Around the Tubes: March 20, 2021

    

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 Sasquatch, Wework, The Chi, Black Monday, Flatbush Misdemeanor, Teen Wolf, 100% Wolf, Into the Dark, Cypher, U2, Lord Huron, Foxes, Maja Kristina, Greta Van Fleet, The Goldbergs, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Weeknd, Let the Right One In, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Shaka: King of the Zulu Nation.

From Duplass Brothers Productions and director Joshua Rofé comes a wild investigation into rumors of a bizarre twenty-five year old triple homicide said to be the work of a mythical creature. The three-part Hulu Original documentary series premieres on Tuesday, April 20, only on Hulu.  While visiting a pot farm in Northern California in 1993, investigative journalist David Holthouse heard a story that still haunts him: On a nearby farm three men were torn limb from limb in a savage Bigfoot attack. Sasquatch follows David as he revisits the Redwoods 25 years later, in search of any evidence that might lead to the truth of what happened that night. As he pulls at the threads of this story, he’ll be taken down a path that’s far more terrifying than anyone would have imagined. 

- Investigate the community-centric, people-first ideal that sent a little co-working venture sky-rocketing into unicorn investment territory – and what was really going on behind the scenes – with Hulu’s WEWORK: OR THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF A $47 BILLION UNICORN trailer.  WEWORK: OR THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF A $47 BILLION UNICORN is a feature documentary that explores the rise and fall of one of the biggest corporate flameouts and venture capitalist bubbles in recent years - the story of WeWork, and its hippie-messianic leader Adam Neumann. Utilizing interviews with journalists, experts, high-ranking former employees, and former WeWork members, the documentary takes a look at the community-centric, people-first ideal that sent the little co-working venture sky-rocketing into unicorn investment territory, and then investigates what was really going on behind the scenes.

- SHOWTIME has announced that the fourth season of its hit drama series THE CHI (9 p.m. ET/PT), the third season of comedy BLACK MONDAY (10 p.m.) and freshman comedy series FLATBUSH MISDEMEANORS (10:30 p.m.) will debut on Sunday, May 23 in a powerhouse night of programming.

- To celebrate March's Full Moon on Sunday the 28th, Hulu will be counting down the days with howling good series and film premieres for every wolf in your pack.  TEEN WOLF: COMPLETE SERIES 10th ANNIVERSARY (Streaming Monday, March 22), 100% WOLF (2020): Australian animated kids film. The story of 100% WOLF centers on Freddy Lupin, heir to the leadership of a proud family line of werewolves. Positive he'll become the most fearsome werewolf ever, Freddy is in for a shock when on his 13th birthday his first "warfing" goes awry, turning him into a ferocious... poodle. Thrown a bone by the pack elders, Freddy has until the next moonrise to prove he has the heart of a wolf, or risk being cast out forever. With the help of an unlikely ally in a streetwise stray named Batty, Freddy must overcome his pink and fluffy exterior to prove he's still 100% Wolf.  (Streaming Tuesday, March 23)  INTO THE DARK: BLOOD MOON SEASON 2 FINALE:  When Esme (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and her ten-year-old son, Luna (Yonas Kibreab), move to a small desert town looking for a fresh start they attract all the wrong kinds of attention. As the locals begin to probe, Esme must battle to protect her son and a terrifying secret before the next full moon threatens their very existence.  (Streaming Friday, March 26) 

- CYPHER, is making its exclusive premiere on The Roku Channel. Cypher -- an FBI code breaking specialist who discovers a secret organization's hit list, and must navigate the murky waters of loyalty and betrayal amongst fellow FBI agents – all as the clock ticks to save his kidnapped daughter.  Available for the first time to viewers in the U.S. and Canada, all seven episodes of Season One will drop on Friday, March 19^th, 2021.

- YouTube, Island Records, Interscope, UMe, and UMC today announce U2: The Virtual Road, a series of four concerts broadcast for the first time exclusively on the band's YouTube channel, for 48 hours only.  U2: The Virtual Road also marks the first time that three of these concerts – Slane, Red Rocks, and Mexico – have been made available digitally.  The first concert will broadcast on St. Patrick's Day, March 17,  2021. U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle celebrates the band's return to the legendary Irish concert site on September 1,  2001, for their first performance on the banks of the River Boyne in over twenty years. And in an exclusive YouTube performance, Dermot Kennedy will open the show with a solo performance recorded last week outside Los Angeles.  On March 25, fans can tune in to see U2: Live At Red Rocks recorded on June 5, 1983, at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, the United States, on the band's War Tour. A career-defining show, the rain-soaked performance at the iconic venue helped establish U2's reputation as one of the greatest live acts in the world. And another Grammy-nominated Dublin band, Fontaines D.C., will open the show with a performance recorded in their hometown last year.  The PopMart Tour stormed into Mexico City in December 1997 for a memorable show at the Foro Sol Stadium and on April 1 will see Carla Morrison open for the band, only on YouTube, for a very special one-off performance ahead of Popmart: Live From Mexico City.

