Around the Tubes: August 19, 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 The Other Black Girl, Chucky, SurrealEstate, Shoresy, Kid Cudi, Sister Hazel, Anitta, Bahamas, Noah Gundersen, and Paris Jackson

- Hulu has debuted the trailer and key art for the upcoming Original series "The Other Black Girl," from Onyx Collective, based on Zakiya Dalila Harris' best selling novel.  The series will premiere all 10 episodes on September 13, only on Hulu. TRAILER  Nella, an editorial assistant, is tired of being the only Black girl at her company, so she’s excited when Hazel is hired. But as Hazel’s star begins to rise, Nella spirals out and discovers something sinister is going on at the company.

- “Chucky” Season 3 Returns Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SYFY/USA, Streaming Next Day on Peacock.  “SurrealEstate” Season 2 Immediately follows at 10 p.m. on SYFY.  Chucky Talks Season 3 in Press Conference Video.  Support Chucky and the new season by texting "CHUCKY" to 201- 500-3347.  SurrealEstate Season 2 Trailer.  Official season 2 trailer makes its debut.  Season 1 is now available on Hulu

- Season 2 of SHORESY will premiere exclusively on Hulu Friday, October 27!  Watch the New Teaser HERE.  Created by and starring Jared Keeso, directed by Jacob Tierney and produced by New Metric Media in association with Play Fun Games, the half hour comedy sees the foul-mouthed, chirp-serving, mother-loving, fan favourite character, Shoresy (Keeso), and the Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs of the Northern Ontario Senior Hockey Organization (The NOSHO), continue their quest to never lose again.  Joining the stellar lineup this season are Frederick Roy (son of Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy), international pop star Rêve, Catherine St-Laurent (Tu Dors Nicole) and Jordana Lajoie (THE BOYS).

- GRAMMY® Award-winning multiplatinum sonic visionary, artist, producer, actor, and director Kid Cudi unlocks the pre-order for his anxiously awaited ninth full-length studio album, INSANO. Additionally, he revealed 4 covert-art variations that feature artwork by renowned artist and designer, KAWS.    Pre-order/Pre-save INSANO HERE via Republic Records. It stands out as his first full-length offering since 2022 and one of the most anticipated records of this year.   Listen to “PORSCHE TOPLESS” HERE. 

- Platinum-selling, iconic, country/rock band Sister Hazel premiered their highly anticipated new song, "Coconut Trees," on Wide Open Country earlier this week. "Sister Hazel take listeners on a breezy island escape with new single 'Coconut Trees,' an ode to slowing down and soaking up special moments with loved ones — whether it's a gorgeous summer day or a dreary winter morning." (Wide Open Country). "Coconut Trees" was written by the band's guitarist, Andrew Copeland, and Kyle Jacobs, and was produced by Ben Jackson. The c’est la vie track is a unique blend of sounds meant to be listened to with "a little sun and rum on ice with an ocean breeze," and no distractions. The song is being released today by Nashville-based label Rock Ridge Music, with distribution via Warner/ADA. "Coconut Trees" is available for streaming and download here. 

- Back with a whole lot of heat, record-breaking international superstar Anitta unleashes a brand new three-song bundle entitled Funk Generation: A Favela Story today via Republic Records/Universal Music Latin Entertainment.  Listen to Funk Generation: A Favela Love Story HERE.

-  Award-winning, Canadian artist Bahamas, a.k.a. Afie Jurvanen, has released a new video for the new track “I’m Still,” from the upcoming album Bootcut (out September 15^th via Brushfire Records).  While many of the songs on Bootcut were written and performed with a strong country influence, “I’m Still” stands out as a bit of an anomaly. The soulful track features a retro R&B arrangement led by a funky guitar riff that sits behind Jurvanen’s laid-back vocal cadence. The new video features a solo Jurvanen on a leisurely stroll on High Head Trail and along the beautiful coastline nearby in Blandford, NS. He is contemplative at one moment, playful in the next, like fans have come to expect in Bahamas’ songs and videos. Jurvanen balances thoughtful sincerity and a little fun like few other artists. Watch the “I’m Still” video HERE and stream HERE.

