Around the Tubes: March 2, 2024

        

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 Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told, and Nikka Costa

- Hulu has released the official trailer and key art for the highly anticipated documentary "Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told."  The film will premiere Thursday, March 21, only on Hulu.  From Executive Producers Luke Campbell, Jermaine Dupri and 21 Savage, and masterfully crafted by Mass Appeal & Swirl Films, Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told is a celebratory exploration of the boisterous times of Freaknik, the iconic Atlanta street party that drew hundreds of thousands of people in the 80s and 90s, helping put Atlanta on the map culturally. What began as a Black college cookout, soon became known for lurid tales of highway hookups and legendary late-night parties that ultimately led to the festival’s downfall. At its height, Freaknik was a traffic stopping, city-shuttering, juggernaut that has since become a cult classic. Rooted deep in its history of Civil Rights, thriving Black leadership, and focus on the uplifting of Black culture and education, Atlanta became the only place a festival like this could grow and thrive. Though it ceased over two decades ago, the infamous legacy still resonates through nostalgia and a new generation’s longing for a care-free platform that celebrates and promotes Black excellence, joy and fortitude.

- The LA-based soul and funk singer Nikka Costa returns with her first new music “Dirty Disco” in six years and announces her upcoming album Dirty Disco to be released this June 7th. Known for her powerful vocals, dynamic stage presence, and diverse musical influences, Nikka Costa returns from a musical career break with future-forward disco-inspired sounds.  The lyric “Everyone is welcome, everyone’s an Avatar” denotes a place where anyone can go to be themselves and let their freak flag fly!’ and sets the tone for her disco and soul fused, progressive album, which is recorded with and produced by Justin Stanley (Prince, Jamie Lidell, Beck etc). Along with the talents of versatile musicians such as Brandon Coleman (Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Donald Glover, Flying Lotus), Greg Phillinganes (Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder) and Kaveh Rastegar (John Legend, Beck), Nikka Costa brings you in her “Dirty Disco” immersive world.

View from the Peak - Everything coming to Paramount+ in March 2024

 

Next month marks three years of Paramount+ and we are proud to continue to be a premiere streaming destination for news, sports and a Mountain of Entertainment.  In March, viewers will be transported through time to the opulence of the 1920s in the page-to-screen adaption of A Gentleman in Moscow starring Ewan McGregor. Hearts will soar when Little Wing, a family film about a young girl and a very special bird, takes flight. And sports fans will cheer as they stream both the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship games on CBS and UEFA Champions League matches that determine this year’s quarterfinalists.  For a closer look at all the entertainment coming to Paramount+ in March, check out the latest edition of View from the Peak.

PEAK STREAMING

This month, sports fans live streamed all the action of Super Bowl LVIII on Paramount+, delivering the most-streamed Super Bowl in history with an increase of +52% in Average Minute Audience over the previous year. Streaming engagement was at an all-time high when viewers tuned in for the game, Usher's halftime show and Reba McEntire’s national anthem. Paramount+ scored the most minutes consumed for a Super Bowl stream with 2.64 billion minutes, making it the first Super Bowl stream to generate more than 2 billion minutes of consumption.  Fan excitement was over-the-top, and Super Bowl LVIII is the #1 most social telecast in history with a total of 62.8 million interactions, up 27% year-over-year. Live sports such as the NFL ON CBS is one of the top sign-up drivers for the service. Once viewers tune in to watch a live event, they tend to stay to enjoy our variety of content that extends across genres. In fact, almost 90% of the viewing hours during these subscribers' lifetimes come from non-sports content. In particular, following the Super Bowl, Halo, which returned to the service for its second season just days before, saw strong engagement.

★  BACK TO TOP  ★

BEHIND THE STREAMS

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor and Alexa Goodall in A Gentleman in Moscow. Next month, A Gentleman in Moscow, the highly anticipated adaptation of The New York Times best-selling novel by Amor Towles, debuts for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers. Set in post-revolutionary Russia, the limited series stars Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, an aristocrat sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest at The Hotel Metropol. Rostov’s imprisonment meant that the hotel itself needed special attention throughout the series, so the production team built its version of the iconic building from scratch. “The Metropol Hotel is our world and it’s integral to the story,” said showrunner Ben Vanstone. “We stayed within the bounds of the hotel so it had to have the color, life and dynamism to keep our interest.” As the world moves on, Rostov’s opulent domain remains unchanged. “It’s kind of a gilded cage that he’s in,” Vanstone said. “We wanted to have a sense that, while it may look beautiful with fantastic lights, decorations, plants and flowers, ultimately it’s still a prison.” Lock yourself away when A Gentleman in Moscow premieres on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME on March 29.

