57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/27/15

Orphan Black: Season three got off to a rough start with muddling mythology and a new clone that was not very interesting. Things did start picking up around the time the killed off most of the dude clones and the female ones started interacting more again. We did get a mostly satisfying season finale even if they reintroduced the nevolutionist (those are the guys with the tails from the first season right) who I did not really care for. I am surprised that Cosima's new girlfriend did not turn out to be someone involved, those she is still on the top of my list of who killed Delphine.
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: Last week's episode was kind of meh, but things certainly picked up this week with the best of the season, maybe series. We learned Lily is playing dumb and apparently Dr. Frankenstein implanted the brain of some evil megalomaniac. We finally got to see what Dorian Grey was hiding (even if everyone already knew what he was looking at). We also got the full text and that Lucifer needs Vanessa to get back into heaven and the vampire monster that was the big bad of last season was his brother that was cast out of heaven at the same time. We also may have learned what is up with Sembene who was able to break the witch's curse (unless I am reading that scene wrong but dude has to have some power right?). Should make for an interesting final two episodes.
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

American Odyssey: Oh yeah, #OdellLives was a thing before everyone except for her daughter forgot about her. And we learned by Luc is so irrational around her, he actually loves her. And could anyone have blamed her had she just stayed dead with the hot French dude instead of going home to her slubby husband?
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: I really hope this season does not devolve into Charles being alive and dead every other week. Make up you mind. Hanna should have continued digging up the grave (not that a body would have confirmed it was him; everyone thought Allison was in her grave). But I was mostly disappointed we did not see Allison coach youth soccer this week.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: I had absolutely no interest in watching this show from the promos, seriously television and movie writers, hackers are not lead characters, the are background ones at best. Especially one who is trying to bring down some Illuminati one percent cabal which has been done to death recently. It did not help knowing Christian Slater was in the cast considering all the crappy one and done series over the past decade. Then I saw a behind the scenes package featuring Dalia Royce as one of the hacker. Awesome. That got me to watch. I was really shocked with how good the whole thing was despite the tired plot and the even more tired Christian Slater. And that was even with Dalia Royce only appearing in two scene. If they up her involvement in future episodes we may have out first contender for best new show of the television season.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Aquarius: Again the most interesting part of the show this week happen off screen when NBC actually renew the show for a second season. Apparently releasing the whole season online was a resounding success. NBC even said it broke streaming records. I just wished NBC would have tried that once with Hannibal before canceling that show this week. Oh well, now there is the waiting game to see if anyone will bother to pick Hannibal up. As for onscreen, as much grief I gave her when the show started, the hot cop with the bad accent is the most entertaining part of the show and it was a much better episode with her back this week stupidly trying to seduce a football player who beats women before Mulder stepped in.
You can download the full season (just the televised version as of now) of Aquarius on iTunes.

Hannibal: After a month, we finally learn what became of Alana Bloom, apparently just a lot of broken bones. And we learned that Will is after Hannibal, Jack is after Will, and Mason is now also after Hannibal with a reward. Alrighty. I really do not like this non-linear storytelling this season. But it looks like we are all now caught up with everyone now so hopefully it is linear from here on out.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 6/26/15

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 He Named Me Malana, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Nirvana, On the Record with Mick Rock, SharkFest, The 2000s: A New Reality, Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail, Mission Pluto, Mark McGrath, Penny Deadfull, Epix, Hulu, Mama's Family, Face Off, Kelsea Ballerini.

- Fox Searchlight Pictures announced this week that National Geographic Channel has joined forces with Fox Searchlight Pictures for the global theatrical release of Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming feature documentary He Named Me Malana, an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. With this partnership, National Geographic Channel and National Geographic Society will join the global launch campaign to support the theatrical release this October. Additionally, in 2016 the film will air on the National Geographic Channels in 171 countries and 45 languages. Check out the trailer below:

It's here! Take a first look at HE NAMED ME MALALA, a documentary about Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai's...

