Around the Tubes: December 11, 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 The Expanse, Benee, John Mellencamp, Don’t Look Up, Licorice Pizza, Paul McCartney and Wings, Cat Stevens, and The Hating Game.

- The Expanse season 6 episode 1 available now.  The sixth and final season of The Expanse picks up with the solar system at war, as Marco Inaros and his Free Navy continue to launch devastating asteroid attacks on Earth and Mars. As the tensions of war and shared loss threaten to pull the crew of the Rocinante apart, Chrisjen Avasarala makes a bold move and sends former Martian Marine Bobbie Draper on a secret mission that could turn the tide of the conflict. Meanwhile, in the Belt, Drummer and what’s left of her family are on the run after betraying Marco. And on a distant planet beyond the Rings, a new power begins to rise.  Series stars Steven Strait, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Cara Gee, Frankie Adams, Keon Alexander, Nadine Nicole, and Jasai Chase Owens reunite for the most epic season yet.

- New Zealand’s platinum sensation BENEE unveils the official video for her latest single “Doesn’t Matter” today—watch HERE. Co-directed by BENEE and New Zealand actress and director Aidee Walker, the cinematic visual co-stars BENEE, her guitarist Tiare Kelly, and her pup TUI. The lulling production underscores pensive moments, as the lyrics detail her struggles with mental health and OCD diagnosis. The video brings these feelings to life in artful and eloquent fashion, standing out as BENEE’s most confessional statement yet.

- John Mellencamp’s highly anticipated new album Strictly A One-Eyed Jack is set for release January 21 on Republic Records. Pre-order for the LP begins today HERE.  Listen to new album track “Chasing Rainbows” HERE and watch the official lyric video HERE.  The album features the previously released Bruce Springsteen duet “Wasted Days” (watch the official music video HERE) which continues to receive widespread critical acclaim:

- Republic Records releases Don’t Look Up (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film), listen HERE.  The soundtrack includes “Just Look Up” featuring Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi, who star in the film—and perform the song—as pop music power couple Riley Bina and DJ Chello.  The “Just Look Up (Full Performance from ‘Don't Look Up’)” premiered today, watch it HERE. Brand-new track “Second Nature,” performed and co-written by Bon Iver, is also released today with the soundtrack. Listen to “Second Nature” HERE.

- Republic Records announces the release of the limited edition first pressing vinyl for Licorice Pizza Original Motion Picture Soundtrack out now. It is also joined by a limited-edition red vinyl which can be found at select indie retailers today.  Experience the Licorice Pizza Original Motion Picture Soundtrack—HERE and limited edition first pressing vinyl HERE.  The album accompanies the new film from eight-time Academy Award®-nominated writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson which opened in select New York and Los Angeles Theaters on November 26^th and will open across the country on Christmas Day December 25^th, 2021 via United Artists Releasing.

- Marking this week's 50th anniversary of the December 7, 1971 release of Paul McCartney and Wings' Wild Life, UMe announces the February 4, 2022 reissue of Wings' debut LP as a limited edition half-speed mastered vinyl pressing. Pre-Order the 50^th Anniversary Limited Edition of Wild Life HERE.  Following the eclectic charm and intimacy of 1970's solo McCartney and 1971's homespun lo-fi indie-pop progenitor RAM credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, Wild Life found Paul once again redefining his post-Beatles creative identity, this time beginning his tenure as a founding member of Wings. A rollicking left turn from its predecessors, Wild Life was recorded in barely more than a week, with more than half of the songs captured in a single take. The end result would be eight songs running the gamut from joyous freewheeling jams to proto-chamber pop to spare introspective musings — all bristling with a raw, jagged energy akin to the grungiest of garage bands—whether on the careening blues-rock rave-up of opener "Mumbo," a reggae-tinged reimagining of Mickey & Sylvia's "Love Is Strange," or the plaintive and heart wrenching ballad "Dear Friend."

