Around the Tubes: 4/29/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Team Foxcatcher, The Wallflowers, Mygrations, Amy Grant, Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah, Dear Mama, and Genius.

- The incredible true and tragic story of world champion wrestler David Schultz, the centerpiece of a national wrestling training program, comes to life in the riveting new Netflix original documentary feature, Team Foxcatcher. The acclaimed film recently had its world premiere during the Tribeca Film Festival, ahead of its global debut on Netflix today.


- With the release of The Wallflowers’ second album, Bringing Down the Horse, on Interscope Records, May 21, 1996, band leader Jakob Dylan transformed overnight from the scion of one of rock’s living legends to a presence in his own right (or write, as the case may be, as the chief songwriter). The album went quadruple-platinum, selling more than 4 million copies, and produced four multi-format hits in “One Headlight,” “6th Avenue Heartache,” “Three Marlenas” and “The Difference,” earning a total of five Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards (for “One Headlight”) over two years. To help mark the album’s 20th anniversary next month, Universal Music Enterprises is reissuing the album for the first time on vinyl in a two-LP set on May 13.

- Each spring, in a desperate bid for survival, 1.3 million wildebeests race hundreds of miles north from the dry southern Serengeti plains to the lush grasses of the Maasai Mara in Kenya. It’s an incredibly dangerous journey through a landscape dominated by apex predators, including lions, leopards, hyenas and crocodiles. Tens of thousands of wildebeests won’t make it — so how will humans fare? Premiering Monday, May 23, at 9:00, National Geographic Channel’s new series Mygrations follows a team of 20 men and women in a feat that has never been attempted, as they set out on foot, unarmed and without a map or compass, to follow in the footsteps of the wildebeests. The human herd must cross hundreds of miles of scorched savannah — where water, food and shelter are hard to find but lethal predators roam unchecked — to reach the Mara River, the pinnacle of the wildebeests’ death-defying quest for life.

- Baby, Baby….can you believe it’s been 25 years since Amy Grant’s iconic album, Heart In Motion, was released?! Amy became the first Christian artist to score a #1 hit in the United States when the album’s first single, “Baby Baby”, took the country by storm. With over five million albums sold, five Top 10 radio hits and four GRAMMY(R) nominations, Heart In Motion secured Amy’s place in pop music history. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of this project, we are thrilled that the amazingly talented Tori Kelly has recorded a new version of “Baby Baby”. Hearing the timeless melody and lyric reimagined after all these years by one of today’s hottest voices is a fun and fitting tribute to Amy and the success of Heart In Motion.


- n 1973, Claude Lanzmann began work on a documentary about the murder of European Jews during WWII. Twelve years and more than 200 hours of footage later, he finished “Shoah,” a masterpiece widely considered to be the most important Holocaust film ever made. Exploring the French iconoclast’s arduous path to creating his nine-hour-plus masterpiece, Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah debuts Monday, MAY 2 (9:00-9:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Academy Award®-nominated in the category of Best Documentary Short Subject this year, the film includes previously unseen outtakes and features the 90-year-old filmmaker’s modern-day reflections on key moments in his life, as well as his hopes for the future.


- VH1, Flavor Unit and Jesse Collins Entertainment add Grammy Award winning artist Alicia Keys to the lineup of heavyweight talent that will be honoring their mothers at VH1’s special one-hour event Dear Mama, premiering Sunday, May 8 at 9:00.

- National Geographic Channel announced today that it will go straight to series with the first scripted series in the history of the network, the global anthology Genius from Fox 21 Television Studios (“Homeland,” “The People v. O.J. Simpson”), Imagine Television (“24,” “Empire”), OddLot Entertainment and EUE/Sokolow. The straight-to-series order will mark the first scripted series for the network, and Academy Award winner Ron Howard will direct the first episode. Each season of the anthology will dramatize the fascinating stories of the world’s most brilliant innovators. The premiere season will focus on scientist Albert Einstein and will be based on Walter Isaacson’s critically acclaimed book “Einstein: His Life and Universe,” adapted by writer Noah Pink. The series will be executive produced by Imagine’s Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Francie Calfo, and co-produced by Anna Culp; from OddLot Entertainment, Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane will executive produce and Melissa Rucker will co-produce; and Sam Sokolow and Jeff Cooney from EUE/Sokolow will also executive produce. Pink will also executive produce alongside a showrunner soon to be announced.

Around the Tubes: 4/22/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Prince, Catching the Sun, Wrecked, Genealogy Roadshow, Angie Tribeca, Ernie Ball: The Pursuit of Tone "Mike Ness', All Access: Quest For The Stanley Cup, Genius be Stephen Hawking, Penny Dreadful, Brian Lee, The Queen at 90, Kansas, and Guerrilla.

- VH1 announced yesterday the on-air plans to pay tribute to the late mega-star, Prince. Beginning yesterday at 5:30 PM ET, Prince’s iconic movie, Purple Rain, will kick of a weekend long marathon. Throughout the following days, VH1’s Sway will host news updates with artists’ memories and fan reactions.
VH1 Programming Schedule:

Friday, April 22:
12:00 PM ET/PT – “Purple Rain”
10:30P PM ET/PT – “Purple Rain”

Saturday, April 23:
9:00 AM ET/PT– “Purple Rain”
4:30 PM ET/PT – 7:00 PM – “Purple Rain”

Sunday, April 24:
1 PM ET/PT – “Purple Rain”
9PM ET/PT – “Purple Rain”

- As the solar industry nears the remarkable milestone next month of 1 million U.S. homes with solar panels, the acclaimed new documentary Catching the Sun from Executive Producer Leonardo DiCaprio will debut on Netflix in all territories this Friday, April 22 (Earth Day). Trailer: catchingthesun.tv

- TBS, a division of Turner, has set the premiere date for Wrecked, the network's new ensemble comedy about a group of strangers stranded on a deserted island following a plane crash. The latest in TBS's growing slate of daring new comedies, Wrecked is set to take off Tuesday, June 14, at 10:00) with back-to-back episodes.


- From possible links to the accused in the Salem Witch Trials to heroes of the Wild West, PBS’ Genealogy Roadshow uncovers more family secrets in the series’ third season, which premieres Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at 8:00 and airs Tuesdays through June 28 (check local listings). Part detective story, part emotional journey, Genealogy Roadshow combines history and science to uncover fascinating stories of diverse Americans this season in and around Albuquerque, Miami, Houston, Boston, Providence and Los Angeles. Each story links to the larger regional (and often, national) history, to become part of America’s rich cultural tapestry. See a season three clip here.

- After putting murderous ventriloquists, bakers and painters behind bars in its first amazing season, TBS's Angie Tribeca is ready to untangle all new webs of deceit in the gripping second season. Rashida Jones, Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns, Deon Cole, Andrée Vermeulen and Jagger the German Shepherd will be back when the powerful police drama returns Monday, June 6, exclusively on TBS, a division of Turner.


- Tune in to AT&T AUDIENCE Network for: Ernie Ball: The Pursuit of Tone "Mike Ness' on Friday, April 22 at 8:00 (DIRECTV Ch 239/U-verse Ch 1114). Watch as renowned guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer Mike Ness sits down for the new documentary series. In the candid interview, Ness touches on a wide range of topics from how he found his "groove" to rebelling through the music of his band, Social Distortion. The interview digs deep into Ness' songwriting process.

- Showtime Sports continues its commitment to real-time, behind-the-scenes documentary series with unprecedented access to the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs in All Access: Quest For The Stanley Cup. The docu-series will be the first of its kind to nationally televise the championship of a major North American sport as it unfolds. Premiering Friday, May 20 at 9:00 on Showtime, weekly episodes chronicle the Eastern and Western Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final as the top-four NHL® teams battle for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup®, one of the oldest and most iconic trophies in sports.

- PBS President and CEO Paula A. Kerger announced in January at the PBS portion of the Television Critics Association Press Tour that PBS, with National Geographic as its international broadcast partner, has commissioned a new six-part science series. Genius be Stephen Hawking, from production company Bigger Bang, will be presented and narrated by renowned theoretical physicist Prof. Stephen Hawking (watch a preview here). In each episode, a different group of ordinary people will be challenged to think like the greatest scientific minds in history in order to solve some of humanity’s most enduring questions. Genius will air on PBS in the U.S. Wednesdays, May 18-June 1, 2016, 8:00-10:00, and internationally on National Geographic Channel.

- Showtime is kicking off the third season of its hit drama series, Penny Dreadful, which premieres on Sunday, May 1 at 10:00, with a fan-driven art competition. Starting today through Friday, May 13th, fans can submit their artwork to The Penny Dreadful Fan Art Competition on pennydreadful.tumblr.com for the chance to win special prizes. One winner will take home the Grandeur Prize, which includes $1,000 and the opportunity to transform their creation into an official poster, product, or an upcoming Penny Dreadful comic book. On Sunday, June 19th, Showtime will announce the Grandeur Prize Winner during the final two episodes of the third season, which will air back-to-back starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT. SHOWTIME will showcase submitted fan artwork in the Penny Dreadful gallery at sho.com/1VvfxXq.

