Around the Tubes: 6/12/15

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 Strain, Operation Wild, Conan, Masters of Sex, VH1 Premiere Dates, Master P’s Family Empire, Separation Anxiety, Perfect High, Showtime, Lyfe Jennings, Make Music Day, and Episodes.

- It’s getting darker. More horrifying. And fun to watch. Get a FIRST LOOK at what’s to come in the all new season of The Strain which premieres Sunday, July 12 at 10:00 only on FX.


- In an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at how pioneering human medicine can also transform the way to treat ailing wildlife, the three-part series Operation Wild (watch a clip here) premieres Wednesday, July 1, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). Filmed over 18 months in co-production with the BBC Science Department, Operation Wild follows veterinarian teams from around the world as they undertake groundbreaking operations to try to save, or at least improve, animals’ lives.

- Conan O'Brien's shows are legendary for breaking hot new musical acts into the mainstream, a phenomenon Billboard Magazine recently called "The CONAN Bump." Now Conan's music tastemakers are coming to Spotify and letting the public in on the fun. Team Coco on Spotify will launch with a splash, releasing 22 historic playlists featuring every song played over two decades on Conan's three different shows. Additional playlists – including favorite songs from celebrities and pop stars, themed playlists from Conan and other Team Coco talent – will all be shared across Team Coco's powerful network of social media channels. The Team Coco web site will drive awareness for the playlist.

- On the heels of today’s announcement of the new Showtime over-the-internet partners, the network unveiled the season three key art and a newly released teaser for the award-winning drama series, Masters of Sex, which premieres Sunday, July 12th at 10:00. To watch the season premiere of Masters of Sex, in early July consumers will have the option to subscribe to Showtime through the stand-alone streaming service on Roku® and Apple devices, or through Sony PlayStation® Vue, in addition to their cable, DBS or telco provider. To watch the newly released teaser for the third season of Masters of Sex, visit: s.sho.com/MOSSexualRevolution

- VH1 has updated the premiere dates of Dating Naked: Playing For Keeps to 9:00 on Wednesday, July 22nd, and the series premiere of Twinning to 10:00 on Wednesday, July 22nd. The second season of Candidly Nicole will debut the following Wednesday, July 29th at 11:00. Stay tuned on July 22nd for Dating Naked: Playing for Keeps episode 202 at 11:00.

- REELZ today announced that, for the first time, music mogul Master P is opening the doors to his family home on the network’s original series, Master P’s Family Empire. Master P, whose real name is Percy Miller, is a single father who made it his mission to forge the Miller family empire—but with five kids ranging in age from 9 to 25 it’s not always easy keeping his business interests in order, let alone keeping his kids on track. How will he manage his own projects along with the singing, modeling, acting and sports careers of his children without losing his mind? Master P’s Family Empire will give an inside look at how this single father skillfully juggles his roles as entrepreneur, philanthropist and hip-hop artist with his most important role: being a dad. Master P’s Family Empire is produced by Asylum Entertainment and premieres Saturday, November 28.

- Comedian Iliza Shlesinger (Excused, Last Comic Standing) has been named the host of the upcoming TBS series Separation Anxiety, a comedic, relationship-based game show featuring a unique twist that isn't revealed to contestants until after they've played the game. TBS has ordered 14 one-hour episodes of Separation Anxiety, with plans to launch the show in late 2015. The series, which was announced in May during Turner's Upfront presentation in New York, is being produced by 5x5 Media and Electus.

- Los Angeles-based Just Singer Entertainment and Vancouver-based Sepia Films have announced the airdate for the powerful new television movie Perfect High set in the world of teenage drug use. The film is scheduled to air Saturday, June 27 at 8:00 on Lifetime in the US and Sunday, July 5 at 8:00 on SuperChannel in Canada. The film stars Bella Thorne in a bold departure from her earlier work and an outstanding ensemble cast including Israel Broussard, Daniela Bobadilla, Ross Butler, Jasmine Sky Sarin and Matreya Fedor.

- On the heels of announcing the Showtime stand-alone streaming service, Showtime has partnered with Roku, Inc.’s Roku® players and Roku TV™ models and Sony Network Entertainment International LLC’s PlayStation® Vue for the launch in early July. SHOWTIME is a brand which has been embraced by consumers as the home for cutting edge original programming, sports and movies, and it is the only premium streaming service to offer customers live East and West Coast feeds. Showtime will be available through these new internet distributors on all supported streaming platforms prior to the highly-anticipated July 12th season premieres of the critically-acclaimed hit series RAY DONOVAN, starring Liev Schreiber, and MASTERS OF SEX, starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan. The announcement was made today by Matthew C. Blank, Chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc.

- R&B artist Lyfe Jennings’ highly anticipated sixth studio album, Tree Of Lyfe, is now available for iTunes pre-order http://smarturl.it/TreeOfLyfe_LJ ahead of its June 23rd release via RAL/Sony Music Entertainment. Fans can also get a first listen of snippets of the full album at VEVO http://www.vevo.com/watch/USQX91501052.

- Make Music Day announces full lineup of more than 2,250 free, outdoor musical events taking place in 23 U.S. cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Nashville, San Diego, Seattle, Madison and Philadelphia. The world’s largest annual music event will fill June 21, the first day of summer, with every imaginable sound. Make Music Day is free to the public and everyone is invited to play along.

- Showtime has ordered a fifth season of Episodes, consisting of nine, half-hour episodes. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President of Showtime Networks Inc. The series stars Matt LeBlanc in his three-time Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role as a fictionalized version of himself. Creators and executive producers David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik have also received three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, as well as two Writers Guild of America nominations. The series will begin filming in London in 2016.

Previewing Murder in the First: Season Two and Major Crimes: Season Four

I like a good murder mystery, I even enjoy bad ones too, hey I made it through two seasons of The Killing (but I stopped after I learned who killed Rosie Larsen, I am not a sadomasochist). The first season of Murder in the First was alight, when the detectives went home to their families (or lack there of in one case) was a bit of a drag but we did get a conclusion that satisfying for the most part. I did not give much thought of it after the finale and to honest was a bit surprised there is a second season.

But hey, the new season features the addition of Emmanuelle Chriqui (You Don't Mess with the Zohan) so it has to be on an upswing on that bit of casting alone. Sure he plays a member of the Gang Task Force but she does not even crack the top ten list of least believable law enforcement agents in the history of television. The new season also features of shift in storytelling. Gone is the murder mystery (at least for now) and instead of one case, the log lines promises "a series of crimes" that will take the time of the San Francisco Police Department.

Sure we have all seen our fair share of fictitious school shooting that have police and high school dramas since Columbine, but the season starts off with a slightly new take with two kids taking out their classmate on a school bus before escaping on the streets of the city with a few smoke bombs that will instantly make anyone who has picked up a controller of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Though the theme is familiar, the season premiere is very gripping, tense, and a better hour than any of the first season episodes. You may think it cannot possibly take too long to hunt down a pair of teenagers, you would be right, that case seems to be closed by the time I watched all the episodes TNT sent over. It is unclear where they will go next, but a couple time over the first two episodes the department talked about an undercover officer who has gone missing while ingratiating a prostitution ring.

Murder in the First airs Mondays at 10:00 on TNT.


Prior to the new season of Murder in the First is the fourth season of Major Crimes. The new season starts off as it usually does, Lt. Provenza is being grumpy and looking a way to dump their current case on another department because he does not think it is a "major crime." It almost works this time until someone come out crying from a neighboring house with what he has to admit actually is a major crime. The neighbor's mother has been murder which may be linked to a rash of break-ins around town.

Also this season, the team will be investigating a case involving a dead body left in the trunk of a car that is wrecked during a high-speed chase and a gangland shooting case involving an 11-year-old witness. During his first drive-along as a Reserve Officer, Buzz Watson will be dragged into the latest Flynn and Provenza investigative debacle after a dead body in a bathtub threatens an extremely expensive wedding. And Sanchez will return to the Major Crimes unit, but struggle to rebuild relationships and trust with his fellow officers. Back at home, Sharon Raydor’s newly adopted son, Rusty, will discover a passion for journalism that tests his mother’s patience, and could threaten the prosecution of a confessed murderer.

