Around the Tubes: October 9. 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 Billions, Crossing Swords, Oh Wonder, Lord Huron, Blondie, James Blake, How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?, The Circus, POV, and Hellraiser.

- On the heels of the shocking season five finale of BILLIONS, SHOWTIME has announced that season six of the hit drama series, starring Oscar^® nominee and Emmy^® winner Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll and Maggie Siff, will return on Sunday, January 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Daniel Breaker (Girls5eva), who stars as Scooter, the brilliant and locked down Chief of Staff of Michael Prince (Stoll), has been upped to series regular.  In season six of BILLIONS, the dust of season five clears to reveal a world that has evolved. With Axe (Damian Lewis) gone and Michael Prince assuming his place, Chuck (Giamatti) must develop a new strategy that is keener and more sophisticated than before. All the players, from Wags (David Costabile) to Wendy (Siff), from Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon) to Sacker (Condola Rashad), and of course Senior (Jeffrey DeMunn), must sharpen their weapons and look for new alliances in order to survive. The ground is ever shifting and the stakes absolute. New king, new war, new rules.

- Crossing Swords, Season 2, coming December 10 on Hulu.  Another ten episodes of bingeable mayhem representing the next chapter in the adventures of Patrick the long-suffering squire (Nicholas Hoult) as he climbs the ladder of knighthood in the service of the volatile King Merriman (Luke Evans). There are new friends to make, new enemies to vanquish, and new horrors to scar Patrick for life; including bloodthirsty leprechauns, an island of killer monkeys, and a shadowy villain who could destroy everything Patrick has ever known! From creators John Harvatine IV and Tom Root, and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the producers of Robot Chicken and Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.! Also featuring the voice talents of Alanna Ubach, Tara Strong, Tony Hale, Adam Ray, Maya Erskine, Adam Pally, Seth Green, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Breckin Meyer, Jameela Jamil and more

- Oh Wonder has today released their beautiful, surprise new album, 22 Break, alongside a stunning short film accompanying the record in full—listen to 22 Break HERE and watch the short film HERE. The album features their newest single, “Rollercoaster Baby,” released yesterday.  The band has also confirmed a global, online broadcast of their recent London show at The Albany (which sold out in seconds), which will take place on their YouTube on October 14^th at 1pm EST. A 52-date world tour for 2022 is on sale now, following an eventful period for the unique London duo (who scored back-to-back top 10s with 2020’s No One Else Can Wear Your Crown album, on top of 2.7 billion streams and 1.7 million adjusted album sales).

- Recently, Lord Huron performed “Love Me Like You Used To” on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Watch the performance here!  Recently, the band has been performing on their Long Lost fall 2021 headline tour, their first shows in support of Long Lost. The shows been selling out across the country including two sold out shows at Brooklyn’s Pier 17 and the iconic Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Not to mention they recently performed at Sea. Hear Now Festival and Ohana Encore Festival performing alongside Pearl Jam and Beck. The tour continues this fall, visit www.lordhuron.com for more info and ticket links.

- As the summer months come to a close, one can’t help but look ahead and begin daydreaming about the holidays to come. And this year, legendary New York rock band Blondie are bringing a little more fun to the holiday season with the release of their EP: Yuletide Throwdown. The 3-track EP, released digitally today, October 8th, and on 12” limited edition vinyl in both magenta and black, on November 5th (via UMe-Capitol/Numero Group) features the ultra-rare 80’s Christmas-inspired track “Yuletide Throwdown,” co-written and performed with Fab 5 Freddy, along with a new, exclusive remix of the song by Cut Chemist.

- GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake releases his highly anticipated new album, Friends That Break Your Heart, via Republic Records – listen HERE. The 12-track album is James Blakes’ first new full-length album in three years.

