Around the Tubes: July 2, 2022

                     

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 Lucifer, ALF, Pearl Jam, Smash Mouth, Glass Animals, POV, The Wood, and Confirmed.

- After six hell-raising seasons Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC mark the end of an epic era with the final installment of the action-packed series with the release of Lucifer: The Sixth and Final Season on DVD September 13, 2022. Lucifans can purchase the final set to add to their collection which, in addition to all 10 fiery episodes from season six, also contains deleted scenes and a gag reel. Lucifer: The Sixth and Final Season is priced to own at $24.98 SRP for the DVD ($29.98 in Canada) and will also be available on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Archive Collection. Warner Archive Blu-ray releases are easily found at www.warnerarchive.com and on your favorite online retailer sites.  Put on your devilish grins – as Lucifer: The Complete Series will also be available, containing all 93 exhilarating episodes from the phenomenal series, as well as countless hours of bonus features from all six epic, not-to-be-missed seasons. Lucifer: The Complete Series is priced to own on DVD for $112.99 SRP ($134.99 in Canada).

- All 102 episodes of the classic '80s live-action series ALF are now streaming exclusively on Shout! Factory TV and are available on their own FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channel on Amazon Freevee. 26 episodes of ALF: The Animated Series and 21 episodes of the animated series ALF Tales will also be coming soon.  The FAST channel is dedicated specifically to ALF content and will only be available on Amazon Freevee upon launch. The collaboration is part of a growing relationship between Shout! Factory TV and Amazon Freevee, which has included The Carol Burnett Show, Johnny Carson TV, and the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Channel, and will expand with future content when the Shout! Factory TV Channel is added.

-  Pearl Jam proudly present the Gigaton (Tour Edition) on Friday July 8. It features 11 live songs recorded during the band’s triumphant return to the road in 2021 alongside the group’s critically acclaimed chart-topping eleventh full-length, Gigaton, originally released in 2020. It will be available on all DSPs now and as in limited-edition LP/CD combo only in Independent Record Stores across the country—HERE. Members of the Pearl Jam Ten Club may order it as a standalone CD, beginning July 8 HERE.  Pearl Jam roared back on the stage last year and performed music from Gigaton for the first time during a string of unforgettable shows. Now, the (Tour Edition) consists of energetic and emotionally charged renditions of new favorites, including “Dance Of The Clairvoyants,” “Superblood Wolfmoon,” “Retrograde,” and more. Upon arrival, Gigaton bowed at #1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums Chart and the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200.

- There could be no better way to continue the Summer of Smash Mouth than with “4th Of July,” the first all-new, all-original Smash Mouth track to feature new lead singer Zach Goode at the helm. Today, UMe releases “4th Of July,” Smash Mouth’s exciting, fresh take on everyone’s favorite height of the summer holiday on all digital formats. Here, the vocal talents of the New York City-born, Los Angeles-based Goode shine through on a zesty, fun-in-the-sun song that celebrates what enjoying summertime is all about. Listen to Smash Mouth’s “4th Of July” HERE now.  “4th of July was always my favorite holiday when I was a kid,” says Smash Mouth bassist and founding member Paul DeLisle. “Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are all cold-weather affairs. The 4th of July is the only major holiday landing smack dab in the middle of summer. It needs a theme song, right?” (Right!)

- On the two year anniversary of critically acclaimed third album Dreamland, record breaking, BRIT and GRAMMY Award-nominated, Billboard Award-winning, global sensations Glass Animals announce their special Dreamland: Real Life Edition, for fans who have been on this incredible journey with the British band who took the world by storm this year, released on August 5th. Remaining on the Global Weekly Spotify Chart for 75 weeks straight, Dreamland is the album that brought us the global smash hit “Heat Waves”, leading to a 5 billion global streaming band with over 38M monthly listeners. Glass Animals returned to the UK for their first Glastonbury in five years last weekend, playing to thousands of fans on the Other Stage, confirming their place as “one of the biggest British bands in the world” (NME) and honouring the Dreamland they have lived in, ever since its release during the pandemic summer of 2020. Available in all formats with a limited edition glow in the dark vinyl featuring new colorway artwork alongside a deluxe tracklist CD and cassette, the Dreamland: Real Life Edition includes collaborations with Arlo Parks, Denzel Curry, Albert Hammond Jr., Bree Runway and Diplo.  PRE-ORDER DREAMLAND: REAL LIFE EDITION HERE

- The 35th anniversary season of POV, America’s longest running documentary series, opens with the heart rendering observational film Wuhan Wuhan, about the first wave of COVID-19, in the city where the mysterious virus was first discovered.  Directed by Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze, This is Not a Movie), and produced by Diane Quon (Minding the Gap), Donna Gigliotti (Hidden Figures, Shakespeare in Love), and Peter Luo (Crazy Rich Asians, Marshall), the documentary goes beyond the statistics and salacious headlines to provide a human experience to the early months of the pandemic through the stories of frontline medical workers, patients, and ordinary citizens.  Wuhan Wuhan makes its national broadcast and streaming premiere on PBS television series POV, Monday, July 11, 2022 at 10pmET/9C and is available to stream free through August 11, 2022 at pbs.org, and the PBS Video app. In addition to standard closed captioning, POV, in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, provides real time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities.