Major Crimes airs Mondays at 9:00 on TNT.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/6/15

Orphan Black: Finally, after weeks of boring and confusing mythology, we actually got back to what made the first season so good: clones interacting with and pretending to be each other. I still think there needs to be a Donnie and Allison crappy CBS spinoff sitcom. I may bring this up every weekend until I will it into existence
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: Well that was a dark montage at the end. And just when you thought it could not get any creepier, Dr. Frankenstein has sex with his creation? Ew. As for the previously mentioned montage, what is Sir Malcolm thinking? Ethan just told you to be on high alert. I would think a woman coming on to him at this very moment would be suspicious, but, c'mon Malcolm, she "accidentally" drew your blood with her ring. That might as well have been a tattoo on her forehead that reads, "I'm a witch!"
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

American Odyssey: When Bob told Harrison that he deeply cared for him I was taken about thinking that is a little strong thing to say, you might as well try to kiss him at this point. And then Bob leaned in. Oh my. I know this show is not very good, but what it lack in quality it certainly makes up for in entertainment value. And apparently Harrison was so shocked by the move and having someone's brain matter splattered on him he was stupid enough hook up with the person who was responsible for that brain matter. But hey, at least she is not a witch.
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes

Pretty Little Liars: I was kind of hoping we would get an entire season in the dollhouse. Probably not the smartest idea to set a fire when you are locked underground but again, these are not the smartest girls to ever be on television. At this point it would be out of character to do the smart thing.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Stitchers: Just last week I declared the chick from Aquarius to have the worst American accent put to film, but the lead on this show is pretty bad too. And what may be more annoying is the accent fluctuates constantly. Seriously casting agents either 1) let these actors use their normal accent; there is not reason the lead charterer here cannot be from Australian (okay, it would be a bit more of a stretch to have a rookie Australian cop back in the sixties; which begs the question, just how many hot Australian are there in Hollywood these days? Even Harley Quinn in the upcoming Suicide Squad is played by an Australian) or 2) just be xenophobic and cast an American.
You can download Stitchers on iTunes.

Aquarius: So having your kid run away is an aphrodisiac... who knew? As previously mention, the hot lady cop has the worst American accent put to film, but you know how to make her accent less distraction: make her howl. Wow. That was weird and random. But much like last week, the most interesting aspect of the show this week did not happen on screen but behind the scenes when the creator said there is an NC-17 version of the show floating around. He originally said it was the version on iTunes but that turned to be incorrect and revised to say it is coming soon. I did notice some kind of bad overdubs this week where they obviously replaced naughty words and once where they just completely cut out one of Mulder's words. I wonder if the edits are just auditory or if there are any missing scenes. Though I do not really need to see Charlie Manson bed Emma's dad.
You can download the full season (just the televised version as of now) of Aquarius on iTunes.

Hannibal: The show left us with three of the leads bleeding on the floor along with Abigail Hobbs. We will have to wait to find out their fates (though it is a bit of a spoiler that all three actors remain in the title sequence so Hobbs is the only one with a question mark). The show has always been a slow cooker, but with the hole episode devoted to Hannibal, it got kind of boring. Hopefully things get back on track when the people at the FBI (presumably) show back up next week.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 6/5/15

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 Showtime, After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir, The Chase, Chain Reaction, Aerial America, Dateline NBC, and Shovel Buddies.

- For the first time ever, Showtime will be offered over the internet as a stand-alone streaming service launching in early July, with Apple as its first partner. The stand-alone service will be called SHOWTIME, a brand already embraced by consumers as the home for cutting-edge original programming, sports and movies. The launch of Showtime will coincide with the new seasons of the critically-acclaimed, hit series Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex, premiering on Sunday, July 12th.

- This week, Audible Studios released the audiobook version of After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir by Christina McDowell, a brutally honest, cautionary tale about one family’s destruction in the wake of the Wall Street implosion. McDowell, the daughter of Tom Prousalis, one of the guilty players sucked into the collateral fallout of Jordan Belfort (the “Wolf of Wall Street”), narrates this audiobook herself, providing listeners with the unique opportunity to have her tell her tragic story directly to them in the most intimate possible way. I would love to offer you a review copy of this audiobook or a clip of McDowell’s narration so that you can experience firsthand the touching, mortifying, and fascinating nature of her story.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today it will air never-before-seen episodes of its Emmy®-nominated hit game show, The Chase followed by the debut of an all-new edition of the popular word association game show Chain Reaction, beginning Thursday, July 16th at 8:00.

- Mission accomplished! The most expansive aerial series in the history of U.S. television has completed its epic quest to capture all 50 states from the air. Aerial America, the signature Smithsonian Channel series, will premiere its 50th state, Aerial America: Illinois, on Sunday, June 7 at 8:00. Preceding Illinois, Smithsonian Channel will broadcast a marathon of the previous 49 states beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 5.

- This Sunday June 7th at 7:00, Dateline NBC will air an episode entitled "Growing Hope" focused on three families who, having run out of medical options, go to extraordinary lengths to obtain access to CBD-rich hemp oil as an option for their children struggling with life-threatening conditions.

- AwesomenessTV announced the cast of Shovel Buddies this week, the Black List screenplay by Jason Hellerman. Shovel Buddies stars teen sensation Bella Thorne, digital juggernaut Kian Lawley and Alex Neustaedter (star of upcoming indie film Ithaca), in a coming of age story about four teens that must conquer a “shovel list” of activities left behind by their recently deceased friend. The cast also includes Anton Starkman, Philip Labes and James C. Burns.

Previewing T. rex Autopsy

Two decades ago an alien autopsy swept the nation leading to countless debates f its authenticity and even became the focus of an episode of The X-Files. This was right around the time the original Jurassic Park came out and just in time for the fourth one, the National Geographic Channel is conducting a T. rex Autopsy Sunday at 9:00. But conspiracy theorist do not need to debate the authenticity, though the special plays it pretty coy throughout, at the end they go into detail about how the dinosaur was created and how it took six months to do so.

That is not to say the autopsy is not freaky and extremely gross (I was able to get through most of it up until they started to remove and dissect the eyeball... ewww). The creation is so lifelike it is disappointing to think all the dinosaurs in the upcoming movie are probably almost all created inside a computer because I am sure a few people could be fooled by this special War of the Worlds radio special style. As the show says, "Using cutting edge special effects techniques, and in consultation with esteemed veterinary surgeons, anatomists, and paleontologists, T. rex Autopsy features the first full-size anatomically complete Tyrannosaurus rex, based on the very latest research and findings. The massive monster is lifelike inside (Scooter's note: literally two of the scientists hang out in the belly at the same time while dissecting it) and out, giving scientists the chance to touch it, smell it, and cut it open from head to toe for the first time."

If that is not enough dinosaurs for you as you wait for Jurassic World to come to your local cinema, there are three additional dinosaur themed premieres this weekend including:

- Dino Death Match (Saturday, June 6, at 9 p.m. ET/PT): A fossil known as the “dueling dinosaurs” depicts predator and prey as they died in combat. A dramatic fossil, but also one that is central to a controversial debate; does it provide evidence of the existence of a separate tyrannosaur species? It could reveal a pygmy tyrant — the Nanotyrannus. As the evidence for and against this predator is reviewed, dinosaur like no other is revealed, brought to life in stunning CGI.

- Jurassic CSI Special (wt) (Saturday, June 6, at 10 p.m. ET/PT): Today, all that is left of the dinosaurs are fossilized bones. But, using modern technology, we can now go beyond the bones and use fossils to answer eye-opening questions about dinosaur appearance, behavior and lifestyle.

- Ultimate Dino Survivor (Sunday, June 7, at 8 p.m. ET/PT): Tyrannosaurus rex was a top predator of its day. Well-armed with terrifying jaws, it was seemingly impervious to attack. But new fossils are revealing that the life of T. rex and its cousins was brutal. Fossils are probed with cutting-edge techniques to reveal the source of injuries, predation attempts that went wrong and titanic battles where T. rex teeth were sunk into adversaries.

I Want My Music Television: 6/3/15

Fight Song - Rachel Platten


Earlier last month I trashed the Supergirl trailer for basically being silly. But after watching it a couple hundred times, I have completely come around and kind of absolutely love it. The actress is extremely likeable especially as Kara where they really nail socially uncomfortableness that none of the live action Supermans (Supermen?) have yet to master especially the most recent who inexplicably just went with a rugged alter ego route. Then there are small moments like Kara rejecting a costume that looks exactly like the comic version. Really my only complaint now is Ally McBeal's silly defense of calling her Supergirl (as well as her stealing Anne Heche's face Face-Off style). To be honest, now I cannot wait until this premieres until November (okay I can wait because I have no desire to download the leaked Pilot since I would then have to wait six month to watch episode two). My love for the trailer is so complete I even ended up downloading the song from the trailer and have played it on a loop whenever I am not watching the trailer even though the song is the latest in a long list of annoying self empowerment anthems. But like the trailer, the video works very well, especially the part with Rachel Platten (who like Supergirl comes off as very likeable) playing to a nearly empty bar which really ties to to the lyrics well.


