Around the Tubes: April 5, 2025

  

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on  Nine Perfect Strangers, The Last of Us, Motorheads, Sydney Rose, Deborah Silver, and Belles.

- "Nine Perfect Strangers" is back for season two as nine new strangers come together to undergo Masha's psychedelic therapy at Zauberwald in the breathtaking Austrian Alps. Season two premieres on May 21, 2025, with two episodes at launch, followed by weekly releases on Hulu. Nine new strangers connected in ways they could never imagine are invited by mysterious guru Masha Dmitrichenko (Nicole Kidman) to join a transformational wellness retreat in the Austrian Alps. Over the course of a week, she takes them to the brink. Will they make it? Will she? Masha is willing to try anything in the interest of healing everyone involved, including herself.

- As the highly anticipated Season Two premiere of HBO’s Emmy®-winning original drama series The Last of Us approaches, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment invites fans to immerse themselves in a gripping exploration of varying apocalyptic/dystopian worlds with the "Destination Dystopia" promotion. The promotion runs now through May 12. This curated collection features iconic dystopian television series and films that are captivating, thought provoking, and offer viewers a comprehensive journey through the genre's most compelling narratives. Titles are available on physical and digital.  Shop Now at Amazon and FanFlix. - Prime Video announced the premiere date and revealed first-look images for the upcoming young-adult action thriller, Motorheads. All ten episodes will debut exclusively on Prime Video on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.  Motorheads is about first love, first heartbreak, and turning the key in your first car. Set in a once-thriving rust-belt town that’s now searching for a glimmer of hope, the series is an adrenaline-filled story of a group of outsiders who form an unlikely friendship over a mutual love of street racing, while navigating the hierarchy and rules of high school.  The series stars: Ryan Phillippe (Shooter), Nathalie Kelley (The Baker and the Beauty), Michael Cimino (Love, Victor), Melissa Collazo (One Of Us Is Lying), Uriah Shelton (The Glades, Girl Meets World), Nicolas Cantu (The Walking Dead: The World Beyond), Drake Rodger (The Winchesters), Josh Macqueen (Significant Others), Mia Healey (The Wilds), Matt Lanter (90210), Audrey Gerthoffer (Party of Five) and Johnna Dias-Watson (Wednesday). - Emerging as an artist to watch in 2025, acclaimed Georgia-born and Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sydney Rose shares her anxiously awaited new EP I Know What I Want out now via Mercury Records. Listen HERE.  To celebrate its arrival, she just shared the official music video for her breakthrough single “We Hug Now.” Watch HERE. The clip evokes the track’s hypnotic mood on-screen, illustrating a heart-wrenching narrative on girlhood and friendships. Sydney wanders through a quiet suburb, sings from the backseat of an old school eighties Sedan, surveys the aisles of a local grocery store, and watches her friends from the background as it seems they pass her by. It brings the spirit of the song to life in cinematic fashion with just the right amount of vintage grit. -  Billboard chart-topping and Amazon best-selling vocalist Deborah Silver continues to bridge the worlds of classic rock and jazz with her upcoming album, Basie Rocks!, out May 2 on Green Hill Productions. Following the release of “Baby, I Love Your Way” featuring Peter Frampton and her fiery take on The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It, Black” featuring 10-time GRAMMY®-winning Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, along with Pedrito Martínez on percussion, Silver today releases her third song with “Tainted Love” featuring GRAMMY®-winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling.  Silver, together with Elling and the 2024 GRAMMY®-winning Count Basie Orchestra, alongside renowned, award-winning jazz composer and arranger, Andy Farber (Jon Hendricks, Wynton Marsalis), transform Soft Cell’s classic synth-pop hit into a sultry smooth reinvention for audiences to enjoy. - Country artist Belles (Kelli Belles) debuts a brand-new music video for her newest single, “Happy Hour”. You can watch the captivating new music video here and listen to “Happy Hour” across all streaming platforms here.  "Happy Hour" cleverly plays on the familiar phrase, telling the story of longing for just one fleeting hour of joy and connection with someone. With lyrics like, "I'd give for one happy hour, one where your kiss is sweet and not sour," the song captures the bittersweet desire for a moment of harmony. The music video, shot at the Bowery Vault in East Nashville, emphasizes the solitude of this yearning emotion, reflecting the quiet ache for peace in a relationship. With its steady tempo, resonant drums, and melodic guitar, the track evokes a vintage feel that beautifully enhances the emotional narrative of the song. The music video was directed by Sydney Tooley and the director of photography was Corbin Schmidt

Around the Tubes: March 29, 2025

 

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on  Ariana Grande, Lyn Lapid, Lord Huron, Sublime, Smokey Robinson, Robert Randolph, Sydney Rose, Chelsea King, Ben 10, and Willie Nelson Presents: King of the Roadies.

