the future is now

Usher heads to Houston on big Past Present Future tour

Usher will perform at Toyota Center on Wednesday, November 27.

Photo by Bellamy Brewster

Fresh off his big Super Bowl LVIII halftime show appearance, R&B superstar Usher will capitalize on that massive exposure on his Past Present Future tour that now includes a stop at Toyota Center on Wednesday, November 27.

His 51-date Past Present Future tour will kick off in Atlanta on August 16. In addition to Dallas, Usher will also perform in Austin on October 7 and 8. Usher just added a third show in Dallas along with the Houston date. He will now play a third show at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday, October 3, to go along with the two previously announced shows on Friday, October 4, and Saturday, October 5.

The tour is in support of his new album, Coming Home, his ninth overall and his first since 2016. He'll also be celebrating the 30th anniversary of his 1994 self-titled debut album.

Usher, who previously made a cameo during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLV in 2011, says he will "honor black artists of the past" at his headlining gig. There's no official word on what other singers may join him, but guesses include Lil Jon, Ludacris, Justin Bieber, and BTS.

The tour announcement comes on the heels of the end of Usher's two-year My Way: The Las Vegas Residency run, which saw him play 100 shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM.

Tickets will be available starting with Citi and Verizon presales beginning on Wednesday, February 7. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Monday, February 12 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.

USHER: PAST PRESENT FUTURE NORTH AMERICA 2024 TOUR DATES:

Fri Aug 16 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena ADDED DATE

Sat Aug 17 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena ADDED DATE

Tue Aug 20 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Wed Aug 21 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Fri Aug 23 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena

Sat Aug 24 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena

Tue Aug 27 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

Wed Aug 28 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

Fri Aug 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

Sat Aug 31 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

Mon Sep 02 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Tue Sep 03 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Fri Sep 06 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Sat Sep 07 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Mon Sep 09 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Tue Sep 10 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Thu Sep 12 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

Fri Sep 13 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

Tue Sep 17 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

Wed Sep 18 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

Sat Sep 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome

Sun Sep 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome

Tue Sep 24 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome

Wed Sep 25 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome

Sat Sep 28 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena

Sun Sep 29 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena

Thu Oct 03 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center ADDED DATE

Fri Oct 04 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center

Sat Oct 05 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center

Mon Oct 07 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ATX

Tue Oct 08 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ATX

Fri Oct 11 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Sat Oct 12 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Mon Oct 14 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Thu Oct 17 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena

Fri Oct 18 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena

Sun Oct 20 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena

Tue Oct 22 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center

Wed Oct 23 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center

Fri Oct 25 – St Louis, MO – Enterprise Center

Sat Oct 26 – St Louis, MO – Enterprise Center

Mon Oct 28 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Tue Oct 29 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Thu Oct 31 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Sat Nov 02 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center ADDED DATE

Thu Nov 07 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena ADDED DATE

Sun Nov 10 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena ADDED DATE

Fri Nov 15 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena ADDED DATE

Mon Nov 18 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center ADDED DATE

Sat Nov 23 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center ADDED DATE

Wed Nov 27 – Houston – Toyota Center ADDED DATE

concerts music

Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

movies film

the future is now

Usher heads to Houston on big Past Present Future tour

Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

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