Around the Tubes: November 6, 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 Yellowjackets, Pen15, The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For, Even More Funny Women of a Certain Age, Animaniacs,   Lorde, Eddie Vedder, Foxes, James Blake, Chelsea Cutler, Soul Train Awards, JFK Resisted: Through the Looking Glass.

- SHOWTIME has released the premiere episode of its new survival drama YELLOWJACKETS for free sampling on streaming platforms and on demand. The episode is now available on Sho.com, Showtime.com and YouTube, as well as across multiple SHOWTIME partner platforms.  Starring Melanie Lynskey (Castle Rock), Oscar^® and Emmy^® nominee Juliette Lewis (Camping), Emmy nominee Christina Ricci (Z: The Beginning of Everything) and Tawny Cypress (Unforgettable), the series is created and executive produced by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson (Narcos) and will officially premiere on Sunday, November 14 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.  Equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama, YELLOWJACKETS is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.

- Everyone’s favorite middle-schoolers are back with the return of Hulu Original Comedy series “Pen15.” Check out the official trailer below and get ready to binge all seven new episodes Friday, December 3rd only on Hulu!

- “The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For” chronicles the unbelievable true story behind the rise and fall of the 2000s most iconic fashion trend. In this epic character-driven saga, Venice Beach surfers, gangsters, European garmentos and Hollywood movers and shakers all vie for control of the infamous brand — pushing it from obscurity to one of the most recognizable labels on Earth. After a decade of backstabbing, greed, and bloodshed, their lives – and pop culture – will never be the same.  All three episodes premiere Thursday, November 18 only on Hulu. 

- The hit comedy showcase FUNNY WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE makes its return to SHOWTIME with a third comedy special, EVEN MORE FUNNY WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE.  Emmy nominee and SAG Award winner Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) leads a cast of female comedy veterans in her debut comedy special for a night of over-the-top uninhibited stand-up. The hour-long special also stars Carole Montgomery, Wendy Liebman, Monique Marvez, Leighann Lord and Marsha Warfield, who talk sex, dating and how they hilariously made it through the pandemic. Filmed at the Irvine Improv in Orange County, California, EVEN MORE FUNNY WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE premieres on Wednesday, November 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.  To watch and share a trailer from EVEN MORE FUNNY WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE go to: https://youtu.be/ErjsPhSLg8s

-  Hellloooo, season two! Hulu, Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation have joined forces once again to bring you “Animaniacs.” This Emmy® award-winning animated series—and one of Hulu’s all-time most talked about shows on social media—returns with 13 brand new episodes out now.  Yakko, Wakko and Dot return for an all-new season of this iconic, family-friendly series with something for everyone: pop culture parodies, musical showstoppers, takedowns of historical baddies...and even some important safety tips. Join the Warners and Pinky and the Brain as they wreak havoc everywhere they go, from the Warner Bros. lot to an international beauty pageant and all the way into outer space. And keep an eye out for season one favorites Starbox & Cindy, as well as some rejected Animaniacs characters that were left on the cutting room floor.

- GRAMMY® Award-winning multiplatinum artist LORDE took to her Solar Power Institute Bulletin earlier this week to drop the surprise music video for “Fallen Fruit” and announce the release of her Solar Power bonus tracks, “Helen of Troy” and “Hold No Grudge” to DSPs. The songs are available to stream everywhere and the music video is available to watch now. Listen to “Helen of Troy” HERE.  Listen to “Hold No Grudge” HERE.  Watch the video for “Fallen Fruit” HERE.

- At this year’s Ohana Festival, Eddie Vedder performed his single “Long Way” for the first time during his headlining set. The song is the first track from his highly anticipated album Earthling. Fans can now be a part of the amazing performance which was shot and edited by Pearl Jam video director Blue Leach.  Vedder was joined by an all-star backing band including Chad Smith, Pino Palladino, Josh Klinghoffer, Andrew Watt and Glen Hansard who performed with Vedder two nights in a row during the festival’s first weekend.  Watch the video here