★  BACK TO TOP  ★

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Kelly Reilly and Brooklynn Prince in Little Wing The upcoming Paramount+ Original movie Little Wing introduces viewers to Kaitlyn (Brooklynn Prince), a teen looking to help her mother (Kelly Reilly) save their home. We recently sat down with Prince to learn about how she prepared for the role and her introduction to the unusual world of pigeon racing, which is central to the story.   Tell us a little bit about your process for finding this character.  The first thing I did was make a Kaitlyn playlist. I downloaded music I thought the character would like, which included artists like Green Day, Evanescence, No Doubt, Kathleen Hanna, The Ramones and many more. I also worked very closely with my mom, who also is my acting coach, on the approach we wanted to take with her. We felt that Kaitlyn needed a perfect blend of sass and vulnerability; she has so many layers that needed to be seen to make her feel like a real teen.  Before working on this film had you ever heard about pigeon racing?   It was something I never even knew existed. I thought it was fascinating how you can release all these pigeons that eventually find their way home. It shows you how intelligent they are and how home really has an effect on all of us.  Did you have any favorite pigeons you worked with on the set?  OMG! YES! I really connected with a few of the pigeons, but Apollo (who played the Granger) really stole my heart. Honestly, he’s the true MVP of the whole movie; sorry Brian [Cox]! Our bird handlers, Lauren and Roland, were so amazing and patient with me since I was nervous with the birds, at first, but I’ve grown to really love pigeons!  This film has such a phenomenal cast. What was it like working with everyone, especially legends like Brian Cox and Kelly Reilly?  Legends is right! Working with such great actors sometimes is super scary, so I just always felt the need to rise to every occasion to make them proud of me. Kelly was so much fun; she brought girl power to the set every day. There was a lot of testosterone on set, so it was nice to have her there. Brian and I got to spend a lot of time together, and I enjoyed every second. He told me so many amazing stories about his life and the theater and gave me a lot of advice. I feel so blessed by this cast.  Is there anything else you want to share about Little Wing?  Little Wing is a story for everybody. Everyone in the family is able to connect to a character. I hope it allows families to talk about mental health so that we, as human beings, can understand each other. Being a teen is hard, and everything feels big when you’re my age. I also think the movie is a great reminder to adults of what it feels like to be young and experience huge emotions. Race to Paramount+ when Little Wing premieres on March 13.

★  BACK TO TOP  ★

HIGH SCORE

Milan Škriniar and Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain Football season has ended, but fútbol fans are more than ready to stream CBS Sports’ coverage of UEFA Champions League round of 16 matches. These games determine which teams will head to the quarterfinals for soccer's most prestigious annual trophy.  Paramount+ is the only place to watch every English-language UEFA Champions League match live in the U.S., and this year is already our most-streamed season ever. Notable matches to watch out for include Bayern Munich vs. Lazio on March 5, Real Madrid vs. RB Leipzig on March 6 and Barcelona vs. Napoli on March 12.

WATCH THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SUPER BOWL AD SPOT

DID YOU KNOW?

Carra Patterson and Carrie Preston in Elsbeth In celebration of Women’s History Month, our Women Who Move Mountains collection shines a light on the real and fictional ladies who inspire us. New additions to the curated collection include June, a documentary that showcases the many talents of country-music legend June Carter Cash; Elsbeth, the brand-new The Good Wife spinoff, which sees the return of Carrie Preston as fan-favorite lawyer Elsbeth Tascioni; Special Ops: Lioness, which features powerful performances by Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira and Nicole Kidman, and many more shows and films that tell women's stories.   The fictional town of Hiddenville is poised for some big adventures when The Thundermans Return premieres on the service. In the film, super-powered teens Phoebe and Max are sent back to their hometown to lie low, but a nefarious supervillain has other plans. While fans wait for the new movie, they can relive the Thundermans’ earlier adventures with all four seasons of the hit Nickelodeon series, available to stream now. Paramount+’s The Lodge is back with a new cross-country tour, including a pop-up at SXSW in Austin from March 8-11. Featuring new interactive experiences, The Lodge brings iconic Paramount+ franchises and beloved characters to fans and new audiences. Find more information about the tour schedule here.

