57 Channels and Only This Is On: April 14, 2019

Killing Eve: Nothing worse than when something is overhyped when it turns out to be just good. After all the buzz around this show I decided to give it a try when it popped on Hulu earlier this year. And it was perfectly fine, certainly not worth all the praise it got when it first aired. And after finished the first season I was kind of surprised that Sandra Oh got all the award recognition when the crazy French assassin was the best part of the show. And by best, I man pretty most the only good part. I do understand The French assassin’s obsession with Eve on account she is crazy, but I never quite understood why Eve replicated especially after the assassin killed her buddy. The season two premiere was a bit of a bore, probably because the crazy French assassin spent most of the episode in the hospital. But she did give us the two most memorable parts when she posed as a doctor why she was looking for money to steal and then killing the kid after he mentioned he wanted to die.
You can download Killing Eve on iTunes.

Billions: Again we start up with another meeting between Axe and Chuck, and even end t to boot. And this season has been a little lack luster with those two actually being buddy-buddy. Maybe we can get some tension with Wendy going to war with Chuck over this because Axe vs. Taylor is not cutting it. Wendy was conspicuously absent from Chuck’s victory speech.

Good Girls: Oh snap, Ruby is snitching! But just what will she say? Dude wants Beth for some unknown reason to me. How about going after the actual gangster? But how does Beth actually get out of this? I have a feeling it is going to be some not really makes any sense way like how Ray Donovan somehow seems to skate by beside a mountain of evidence.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes

The Bold Type: So Jane learns her new boss exposed himself at his old job but later discovers he did it in a pro-feminist way? Wait, what?!? Um, no matter how noble the reason, there is no good reason to pull your junk out in front of your boss and a female co-worker. This may win most absurd plotline of the year. And it will only get worse when Jane inevitably starts forking the dude.
You can download The Bold Type on iTunes.

The Act: Oh my goodness, this episode was so creepy. From everything that happened in that movie theater, which is just what a romantic comedy would look like if everything went wrong, to Gypsy buying a knife. And as creepy as that boy is, it is just as funny to think of how much of a tool that kid is. I actually worked in a pizza parlor for a summer so I got a huge kick at just how incompetent that kid is. Yet what a dichotomy of the person who he thinks he is and who he really is, just perfectly mirrors Gypsy who is really living two lives herself, who she wants to be and who her mother thinks she is. But if the actual act goes down next week, that means we will two episode of aftermath. I am fine with that. I kind of really want to know where is Gypsy now. I have avoided Googling because I do not want to spoil the show.
You can stream The Act on Hulu.

Survivor: Edge of Extinction: Well, they teased a wild Tribal and we certainly got a wild Tribal which lasted half the episode. I do not remember anyone playing themselves out of the game faster at Tribal than Julia who just blew up her game with some assist from Aurora who just openly admits working with both halves of the Lesu divide. The closest thing I can think of was the guy who lost to the porn star in Thailand who just started attacking everyone at the Final Tribal Council. It was so wild I even missed some big moments the first time I watched like Ron throwing out Victoria’s name with Victoria over his shoulder.

But the thing is, the Tribal could have been much wilder. Sure it is fun watching people running around during Tribal, but in the end, it was a very straight, almost unanimous vote, had Julia and Aurora not given away their plan or spooked Julie, it could have been wilder. We learned from Kelley when David asked her that the plan was actually David. But Victoria and Julia both on Twitter confirmed that Kelley was actually the plan going in. So presumably the Kama six would be voting for Kelley, the Lesu three voting for David and who knows who David and Rick were voting for. But it also seemed obvious that David and Rick were reforming their Idol to play for David. And you have to believe that if David plays an Idol, Kelley would play hers, followed by Lauren. Leaving whoever David and Rick voted for. Unless they vote for Kelley then we would have had a revote where no one who received votes would be eligible to vote for. Which would have been really wild.
You can download Survivor: Edge of Extinction on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists: So we end the episode with both O.G. Liars trapped, Mona by the creepy janitor while Alison is in the trailer of a dead girl. Who knew those locked from the outside? Most interesting to happen since the first episode.
You can download Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of World: Good riddance Bear, please do not ever come back.
You can download The Challenge: War of Worlds on iTunes.

Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger: So much for Mayhem, already sucked into Cloak’s Void but instead of Derek like in Janet’s Void, the cop who killed her boyfriend is there as the only other person sucked in there. Although since the Void seems to be similar to what Cloak sees when he touches people, his Void is filled with your fears. How fun.
You can download Marvel's Cloak and Dagger on iTunes.

Doom Patrol: Finally, what I have been waiting for since it was first talked about: The Underground. And it, mostly, did not disappoint. The explanation as to why some of the personalities look like Jane, that no one knows, was a little lame. Weird that Karen was one of them that looks like Janes, seems like they should have cast some generic blonde who looks like she came from the Hallmark Channel. But I loved that there was personality jail. And we really need more of Penny Farthing.

Blindspot: I just how loved how Rich believe that Bill Nye the Science Guy was some secret supervillain. But it turns out Kurt’s mother is alive. I do not really remember her ever even being mentioned on the show before. I remember his father was suspected of kidnapping a person that everyone thought was Jane for a couple seasons.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

The Blacklist: Well, that was one of the more warped Blacklisters to date. Maybe top five. But it looks like we are back at the beginning of the season with Ressler looking into Red’s real identity and Red looking for who put him in prison.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: April 13, 2019

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 Black Hole Hunters, Meg Mac, Ladies Night, Noah Kahan, Anna of the North, Our Cartoon President, XY Chelsea, Dark Forces, and Hulu spring/summer premiere dates.

- Smithsonian Channel is putting viewers in the passenger seat of the journey towards a cutting-edge outer space discovery. On the heels of today’s groundbreaking scientific announcement, the network will air a new one-hour documentary following a team of international scientists as they attempt to document the first-ever image of a black hole. Black Hole Hunters premieres Friday, April 12 at 9 PM ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

- Meg Mac is thrilled to unveil her new single, ‘I'm Not Coming Back’. Using beautiful harmonies interwoven with an anthemic drum beat, the song explores the idea of letting go of someone who is only around when they need you.

- Rap and R&B royalty holds court with the BET premiere of Ladies Night, starring Salt-N-Pepa (SNP), DJ Spinderella and SWV. With a legacy spanning over three decades, Salt-N-Pepa has landed their biggest career accomplishment to-date, a Las Vegas residency. While simultaneously preparing for their opportunity of a lifetime, the trio has made the ambitious decision to launch the Ladies Night national tour in collaboration with SWV. The stakes are high and reputations are on the line as everyone scrambles to meet expectations and deadlines. We follow along as individual personalities, group egos, personal conflicts and professional obligations all take center stage to discover whether or not the ladies can push it to greatness together. Tune in for the action-packed, drama-filled season of Ladies Night starting Tuesday, April 30 at 10:00 PM ET/PT on BET and BET HER.

- Noah Kahan announces his highly anticipated debut album, Busyhead, will be released this summer on June 14th. In celebration of the release, Noah will be heading out on The Busyhead Tour across North America this fall, returning to headline larger venues coming off of a 2018 sold out tour. The tour kicks off at Granada Theater in Dallas on September 19th and includes dates in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Nashville, San Francisco and more. See the full list of dates below. Album pre-order and ticket on-sale will be available this Friday, April 12th at 10AM local time at noahkahan.com.

- Anna of the North today premieres a brand new track and accompanying video for "Used To Be", the second song to come from her forthcoming record, due for release in the Fall. Having sold out worldwide shows and amassed over 150 million streams so far, Anna is also embarking on her first North American headline tour later this month.

- Showtime will premiere the second season of its animated comedy series Our Cartoon President on Sunday, May 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and will feature an animated appearance from Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness. Additionally, Showtime has released the official key art and trailer for season two, which will consist of 10 half-hour episodes. To watch and share the trailer for the second season of Our Cartoon President, head over to YouTube.

