Friday, September 29, 2017

Around the Tubes: 9/29/2017


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 The Islands and the Whales, Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker's Wild, Drop the Mic, The Librarians, Hulu, Blood Ivory, Air Disasters, The President Is Missing, The Affair.

- The Faroe Islands are where the North Atlantic meets the Norwegian Sea, found on a map in a triangle between Iceland, the United Kingdom, and Norway. It is there, among the eighteen rocky and majestic islands formed by volcanoes and oceans, that this visually stunning and evocative documentary The Islands and the Whales takes place. And it is there that the global forces affecting whaling converge in dramatic fashion. The Islands and the Whales has its national broadcast premiere on the PBS documentary series POV (Point of View) next Monday, October 9, 2017 (check local listings). POV is American television's longest-running independent documentary series, now in its 30th season.

- Starting October 24, Tuesday nights on TBS will be fueled by hip-hop, comedy and culture with the reboot of a classic game show, Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker's Wild airing at 10:00. Immediately following, the new celebrity-led rap battle contest Drop the Mic, based on the wildly popular segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden, is hosted by Method Man and Hailey Baldwin and will premiere at 10:30.




- Season four of TNT's hugely popular fantasy series The Librarians is slated to launch with a two-episode premiere on a new night, Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 8:00. Based on TNT's hit movie franchise, The Librarians centers on an ancient organization dedicated to protecting an unknowing world from the secret, magical reality hidden all around. Rebecca Romijn, Christian Kane, Lindy Booth and John Harlan Kim star in the series as protectors of the world's mystical treasures, with Emmy® winner John Larroquette as their reluctant caretaker. Noah Wyle recurs in seven of twelve episodes this season as Flynn Carsen, the role he played in TNT's hit movie trilogy.


- Following a groundbreaking licensing agreement that marked the streaming debut of iconic series Will & Grace, Hulu and NBCUniversal Television and New Media Distribution today announced a new agreement that will make Hulu the exclusive SVOD home to all episodes of Emmy Award winning comedy series, 30 Rock, beginning October 1st, as well as add hundreds of episodes of shows for the whole family to Hulu. In addition to bringing the complete library of the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning comedy series from creator and star Tina Fey - 30 Rock - to a new streaming home, the new deal includes a full suite of premium programming that will become available to stream on Hulu: Parenthood (early 2018), There's Johnny (new show with Tony Danza), Made in Chelsea (first 13 seasons later this year), and Face Off (first 10 seasons early 2018).

- iscovery’s Animal Planet and Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife (VETPAW), a U.S. nonprofit that employs U.S. Veterans to protect endangered wildlife teamed up for Blood Ivory, a historic and exciting documentary series that premiered Tuesday, September 12, 2017. VETPAW was founded in 2012 by Ryan Tate , a former post 9-11 Marine who saw what was happening to elephants and rhinos in Africa and realized that like himself, U.S. Veterans trained on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan in counter-insurgency warfare are remarkably well suited to re-purpose those skills in the battle to save African endangered species.

- When a plane crashes, the world is left wondering what happened. Amid the tragedy of lost life and confusion surrounding these catastrophic accidents, experts are there to determine what went wrong and how these disasters can be prevented in the future. Smithsonian Channel’s popular and long-running series Air Disasters follows the stories of these fatal crashes and the investigators on the scene who must search for the clues in the aircraft’s final descent. The premiere episode, Air Disasters: High Rise Catastrophe, airs Sunday, October 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

- Showtime announced it has acquired the rights to adapt into a series The President Is Missing, based on the highly anticipated novel by President Bill Clinton and bestselling author James Patterson set to be published in 2018. In the book, President Clinton and Patterson tell the startling story of a sitting U.S. president’s disappearance, with the level of detail that only someone who has held the office can know – generating a powerful, one-of-a-kind thriller. Though fictional, the story brings to life the pressures and realities of the most important position in the world.

- Showtime announced that Sanaa Lathan (American Assassin, Shots Fired) will recur on the network’s Golden Globe®-winning drama series The Affair. Lathan will play Jenelle, the tough-as-nails principal of the charter school where Noah (Dominic West) teaches, who intrigues him. She’s got a lot to prove to her school's oppositional administration and faculty, who seem to fight her at every turn. The Affair will return for its fourth season on Showtime in 2018.


Thursday, September 28, 2017

2017 Fall Music Preview


Two things that really stood out to this nineties child when giving a once over to the list of albums coming out this fall. First off we are getting dueling Gallagher albums! Okay, this would have been much more exciting if this were 1997 not 2017. And the other thing was an album being released by some guy named William Patrick Corgan. If you have not figured it out yet, that is Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan. Apparently he thought Deborah Gibsn's name change was not silly enough so he also added the middle name. In other ninties news, Beck is coming out with a fun album after his super depressing Album of the Year one, Wu-Tang Clan is back with an album anyone can buy, while U2 is also back to making people buying albums again. Oh, and Hootie of the Blowfish fame is still putting out country music while Primus is back with their original lineup since 1995. And of course Weezer is back with their bi-yearly release of disapointing tracks. In other artists you probably did not realize were still releasing music news, oh, hey, Barenaked Ladies, Boyz II Men, and Seal.

 I spent so much time on the nineties because as usually I am mostly meh on current music. I have enjoyed what I have heard from the upcoming Jessie Ware album and Jillian Jaqcqueline and Carly Pearce are a breath of fresh air in country pop music along with Danielle Bradbery who put out a track I kind of like (though weird to release a song called Hello Summer on the first day of fall) but that is about it. I will give at least a Spotify stream to these albums. You can pre-order the albums by clicking the album title or go to their iTunes page by clicking on the artists name.


Last Week
Wonderful Wonderful - The Killers
Side A - Jillian Jacqueline

Friday
Sorry Is Gone - Jessica Lea Mayfield
The Desaturating Seven - Primus
Now - Shania Twain
The Attractions of Youth - Barns Courtney
Let's Play Two (Live) - Pearl Jam
Core (Super Deluxe Edition) - Stone Temple Pilots

October 6
As You Were - Liam Gallagher
Offering - Cults

October 13
Colors - Beck
Every Little Thing - Carly Pearce
The Saga Continues - Wu-Tang
There is No Love in Fluorescent Light - Stars
Carry Fire - Robert Plant
Ogilala - William Patrick Corgan
The Con X: Covers - Tegan and Sara
Holiday's Rule Vol. 2

October 20
Glasshouse - Jessie Ware
When Was the Last Time - Darius Rucker
Under the Streetlight - Boyz II Men
All American Made - Margo Price
Southern Gothic - Tyminski
Fever to Tell (Deluxe Remastered) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

October 27
Pacific Daydream - Weezer
World Wide Funk - Bootsy Collins

November 3
Unapologetically - Kelsea Ballerini
Wild and Reckless - Blitzen Trapper

November 10
Reputation - Taylor Swift
Synthesis - Evanescence
What If Nothing - Walk the Moon
Phases - Angel Olsen
Standards - Seal
Automatic for the People (25th Anniversary Edition) - R.E.M.

November 17
Fake Nudes - Barenaked Ladies
If All I Was Was Black - Mavis Staples

November 24
Who Built the Moon? - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

December 1
Songs of Experience - U2
I Don't Believe We Met - Danielle Bradbery

January 19
M A  N   I    A - Fall Out Boy

March 2
TBD - Andrew W.K.



TBA
Pitch Perfect 3 Soundtrack
Inside a Dream - Echosmith
Untitled Christmas Album - Sia
The All-American Rejects
Arctic Monkeys
Ariana Grande
Bob Seger
Cat Power
Father John Misty
Kid Rock
Paul McCartney
Pistol Annies
Sheryl Crow
Vampire Weekend

And of course this could be the quarter Dr. Dre releases Detox.


Monday, September 25, 2017

The Fifty Best Live Show Performances on The Voice



In a measure of full disclosure, I tend to check out of The Voice when it goes Live because most of my favorites from the Blind Auditions are gone by then. So I have not seen every single Live Show performance, it may not even be twenty - five percent. I just tend to watch the few singers I like via YouTube. And here are my fifty favorite.

1. Heartless - Dia Frampton

2. Dream On - Amanda Brown

3. Hotline Bling - Amy Vachal

4. Love Is Blindness - Madi Davis

5. Ordinary People - Mathai

6. I Call the Shots - Hannah Huston

7. Skinny Love - Lindsey Pavao

8. Blank Space - Amy Vachal

9. Songbird - Madi Davis

10. Over You - Cassadee Pope

11. Stars - Amanda Brown

12. We’re Going To Be Friends - Caroline Pennell

13. The A Team - Caroline Glaser

14. To Make You Feel My Love - Amy Vachal

15. Adorn - Cole Vosbury

16. Why Not Me - Emily Ann Roberts

17. Rich Girl - Cole Vosbury

18. Say You Love Me - Hannah Huston

19. Losing My Religion - Dia Frampton

20. Somebody That I Used to Know - Lindsey Pavao

21. Heads Carolina, Tails California - Danielle Bradbery

22. Dog Days Are Over - Caroline Pennell

23. She Talks To Angels - Austin Jenckes

24. Maggie May - Cole Vosbury

25. Foolish Games - Ashley De La Rosa

26. It’s Too Late - Lilli Passero

27. Maybe It Was Memphis - Danielle Bradbery

28. Stay - Amber Carrington

29. Holding Out For a Hero - Jessie Pitts

30. Ex’s & Oh’s - Ellie Lawrence

31. Ain’t No Sunshine - Mia Z

32. Every Breath You Take - Hannah Huston

33. Stupid Boy - Cassadee Pope

34. The Way You Look Tonight - Amy Vachal

35. Inventing Shadows - Dia Frampton

36. Budapest - Joshua Davis

37. Big Girls Don’t Cry - Madi Davis

38. I’ll Be There For You - Tess Boyer

39. Are You Happy Now? - Cassadee Pope

40. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Amanda Brown

41. Leaving On a Jet Plane - Caroline Pennell

42. One More Try - Cody Belew

43. Oh Sherrie - Sisaundra Lewis

44. Alone - Sasha Allen

45. Dirty Diana - Kimberly Nichole

46. My Church - Mary Sarah

47. Somebody To Love - Cody Belew

48. Wake Me Up - Caroline Pennell

49. Before He Cheats - Sasha Allen

50. Blame It On Your Heart - Emily Ann Roberts


Performances by Season

Season 1 – 3
Season 2 – 5
Season 3 – 8
Season 4 - 5
Season 5 - 8
Season 6 – 2
Season 7 - 1
Season 8 - 3
Season 9 - 10
Season 10 - 4
Season 11 – 0
Season 12 – 1

Performances by Coach

Blake - 17
Adam – 12
Pharrell - 7
Cee-Lo – 6
Christina – 4
Shakira - 3
Gwen – 1
Usher – 0
Alicia - 0
Miley – 0


And since I have gone through all the rounds, here is the ranking if you add up all four Best of rounds:

Performances by Season:

Season 1 – 7
Season 2 – 19
Season 3 – 22
Season 4 – 21
Season 5 – 23
Season 6 – 8
Season 7 – 3
Season 8 – 14
Season 9 – 23
Season 10 – 8
Season 11 – 0
Season 12 – 1

Performances of Coach:

Blake – 41
Adam – 34
Pharrell - 21
Christina – 19
Cee-Lo – 18
Shakira - 7
Usher – 6
Gwen – 4
Alicia – 0
Miley - 0



Sunday, September 24, 2017

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/24/2017




Ray Donovan: These flashbacks are getting more confusing. So Abby took the place of someone but ended up dying but the girl they ran into this week who also took part is in perfect health. I guess it could be a youth thing. Modern day is just as confusing. So hot actress had sex with Ray, was married, yet she knows a third guy is the father? Very suspicious. Then I have absolutely no clue what I going on with Micky and Avi.

The Strain: Forking Zack, had to mess up the plan one last time. And all the worthy people who could had killed The Master, Setrakian and Quinlin who both dedicated their lives to the case, both ended up dying before it happened just to have a child do it. Yeah, yeah, I understand the redemption arc, but the kid still remains annoying to me. Really just ruined the series as a whole.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: These returning players episodes are becoming cumbersome, especially this being the token eating gross stuff episode. Hopefully this is it for returning players. But they have that secons house so I have a feeling we will be having this until the end of the season.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

The Good Place: I really hated when Lost would do the whole tell the same story from multiple points of view trop, but I really enjoy it during the new season here. And Michael really forked up, already on try three by the end of the premiere. Or are we just going to get him retrying something different every episode? All I know is I need more Real Elinor in my life.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Gotham: So three people supposedly died in the season finale and not one got resurrected in the premiere. The Riddler is still in his block of ice ready to be thawed. Barbara gets mentioned but not seen. While Butch does not get even a mention. But we did get a silly, not quite a cape and cowl Batman costume. And an even sillier plot where criminals carry essentially Get Out of Jail Free cards like some everyday Purge situation. I know this is a comic book, but c’mon, how do the shop owners who get robbed not sue the Penguin?
You can download Gotham on iTunes.