- Foxes releases her euphoric new single "Sky Love," the third track to be lifted from her highly-anticipated new album, The Kick, due for release on February 11, 2022 via [PIAS] Recordings. The disco-tinged track, produced by Roosevelt, comes accompanied by a stunning video directed by Florence Kosky. Alongside the single, Foxes also announces further details of The Kick including the artwork and tracklisting. The Kick will available on February 11, 2022 on Standard and Deluxe CD. Vinyl will be available later in 2022.  Discussing "Sky Love," Foxes says it’s about “craving the kind of love that seems unimaginable, drives you crazy and is all-consuming. A love that feels otherworldly and like nothing you’ve felt before.”  "Sky Love" follows on from previous singles "Dance Magic" and "Sister Ray," the first two tastes of her upcoming album. Her first album in over five years, The Kick was written and recorded remotely via zoom during the height of the pandemic, offering a form of escapism for Foxes. Inspired by the desire for freedom that the world collectively shared over the last 18 months of lockdowns, the near-animalistic desperation to socialise, and a longing to dance again, Louisa naturally pivoted the sonics to feed that escapism and create a record that simultaneously feels close to her euphoric, dancefloor-filling pop roots that brought us hits like ‘Let Go For Tonight’, ‘Youth’ and ‘Body Talk’, while still feeling completely fresh. Unafraid of the art of the well-loved melancholic-banger, lyrically The Kick touches on themes of loss and heartbreak, narrating painful places and soundtracking new beginnings to create an album for the post-pandemic world and a summer of never leaving the party early.

- GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer James Blake uncovers the music video for “Famous Last Words.”  Watch “Famous Last Words”: HERE.  It stands out as the latest single from his critically acclaimed 2021 album, Friends That Break Your Heart, out now via Republic Records – listen HERE. The album notably marks Blake’s first new full-length album in three years. Right out of the gate, it attracted universal applause.

-  In celebration of her new album When I Close My Eyes, Platinum-Certified singer, songwriter, and producer Chelsea Cutler announces her upcoming 2022 headline tour today. Kicking off in Austin at Stubb’s Outdoors on March 9^th, the “When I Close My Eyes Tour” makes stops in Boston, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Portland, and more—see the full list of tour dates below. Adam Melchor and ROSIE will join as support.  Tickets will go on-sale via artist pre-sale this Wednesday, November 3^rd at 10AM local time, Spotify pre-sale on Wednesday, November 3^rd at 12PM local time, and official on-sale on Friday, November 5^th at 10AM local time at www.chelseacutler.com/.

- BET announced three-time GRAMMY® award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Maxwell will receive the ‘Legend’ award at the 2021 “Soul Train Awards.” Award-winning and multiplatinum singer/songwriter, actor, entrepreneur, and author Ashanti will be the recipient of the ‘Lady of Soul’ honor. The 2021 “Soul Train Awards” premieres Sunday, November 28 at 8 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her.   “It’s an honor to be presented with the Legend award by a community that’s been growing with me throughout my career,” said Maxwell. “I’m so grateful to be sharing this moment with everyone and returning to the Apollo for an evening of excellence.”

- SHOWTIME will air the world streaming and television premiere of Oliver Stone’s documentary film JFK REVISITED: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, starting November 12 on streaming and on demand. The film – which premiered this summer at the Cannes Film Festival – presents a fresh look at the vast archive of material that has been declassified, re-examined and placed in the public records since JFK, Stone’s renowned film on the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 30 years ago.  JFK REVISITED: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS will inform a new generation that this unresolved murder was indeed shocking and perhaps even calculated. Stone presents powerful evidence that in the Kennedy case, "conspiracy theory" is now "conspiracy fact." Narrated by Oscar^® winners Whoopi Goldberg and Donald Sutherland and featuring a renowned team of historians and witnesses, JFK REVISITED: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS will make its linear debut on SHOWTIME on November 22 at 7 p.m. ET/PT, the anniversary of JFK’s death.

- Imagicomm Entertainment has announced the availability of the first season of the popular new original series, Wild West Chronicles, on IMDb TV.  “This series has garnered unprecedented viewership and has consistently set new ratings records on the INSP Linear channel,” said Collins. “So many people are fascinated with the stories of the iconic characters, and famous heroes of the old West, and we are proud that this series is now available on IMDb TV where even more viewers can discover this treasure.”

 

 

Previewing Dexter: New Blood

A wise man once said, “Well, now, everything dies, baby, that’s a fact.  But maybe everything that dies someday comes back.”  In a time when the creators of the upcoming I Know What You Did Last Summer television show get announced as also doing a Cruel Intentions reboot television show, it may be time to take the “maybe” out of that quote, at least when dealing with the entertainment business.  From here on out, it seems like IP will never really die.  So it is probably only a matter of time before the creators of those previously mentioned shows complete the Sarah Michelle Gellar trifecta and makes a The Grudge television show.