- Showtime released a first-look trailer for XY Chelsea, which will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday, May 1. Directed by Tim Travers Hawkins, produced by Pulse Films and executive produced by Academy Award® winner Laura Poitras (RISK, Citizenfour), XY Chelsea tells the historic story of whistle-blower Chelsea Manning, whose 35-year sentence in a maximum security prison was commuted by President Obama in 2017. Shot over two years and featuring exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes verité with Manning, the film begins on the momentous day in May of that year when she leaves prison and follows her through her journey of discovery, while also examining her place in the conversation on national security and the fight of the transgender community for rights and visibility. XY Chelsea will premiere on SHOWTIME on Friday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Manning was arrested again in March of this year and remains in custody after refusing to testify in front of a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who was arrested in London on Thursday. To watch the trailer, go to YouTube.

- Lexicon today announced that they have cast Orlando Jones (American Gods) to topline Dark Forces, the third film from director Anthony O’Brien (THE TIMBER) who will direct from a screenplay jointly written by Lexicon co-founders, producers Mark Mathias Sayre (WATERLILY JAGUAR; DOE; THE CLEARING, DOUBTING THOMAS) & Justin Foia (POINT DEFIANCE). Dark Forces is a horror film that pays homage to its many sub-genres: “While recovering from brain surgery at a rehabilitation center, acclaimed monster movie director Jerry Graves (Jones) becomes haunted by the ghastly creatures and grisly scenes of his own horror films.”

- Coming to Hulu later this spring and into the summer:
Ramy, all episodes April 19
Into the Dark: All That We Destroy (Mother's Day), premieres May 3
Catch-22, all episodes May 17
Ask Dr. Ruth, premieres June 1
The Weekly, season 1, premieres June 2 on FX, June 3 on Hulu (weekly)
The Handmaid's Tale, Season 3, premieres June 5 (weekly)
Into the Dark: They Come Knocking (Father's Day), premieres June 7
Into the Dark: Culture Shock (Independence Day), premieres July 4
Harlots, Season 3, premieres July 10 (weekly)
Veronica Mars, season 4, all episodes July 26
Four Weddings and a Funeral, season 1 premieres July 31 (weekly)

57 Channels and Only This Is On: April 7, 2019

Supergirl: Weird that the alien hating Ben Lockwood had a very that cannot possibly be Supergirl look on his face instead of an of course all aliens are evil look. I bet he actually starts defending her soon. But I do wonder if the president is in cahoots with Lex Luther.
Supergirl on iTunes.

Billions: I wonder what came first: the Chicken Man storyline or if the writers just wanted to put a Springsteen song in the show and Atlantic City talked about a chicken man in the first line? Or could someone have possibly heard that Chicken Bill song? At any rate, the ending to that storyline was funny. At least finally we got someone who uses old timey pronouns to talk about Taylor. Makes it much easier to tell that someone is not talking about multiple people despite using plural pronouns. And was that Michael Bolton with a bad haircut at the fundraiser? Then we went three for three in Chuck and Axe scenes this season. Are we going to go a full season of them meeting? I do hope that if (when) Axe helps Chuck to become Attorney General, Chuck then does prosecute Axe.

The Walking Dead: My first thought as a blizzard was bearing down on the Kingdom people, my first thought was, why not check the weather first. Yeah, there is no way I could survive a zombie apocalypse or even world without power. I am constantly checking the weather. But when dis Alexandria become the wide open space where people could get lost even in a blizzard? Shouldn’t muscle memory kick in? And I was a bit confused what was going on with Alpha. It sounded like she left for a bit in time and then comes back to be whipped? What is going on there?
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Black Monday: Well they took about ten minutes to explain how it was Blair and Dawn who were running the Georgina Play on Mo and I am still a little confused. And a pretty cheap reveal that it was Mo’s presumed dead mentor who ended up being the person who crashed down on his stretch Lambo by grabbing Blair’s tie with the pin on it. But so is the other Lehman Brother now dead since the old dude fell on him?