Posted by Malala Fund on Thursday, June 18, 2015

- The two-time Emmy® nominated series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, starring Jerry Seinfeld and executive produced by Jerry Seinfeld and Embassy Row, returns this Wednesday, June 24 with a new episode starring comedian, television host, and political commentator Bill Maher on the television streaming network Crackle. In the all-new episode, Jerry and Bill drive around Los Angeles in a 1979 Volkswagen Beetle police car discussing how they think they’d do in prison, “ghost butter”, and why we still make things like pennies and the phone book. The original unscripted series is the first streaming program to compete with the coveted late night slate, airing brand new episodes every Wednesday at 11:30pm EST.

- On August 28, 2015, Nirvana - Nirvana’s self-titled, double platinum-selling (United States) / 7x platinum-selling (Worldwide) posthumous collection Nirvana (UMe) makes its debut on 45rpm double LP, pressed on 200-gram heavy weight vinyl and packaged in a furnace black gatefold sleeve with liner notes and a digital download card for 96kHz 24-bit HD audio; as well as a 33rpm single LP 150-gram standard weight vinyl edition which will feature a download card for 320kbps MP4 audio. Nirvana will also be released as a Blu-Ray Pure Audio in high resolution 96kHz 24-bit and is available in three stereo audio formats: PCM, DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD stereo.

- June 25, 2015 Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Blondie, Queen... there’s one rock ‘n’ roll photographer who has captured iconic images of them all on film: Mick Rock (aka, “The Man Who Shot the Seventies”). Today, Mick is as in-demand as ever; photographing legends-in-the-making like Snoop Dog, Daft Punk, The Killers, Cee Lo Green, and the Black Keys, among many others, but this summer, he’ll come out from behind the camera to host his own show: On the Record with Mick Rock, premiering on Ovation TV Sunday, August 2 at 8 pm ET.

- Every year as summer approaches, the world’s fascination with sharks resurfaces. The apex predator is vital to balancing the ocean’s ecosystem, but its reputation has been battered by myths and fabrications. Nat Geo WILD’s third annual SharkFest continues a tradition of focusing on the facts, featuring a week of insights from shark experts and incredible footage of shark behavior to get a comprehensive look at the species in all their glory. This year concentrates on the world’s shark hot spots, diving into feeding frenzies and exploring the country’s top shark beaches in SharkFest, a week-long event beginning Sunday, July 5, at 8/7c. For more information, visit natgeowild.com/sharkfest

- The 2000s introduced an abundance of new terms to the global lexicon: hanging chads, bailouts, marriage equality, al Qaeda, mobile applications and wardrobe malfunction. It was 10 years of highs and lows that would make even Howard Dean yell. National Geographic Channel (NGC) examines the decade that started with the September 11 tragedies and ended with the election of the nation’s first African-American president. The 2000s: A New Reality, narrated by Rob Lowe and premiering July 12-13 at 9/8c, follows the same wildly successful formula that made hits of its predecessors, The ’80s: The Decade That Made Us and The ’90s: The Last Great Decade?, by revisiting the key events of the 2000s through first-person interviews with the unexpected game changers, news makers, world leaders and entertainers who left their marks on history. The miniseries will later air globally on the National Geographic Channel in 171 countries and 45 languages, and on the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo.

- The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the most profound turning point in the history of human enterprise: the detonation of the atomic bomb and the revelation of the destructive force contained within its primary element, uranium. PBS premieres Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail, a two-part program that provides a fascinating journey through the complex history of the most controversial substance on Earth, on Tuesday, July 28, and Wednesday, July 29, 2015, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings).

- National Geographic Channel (NGC) joins top scientists at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in conjunction with NASA on a historic mission to the edge of our solar system with the goal of capturing the first clear images and data ever recorded of Pluto — a “dwarf planet” so mysterious, not even the high-powered lens of the Hubble Telescope can tell us what it looks like. Pluto could hold the key to further unlocking the mysteries of our galaxy, and the world waits in anticipation for the cutting-edge spacecraft New Horizons to complete its fateful approach. Premiering Tuesday, July 14, at 9/8c – the same day New Horizons is scheduled to make its historic flyby of Pluto — Mission Pluto takes an in-depth look at the ambitious project from start to finish, leading into the final hours of a journey more than nine years, $700 million and over 3 billion miles in the making. The special, hosted by Jason Silva (@JasonSilva) (National Geographic Channel’s hit series Brain Games), also premieres July 19 on Nat Geo Mundo and globally on National Geographic Channel in 170 countries and 45 languages.