 

The latest reboot is going to undo what was probably the most maligned series finale in television history, at least until Game of Thrones came along: Dexter.  The first couple seasons of the show were very good, a serial killer who only kills bad guys that he vets through his day job in the Miami Police Department.  In true Showtime fashion, the show went on far too long to the point that it was laughable that no one at the police department figured it out.  Well, except Doakes who figured that out in the first season and LaGuarta and Deb finally caught on to Dexter by the final season, but even then it took too long.

 

That knowledge wrecked Deb that led to a spiral and was eventually fatally shot.  In the end Dexter took her lifeless body out to sea during a hurricane and was presumed dead, leaving his son to be raised by another serial killer in a South American country, only for the final scene of the show to feature a heavily bearded Dexter working at as a lumberjack. 

 

It seems like the people behind the show want to let that show die and the show now has a new name, Dexter: New Blood.  But this is the same Dexter with the same back story of the pervious show.  Okay, he does have a new name, James Lindsey (Jeff Lindsey was the author of Dexter series of books), but to the rest of the world, Dexter Morgan is dead.  Despite the same main character, the show could not be further from the original, the show went from the sunny coastal city of Miami to the wooded small town up north.  Okay, one thing the two shows have in common is there is still a multi-ethnic cast of characters as there is a sizable indigenous population in the town.

 

Dexter, err, James, now has a more lo-key job working at a sporting good show (you may recognize his boss as the cat guy from Only Murders in the Building).  But the biggest change is that James is not a serial killer.  It is implied Dexter has not killed anyone since we last saw him.  He does not even kill animals anymore despite living in a big hunting community and sells most of the hunters their guns.  In fact, now he owns plenty of animals that he takes care of.  Instead of his surrogate father helping him cover up his crimes, now Dexter is visited by his sister who tries to guilt him into not killing whenever the urge bubbles to the surface.

 

Much like the rebooted Veronica Mars, Dexter: New Blood is dropping the case, or kill, of the week format with an overarching storyline which seemingly is going to cover the entire season.  But Dexter still has a Big Bad to take down and this time around that comes in the form of Clancy Brown, an imposing figure who runs the local truck stop diner, but has some other extracurricular activities no one else know about.

 

To be honest, James is kind of a boring dude with his no killing edict.  And most of the first episode is also kind of boring as we see James go along his boring day.  He has a boring girlfriend (who seemingly has some secrets of her own, but it will take a couple episode to figure out what), a boring job, and is stuck in a boring routine.  Seriously who line dances to Heart of Glass?  The song that opens the reboot is very on the nose.  The only interesting parts of most of the first episode are his interactions with Deb and a douchebag customer who is so annoying you really hope Dexter breaks his no murdering pledge.  There is a point in the first episode where I realize there is not even some Dexter narration to break up the monotony of his day.  Every time something interesting is about to happen, it turns out to be a red herring… until something interesting happens and the narration finally kick in.

 

So does the reboot redeem the show?  Based on the episodes I have seen (four as I write this) it is way too early to tell.  The change of scenery does add to the show along with almost entirely new cast with just Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter reprising their roles (there is a recast character that does pop up).  Though I am not sure all the new characters are needed.  Jamie Chung as a true crime podcaster seems completely unnecessary so far.  Mabel Mora she is not.  But a disadvantage of dropping the kill of the week just to focus on one storyline puts a lot of emphasis on if the season sticks the preverbal landing.  Hopefully after an eight year hiatus, the writers were able to come up with a good one.

 

Dexter New Blood airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 31, 2021

 

 Fear the Walking Dead:  Much like last week when I asked how exactly are the horses ok walking around when all the humans need gas masks, how exactly is it okay with the dog to jut roam outside.  And they really seemed to be playing fast and loose with that timer or I just cannot see very well.  It looked like when the car broke down they just had a half an hour left, so if they traveled for about five hours, how did they make it back to the sub safely?  But last week with the “Padre” letter, I was thinking it had to do with some father, but seeing it near the map, could South Padre Island be a safe place?

 

I had to look up who the guy at the end was.  Turns out it was Emile’s brother.  Okay.  So then I had to look up who the fork Emile was.  Turns out he was the bounty hunter Virgina sent to hunt down Morgan after they shot each other and was only in one episode.  Seriously, who actually remember these things?

 

American Rust:  I am no druggie, never even been in the presence of blow, but can one line of coke, even if it is laced with opioid, take down an teenage athlete within seconds?  I am also not an electrician, but if Harris cut the power, which I assume was to kill the alarm, but with the power out, how did he use the computer?