- The first teaser for the upcoming Thomas Keith-directed film How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?, starring Danny Glover, Henry Rollins, and the late Edward Asner, features Jackson Browne’s “Until Justice Is Real” and is available to watch now. The film takes the audience on a journey through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement to better understand what it feels like to live in a society where you are not wanted, while Browne’s “Until Justice Is Real” reckons with the kind of existential questions that define who we are and where we’re headed. “What is the future I’m trying to see?” Browne asks himself. “What does that future need from me?” Aligned in their messages, “Until Justice Is Real” will be featured in the end credits of the film. Watch the teaser for How Does It Feel To Be a Problem? HERE

- Recently nominated for two Emmy^® awards, THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE GREATEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH continues its sixth season as controversial new Republican policies in Texas spark outrage across the nation.  Hosts John Heilemann, Alex Wagner, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri crisscross the state to examine the Texas Republican Party as it turns further to the right. The program reports on the implications inside the state and across the nation of Texas' strictest-in-the-nation abortion law, contentious voting rights overhaul, and border policies.  For a preview, go to: https://youtu.be/D9cK7OYajLQ.

- American Documentary | POV is pleased to announce the national broadcast premiere of North by Current, the feature documentary from acclaimed visual artist Angelo Madsen Minax. North by Current will show as part of POV’s 34th season, broadcasting on Monday, November 1st at 10 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) and streaming online at pov.org. The film will be available to stream until December 31st, 2021. North by Current arrives on POV after a decorated festival run with screenings at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival and AFI Docs in addition to receiving the Grand Jury Award at the Camden International Film Festival and an Honorable Mention for the Jury Award at Outfest. The documentary begins as Minax returns to his Michigan hometown after the inconclusive death of his niece and the wrongful persecution of his sister and brother-in-law, dwelling upon the experiences of grief and the enigmatic emotions of homecomings. 

- Spyglass Media Group, LLC (“Spyglass”) and Hulu have opened the puzzle box and are unveiling its cast for the loyal, yet evolved re-imagining of Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic, “Hellraiser,” it was announced today by Peter Oillataguerre, President of Production for Spyglass. The horror film stars Odessa A’zion (“Grand Army,” “Mark, Mary, & Some Other People,”) alongside Jamie Clayton (“The L Word: Generation Q,” “Sense8,”) who portrays the iconic character “Pinhead.” Principal photography wrapped production.  Rounding out the cast are Brandon Flynn (“13 Reasons Why,” “Ratched,”) Goran Visnjic (“The Boys,” “ER,”) Drew Starkey (“Outer Banks,” “Love, Simon,”) Adam Faison (“Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” “Into the Dark”), Aoife Hinds (“Normal People,” “Anne Boleyn,”) and Hiam Abbass (“Blade Runner 2049,” “Succession.”).  Original creator Barker, alongside Marc Toberoff, come aboard as producers, joining Phantom Four’s David S. Goyer and Keith Levine. As previously announced, David Bruckner (“The Night House”, “The Ritual,”) is directing from a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (“The Night House,” “Super Dark Times”) with story by Goyer.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 3, 2021

Billions:  Wait, did the guys at Billions actually buy the Wu-Tang album so they could have Bobby use I as a gift or was that just a fake version?  The last we knew, the US Government seized it from the Pharma Bro and sold it at a secret action to an undisclosed buyer.  Did Billions in real life buy it so they could make it seem like Bobby bought it?  Do they know who bought it and borrowed it for the scene?  This is the most interesting part of the show in multiple seasons.  Inquiring minds want to know.

 

But a lot of family feuding this week.  I did not think Chuck Sr. would put his kidney over his kid, but there he was doing just that and Chuck Jr. used it against him.  Then Sacker sets up her father.  Finally there was Mike prince using his daughters as pawn.  All to bring down Bobby.  Though we have seen this before.  Chuck nails Bobby to the wall in the penultimate episode, but then Bobby somehow wiggles out in the finale.  Let me predict that the Prince daughters are the reason why Bobby manages to avoid jail this time around.  The show would be much better if Bobby just goes away and just have Chuck battle Mike Prince and/or Taylor.  Or just have the three do a Mexican standoff and target each other now that Bobby is out of the way.