The Act: How ironic after making Gypsy think she was sick all this time, it is DeeDee who has an actual life threatening disease. And earlier I wondered how no doctor did anything about Gypsy not being as sick as DeeDee let on,, I also wonder why no one really questioned why DeeDee said Gypsy was four years younger than what her Medicaid card said? And was that dad on the phone wanting to wish her a happy birthday? I believe that was his first appearance. So what exactly was his deal? He cares enough to call on her birthday, but never actually visits and Gypsy does not seem to know anything about him. Then, just when you thought the show could not get any weirder, Gypsy gets introduced to BDSM. And that was the second guy she met on a Christian dating site, the first sent her a picture of his junk. My goodness.
You can stream The Act on Hulu.

Survivor: Edge of Extinction: Had someone told me before the episode aired that one of the Kama Six would go home even though Devins did not align with his former tribe and neither Kelley or Lauren played their Idol I would have punched them in the face and told them April Fool’s Jokes are not funny and you are two days late anyway. But shockingly three of the Kama six joined Joe’s lackey and Lese to boot one of their own.

I was shocked two weeks ago when Wardog came up with a pretty smart plan of voting for Wendy because if they were tied, Kama would not go to rocks for Wendy and they didn’t. Then this week he came up with a smart plan of going to rocks with Lesu and Joe’s Lackey going to rocks against the six that voted for rocks. And even when Devins stupidly rather be seven in an alliance of six, he somehow orchestrated a better plan that did not even involve rock by convincing the black chick, the redhead, and the hillbilly (I still have no idea who any of these Kama people are to take out one of their own. Wardog is the type of annoying hard head they you do kind of want to sit next to in final tribal, but between these two moves, he does have a good argument to make that he deserves to win.

Still, I want to see the scene where those Kama players actually convinced Kelley and Lauren that they would vote with them to the point where they were convinced enough to not play their Idol. Sure they do not know it, but the redhead making Aubrey thinking she was with her is exactly how she blindsides Aubrey with an Idol in her pocket. But these are truly the greatest Tribal when the people in the dominate alliance act annoyingly smug only to be blindsided. The title of the episodes was the old guy’s most smug quote about how he is the puppet master. And his reaction was priceless when that fourth vote for his buddy came up.

Hopefully he is next although looking at the promo it is going to be a wild one. The brunette Kama chick tell old dude and the blonde she wants David, Lauren tells the black chick she wants Ron, Kelley suggest the brunette to Wardog, the redhead tells unseen people Kelley. This all culminates with Aubrey actively trying to be made into an overtly shocked gif with Probst saying he has never seen anything like it (okay, Probst is the king of hyperbole so it may be over exaggerated). But with three Idols split amongst four people and an Extra Vote floating around three distinct voting blocs (the Lesu 4, the Kama 4, and the three that were blindsided this week), should be a wild one.
You can download Survivor: Edge of Extinction on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists: So we got our first murder suspect (assuming you do not count the three people who actually talked about throwing the dude off the roof). Although the he chews the same gum is a pretty flimsy thing to pin a murder on someone.
You can download Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of World: Well the no more teams is really going to hurt my Nany/Turbo pick. Although my imaginary bookie still has to pay out if Turbo wins, right? Lucky for everyone else they did get a British person out (and the biggest one to boot) right before the switch and now they are down to three. Now the question how will the voting block break down now that there are no teams? I wonder if the teams will actually stick together. Hunter and Georgia will likely not work together but everyone else seems to be on good term. There is also the question of if the elimination will not be gender specific are will they be able to call out anyone?
You can download The Challenge: War of Worlds on iTunes.

Cloak and Dagger: When Hot Lady Cop saw herself in the reflection; I thought for sure this was a Jekyll and Hyde situation. Nope, actually two of them. This should get interesting. Though I was not entirely sure how Cloak could easily transport the gangs money and drugs with him but was not able to transport a person.
You can download Marvel's Cloak and Dagger on iTunes.