 

The Walking Dead: World Beyond:  So the one sister is not going back with the other.  Seems stupid.

 

Y: The Last Man:  They were really missing an episode following what happened to Y’s girlfriend.  She just shows up, leaves, and then is breaking in a couple episodes later.  How exactly did she get radicalize when she was dating a Senator’s kid.  What does this group even want?  But at least this group just executed the crazy Cabinet member.  She was a bit much.

 

Stargirl:  So they spent the whole back half of the season to break everyone up and now they are all back together in one episode.  But who exactly was Shiv calling?  The only one I can think of is Artimas who has not been seen since the big fight in the cafeteria.

 

La Brea:  Something strange happened in this episode: I kind of found it entertaining.  Sure everyone is still very dumb.  Like, when they were captured escaping, no one is going to say, oh you are from the future, I am from the future too, maybe we should team up to figure how to get back to the present.  But the sisters’ thing turned out to much creepier than expected.  I has predicted that the younger sister was really the older sister’s daughter, but it turns out she kidnapped the little sister.  But was the older sister really the father’s daughter or was she kidnapped too?

 

Supergirl:  Let me get this straight, that Lex is from the future alternative timeline where he was forking the imp?  What?!?  Thankfully only three more episodes of this crap.

 

Wu-Tang: An American Saga:  It seemed like they were wrapping the series up in a nice little bow in case it was not renewed as everyone was getting signed to their own solo deals, RZA was making beats for the solo albums… and then the pipe had to burst in RZA’s basement.  And that water came in pretty fast, getting waist deep even though the pipe busted a couple seconds earlier.  C’mon RZA, if you are getting a new place with a basement, you may want to make sure the sump pump is working first, especially if you are putting valuables down there.  But that stuff with him and the ODB was rough know just who put out his solo album.  But why not go back to Def Jam and tell them what Elektra Is offering and see if they will match, and at the very least run it by the ODB.  Sure getting your music back in twenty years is nice, but he did not even live to see that.

 

Dopesick:  Ooof, that rehab scene was rough.  So does the rep become the whistleblower at some point?  He seems to have some sort of a conscience but is still working for the evil empire. 

 

Survivor:  Much like how Probst does not know how dice work, making you draw them out of a bag for the Shot in the Dark advantage, apparently he does not know how hourglasses work either.  If you smash an hourglass, you are in essence stopping time, not turning back time.  But that is the problem with this season, none of these advantages really seem that well planned out.

 

It was confusing enough what was going on with the first twist of the episode with two team and two people sitting out, now this.  But Erika has to break the hourglass.  Giving up immunity is stupid, especially if you are spending two days away from camp right before the vote.  Sure you piss off half your tribe, but hey, at least one is going home and then you would be in a majority with the people you save.  And then, only the person who gets voted out should be mad (well maybe someone who then has to burn an Idol or advantage may also be mad) and it does not seem like that person will be on the jury.

 

The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies: How was Amanda the only one smart enough to realize that if you claim you are going to infiltrate the green team if you win will keep them from sending you in?  The outwardly said it and still no one else said it.  At least Betina should have said she would have pick Amanda if picked.  The rookies this season have to be the dumbest lot to ever play and are ruining the season.

 

Doom Patrol:  I was really disappointing that no one else turned into puppets when rescuing Crazy Jane.  And why did she stay a puppet while Cyborg no longer had to be an action figure.  Now the confusing part: So Madame Rouge got her time machine from the Brotherhood of Evil who reverse engineered from the time machine Rita stole, which turns out was the exact time machine the Brotherhood of Evil first built.  So how did time travel get invented if the Brotherhood of Evil needed to see the time machine that they themselves built? 

 

Love Life:  It is weird seeing a bearded Chidi without glasses who seemingly can make decisions without breaking out in a cold sweat, but at least he still is making weird chili recipes.  But poor Chidi, no way dude can compete with a basketball player.

 

Guilty Party:  Oh wow, I was not expecting the Real Eleanor to just straight up murder a dude.  Though, I guess Chekov’s Gun gotta go off sometime.  But why are the evil illegal gun makers just starring at the two women after the gun went off with a bloodied body on the ground?

 

The Blacklist:  If Red is dying a slow death that he needs some voodoo priestess to keep him alive, why is he rebooting The Blacklist and signing up to be the new leader of some secret pirate club?  And is Dembe the new Lizzie now?  But wasn't her role of the task force the profiler?  Isn't Dembe just a redundant Ressler?