Around the Tubes: 2/19/16

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 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed, A Year in Space, Conan, Satan’s Sisters, truTV premiere dates, The Mindy Project, morphsuits, Ray Donovan, and The Breaks.

- Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated, TNT and IMG announced who will grace the cover of this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue during the one-hour special Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed. Hosts Rebecca Romijn and Nick Cannon announced that for the first time in the history of the annual issue, there will be three separate covers featuring three different models: Hailey Clauson, Ashley Graham and Ronda Rousey.



- President and CEO Paula A. Kerger announced this week at the Television Critics Association Press Tour that PBS has commissioned the two-part series A Year in Space, adapted from TIME’s original digital video series about astronaut Scott Kelly, whose current 12-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS) is testing human limits for space travel and laying the groundwork for a manned mission to Mars. The first installment of A Year in Space, which tracks Scott Kelly’s mission from training and launch, through his 12 months aboard the International Space Station, right up through his descent and landing is scheduled to air on PBS on Wednesday, March 2 from 8:00 (check local listings), timed within a day of Scott’s planned return to Earth. The second installment is scheduled to air in 2017.

- TBS's late-night show Conan will welcome the entire cast of the hit comedy The Big Bang Theory on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 11:00. Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch will all join host Conan O'Brien for a special episode celebrating the 200th episode of television's most popular comedy series, which will air Thursday, Feb. 25, at 8:00 on CBS. TBS, a division of Turner, presents episodes of The Big Bang Theory during primetime five nights a week.

- VH1 has given the greenlight to a one-hour scripted series inspired by Star Jones’ 2011 book Satan's Sisters. Set in the bright lights of daytime television, Satan’s Sisters is the story of The Lunch Hour -- a long-running, popular ladies' talk show in which alliances are forged, careers are made, and bridges are burned. Slated for a 2017 premiere, the series will focus on the five female co-hosts of a popular daily TV talk show and the fireworks that ensue each weekday when they discuss life, love, family, politics, and gossip.

- truTV, a division of Turner, unveiled premiere dates for its upcoming spring lineup, including the return of hit hidden-camera comedy series The Carbonaro Effect (March 23) and the humorous and practical life-hack series Hack My Life (March 29), as well as the launch of the new comedy-centric documentary series truInside (Feb. 29), the bite-size content comedy series Late Night Snack (March 3) and the comedic competition Comedy Knockout (April 21).

- The Mindy Project is back April 12! New episodes of The Mindy Project streaming Tuesdays only on Hulu.

- Ever found yourself watching a film that’s set somewhere far off and beautiful and you suddenly want to leap straight into the screen and on to that gorgeous beach, stunning countryside or happening cityscape? Yup, us too. Which is why we compiled a list of our favourite movie locations. If you can’t go there, at least you can dream, right? And if you don't have the cash to visit all these places you could always dress up as characters from them? Although it may not be quite as much fun, admittedly. For Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney or Harry Potter fancy dress costumes jet set over to morphsuits.com.

- Emmy nominee Lisa Bonet will guest star in a season-long arc on the fourth season of the hit Showtime drama series Ray Donovan. Bonet will play Marisol, a dangerously unstable woman with a damaging secret. Ray Donovan is currently in production in Los Angeles, and will return to Showime later this year on-air, on demand and over the internet.

- VH1’s Original Movie The Breaks has been greenlit for a series slated to premiere on VH1 in late 2016.

Previewing Cesar 911: Season Three

"What is the deal with dogs and all their barking?" is disappointingly not something Jerry Seinfeld says when Cesar Millan shows up to help the comedian with his four legged friends. See his dog Foxy hates Jerry, something the beloved funnyman is not used to. And to show famous people are just like us, he makes the mistake to try to remedy the situation by giving Foxy a friend, but that made just more shy while the new dog loves barking at anyone who comes to the door. Of course famous people are not like us because where we have to go through lengthy casting sessions, Jerry can probably just call Cesar to come and help right away.

But Cesar is a man of the people so he does help plenty of us regular folk when the new season of Cesar 911 starts up. Also on the premiere tomorrow is Lucky who has become prone to attacking a very dog friendly dog condominium complex. Not only is Lucky not being invited to the Halloween dog parade, he is one dog bite away from the neighbors calling animal control. Lucky for Lucky, Cesar got called first.

Later this season, Cesar runs into maybe his most violent client yet, Simon, a bulldog/terrier mix who killed a pig and ripped off an ear of another that he lived with when the owner was away. Of course Cesar has pigs of his own at his center that he can help rehabilitate Simon from committing any more dog on pig violence. There will also be a Tibetan terrier who attacks dad while protecting mom, a pug that attacks the other five dogs in the family, and another animal killer, this time a goat killing rottweiler / German shepherd mix.

Cesar 911 airs Fridays at 9:00 on Nat Geo Wild. You can download Cesar 911 on iTunes.

I Want My Television Trailers: 2/17/16

I usually save my television trailers for upfronts because, well, that is when the vast majority are released. But two just dropped last week that got me very excited (and two that raised my eyebrow) that they are definitely worth sharing.