- American genre songwriter Brian Lee has teamed up with XFINITYSessions and is releasing his concert "Sessions at Willow Grove" on Earth Day 2016. The concert will be available through XFINITY on Demand starting April 22nd, 2016 and running through June 20th, 2016. The on Demand program is exclusively available through XFINITY and will be seen in over 24 million homes in the United States.

- Smithsonian Channel is celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday with a two-hour landmark program. For the last year Smithsonian Channel was granted unprecedented access to Her Majesty and the Royal Family’s lives at Buckingham Palace and across the United Kingdom and overseas. The Queen at 90, premiering Sunday, May 15 at 8:00 on Smithsonian Channel, includes individual contributions from many key figures in her life, including Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, The Duke of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, The Countess of Wessex and Peter Phillips.

- America's preeminent progressive rock band KANSAS will be touring select cities this fall celebrating the 40th Anniversary of their breakthrough album Leftoverture. To celebrate, for the first time in history, the band will be performing the album in its entirety. The tour will showcase two hours of classic KANSAS music including hit songs, deep cuts, and new songs from their soon to be released album, The Prelude Implicit. Tickets and KANSAS VIP Packages for most dates go on sale to the general public Friday, April 22, 2016. Ticket information can be found at kansasband.com.

- Academy Award-winner John Ridley (American Crime, 12 Years a Slave) will write, direct and executive produce Guerrilla, a new six-part limited series set to air on SHOWTIME and Sky Atlantic, that centers on a couple whose passion propels them into making the leap from political activism to radical militancy. Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild® Award winner Idris Elba (Luther, Beasts of No Nation) will co-star and serve as an executive producer through his Green Door Pictures. Ridley will write the majority of the episodes and will direct the first two episodes.

Around the Tubes: 4/15/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Dear Mama, Comedy Knockout, The Drew, Political Idiotest, Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah, Where Am I Now?, Haven, Ray Donovan, Episodes, and Tales from the Crypt.

- This Mother's Day VH1, Flavor Unit and Jesse Collins Entertainment will shine the spotlight on the most important women in the world -- our Moms. This is not a typical honors show though -- the stars will step aside and put their mothers center stage to celebrate the women who sacrificed so much for their success. VH1’s one-hour special event Dear Mama, will premiere Sunday, May 8 at 9:00. Anthony Anderson (ABC’s “Blackish”) will kick off VH1’s Mother’s Day celebration as this year’s host and will also honor his hilarious mom, Doris Bowman. The event will feature multifaceted superstar Queen Latifah honoring her mother Rita Owens, a single mother and former high school teacher in Newark, New Jersey. Trey, Jaden and Willow Smith will also join the mom-fest to honor Hollywood powerhouse Jada Pinkett-Smith. Additional honorary mothers will be announced soon.

- See below for the newly released trailer for truTV's new comedy competition series Comedy Knockout, hosted by stand-up comedian Damien Lemon, which premieres on Thursday, April 21 at 10:30pm ET/PT. Guest comedians this season will include Jim Norton, Sherrod Small, Kevin Barnett, Jamie Lee, Arden Myrin, Chris Distefano, Yamaneika Saunders and many more.


- Showtime will premiere The Drew, a film directed and produced by Baron Davis, that explores the history of a pro-am basketball league in the heart of South Central Los Angeles, on Friday, April 29 at 8:00. The Drew chronicles the unlikely rise of an institution, the men and women who made it possible, and the unifying, positive force it has become.


- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today a new half-hour special event, combining its hit series IDIOTEST with America’s obsession with all things politics. Political Idiotest, produced in association with Popsugar, one of the strongest media brands among millennials, will air Wednesday, April 20 at 11:00.

- Exploring the French iconoclast’s arduous path to creating his nine-hour-plus masterpiece, Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah debuts Monday, MAY 2 at 9:00, exclusively on HBO. Academy Award®-nominated in the category of Best Documentary Short Subject this year, the film includes previously unseen outtakes and features the 90-year-old filmmaker’s modern-day reflections on key moments in his life, as well as his hopes for the future.

- EW.com has revealed the cover of writer and actor Mara Wilson's memoir, Where Am I Now?, coming out September 13th from Penguin, and now available for pre-order. The cover also features a glowing endorsement from Broad City's Ilana Glazer, who said: "Growing up, I wanted to be Mara Wilson. 'Where Am I Now?' is a delight."

- For the past five years, Haven, based on the Stephen King novella "The Colorado Kid" and starring Emily Rose, Eric Balfour, Adam Copeland and Lucas Bryant, has thrilled its legions of viewers with its supernatural storylines, VFX-fueled action and drama. And with plenty of dark secrets about to be revealed, along with new guest stars such as the inimitable William Shatner, Haven: The Final Season, out 4/19, is guaranteed to be unforgettable.

- Season four of the hit Showtime drama series Ray Donovan, starring Liev Schreiber in his three-time Golden Globe® and Emmy® nominated role, will premiere on Sunday, June 26th at 9:00 on-air, on demand and over the internet. That same night, Showtime will premiere the new one-hour ensemble comedy series Roadies from creator, writer, director and executive producer Cameron Crowe at 10:00. Check out the Ray Donovan trailer below:


- After four critically-acclaimed seasons, the hit Showtime comedy series Episodes begins production next week on its fifth and final season, it was announced today by Gary Levine, President of Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. The series, starring Matt LeBlanc in his four-time Emmy® nominated and Golden Globe-winning role playing a fictionalized version of himself, is created by award-winning writing partners David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik. Klarik will direct all seven episodes, which will film in London and premiere on the network in 2017.

- TNT, a division of Turner, and M. Night Shyamalan are ramping up TNT's new Tales from the Crypt horror block. The network has officially greenlit an initial 10-episode order of the fan favorite Tales from the Crypt anthology series, based on the original EC Comics. The anthology series will be at the center of each week's chilling lineup, guided by a newly reinvented Crypt Keeper, one of the most popular characters in the Tales from the Crypt universe. TNT's new Tales from the Crypt horror block is now slated to launch in 2017.

Around the Tubes: 4/8/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Penny Dreadful, Those Who Can't, The Mindy Project, Conan, Why Would You Do That?, The Walking Dead, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Hit The Floor, and Earth Day.

- Showtimee has released a haunting new trailer with new footage of its hit drama series Penny Dreadful, ahead of the much-anticipated third season premiere on Sunday, May 1 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on-air, on demand and over the internet. Starring Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton and Eva Green, PENNY DREADFUL is a frightening psychological thriller created, written and executive produced by three-time Oscar® nominee John Logan (Hugo, The Aviator, Gladiator).


- Fallen behind on truTV’s first scripted comedy series Those Who Can’t, well now is your chance to get caught up during Sunday, April 10th’s Cram-Sesh Marathon. Audiences will be able to binge on the first nine episodes from 4:30PM-9:30PM ET/PT and catch up on all the antics that happened at Smoot High in advance of the season one finale airing Thursday, April 14.

- The Mindy Project returns Tuesday, April 12 with all new episodes, only on Hulu. The Mindy Project season four returns for even more adventures! Mindy (Mindy Kaling) faces her greatest challenge yet as she struggles to balance work with being a mom, all while her tumultuous relationship with Danny gets even messier. She's joined by Morgan (Ike Barinholtz) and the rest of the staff of Shulman and Associates as they welcome some new faces (like Garret Dillahunt as Jody, a sexist Southern rascal) and tangle with old rivals like the Midwives upstairs. The Mindy Project continues to deliver its unique mix of wild comedy and heartfelt romance.

- TBS's late-night series Conan is heading back to New York City for the first time in exactly six years for a week of shows from Harlem's Apollo Theater. Host Conan O'Brien last did his show from the Big Apple in 2010 at the Beacon Theatre. This fall's visit to New York, set to take place Oct. 31 – Nov. 3, will continue O'Brien's innovative combination of international road episodes and live shows from various cities across the United States.

- Chicago-born-and-bred, Sebastian Maniscalco has tapped Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre as the backdrop for his third Showtime stand-up comedy event Why Would You Do That?, which will be filmed in front of a live audience on May 7th – one of the seven sold out shows at the theatre – to air on the network this summer on-air, online, on demand and over the internet. Directed by Joe Demaio, Maniscalco will deliver his unique brand of physical and quick-witted observational comedy in a new hour of highly anticipated skepticism, all while asking Why Would You Do That?

- This past season brought many unforeseen, exciting and pulse-pounding twists and turns. With the end of every season comes the bittersweet knowledge that we must wait with bated breath until the next ride. To keep your The Walking Dead appetite satiated, Anchor Bay Entertainment proudly continues the tradition of offering fans an opportunity to relive the ever so satisfying and stirring sixth season. The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season will be released on Blu-ray™ + Digital HD and DVD on August 23. Just like the previous award-winning home entertainment releases, The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season will take fans down The Walking Dead memory lane so they can relive all of the season’s most haunting and indelible moments.