- SHOWTIME has announced the cast for the pilot of the network’s new comedy series THE WOOD, based on the coming-of-age feature film written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa (THE CHI, Dope). Famuyiwa is directing the pilot and executive producing with Justin Hillian (THE CHI, Snowfall), who is writing the script. Executive producing along with Famuyiwa and Hillian are Gunpowder & Sky’s Van Toffler and David Gale. The pilot, currently in production in Inglewood, Calif., is a production of Paramount Television Studios. Guest stars Richard T. Jones (The Rookie) and Tamala Jones (Castle) will reprise their original roles as Slim and Tanya from the film.  THE WOOD is an honest look at friendship and dating from the perspective of three young Black males born and raised in the gentrifying L.A. suburb of Inglewood. The trio’s struggles to balance fatherhood, ambition and loyalty force them to question if they are growing apart, or closer together. With a knowing nod back to the characters of the 1999 film on which it is based, this romantic comedy showcases the humor and heart of young Black men and women trying to navigate life, love and likes on the ’Gram. 

- SHOWTIME Documentary Films today announced it will air CONFIRMED (w/t), a new docuseries from Emmy^® nominated director Dawn Porter (The Way I See It, John Lewis: Good Trouble). The four-part series traces the modern history of the Supreme Court, and the people, decisions and confirmation battles that have shaped the United States. Produced by Trilogy Films and Sony Pictures Television, the docuseries will air in early 2023. 

Prevewing We Hunt Together: Season Two

 

The first season of We Hunt Together was a twist on the murder mystery; we knew who the killer was, but the real mystery was if the detectives would able to catch her or her accomplice.  But the end of the season, Freddy eluded the police when her accomplice took credit for all her crimes.  The second season starts ten months after Baba died with Freddy as a minor celebrity with her own documentary, magazine cover, and a six figure book deal.  Now she grants charity loans to small business opened by victims of abuse.

 

Oh yeah, and she has attracted a new serial killer who wears a bird mask and sends her cryptic messages.  So for the second season, the show reverts back to a murder mystery but with the added mystery of will Freddy be impressed with the bird man killing in her name our will she actually help to bring him down.

 

We do get to learn more of Freddy’s early life this season as she grows closer to the brother of her friend that died mysteriously (and one of the many people that are potential bird men).  We also get to go home and spend more time with the detectives this season.  Oh, and there is one of their weirdest needle drops that I can think of at the end of episode one.

 

We Hunt Together premieres today, with all six episodes now available on streaming and on demand for Showtime subscribers.  It will make its on-air debut with its first two episodes on Sunday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT and next two episodes Sunday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT. Subsequent episodes will air Sundays starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: June 26,2022

 

The Time Traveler’s Wife:  So we are supposed to believe there are five fetuses just stuck in time somewhere?  Gross.  Plus it does not make any sense.  Henry did not manifest his powers until he experienced a traumatic experience when he was about ten, but these fetuses could do it before they are even fully formed.  Huh?  And Ygritte plan is to just fork younger Henry’s until one stick just seems just as dumb. 

 

The First Lady:  So the show ends with Eleanor losing her husband and getting a new job, Betty opening up a rehab facility and Michelle, well Michelle is dealing with a douchebag moving into her house.  I said it before, but way too soon to include Michelle on this show.  But it turns out that Eleanor ignores her children so much to the point I was surmised when the only child we saw said she had six.  We rarely saw any Ford children besides Susan, but they did show up.

 

The Man Who Fell to Earth:   Oh yeah, I remember those nun from the episode where the FBI guy birth the cow.  I do not remember why he went there, chasing the alien, I guess.  I know we are supposed to think the FBI guy is evil, but shooting a nun in the back was a little too cold.  And that nun bleeding in the shape of angel wings was a bit much.

 

I Love That for You:  They got me with Joanna admitting she was lying only to be revealed that they cut the feed.  But I was correct that they were going to keep the ruse even if they found out she was lying.  But no way are they going to let her leave for HSN because they could just extort her to stay.  I would also like to say, great INXS deep cut.  They are considered an eighties band, but they did have some great music they put out in the following decade.  I will stand by Welcome to Wherever You Are. 

 

In the Dark:  They said it was an hour to the cabin, but was the sister lawyer really able to get the case files about the queenpin, make it to the prison, get though the visitation hurdle, convince the queenpin not to kill her brother, and then have the queenpin get in contact with her henchmen in time?  That is just a completely absurd jump of logic.

 

Motherland: Fort Salem:  Ooops, I forgot to search for a recap on YouTube before watching the new season, that Previously On was not nearly enough information.

 

The Challenge: All Stars: Ugg, I really hate when they leave the episode on a cliffhanger.  I was going to say especially since there was obviously not going to be a women’s elimination since Veronica broke her toe while walking down the steps (?) but the next time on has KellyAnne and Kahlah with helmets on while holding on the stick.  T.J. can be very trollish, but would he really wait until he is just about to blow the whistle before saying, just kidding, you are both safe?  Sure, I would find that hilarious, just do not make us wait a week to see it.

 

Obi Wan Kenobi:  My two favorite lines in the episode, if not the entire series, were, "This ends today." I had a good laugh at that. No it doesn't. I am not one to whine about stakes, but that was just a trollish line from the writers. The other was, "Goodbye Darth." So Obi Wan is just on a first name basis with an evil sith lord already. Okay.  But the Third Sister just turned out to be completely useless and made little sense and was just one of way too many people this season who were inexplicably defeated but for some reason were not finished off.  After this and Boba Fett, hopefully Andor puts the Star Wars universe back on track.

 

Ms. Marvel:  Brown Jovi was great, but why do you not have them play Livin’ on a Prayer during the fight sequence?  Why not have Brown Jovi soundtrack the whole series?

The Old Man:  Just by seeing her in the cast list, I assumed Maeby was the daughter before seeing she was in the CIA.  Thankfully they did not wait that long to make that reveal.  I am also glad that they confirmed fairly quickly that the Old Man stole the Warlord's wife because that was my first thought as to why the warlord wants the Old Man.  Now I just need for them to reveal why the Warlord waited 30 years to seek his revenge and why the CIA is helping.