorable performance at the Hollywood Bowl last summer, it became apparent that Astropical, the supergroup formed by members of Colombia’s Bomba Estéreo and Venezuela’s Rawayana, will probably never reconvene again. We’ll always have “Fogata,” though — a song about holding on to the precious moments of bliss when confronted with the ephemeral nature of… well, everything. The track combines the warmth of a beachside bonfire with slick, Afrobeats-soaked grooves. The stars of the show? The honeyed harmonies of Li Saumet and Beto Montenegro, now intertwined until the end of time. —E.L.

3. Isabella Lovestory, “Telenovela”
Who among us hasn’t thought — whether it be ironically or authentically — “my life is a movie?” Isabella Lovestory takes it one further: her sexcapades, in all their glamour and drama, are worthy of their own telenovela. Much of her sophomore album “Vanity” has main character energy, and Lovestory’s “Telenovela,” with its extended metaphors of Barbarella bad bitches, “tragica erotica,” and using “su lengua pa cambiar el canal” is the descriptive centerpiece. If it doesn’t bring a flush to your cheeks, you’re not listening hard enough; the way she coos “uy-uy-uy” will linger the next time things get a little hot and heavy. —R.C.

2. Fuerza Regida, “Marlboro Rojo”
If I sit on the porch of my Boyle Heights home for 15 minutes, I guarantee you that a pickup truck will eventually drive by playing a corrido at a window-rattling volume. For the last six months, the song of choice blasting from the blown out speakers of these mamalonas has been “Marlboro Rojo.” I get it. The track is so unapologetically — ugh, cringe word, I know — Mexican. What better way to announce your presence than with the boom boom of the sousaphone? 2025 was a marquee year for música Mexicana and no one was more on top of their game than Fuerza Regida. My personal favorite version of this song is from the Apple Music Live concert taped earlier this summer at Mexico City’s GNP Stadium. Hearing the tens of thousands of fans singing the chorus back to JOP gives me chills. — F.M.

1. Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”
Is there a Bad Bunny record that’s not a love letter to his native Puerto Rico? His 2025 juggernaut, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” however, goes far beyond the usual motherland worship; the album’s greatest takeaway is to cherish not just the place, but the people you call home, too. Invoking the feverish, tropical melodrama of salsa titans past and present, Bad Bunny delivers one of his most tremendous vocal performances — powered by his enduring love for a woman he used to know, comparing her to an unforgettable dance. But it’s just like Benito to cut through the gravitas of his own song by lauding an ex for her sexual prowess — namely, her boquita — but his magic as a hit songwriter is most potent in verses that oscillate between the sacred and profane. —S.E.

Sunday, 10 a.m. TV: CBS, Paramount+.

Line: Bills by 10½. O/U: 41½.

After an amazing comeback against a really strong New England team last Sunday, the Bills are emboldened and Josh Allen is on an MVP pace. Cleveland relies on its stout defense, but that unit didn’t show up in Week 15 against Chicago, surrendering 31 points. Buffalo, which is 7-2 outside the division, wins this going away.

Pick: Bills 27, Browns 16