- It's a full year for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. TBS, a division of Turner, has ordered 26 episodes of its new series less than two months after star and executive producer Samantha Bee entered the late-night fray to widespread buzz and critical raves. TBS's order brings the total number of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee episodes to 39, which will take the show to the end of 2016.

- Fans won’t have to wait long for the payoff to Hit The Floor’s jaw-dropping season three finale, VH1 announced today a special one hour episode premiering this Summer. The special will deliver all the excitement, drama and passion that Ahsha & Derek are beloved for and will also explore the huge finale cliffhanger: Who shot Jelena?

- Nat Geo WILD will celebrate Earth Day by shining a light on the wildlife advocates who inspire us to take care of our world and the animals who live in it. Beginning with premieres of the best short films from this year’s Wild to Inspire competition on Friday, April 22, at 6:30, and continuing with an investigation into the new threats facing wild orangutans in Mission Critical: Orangutan on the Edge at 9:00, we will celebrate by honoring the people who get their hands dirty making the world a better place.
Full Earth Day Schedule at a Glance:
6:30/5:30c: Wild to Inspire *PREMIERE*
7/6c: Cougars Undercover
8/7c: Mission Critical: Leopards at the Door
9/8c: Mission Critical: Orangutan on the Edge *PREMIERE*
10/9c: War Elephants

Around the Tubes: 4/1/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on The Last Ship, W. Kamau Bell: Semi-Prominent Negro, Behind the Movie, Shameless, Billions, Conan, 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival, Virginmarys, MTV Movie Awards, and Famously Single.

- The wait is nearly over. TNT's epic drama The Last Ship – one of last summer's Top 5 scripted series on basic cable among total viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 – is preparing to set sail again in its quest to save humanity after a devastating pandemic with a two-hour premiere this summer.


- Critically-acclaimed socio-political comedian W. Kamau Bell stars in his first solo stand-up special W. Kamau Bell: Semi-Prominent Negro premiering Friday, April 29th at 10 p.m. on Showtime on-air, online, on demand and over the internet. Directed by Morgan Spurlock (the Oscar-nominated director of Super Size Me and Freakonomics) and filmed before a live audience at the Roulette Theater in Brooklyn, the film features his uniquely insightful and hilarious views on a host of social and political issues such as gentrification, marriage equality, “mixed-race” children and doing Black children’s hair just to name a few. In Semi-Prominent Negro, Bell confirms his stature as one of the leading cultural critics of our time.

- VH1 is partnering with hip hop legend and producer Ice Cube and Chicago native and Academy Award-winning artist Common, for a one-of-kind community town hall in Chicago. The special Behind The Movie: ‘Exploring Chicago with the Cast of ‘Barbershop: The Next Cut’ will premiere Monday, April 11 at 10 PM on VH1.

- Showtime will be offering catch-up marathons of its hit series Shameless and Billions on-air, ahead of their season finales on Sunday, April 3rd at 9:00 and Sunday, April 10th at 10:00, respectively. The full seasons to-date of both series are also available now on the SHOWTIME streaming service, on Showtime Anytime and Showtime On Demand. Starting this Sunday, April 3rd at 8 a.m. ET/PT, SHOWTIME subscribers can view the first eleven episodes of the sixth season of Shameless , starring Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner William H. Macy and Golden Globe® nominee Emmy Rossum. Then, on Sunday, April 10th starting at 9 a.m. ET/PT, Showtime will air the first season to-date of the smash hit drama Billions, starring Oscar nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe® winner Paul Giamatti and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis.

- TBS's late-night series CONAN is heading to Asia for the first time ever for a special extended episode shot on location in South Korea. Conan in Korea, starring Conan O'Brien, is set to premiere Saturday, April 9, at 11:00, exclusively on TBS. O'Brien recently caused quite a stir when he arrived in Seoul, South Korea, to the cheers of thousands of screaming fans. That festive welcome kicked off a weeklong trip in which he was joined by Korean-American actor and The Walking Dead star Steven Yuen. The two explored various parts of the country, including the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the Joint Security Area (JSA). O'Brien and Yuen also teamed up with music sensation J.Y. Park to film a K-Pop music video.

- Turner Classic Movies (TCM) announced today that renowned actor Burt Reynolds is set to attend the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival, taking place in Hollywood April 28 – May 1, to participate in a sit-down interview about his life and career. In addition to the interview, Reynolds will be on-hand to introduce a screening of The Longest Yard (1974), for which he received a Golden Globe® nomination for Best Actor. The interview will be taped Saturday, April 30 in front of a live audience of festival pass holders at The Ricardo Montalbán Theatre.

- Hailing from Macclesfield, England, the Virginmarys make anthems that scream with all the potent sound and fury of modern punk acts, brimming with the honesty of prime British rock of the early 1970’s, before the wizards and capes overcame the attack and dynamic.



- MTV this week announced that pop superstar Ariana Grande will make her MTV Movie Awards debut to perform her new smash single Dangerous Woman. Colors and New Americana singer/songwriter Halsey will also perform her new song Castle from the soundtrack for the forthcoming Universal release, The Huntsman: Winter’s War. Hosted by Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, the 2016 MTV Movie Awards will air on Sunday, April 10 at 8:00 from the backlot of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif.

- Dating is hard enough, but dating as a celebrity? Nearly impossible – until now. E! Entertainment exposes the fascinating romantic lives of Hollywood’s most notorious daters when Famously Single premieres on Tuesday, June 14 at 10:00. In the all-new series, eight celebrities going through relationship rehab live under one roof in downtown Los Angeles and explore their romantic issues together. Through fun challenges and exercises their fame is stripped away and viewer’s will witness them untangle their most private emotional experiences, ripped straight out of tabloid headlines.

Around the Tubes: 3/25/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Vice, Dice, Wild with Sir David Attenborough, Ernie Ball: The Pursuit of Tone "Buddy Guy", Animal Kingdom, The Wonder Years, America's Greatest Makers, Anna of the North, Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper, 2016 MTV Movie Awards, and ToonsTV.

- Tomorrow's episode of Vice on HBO explores what life is like for young Palestinians in 2016, as well as the normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba. VICE's "Palestine Now and Viva Cuba Libre" airs on HBO tomorrow, March 25 at 11:00pm

- For the first time in network history, Showtime will hold a special launch for a new series, releasing all six episodes of the new comedy Dice at once to its subscribers. The full season of Dice will be available on Sunday, April 10th starting at 12 a.m., on the Showtime streaming service, SHOWTIME ANYTIME and SHOWTIME ON DEMAND. The first episode of Dice will also premiere on linear TV later that day at 9:30 on Showtime, with subsequent episodes continuing to air every Sunday. The scripted, semi-autobiographical series will follow the life of renowned comedian, Andrew Dice Clay, chronicling the stops and starts of his attempts at a career resurgence in his transplanted home base of Las Vegas. The series also stars Kevin Corrigan, and guest stars Natasha Leggero, Lorraine Bracco, Adrien Brody, Michael Rapaport, Wayne Newton, Criss Angel and Rita Rudner.

- This spring, Smithsonian Channel will celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s 90th birthday, as it rolls out seven consecutive weeks of captivating natural history programs featuring the world’s leading naturalist . The special programming event dubbed Wild with Sir David Attenborough, kicking off Wednesday, April 6, is comprised of a three-part miniseries, a one-hour special, and another three-part limited series.

- Tune in to AT&T AUDIENCE Network for: Ernie Ball: The Pursuit of Tone "Buddy Guy" this coming Friday, March 25 at 8:00 (DIRECTV Ch 239/U-verse Ch 1114). Watch as revered blues legend Buddy Guy sits down for the new documentary series, talking frankly about a wide range of topics--from how he got his start on a 3-string guitar to his close friend Muddy Waters' last words of advice.

- TNT has set Tuesday, June 7, for the premiere of Animal Kingdom, the network's bold new drama starring Emmy® and Tony® winner Ellen Barkin (Sea of Love, This Boy's Life, Oceans 13), Scott Speedman (The Strangers, The Vow), Shawn Hatosy (Southland, Reckless), Ben Robson (Vikings, Dracula: The Dark Prince), Jake Weary (Pretty Little Liars, It Follows), Finn Cole (Peaky Blinders, An Inspector Calls), Daniella Alonso (Revolution) and Molly Gordon (Love the Coopers, Ithaca).


- The Wonder Years: The Complete Fifth Season contains all 24 engaging episodes from Season 5 (October 2, 1991-May 13, 1992) in their original broadcast versions. After a brief stint at the lake and equally brief summer romance in the season premiere, "The Lake," Kevin returns home to start school at McKinley High.

- Emmy®-winning producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, Shark Tank, The Voice) and TBS, a division of Turner, have brought together a panel of celebrity judges for this spring's exciting new tech competition series America's Greatest Makers, created in collaboration with Intel. The roster includes sports legends Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith; Emmy-nominated actress Mayim Bialik, who co-stars in the hit series The Big Bang Theory; and Massimo Banzi, maker and co-founder and CEO of Arduino, which makes popular development boards for inventors to create. America's Greatest Makers is set to premiere on TBS Tuesday, April 5, at 9:00.