 

The Walking Dead:  So the secret room in the floor also had an escape route?  How paranoid were the people who originally lived in that house?  I also have a lot of questions about the creepy Halloween house.  Number one, how did those people survived?  What did they eat?

 

American Rust:  So are we supposed to believe shady drug dealer guy?  His story lines up with what we know.  Though he never does say that he saw Billy land the fatal punch, just that he say him fleeing.  For now I will take shady drug dealer at his word but I think that it was Isaac that hit him.  But then why didn’t shady drug dealer ID him?  Was he hiding somewhere?  And why were Billy and Isaac there in the first place with the stolen money?  Were they there to buy drugs and were hoping to resell it for a profit?  All I know is I could do without Isaacs travels out west.

 

Y: The Last Man:  Oh, finally assumes Y is just a chick who transitioned.  And I do like the weird, and kind of evil, scientist.  But I still do not understand this escape plan.  So they stole two planes, put the two pilots in the same plane and crashed it.  But is no one missing the second plane?  Did they make the second plane look like it crashed?  But wouldn’t there being two people in the one plane and no bodies in the second place cause suspicion too?

 

La Brea:  So does show take place in the Godzilla vs. Kong extended universe?  There seems to be the same portal to a place where time forgot in the show.  Though it does not seem to be some inner Earth realm but time travel since the husband found the necklace.  But how exactly did a concussion make him see in the past.

 

Only Murders in the Building:  Oh hey, a very special episode of the show.  But is it special or more of a gimmick now?   It seems like everything that attempts to be prestige television tries one of these types of episode once a season.  I wish the show only went quite when it was in the deaf guy’s point of view.  I made no storyline sense that Steve Martin had a silent date.  It certainly was not plausible that Steve Martin could keep his mouth shut, even during a funeral he was crashing. 

 

Still, there were a lot of revelations this week.  The other Hardy Boy’s death was more of an accident, though Nathan Lane still blackmailed Tim Kono.  Then the Lane family business is stealing from the dead which presumably Tim Kono was getting his jewelry from.  Despite Nathan Lane explaining why he is funding the podcast with the keep your enemies closer, I still do not buy him, or his kid, as Tim Kono’s killer.  Since a lot of my theories went out the window this week, here is my new one:  Nathan Lane is not the ringleader who is blackmailing Lane and then blackmailed Tim through Lane’s blackmail, but then killed Tim after the ringleader found out Tim was skimming off the top.

 

Stargirl:  The was an SNL sketch a while ago where a bunch of evil scientists were at a convention and one of them just crossed a preverbal line and the rest were like, we are evil, but we are not that evil.  That was what went through my mind while watching this episode.  Sure, Thanos wanted to wipe out half of all living creatures, Darkseid wanted to wipe out all of humanity, but at least neither was just outwardly racist the way Eciplso was this week.  There have been some evil comic book supervillains, but I do not remember any of them being just outwardly racist.  C’mon, Eclipso, maybe turn it down a notch.  I have a feeling all the other comic book supervillains would be saying they may be evil, but they are not that evil.  Dude made Hour Man go to prison, yet what he did to Dr. Mid-Nite seemed much worse.  So now Hour Man is in prison, S.T.R.I.P.E. is destroyed, Wild Cat turned in her costume, Is Star Girl next?

 

Supergirl:  So what was Supergirl’s trial?  Does she need the courage to let people die and not save everyone?  Does she have to keep trying with every totum?  Is just going to continually fail until the very last totem?  I hope that is not the rest of this season.  But I completely forgot about Miss. Teschmacher.  So she shot the reporter?  I had to look her up to remember what exactly happened to her.  So Lena turned her into A.I. after being Lex’s spy at Catco.  But Crisis wiped all that out and she instead turned into an assassin that killed Supergirl’s dad.  What?!?