Lonely Town - Brandon Flowers


Another somewhat catchy song from the new Brandon Flowers solo album (aside from the unnecessary auto-tune in the middle. Plus you got to enjoy the retro chick with her Walkman dancing on her own alone in her house.


Go - The Chemical Brothers


I am not that interested in a The Chemical Brothers reunion but I am all for more Q-Tip who is for some reason not credited on the song.


Loving You Easy - Zac Brown Band


As the new Zac Brown Band starts off black and white with a hot chick on the beach I thought, great it is about time someone ripped of Chris Isaak Wicked Game. Alas, it just turned out to be a day in the life of life of a random hot chick. At least she finally made it to the beach by the end.

Previewing American Genius

When you hear there is a show called American Genius you would expect an episode featuring Albert Einstein, probably the most famous and revered genius in this nation's history. But the genesis of the National Geographic Channel miniseries is that the nation's brightest all had rivals to push them to greater heights. So instead of an episode devoted to the best and brightest this nation has ever seen, they focus on two (or more) that raced to create new industries.

Obviously the premiere tonight focuses on the most recent that has taken over the nation's interest over the past quarter century and just recently ended: Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates. Sure the former is already up to his second posthumous bioflick since his death due to his charismatic personality, but it was Gates, who had the upper hand for most of the duo's rivalry (you can argue it was not until the iPhone until Jobs took the pole position).

Also on tonight is a rivalry I did not even know existed until now. Thanks to a paragraph in ever US History textbook, we all know Orville and Wilber Wright were the first in flight but there is much more to that story thanks to a man named Glenn Curtis whose rivalry ended up most more bitter than that of Jobs and Gates (as well as more deadlier).

Future episodes feature other familiar names: Hearst vs Pulitzer (journalism), Colt vs. Wesson (revolvers), Oppenheimer vs. Heisenberg (the atomic bomb), and Edison vs Tesla (electricity). The only names I did not recognize from the episode title are Farnsworth vs. Sarnoff which turns out to be the story of beginning of the television. There is also an episode dedicated to the space race.

American Genius airs Mondays with back to back episodes starting at 9:00 on the National Geographic Cha
nnel.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/30/15

Orphan Black: The show should never put Allison on the shelf for an entire episode but they almost made up for it this week with her and Donnie's dance party which rivals the nineties dance party back in season one as the best scene in the show's history.
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: Whoa, for I believe is the first time in the show's history, it was having a bit of fun with the dress shopping sequence (is Dr. Frankenstein really going to fall in love with his creation). Of course that did not last long as it had to go back to creepy which the wall people definitely were.
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

American Odyssy: Oh no, they killed the arab transvestite television host who trades sexual favors with the Malian general, (s)he was the best part of the show. But hey, Chloe Sullivan showed up this week (though her name has been in the credits for the last couple weeks, have they brought her in just to show the back of her head all those eavesdropping scenes). I wonder what she has been up to since the end of Smallville.
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes

Aquarius: I have weirdly enjoyed NBC's midseason attempts the last couple years, the shows have been ambitious even if they tend to fall short of the cable quality they clearly are trying for. Plus they are almost guaranteed to be low commitment because I believe Hannibal is the only one of these shows to get a second season (although based solely on ratings, even that probably should have been canned but luckily returns for its third season this week. I am not sure I really needed to see a highly fictitious show built around Charlie Manson (though I would have said that about Hannibal Lecter three years ago too) but there is almost nothing else on this week. Plus it is nice to have Fox Mulder back on free television plus it also has my favorite Bunhead. Unfortunately is also stars the worst actor Friday Night Lights. Seriously, why is Smash Williams relegated to recurring when the dude whose name I never bothered to learn in the main cast? Then there is a hot blond cop (cue Sir Psycho Sexy) who may have the worst American accent in the history of television.

 Still Aquarius did have its moments be it funny (though I am not entirely sure all were meant to be intentionally funny) or weird (Charlie Manson tries to rape a dude... twice). But I fear the most interesting part of the show will be NBC's decision to release every episode for purchase, streaming and On Demand the day after the premiere. As a creature of habit, I will probably will still end up watching the show live since I will be watching Hannibal afterwards anyway, but I do like it when networks try something new. I am not sure what will qualify as a success but I do hope this leads the networks to new innovation.
You can download the full season of Aquarius on iTunes.

As I just mentioned, there was not much to watch on television this week. So I had to make a little hart to let myself know when summer shows start premiering. Apparently Wednesday will be movie or video game night for me. Even Monday looks pretty barren until late August.

Sundays
9:00 - Ray Donavan (July 12, Showtime)
9:00 - The Last Ship (June 22, TNT)
10:00 - Masters of Sex (July 12, Showtime)
10:00 - Falling Skies (June 28, TNT)
10:00 - The Strain (July 12, FX)

Mondays
Switched at Birth (August 24, ABC Family)

Tuesdays
8:00 - Pretty Little Liars (June 2, ABC Family)
10:00 - Royal Pains (June 2, USA)
10:00 - Tyrant (June 16, FX)
10:00 - Public Morals (August 25, TNT)

Wednesdays

Thursdays
9:00 - Aquarius (already airing, NBC)
9:00 - Under the Dome (June 25)
10:00 - Hannibal (June 4, NBC)
10:00 - Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll (July 16, FX)
10:30 - Married (July 16, FX)

Fridays
8:00 - Defiance (June 12, Syfy)

Around the Tubes: 5/29/15

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 Bob Segar, Stitchers, The Hotwives of Las Vegas, Deadbeat, Anne Frank’s Holocaust, Ike Reilly, and Ray Donovan

- Capitol Records recording artist Bob Seger’s classic album, Night Moves, makes its debut on 180-gram vinyl on June 16, 2015 – Just in time for Father’s Day! Seger’s breakthrough album, powerful and personal, is the newest vinyl reissue addition to the GRAMMY® Award-winning rocker’s extraordinary catalogue. Originally released in 1976, Night Moves was Bob Seger’s first studio album with the Silver Bullet Band. Much of the album was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama with the incomparable Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. The album went on to garner overwhelming critical praise, as well as, the hit singles “Night Moves,” “Mainstreet,” and “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” Presale is available now.

- ABC Family, which dominates the social space for television, is now expanding into the virtual reality arena with a new app promoting the new procedural drama series Stitchers. The app, titled “Hack the Case,” is available starting today, Tuesday, May 19, 2015 on Stitchers.com, at the Google Play store and the Apple App store. Hack The Case” allows users to be immersed into the world of ‘stitching’ through a virtual reality experience using 360-degree video. Similar to the series, in which genius hacker Kirsten Clark is ‘stitched’ into the memories of the recently deceased in order to help solve their murders, “Hack The Case” will challenge users to find out if they have what it takes to be a ‘stitcher.’ Users will view multiple videos, collect clues and attempt to solve the case. Those who succeed in solving the case will be entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win a trip to Los Angeles where they will have an action figure created in their own image. ABC Family will be distributing smartphone virtual reality viewers to enhance the experience via a number of different giveaways. Stitchers will premiere on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 9:00 on ABC Family.

- Hulu along with Paramount Digital Entertainment revealed their all-star cast of comedians who will join The Hotwives of Las Vegas, the follow up season to their hit original series The Hotwives of Orlando. The second season is set to premiere exclusively on Hulu and Hulu Plus with episodes to stream weekly starting on Tuesday, August 18. The series will see returning stars take on news roles with Casey Wilson (Marry Me, Gone Girl) as Jenfer Beudon; Tymberlee Hill (Marry Me, Drunk History) as Phe Phe Reed, Esq; Andrea Savage (Episodes, Dinner for Schmucks, Step Brothers) as Ivanka Silversan; Danielle Schneider (Marry Me, Hotwives of Orlando) as Denise Funt; Dannah Phirman (Newsreaders, The Hotwives of Orlando) as Leona Carpeze; along with series newcomer Erinn Hayes (Childrens Hospital) as Callie Silversan.

- Hulu announced this week that the Hulu Original series Deadbeat has been renewed for a third season with a 13-episode order. Produced by Lionsgate Television, the series is co-created by Cody Heller and Brett Konner (Wilfred, The Inbetweeners) and executive produced by showrunner Dan Lagana. Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Sarah Esberg from Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment are producers on the show.