- Epic, swooning and ethereal, Oslo based artist Anna of the North this week premieres her new single, "Baby," streaming exclusively on Noisey.



- HBO Documentary Films presents Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper which is directed by Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Liz Garbus, will premiere exclusively on HBO on Saturday, April 9th at 9:00. In this poignant and revealing feature-length documentary, Vanderbilt and son Anderson Cooper look back at her remarkable life.


- MTV this week revealed the star-studded, first round of presenters for the 2016 MTV Movie Awards, setting into orbit the 25th anniversary of the ultimate celebration of blockbuster movies and the fans who love them. Adding to the high-wattage celebrity sizzle, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain from The Huntsmen: Winter’s War, Seth Rogen and Zac Efron from Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Olivia Munn from X-Men: Apocalypse and supermodel Gigi Hadid are scheduled to present. Additional presenters and performers will be announced at a later date. The 2016 MTV Movie Awards hosted by Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart airs Sunday, April 10 at 8:00 from outdoors on the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, Calif. MTV also announced that it will honor Will Smith with the Generation Award at the show.

- ToonsTV, Rovio Animation Company's go-to platform for family friendly video entertainment, launched globally today for the all-new Apple TV. Available as a free download with no in-app purchases, ToonsTV features more than 30 channels of high quality, video on-demand (VOD) family entertainment, including the original animated series Angry Birds Toons, Piggy Tales and Stella, as well as its educational Rocket Science Show, developed in cooperation with NASA. ToonsTV also offers renowned animation properties, including Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep by Aardman, Zooville by National Geographic and Pucca by Vooz.

Around the Tubes: 3/18/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Conan, The Carbonaro Effect, Curious George®, Point Taken, Idiotest, Banta, and Dark Web.

- TBS's Conan the leader in late-night when it comes to featuring the full casts of big movies and series, is getting ready to build on that success, when host Conan O'Brien will welcome the stars and director of the eagerly anticipated movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Ben Affleck, who plays Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Henry Cavill, who plays Clark Kent/Superman, will be joined by fellow cast members Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Gal Gadot, Holly Hunter and Diane Lane, as well as director Zack Snyder, for the episode, which is set to air Thursday, March 31, at 11. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens in theaters on Friday, March 25.

- This week truTV released the first promo announcing that Shaquille O’Neal will make a special guest appearance with magician Michael Carbonaro on the mid-season premiere of truTV’s The Carbonaro Effect, airing Wednesday, March 23 at 10:00. He will help Michael hatch a prank that amazes one of his biggest fans! Check out Shaquille performing his own version of a “disappearing trick” in the promo at youtube.com/watch?v=W_9ybzbBlII. and Dark Net.

- In an extensive, multi-year agreement forged by the NBCU Television & New Media Distribution group, Hulu has secured the exclusive subscription streaming rights to one of the highest-rated kids television properties, Curious George®. The deal will bring past and future seasons of the two-time Emmy® Award-winning series, as well as television specials and feature-length original movies from everyone’s favorite monkey, exclusively to Hulu. All of the offerings will be available to stream in Hulu’s commercial-free Hulu Kids environment. Beginning March 31st, Hulu will become the exclusive subscription streaming home to all nine seasons – over 100 episodes - of Curious George® TV series, which is produced by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s production arm, Universal 1440 Entertainment. Hulu will also be the U.S. premiere home to new seasons of the series over the coming years. In addition, television specials including Curious George: Swings Into Spring, Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest and Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas, along with the feature-length originals Curious George: Follow That Monkey, Curious George: Back To The Jungle and future direct-to-TV specials will become available to stream exclusively on Hulu.

- Americans now can be a part of the national conversation with the launch of Point Taken, PBS’ new, late-night, multi-platform series. Hosted by Carlos Watson, an Emmy® Award-winning journalist and co-founder/CEO of OZY Media, the weekly debate series will champion spirited and civil conversation. Each half-hour program will focus on a single topic and feature journalists, artists, academics, and experts who will passionately and persuasively explore all sides of a key issue. The first of 10 episodes premieres on PBS on April 5, 2016 at 11:00(check local listings).

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today its original hit series Idiotest, hosted by comedian Ben Gleib, will return for a 40-episode third season, beginning Tuesday, April 12 at 10:00.

- Los Angeles indie rock five-piece Banta are giving fans another taste of their new album with the release of their new song "Hungry Heart." The acoustic ballad was inspired by a book that singer Sharaya Mikael read and connected with. The song can be streamed on Songwriting Magazine and eOne's official Soundcloud.

- On the heels of its season one finale, Showtime has picked up the revelatory documentary series Dark Net for a second season. Produced and developed by cutting edge media and technology company, Vocativ, the docu-series explores the dangers of the internet’s unregulated underbelly known as the deep web. Vocativ uses proprietary technology, exclusive to their company, to reveal new voices, emerging trends and surprising data to identify and develop story angles. With this exclusive technology, DARK NET unveils the stories of a dramatically changing digitally connected world.

- This week, Showtime Documentary Films announced the start of production on a film exploring the incredible career and complicated life of the memorable singer. Hers was the golden voice with the unmatchable range. Six-time Grammy® winner Whitney Houston was one of the most successful female recording artists of all time. After a troubled marriage to singer Bobby Brown and many years of struggles with addiction, Houston died a tragic death at the age of 48. Produced, directed and narrated by acclaimed BAFTA Award winner Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney, Tales of the Grim Sleeper), the film, which will shoot in Los Angeles, will talk to the key people in Houston’s life to create an indelible portrait of the artist.

Around the Tubes:3/11/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Outdoor: Icons Revealed, Skin Wars, He Named Me Malala, Haven, Bob Hope: Entertaining the Troops, Home & Family, and Sheet Music Direct.

- Outside TV, America’s preeminent adventure television network, announces the newest installment of the hit show Outlook: Icons Revealed will premiere this Sunday March 13 at 8:00. The episode will take viewers behind the scenes with Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins, as he talks about growing up in Laguna Beach, his love for mountain biking, and his affinity for surfing.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, will premiere its third season of Skin Wars, hosted by actress Rebecca Romijn (X-Men), on Wednesday, April 20 at 10:00. Television’s first-ever body painting competition show and GSN’s most-watched original series ever, SKIN WARS seeks to find the most innovative body painter in America. In its third season, twelve contestants will compete in elaborate body painting challenges to avoid elimination and win the approval of judges, including legendary entertainer RuPaul Charles and body painting icons Craig Tracy and Robin Slonina.

- In a new agreement with National Geographic Channels, Hulu has acquired the exclusive streaming video on-demand rights to Academy Award® winner Davis Guggenheim’s feature documentary He Named Me Malala. Following its global television premiere on National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo MUNDO this week, the critically acclaimed feature documentary will make its SVOD debut exclusively on Hulu this summer.

- Haven: The Final Season (Street Date: April 19, 2016) presents hometown heroes Audrey, Nathan (Lucas Bryant), Duke (Eric Balfour) and Dwight (Adam Copeland), with challenges unlike any they've experienced before. Across 13 action-packed final episodes, the town of Haven has been cut off from the rest of the world by a mysterious fog bank and is on its own. Through journeys into the past, the future, and the very fabric between worlds, events in Haven hurtle towards a cataclysmic showdown. Will the heroes be able to rid Haven of "the Troubles" forever, or will the town and its inhabitants continue to suffer the curse? Watch and see as tensions rise, allegiances shift and in a harrowing closing chapter, the mystery of "Croatoan" is finally revealed.

- On May 10, Time Life®, creator and direct marketer of unique music and home entertainment products, will deliver Bob Hope: Entertaining the Troops, a single DVD featuring three TV Christmas Specials: a rare, never-before-released 1951 special from The Korean War Era , along with shows from 1970 and 1971 - two of the most-watched shows in TV history! Featuring Hope's hilarious monologues and guest stars aplenty, these shows prove that laughter is truly the best medicine, regardless of the time zone or terrain.

Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point ball. Dale Earnhardt’s legendary pink race car. The American flag draped around goalie Jim Craig after the “Miracle on Ice.” All of those historic objects from indelible moments in sports are either lost or in dispute. Now, Smithsonian Channel debuts a unique six-hour docu-series, Sports Detectives, on Sunday, April 24 at 9:00, to try to hunt down the truth of what happened and find missing treasures behind some of the most iconic moments in American sports history.

- Hallmark Channel’s Daytime Emmy® nominated series Home & Family in partnership with DreamJobbing announces a nationwide talent search to find the next DIY star to join the on-air team. One lucky winner will be chosen to become a DIY expert on Home & Family for one week in mid-April, joining co-hosts Mark Steines and Cristina Ferrare as the newest creative Family Member. They will create their own DIY projects for a national audience from the Home & Family set at Universal Studios, Hollywood. DreamJobbing is an online opportunity platform created to inspire people by giving them incredible opportunities and a chance to change their story – from once in a lifetime opportunities such as Wildlife Volunteer in Thailand, to full time positions such as Writer for Lance Bass Productions, LLC. Producers are looking for enthusiastic candidates with strong DIY ideas, the ability to show viewers step-by-step how they created their DIY projects, great on-camera presence and a fun personality. Video applications will be accepted from March 7–April 15, 2016. Submission details and additional information can be found at: dreamjobbing.com/homeandfamily.