- Oscar-nominated, GRAMMY® Award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist, and international superstar, Ariana Grande premieres the short film, brighter days ahead, the visual companion to eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days.   Watch brighter days ahead HERE.  Listen to eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead HERE.  Set against the music of eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead, and directed by frequent collaborators Christian Breslauer and Ariana Grande, this film explores love, loss, growth, and the fleeting nature of memory, delivering a heartfelt cinematic experience that closes the door on this eternal sunshine album era.

- Rising singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Lyn Lapid gifts fans with a new track, “death wish,” ahead of the release of her long awaited debut album BUZZKILL next month, which arrives on April 25th. The new song is unveiled today alongside the official music video—listen to “death wish” HERE & watch the music video HERE.  The dark title of “death wish” juxtaposes the track’s lighthearted story and deeper message of lifelong friendships. Lyn explains the meaning, saying, “My roommate and I were grocery shopping. We’re both single, so I was joking about how we were going to be single forever. We had this funny dream that if we never got married, then we would all move to Japan and live out our old age there. It’s just a funny ode to friendship. The idea is, ‘I don’t want you to be in a relationship, because I don’t want your boyfriend to take you away from me!’”

- Lord Huron presents a new single, “Nothing I Need,” their second new song of 2025. “Nothing I Need” is driven by frontman Ben Schneider’s calming, wistful voice: “I fell in deep // When you fell out of love with me // Now I got everything I want // And I got nothing that I need.”  Melodic guitar blooms with shuffling percussion and a delicate swelling of instrumentation. In Schneider’s words, “Nothing I Need” “wonders if it’s possible — within the short time you’ve got — to ever truly know what you want, if it’s worthwhile wanting anything at all, and if there’s any point in pondering what’s down the roads you didn’t take.” Following the highly-praised and cinematic “Who Laughs Last?” (feat. Kristen Stewart), “Nothing I Need” is another magnetic track in Lord Huron’s discography. Expect more music and news from Lord Huron in the coming months.  Stream “Nothing I Need”  Next month, Lord Huron embarks on an entirely sold-out spring tour in celebration of the 10th anniversary of their beloved album Strange Trails, which features the multi-platinum single “The Night We Met.” Following, they’ll play across North American for their biggest headline tour to date, including performances at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Moody Center in Austin, and Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Select dates will feature support from artists including Waxahatchee, Feist, Kevin Morby and more. A full list of dates can be found below; tickets are on sale now.  Watch the Video for “Who Laughs Last? (feat. Kristen Stewart)”

- Sublime is in the studio writing and recording new songs for an upcoming full-length album. When not performing at various festivals across North America in 2024, front man Jakob Nowell immersed himself in the Sublime catalog and found a deep sense of connection to his late father. The deeply emotional and powerful experience spawned a collection of new songs inspired by his father’s legacy that perfectly blend the classic Sublime vibe with a fresh sound. The band is tapping into the 90s nostalgia, writing and recording the new songs with powerhouse producing duo Travis Barker and John Feldmann, in addition to working with producer Jon Joseph (BØRNS). The first single will be released this Summer via their newly established label Sublime Recordings.

- Four-time Grammy winner Smokey Robinson’s soulful vulnerability have swept audiences away for over 60 years. Last month, he turned 85, but judging by his latest multi-track single, out now via Gaither Music Group, Robinson’s unmistakable voice is as smooth and timeless as ever. This double A-side features a lilting "Three Little Birds,” and an elegant "What A Wonderful World,” both from Robinson’s upcoming album, What The World Needs Now, out April 25th on Gaither.  Robinson partnered with TalkShopLive and gave an in-depth interview about the uplifting new album on April 18. As part of the partnership, randomly selected CDs purchased through the platform will include inserts signed by the artist. Check out the interview and pre-order from TalkShopLive here. He also discussed the record in an in-studio video you can watch here.  

- Sun Records is thrilled to announce the signing of six-time GRAMMY nominee Robert Randolph—the most innovative and influential rock and blues pedal steel guitarist of his generation. Randolph will release his Sun debut, Preacher Kids, on June 27, and the brawny, blues-rocking first single, “Sinner,” is out now.   Randolph is a whirlwind of talent — contributing to major musical moments across genres. He has collaborated with a diverse array of artists, including Dave Matthews Band, Santana, Norah Jones, Ozzy Osbourne, Eric Clapton, Rob Thomas, Hank Williams Jr., Elton John, Leon Russell, Raphael Saadiq, Robbie Robertson, Taj Mahal, Metallica, and Sheryl Crow. Most recently, he celebrated the GRAMMY win for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, for which he contributed pedal steel on "16 Carriages" and "Ya Ya." Randolph played on Jon Batiste’s We Are, which won the GRAMMY for Album of the Year. He also worked on the Elvis movie soundtrack, performed on the Zac Brown Band’s tour, and was welcomed back for the second consecutive year to provide the theme music for Amazon Prime's Thursday Night Football. He also joined Luke Combs for a moving tribute to Charley Pride on CMT, bridging generations and genres in celebration of a country music trailblazer.