WATCH THE THUNDERMANS RETURN TRAILER

STREAMING SOON

Kevin James, Leah Remini and Jerry Stiller in The King of Queens Next month, fans can expect lots of laughs when all nine seasons of the beloved CBS sitcom The King of Queens debuts on Paramount+. The series centers on Doug (Kevin James) and Carrie Heffernan (Leah Remini), a middle-class couple living in Queens, NY who must contend with both modern life and Carrie’s cantankerous father Arthur (Jerry Stiller). Speaking of classic comedies, some of our favorite laugh riots are joining the service in March including Airplane!, Airplane II: The Sequel, Coming to America, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Wayne’s World, Not Another Teen Movie, Raising Arizona and more

ORIGINALS, EXCLUSIVES, PREMIERES & EVENTS 3/1: War Pony premiere* Bound by their shared search for belonging, two young Oglala Lakota men growing up on the Pine Ridge Reservation grapple with a world built against them as they navigate their unique paths to manhood. 3/6: Raging Grace premiere* Winner of the Grand Jury Award at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival, this film follows the struggles of an undocumented Filipina immigrant who takes a job caring for an extremely wealthy but terminally ill old man.  3/7: The Thundermans Return premiere The epic adventures of a superhero family, introduced in the hit Nickelodeon series, continue in a brand new movie. When one save goes wrong, the Thundermans are sent back to Hiddenville. 3/12: Never Seen Again, season five premiere In this gripping true-crime series, family members recount the last time they saw their loved ones before they vanished into thin air. 3/13: Little Wing premiere Inspired by The New Yorker article by Susan Orlean, Little Wing follows Kaitlyn, a teen who is reeling from her parents’ divorce and the pending loss of her home. When stealing a valuable bird, Kaitlyn forms a bond with the owner that leads her to a new outlook on life. 3/29: A Gentleman in Moscow premiere* An adaptation of Amor Towles’ internationally best-selling novel, A Gentleman in Moscow follows Count Alexander Rostov who, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, is sentenced to house arrest in the opulent Hotel Metropol.  3/30: Beyond The Aggressives: 25 Years Later premiere* In 2005, the groundbreaking film The Aggressives showcased the remarkable stories of queer BIPOC individuals Chin, Octavio, Trevon, and Kisha. Now, nearly 20 years later, the same four protagonists reunite to reflect on their past and envision new futures. LIBRARY SHOWS March 6 Air Warriors (Season 11) March 7 CBS News Specials: State of the Union Address March 8 Blaze and the Monster Machines: Blaze of Glory Blaze and the Monster Machines: Race to the Top of the World! March 13 America's Hidden Stories (Season 3) Black Ink Crew Los Angeles (Season 2) Black Ink Crew New York (Season 10) Peppa Pig (Season 9) The Amazing Race (Season 36)** March 20 The Last Cowboy (Season 4) March 25 The King of Queens (Seasons 1-9) March 27 Behind the Music (Season 2) LL Cool J Presents: The Rock the Bells Festival - Celebrating 50 Years of Hip-Hop Ten Steps to Disaster (Season 2) MOVIES March 1 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Airplane II: The Sequel Airplane! All About the Benjamins An Elephant's Journey* Angela's Ashes At Any Price Awakenings* Black Sheep (1996) Blood Out* Burnt* Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Coming to America Deception (2008) Disturbia Drugstore Cowboy* Enough Said Flatliners (1990) Flyboys* Footloose (1984) Frank Miller's Sin City* Freelancers* Guns Akimbo* Happy-Go-Lucky* In Bloom* In Too Deep (1999) Inside Llewyn Davis Jagged Edge Lizzie* Miller's Crossing Noah (2004) Not Another Teen Movie Once Upon a Time in America Raising Arizona Requiem for a Dream* Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Seabiscuit Sleepy Hollow St. Elmo's Fire* The Abyss (1989) The Big Short The Brady Bunch Movie The Dictator The Drop The Gift* The Girl Next Door The Good Girl The Outsiders (1983) The Vatican Tapes*  The Warriors (1979) Tommy Boy Wayne's World William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet March 2 The Accused March 2 This Is Where I Leave You March 3 Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension March 8 Home Again (2017)* March 10 What Happens Later* March 11 Sleeping