- After causing a whole lot of chatter amongst audiences and critics alike, Lord Huron have begun to unwind the little riddle they’ve been spinning over the past few months and announce their fourth full-length album, LONG LOST, out May 21^st via Whispering Pines Studios Inc./Republic Records featuring new single “MINE FOREVER.”  Pre-order Long Lost HERE, listen to “Mine Forever” HERE, and watch the official music video for “Mine Forever” (Directed by Anthony Wilson) HERE.

- Foxes has shared details of her forthcoming new EP, Friends In The Corner, set for release April 1 via [PIAS] Recordings, alongside the release of her new single "Kathleen", produced by Courage (Stormzy, MNEK, Ray BLK) and Charlie Hugall (Halsey, Florence and the Machine) and its accompanying video. Watch and listen HERE.  New single "Kathleen" acts as an ode to her grandmother, called Kathleen, poignantly released as the UK eases from lockdown and prepares to see their grandparents after a year of distance. Kathleen in the '70s was a political activist, feminist, devoted environmentalist and English teacher, her values inspiring Foxes (Louisa Rose Allen) from her childhood as she encouraged her to read poetry, write, and get lost in novels, sowing the seeds for Louisa to grow to become Foxes. Their relationship is reflected in the video, directed by Florence Kosky, with two generations of ballerinas, the younger learning from the elder’s every move, and reminiscent doll-house scenes.

- Acclaimed 22-year-old Stockholm songstress Maja Kristina releases the official video for new single “Jessica” today – watch HERE. “Jessica” is off of Maja Kristina’s recently released self-debut EP, Maja Kristina – listen to the EP HERE via Eddie O Entertainment/Republic Records.  The track was produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Dan Nigro [Oliva Rodrigo, Conan Gray] and penned by Maja.

- Grammy Award-winning four-piece Greta Van Fleet are debuting their latest track “Broken Bells,” an anthem intended to inspire; listen/share HERE.  “Broken Bells is what the fetter of society does to impact a pure and innocent soul. Our intention is to remove the obligation of generational synthetic expectations; break down these walls and not build new ones,” explains the band’s Sam Kiszka.

- Singer/songwriter Dolly Parton’s number one hit record she recorded with the late Kenny Rogers, “Islands in The Stream,” will be featured in the upcoming episode of the ABC-TV hit comedy The Goldbergs on Wednesday, March 24 at 8 p.m. It marks the second time this season The Goldbergs are featuring a Parton number one hit. The Goldbergs included a tribute to Parton’s “9 to 5” on March 3, when singer/songwriter/actor Hayley Orrantia, who plays Erica Goldberg, performed “9 to 5” at the end of that episode.

-  GRAMMY® Award-winning and Country Music Hall of Fame members, The Oak Ridge Boys are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their Grammy-winning song "Elvira" which was originally released in 1981. While written in 1966 by Dallas Frazier, The Oak Ridge Boys decided to record the song for their album, Fancy Free. The song went on to reach number one on Hot Country Songs for Billboard and reached number 5 for Billboard Hot 100. "Elvira" has continued to be a classic, played in over 100 countries, added to over 109 editorial playlists, and has reached 5 million plays on Apple Music.

- Critically acclaimed, award-winning music producer Andrew Watt took home the award for Producer of the Year at the 63^rd annual Grammy Awards.  This marks the first official Grammy win for the multi-platinum selling hit-maker, who worked on some of 2020’s biggest music releases including; Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man, Miley Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts, both of which he executive-produced, Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, which tonight took home the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album, and Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding, nominated for Album of the Year.  Watt’s work has continued to dominate the charts. He helped steer the hit “Midnight Sky” to become Miley’s 14^th Top 20 US hit and Plastic Hearts to 3 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Rock Charts. And he started 2021 off with a bang with his recent work on Justin Bieber’s smash hit “Anyone” which helped catapult the single to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, making it Bieber’s 22^nd career top 10 in the US.

- Ten years ago, an anonymous force emerged from the shadows in Toronto and took the first step towards changing popular music forever. The story started before nominations at the Academy® Awards and halftime shows at the Super Bowl. On March 21, 2011, The Weeknd first unveiled his groundbreaking debut mixtape House of Balloons. A decade later to the date, it will be made available on all streaming platforms for the first time in its original incarnation, including original samples. This marks the first time House of Balloons has appeared on DSPs in its purest and most powerful form.  Additionally, The Weeknd will unveil an exclusive merchandise drop to celebrate the moment. Among many highlights, it features a collaboration with Daniel Arsham’s new interpretation of the iconic cover art and 1,000 limited-edition vinyl. Fans may purchase at shop.theweeknd.com on March 21 @ 3PM EST for 48 hours only.

