Around the Tubes: August 5, 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 Bob Marley, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stephen Sanchez, Dreaming Whilst Black, POV, and Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court.

- Bob Marley's immortality continues with ‘Africa Unite’, a majestic, posthumous album celebrating the vibrant fusion of Reggae and Afrobeats!  ‘Africa Unite’ is an extraordinary album that pays homage to the Reggae icon's greatest hits, beautifully reimagined and infused with the infectious rhythms of Afrobeats. ‘Africa Unite’ features inspiring collaborations between Bob Marley's classics and a stellar lineup of contemporary African musicians. This ten-track masterpiece includes some of Africa’s greatest artists who bring their unique flair and artistry, paying tribute to Bob Marley's enduring influence while adding their refreshing voices to his iconic compositions.

- Southern by the Grace of God indeed. On October 13, Geffen/UMe Recordings is set to release FYFTY, a 4CD/digital 50th anniversary box set that celebrates the enduring legacy of one of rock & roll’s most pre-eminent bands, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The career-spanning 50 tracks featured on FYFTY represent the best of the best music the band has offered up to its loyal, worldwide fanbase from the very beginning. Within this box set, fans of all eras of Lynyrd Skynyrd can trace the band’s roots by way of their early Muscle Shoals recordings through an abundance of iconic songs that defined the literal soundtrack of the ’70s. From there, listeners can revisit live cuts from the historic 1987 tribute show that ignited the band’s ensuing reunion, then continue onward and upward with the determined last-band standing defiance of fist-pumping latter-era tracks like “Last Of A Dyin’ Breed” and “Last Of The Street Survivors,” and eventually touch back down on earth with a special live performance of “Gimme Three Steps” that was culled from the band’s final show with co-founding guitarist Gary Rossington in November 2022, a previously unreleased live track.  FYFTY is available to pre-order now via uDiscover Music and LynyrdSkynyrd.com. A limited-edition version of the collection with a signed litho will be available as an exclusive release available via uDiscover and the band’s touring packages. Pre-order FYFTY now: https://lynyrdskynyrd.lnk.to/FYFTYPR

- Platinum-Certified, Nashville-based singer and songwriter Stephen Sanchez shares a brand new single entitled “Be More” today via Mercury Records/Republic Records—listen to “Be More” HERE and watch the visualizer HERE!  “Be More,” which premiered on Apple Music’s “New Music Daily” playlist, heralds the arrival of Sanchez’s anxiously awaited, full-length debut album, Angel Face, on September 22nd—pre-order Angel Face HERE.

- SHOWTIME has secured the U.S. rights for the half-hour series DREAMING WHILST BLACK. Rolling out two episodes weekly, the six-episode dramedy from A24 and Big Deal Films will make its streaming debut on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME on Friday, September 8, and premiere on air Sunday, September 10, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.  Co-created and co-written by and starring Adjani Salmon, DREAMING WHILST BLACK is adapted from the web series and acclaimed Big Deal Films-produced BBC pilot of the same name, which garnered a string of award wins and nominations for Salmon, including the 2022 BAFTA for Emerging Talent: Fiction and Screen International Star of Tomorrow.  Co-produced by UK-based indie Big Deal Films and A24, DREAMING WHILST BLACK is loosely inspired by real-life events, following Kwabena (Salmon), an aspiring filmmaker stuck in a dead-end recruitment job who takes the first step to achieving his dream. However, he is quickly confronted with the tribulations of balancing finances, love and his own sense of reality.

- As the country reflects on the one-year anniversary of the historic Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that effectively overturned Roe v. Wade, and as the Supreme Court Justices increasingly are under the microscope, SHOWTIME today announced that its timely four-part docuseries DEADLOCKED: HOW AMERICA SHAPED THE SUPREME COURT (previously announced as CONFIRMED) will  make its streaming debut on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME on Friday, September 22, and premiere that day at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. From Emmy^®-winning director Dawn Porter (The Way I See It, John Lewis: Good Trouble), DEADLOCKED traces the modern history of the Supreme Court and examines the people, decisions and confirmation battles that have shaped the Court into what it is today.   Trailer Here

- Following its award winning festival run, While We Watched directed by Vinay Shukla (An Insignificant Man) and produced by Luke W. Moody (founding producer, Lono Studio) and Khushboo Ranka (co-director, producer, An Insignificant Man), will make its national broadcast premiere on Monday, September 4, 2023 at 10pm ET/9C (check local listings) and will be available to stream until December 3, 2023 at pbs.org, and the PBS App.  In addition to standard closed captioning for the film, POV, in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, provides real time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities.

Previewing The Chi Season Six

 

Showtime recently released three different posters hyping the return of The Chi, each focusing on a different group of people from the show.  Twenty-five different characters were featured.  This is the problem with the show going into its sixth season: there are just way too many characters to keep track of.  That is almost peak Game of Thrones amount of characters.  What started as a show focusing on four guys in Chicago in much different life stages has ballooned into featuring almost everyone who lives in Chicago ever since they killed off half those original characters.  Seriously, am I really supposed to care about one of Emmitt’s baby mamas new boyfriend (who turned out to be related to someone else on the show which I am not sure is a new revolution this season or if it was mentioned in the past but I forgot because there are way too many characters to keep track of)?

 

Since Showtime recently announced they are developing Millions and Trillions spinoffs of Billions (as well as Billions shows set in Miami and London), a Dexter prequel, and have even discussed Yellowjackets spinoffs, why not just split The Chi into three shows: one about the high school students, one about politics, and the third following Emmitt’s baby mama drama.  That way we do not have to try and remember all twenty-five major characters during ever season.  They already expanded the episode count to 16 this season, might as well just split up the storylines.

 

Season six opens up in the winter just in time for the dog days of summer in the real Chicago.  And everyone is keeping warm this season by having sex.  Though, I vaguely remember they already did an episode which opened with a five minute sex montage.  If they are recycling ideas, maybe they should not expand the show, instead they should think about wrapping things up.  I had to be reminded by press release that the last season ended with Douda killing Quentin and that plot line still lingers.  Will Douda finally get some comeuppance after terrorizing The Chi for four seasons now?  Hopefully we will not have to wait sixteen episodes to find out.

 

The Chi airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime, but you can stream episodes on Fridays on Paramount+ with Showtime.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 30, 2023

 

The Walking Dead: Dead City:  Wait, so this was not a limited series?  For some reason I thought it was, but that certainly did not feel like an ending.  But if the Croat’s gameplan this whole time was to get Negan to his side, why not just ask?  Why the elaborate plan to kidnap Maggie’s kid when he could have just rolled up to wherever Negan  was.

 

Cruel Summer:  So who could have the dude page that could have also been the killer?  I think maybe it was the black dude.  He could hold a grudge that he took his girl early this season.   Of course the death could always be an accident so maybe it is brother.  It would be hilarious if it turns out to be Parker who seemed important early but looks to be this season Angela who was this mysterious newcomer who turned out to be no one important.

 

Justified: City Primeval:  Hopefully actually got on that plane, I fear we might see her again, even before the finale when I have to assume there is a father / daughter trip to Graceland.

 

Secret Invasion:  Did they really need to gun down Shooter McGavin like that?  Was there even a human version of him?  I did not see him in the pod rescue scene.  So is Khallissi the most powerful person in the MCU now?  She has the power of pretty much everyone who was at the Endgame battle.  That makes her way too powerful.

 

Full Circle:  I am still confused by what exactly Claire Danes did twenty year ago and how exactly her uncle fit into all of thise.  Though I did enjoy that her dad just turned out to be a clueless moron.