- Anne Frank’s world famous diary came to an abrupt end shortly before the Franks were discovered hiding from the Nazis in a secret annex at the top of Otto Frank’s office building August 4, 1944. While Anne’s diary tells the story of her life, the story of her death reveals the atrocities encountered by millions of Jews during the Holocaust. In a solemn remembrance of the horrors that Anne Frank and millions of others suffered during the dark days of World War II, National Geographic Channel (NGC) takes viewers inside the concentration camps in a two-hour special, Anne Frank’s Holocaust, premiering Sunday, June 21, at 9:00. In keeping with NGC’s tradition of unparalleled storytelling, Anne Frank’s Holocaust incorporates new findings and rarely seen photographs to reintroduce the story of the massacre of Jews in one of the most comprehensive documentaries to date.

- Indie rock raconteur and singer-songwriter Ike Reilly will release his seventh studio album, Born On Fire, on June 16, 2015. The record will be issued as a joint release between Rock Ridge Music and Tom Morello’s new label Firebrand Records. Morello who hails from the same hometown as Reilly (Libertyville, IL), says, “There's something in the water in my hometown of Libertyville. Marlon Brando, Adam Jones of Tool, my humble self, and now Ike Reilly. Ike is not just a great, authentic songwriter of the highest caliber but he's always ready to throw down at a union rally... or a bar fight. Ike's songs are a poetic cracked window into the lives of the heartland heroes trying to get by, find and keep love, and carve a place for themselves with humor and dignity. But we love him most because at the drop of a hat he'll travel 1,000 miles to play one song for a dying anti-war veteran. We are very proud to have heartland hero, Ike Reilly, on Firebrand Records.”

- The second season of the critically-acclaimed Shotime hit drama series Ray Donovan is available now for purchase on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, VUDU, Sony’s Video Unlimited and PlayStation store and Verizon FiOS. Ray Donovan: The Second Season also arrives on Blu-ray and DVD today from Showtime Networks, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution. The series stars two-time Golden Globe® and Emmy® nominee Liev Schreiber as LA’s best professional fixer, the man called in to make the city’s celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls’ most complicated and combustible situations go away. Ray Donovan ranks as one of the network’s highest-rated series, and earned two Golden Globe wins and multiple Emmy nominations in its first two seasons. Season three will premiere on Sunday, July 12th at 9:00 on Showtime.

Viewers can go to the following platforms now to purchase the second season of Ray Donovan:

iTunes: http://s.sho.com/RD2iTunes
Amazon Instant Video: http://s.sho.com/RD2Amazon
Google Play: http://s.sho.com/RD2GooglePlay
VUDU: http://s.sho.com/RD2VUDU
Sony’s Video Unlimited and PlayStation Store: http://s.sho.com/RD2SonyP
Verizon FiOS: http://s.sho.com/RD2FiOS

I Want My Music Television: 5/28/15

She's Not Me Jenny Lewis


It would be hard for Jenny Lewis to follow up Just One of the Guys, but it looks like she did just that with her new video, this time recruiting SNL vets Vanessa Bayer and Fred Armison along with fellow singer-songwriter Fiest to poke fun as Lewis's time as a child star when she guested on Golden Girls and starred in movies like Troop Beverly Hills and the video game championship epic The Wizard starring Fred Savage (which begs the question where is the reboot starring Luke Dunfey as Fred's son? Actually why is Boy Meets World the only reboot in the Savage clan? Where are the reboots to The Princess Bride, Vice Versa, or Little Monsters?)

1,2 1,2 - Raekwon featuring Snoop Dogg


After some embarrassingly bad years it is weird hearing Snoop Dogg on an actual hot track.  There is one that is kind of good that was also released on his album out last week (the embarrassingly titled Bush) but it is not nearly as hot as this song with Raekwon with its nineties remix posse vibe for the video.

California Roll - Snoop Dogg featuring Stevie Wonder


As for the previously mentioned Snoop Dogg, this is probably the best song off of the new album except that I would actually would like the song much more if the song was just Pharrell and Stevie Wonder instead. And is this video supposed to be a tie in to Tomorrowland?

Photograph - Ed Sheeran


Ed Sheeran does not really like being in his own music videos (Think Out Loud being the lone exception), it is weird to see he really mugged for the camera as a child.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/23/15

Orphan Black: Meh, an episode without Allison is not an episode worth watching.
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Mad Men: I know the show was about advertising, but ended the series with a Coke ad was silly, not autistic boy imagined the whole thing a snowglobe silly, but silly nonetheless. Matthew Weiner had stated that last season's ending of Don showing his kids was how he originally was going to end the series (not to be confused of last year's half season finale of Bert Cooper dancing his way off this mortal coil). That worked as a much better ending to the show than the one we got. Mad Men was depressing and everyone getting a happy ending (well, except Betty) just did not fit with the ending of the show, everybody finds love and / or gets a better or more full filling job then after "retiring" Don comes up with what some call the best commercial of advertising (at least that is what I am assuming that final scene was about).
You can download Mad Men on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: I always find it interesting when shows go full flashback for an entire episode. Basically it is a flashing "This Is Important!" for the viewers, or least the writers want you to think that. Sometimes it seems like the writers came up short breaking a story so they add a flashback episode to fill the season. Timing is also interesting, this show was smart to have it at the beginning of the season because when it falls near the end, it just breaks the momentum of a show going to a conclusion (Lost comes to mind who would always try to cute with stunts like that). Overall, I am not sure if this episode added much to the overall arch of the season, we already knew the witches were evil, we may not needed that reinforced by having her manipulate someone to burn the witch in between her Vanessa. And I am not sure we really learned enough of Vanessa's past to really warrant an entire episode. All I was left with was wondering once Vanessa left the premises, how did it take the witch a couple more years to track Vanessa down again?

Survivor: Blue Collar vs. White Collar vs. No Collar: Watching the reunion just reminded me just how horrible this season was considering the spent almost the entire show talking about just how horrible Dan and Will were. And they did not even have enough time to get to the Masshole who said some pretty offensive things too. Thankfully they had the Second Chance vote which meant five less minutes spent on this cast.

As for the actual finale, I was shocked that Mike won. Not that he did not deserve it, I thought for sure the Second Chance voting was a spoiler and his inclusion meant he would not win. But win he did, taking home the last two Immunity Necklaces and even somehow convinced Dan to vote for him in the end even though Dan refused to forgive him during the game which could have meant he had been in the finale. I was a bit surprised Carolyn did not get more votes, tying Will for second. Tyler ended up being more bitter than I expected and I originally though the Blue Collar would end up voting for her. But in retrospect that was stupid thinking Dan and the Masshole would actually vote for a woman.

Even more shocking than Carolyn's lack of votes at the Final Tribal was her lack of votes in the Second Chance voting. I figured everyone from the last two seasons would be a lock (with maybe the exception of Max who was booted early this season and lacked a defining moment). I was also shocked Not-Dante Culpepper was also passed on considering Probst man crush on him that may only be rivaled by his man crush on Boston Rob. I am glad more people were with me than Probst. And Not-Dante should have had an easier route than Carolyn since Mike became ineligible. I wonder who took Mike's spot. My guess would be one of the elder men from the early season be it Terry or Andrew.

As for the shocking inclusions, I am a bit befuddled with who voted for Kass and to a lesser extent Kimmi. I was also surprised Kelley Wentworth got one of the two token hot chick nods considering I did not even remember her despite her being on last season (I did vote for her solely for physical reasons). Hopefully she gets on an opposite tribe from Kelly Wiglesworth because that could be annoying. I thought Mikayla may get the other out of pity for absurdly of being voted out solely so Brandon Hantz would not do something immoral to her.

Overall I am surpised that of the twenty people I voted for fifteen made it. Sure I wouild swapped Kass and Kimmi for Mikayla and Sabrina. I did not vote for Shirin but I am fine with her addition and will probably will be better than Natalie whom I voted for instead (mostly because no one on thirty seasons looked better in a bikini than her). I am also fine with the two guys I did not vote for, Terry and Joe (I went with Max and Troyzan but did not felt strong about either). But after one historically bad season and one meh season I m really looking forward to Second Chances. Which could only mean Kass and Kimmi will be making the finals.