 

Wu-Tang: An American Saga:  Okay, this was easily the best episode of the whole series.  Why wasn’t the show this from the beginning showing how each song was constructed with everyone in a room and the weird vinaigrettes?  Instead we spent too much time in the first season following RZA around, with Ghostface Killah as a sidekick.  The group is much better together.  Hopefully the show can now kick into high gear.

 

Survivor:  It is almost as is Probst went to his team and said, come up with the most convoluted advantage as you can possibly come up with and this three way Idol was it.  So does dude have to talk about butterflies at every challenge or does he just have to do it once?  And what is their obsession with making people lose their votes this season?  Since no one else said the special phrase, dude lost his vote this week.  You can lose your vote if you roll the dice at Tribal Council.  You can lose your vote with the stupid wheel is you risk your vote, though that one is now moot because everyone now knows to discuss what to do prior to splitting up.

 

The girl’s alliance was also pretty dumb this week.  Now we are seeing why women have not won in so long.  The nerdy chick saw the advantage, knew what else had to be said at the challenge, but still strong-armed everyone else to vote for the doctor because she was scared.  But guess what, dude still has his Extra Vote, may get his vote back with an Idol next week and guess who he is targeting then?  If the other girls were smart, they still vote for the guy with all the advantages and it would have been 2-1-1.  Or just get rid of the old chick because she is too unpredictable an hope dude does not get the Idol next week.

 

The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies: There is an old saying in sports that a playoff series does not really start until a road team wins.  If feels like this season is not going to start until a veteran is sent down into the Lair.  Sure, Bamber already went down, but that someone how did not start a free for all and the veterans’ alliance still somehow stayed intact and there was not even retribution against Fessy.   So a veteran will definitely be going down to the Lair next week.  Though even then, the Agency could still send down two rookies so maybe the season will not really start until two or more veterans go down to the Lair and one goes home.

 

But I feel bad for Pricilla.  Finally a rookie catches on to what the veterans are doing, except she let her blind hatred of Smashley get to her and took Smashley’s partner Josh.  Who just so happens to be the most annoying and most incompliant person she could have picked.  She could have had Kyle, or even Devin would have been a better pick.  But it is amazing, that Cory, who seemingly got a new partner every week last season, 

 

 

In the Dark:  Really, all this for the lesbian roommate to be working at a pet store and it was the real girl being trapped in the basement?  What a waste of a season.  And why is creepy kidnapper just letting them live?  This whole season has been really stupid.

 

Doom Patrol:  So Larry does not eat and Robot Man cannot eat, so just how exactly can they turn back from zombies by eating Niles’s brain?  That is some comic book logic right there.  But is that it for Niles?  It is hard to come back after someone eats your brain.  But this is a comic book and people have come back from worse and there is a time travel machine right out there.

 

But time traveling lady is just going to break her promise to Niles?  And Rita found the flight suit that was won by the other her that kept her from escaping.  Time travel lady does kind of look like an older Rita, though rarely does someone gain an accent as they get older.  And Rita does not age.  Could time travel lady morph into Rita?  She was able to morph into furniture, maybe another version of herself without memory loss has better control of that morphing abilty.

 

Titans:  So Wonder Girl comes back to life and somehow in the vicinity of Batman who seemingly was trying to kill himself and now she hopped on a plane back to Gotham without any mention of that?  And are there no direct flights into Gotham?  Then where did Raven come from?  Did she come back at the same time as the other chick who was testing Wonder Girl?  This show is just yadda-yaddaing a lot here.

 

Big Sky:  Just when I thought the show could not get any more dumb, apparently the sheriff who somehow got shot right in between the eyes and somehow survived only to be murdered by his wife has an evil twin brother who seeming is keeping the creepy dude as a farm animal.  Why?  Who knows.