57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/6/15

Orphan Black: Finally, after weeks of boring and confusing mythology, we actually got back to what made the first season so good: clones interacting with and pretending to be each other. I still think there needs to be a Donnie and Allison crappy CBS spinoff sitcom. I may bring this up every weekend until I will it into existence
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: Well that was a dark montage at the end. And just when you thought it could not get any creepier, Dr. Frankenstein has sex with his creation? Ew. As for the previously mentioned montage, what is Sir Malcolm thinking? Ethan just told you to be on high alert. I would think a woman coming on to him at this very moment would be suspicious, but, c'mon Malcolm, she "accidentally" drew your blood with her ring. That might as well have been a tattoo on her forehead that reads, "I'm a witch!"
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

American Odyssey: When Bob told Harrison that he deeply cared for him I was taken about thinking that is a little strong thing to say, you might as well try to kiss him at this point. And then Bob leaned in. Oh my. I know this show is not very good, but what it lack in quality it certainly makes up for in entertainment value. And apparently Harrison was so shocked by the move and having someone's brain matter splattered on him he was stupid enough hook up with the person who was responsible for that brain matter. But hey, at least she is not a witch.
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes

Pretty Little Liars: I was kind of hoping we would get an entire season in the dollhouse. Probably not the smartest idea to set a fire when you are locked underground but again, these are not the smartest girls to ever be on television. At this point it would be out of character to do the smart thing.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Stitchers: Just last week I declared the chick from Aquarius to have the worst American accent put to film, but the lead on this show is pretty bad too. And what may be more annoying is the accent fluctuates constantly. Seriously casting agents either 1) let these actors use their normal accent; there is not reason the lead charterer here cannot be from Australian (okay, it would be a bit more of a stretch to have a rookie Australian cop back in the sixties; which begs the question, just how many hot Australian are there in Hollywood these days? Even Harley Quinn in the upcoming Suicide Squad is played by an Australian) or 2) just be xenophobic and cast an American.
You can download Stitchers on iTunes.

Aquarius: So having your kid run away is an aphrodisiac... who knew? As previously mention, the hot lady cop has the worst American accent put to film, but you know how to make her accent less distraction: make her howl. Wow. That was weird and random. But much like last week, the most interesting aspect of the show this week did not happen on screen but behind the scenes when the creator said there is an NC-17 version of the show floating around. He originally said it was the version on iTunes but that turned to be incorrect and revised to say it is coming soon. I did notice some kind of bad overdubs this week where they obviously replaced naughty words and once where they just completely cut out one of Mulder's words. I wonder if the edits are just auditory or if there are any missing scenes. Though I do not really need to see Charlie Manson bed Emma's dad.
You can download the full season (just the televised version as of now) of Aquarius on iTunes.

Hannibal: The show left us with three of the leads bleeding on the floor along with Abigail Hobbs. We will have to wait to find out their fates (though it is a bit of a spoiler that all three actors remain in the title sequence so Hobbs is the only one with a question mark). The show has always been a slow cooker, but with the hole episode devoted to Hannibal, it got kind of boring. Hopefully things get back on track when the people at the FBI (presumably) show back up next week.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 6/5/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Showtime, After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir, The Chase, Chain Reaction, Aerial America, Dateline NBC, and Shovel Buddies.

- For the first time ever, Showtime will be offered over the internet as a stand-alone streaming service launching in early July, with Apple as its first partner. The stand-alone service will be called SHOWTIME, a brand already embraced by consumers as the home for cutting-edge original programming, sports and movies. The launch of Showtime will coincide with the new seasons of the critically-acclaimed, hit series Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex, premiering on Sunday, July 12th.

- This week, Audible Studios released the audiobook version of After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir by Christina McDowell, a brutally honest, cautionary tale about one family’s destruction in the wake of the Wall Street implosion. McDowell, the daughter of Tom Prousalis, one of the guilty players sucked into the collateral fallout of Jordan Belfort (the “Wolf of Wall Street”), narrates this audiobook herself, providing listeners with the unique opportunity to have her tell her tragic story directly to them in the most intimate possible way. I would love to offer you a review copy of this audiobook or a clip of McDowell’s narration so that you can experience firsthand the touching, mortifying, and fascinating nature of her story.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today it will air never-before-seen episodes of its Emmy®-nominated hit game show, The Chase followed by the debut of an all-new edition of the popular word association game show Chain Reaction, beginning Thursday, July 16th at 8:00.

- Mission accomplished! The most expansive aerial series in the history of U.S. television has completed its epic quest to capture all 50 states from the air. Aerial America, the signature Smithsonian Channel series, will premiere its 50th state, Aerial America: Illinois, on Sunday, June 7 at 8:00. Preceding Illinois, Smithsonian Channel will broadcast a marathon of the previous 49 states beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 5.

- This Sunday June 7th at 7:00, Dateline NBC will air an episode entitled "Growing Hope" focused on three families who, having run out of medical options, go to extraordinary lengths to obtain access to CBD-rich hemp oil as an option for their children struggling with life-threatening conditions.

- AwesomenessTV announced the cast of Shovel Buddies this week, the Black List screenplay by Jason Hellerman. Shovel Buddies stars teen sensation Bella Thorne, digital juggernaut Kian Lawley and Alex Neustaedter (star of upcoming indie film Ithaca), in a coming of age story about four teens that must conquer a “shovel list” of activities left behind by their recently deceased friend. The cast also includes Anton Starkman, Philip Labes and James C. Burns.

Previewing T. rex Autopsy

Two decades ago an alien autopsy swept the nation leading to countless debates f its authenticity and even became the focus of an episode of The X-Files. This was right around the time the original Jurassic Park came out and just in time for the fourth one, the National Geographic Channel is conducting a T. rex Autopsy Sunday at 9:00. But conspiracy theorist do not need to debate the authenticity, though the special plays it pretty coy throughout, at the end they go into detail about how the dinosaur was created and how it took six months to do so.

That is not to say the autopsy is not freaky and extremely gross (I was able to get through most of it up until they started to remove and dissect the eyeball... ewww). The creation is so lifelike it is disappointing to think all the dinosaurs in the upcoming movie are probably almost all created inside a computer because I am sure a few people could be fooled by this special War of the Worlds radio special style. As the show says, "Using cutting edge special effects techniques, and in consultation with esteemed veterinary surgeons, anatomists, and paleontologists, T. rex Autopsy features the first full-size anatomically complete Tyrannosaurus rex, based on the very latest research and findings. The massive monster is lifelike inside (Scooter's note: literally two of the scientists hang out in the belly at the same time while dissecting it) and out, giving scientists the chance to touch it, smell it, and cut it open from head to toe for the first time."

If that is not enough dinosaurs for you as you wait for Jurassic World to come to your local cinema, there are three additional dinosaur themed premieres this weekend including:

- Dino Death Match (Saturday, June 6, at 9 p.m. ET/PT): A fossil known as the “dueling dinosaurs” depicts predator and prey as they died in combat. A dramatic fossil, but also one that is central to a controversial debate; does it provide evidence of the existence of a separate tyrannosaur species? It could reveal a pygmy tyrant — the Nanotyrannus. As the evidence for and against this predator is reviewed, dinosaur like no other is revealed, brought to life in stunning CGI.

- Jurassic CSI Special (wt) (Saturday, June 6, at 10 p.m. ET/PT): Today, all that is left of the dinosaurs are fossilized bones. But, using modern technology, we can now go beyond the bones and use fossils to answer eye-opening questions about dinosaur appearance, behavior and lifestyle.

- Ultimate Dino Survivor (Sunday, June 7, at 8 p.m. ET/PT): Tyrannosaurus rex was a top predator of its day. Well-armed with terrifying jaws, it was seemingly impervious to attack. But new fossils are revealing that the life of T. rex and its cousins was brutal. Fossils are probed with cutting-edge techniques to reveal the source of injuries, predation attempts that went wrong and titanic battles where T. rex teeth were sunk into adversaries.

I Want My Music Television: 6/3/15

Fight Song - Rachel Platten


Earlier last month I trashed the Supergirl trailer for basically being silly. But after watching it a couple hundred times, I have completely come around and kind of absolutely love it. The actress is extremely likeable especially as Kara where they really nail socially uncomfortableness that none of the live action Supermans (Supermen?) have yet to master especially the most recent who inexplicably just went with a rugged alter ego route. Then there are small moments like Kara rejecting a costume that looks exactly like the comic version. Really my only complaint now is Ally McBeal's silly defense of calling her Supergirl (as well as her stealing Anne Heche's face Face-Off style). To be honest, now I cannot wait until this premieres until November (okay I can wait because I have no desire to download the leaked Pilot since I would then have to wait six month to watch episode two). My love for the trailer is so complete I even ended up downloading the song from the trailer and have played it on a loop whenever I am not watching the trailer even though the song is the latest in a long list of annoying self empowerment anthems. But like the trailer, the video works very well, especially the part with Rachel Platten (who like Supergirl comes off as very likeable) playing to a nearly empty bar which really ties to to the lyrics well.


Lonely Town - Brandon Flowers


Another somewhat catchy song from the new Brandon Flowers solo album (aside from the unnecessary auto-tune in the middle. Plus you got to enjoy the retro chick with her Walkman dancing on her own alone in her house.


Go - The Chemical Brothers


I am not that interested in a The Chemical Brothers reunion but I am all for more Q-Tip who is for some reason not credited on the song.


Loving You Easy - Zac Brown Band


As the new Zac Brown Band starts off black and white with a hot chick on the beach I thought, great it is about time someone ripped of Chris Isaak Wicked Game. Alas, it just turned out to be a day in the life of life of a random hot chick. At least she finally made it to the beach by the end.

Previewing American Genius

When you hear there is a show called American Genius you would expect an episode featuring Albert Einstein, probably the most famous and revered genius in this nation's history. But the genesis of the National Geographic Channel miniseries is that the nation's brightest all had rivals to push them to greater heights. So instead of an episode devoted to the best and brightest this nation has ever seen, they focus on two (or more) that raced to create new industries.

Obviously the premiere tonight focuses on the most recent that has taken over the nation's interest over the past quarter century and just recently ended: Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates. Sure the former is already up to his second posthumous bioflick since his death due to his charismatic personality, but it was Gates, who had the upper hand for most of the duo's rivalry (you can argue it was not until the iPhone until Jobs took the pole position).

Also on tonight is a rivalry I did not even know existed until now. Thanks to a paragraph in ever US History textbook, we all know Orville and Wilber Wright were the first in flight but there is much more to that story thanks to a man named Glenn Curtis whose rivalry ended up most more bitter than that of Jobs and Gates (as well as more deadlier).

Future episodes feature other familiar names: Hearst vs Pulitzer (journalism), Colt vs. Wesson (revolvers), Oppenheimer vs. Heisenberg (the atomic bomb), and Edison vs Tesla (electricity). The only names I did not recognize from the episode title are Farnsworth vs. Sarnoff which turns out to be the story of beginning of the television. There is also an episode dedicated to the space race.

American Genius airs Mondays with back to back episodes starting at 9:00 on the National Geographic Cha
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