I did not have a place to put it in earlier, but I have to say the way Probst revealed the cast was extremely awkward. It felt like a Maury Pauvich type reveal. As a stats guy it is also interesting that of the six runner ups on their seasons, half gote voted onto Second Chance while half went home (Carolyn, Natalie, and Sabrina). Weirdly, there were five tenth placed finisher and all of them are heading to Cambodia. Then Kimmi and Kelley (not to be confused with Kelly) were the only two that finished worse than tenth to board the bus. The other five double digit finishers are going home. Five was an unlucky number, because besides the three runner ups and the five double digit finishers, two of the other three not boarding the plane (T-Bird and Shane) finished fifth. Granted Ciera and Peih-Gee also finished fifth.
You can download Survivor: White Collar vs. Blue Collar vs. No Collar on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 5/22/15

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 B.B. King, The Island, The Strain, Seinfeld, T. rex Autopsy, Turner Classic Movies, EPIX, and the Stars For Second Harvest.


- B.B. King personified blues music for the whole world,” says Austin City Limits (ACL) executive producer Terry Lickona, "but when he first appeared on Austin City Limits in 1983 it was rare for a blues artist to command a full hour on national television.” In honor of the late, undisputed King of the Blues, ACL is proud to bring that iconic hour out from the vault and back to television for the first time in 22 years. This special encore episode airs Saturday, May 23rd at 8:00 on PBS stations (check local listings for times).

- In the hour-long The Island, internationally acclaimed adventurer and survivalist Bear Grylls gives the modern American man the ultimate challenge: Can a man of today's world survive on a deserted island without the luxuries - or even the basics - of contemporary everyday life? Check out a preview below of the showw that premieres Monday at 10:00 on NBC.


- The Strain returns to FX this summer for its highly-anticipated second season on Sundays at 10:00, beginning July 12th. The award-winning thriller from Guillermo del Toro and Carlton Cuse, based off of the best-selling The Strain Trilogy by del Toro and Chuck Hogan, was the most-watched new cable drama of 2014.

- One of the most popular, most award-winning and longest-running comedy series of all time Seinfeld will be available to stream – in its entirety – for the first time ever on Hulu beginning June 24th. Jerry Seinfeld stars as a stand-up comedian whose life in New York City is made even more chaotic by his quirky group of friends who join him in wrestling with life's most perplexing, yet often trivial questions. Often described as "a show about nothing," Seinfeld mines the humor in life's mundane situations like waiting in line, searching for a lost item, or the trials and tribulations of dating.

- This summer, dinosaurs will again capture the world’s imagination with a trip to “Jurassic World.” And though National Geographic Channel cannot bring any dinosaurs back to life (at least not yet!), we will make our own attempt to crack the paleontological code with the new two-hour world premiere special T. rex Autopsy, premiering Sunday, June 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

- Time Out New York reveals a killer feature where the Pixies’ Black Francis and TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe interview each other! As we set the stage for bringing together the two indie-rock heroes, the outcome makes for a once-in-a-lifetime, awesome conversation all on its own.

- Turner Classic Movies (TCM) today announced a collaboration with Ball State University and Canvas Network, an open online educational platform from Instructure, to present Into the Darkness: Investigating Film Noir, a free online multimedia course open to the general public. The open online course is one of several interactive initiatives TCM is launching in connection to its Summer of Darkness programming event for fans that want to dive deeper into the world of film noir. Enrollment begins today and noir fans can sign up for the course at tcm.com/summerofdarkness

- Ross William Ulbricht, the convicted 31-year-old entrepreneur accused of being Dread Pirate Roberts, and founder of the Silk Road drug marketplace, will be sentenced on May 29 in New York. Lyn Ulbricht, mother of Ross Ulbricht and Alex Winter (Downloaded), director, writer and producer of the EPIX Original Documentary Deep Web that chronicles Ulbricht's trial, will participate in a Periscope live video session immediately following the sentencing from the steps of the courthouse. In February 2015 Ulbricht was convicted of seven felony charges including drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit computer hacking and a kingpin charge. He faces a minimum sentence of thirty years, with a maximum sentence of life in prison. Deep Web makes its World Television Premiere on EPIX Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 8:00.

- Premium TV network EPIX announced today that it is adding original, scripted series to its programming slate, beginning with series from its joint-venture studio partners Paramount, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Two of the series will begin production this fall for premiere autumn 2016. The series, "Graves" from Lionsgate Television and "Berlin Station" from Paramount Television, mark the first original series that will appear on EPIX across its channels, EPIX On Demand, EPIX.com and TV Everywhere platforms with its distribution partners. A third original series from MGM will be announced in the near future.

- ACM’s New Artist of the Year winner Cole Swindell , CMA nominee Sarah Buxton and BMI Songwriter of the Year Rodney Clawson join the All-Star lineup of singers and songwriters for the 11 th annual Stars For Second Harvest event on Tuesday, June 9 at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. Presented by O’Charley’s, hosted by acclaimed hit songwriter Craig Wiseman , and benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, the show will feature unplugged acoustic style performances by some of country music’s most acclaimed songwriters and performers. Concert tickets are on-sale now for both general admission $35 plus applicable service charges and preferred seating $55 tickets and are available at Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, Ryman box office, Ryman.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

I Want My Music Television: 5/20/15

Bad Blood - Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar


The build up to the new Taylor Swift music video ended up being more entertaining than the video itself. It ended up looking like a movie trailer with an endless cast who only gets three seconds of screen time each. And I feel bad for Selena Gomez, Taylor gets backed by all her friends while Selena just gets faceless drones. Of all the cameos, couldn't Taylor throw Selena one or two friends?


Feel Right - Mark Ronson featuring Mystikal


I have said this before, but casting children for your stand in for a music video always works. Thank you Mark Ronson, and an extra thank you to mini-Mystikal.


Crystals - Of Monsters and Men


In this week's installment of Adventures in One Hit Wonderdom, Of Monsters and Men had a surprised hit three years ago with the ultra-catchy Little Talks. Everything else off the album failed to stick tin public consciousness and now is back with its sophomore album soon. The first single is kind of sleepy (I can see it in a bunch of winter trailers) but I do like the freaky music video.


Sparks - Hilary Duff


I am not sure I just watched a Hilary Duff music video or a Tinder commercial nor am I sure which would be worse. I do kind of want to like the song because it has been too long since there has been a great whistle breakdown in a song, but unfortunately this just is not a good song either

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/17/15

Once Upon a Time: I came to the realization this week that having an author in the story he was writing was extremely stupid. Thankfully Henry broke the pen which hopefully that is the end of that. And apparently next season they are going to Camelot. Um, yeah?
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Mad Men: It was about time one of the characters got lung cancer. Sorry Betty. Now, will any of these drunken fools have liver failure by the end of the show? Despite Betty's death sentence that was a pretty subdued penultimate episode. We did learn that Pete will be joining Joan and Don in the no longer employed by McCaan list. Will Peggy and Roger (who is basically already checked out) join them next week? Whatever happens, it is pretty clear by the last couple episodes, the show probably will not be going out with a bang.
You can download Mad Men on iTunes.

Revenge: Well after all the twists and turns, that was a pretty straight forward finale. Okay, Amanda getting Victoria heart (maybe, it also maybe have been a dream sequence) was a little weird. Even weirder was the revelation that Victoria hooked up with her father. What is with all the incest on television this decade: Game of Thrones, Bates Motel and now Revenge. This trend really needs to stop.
You can download Revenge on iTunes.

American Odyssey: I was really hoping the douchebag boyfriend would end up being just a douchebag boyfriend and the father was just losing it, but that is never the case in shows like this. Oh well.
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Oh no, what just happened to Simmons? Of course in a Joss Wheadon show right when Fitz Simmons start discussing the "I love you" incident, something bad really happens. But what exactly happen? Was that The Blob and swallowed her whole? Did it take over her body like Fred on Angel? Is it a Vemon situation where she is really there but is just overtaken temporary but can be saved. A two hour season finale and the last minute is all I can think about.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Survivor: Blue Collar vs. White Collar vs. No Collar: Wow, Mike was able to Jedi mind trick both Dan and Carolyn to use their Extra Vote and Hidden Immunity Idol at the same Tribal Council. I do wonder if Carolyn uses her Idol if Dan does not use his Extra Vote. Still, going into the Season Finale, I do not really care about any of them. I even kind of hope Carolyn wins just so she will not be allowed to show up next season.
You can download Survivor: White Collar vs. Blue Collar vs. No Collar on iTunes.

Nashville: What a silly cliffhanger, of course Deacon is not the bad new the doctor is taking about, the complications have to do with the sister. But I do wonder if she is dead or if she will need assistance that Deacon and Rayna will have to provide for the rest of her life. Almost as silly is Juliet jumping to Luke's label as if her contract with Rayna is that flimsy. At least Will finally came out even if it was two seasons too late.
You can download Nashville on iTunes.