Sheet Music Direct, the world's leading digital sheet music website and destination, today released the worldwide production version of its Sheet Music Direct PlayAlong iPad app for amateur to professional musicians who want to learn, plan, record, share, and perform their favorite songs using the latest iOS technology. The App is available now on the iTunes App Store for FREE with an in-app store for optional song title purchases.

Around the Tubes: 3/4/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on The Path, Spring Broke, The Brainwashing of my Dad, CeeLo Green: Live In L.A., Yanni: The Drem Concert - Live at the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Joshy, and Satan’s Sisters: A Novel of Fiction.

- The Path follows a family at the center of a controversial cult as they struggle with relationships, faith and power. Each episode takes an in-depth look at the gravitational pull of belief and what it means to choose between the life we live and the life we want. Created by Jessica Goldberg, the show is executive produced by Jason Katims and Michelle Lee of True Jack Productions and stars Aaron Paul, Hugh Dancy and Michelle Monaghan.


- On Friday, March 25th at 9:00, Showtime will premiere Spring Broke, a documentary about the raucous history of the infamous spring vacation revelries in Daytona, Florida. The annual gathering started in the early 60s and by the 1980s led to the arrival of tens of thousands of college students, lured by music, sun, endless parties and eventually, the hope to make it onto MTV.


- Right-wing cable news and "conservative" talk radio attract older Americans like graying moths to an angry flame. But why would someone who was either apolitical or a Democrat in younger days become addicted to conservative talk shows in their twilight years? Filmmaker Jen Senko wondered how her WWII veteran and Kennedy Democrat father had been transformed into a Fox News fanatic, suddenly and inexplicably railing against minorities, homosexuals, poor people, and Democrats. Using her dad as an entertaining example, Senko pulls back the curtain to expose the tools and tricks of the wizards behind the right-wing media revolution. And in discovering what happened to him, Senko reveals the all-too-chilling bigger picture of what’s happening behind-the-scenes to influence our national discourse. The Brainwashing of my Dad, which will open theatrically in New York and Los Angeles with a day and date iTunes/Nationwide VOD release on March 18. The film directed by award-winning documentarian Jen Senko.

- Tune in to AT&T Audience Network for CeeLo Green: Live In L.A. airing Friday, March 11 at 9:00 (DIRECTV Ch 239/U-verse Ch 1114). Watch as the GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter thrills the audience--at the gothic-styled Theatre At The ACE Hotel in downtown Los Angeles--with his electric soul band, performing both his classic hits and new fan favorites.

- The No. 1 selling, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and global phenomenon Yanni has performed his distinctive music in exotic and historic locations all across the world. From his groundbreaking concert at the Acropolis to his most recent televised performance at El Morro, Puerto Rico, Yanni has pushed the boundaries of the way audiences experience live music. After performing at China's Forbidden City and India's Taj Mahal, Yanni realized his lifelong dream to perform at the foot of the Sphinx at the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt — the last of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World that remains today. The November 2015 concert was captured in 4K state-of-the-art high definition audio and video, and features a career-spanning selection of fan favorites, along with never-before-performed songs and new arrangements of his classic compositions. Yanni: The Drem Concert - Live at the Great Pyramids of Egypt premieres on PBS stations beginning March 5 (check local listings). A CD/DVD or Blu-ray of the historic concert is out June 3 via Sony Music Masterworks’ imprint Portrait Records, and is available for preorder March 4.

- Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader, and Hulu announced this week that they have joined forces to acquire the North American rights to Jeff Baena’s Joshy, featuring an ensemble cast, including Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally, Alex Ross Perry, Nick Kroll, Brett Gelman, and Jenny Slate. The film will be released on Lionsgate’s specialty film distribution label, Lionsgate Premiere, and will be available to stream exclusively on Hulu following its theatrical run.

- Tony, Grammy, and Emmy nominated singer/actress Vanessa Williams has signed on to play the lead role in VH1’s upcoming scripted series inspired by Star Jones 2011 book Satan’s Sisters: A Novel of Fiction. Set in the bright lights of daytime television, the fireworks start every weekday at noon when the hosts of "The Lunch Hour" -- a long-running popular TV talk show -- discuss life, love, family, politics, and gossip. Ms. Williams will play the role of Maxine, the creator and host of “The Lunch Hour;” a formidable, powerful, and decisive woman, but fears she's being put out to pasture. Slated for a 2017 premiere, the series will focus on Maxine and her co-hosts, five women with very different points of view, are best friends and sisters...while they're on TV. But behind the scenes, they are “Satan's Sisters” -- a backstage world filled with power struggles, personal demons, diva fits, love affairs, man troubles, cat fights...and cocktails.

Around the Tubes: 2/26/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on The Circus, A Year in Space, Penny Dreadful, Deadbeat, America's Greatest Makers, 2016 MTV Movie Awards, They Will Have To Kill Us First: Malian Music in Exile, Dangerous Men, America’s Next Top Model, Bunbury music Festival, and Smurfs™ Epic Run.

- This week, Showtime announced that MSNBC analyst Alex Wagner will be a guest contributor to the Feb. 28 episode of The Circus airing this Sunday at 8:00. Wagner will join the team on the campaign trail in South Carolina this week in the final days before the Democratic primary.

- Scott Kelly, whose current 12-month stay on the International Space Station is testing human limits for space travel and laying the groundwork for a manned mission to Mars, is featured in the first installment of A Year in Space. Scheduled to air on PBS on Wednesday, March 2 from 8:00 (check local listings), A Year in Space is timed to air within a day of Kelly’s planned return to Earth.

- Showtime has released the official trailer for the third season of its hit drama series Penny Dreadful, which premieres on Sunday, May 1 at 10:00 on-air, on demand and over the internet. Starring Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton and Eva Green, Penny Dreadful is a frightening psychological thriller created, written and executive produced by three-time Oscar® nominee John Logan (Hugo, The Aviator, Gladiator).


- Yesterday morning Tyler Labine and Kal Penn announced all episodes of Hulu Original Deadbeat season three will return on 4/20.

Hulu_DB_S3_ANNOUNCEMENT_FNL (1).mp4
It's lit. Deadbeat season 3 premieres 4/20, only on Hulu.
Posted by Deadbeat on Wednesday, February 24, 2016

- Emmy®-winning producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, Shark Tank, The Voice) and TBS, a division of Turner, have brought together a panel of celebrity judges for this spring's exciting new tech competition series America's Greatest Makers, created in collaboration with Intel. The roster includes sports legends Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith; Emmy-nominated actress Mayim Bialik, who co-stars in the hit series The Big Bang Theory; and Massimo Banzi, maker and co-founder and CEO of Arduino, which makes popular development boards for inventors to create. America's Greatest Makers is set to premiere on TBS Tuesday, April 5, at 9:00.

- Global box-office powerhouses and stars of the upcoming action comedy, Central Intelligence, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart today announced via this video they will host the 2016 MTV Movie Awards. This year’s show will tape at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif. on Saturday, April 9, to air on Sunday, April 10, at 8:00. For the first time ever, MTV will take the telecast entirely outdoors and onto the backlot to capture the essence of movie making magic against a dramatic nighttime backdrop. Performers and presenters will be announced at a later date.

- Since 2007, March 3 has been declared Music Freedom Day around the globe. With unique musical events and initiatives in more than 30 countries, the day commemorating freedom of expression and human rights continues to captivate millions. This March, BBC Worldwide North America will release They Will Have To Kill Us First: Malian Music in Exile, a feature-length documentary which bowed at 2015's SXSW Film Festival. Directed by Johanna Schwartz and featuring an original score by Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), the film - hailed by Indiewire as a "gripping, powerful documentary" and "social journalism of the highest order" by The Austin Chronicle - will open at New York City's Village East Cinema on March 4 and Los Angeles' Laemmle Santa Monica Theater on April 1 and other markets. The commissioned soundtrack, featuring some of Mali's most exciting artists, also releases on March 4.

- Drafthouse Films, the curatorial force behind exceptional repertory releases such as the ninja-blasting synthrock monolith Miami Connection, the psychedelic sci-fi brain-melter The Visitor, and the most dangerous movie ever made, Roar, have announced the their latest cult sensation, Dangerous Men arriving on Blu-ray/DVD for the first time ever this April 5th.


- The most successful fashion show in TV history America’s Next Top Model will rightfully return to the world’s fashion capital New York City for a reinvented debut on VH1. CBS Television Distribution (CTD) and VH1 are partnering on a new season of the iconic franchise for a new generation. Details on the premiere date and a new, re-imagined cast of host and judges will be announced at a later time.