- Mark McGrath, an American singer from Southern California, is best known as the lead singer of the groundbreaking band Sugar Ray. Mark co-starred in last summers indie hit Sharknado 2 and has a role in this summer's sequel Sharknado 3. In addition to his role in Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, opening July 16th, he was the co-host of Extra, and hosted Don't Forget The Lyrics as well as TV show Killer Karaoke. Though Sugar Ray is still together and as Mark puts it, "Rocking stages around the world," Mark is excited to announce his debut solo record and he has chosen to work with PledgeMusic, the groundbreaker in the direct-to-fan platform.

- Recently picked up for a third season, Showtime will bring the world of Penny Dreadful to San Diego Comic-Con, starting with an autograph signing with star Reeve Carney, on Saturday, July 11 at 3 p.m. at the Entertainment Earth booth #2343. Additionally, makeup artist and YouTube sensation Alexys Fleming will transform five lucky Penny Dreadful fans into characters from the show, including the Creature, the werewolf and a witch, through her masterful makeup applications. The transformations will take place at the Entertainment Earth booth on Friday, July 10. Fleming also created five custom videos on her YouTube channel, MadeYewLook, teaching fans how to recreate their favorite Penny Dreadful characters themselves throughout the season: s.sho.com/MYLWolfPD. In addition, the over 160,000 lanyards worn by all Comic-Con attendees will be branded by Showtime and Penny Dreadful.

- Premium TV network EPIX announced today that it will spotlight the surreal, naughty and hilarious comedy of Grammy® nominated, Peabody® and Emmy® Award winning comedian Craig Ferguson, in the Original Comedy Event Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest making its World Television Premiere Thursday, September 10, at 10pm ET/PT, 9C. The stand-up special airs during the EPIX Free Preview Weekend taking place September 10-13. EPIX subscribers can watch the Free Preview Weekend across all EPIX platforms-on air, online, on demand and via the EPIX app. Non EPIX subscribers can enjoy the Free Preview Weekend online at EPIX.com.

- Hulu subscribers will soon have the ability to add the Showtime service to their Hulu subscription and stream on a wide range of the most popular internet-connected streaming devices. The announcement was made today by Matthew C. Blank, Chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc. and Mike Hopkins, CEO, Hulu. Starting in early July, Showtime will become the first premium service to be offered to Hulu’s nearly nine million subscribers nationwide. Hulu will make Showtime available for purchase prior to the highly-anticipated July 12th premieres of the critically-acclaimed hit series Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex. For an early look, go to: hulu.com/getshowtime.

- It's the end of the proverbial DVD line for Mama, as Mama's Family: Mama's Favorites: Season Six marks the final release in the fan-favorite sitcom franchise starring Vicki Lawrence as the irascible Thelma "Mama" Harper. But Mama will not go silently into the good night, as this DVD installment features the six greatest episodes from the final season of the series as hand-selected by Lawrence herself, including: "Mama Fights Back", "Bubba's House Band", "The Big Nap", "Pinup Mama", "Look Who's Breathing" and "Bye-Bye - Baby!"

- Fresh off of being named the Best Reality Competition Series by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, Syfy’s hit reality competition series Face Off – the network’s most watched unscripted series – will return on Tuesday, July 28 at 9:00 for an exciting ninth season consisting of fourteen all-new episodes.

- Black River Entertainment recording artist Kelsea Ballerini’s smash debut single Love Me Like You Mean It tops both the Mediabase and Billboard Country Airplay Charts for the first time this week. The proven hit co-written by Ballerini earns her a spot alongside only 10 of country music’s leading women including Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood and Carrie Underwood who have achieved a #1 with their debut country single.