-  Fifty years since its release, the original motion picture soundtrack for Hal Ashby’s 1971 classic cult film “Harold and Maude,” made up exclusively of songs by Cat Stevens, will be released on February 11^th, 2022 in new 180g 1LP / 1CD / Digital release formats via A&M/Cat-O-Log/UMe. The new edition of the soundtrack will combine Cat Stevens’ nine original songs, as well as dialogue from the film, for the first time.  Hal Ashby’s 1971 film about the unlikely friendship-turned-love story of suicidal teenager Harold Chasen (played by Bud Cort) and 79-year-old free spirit Maude (played by Ruth Gordon) is now widely praised as a bona fide cult classic. Filled with dark humor and existential drama, the film represents the potentially glorious benefits that can arise from a balanced partnership between conservative pragmatism and colorful free-spirited idealism. It reveals the deep lying synergy that exists between seemingly opposing views and how, when united, they can flourish to their mutual advantage.

- Today alongside the release of the highly anticipated film The Hating Game, Republic Records and Federal Films releases The Hating Game (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Based on the best-selling book by Sally Thorne, The Hating Game stars Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell and is out now in select theaters and everywhere On Demand and Digital.  LISTEN TO THE HATING GAME (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) HERE.  WATCH THE HATING GAME TRAILER HERE.  The 11-song soundtrack features new music by artists Angelina Jordan, Astrid S & Dagny, bülow, Claire Rosinkranz, and Joy Oladokun, alongside fan favorite tracks by BENEE, Jeremy Zucker & Chelsea Cutler, Lyn Lapid, and more.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: December 5, 2021

Dexter: New Blood:  Well I was wrong in guessing the dude was maybe drunk when claiming his son was still alive.  He was definitely lying.  So does he not want the cops to figure out he is dead so they do not come snooping around his murder house?  Does he want to be a vigilante like someone suggested?  Then it looks like Harrison is becoming like dad.  But is he an altruistic killer like his father?  Instead of waiting until they have done something horrible to take matters into their own hand, did Harrison injure the dude to keep him from going on a shooting rampage?  Is Dexter going to teach him how to do righteous killing?  I am now beginning to think Harrison may kill the evil oil guy to impress the sheriff’s daughter.

 

Fear the Walking Dead:  They kept on talking about Padre especially when regarding Alicia, I assumed it had nothing to do with fathers, but South Padre Island.  But she was milling around this whole time with antagonists of the season?  But claims she had no affiliation with the people who attacked Stand’s building?  And where did Dwight and Sherri come from? The last I remember of them, they were doing piledrivers on zombies at a wresting gym.  It looks like next week is going to fill in the gaps of what Alicia has been up to since being locked in the bomb shelter and they have quite a few answers they need to give because that reveal was just confusing. 

 

Oh, and speaking of people who just showed up randomly after being absent on screen for a while: where did Wendell come from?  Stand said he was in the building and safe last week, but that was Stand, so not the most reliable source.  Instead he just popped up this week as if we have not seen him for a season or two.  I do wonder if he will be part of Alicia’s flashback next week.  It would be weird he had this big moment losing his wheelchair and we only hear about secondhand and they do not actually show it.

 

Yellowjackets:  So no one decided to check the attic while it was still light out, just going to wait until it is dark and creepy to check it out?  But that body looks pretty old.  So the question is, did that person go up there to die or did someone kill them?  And what really killed that bear?  A pack of wolves is a reasonable answer, but too many years of watching television has taught me the most logistical answer is not always the most likely.  Could whatever killed the bear kill the person in the attic?  I am not the best at determining how long a body has been decomposing.  Somebody did carve that symbol into the trees.  Was it the dead person?  The person that killed the dead dude?

 

Then in present day, we learn that Travis survived the Canadian wilderness only to maybe be murdered twenty-five years later.  Is it by the person sending the postcards?  And what exactly was Nat right about?  Could the person Taissa hired be the one is sending out the postcards?  I just do not see how she would know that symbol and she would definitely not being killing Travis… I think. 

 

The Walking Dead: World Beyond:  I was not expecting that globe to be such a big part of the show after we saw its creation recently.  But couldn’t running over the zombie at the right moment let one into the globe since there were some big holes in it? 

 

La Brea:  So dude is just going to watch from Seattle to Los Angeles with his one legged daughter?  I have been wondering why none of the girls on Yellowjackets have just tried walking to civilization.  Ontario north to south is only about 500 miles.  Seattle to Los Angeles more than doubles that, 1135 miles according to Google maps. Maybe more because it is probably best to stick to the coastline.  But even then, how do you know when you have reached L.A. without any visual cues?  But I figured out it would take about 16 days to walk going about twenty minutes mile pace for ten hours a day.  The Seattle to L.A. would probably to take five to six weeks minimum.  But hey, maybe they will find a prehistoric Seattle tribe that has a boat they can borrow.