- PromoWest Productions announced today the 2016 lineup for Bunbury Music Festival, set to take place in downtown Cincinnati’s Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove June 3-5. The festival will feature an eclectic lineup spanning three days. Bunbury Music Festival celebrates its fifth year in 2016 and will transform the banks of the Ohio River into a vibrant music festival experience. PromoWest Productions’ Scott Stienecker, festival owner, says, “We are very excited to host the festival again this year. This lineup is the best yet! We are also looking forward to implementing the latest fest technology with RFID wristbands which should alleviate any challenges that we came across in 2015.” Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. For ticket information and pricing visit BunburyFestival.com/tickets.

Ubisoft today released an update to its mobile hit, Smurfs™ Epic Run. The update, titled, “Ancient Forest,” is a new zone full of Smurfy content, 15 levels to complete and a new hero to unlock – Pilot Smurf! Smurfs Epic Run is FREE to Download. Here are the links:

- iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smurfs-epic-run/id969044213?l=fr&ls=1&mt=8
- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ubisoft.smurfs
- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01829GFV8

Around the Tubes: 2/19/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed, A Year in Space, Conan, Satan’s Sisters, truTV premiere dates, The Mindy Project, morphsuits, Ray Donovan, and The Breaks.

- Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated, TNT and IMG announced who will grace the cover of this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue during the one-hour special Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed. Hosts Rebecca Romijn and Nick Cannon announced that for the first time in the history of the annual issue, there will be three separate covers featuring three different models: Hailey Clauson, Ashley Graham and Ronda Rousey.



- President and CEO Paula A. Kerger announced this week at the Television Critics Association Press Tour that PBS has commissioned the two-part series A Year in Space, adapted from TIME’s original digital video series about astronaut Scott Kelly, whose current 12-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS) is testing human limits for space travel and laying the groundwork for a manned mission to Mars. The first installment of A Year in Space, which tracks Scott Kelly’s mission from training and launch, through his 12 months aboard the International Space Station, right up through his descent and landing is scheduled to air on PBS on Wednesday, March 2 from 8:00 (check local listings), timed within a day of Scott’s planned return to Earth. The second installment is scheduled to air in 2017.

- TBS's late-night show Conan will welcome the entire cast of the hit comedy The Big Bang Theory on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 11:00. Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch will all join host Conan O'Brien for a special episode celebrating the 200th episode of television's most popular comedy series, which will air Thursday, Feb. 25, at 8:00 on CBS. TBS, a division of Turner, presents episodes of The Big Bang Theory during primetime five nights a week.

- VH1 has given the greenlight to a one-hour scripted series inspired by Star Jones’ 2011 book Satan's Sisters. Set in the bright lights of daytime television, Satan’s Sisters is the story of The Lunch Hour -- a long-running, popular ladies' talk show in which alliances are forged, careers are made, and bridges are burned. Slated for a 2017 premiere, the series will focus on the five female co-hosts of a popular daily TV talk show and the fireworks that ensue each weekday when they discuss life, love, family, politics, and gossip.

- truTV, a division of Turner, unveiled premiere dates for its upcoming spring lineup, including the return of hit hidden-camera comedy series The Carbonaro Effect (March 23) and the humorous and practical life-hack series Hack My Life (March 29), as well as the launch of the new comedy-centric documentary series truInside (Feb. 29), the bite-size content comedy series Late Night Snack (March 3) and the comedic competition Comedy Knockout (April 21).

- The Mindy Project is back April 12! New episodes of The Mindy Project streaming Tuesdays only on Hulu.

- Ever found yourself watching a film that’s set somewhere far off and beautiful and you suddenly want to leap straight into the screen and on to that gorgeous beach, stunning countryside or happening cityscape? Yup, us too. Which is why we compiled a list of our favourite movie locations. If you can’t go there, at least you can dream, right? And if you don't have the cash to visit all these places you could always dress up as characters from them? Although it may not be quite as much fun, admittedly. For Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney or Harry Potter fancy dress costumes jet set over to morphsuits.com.

- Emmy nominee Lisa Bonet will guest star in a season-long arc on the fourth season of the hit Showtime drama series Ray Donovan. Bonet will play Marisol, a dangerously unstable woman with a damaging secret. Ray Donovan is currently in production in Los Angeles, and will return to Showime later this year on-air, on demand and over the internet.

- VH1’s Original Movie The Breaks has been greenlit for a series slated to premiere on VH1 in late 2016.

Around the Tubes: 2/12/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors, Dice, Roadies, Triumph’s Election Special 2016, Boom Bust Boom, King of Beasts: The Story of Lion Trophy Hunting, Live At 9:30, The AV Club, 3 Doors Down, 12 Monkeys, and VH1 Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn.

- Just in time for Mother's Day, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release the critically acclaimed film Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors on DVD for the first time on May 3, 2016. Experience the magic and warmth of the television movie event that is based on the inspiring true story of living legend Dolly Parton's remarkable upbringing in rural Tennessee. To date, initial broadcast of Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors has delivered 15.9M total viewers (Live+7), becoming the #1 movie on broadcast with total viewers in more than 6 years.* Furthermore, Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors has the highest total viewer L+SD to L+3 increase (2.548 M) ever!** The family-oriented faith-based movie stars Jennifer Nettles (award-winning singer/songwriter and lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland), Ricky Schroder (NYPD Blue, The Lost Battalion, 24), Gerald McRaney (Agent X, Mike & Molly, Longmire, House of Cards), and Alyvia Alyn Lind (Transparent, Revenge, Blended). Dolly Parton introduces the film and serves as narrator. Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors also contains an alternate version of the movie, deleted scenes and heartwarming extras. The DVD is priced to own at $19.98 SRP.

- This week, Showtime announced that its new comedy series Dice will premiere on Sunday, April 10th at 9:30, on-air, on demand and over the internet. The scripted, semi-autobiographical series will follow the life of renowned comedian, Andrew Dice Clay, chronicling the stops and starts of his career resurgence in his transplanted home base of Las Vegas. The series also stars Kevin Corrigan, and guest stars Natasha Leggero, Lorraine Bracco, Adrien Brody, Michael Rapaport, Wayne Newton, Criss Angel and Rita Rudner. DICE joins the SHOWTIME comedy slate that includes Shsmeless, House of Lies, Episodes, Roadies and I'm Dying up Here. To watch and share the first trailer for Dice, go to: s.sho.com/1Qazl0k.

- Showtime is celebrating music’s unsung heroes at the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film and Interactive Festival, in honor of Oscar® winner Cameron Crowe’s new music series Roadies, premiering on the network this summer. Showtime will be taking over Clive Bar on Rainey Street in Austin from March 16-18 for a three-day music experience featuring bands performing every hour on the hour for afternoon and evening sessions. Featured acts will include Jamestown Revival, Ra Ra Riot, Sun Kil Moon, Black Joe Lewis, Grizfolk, White Denim and headliners The Head and The Heart, among many others. ROADIES stars Luke Wilson (Old School, Enlightened) and Screen Actors Guild® Award nominee Carla Gugino (San Andreas) will be on hand to introduce Friday’s headliners to the SXSW Music crowd. In addition, Showtime will once again be the exclusive sponsor of the Festival’s multi-platform SXSW GO app, as well as the Film, Interactive and Music Festival’s shuttle buses.

- Triumph’s Election Special 2016 is streaming now on Hulu! In the Hulu Special, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog reports from the primary states, chases down Ted Cruz and other candidates, attends town halls, debates and Trump rallies. All this plus a spirited roundtable discussion including Alan Dershowitz and Sanjaya. See below for available photos and clips:

- A timely call to action, Monty Python Terry Jones’ new feature documentary Boom Bust Boom investigates the worldwide economic crash of 2008, and how we can avoid another global collapse in the future. Analyzing the direct link between the unstable financial system and our reliance on mainstream economics, the film puts a spotlight on the mistakes of the past some politicians and central bankers would like us to forget. A mix of live action, animation, puppetry and song, the film charts the ancient cycle of boom and bust and offers the world a solution.


- Beginning in the summer of 2011, a production four years in the making will launch a final push to spread its message to the world. King of Beasts: The Story of Lion Trophy Hunting is a provocative and timely documentary by award-winning directors Nadav Harel (Area K: A Political Fishing Documentary, Electric Mind, Absent God) and Tomer Almagor (9 Full Moons, Spare), who explore the motivation and fascination behind the highly controversial industry of lion trophy hunting and the environment and economies in which hunters pursue their ultimate ambition.

- Launching nationwide on public television this April is a new series unlike any other: Live At 9:30 Hosted by Squarespace – an unpredictable, modern-day music variety show. Off the beaten path in Washington, D.C. is one of the world’s greatest music venues -- the 9:30 Club. It’s the most-attended music club of its size in the world – a 1200-person venue where world-famous artists have started their careers, refined their sounds, and played legendary shows. Now it’s home to TV’s most groundbreaking music show. Click here for Indiegogo campaign.