2015 Summer Music Preview

During my Spring Music Preview I mentioned that the most interesting thing in music was that they would be moving the album release day to a global release day on Friday. Last week it was announced that would start July 10. Since that was just announced some of these dates may be off and it is unsure if those albums will be released three days later and four days earlier. And like Spring, there are not really enough great albums coming up for a Most Anticipated list, albums that I was looking forward to released mostly lackluster first singles. Alas, here are the albums coming out in the next couple months that will at the very least be worth a spin on Spotify. If you would like to pre-order the albums on Amazon, click on the title. Click on the artist name to be taken to their iTunes page.


Yesterday
Pageant Material - Kacey Musgraves
Coming Home - Leon Bridges
Unbreakable Smile - Tori Kelly

June 30
Wildheart - Miguel
VENUS - Joy Williams
Blood to Bone - Gin Wigmore

July 10
Adrian Younge Presents Twelve Reasons To Die II - Ghostface Killah
Ghost Notes - Veruca Salt
Working Girl - Little Boots
Mobile Orchestra - Owl City

July 17
Recreational Love - The Bird and the Bee
Something More Than Free - Jason Isbell
Sing Into My Mouth - Iron & Wine & Ben Bridwell
How Does It Feel - MS MR
Sirens - Sublime With Rome
Born In The Echoes - The Chemical Brothers

July 24
Watkins Family Hour - Watkins Family Hour
The Blade - Ashley Monroe
Blue Pool EP - Vanessa Carlton
Woman - Jill Scott
Twenty+ - All-4-One

July 31
The Answer - Joss Stone

August 14
Midnight - Grace Potter
Vikings - New Politics

August 21
The Meth Lab - Method Man
The Awakening - P.O.D.
Emotion - Carly Rae Jepsen

August 28
Bad Magic - Motörhead
Depression Cherry - Beach House

September 4
Yours, Dreamily, - The Arcs
The Book Of Souls - Iron Maiden

September 11
Repentless - Slayer

September 18
This Means War - ZZ Ward
Higher Truth - Chris Cornell
Paper Gods - Duran Duran
Pagans in Vegas - Metric

September 25
Music Complete - New Order

October 23
Another Country - Rod Stewart

TBD
Habeas Corpus - Geto Boys (donate to the Kickstarter campaign)
Moonlight - Ariana Grande
Heart Blanche - Cee Lo Green
And the Anonymous Nobody - De La Soul
Speedin' Bullet to Heaven - Kid Cudi
Cass Country - Don Henley
Christmas in Tahoe - Train
The 1975
Adele
Band of Horses
Chic
Frank Ocean
Gary Clark Jr.
Grimes
Hailee Steinfeld
Janet Jackson
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Mudcrutch
Nas
Selena Gomez

Previewing Anne Frank's Holocaust and Brazil

It is depressing to think the last time most people thought about Anne Frank was during the silly debate over whether she would have been a fan of Justin Bieber. I really hate society sometime. Now we have all had to read The Diary of Anne Frank at some point in our lives but what it is easy to overlook was that there was more to Anne Frank after she was separated from her diary. Anne Frank's Holocaust retraces Frank's steps after being found in her father's annex August 4, 1944.

We are maybe a decade or so away from having any more first person accounts of World War II and the new special manages to find two childhood friends of Anne Frank in the Netherlands who would again cross paths at a concentration camp just months before the end of the war. They provide rarely seen photographs and provide a more vivid insight of Frank's early life and that spent in the concentration camps.

Anne Frank's Holocaust premieres tonight at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel.


If the Holocaust is too dark for you, National Geographic Channel's sister station Nat Geo Wild is premiering a new mini series also airing tonight for three straight hours. Brazil is having a moment in the sports world now, hosting the World Cup last year and the Olympic next year. The mini-series Brazil takes you out of the cities away from the people going deep into the many jungles rain forests in the nation. Where here in North America we had cold and warm seasons, in Brazil they have wet and dry season where different species thrive and have to survive in the other which is not as easy as hibernating like our local animals. Most fascinating of which are the fish the have to "jump" back to the rivers during the dry season when their habitat dries up.

Brazil premieres tonight at 8:00 on Nat Geo Wild.