The Blacklist: Oh wow, Lizzie actually killed the Attorney General, that is hard to come back from even if those investigative journalists uncover The Cabal. Of course if Red can join the task force, why not Lizzie? But will she be cleared by episode two of next season or will that be a season long arc?
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 5/16/15

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 Strain, The Mindy Project, 3AM, Live Nation Music Awards, Breaking Bad, Mummies Alive, TruTV, and The Carol Burnett Show.

- This Summer, fight or die. Watch the OFFICIAL TRAILER for the all new season of FX's hit original series, The Strain.


- Hulu announced this week that it has ordered season four - 26 new episodes - of the critically acclaimed series The Mindy Project. The series will join Hulu’s Original Programming slate in a new agreement with Universal Television. Hulu subscribers will be able to stream past and future episodes of The Mindy Project exclusively on Hulu. Since its network premiere in 2012, The Mindy Project has been a top show on Hulu and has consistently remained popular with Hulu subscribers. Hulu is currently the exclusive streaming home to all past episodes of the series, which were previously acquired in a library deal with NBCUniversal announced in April 2014.


- 3AM is a docu-series that weaves together the stories of five New Yorkers – Josh ("The Fat Jew"), an internet celebrity and self-described “Magellan” of nightlife in the Big Apple; Kirill (“Kirill Was Here") a nightlife photographer who gets even the most uptight girls to strip in the clubs; Vashtie ("Va$htie") a gorgeous DJ forced to deal with her troubled past; Markus, a glamorous doorman and stand-up comedian who decides who’s in and who’s out; and Samantha (“Abby”) a beautiful escort who longs for a more normal life but struggles to walk away. In each episode, characters are tracked across a single night, building to a special “3am moment,” when something important and life changing happens. Stories cross not only the night but also the season. Our subjects’ lives may all be different but they all share one thing in common – a love for the wild ride that only happens at 3am. Buckle up! The late night docu-series premieres Thursday, May 28 at 11:00.

- Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) today announced the Live Nation Music Awards, a new television event honoring the best live musical performances of the year. Set to be simulcast on TNT and TBS on Oct. 1, 2015, the star-studded ceremony will be produced by Live Nation Entertainment in collaboration with IMG and dick clark productions.

- Breaking Bad: the Official Book (Sterling, April 2015) is the ultimate guide to the show—covering everything from the pilot, to the final episode, and beyond! Adapted and expanded from Breaking Bad: Alchemy, the winner of iTunes Best Multi-Touch Book of the Year for 2013, it highlights the groundbreaking elements that made the series so magnetic. The book is filled with insider secrets about the making of the show and the meanings behind its iconography, as well as a complete timeline of Breaking Bad moments. It includes an in-depth look at the series’ groundbreaking cinematography, music, special effects, and “Easter eggs.”

- A new Smithsonian Channel series narrated by two-time Golden Globe nominee Jason Priestley (Beverly Hills 90210) traverses four continents to reveal the extraordinary stories behind the world's most enigmatic mummies. Mummies Alive, premiering Sunday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, spans 5,000 years of history, with each of the six episodes focusing on one mummy including: a legendary cowboy gunslinger of the American Wild West, a 3,000-year-old Egyptian pharaoh, and a 14-year-old girl found on top of a 22,000-foot volcano in South America. These mummies are time travelers from the past and the most precious human link we have to our ancestors. By investigating their incredible preserved remains and bringing them to back to life through cutting-edge CGI, their stories and the secrets of past civilizations come to light.

- As truTV prepares to join its sister brands for Turner Upfront 2015, the network is building on the momentum of its recent brand refresh with several major original programming moves. First up, truTV has greenlit two new series: Adam Ruins Everything, an investigative comedy in which Adam Conover hilariously debunks social conventions that most people take for granted, and The Driver's Seat (working title), a show that literally hits the road to discover what people really dish about in the privacy of their own cars. truTV has also given the go-ahead on three specials from the fan-favorite Impractical Jokers. And on the development front, the network has ordered five new pilots, including a television version of CollegeHumor's long-running Jake and Amir. Also going to pilot are a guerilla-style game show, a docu-series about a weed distribution business run by four women, a new project from How to Be a Grownup's Tom Segura & Christina Pazsistky and a docuseries that will follow a season of the FXFL's Brooklyn Bolts football team.

- Every legend has a beginning. And this fall, Time Life, one of the premiere distributors of Classic TV on DVD, will unveil the very first steps of a TV icon with The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes. Showcasing the early days of one of the most honored and beloved shows in television history, the DVD set will feature episodes from the program's first five seasons - unseen by the public for more than 40 years! Fans of the show interested in receiving updates and exclusive content from THE LOS EPISODES can visit LostCarolEpisodes.com, the official Time Life site for this highly-anticipated release.

Previewing Barkfest

When I received the screener for Is Your Dog a Genius? my initial response was, "that is easy: no." Really I have considered my dogs to be dumb and dumber. But as I watched the couple of episodes included, the answer became a little murkier. The three part series airs part of Barkfest running all weekend starting tonight on Nat Geo Wild with a three hour block starting at 8:00 each night devoted to our canine friends the next three days.

Barkfest starts off tonight with World's Greatest Dogs where viewers will be introduced to special dogs that range from surfing therapy dogs, a dog with four bionic legs after a frostbite incident as a pup, as well as a dog who owns the world record for scootering which needs to be seen to believe (next up for the dog: breaking the world record for riding a bicycle). That is followed at 9:00 by the season finale of Cesar 911. The episode sees Cesar Millan being recruited by a father who's daughter's pit bull attacks every dog he sees including the daughter's boyfriend's dog. Be warned: there will be blood in the episode and a twist ending.

Saturday starts off with a special episode of The Incredible Dr. Pol: Deja Moo!: Dog-a-POL-ooza, followed by a canine focused episode of Unlikely Animal Friends: Barktacular! featuring uncanny pals like cheetahs, rats, and goats. Sunday starts off with the special Super Underdogs where you will meet the largest and smallest living dogs (the former of who costs his owners over a hundred dollars of food every week). You will also be introduced to medical marvels like the boxer who rejected any mechanical legs and only gets around on two and another who only has a half sized spine. While some of you may already be familiar with Tuna, a Chiweenie with over a million followers on social media.

The highlight of Barkfest is Is Your Dog a Genius? which airs new episodes at 10:00 the next three nights. The series follows Dr. Brian Hare to determine the personality traits of all dogs best on five criteria. And his test are so simple all you need to do them at home are two plastic cups, two bowls, aluminum foil, and a decent amount of treats. Then by the end of the weekend you should have a better understanding if your dog a genius or not. Since the show if fun and interactive, it is basically the dog version of Brain Games which airs on Nat Geo Wild's sister station the National Geographic Channel.

Barkfest runs all weekend with forty-eight hours of all dog programming with all new specials and episodes premiering every evening starting at 8:00.

The Five Most (and Least) Anticipated New Shows of 2015-16

When the descriptions of the new fall shows came rolling in over the weekend, my first impression was they better release some great trailers for these new shows because right now Blindspot is the only one that sounds interesting (well, I would probably end up hate watching Supergirl too). Some of the trailer did give some some hope, but overall the crop of new shows are pretty dreadful this year. To be honest, this list should be called The Single Most Anticipated Show of 2015-16 and Four That Hopefully Do Not Suck.

1. Blindside (Mondays at 10:00 on NBC): A Memento rip off starring Lady Sif with tattoois all over her body? Sign me up. My only complaint is that it is airing after The Voice, I was kind of hoping it was going to get the post-football Sunday treatment which is where NBC puts its high concept one and done shows because I am not sure this concept can hold up for over fifteen episodes.


2. Quantico (Tuesdays at 10:00 on ABC): The show that benefited most from a really good trailer. The logline made it sound like another boring rookie law enforcement type show but the trailer unveiled a deeper conspiracy that makes the show a lot more interested.


3. Wicked City (Tuesdays, Midseason at 10:00 on ABC): Not only did ABC renew bubble shows Agent Carter and Galavant, the network is doubling down on filler winter break type shows with seven different time slots taking winter breaks while a different show takes its place. Wicked City will be taking over Quantico over the winter (or possibly full time if that show fails). The show has a weird American Psycho vibe to it but instead of cooperate America, it takes place on the Sunset Strip in the eighties.


4. The Muppets (Tuesdays at 8:00 on ABC): I was tepid on a faux documentary show on The Muppets, and then Wynn Duffy showed up as the father of Fozzy Bear's girlfriend. Fine, I will watch.


