Around the Tubes: March 14, 2020

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 Outsider, Schitt's Creek, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, HAIM, LOOTE, KIANA LEDÉ, Disgraceland, Last Call for the Bayou, American Gigolo, and Friends.


- Believe the unbelievable! Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release the murder crime mystery series The Outsider: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray and DVD on June 9, 2020 and is priced to own at $29.99 SRP ($34.99 in Canada) for the DVD and $39.99 SRP ($44.99 in Canada) for the Blu-ray which includes a Digital Copy (US Only). The Outsider: The Complete First Season is also available to own on Digital via purchase from all major digital retailers today. In addition to all 10 exhilarating episodes from season one, Outsider: The Complete First Season features over 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes bonus content including the all-new featurette “EL CUCO. THE BABA YAGA. THE OUTSIDER.” In this never-before-seen featurette you can dive deep into the real-world origins and supernatural abilities of the being at the center of The Outsider with compelling insights from the creators and cast

- After six celebrated seasons and enough awards and nominations to make Moira Rose swoon, Pop TV is celebrating its breakout hit Schitt's Creek with the ultimate farewell for fans: an intimate behind-the-scenes look at the beloved series with the special Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt’s Creek Farewell. The inside look will debut on Pop TV on April 7 at 8:30PM ET/PT immediately following the series finale, which is being supersized in a simulcast across Pop TV, Comedy Central and Logo in a special event at a new time, 8PM ET/PT. “As we celebrate the end of Schitt's Creek, we couldn’t do it without creating a special TV moment to send this historic series out on top,“ said Brad Schwartz, President, Pop TV. “This must-watch behind the scenes doc is the perfect way to honor a series that has made an impact in so many people’s lives, with enduring characters and stories filled with heart, humor and honesty that will stand the test of time.”

- As Joe Biden grows his sizable lead in the Democratic delegate race, The Circus sits down with former Democratic Party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz to discuss the challenge of winning over Bernie Sanders’ supporters and the lessons she learned from 2016. Bruce Mehlman – a lobbyist, Republican strategist, and former assistant secretary of commerce during George W. Bush’s administration – lays out how the coronavirus is impacting the 2020 presidential race and Trump’s re-election bid. For a preview go to: https://youtu.be/jP64c1A7EGk

- Republic Records releases Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Season 1, Episode 5 (Music from the Original TV Series) in conjunction with the critically acclaimed new NBC television series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, produced by Lionsgate and Universal Television in association with the Tannenbaum Company, Feigco Entertainment and Universal Music Group’s Polygram Entertainment. Get it via Republic Records HERE. New EPs will be released in tandem with each new episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, which will air weekly on Sundays at 9pm ET/ PT on NBC.

- HAIM: The Steps:


- Mega-hit, Singer/Songwriter and Production pop duo LOOTE have dropped a lyric video today directed by Ryan Schaefer for their new single “This Is How U Feel,” which is now surpassing one million streams. It marks the second single off their forthcoming Heart Eyes EP, (out April 24) to hit one million streams in one week, following the release of their first single “All The F**king Time.” The “Heart Eyes” EP is being supported by LOOTE’S first national headlining tour kicking off April 14 in Chicago. In the “This Is How U Feel” video, the duo shares never-before-seen baby photos, hand-made notes and art, along with Halloween costumes. It’s an intimate and personally curated work for the fans. atch the video HERE.

- Continuing her rapid rise as the year’s boldest and biggest breakout R&B starlet,KIANA LEDÉ shares a brand-new single entitled“Forfeit” [feat. Lucky Daye] today. Get it HERE via Republic Records. A downtempo beat simmers between airy keys and guitar as she delivers a sultry send-off in this breakup anthem with a soulful falsetto assist from 4x Grammy Nominee Lucky Daye.

- The explosive music and true crime podcast returns for its 5th season with a two-part episode on Guns N’ Roses. Part 1 will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network beginning today and can be heard now on the iHeartRadio app and wherever podcasts are available. Part 2 will be available on Tuesday, March 17, with new episodes to follow bi-weekly through the end of the season. Listen to Disgraceland Season 5 Episode 1.

- Every hour, an area the size of a football field erodes from Louisiana’s wetlands – a delta filled with rich estuarine life that supports a robust commercial fishing industry, fertile oil fields and millions of migrating waterfowl. An infinitely complex ecosystem, the bayous of Louisiana are the cradle of the state’s economy. Located at the base of the Mississippi, this key navigation channel allows the passage of goods worldwide. Yet each year 25-square miles of land are lost forever, displacing its marine life, damaging local oil and gas industries and threatening the citizens of New Orleans. Last Call for the Bayou follows the lives of those experiencing these catastrophic changes first-hand to discover the difficulties of life on the bayou and capture a way of life on the brink of collapse. Filmmakers Dominic and Nadia Gill bring five intimate stories to life through aerial photography, a two-man Inspire Drone team and a paraglider, all while capturing the beauty and visceral nature of Louisiana’s wetlands. Buried in these stories of destruction are individual moments of resilience, where families have remained unified and proud to call the bayou their home. Last Call for the Bayou will be available beginning on Friday, April 10 on Smithsonian Channel digital platforms. All five short-form episodes will also be available for free on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram and across multiple streaming TV provider websites, apps and free on demand channels. Additionally, the episodes are free on www.smithsonianchannel.com.

