Around the Tubes: July 3, 2021

 

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting.  This post includes blurbs on  This Way Up, The L Word: Generation Q, POV, Lord Huron, Joy Oladokun, Noah Kahan, Claire Rosinkranz, and Audra McLaughlin, 

- Season two of the BAFTA award-winning series This Way Up is set after the events of the season one finale, with things in flux for Aine (Aisling Bea, "Living With Yourself;" "Quiz") and her sister, Shona (Sharon Horgan, "Catastrophe;" "Military Wives"). Aine's starting to leave her time in rehab behind and live less cautiously, which may not be entirely wise. Will she and Richard (Tobias Menzies, "The Crown;" "Game of Thrones") make a go of it? Or continue to exist in the odd tension of the employer and employee? How will Shona and Charlotte (Indira Varma, "Game of Thrones;" "Luther") manage running a new business together and having feelings for each other? Will Shona be able to go through with marrying Vish (Aasif Mandvi, "Evil;" "The Brink")? Planning a wedding? Can she tell him what happened? Is there anything more to tell?

- In anticipation of its big premiere, SHOWTIME is debuting the official season two trailer for THE L WORD: GENERATION Q. The series returns with its first new episode of the second season on Friday, August 6, available on streaming and on-demand for all SHOWTIME subscribers. Before making its on-air debut on Sunday, August 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, each new episode of the second season will be available on Fridays to stream via on-demand. The first five episodes of season two will air Sunday nights, with the final five episodes of the season airing Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT up until its October 11 season finale

- American Documentary | POV is proud to announce the national broadcast premiere of David Osit's Mayor on Monday July 26th at 10 p.m. (check local listings) and online at pov.org. The film will also be available to stream for free on pov.org until August 25th, 2021. Mayor is director David Osit’s second film to broadcast on POV after his documentary Thank You For Playing, which won the ‘Outstanding Arts & Culture Documentary’ at the 2017 News and Documentary Emmy Awards. Mayor was named a New York Times Critic’s Pick and has picked up awards from Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and CPH:DOX, among others. 

- With their Fall 2021 headline tour quickly selling out, Lord Huron announces three new dates in Oklahoma City on October 21^st, Dallas on October 22^nd, and Austin on October 23^rd. Tickets for these dates will be available tomorrow, June 29^th at 10:00AM CST via artist presale (pw: longlost21) and Thursday, July 1^st at 10:00AM CST via general on-sale. Visit www.lordhuron.com for more info and ticket links.

- The official visualizer for “Bigger Man,” Joy Oladokun’s new collaboration with Maren Morris, is debuting today. Watch/share HERE.  “Bigger Man” is from Oladokun’s acclaimed major-label debut, in defense of my own happiness, and will also be featured on her new deluxe record, in defense of my own happiness (complete), out next Friday, July 9 via Amigo Records/Verve Forecast/Republic Records. The special extended edition includes all 14 tracks from in defense of my own happiness, as well as the ten additional songs from her self-released 2020 record, in defense of my own happiness (the beginnings), and one new song, “judas.” See below for complete track list. The release adds to a breakout year for Oladokun, who made her debut on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” last week performing “sunday” from Nashville’s newly opened National Museum of African American Music. Watch/share HERE.  

- Following the recent announcements of his forthcoming album I Was / I Am set for release on September 17^th and upcoming fall headline tour, Noah Kahan reveals his latest single “Godlight” out now—listen HERE!  “Godlight” is a soaring anthem about fame, ego, and self-reflection, as Noah sings, “To know me, is to hate me, is to hate what I’ve become…I’m not the way I was, I’m not the way I was.” Of the meaning behind the song, Noah says, “I was on tour with a lighting director who said I needed more ‘Godlight’ on stage. ‘Godlight’ is the light that fixates on the singer, while the rest of the band is blackened down. In my life, I was chasing that. This ego was growing, and I saw it growing. I knew it was affecting my relationships. If the younger version of me who was making songs just for the love of music saw myself giving so much of a shit about the attention on me instead of the music, I’d be really disappointed. The song is like I’m singing to my older self at a family reunion.”

- Gearing up for a big summer, Gen Z singer-songwriter Claire Rosinkranz is back with a brand-new single entitled “Boy In A Billion” today via slowplay/Republic Records. It paves the way for her anxiously awaited sophomore EP, 6 Of A Billion, set for release on July 9.  Listen to “Boy In A Billion”— HERE.  Even before the song officially dropped, it had already stirred up widespread buzz online. A TikTok of Claire writing “Boy In A Billion” raked in over 4 million views (watch HERE). She didn’t stop there though. Welcoming her followers into the creative process, countless fans witnessed the recording of the song on Claire’s social media accounts (watch HERE). 