with Other People* March 19 Carol (2015)* March 31 Set Up* SPORTS 3/1: Serie A – Lazio vs. AC Milan 3/2-3/3: Concacaf W Gold Cup Quarterfinals 3/2: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Arkansas @ Kentucky* 3/2: NCAA Men’s Basketball – USC @ Washington* 3/3: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Seton Hall @ UConn* 3/3: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Indiana @ Maryland* 3/3: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Michigan @ Ohio State* 3/3: Serie A – Napoli vs. Juventus 3/3: Barclays Women’s Super League – Arsenal vs. Tottenham 3/4-3/6: AFC Champions League Quarterfinals Leg 1 3/5: UEFA Champions League – Bayern Munich vs. Lazio 3/5: UEFA Champions League – Real Sociedad vs. PSG 3/6: UEFA Champions League – Real Madrid vs. RB Leipzig 3/6: UEFA Champions League – Manchester City vs. Copenhagen 3/6: Concacaf W Gold Cup Semifinals 3/7: UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Leg 1 3/7: UEFA Europa Conference League Round of 16 Leg 1 3/9: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Memphis @ FAU* 3/9: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Texas A&M @ Ole Miss* 3/9: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Kentucky @ Tennessee* 3/10: NCAA Women’s Basketball – Big Ten Conference Women’s Championship* 3/10: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Championship* 3/10: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Michigan State @ Indiana* 3/10: Concacaf W Gold Cup Final 3/11-3/13: AFC Champions League Quarterfinals Leg 1 3/12: UEFA Champions League – Barcelona vs. Napoli 3/12: UEFA Champions League – Arsenal vs. Porto 3/13: UEFA Champions League – Borussia Dortmund vs. PSV 3/13: UEFA Champions League – Atlético Madrid vs. Inter Milan 3/14: UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Leg 2 3/14: UEFA Europa Conference League Round of 16 Leg 2 3/15: UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals Draw 3/16: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Big Ten Men’s Semifinals* 3/16: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Mountain West Men’s Championship* 3/17: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Atlantic 10 Men’s Championship* 3/17: NCAA Men’s Basketball – Big Ten Men’s Championship* 3/17: NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Selection Show* 3/21: Concacaf Nations League – USA vs. Jamaica 3/21: Concacaf Nations League – Panama vs. Mexico 3/24: Concacaf Nations League Final & Third-Place Match 3/30: Formula E – 2024 Tokyo E-Prix* 3/30: Sail GP – Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix* 3/30: NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship* 3/31: PBR – Professional Bull Riders Nampa* Throughout March: NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship* Throughout March: Italian Serie A competition Throughout March: Concacaf W Gold Cup competition Throughout March: Concacaf Nations League competition Throughout March: Scottish Professional Football League competition Throughout March: UEFA Europa League competition Throughout March: UEFA Europa Conference League competition Throughout March: Barclays Women’s Super League competition Throughout March: Argentina Liga Profesional de Fútbol competition * Title is available to Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers. **All Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers can live stream CBS titles via the live feed on Paramount+. Those titles will be available on-demand to all subscribers the day after they air live. Dates for library titles are subject to change.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: February 25, 2024

 

 True Detective:  Wait, the dead lady broke their toy so they all gang stabbed her?  What an absolutely stupid ending.  Disappointing they are letting that writer take another stab at the property.

 

Death and Other Details: Just when I thought this show could not get any worse, the chick who cannot act tried to act like Manny Patinkin for half the episode.  Ooof.

 

The Challenge: Battle for a New Challenge:  Oooof, after all that Emmanuel wins.  He is maybe the least deserving winner in the history of the show.  Please stop casting people who first language is not English.

 

Halo:  Maybe this show should just skip the lore are any resemblance to a plot and just do action sequences every week.