5. Supergirl (Mondays at 8:00 on CBS): Odd that CBS would put this on opposite Gotham. Granted pre-pubescent Batman vs. female Superman might be as interesting as the movie that is coming out on the big screen next year. I really cannot comment on the show that much because as I wrote this, CBS had not released a trailer yet, but it has to be better than the one they released for Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice? Right?
Scooter Update: CBS finally released a trailer and to answer my own question: shockingly no. The first two minutes I thought I was watching a trailer for a bad nineties rom-com where Ally McBeal stole Anne Heche's face Face-Off style. And then it somehow got worse from there. Oh goodness, why can DC seem to not do anything right? Still I will watch every episode, which may not be that many as I expect this may not even make it to Christmas, and that is even with it not starting until November.


As the great philosopher Butt-Head once pondered, how would we know if something was cool if there weren't things that sucked, here are the five shows you could not pay me to watch next fall (click on their names to watch the trailers).

Heartbreaker (Tuesdays at 9:00 on NBC): After three failed seasons, NBC has abandoned trying to launch comedies after The Voice on Tuesdays, but looking at Heartbreaker (about, oh goodness, a heart surgeon) maybe they should tried one more time because this looks like a Greys Anatomy parody that Lorne Michaels passed on airing on Saturday Night Live. Melissa George should really fire her agent after being on the two worst new show in consecutive years with this and The Slap.

The Catch (Thursdays Midseason at 10:00 on ABC): "From Shonda Rhymes" is an instant pass for me, but this looks like her worst show yet. Seriously, what is with the chick from The Killing's voice? And who thought she could pull off sexy? Go back to shows where you can wear oversized sweaters.

Limitless (Tuesdays at 10:00 on CBS), Minority Report (Mondays at 9:00 on Fox), Rush Hour (Midseason, CBS), and Uncle Buck (Fridays Midseason at 8:30 on ABC): Networks have tried before to take a big screen and shrink it to the small screen, but to the best of my memory, Parenthood was the only one that was good. Sure the Captain America spin-off Agent Carter was great, but do not ask me why next season will feature four shows based on movies (five if you want to count Supergirl) each sounding more dreadful than the next.

Dr. Ken (Friday at 8:30 on ABC): Ken Jeong is funny at bursts on Community but I really have no desire seeing him top line a show. Then the trailer made it look worse than I expected which stole a plot from the About a Boy trailer from two seasons ago.

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (Midseason, CBS): Another year, another CBS spin off I will not be watching.

Here is the full schedule of what I will be watching come next fall

Mondays
8:00 - Gotham (FOX)
8:00 - Supergirl (CBS)
8:00 - The Voice (NBC)
10:00 - Blindspot (NBC)
10:00 - Castle (ABC)

Tuesdays
8:00 - The Muppets (ABC)
8:00 - The Voice (NBC)
9:00 - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)
10:00 - Quantico (ABC)

Wednesdays
8:00 - Survivor: Second Chances (CBC)
8:00 - The Middle (ABC)
8:30 - The Goldbergs (ABC)
9:00 - Modern Family (ABC)
9:30 - Blackish (ABC)
10:00 - Nashville (ABC)

Thursdays
8:00 - The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
9:00 - The Blacklist (NBC)

Fridays
9:00 - Grimm (NBC)

Sundays
8:00 - Once Upon a Time (ABC)

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/10/15

Mad Man: I do not care that an organ just randomly popped up in the desolate offices of Sterling Cooper and Partners, I am just glad it did because those were some of the best scenes in the history of the show, especially Peggy drunkenly roller skating around. Don, on the other hand, chasing down the waitress' ex-husband was not.
You can download Mad Men on iTunes.

Revenge: Holy Abbott reunion! Nice of Amy to retain the services of her father after getting arrested. It is weird to think both of the Abbott children are now superheroes. But anyway. Oh yeah, Courtney Love the hitman that I believe Margot hired to kill Emily is still out there and for some reason she is hanging out with a not so surprisingly not dead Victoria. Does Courtney also do security too and that is why she is there or is she there in a hitman capacity? Thankfully there is only one episode left ever.
You can download Revenge on iTunes.

American Odyssey: I was harsh on the the premiere because it was looking like another rich people are evil and will stay in power by any means necessary type story, something we have seen many times before and done much better. And yeah, that story line is still kind of annoying, but the show has managed to get more entertaining thanks to the transvestite Arab television star who seduces the Malian general for help. Yeah the show has not gotten to Homeland levels of absurdity yet (you know Carrie would have seduced Aslam by now) but at least it has gotten watchable.
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes.

Gotham: What a cluster of a finale, and yet it was still very enjoyable. That was one of the best chick fights in recent memory. I cannot remember a time before when a character has had that many personality changes in one season than Barbra did this season. Where do they actually go from here with her? You pretty much has to turn her into a supervillian at this point because it is hard to redeem her at this point after attacking the good doctor. And there seems to be some darkness lurking in the doctor too, knowing to beak the mirror to make a weapon to banging Barabra's way more than she really had too.

But my favorite part was all twists at the Falcone "safe house." Just when you thought it was the end, some one else would turn or someone else would randomly find a gun. My favorite point was Harvey just hanging out in the gallery while his partner still was hung by a meat hook.

My two biggest problems were they really just shoehorned in the Riddler, they might as well have just ended the last episode with that scene and left him out of the finale where it felt out of place. Then the ending was just annoying because they teased that scene about three or four weeks ago.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Castle: I was really hoping Carly Rae Jepsen, as her self, was going to turn out to be the killer. Instead it just turned out to be the accountant. Yawn.  Seriously, why even go on a cop show if you do not get to be the killer?

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Well that was a tense meeting. You had to figure something bad was going to happen, the big question was what. Ward with the twin jet seemed like the most likely considering Raina's premonition; Raina herself was another contender; you of course could not count out the two people meeting, both seemed to be on the right side but a little shady. Now just how long will this SHIELD / Inhumans war goes on? Is it over at the end of the season which is just two hours away, or does this drag into next season (or does it drag on until the Inhumans movie comes out in, oh goodness, 2019, eleven Marvel movies away)?
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Survivor: Blue Collar vs. White Collar. vs. No Collar: When the vote came down to Dan and Tyler I figured Dan had to use his special vote now right and hope Mike and Seirra also vote Tyler just in case? Shockingly not only does he keeps it in his pocket he does not even vote for Tyler, sticking with the Mike split vote. Tyler even did the same thing. Wow, those two were morons. But the biggest part of the episode happened during the commercial break when Probst announced the next season of Survivor will be Second Chances with us the viewing public voting. This got me excited until I saw the list which was fifty percent who and thirty percent why. But, hey, at least they included Ciera, the most entertaining contestant of the past decade. On the other hand there was Mike and Carolyn, and since this is a second chance season of non-winner it pretty much means neither of them will be winning this season (after someone asked him about it, Probst said if either of them win, their votes would be null and void, but c'mon, they already knew if those two won or not why include them if they did; and anyway, who would even vote for Carolyn anyway?). Here are the twenty people I will be voting for everyday until the finale:

Kelly Wiglesworth
Peig-Gee Law
Monica Padilla
Natalie Tenerelli
Mikayla Wingle
Sabrina Thompson
Abi-Maria Gomes
Ciera Eastin
Tasha Fox
Kelley Wentworth (after seeing them on the same list, maybe Kelly Wiglesworth and Kelley Wentworth on the same season will be extremely confusing; I may switch to Shirin instead)

Jeff Varner
Andrew Savage
Stephen Fishbach
Troyzan Robertson
Vytas Baskauskas
Woooooooooooooooooooooooo Hwang
Spencer Bledsoe
Jeremy Collins
Keith Nale
Max Dawson
You can download Survivor: White Collar vs. Blue Collar vs. No Collar on iTunes.

The Blacklist: It seems like I have been lost most of the season having little to no clue. I again had trouble keeping up with most of this episode until everything finally became clear at the end when it seemed like the whole season was leading up to Lizzie being outed as a Russian spy. A little clunky getting there, but hopefully it plays out a lot better. Maybe Lizzie should get on that boat with Tom.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 5/8/15

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 Montage of Heck, Bob Seger, Safari Live, Tyrant, Big Blue Live, MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout, Conan, Ties that Bind, Brave New World, The Magicians, Chiller, and Red Nose Day.