- In the midst of a rapid rise with her current breakthrough single “We Hug Now,” acclaimed Georgia-born and Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sydney Rose will release her brand new EP I Know What I Want on April 4. Pre-save the EP HERE and listen to “We Hug Now” HERE. It notably marks the first official release under her recently minted deal with Mercury Records, kicking off an exciting new chapter for the rising artist.  To celebrate the news, Sydney shared a captivating official Live Performance Video of her beautifully haunting new single “We Hug Now,” which is breaking in real time now.  Watch HERE.

- Acclaimed singer-songwriter Chelsea King unveils a new dimension of her artistry with Minneola, a project that embraces a softer, more introspective sound. Following the success of their debut release, Minneola returns with their second single, "Echo In The Heavens," available now. This deeply personal and ethereal love song captures the moment King realized she was in love with her partner, Dawson, offering a poignant reflection on love and connection.  “Echo In The Heavens” captures love as a lightning bolt—sudden, electric, and undeniable. The song vividly describes that pivotal moment on a Tennessee highway when everything changed instantly. Sonically, it contrasts King’s solo work—known for channeling raw feminine rage—by embracing a different kind of power: soft yet fearless, delicate yet profound.

- Cartoon Network’s Emmy® Award-winning animated sci-fi series is coming to DVD for the first time ever, with the release of Ben 10: The Complete Series on May 13, 2025. Get ready to binge on all 227 episodes of the beloved series starring the alien changing Ben Tennyson on his intergalactic alien-fighting adventures, plus 2 full-length movies Ben 10: Secret of The Omnitrix and Ben 10: Destroy all Aliens. Pre-order your copy today! Follow Ben Tennyson’s epic journey from an everyday, average kid to a legendary teenage hero across four action-packed series. With the Omnitrix – a powerful device that lets him transform into incredible alien heroes – at his side and the help of his cousin Gwen, he battles powerful villains, uncovers hidden alien worlds, and saves the galaxy time and time again! Whether Ben’s facing classic goes, unlocking ultimate transformations or stepping into a new era, every adventure proves that it’s always Hero Time!

- Directors Amy Lee Nelson and Trevor Doyle Nelson are proud to announce the upcoming world premiere of Willie Nelson Presents: King of the Roadies at the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF), an official Oscar® qualifying festival, on Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. at the historic Texas Theater.  A true American tale —16 years in the making — Willie Nelson Presents : King of the Roadies honors and celebrates the story of Ben Dorcy, aka Lovey, the first and oldest roadie who shaped music history, pioneered an entire profession, and rivaled time itself to keep the show on the road. An unsung hero of country music, Lovey was the man behind the bona fide legends of the past century. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Knoxville, Kinky Friedman, Jamey Johnson, Ann-Margret and more come together to honor this legend among legends who shaped Texas and American music history.   Willie Nelson Presents: King of the Roadies illuminates the invaluable role this pioneering figurehead played in the golden era of American country music. The film aims to honor all of those in the service industry who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly with little or no public recognition. Watch the official trailer HERE. 

Transmissions from Pluto - Everything Coming to Pluto in April 2025

 