The Path


The Path had me at "From the executive producer of Friday Night Lights and Parenthood." Heck, I even watched every episode of About a Boy despite some poor casting decisions. Clearly Jason Katims strong suit is drama and he is back at it with this show and much better casting. First off: welcome back Lyla Garrity, where have you been since Charlie's Angels got axed after three episodes? All I remember seeing her in was a horrible Hallmark Channel movie with Earl Hickey (which I highly recommend if you do enjoy extremely cheesy Hallmark Channel movies). Also in the cast is Will Graham straight from Hannibal except he looks like he may be the sociopath this time around. The trailer is very vague, so I could be wrong but he looks to be like some sort of cult leader. Then throw in Lily Kane's husband from Big Love (screw that other overrated show he was in) and the hot chick from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Color me excited. And since Katims does like to recycle his actors maybe Lyla will not be the only familiar face, could Buddy Garrity and Landry Clarke be far behind? How about getting Haddie Braverman some work after sending her off the college. Just do not bring in anyone from About A Boy.

Roadies


I am an absolute Cameron Crowe supporter, I will defend Elizabethtown and even enjoyed Aloha despite its nonsensical plot (seriously, how can anyone trash a movie that features an Emma Stone / Bill Murray dance sequence). So naturally I got extremely excited when Showtime announced Cameron Crowe would be creating his first television show called Roadies. It does seem safe to assume that it will just be Almost Famous set in modern times. And it also has a pretty stellar cast: the better Karen Sisco, the better Wilson brother, the always reliable Luis Guzman. And sure Imogen Poots may be the worst name ever for a hot chick but name a female lead in a Cameron Crowe movie that you did not fall in love with? Seriously, he has been the only person to ever make Kate Hudson likeable. Imogen is already on that list based on the trailer alone, which of course, features a great Eddie Vedder song.

House of Lies


Andy Greenwald likes to joke that Showtime shows go on forever so it is sometimes easy to forget they even exist. Like, oh yeah, House of Lies is still on. But really the big takeaway from the trailer of its fifth (fifth!) season was the inclusion of Vinnie Van Lowe. So for those keeping track at home, on her new show, Veronica Mars has hooked up with Vinnie, Dick Casablancas, and gone on a date with Mercer the rapist. You know Sheriff Lamb is just sitting by his telephone right now. Maybe in the eighth season Don.

Roots


No big surprise that Roots is getting remade, it is getting to the point that is is surprising any big event older than a decade does not get remade or rebooted. Ironically right after watching the trailer for the History remake I was flipping around on television and landed on the CNN The Seventies miniseries right in the middle of the Roots segment where they were talking about how powerful that they cast all the evil while plantation owner with beloved television dad. Compare that with the new one where the only one who gets mentioned in the credits is Johathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) who always seems to play horrible people.

I Want My Music Television: 2/16/16

Formation - Beyonce


I much prefer my Beyoncé when she is singing cheesy ballads or dancy pop song. My ears just glaze over whenever she tries to be hard. Please note I am not making a racist rant about the political overtones of the video. Seriously, anyone calling her Super Bowl performance racist are some of the dumbest people on the Earth like Rudy Guilani calling it an attack on police. Ugg, I do not know if he is a moron or he is just pandering to morons he can charge large amounts of money for speaking fees. But that is what the Republican party has devolved in and then wonder why Donald Trump is so high in the polls. I actually do believe some of the loudest rebel rouser (Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh) only say these crazy things knowing that it turns off a large portion of the population and makes the whole Republican party look crazy and unelectable and they will make more money under a President Hilary Clinton than a President Cruz or Rubio.

Ophelia - The Lumineers


My favorite moment in music this century so far is what I called the Neo Folk moment. Late 2014 I wondered if Shakey Graves' Dearly Departed was the last great song from the Neo Folk Era. Mumford and Sons is probably the biggest group of the era but their sophomore album just sounded like outtakes from their first and their last album it sounded like they were trying to be U2, and for the most part failed massively. The Lumineers had the biggest song of the era with Ho Hey and now are putting out their second album. But like Mumford and Sons, the first single just sounds like a leftover from their first. I guess I should wait to completely pass judgement until I hear the whole album, but this was a pretty "meh" start. The Neo Folk Era may truly be over. But then again, maybe the Fleet Foxes will release another great album this year giving a second wind.


Where the Lights Get In - Primal Scream featuring Sky Ferreira


Sometimes all the Brit-Pop band of the eighties and nineties blend into each other. Primal Scream is the one who sang Movin' On Up. I guess I can see why Sky Ferreira would jump on a track with them because she definitely goes for an eighties New Way type sound. Still kind of a weird collaboration that I am not sure about yet. In a month I am either going to really love this song or hate. Or more likely, forget it even existed.


Hold On (The Break) - Walk of the Earth


I get it, the new Walk Off the Earth song is entitled Hold On and they are hosting a contest to see which number can hold on the longest. Unfortunately there is not much you can do while hanging off a bar as you can tell by the minimal choreography. Instead it came off as one of the boring Survivor challenges that Probst always has to spruce up by tempting people to drop out in exchange for food. Really I was only left wondering if this was a real contest or if it was staged as to when they would give up.

Previewing Wild Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is one of those island countries you would see again and again in geography class but really do not much about other than it is just off the coast of India but is a separate entity. Get ready to learn more about its wildlife during a three hour special Wild Sri Lanka part of Nat Geo Wild'd Destination Wild series. The special takes you to the island that is about the size of West Virgina but more diverse as camera take you from the jungles to the oceans that features a place where whales get closest to land than anywhere else on Earth.

Later in Destination Wild series is Wild Japan, narrated by Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery. Then coming sometime during the third quater this year is The Wild Atlantic narrated by Cillian Murphy which will take you undersea volcanoes and the humpback whales 4,000 mile migration as well as Wild Indonesia that will take ou across the 17,000 islands that comprise the nation.

Wild Sri Lanka premieres tonight at 8:00 on Nat Geo Wild.