- Hailed as one of the most innovative and intimate documentaries of all time, experience Kurt Cobain like never before in the only ever fully authorized portrait of the famed music icon. Acclaimed filmmaker Brett Morgen expertly blends Cobain’s personal archive of art, music, never seen before movies, animation and revelatory interviews from his family and closest friends. Wildly creative and highly acclaimed, the documentary follows Kurt from his earliest years in this visceral and detailed cinematic insight of an artist at odds with his surroundings. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, will be released by Universal Music Enterprises on both Blu-ray and DVD formats in the fall of 2015.

- Capitol Records recording artist Bob Seger’s classic album, Night Moves, makes its debut on 180-gram vinyl on June 16, 2015. Seger’s breakthrough album, powerful and personal, is the newest vinyl reissue addition to the GRAMMY® Award-winning rocker’s extraordinary catalogue. Originally released in 1976, Night Moves was Bob Seger’s first studio album with the Silver Bullet Band. Much of the album was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama with the incomparable Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. The album went on to garner overwhelming critical praise, as well as, the hit singles “Night Moves,” “Mainstreet,” and “Rock and Roll Never Forgets.”

- Need a Mother’s Day gift? Nat Geo WILD has you covered. We are bringing back our popular Safari Live event. A special Mother’s Day weekend treat the whole family can share and enjoy, Safari Live premieres Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on Nat Geo WILD and online at WILDSafariLive.com. Grab your mom and the family for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go on a live safari to see lions roar, hyenas fight for food and giraffes run wild — and, if you’re lucky, maybe even some mother-child bonding, wild style — in real time.

- Blood guarantees nothing. Tyrant returns to power Tuesday, June 16 at 10:00 on FX.


- Leading public service broadcasters BBC and PBS announced today a live television and multimedia event, Big Blue Live. Scientists, filmmakers and photographers, animal behaviorists and other experts will come together for two amazing live weeks in late August and early September to document the extraordinary rejuvenation of the once endangered and now thriving ecosystem of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California. Some of the world’s most charismatic marine creatures – humpback whales, blue whales, sea lions, dolphins, elephant seals, sea otters, great white sharks, shearwaters, and brown pelicans – convene in this once-a-year confluence. Big Blue Live airs live on PBS over three nights, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2015, at 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET, with another live feed to the West Coast at 8:00-9:00 p.m. PT. In both feeds, as well as streaming online and in social media, viewers can watch one of nature’s great “reality shows” delivered through state-of-the-art filming technologies and live reports from air, sea, and below the waves. The multi-platform event will be anchored by four on-air correspondents from a reporting hub at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and from aboard NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ research vessels. Leading scientists and other experts will provide additional insights. The week prior to the PBS broadcast, BBC will air its live broadcast in the UK, and will be streaming online and through social media for UK viewers.

- truTV and Top Rank will exclusively present the MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV, a live primetime boxing series tonight at 10:00 from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The new boxing series, produced in association with Turner Sports and HBO Sports, will feature two title fights this week headlined by Top 10 contenders Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia (23-1, 15 KOs) from Passaic, N.J., and “Irish” Seanie Monaghan (23-0, 15 KOs). Tapia will defend his NABO junior middleweight title against Michel Soro (25-1-1, 15 KOs) from France, with Monaghan defending his WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight title against Cleiton Conceicao (20-6-2, 16 KOs) from Brazil.

- TBS’s late-night show Conan has set the dates for its upcoming episodes from San Diego during Comic-Con® International, including rare Friday and Saturday night episodes. Conan O'Brien will host the show from San Diego's historic Spreckels Theater, with the episodes slated to air on TBS Wednesday, July 8 – Saturday, July 11. This will mark the first time ever a late-night show has broadcast from San Diego during Comic-Con.

- Production began this week in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on UP’s first original scripted drama series Ties That Bind, a hybrid police procedural and family drama, starring Kelli Williams (“The Practice,” ”Army Wives”) Jonathan Scarfe (“Hell On Wheels,” “Perception”) and Dion Johnstone (The Tempest, “Defiance”), with special guest star Luke Perry (Black Beauty, “Beverly Hills 90210”). Created by Sheryl J. Anderson (“Charmed,” UP’s The Town that Came A-Courtin) and produced by Reel One Entertainment, this 10-episode, hour-long series is set to premiere exclusively on UP in August. The ensemble cast includes teen actors Mitchell Kummen (Horns, “The Tomorrow People”), Natasha Calis (The Possession, “The Firm”), Rhys Matthew Bond (The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story, “The Good Witch”) and Matreya Scarrwener (“Strange Empire,” “Once Upon a Time”).

- Adding to its growing roster of major productions featuring science fiction’s most acclaimed franchises, Syfy is reuniting with Emmy® Award-winning Amblin Television to develop a scripted series based on Aldous Huxley’s classic novel Brave New World. Syfy and Amblin previously collaborated on Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken, which won a 2003 Emmy® for Best Miniseries, as well as nominations in six other categories.

- Continuing its commitment to developing bold, high profile scripted dramas, Syfy today announced it has greenlit The Magicians to series. Based upon Lev Grossman’s best-selling books, The Magicians stars Jason Ralph (A Most Violent Year, Aquarius) as Quentin Coldwater, a brilliant grad student who enrolls in Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, a secret upstate New York university specializing in magic. He and his 20-something friends soon discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real – and poses grave danger to humanity. Stella Maeve (Chicago P.D.), Hale Appleman (Teeth), Arjun Gupta (Nurse Jackie) and Summer Bishil (Towelhead, Lucky 7) also star in this one hour drama.

- On the heels of its most-watched original movie to date (Animal) and the SXSW 2015 premiere of its original movie The Boy, Chiller announces new original content for 2015 and 2016, including its first-ever original series, Slasher, and two new original movies, Lifeforce and Siren.

- Today, NBC announced the second lineup of the biggest stars coming together to have fun, raise money, and change lives on Red Nose Day! On May 21, the UK’s biggest charity event will land in the US for the first time with a great night of comedy, music, and fundraising to help 12 charity organizations lift children and young people out of poverty, in the U.S. and throughout the world.

Stars in the TV special include: Julia Roberts, Coldplay, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore, Paul Rudd, Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, Leslie Mann, January Jones and newly announced Neil Patrick Harris! If that wasn’t enough, NBC Entertainment announced today that they’ve launched its first-ever social good app in support of Red Nose Day that encourages social sharing and donations ahead of May 21 telecast. You can find it here.

Previewing Penny Dreadful: Season Two

For years Showtime played second banana to HBO until Homeland came along and won all the awards and praise in its first season. Sure it was basically a one season wonder that burned out quicker than maybe any series in the history of television (even if it was almost able to regain its footing last season). Homeland did get an identity with Homeland, but in the years since has been chasing that critical and commercial buzz ever since with what I call post-Golden Age Television: shows with good acting, good premise, but something is just keeping it from being great. Showtime's post Homeland shows Ray Donovan, The Affair and Penny Dreadful all fit in this category (The only other new drama since then, Masters of Sex is legitimately great, but is in the same category as The Americans where it seems like only critics watch because no one else actually seems to talks about them). And the less we say about the Twin Peaks reboot right now may be the best because we may never actually get to see it.

One of my biggest problem with the first season of Penny Dreadful was it seemed very paint by numbers. All season long they teased Ethan was the Wolfman, and as the season closed out, he went all Beast Mode. From the moment Brona started coughing up blood, it was safe to assume she would end up being the Bride of Frankenstein which also came to fruition by season's end. Then there was Dorian Grey who seem utterly useless in the first season, only there to have sex with everyone else. That was not to say the whole season was completely predictable, Frankenstein's monster getting ripped opened by the original prototype early on was extremely shocking and I certainly did not see Sir Malcolm spending the entire season looking for his daughter to find her and kill her after telling her, "I already have a daughter."

But what may Penny Dreadful's biggest flaw is that it pales in comparison to Hannibal in the horror department even though the latter is hamstrung by the standards and practices of a network series. Sure Eva Green put on a very haunting performance, but I would be more frightened to see Mads Mikkelsen at the end of a darkened hallway than Green.

As season two starts off, it seems like Penny Dreadful and done better to quash my biggest complaints on the show. Now that we all know the real and new identities of Ethan and Brona, we can finally move on to new less predictable territories. It also looks like they are giving Dorian Grey something to do this season, tied in the season's big bad, and coven of witches than can transform themselves into something that looks like Marilyn Manson circa The Dope Show but sans any hair at all. And they are actually look more scary than Hannibal Lector himself and at the end of the second episode one of the witches does something as creepy as anything Hannibal has done on his show. Many shows have a sophomore slump in their second season, but Penny Dreadful may just be finding its footing in its second and may quickly become the scariest show on television.

Penny Dreadful airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime.