Around the Tubes: 8/24/2018

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 Last Ship, Ariana Grande, The Spencer Lee Band, Rose Villain, Air Disasters, Naked With Niecy Nash, Our Cartoon President, and Too $hort.

- TNT is revealing The Last Ship's new, action-packed long-form trailer. The Last Ship will complete its mission when the show returns for its fifth and final season on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 9 p.m.


- Grammy Award®-nominated, multiplatinum, record-breaking superstar Ariana Grande releases the highly anticipated fourth studio album, Sweetener, via Republic Records. The album debuted at #1 in over 90 countries on the iTunes Album Chart. Sweetener includes three previously released tracks, “No Tears Left To Cry” now officially certified RIAA PLATINUM, “The Light Is Coming”, and current second single “God Is A Woman”. Get Sweetener HERE.

- The Spencer Lee Band releases their self-titled debut EP, The Spencer Lee Band [School Boy Records/The Brain Music/Republic Records]. Check out the lyric video for “River Water” HERE and The Spencer Lee Band EP HERE.

- Rising pop antihero Rose Villain reveals the vertical video for her new single, “Funeral Party,” via Republic Records—watch here. The track is produced by SIXPM and is Villain’s first release with Republic. Of the song, Villain says, “It’s a song about the definitive end of a relationship, where he acted like a total jerk, and she moved on with a bang.”

- A 747 explodes in the skies above New York. An Indonesian airliner crashes in the jungle with no survivors. A Taiwanese commuter aircraft clips a highway on takeoff and plunges into a river. In the aftermath of the world’s deadliest airplane tragedies, the world is often left to wonder: What happened? Smithsonian Channel's long-running series AIR DISASTERS returns with a new season to uncover the truth behind what went wrong and how to prevent these fatal crashes in the future. The 11th season of Air Disasters premieres Sunday, September 30 at 8:00 on Smithsonian Channel.

- It’s time to slay in a whole new way. Turner’s TNT has ordered a pilot for Naked With Niecy Nash, a decidedly unique show with a late-night feel hosted and executive produced by the queen of Claws and author of the best-selling book It’s Hard to Fight Naked, the inimitable Niecy Nash. Nash, never afraid to get real and tell it like it is, will serve up a tall glass of humor, advice, and one-of-a-kind “Niecy-isms” on all things love, sex, romance and relationships with everyday people. The pilot will tap Niecy’s unparalleled strengths to inspire, empower and make viewers laugh out loud. Nothing is off limits and no topic will be out-of-reach.

- With one of the most consequential midterm elections of our time looming, the Showtime animated series Our Cartoon President takes a look at the political field in a special one-hour episode that involves Cartoon President Trump, his closest advisors, leaders of the Democratic party, a Russian president and an unforgettable hot air balloon ride. Premiering Sunday, November 4 at 10:30 on Showtime, Our Cartoon President: Election Special 2018 focuses on Cartoon Trump’s deepening concerns about what he fears is a coming Democratic blue wave and the threat of impeachment.

- “Hey dad, can you play that new Too $hort?” a seemingly upper class-born girl asks as she hops into the car with her family. Directed by Embryo, the hilarious new music video for Too $hort’s star-studded “Ain’t My Girlfriend (feat. French Montana, Ty Dolla $ign, Joyner Lucas and Jeremih)” track features a formally-dressed family driving through their neighborhood in a minivan, having the time of their life singing along to the raunchy and explicit lyrics. The creative visual features a comical cameo from the Bay Area legend and makes for a fitting introduction to his forthcoming studio album The Pimp Tape [Dangerous Music/EMPIRE]- available everywhere November 9. Pre-order the album HERE.

- Showtime has announced that Emmy nominee Kari Skogland (The Handmaid’s Tale) will direct the first two episodes of the network’s eight-episode limited series about Fox News founder Roger Ailes, based upon the extensive reporting of Gabriel Sherman in his bestselling book, The Loudest Voice in the Room, and starring Academy Award® and Golden Globe® winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind) in the title role.

- Lt. Governor Dan Patrick put out a tweet saying he is agreeing to debate Fox News personality, Geraldo Rivera, who is not a candidate for any public office in Texas, nor anywhere else in the United States. This comes as Patrick continually refuses to debate his actual opponent, Democratic Lt. Governor Nominee, Mike Collier.

- Following Micheal Cohen's guilty plea and Paul Manafort's guilty sentencing, BetDSI.com has cut odds on the possibility of the House impeaching President Donald Trump. As the odds currently stand, Trump is a slight underdog to be impeached during his first term, but he's an overwhelming favorite to be impeached before the end of his projected Presidential tenure. A bettor would have to risk $500 just to win $100 if he believes Trump will be impeached before 2021.

Donald Trump is impeached by the House during first term

Yes +100
No -130

Donald Trump is impeached by the House before Nov. 3, 2020

Yes -500
No +350

Previewing Safe Harbour

They say no deed goes unpunished and five Australians learn just that in the show from Down Under Safe Harbour (which explains the extra “U”). Five years ago, the aforementioned Aussies are out in international waters celebrating their upper middle class lives when they happen upon a boat filled with refugees from Indonesia that has stalled out in the ocean after the engine died. So the partiers have to decide whether to help or not.

After a four to one vote (how the voting goes down is eventually revealed) they decide to pull the foreigners to safety. But after the approaching storm, the rope gets cut and the two vessels never see each other again. That is until present day when one of the Australians gets into a taxi with a familiar looking driver. After a reunion of the two families, it becomes the two groups have a very different account of their fateful meeting.

Then after four episodes tensions escalates between the two sides, some by bad decisions, some by bad luck until a climatic conclusion where we finally learn what happened to the rope (each of the previous three episodes end with what looks like someone getting caught red handed). Safe Harbour is a fascinating look at what we owe to each other with all the hallmarks of a mystery that refreshingly does not revolve around who murdered who. There is intrigue, betrayal, arson, plenty of guilt, and during all of it, the daughter of an Australian befriends a son of the Indonesian. And at under four hour runtime, they manage to wrap everything up nicely making it something quick to watch on a lazy weekend.

All four episodes of Safe Harbour are available on Hulu tomorrow.