Doom Patrol: After last episode’s loll, though we might have hit a speed bump on the show, but then they follow up their weakest episode by introducing a living street. Awesome. And then Diane may be the most entertaining Crazy Jane personality to date. A nineties rom-com lover who can make anyone, presumably with a heart which is why it did not work on Robot Man, fall in love with her and do her bidding. Again, great. But it looks like next week we are actually going to go inside Crazy Jane’s head, which will likely be another outstanding episode.

Blindspot: It seemed like they were really playing fast and loose with time this episode. Can you really get to upstate New York that fast. They should have had a 24 type clock and had the episode play out in real time.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

The Blacklist: Based on last week’s promo, I thought maybe the rest of this season would be Haram vs. Red but the former gave up on his quest for Sammar pretty quickly. Instead this week, it looks like they are finally going back to Red trying to figure out who had him arrested. Maybe at the end of it, Lizzie will finally figure out who Red really is.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: April 5, 2019

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 Chi, Queenpins, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, bülow, Jonas Brothers, Best Ever Trivia Show, Black Hole Hunters, Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story, The Carol Burnett Show, Light as a Feather, Looking For Alaska, and Intelligence.

- Starting today, the season two premiere of the hit Showtime drama The Chi is available for free sampling online, on streaming platforms and on TV on demand. Created and executive produced by Emmy® winner Lena Waithe (Boomerang, Master of None) and executive produced by Academy Award®, Emmy and Golden Globe® winner Common (Selma), The Chi is a timely coming-of-age story centering on a group of residents who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption. The season premiere episode is available for free now on YouTube, and SHO.com ahead of its linear debut this Sunday, April 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

- Think of a crime boss - do you imagine Al Capone, Tony Soprano, maybe Atilla the Hun? If so, actress Keke Palmer can now school you on some of the baddest "Queenpins" in history - the women who were loved, feared, and definitely in conflict with both the laws and gender norms of their day. Check out the first episode of 'Queenpins,' her new Glamour x FB Watch series, HERE, to learn about Stephanie St. Clair, the Queen of Harlem and the notorious "Numbers" gambling ring she ran in Roaring 20s and Great Depression NYC. She was an immigrant who, at a time when ambitious black girls were confined to career options such as: maid for a white family, cook for a white family, (you get it, etc.), owned a brownstone (409 Edgecomb Avenue, home to W.E.B. DuBois and Thurgood Marshall), sent white mobsters blackmail notes on their deathbeds, shot her cheating second husband (didn't kill him, though!), rocked hats and furs like the best of the pimps she partied with, and fought for social justice for black women at a time when it required the breaking of (many) laws to get a seat at the table.

- You have searched the internet for clues and re-read your old copies of the books with anticipation – but the suspense is over and Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase is out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital now from Warner Bros Home Entertainment! Please check out our supercut created just for this release below celebrating the amazing "girl power" in the film!


- Award winning and multi-platinum pop iconoclast bülow has released a new EP, Crystalline, out now via Wax Records /Republic Records/Universal Music Canada. Listen to Crystalline HERE. The new EP will also be available on vinyl and can be pre-ordered HERE.

- Following the biggest comeback of the year, GRAMMY® Award-nominated multiplatinum powerhouse trio–Jonas Brothers—unleash their new single “Cool” today. Get it HERE (Republic Records)

- Game Show Network, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, has announced Sherri Shepherd (“The View”) as host of its new expert-trivia game show, Best Ever Trivia Show. The half-hour series is anticipated to premiere in Summer 2019. In Best Ever Trivia Show, three contestants face off against three Trivia Experts. The winning player then goes head-to-head against the Expert with the highest score in the final round – the ultimate trivia challenge. The Expert is asked five multiple choice questions and if the player gets one or more correct answers than the Expert, the player wins $10,000 along with the opportunity to come back and win up to a grand total of $30,000 and take his or her spot in trivia history. Trivia Experts to be announced at a later date.