-  SHOWTIME has announced a pilot order for the elevated genre series LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, starring Oscar nominee Demián Bichir (A Better Life) as Mark, a husband and father who had the perfect life until it was turned upside down by a mysterious creature who bit his daughter (Eleanor) and then vanished into the night. Award-winning playwright, writer and producer Andrew Hinderaker (Away, PENNY DREADFUL) will serve as showrunner and executive produce along with Seith Mann (HOMELAND, #FreeRayShawn, Blindspotting), who will also direct the pilot. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is produced by Tomorrow Studios (Cowboy Bebop, Snowpiercer) with Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements also serving as executive producers. Bichir will serve as producer.

- SHOWTIME announced today that the highly anticipated upcoming original drama series THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH – starring Oscar and Emmy^® nominee and BAFTA^® Award winner Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind) – will premiere exclusively on SHOWTIME in 2022. Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are writing and executive producing the series and with executive producer John Hlavin will serve as showrunners. Kurtzman will also direct multiple episodes of the series. Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Heather Kadin are also executive producing. The series, which is moving to SHOWTIME from ViacomCBS sibling Paramount+, is scheduled to begin production in London in April. 

- SHOWTIME has announced that it has placed a series order for the hourlong drama SHAKA: KING OF THE ZULU NATION, executive produced and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day). An epic drama centered around one man’s personal journey from stigmatized childhood to warrior king, the series is produced by CBS Studios, Propagate and Fuqua Films and created and written by Olu Odebunmi and Tolu Awosika (The Terminal List). They also executive produce with Ben Silverman and Rodney Ferrell of Propagate.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 14, 2021

 

 Shameless:  Okay, now I am confused, if the chick was on the pill and could have died because of a latex allergy, does it still make it rape?  Sure, she should have mentioned those before getting down to business, but is somewhat understandable.  And there is always the possibility that is a lie.  Then Debbie girlfriend has a school aged kid? What other deep dark secrets is she hiding?  But Frank wearing a blood stained bandana under his nose pretty much sums up why this country is where it is in this pandemic. 

 

The Walking Dead:  Was I really supposed to remember what was going on with this show five years ago?  I barely remembered what was happening right before the pandemic.  But I guess it happened during the time jump.  Almost as confusing was Darryl talking about looking for his brother.  I was pretty sure he died, but looked it up because that happen maybe five actual years ago in real life and yes, Merle is dead.  Daryl even killed the walking dead version of Merle after The Governor (wow, that was a long time ago) shot him in the chest.  So was Daryl referring to Rick or possibly Connie who was also brought up in the episode (I had to look her up too, apparently she was last seen alive near Oceanside)?

 

Good Girls:  Okay, I did not remember much during the “previously on” but the one thing I actually remembered from last season did not actually happen.  I thought for sure Andrew McCarthy actually did shoot the gangbanger.  But now that he and Johnathan Silverman are both on the show, hopefully he does kill the gangbanger and then they pretend he is still alive so they can spend the weekend out his summer house.

 

Snowpiercer:  So Snowpiercer is still in the Himalayas?  I appreciate the Jennifer Connelly update last week, but it is weird that they would end with the train going by her and then not even get to that point by the next episode.  I was also surprised to see the guy who slit his wrists still alive.  Even less believable is the little girl being able to leave the medical bay without anyone notice or that the preacher just has a easy to access opening to outside.

 

Debris:  So no one is going to question if the FBI is actually the clone and killed the real FBI agent.  And why exactly weren’t there more clones if everyone is in the same Hazmat suit that the FBI guy was in?

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Oh Nany, congratulations on your Gold Skull, but what a horrible choice you made after your win.  Didn’t Fessy gas out during last year’s final and has not been that successful this season except for the rare physical challenges, something that does not happen in the final?  Yet sitting right up there is Darrell who has won every season he has been on but two (and one of those he was kicked off for punching Brad).  Or she could have gone with CT who has three wins under his belt in the past decade.  Fessy even finished behind both Kyle and Cory during last year’s final.  Okay, I do understand not wanting to team up with Corey who is on his sixth partner.  But then again, why is everyone so confidant the pairs are going to stick together in the finals?  Six of the last eight seasons, there have been individual finals.  Why, in a season called “Double Agents” would you think you are going to have a partner in the finale, especially when you have been swapping them all season?

 

The Blacklist:  Yet another week without Lizzie but another episode with a Lizzie doppelganger.  I actually thought that lady in the very first scene was her for a second or two.  But this show has been on for so long, I may be wrong, but I feel like we already had that scene with Cooper telling Dembe he would make a good cop.