- Showtime has announced a pilot order for the drama series American Gigolo, starring Jon Bernthal (Ford v Ferrari, The Walking Dead) and written and directed by Emmy nominee David Hollander (RAY DONOVAN). Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the original film, will executive produce along with Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed. Bernthal also serves as a producer. The project is a production of Paramount Television Studios. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc. American Gigolo is a present-day reimagining of the iconic 1980 film. Bernthal will play Julian Kaye, who is introduced 18 years after he's been arrested for murder and struggling to find his footing in the modern-day Los Angeles sex industry, while seeking the truth about the set-up that sent him to prison all those years ago and also hoping to reconnect with Michelle, his one true love.

- It’s been a decade since Friends was on the air – but the series, the stars, and its global impact is larger than ever! From the taglines to the fashion – and let’s not forget the hair! Did you ever have “The Rachel” haircut? I know I did! Jennifer Aniston’s infamous hair on the iconic series influenced a decade of hairstyles, and we have a fun supercut to celebrate Rachel Greene, and her era of fabulous locks! These looks have ALL made a comeback with the 90’s fashion resurfacing - and 26 years later the show is still so loved and relevant!

Previewing Black Monday

Watching first season recap of Black Monday, I am just realizing just hoe convoluted the plot was. Really all you need to know is at the end of the season, Blair and Dawn screwed over Mo who went on the run for crashing the stock market and crashing somebody onto a car. Oh yeah, and the first season was pretty forking funny. The show comes from Seth Rogan and Evan Goldman who, after over a decade of making high concept filled with low IQ characters movies are now also making high concept with low IQ characters stories for the small screen like this and Future Man.

The first season counted down to what we already knew was going to be the financial collapse that would culminate with someone falling on a stretch Lamborghini. The episode titles even let you know how many days until then. Thankfully that devise is abandoned in season two and we just get to see the fallout of everything that happened in season one. Although I do like the bit of having all the flashback in the old school 4:3 ratio. Sure, it is not like there was widescreen yet in 1988 when the main story takes place.

A year after season one, Dawn has taken over the Jammer Group, changed it to an unfortunate acronym, and hires an entire female work force aside from the boys who stuck around from the previous iteration. She is now trying to scam the remaining Leman brother who was not crushed while taking a dump in Mo’s car. Blair is in DC trying a scheme in his own. And surprisingly Mo is on the run avoiding any schemes as the season opens. Then Keith is now finally able to be himself which is very bald and very gay. But the show is as funny as ever and you really want to check back in just to see a great scene that features Running with the Night, a very underrated Lionel Richie gem.

Black Monday airs Sunday at 10:00 with back to back episodes on Showtime.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 8, 2020

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Well that was the weakest episode so far mostly because the neighbor is the weakest character. Not the greatest song selection either between opera and Miley Cyrus. Okay, I did like the island themed songs.
You can download Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist on iTunes.

Dare Me: Was the dude who date raped the Queen B in the dead guy’s room at the start of the episode? But my theory that the Queen B was involved in the murder was helped by her saying that they both have alibis now.
You can download Dare Me on iTunes.

The Outsider: I caught on pretty early that the boys were in the past, but I thought they said one of their names was the same as neck guy? Granted I a calling him neck guy because I am unsure of what his name is. Speaking of neck guy, he does not really want to do any of the things El Cuco is telling him, is drinking brown liquor, but still manages to shoot the head off the guy who tasted copper in his mouth (should had heeded that sign dude)?

Homeland: One thing the creators of the show said early in its run that really stuck with me was you can no longer surprised an audience with something happening, you can only surprise them anymore with when it happens. That philosophy had them burning through a season’s worth of plot in two or three episodes early on, but now, there are not many surprising developments anymore. After everything was going so well in the first part of the episode, my inner voice said, okay something bad is going to happen at the end of the episode. And there we have at the end of the episode with a chopper going down with two presidents inside. And I am just going to go ahead and say the Pakistanis were involved.

The Walking Dead: So Beta just dug a tunnel into Alexandra? Okay, that was pretty cool. But very uncool to be taken down by a child.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Good Girls: I guess that is one way to avoid getting killed by the dude who you just shot, imply he knocked you up. But what exactly did his really baby momma say to convince the doctor to lie?
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.

Manifest: Wait, what happened to the college dude? Did he just fall through the floor? Did he crawl to the sewers? But I guess that kind of helps the idea of a death day if he can avoid what really looked to be certain date.
You can download Manifest on iTunes.

Project Blue Book: That was probably the most X-Files episode so far. Although I doubt the X-Files would had ended it as the government torturing a new family. So what was up with the bear guy? Was he in on it or just a crazy dude? And the government finally caught the lady Russian asset. The question is will they find out what she is up to?
You can download Project Blue Book on iTunes.

Survivor: Winners at War: They really need to change these sit out rules. It just really disadvantages the losing tribe if the other tribe gets to sit their weakest member every week.
You can download Survivor: Winners at War on iTunes.

Devs: Um, did they really spoil the big twist they played very coy about in the “This season on”? The chick who looks more like the daughter from The Middle with a bad haircut more than any Chinese person I ever met seemed to out the whole thing to Alison Pill in a future scene. I hope that was just a huge misdirection. They certainly implied they could see the past later in the second episode.
You can download Devs on iTunes.

The Bold Type: So Jaqueline has a brunette friend and a black friend? Kind of looks like the older version of the three leads. Except Jaqueline would make more sense as the Jane so it does not quite work.
You can download The Bold Type on iTunes.