- Smithsonian Channel is putting viewers in the passenger seat of the journey towards a cutting-edge outer space discovery. On the heels of a groundbreaking scientific announcement to be made on April 10, the network will air a new one-hour documentary following a team of international scientists as they attempt to document the first-ever image of a black hole. Black Hole Hunters premieres Friday, April 12 at 9 PM ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

- Starting Sunday, April 14th, lost episodes of the groundbreaking The Carol Burnett Show will return to broadcast television only on MeTV, America’s #1 classic television network. Airing Sunday nights at 10:30pm ET/PT and Monday-Friday at 11pm ET/PT, these rarely seen episodes will showcase sketches from the first five seasons of the longstanding series, including the premiere episode with Jim Nabors, who became Burnett’s “good luck charm” and first appearances of iconic characters, like pitiful Eunice and air-headed Mrs. Wiggins, who fans continue to adore. Many of these milestone episodes have never aired beyond their original debut – until now on MeTV.

- Showtime announced the acquisition of rights to the award-winning documentary Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story based on the turbulent life of one of the NBA’s most controversial figures. Directed by Johnny Sweet (VICK) and written by journalist Tom Friend, Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story is produced by Bleacher Report and will premiere on Showtime during Mental Health Awareness Month on Friday, May 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

- Hulu and AwesomenessTV have announced the cast of Light as a Feather season 2. New cast includes Katelyn Nacon (The Walking Dead) as “Sammi,” Froy Gutierrez (Teen Wolf) as “Ridge,” Adriyan Rae (Atlanta) as “Peri,” Alisa Allapach (The 15:17 to Paris) as “Amanda,” Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans) as “Nadia,” Alex Wassabi (Wassabi) as “Luke,” Robyn Lively (Teen Witch) as “Deb” and Alan & Alex Stokes (Brobot). Returning cast includes Liana Liberato as “McKenna,” Brianne Tju as “Alex,” Haley Ramm as “Violet,” Jordan Rodrigues as “Trey,” Brent Rivera as “Isaac,” and Dylan Sprayberry as “Henry.”

- Hulu is excited to share that Timothy Simons (“Veep”) and Ron Cephas Jones (“This is Us”) have been cast as series regulars in the upcoming 8-episode limited series, Looking For Alaska, which began production this month.

- Showtime has given a series commitment and opened a writers room for the new spy thriller Intelligence, a real-world scripted drama series from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty). Boal will write, direct and executive produce, marking the filmmaker’s first foray into television. The series, based on real stories from around the world, will explore the secret inner workings of power – how espionage intersects with politics, finance, media and Silicon Valley. The first season will dramatize the behind-the-scenes history leading up to the 2016 U.S. election, with each subsequent season looking at a major world event through the lens of covert operations.

Previewing The Chi; Season Two

I finished the first season of The Chi with a big feeling of meh. The pacing of the show just felt off, I never really connected with the over bloated cast that did not even interact that much, and the murder mystery at the central of the season just did not seem too compelling. We never met him until he was dead and his mother ended up not even being one of the numerous cast members. I cannot even remember how that mystery played out.

But I have to say season is a vast improvement. It probably helps that I now have a sense of who is in the over bloated cast are (although they have added to that this season). Also gone is that murder mystery element which dragged down last season. Though the effects of that murder are still being felt. Ronnie ended last season in jail after confessing to the murder of the kid who thought killed the son he helped take care of but is looking for ways to get out after his grandmother gets ruthlessly attacked. While Kevin is in therapy as he and his family debate on if he should testify against Ronnie as an eye witness.

Then you have Brandon, the brother of the kid Ronnie murdered, having to deal with the potential release of his brother’s murderer while trying to get his taco truck off the ground. One of the big complaints of the first season was the lack of interactions between the four main men on the show, but Brandon actually has some screen time with Emmitt which I do not believe happened last season, these are some of the best moments of this season. Emmitt does need to interact with some new people after his mom moves into a one bedroom apartment, which means no room for him.