- In a season where the Harlem Globetrotters taught the Pope to spin basketballs and released two music videos, the world famous team continues to prove to be everywhere during their 90th year. The latest comes out of Chicago, where Slick Willie Shaw and El Gato Melendez stopped by the offices of The A.V. Club in Chicago. The basketball spinning duo dropped in on Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and his son Spencer while covering Adele's "Hello" for an "Undercover" series. The video can be found here:

- New song alert: The Broken is now available everywhere! Read about it on Huffington Post. It's the first track off our new album Us And The Night, and if you pre-order the album right now, you'll get an instant MP3 download of it...plus an MP3 of "In The Dark" too!

- Hulu today announced an agreement with NBCUniversal that will make all episodes of Syfy’s critically-acclaimed time-travel thriller 12 Monkeys exclusive to the streaming service on February 24th, and adds full seasons of hit series, plus children’s programming to the Hulu library. 12 Monkeys from Universal Cable Productions will return for its second season on Syfy on Monday, April 18th at 9:00. Viewers will be able to catch up on the entire first season of the series on Hulu beginning February 24th. All first season episodes will be available to stream exclusively through Hulu’s No Commercials and Limited Commercial subscription plans.

- Blood is thicker than water – but the harsh spotlight of fame can thin it out for some families. Just ask infamous families like The Gosselins, The Duggars or The Hogans. While fame and fortune can give you almost everything you desire, it certainly doesn't buy happiness, heal past wounds or solve deep-rooted family issues. Dr. Jenn Mann returns to the couch for a new kind of therapy this spring. From the executive producers of VH1 Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn, VH1 will premiere the new series VH1 Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn on Wednesday, March 16th at 9:00.

Around the Tubes: 2/5/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Those Who Can't, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed, Family Feud, The Lineup, Sun Studio Sessions, Alaska Aircraft Investigations, Penny Dreadful, and the Swon Brothers.

- Samantha Bee just couldn't let the Iowa caucuses pass by without adding her own take. So check out some special video segments at youtube.com/fullfrontalsamb. And be sure to tune in to the series premiere of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, airing Monday, Feb. 8, at 10:30, only on TBS.

- Those Who Can't, truTV's first venture into full-length scripted comedy, premieres Thursday, Feb. 11 at 10:30 with two back-to-back episodes. The 10 episode, half-hour series follows three trouble-making teachers, played by show creators and executive producers Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl and Ben Roy of the Denver-based comedy troupe The Grawlix. More inept than the kids they teach, they’re out to beat the system as they struggle to survive each day on their own terms. Starring alongside them is Maria Thayer (Eagleheart) the school librarian with an insuppressible passion for life. Beginning February 1, fans can get a sneak peek of two episodes of the series at truTV.com. The series premiere is also available now on iTunes and Video on Demand.

- Sports Illustrated, a Time Inc. media property, IMG and TNT are teaming up for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed, a first-of-its-kind broadcast event that will culminate with the unveiling of the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model. Actor, comedian and recording artist Nick Cannon and The Librarians star and Skin Wars host Rebecca Romijn are set to lead the festivities, which will celebrate the amazing women in this year’s edition, including Nina Agdal, Irina Shayk, Chrissy Teigen, Gigi Hadid, Emily DiDonato, Erin Heatherton, Chanel Iman and more. Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed will air Saturday, Feb. 13, at 10:30 p.m. (ET) / 7:30 p.m. (PT) dur ing NBA All-Star Weekend on TNT, following the network's coverage of State Farm NBA All-Star Saturday Night.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, will present a five-hour marathon of romance-themed episodes of the iconic game show Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, on Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14, from 6:00-11:00pm.

- Fuse, a national television network for the fast-growing, multicultural and Latino audience, today announced The Lineup, a new unscripted series showcasing the music that influences the everyday lives of some of the biggest names in sports. The series premieres Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 9:00, but viewers will get a sneak peek at The Lineup on Saturday, February 6 at 9:00.

- Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tony Lucca is set to appear on the season 7 premiere of Sun Studio Sessions, the show that features performances recorded at the legendary studio in Memphis, TN. Lucca’s episode will begin airing Saturday, February 6, 2016, at 10 p.m. on WKNO (PBS Ch.10) in Memphis, TN. Fans should check local listings for subsequent airings; “Sun Studio Sessions” appears on PBS stations across the country. After being on the show’s radar for a while, Lucca shot the six-song solo performance last year (including the songs “Anchored,” “Delilah,” “Old Girl,” “Smoke ’Em,” “Sparrow,” and “Sweat It Out”). After living in the Music City and honing his songwriting craft, recording, and writing in town for years now, Tony Lucca has the energy and spirit of Nashville coursing through his veins, so the session in Memphis is a perfect fit for him.

- Alaska is more dependent on airplanes than any other state in the country. But with that dependence comes danger: during the summer, Alaska faces an average of one plane crash every day. The region’s plane accidents range from the historic crash that claimed the life of Senator Ted Stevens to the single-engine plane that crashed into an office building in downtown Anchorage in 2015. The new Smithsonian Channel series, Alaska Aircraft Incestigations, goes behind-the-scenes with unprecedented access to the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Alaska “Go Team.” For the first time, The NTSB has allowed a television crew to follow its Alaska unit as it investigates the more than 125 crashes that occur in the state every year. The series, comprised of six hour-long episodes, premieres Sunday, March 13 at 9:00.

- The hit Showtime drama series Penny Dreadful is heading to Spain to shoot select episodes for its third season. Shooting in the city of Almería in the Andalusia region, the episodes will follow Ethan (Josh Hartnett), Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton), new series regular Kaetenay (Wes Studi) and Hecate (guest star Sarah Greene) as they battle dark forces in the 1800s American West. The new season will premiere on Sunday, May 1st at 10:00 on-air, on demand and over the internet.

- In the year since their self-titled debut release, Oklahoma duo The Swon Brothers have racked up hundreds of shows, written with many of Nashville’s top tunesmiths, and connected with thousands of fans across the globe, and their latest EP, Timeless is a great reflection of the growth and experiences that have shaped them since they first started their musical journey years ago. The new collection provides a glimpse into the boys’ more soulful side with a sound that truly mirrors where they are musically at this moment in time, and they are eager to deliver this new crop of tunes to fans as they embark on the Carrie Underwood tour for 40-plus dates opening for the female vocal powerhouse and their longtime friend.

Around the Tubes: 1/29/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Generation X, Stop Hate Dump Trump, Brian Wilson, Hulu, Predator Road Trip, Showtime Championship Boxing on CBS, Billions and VH1.

- America’s neglected middle child: That’s what a 2014 Pew Research study called Generation X, the 65 million people born in 1961-1981. Sandwiched between the baby boomers and millennials, Gen-Xers have always seemed to live in the shadow of those who came before and after them. But these so-called cynics have turned their childhood experiences into some of the biggest achievements the world has ever seen.
National Geographic Channel’s new series Generation X, narrated by Christian Slater, premieres Sunday, Feb. 14, at 10:00 following the new season premiere of Brain Games. Each hour examines one major milestone of Generation X — from the premiere of “Reality Bites” to the remarkable presidential election of 2008 to the legalization of gay marriage — and then breaks it down to explore the political, cultural and economic forces at play. Using original interviews with gen X members and archival footage from the era, the series puts the Generation in the spotlight it has long deserved.

- A diverse coalition cutting across race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and party affiliation has organized to give voice to Americans calling out Donald Trump for his hate speech, misogyny, Islamaphobia, and racism. A new web site, stophatedumptrump.com, will provide a platform for those who do not and will not stand for the continued threats, rhetoric and fear mongering by the Republican Presidential front-runner.

- Music legend Brian Wilson has announced a 2016 world tour to celebrate and perform the iconic album Pet Sounds for a final time, in honor of its 50th anniversary. Originally released on May 16, 1966, Pet Sounds is universally hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time. With more than 70 dates being confirmed, and several previously announced dates selling out in record time, Wilson and his band will be joined by former bandmates Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin when they kick off the tour this Spring. Concert stops include dates in Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, Spain, Israel, and Portugal followed by a full U.S. tour later this Summer and Fall. Fans can expect a live performance of Pet Sounds in its entirety, as well as top hits and fan favorites spanning his 54-year career with The Beach Boys and as a solo artist. Ticket presales begin January 27 with the official onsale January 29 in most markets. Additional dates and special events to be announced. For up-to-date information, please visit BrianWilson.com.

- In a groundbreaking agreement, Hulu and IFC Films have closed a landmark output deal that will make Hulu the exclusive streaming home for all future documentary releases from IFC Films, which will include all documentaries from the brands IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. The multi-year agreement marks the first time these documentary films will be available on Hulu within the first window following their initial release in theaters and on-demand. Future IFC Films documentaries will be available to stream through Hulu’s No Commercials and Limited Commercial subscription plans. Beginning this fall, Hulu will be the exclusive streaming video on-demand home to highly anticipated documentary releases from IFC Films, and will be the only destination to stream future documentaries from IFC Films following their run in theaters. The deal also grants Hulu the streaming rights to debut future trailers for all IFC Films documentaries.