 

So did Josh and Riley go to 1988 with Lily?  Did they go somewhere else?  If Lily went to a different time, how does the Lily that was in Seattle still exist?  What exactly did the scientist lady do to create these portals?  How did they build a massive building in 10,000 B.C.?  Who is Silas and is Isaiah really his grandkid?  Where are his parents?  So many questions going into season two.

 

Hawkeye:  So the Uncle has to be Mephisto, right?  Well, either that or Kingpin.  But after Ralph Boner, and the Power Broker turning out not to be the comic book accurate Power Broker, I am weary that Uncle will turn out to be who everyone assumes it to be.  But Clink came face to face with his old Ronan sword this week.  Should be interesting to see how he reacts to the knowledge of Kate’s future step-father having that.

 

The Real World Homecoming: Los Angeles: Well, that was depressing.  What David did was wrong, but he had a hard time of it too.  But I really wish they did not spend an entire episode on it.  Every time you think they finally got some closure, they would show another clip of someone stoking the fires and everything went off the deep end again.  Enough already.  Schedule some fun for them to do.  It is time to move on.  If they keep needling people like this, and the whole Becky thing last season, future casts will start deciding not to do a reunion on mass.  Rumor has it they are going to skip over six seasons and do New Orleans next.  Though, I would mind them putting Julie in a room with Veronica and have them relive that time Julie almost released Veronica’s safety harness while going between two building.  Same neither have gone on the Senior Tour (though, again, rumor has it one will show up on season three).

 

Survivor:  When I saw how much time was left when they went to the final ad break, I thought that was going to be a spoiler because there seemed to be so little time left.   Except the new dumb twist (the fifth of this season?) was just a Let’s Make a Deal game that took less than a minute where Deshawn just had a one in three chance of staying in the game.  I was surprised more people did not sit out.  Especially someone like Xander who still had an Extra Vote and Idol to play with just in case.

 

Speaking of another dumb twist, surprisingly Lianna did not use her Shot in the Dark so that had no effect on the game as just one person used it.  Another surprise was Xander used his Extra Vote after holding onto it so long.  Was that going to expire too?  Why hold on to it this long only to save Ricard in case Erika flipped her vote? 

 

The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies: What a dumb move by Logan.  I would have definitely picked Devon just looking at it and it would have been the right pick because Devon has no endurance.  Then Emanuel wins but does not get to pick his team.  Instead YJ explains there are going to be two more elimination that night.  Are people going to be able to change?  All the women and Kyle are not dressed for elimination.  And then just how are they going to determine who gets sent into the Arena.  Or are all five people of each gender going to participate at the same time?

 

The Challenge: All-Stars: Do you believe in highly unlikely’s?!?!?  Prior to Nany coming on the scene, Casey was my all-time favorite contestant.  After some boring seasons in a row from Nany, Casey may have made it back to the top of that list after this week’s dominant performance.  How far she has come from arguably the weakest player in the history of the show, to come back after a decade and win her first ever daily challenge win, not part of a team. 

 

She then showed just how mature she has become in her time away from the show by winning graciously.  Just kidding.  She was drunk with power and I loved it.  But kudos to Nehemiah for coming up with the plan to throw in both people with Life Shields to keep them from saving Derrick.  You pretty much have to throw in the Life Shield winners every week now because of this. 

 

We also got a breakdown of the house with Derrick, Brad, Cohutta, Darrell, and MJ on one side with Nehemiah, Steve, Laterrian, Teck, and Melina on the other.  Except that leaves out all the other women and Tyler.  Obviously Jodi is Team Derrick and Casey threw Kendal in because she is close with Derrick.  Casey threw her lot in with Team Nehemiah this week as the winner, and Tina and Jodi have beef so you can add her to that team too.  But that still leaves Ayanna, Janelle, Jasmine, Jonna, and Tyler as question marks.

 

Guilty Party:  What exactly was in the new article that would have helped Toni?  She never found an alibi or any hole in the case about her.  Really, the best way to get Toni exonerated would be finding the real killer.  Oh, lucky for Beth, she knows the killer now because the moron just told her.  But the question going into the finale, can she find evidence that could hold up in court?