Around the Tubes: May 27, 2023

 

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 Searching For Soul Food, Benee, Lauren Spencer Smith, Noah Kahan, Asia, and Secrets & Sisterhood: The Sozahdahs.  

- Check out the official trailer for Hulu’s food and travel series, “Searching For Soul Food.”   The series premieres all episodes on June 2, 2023 on Hulu   Searching For Soul Food” follows rock star celebrity chef, Alisa Reynolds, as she discovers what soul food looks like around the world. As she seeks out the food, she’ll also explore the stories, the people, and the traditions of each place she visits, bringing her own flavor right along with her. The international journey finds Chef Reynolds exploring the culinary worlds of Mississippi, Oklahoma, Appalachia, South Africa, Italy, Jamaica, Peru and Los Angeles. 

- Alt-pop musician BENEE has collaborated with New Zealand mental health charity Youthline and leading neuroscientists on a new single, “Bagels,” scientifically designed to help reduce anxious feelings.  LISTEN TO “BAGELS” HERE.  Written and produced specifically to support young peoples’ mental wellbeing, “Bagels” uses musical elements identified by Auckland University of Technology (AUT) neuroscientists to relax the nervous system, modify brain activity and ease feelings of anxiousness.

- Lauren Spencer Smith, the singer songwriter with a booming voice and over one billion global streams, shares her romantic new single “That Part.” “That Part” is a beautiful pop ballad about leaping heart-first into a relationship — the single comes on the heels of the announcement of her debut album Mirror, due 7/14 which is accompanied by a 42-city global headlining MIRROR Tour.  The track builds upon the momentum of Lauren’s 2023 releases, “Best Friend Breakup” (Euphoria Magazine called it, “a full story, worked by the juxtaposed, unfiltered feelings of traded melodies and sharper beats); and “Fantasy” a collaboration with GAYLE and Em Beihold that confronts toxic relationships.  These songs followed Lauren’s previous two RIAA platinum certified singles, “Fingers Crossed” and “Flowers.”  

- Critically acclaimed Vermont singer and songwriter Noah Kahan proudly announces his new mental health initiative, The Busyhead Project. Sharing its name with his 2019 debut album, The Busyhead Project will join forces with a handful of national and local organizations to increase mental health awareness, amplify discussion, and democratize resources. Its first goal will be to raise “$1 million for mental health” with Noah donating a portion of every ticket sold on the upcoming summer leg of his “Stick Season Tour”. Impressively, over $325,000 has already been raised for The Busyhead Project.  LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BUSYHEAD PROJECT HERE

- BMG Music has released the legendary ASIA studio album Phoenix with a highly collectible double vinyl edition, available today, May 26^th. Asia are the multi-platinum selling English rock band who formed in 1981 and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021. Their 1982 self-titled debut album reached number one in several countries, including nine weeks topping the US charts, with lead single ‘Heat Of The Moment’ making the top 40 in over a dozen, including US #4.  Pooling the talents of John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe, ASIA immediately became the epitome of a supergroup of rock aristocracy and the natural heir to its members’ legendary bands of the 70s – King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer, The Buggles and Yes.

- Raw, real, and rife with shocking revelations, this new unscripted series follows 10 Muslim American sisters whose faith and bonds are put to the ultimate test while trying to navigate cultural expectations, their careers, and love in Los Angeles. The number #1 rule The Sozahdah sisters swear by is “family over everything.” But what happens when the secrets these sisters hold sacred are revealed and the TV show they thought would bring them together threatens to tear them apart?  Check out the official traile for the new Hulu unscripted series "Secrets & Sisterhood: The Sozahdahs."  All episodes premiere June 7, 2023 on Hulu.  Trailer: HERE

57 Channels and Only This Is On: May 21, 2023

 

Fatal Attraction: So Lizzie Caplan really killed the old lady.  Cool.  But they teased us with blood in her apartment, I am still pretty convinced it is not hers and she is still very alive.

 

Fear the Walking Dead:  So there was a big time jump where the baby we once knew is now a precocious little girl.  Gee, where have I seen this before?  But am I really supposed to believe that Morgan just gave up and did not even try to get

 

Saint X:  Much like Yellowjackets, the earlier timeline is more interesting, but the crazier the sister get, the more entertaining the present day timeline gets.  Hopefully she gets crazy enough to confront Gogo in the next episode.

 

Class of ’09:  Unlike Yellowjackets and Saint X, the earliest timeline is the least interesting part.  I could actually do without it completely.  I even kind of forgot if there was any ’09 timeline this week.  At least the other two are kind of tying into each other as we see why each are into the Minority Report type program.  But I do not get why they are doing a character of the week for a show that is an eight episode mini-series

 

The Challenge: World Championship:  So TJ said his final starts now at the end of the elimination and then they let everyone get a good night’s sleep right afterward.  Does that really count as TJ’s final?  But really just another run of the mill Challenge finale.    They really should switch things up.

 

Survivor:  What happened between Rotu and Sika that they will only vote for each other and just let Tika run the game.  This was the last time to do something about the trio, even if they forced a tie.  Letting Tika run this game already made this a bottom 5 season.  But it has been a while since there has been a above average season.  It is time for a hard reboot, and not one that involves more scavenger hunts.  

 

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies:  Wait, Susan had an abortion?  I remember they forked, but I missed that a doctor took care of it.  And when did Dot get interesting?  She seemed like such a background character all season.

 

Yellowjackets:  Well that is an interesting way to play Russian roulette.  I guess I should specify that I was referring to drawing the Queen of Hearts because Lottie wants to play in the current timeline.  At the time, I was wondering if there was any significant to Javi drawing the King, but I guess if they do not kill the Queen; the King is a worthy alternative.  So all that time, Javi never did tell anyone where he was.  It looks like he was about to tell Natalie, but then the wilderness took him.

 

But at least it looks like Coach Ben found where Javi’s hiding spot with plenty of tiny bones, so it looks like Akilah’s dead buddy’s family might be there too.  So we may be able to put two and two together on what Javi was doing when he was missing.  But the one big unanswered question is: who exactly is the person who told Javi he should not go back?  Was it Other Tai?  Could there be someone else down there?  We only have one more episode to learn the answer to or it might be a long wait with the writer’s strike.

 

So is this where the warring tribes are split?  Nat vs. Lottie?  Will Lottie’s crew take the cabin and Team Nat will be in the tree?  I am having trouble figuring out who would actually follow Nat.  It seems to be just Travis, Ben, and maybe Shauna and/or Tai.  I could see Misty playing both sides.  I wonder if we will get a hard split by the end of the season or will be have to wait until the next one.

 

Then in present day, all the secrets came out and Lottie’s big solution is to sacrifice one them to the Wilderness and everything will be alright again.  Ooof.  I am not entirely sure if everyone says no.  Well, maybe there will be a Javi situation and the Wilderness will take someone and those girls will get a reprieve like Nat did back in the nineties.  One of Lotttie’s purple people has to be disposable.