What to stream: Bruce Springsteen doc, Halsey album, Billy Crystal on TV and 'Trap' thrills

The Boss shines in the documentary “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band” and Billy Crystal starring in a new series for Apple TV+ called “Before” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Halsey's fifth studio album, the return of “Special Ops: Lioness” and the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 takes us to the 1990s.

— One of the documentary standouts of the Sundance Film Festival, “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” packs an emotional wallop. The film, which won both the audience award and the directing award for documentary at Sundance, is Mats Steen, a quadriplegic Norwegian who died from a degenerative disorder at age 25. After his death, his parents discovered their son’s life was far richer than they had imagined. To a wide “World of Warcraft” community, Steen was Ibelin Redwood, a cherished virtual friend. Much of the film, directed by Benjamin Ree ( “The Painter and the Thief” ), is told through “War of Warcraft”-style animation. Streaming Friday, Oct. 25, on Netflix.

– There hasn’t been a shortage of Bruce Springsteen documentaries in recent years, but “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band” (streaming Friday, Oct. 25, on Disney+ and Hulu), is still a notable addition to the ever-expanding cottage industry of all things Bruce. The film is directed by Thom Zimny, who was also behind the docs “Western Stars” and “Springsteen on Broadway." This one candidly captures the band on their 2023-2024 tour, with archival footage mixed in.

— The M. Night Shyamalan -produced thriller “Caddo Lake” has been popular on Max lately, and the filmmaker’s own film, “Trap,” joins it Friday, Oct. 25. In “Trap,” Josh Hartnett stars as a serial killer taking his teenage daughter to an arena popstar concert. The event, though, has been fashioned as, well, a trap to catch him. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called it “a solidly entertaining film that’s mostly silly and sometimes unnerving.”

— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

— In June, Halsey revealed she’d been privately battling both systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, the most common form of lupus) and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder since 2022. On Friday, she’ll release her fifth studio album, “The Great Impersonator,” written and recorded in that time, what she’s publicly referred to as “the space between life and death.” Lyrically, the album touches on those themes — and musically, it is a great return to form for Halsey, an exploration of the music she deeply loves, done in her own fashion. There’s the interpolation of Britney Spears on “Lucky,” the shoegaze-meets-nu-metal “Lonely is the Muse,” the pop-punky “Ego” and the folky “The End.”

— Also on Friday, Oct. 25, Andrea Bocelli — arguably the world’s most recognizable tenor — will release a new album of duets, simply titled “Duets,” on the 30th anniversary of his debut album, 1994’s “Il Mare Calmo della Sera.” Bocelli tackles his best known hits, now with new singing partners: Sarah Brightman on “Time to Say Goodbye,” Jennifer Lopez on “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás,” Céline Dion on “The Prayer,” and so on. It’s all A-listers here: Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Chris Stapleton, Marc Anthony, Karol G and more make an appearance.

— Country-pop star Kelsea Ballerini is in love. But her fifth studio album, “Patterns,” is no “happy-go-lucky, mushy, gushy record,” as she told The Associated Press earlier this summer. Instead, her album examines a breadth of human experience, specifically what she’s identified as “learning how to go from fighting with something or with someone, to fighting for something or for someone.” It’s a lofty goal, one she manages with ease across songs like “Sorry Mom,” a swaying, guitar-pop confessional with intergenerational appeal. Banjos and beat drops appear here, too, in equal measure.

— ’N Sync’s J.C. Chasez first new album in 20 years, “Playing With Fire” alongside collaborator Jimmy Harry, is a musical theater concept album inspired by Mary Shelly’s 1818 novel, “Frankenstein.” It’s an unusual mad lib, but it appears to center on grief and ambition – following a conversation between a dying Frankenstein and his monster at his wife’s grave site. Musically, it marries Chasez’s familiar falsetto, pop music and classical compositions.

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

— Another popular video game is getting the live-action treatment. “Like a Dragon: Yakuza,” is based on a Sega game released in 2005. It follows a powerful gangster named Kazuma Kiryu, (Ryoma Takeuchi), who has a good heart and strong moral conviction — despite his ties to the mob. Kiryu’s story unfolds in two timelines, 1995 when he first gets drawn into the yakuza and in 2005 as a made man. The series debuts on Prime Video on Thursday with both subtitles and dubbed versions.

— Social media star Nadia Caterina Munno, a chef known as The Pasta Queen, now has her own travel food show with the same name. Munno takes viewers on a tour of Italy and then into the kitchen where she demonstrates how to make authentic Italian dishes with fresh ingredients. She knows her stuff. Munno comes from a family of pasta makers that goes back generations and the series also features members of her famiglia. “The Pasta Queen” drops Thursday on Prime Video.

— Billy Crystal stars in a new series for Apple TV+ called “Before,” about a man grieving the death of his wife. A child therapist, Crystal’s character Eli, finds himself drawn to a young boy (played by Jacobi Jupe) whom he realizes may carry past trauma that could help his own. The show also stars Judith Light and Rosie Perez. It premieres Oct. 25 on the streamer.

— The Peabody Award-winning “Somebody Somewhere” starring Bridget Everett returns for its third and final season Sunday, Oct. 27 on HBO and Max. Everett plays Sam, a single woman who has found her people in a group of misfits in the Midwestern town of Manhattan, Kansas.

— Taylor Sheridan’s CIA show called “Special Ops: Lioness” returns for its second season Sunday, Oct. 27 on Paramount+. Zoe Saldaña plays a CIA operative named Joe who recruits young females to infiltrate terrorist organizations in a secret program called Lioness. Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Dave Annable and Laysla De Oliveira all are back for season two.

— Alicia Rancilio

— Activision’s venerable Call of Duty franchise has, for the most part, offered a rah-rah attitude about U.S. military might. Things get weirder in the Black Ops spinoffs, which have presented a loopy, paranoid history of geopolitical shenanigans from the Cold War to 2065. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 takes us to the 1990s. The Gulf War is breaking out, but Marine vet Frank Woods and his team have a bigger problem: The CIA has been taken over by a shadowy cabal that wants them dead. There are 16 new maps for multiplayer skirmishes, and once again you can team up with friends to blast through hordes of zombies. Answer the call Friday, Oct. 25, on Xbox X/S/One, PlayStation 5/4 or PC.

— Lou Kesten

This combination of images shows promotional art for the documentary "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” left, the series "Somebody, Somewhere," center, and the new series "Before." (Netflix/Max/Apple TV+ via AP)

This combination of album cover images shows "Duets" by Andrea Bocelli, from left, “Playing With Fire” by J.C. Chasez and Jimmy Harry, and “The Great Impersonator” by Halsey. (Decca-Sugar Music/Center Stage/Columbia via AP)

This album cover image shows "Duets" by Andrea Bocelli. (Decca-Sugar Music via AP)

This album cover image shows “Playing With Fire” by J.C. Chasez and Jimmy Harry. (Center Stage via AP)

This album cover image shows “The Great Impersonator” by Halsey. (Columbia via AP)

This cover image released by Black River Entertainment shows "Patterns" by Kelsea Ballerini. (Black River Entertainment via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)