- Country soul singer-songwriter Audra McLaughlin knows that money can't buy happiness, as reflected by her upcoming single, "(Can't Buy) Fun Like This." Due for release on July 9 and currently available for PRE-SALE on Spotify and Apple Music at this LINK, McLaughlin's summertime anthem indicates she would rather wear a pair of cut-offs to a backwoods party and share a box of red with her friends than sport Louis Vitton and sip Dom Perignon with the Jones.

- As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, C‑SPAN is releasing the results of its fourth Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership, in which a cross-section of presidential historians and professional observers of the presidency ranked the country’s 44 former chief executives on 10 characteristics of leadership.  Former President Donald Trump enters the ranks for the first time in the #41 position. His highest rankings were in Public Persuasion (#32) and Economic Management (#34). The historians ranked him in last place (#44) for Moral Authority and Administrative Skills.  — Full rankings for each of the 44 presidents, as well as a Gallery of Insights with shareable/social media graphics, are available at www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2021.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: June 27, 2021

  

Kevin Can Fork Himself:  I was really looking forward to this show when it was announce but, wow, those first to episodes were bad.  The sitcom parts were not funny and the drama parts were just boring.  Well except when Kevin got stabbed.  Except it never really happened so that was kind of lame too.

 

The Chi:  I am surprised we got the tease from the first episode this early.  Though as Keisha was getting birth and the kids’ roaming the halls, I kept wondering, so when is the mayor going to get shot?   As the episode went on, I looked at how much time was left wondering if they dare save that for later.  But we finally got it.  Except we still do not know who the shooter is.  I was typing out “killer” but I am not entirely sure he is dead, he was shot in the side so as long as someone finds him in time, he could easily survive.  And what exactly is a racial equitable Olympics?  HE was about to explain, but then they were playing music over the explanation.

 

Black Monday:  So Blair built a panic room but all he does in there is panic?  But it looks like he will be going on the offensive, but who will he go after?  I still think the preacher’s daughter is the prime suspect, going after Blair and killing her father in retaliation for her husband hanging himself.

 

Flatbush Misdemeanor:  Okay, betting on a 100 to 1 Homecoming King is pretty funny. 

 

Motherland: Fort Salem:  Man, this show really needed a much longer “previously on” segment.  The mythology is just so convoluted.  Now I am not entirely sure who the bad guys are.  Is it the main’s chick’s mother / girlfriend?

 

In the Dark:  I asked when talking about the season finale, with the blind dude figuring out Murphy was involved in the crimes, are they just going to go on the run?  I said that mockingly, but it turns out that is the case.  Though I have a feeling, it Murphy can somehow implicate the chief in letting Dean skate for Tyson’s murder, she will be allowed to stop running.  But what will happen to the dog school?  Will Murphy’s parent come back and run it?

 

The Bold Type:  poor Jane, while Sutton and Kat were participating in a sex montage with their season one relationships, she was working.  But I guess they really could not bring back the cheating Pinstripe.  I guess being the next editor is a decent consolation prize.

 

The Blacklist:  Well, that was annoying.  Right before the penultimate episode, new broke that Lizzie would not be back for the next season.  Since she would not be back but Red would, it because pretty obvious that Lizzie was not going to shoot Red.  But I guess it could be worse, I was under the assumption Ressler was going to shoot Lizzie to keep her from shooting Red for some dumb moralistic reason.  Sure, Townsend’s goon coming out of nowhere was almost as dumb.  Then Red shot the goon so no hunting down that dude, or even Townsend who got incinerated last week, so why bother killing her that way?

 

Poor Lizzie, dies without even finding out who her mother is.  She could not even read Red’s later because she was not allowed to open it until he was dead.  But seriously, who even wants to see a ninth season of this show without Lizzie?  Really,, NBC cancels Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and Good Girls but they are going to air a ninth season of this show without one of the co-leads?  So forking stupid.  Sure, I will watch, but it will mostly be a hate-watch, much like most of this season.

 

Good Girls:  So why are they stealing the printing press?  Why not ask Rio for help?  I guess his version of helping would be to take out the old lady.  But you would think someone would mention it.  But what was with Dean just blurting out his wives crimes?  And then hiring one of the guys who heard him as his lawyer.  People on this show is getting pretty dumb.