- Soundly Music and acclaimed Washington-based singer-songwriter Noah Gundersen are pleased to announce the Friday, September 8 release of If This Is The End, Gundersen’s brand new full-length studio album and first offering since 2021’s A Pillar of Salt (pre-save/pre-add HERE). Born out of a soul-searching period in Gundersen’s life where he was working a construction job after having enjoyed a fruitful career in music, the songs on If This Is The End detail the regret and failure of those years, but it also highlights his newfound outlook on hope and the transformative power of love.  ”I found myself disillusioned with the industry and no longer knew my place in it,” Gundersen recalls. “The world around me has changed rapidly and I sometimes have difficulty grasping it. There were moments when I felt I had lost the wind from my sails, but I still love creating music and I love these songs.”

- Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actress, and activist paris jackson reveals her new single “Hit Your Knees” out now via Republic Records—listen HERE. For the release of “Hit Your Knees,” paris partnered with co-writer and producer Linda Perry, the co-founder along with Alisha Ballard, of EqualizeHer, an organization working to solve gender inequality in the music industry by taking action to create more opportunities for women. Written, performed, produced, mixed, and mastered entirely by women, “Hit Your Knees” amplifies EqualizeHer’s mission and aims to challenge other artists to support female creatives through collaboration. EqualizeHer was founded to take aggressive action and help solve for the underrepresentation of women in the music business and the problems women face in the industry every day.

 

57 Channels and Only This Is On: August 13, 2023

 

The Chi:  Are they really doing a grooming storyline with Poppa.  Sure, a two year age difference is not that gross, but it is a little icky hearing anyone ask someone when they turn eighteen.  But twice this week I had to ask myself, should I know these people?  First was the guy who found God while in prison.  I ended up using context clues to realize that was brother of the girl Kevin’s moms adopted.  Then the drug dealer’s mom was talking about her brother who was murdered.  Is that Quinten?  Did we know Quinten and the drug dealer were related?

 

Only Murders in the Building:  I was wondering how they were going to do an Only Murders in the Building podcast when the murder did not happen in the building.  Good fake out especially with Uma saying it was nice they kept the body out of the building this time only for her to see Ben Glenroy’s dead body later on.   It would have been funny had people kept trying to kill Ben Glenroy all season only to fail, but alas, it seems like he is really dead this time.

 

Though I do have a theory that whoever poisoned Ben Glenroy was not the person who pushed him down the elevator shaft.  Right now I think the brother poisoned him while the documentarian shoved him down the shaft even though they really seemed to want us to think Meryl Streep did it.

 

My other big prediction after one episode is that the “her” Charles told Ben Glenroy to stay away from is not a person but a thing.  He mentioned that Mabel did not get to know him before he died and Lucy was quickly ushered out of the theater so it does not seem like we will see much of her (and it would have been creepy anyway if Ben Glenroy needed to be told to stay away from a teenage girl).  That just leaves his girlfriend because I doubt Charles would get too attached to one of his castmates.

 

Justified: City Primeval:  Well, I was just saying how Raylan has seemed to mature during the show’s hiatus for not letting one bad guy kill another bad guy and then he goes and forks a key person in the case he is working on and get in a pissing contest with her ex-husband.  And now that key person may become a person of interest if she starts using that book to advance her career.

 

The Challenge: USA:  Ugg, the nation centric spin-offs last season year were so good without the same tired contestants from the flagship show.  Of course they had to go and ruin it just like they ruined All-Star.  Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to bring Paulie back.  And no, Paulie, people do not love to hate you, you have go away heat.  Ugg, and Josh is back and on the same team as Paulie.  Hopefully that team self-combusts and Michele is the only one who survives.   If we are lucky Johnny gets sent in and sent home, but I fear there may be a frozen envelope situation.  I like the idea of a hidden vote and random people being thrown in, but I do not trust the producers not to do some shenanigans to keep the same boring players on the show longer.