- He’s called the “Lion Whisperer” because he shares an extraordinary bond with Africa’s most fearsome predators. Now Kevin Richardson faces his biggest challenge yet – a battle to transport 27 lions, 4 black leopards and 14 hyenas to a new home, a sanctuary on the edge of the Dinokeng Game Reserve in South Africa. Smithsonian Channel follows Richardson and the move in a new special airing in two-parts, Predator Road Trip: Backseat Lion, premiering Wednesday, February 24 at 8:00, and Predator Road Trip: Hyena Breakout on Wednesday, March 2 at 8:00.

- WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman will defend his title against former champ “Showtime” Shawn Porter in a blockbuster matchup of two of the world’s best 147-pound fighters on Saturday, March 12 on Showtime Championship Boxing on CBS.

- On the heels of delivering the biggest premiere week ever for the network, Showtime has picked up its new critically-acclaimed drama Billions for a second season. BILLIONS had the best series debut performance ever for a Showtime original series with 6.5 million viewers, besting the series premiere of Ray Donovan by 7 percent (with 6.1 million viewers in June 2013). Starring Oscar® nominee and Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Paul Giamatti and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis, Billions airs Sundays at 10:00. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc.

- Love is in the air at VH1, a network that loves love. Who else has created 30 series with “Love” in the show title? (Think about it.) VH1 will celebrate Valentine’s Day with its first-ever “14 Days of Love” event, a two-week marathon of love-themed programming airing Monday, February 1 through Sunday, February 14. America will fall in love all over again when the “14 Days Of Love” event brings fan favorites Flavor Flav, Tiffany “New York” Pollard, and Bret Michaels back into viewers’ living rooms with encores of the entire first seasons of the biggest shows of love in TV history: Flavor of Love, which debuted on VH1 on January 1, 2006, I Love New York, and Rock of Love With Bret Michaels.

Around the Tubes: 1/22/16

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Triumph's Election Special 2016, The Open Mind, The Great Human Race, Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, Major League Legends, The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, Comedy Knockout, Genius by Stephan Hawking, A Year in Space, and Hamilton's America.

- Hulu will be the exclusive streaming home to Triumph's Election Special 2016, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog’s one-hour election extravaganza from Funny Or Die. The Hulu Special will become available to stream through Hulu’s No Commercials and Limited Commercial subscription plans beginning early February. In Triumph's Election Special 2016, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog hits the 2016 presidential campaign trail. Viewers will be taken from Iowa to New Hampshire to South Carolina in a tenacious news-gathering journey in the heat of the primary election season. Triumph has already visited a Democratic Debate, a Tea Party Convention, and followed a string of Ted Cruz bus appearances. In addition to crashing campaign events and mocking the press for their thirst for controversy, Triumph will take on hard-hitting issues of concern to voters on each side of the spectrum. “A quote? I don’t have time for this (expletive deleted),” said Triumph.

- This weekend airs a rare interview with The Co-Chairs on the Commission of Presidential Debates: Michael McCurry & Frank Fahrenkopf discuss the General Election 2016 debates on the upcoming episode of the PBS TV series The Open Mind, hosted by Alexander Heffner: thirteen.org/openmind. The Open Mind series encourages thoughtful discourse and provocative exchanges -- hosting an eclectic mix of guests, from Independent senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to producer Jill Soloway to bestselling novelist Salman Rushdie and comedian J.B. Smoove.

- The human race is resilient. For millions of years, our species has fought for survival. We transformed rocks into tools, sticks into weapons and friction into fire — enabling us to spread across the continents and endure the planet’s harshest terrains. Now, National Geographic Channel (NGC) embarks on that journey across the globe in an epic new series, The Great Human Race, premiering in the U.S. on Monday, Feb. 1, at 10:00 and globally later this year in 171 countries and 44 languages.

- Certain images are permanently etched into our national memory, and the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion is one of them. On Jan. 28, 1986, with the eyes of the world watching, the space shuttle abruptly burst into flames during a live television broadcast. All seven crewmembers died, including a social studies teacher who was supposed to be the first American civilian in space. The heartbreaking tragedy instantly became a defining moment in American history. To mark the 30th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, the National Geographic Channel combed through long-forgotten news footage, radio reports, audio recordings and rarely seen NASA footage to retell the events leading up to, during and immediately after that fateful day. Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes, premiering Monday, Jan. 25, at 9:00, takes viewers behind the scenes of this compelling and historic story in a way never before seen. Produced by the Peabody-award winning producers of “MLK: The Assassination Tapes,” the one-hour special includes no narration and no commentators, instead unfolding the story solely through the reports of journalists covering the story at the time, extensive audio and video recordings from NASA and archived interviews with the flight crew and others who were part of the one-of-a-kind mission.

- Spun off from Robert Rodriguez's cult classic film franchise, Season One of Miramax/El Rey Network's From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series centered on bank robber Seth Gecko (D.J. Cotrona) and his violent, unpredictable brother Richard "Richie" Gecko (Zane Holtz). On the lam to Mexico, they encountered former pastor Jacob Fuller (Robert Patrick) and his family, whom they took hostage in the family RV. Following an ill-advised detour to the culebra-infested Titty Twister, they were forced to fight until dawn to get out alive. Across 10 explosive, SFX-filled episodes in From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series - The Complete Season Two (Street Date: February 2, 2016), core relationships deepen and become more complicated as everyone tries to put their lives back on track after one very insane day. Santánico and Richie are now partners in crime, resembling a more modern version of Bonnie and Clyde; Seth and Kate are scraping by as small time criminals south of the border; and Freddie Gonzalez has an almost obsessive focus on protecting his wife and young daughter in the suburbs. Carlos Madrigal and Scott Fuller emerge from the Titty Twister, changed men. They will all come together once again - this time facing off against an even bigger threat.

- Smithsonian Channel and Major League Baseball have teamed up to tell the stories of four players who transcended the National Pastime and left legacies as true American icons: Hank Aaron, who surmounted racism in the Deep South and became baseball’s home run king; Babe Ruth, who emerged from a troubled youth to become America’s first superstar celebrity; Lou Gehrig, the embodiment of integrity who achieved immortality for his bravery in facing a terrible disease that now bears his name; and Ted Williams, who aspired to be the greatest hitter ever and inspired generations with his quest for perfection. Major League Legends will premiere over four consecutive Monday nights beginning February 29 at 8:00 with a special Black History Month presentation of Major League Legends: Hank Aaron.

- Who is God? Where did we come from? Why does evil happen? What happens when we die? Every human being on earth has asked themselves these questions at some point, and most likely each person has found a different answer. This spring, National Geographic Channel and Revelation Entertainment’s epic series The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, produced by Freeman, Lori McCreary and James Younger, will take viewers on a trip around the world to explore different cultures and religions on the ultimate quest to uncover the meaning of life, God and all these big questions in between. The Story of God with Morgan Freeman premieres Sunday, April 3 at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel.

- truTV this week announced a greenlight for the new comedic competition series Comedy Knockout which pits comedians against each other in a series of fast paced challenges with the audience having sole discretion to decide who is the funniest person in the room. In each episode, host Damien Lemon (Guy Code) sends three comics into a battle of high stakes comedic gameplay. With points doled out based on the audience’s applause, it’s all about one-upmanship as competitors attempt to landj massive comedy blows and whip the rowdy crowd into a frenzy of raucous laughter. The whole time, the comedians throw roast-like, rapid-fire jabs at each other to knock their opponents off balance. Each show ends with one comedian crowned Champion, one eliminated, and one ultimately forced to face the crowd and apologize for going down in shameful defeat. Comedy Knockout will premiere on truTV in April 2016 with 10 half-hour episodes.

- PBS President and CEO Paula A. Kerger announced this week at the PBS portion of the Television Critics Association Press Tour that PBS, with National Geographic as its international broadcast partner, has commissioned a new six-part science series. Genius by Stephen Hawking, from production company Bigger Bang, will be presented and narrated by renowned theoretical physicist Prof. Stephen Hawking. In each episode, a different group of ordinary people will be challenged to think like the greatest scientific minds in history in order to solve some of humanity’s most enduring questions. GENIUS will air on PBS in the U.S. in 2016, and internationally on National Geographic Channel.

- President and CEO Paula A. Kerger announced this week at the Television Critics Association Press Tour that PBS has commissioned the two-part series A Year in Space, adapted from TIME’s original digital video series about astronaut Scott Kelly, whose current 12-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS) is testing human limits for space travel and laying the groundwork for a manned mission to Mars. The first installment of A Year in Space, which tracks Scott Kelly’s mission from training and launch, through his 12 months aboard the International Space Station, right up through his descent and landing is scheduled to air on PBS on Wednesday, March 2 from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings), timed within a day of Scott’s planned return to Earth. The second installment is scheduled to air in 2017.

- PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger announced today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour that it will air Hamilton's America, a feature film documentary providing intimate access to Lin-Manuel Miranda and his colleagues during the two years leading up to the Broadway opening of the musical Hamilton. A contemporary perspective of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s revolutionary musical based on the life of United States Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton's America will come to Great Performances in the fall 2016, and will be a highlight of PBS’s Arts programming.