Spring is in full bloom, and Pluto TV has plenty of fresh programming to brighten your watchlist. With record-breaking growth and new series, channels and movies ready for launch, there’s never been a better time to tune in. April is Earth Month, so we are streaming awe-inspiring nature content, plus embracing our spooky side with an April Ghouls lineup of horror favorites. We’ve also queued up a huge list of new movies like Love and Basketball, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Empire Records, Pulp Fiction, and so much more. Read on to find out everything Pluto TV has in store this April. 🌸🚀📺 NEW CHANNEL SPOTLIGHT This April, Pluto TV is bringing a touch of Martha’s signature style, sophistication, and savoir-faire straight to your screen with The Martha Stewart Channel. For the spring season, Martha personally recommends streaming her series Martha Gardens, where you can spend a year in the life of Martha’s idyllic Bedford farm learning to garden like she does. Learn how to properly plant trees and how to take care of houseplants, and see how Martha turns her vegetable harvest into a year-round bounty.  Settle in with episodes of Martha Gardens from 7PM–10PM ET on April 4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th, and keep watching The Martha Stewart Channel 24/7 for even more timeless tips and tricks on Martha Cooks, Martha Bakes, Martha Stewart Living, and more. Because, as Martha would say, "It’s a good thing." 🌎 EARTH MONTH 🌍 This April, Pluto TV invites you to honor our incredible planet with some of our most awe-inspiring channels. From breathtaking nature documentaries to stories of conservation and animal heroes, there’s something for everyone to enjoy all month long. And, just like spending time in nature, all of this content is free on Pluto TV. Naturescape This Earth Day, Stingray Naturescape proudly supports One Tree Planted for the sixth consecutive year. On April 22, the channel will contribute to planting trees worldwide. Thanks to previous campaigns and viewer support, over 40,000 trees have already been planted. In celebration, enjoy a curated journey through some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes. BBC Earth Explore the wonders of our planet with new episodes of Natural World and new heartwarming Animal Babies specials. Plus, discover a stunning new series diving into the diverse wildlife and landscapes of Wild New Zealand. Love Nature Every day is Earth Day on Love Nature. See why during our month-long celebration of the planet’s amazing wildlife and the human heroes who care for them. Tune in and discover how scientists and conservationists are working to preserve animal populations and key habitats for future generations. Travel deep into the heart of one of America’s most incredible wild regions, meet big-animal vets with even bigger hearts, and bone up on the skills every cub, pup, and baby needs to learn to survive.  Premiering April 22nd on Love Nature: Deep in the Heart Narrated by Matthew McConaughey, Deep in the Heart is a visually stunning celebration of what makes Texas unique — its diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife behavior that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Told through the eyes of wildlife species ranging from the mysterious blind catfish to the elusive ocelot, the story follows our ever-changing relationship with the natural world and showcases our ability to destroy, conserve, and recover wildlife and the habitat we mutually depend on. More Earth Month Favorites Streaming on Pluto TV: The Jack Hanna Channel: From radical reptiles to ferocious felines, travel around the world for hair-raising wildlife encounters. Where Jack Hanna goes, adventure follows. EarthDay 365: From Earth’s wildest wonders to its most engaging animals and exotic destinations, explore our world every day and meet the heroes working to sustain it. With the best IMAX theater documentary films and much more. 5% of revenue donated to good causes. PBS Nature: Travel the globe with PBS NATURE and bring spectacular wildlife into your home 24/7. PLUTO TV GROWTH SOARS Pluto TV remains the global leader in FAST, leading the category in both revenue and profitability. In Q4, Pluto TV delivered strong growth across key metrics: Pluto TV had a record year, growing 16% in hours watched for Q4 year-over-year and 8% for the full year Global viewing hours increased 28% year-over-year across Pluto TV and our sister service Paramount+ As Q1 comes to a close, the Pluto TV rocket is full steam ahead. Stay tuned… the best is yet to stream. 🚀📺✨ 👻 APRIL GHOULS 👻 Pluto TV will be celebrating the halfway mark to Halloween with APRIL GHOULS! With supernatural, thrills, and chills themed programming stunts and horror film filled marathons across a number of channels, Pluto TV is making sure everyone knows that enjoying a scary good time isn't limited to October. NEW HORROR MOVIES 30 Days of Night 30 Days of Night: Dark Days Bram Stoker’s Dracula Deliver Us from Evil The Evil Dead (1983) Fright Night Grace: The Possession Idle Hands Oculus Only Lovers Left Alive Paranormal Activity 1-4 Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones   Pet Pet Sematary II Quarantine The Ring, The Ring Two & Rings Silent Hill Skinwalkers Urban Legend, Urban Legends: Bloody Mary & Urban Legends: The Final Cut Wolf PREPPING FOR LAUNCH NEW CHANNELS The Martha Stewart Channel Martha Stewart, Emmy Award- winning television host, entrepreneur, bestselling author and America’s most trusted lifestyle expert brings you The Martha Stewart Channel. The Emeril Lagasse Channel Emeril Lagasse, American celebrity chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and James Beard Award winner, shows his mastery of cuisine and his self-developed “New Orleans” style. ALLBLK Gems Entertainment that’s inclusively but unapologetically Black. ALLBLK Gems invites you to experience the best in Black TV and film with must-watch favorites from ALLBLK, We TV and more.   NEW MOVIES 30 Days Of Night (2007) 48 Hrs. Addams Family Values The Addams Family Another 48 Hrs. Beverly Hills Cop Beverly Hills Cop II Beverly Hills Cop III Blended Empire Records The Evil Dead (1983) Fright Night (1985) The Godfather The Godfather Part II The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone The Green Hornet How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days Legion Love And Basketball Menace II Society Noah The One (2001) Paranormal Activity Paranormal Activity 2 Paranormal Activity 3 Paranormal Activity 4 Pet Sematary II Pulp Fiction The Ring The Ring Two Rings Sense And Sensibility Silent Hill Something's Gotta Give (2003) Trading Places True Grit (2010) Up In Smoke Vampire In Brooklyn