But the best part of The Chi remains the trials and tribulations of Kevin and Papa who is now a regular cast member this season. Really, Papa’s picture day wardrobe is just great even if everyone else has a big issue with something that happens during picture day.

The Chi airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime.

Previewing The Last O.G.: Season Two

As pitched, The Last O.G. sounded like a great fish out of water story. A drug dealer who is sent away for a fifteen years and returns to find Brooklyn now fully gentrified and his baby mama (who he did not know was with child when he went to prison) is now raising their twins with a white dude. This would have been hilarious if that gangbanger in question was someone out of New Jack City but alas, the O.G. in question was the too goofy Tracy Morgan who is not really who I picture when I think O.G. I need someone who can rap as hard as Ice-T circa 1990. I would even take Ice-T today over Tracy Morgan.

But as that disappointment fades, my enjoyment of the show actually increases in season two. Of course I have come to realize that the real fish out of water is the new white husband who weirdly is the most compassionate person on the show towards Morgan. Probably the funniest storyline of the early episodes I have seen is the white dad being the most upset when one of the female twin’s white friends sings the n-word while listening to rap music. We have all been there.

Despite having to deal with a new corny white dude of his own on The Neighborhood, Cedric the Entertainer, the best part of season one, is back for a couple episodes in season two as the owner of the halfway house than Morgan is assigned to and the other inhabitants are back too. Despite his curmudgeon ways, he does find it in his heart to help Morgan out with his latest dream. He spends most of the season trying to get a food truck business off the ground where he serves his prison quinine to the people on the outside.

The Last O.G. airs Tuesdays at 10:30 on TBS. You can also download The Last O.G. on iTunes.

Previewing Into the Dark: I'm Just Forking with You

In a measure of full disclosure, I should mention I hate April Fool’s Day. Ninety-nine percent of people just are not funny and worse is when corporations try to prank their customers as if treating your customers like morons is a good idea. Really, there has only been one good April’s Fools Day prank that has ever been funny, when Taco Bell took out a full page ad in newspapers across the nation to say that have bought the Liberty Bell, were going to fix the crack, and rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. Now that was funny.

So I was hoping that for April, Into the Dark would be doing a Tax Day themed episode. But alas, it is based on April Fool’s Day. And the antagonist of this episode is the worst kind of April Fool’s prankster who is constantly trying to fool un-expecting people and even when they catch on, he still is pulling pranks and then they just keep getting bigger and more annoying.

The mark is a germ-a-phobe who for some reason picks a seedy motel to check in while attending his ex-girlfriend’s wedding who is now marrying his cousin. Ouch. But hey, he does have a fake social media account to troll the couple. He is meeting his sister at this motel but the guy gets suspicious of the prankster when she does not show up thinking that the motel clerk prankster has something to do with it. And this being Into the Dark, things start going off the rails as the pranks get bigger and bigger.

Into the Dark Power Ranking
1. The Body (October)
2. Down (February)
3. New Year, New You (January)
4. Pooka! (December)
5. I’m Just Forking with You (April)
6. Treehouse (March)
7. Flesh and Bone (November)

Into the Dark: I’m Just Forking with You premieres today on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 31, 2019

Supergirl: So we get the Lex backstory by then Superman was conspicuously absent from even the trial. But we did get the Md. Tessmacher backstory… well except why exactly why she is obsessed with Lex but now we know why such an overqualified person was an assistant at Catco. But I do wonder if they did this Russian Supergirl storyline just to have someone on the show with a worse accent than Lena.
Supergirl on iTunes.

Billions: The new money girl certainly looks like Axe’s wife… ex-wife? I kind of forget their status. I believe they are just separated and she moved the kids to the west coast. And she also kind of looks like Taylor’s new version of Wendy. I actually thought that was the new money lady coming to Taylor later in the episode for a second. But it is really weird seeing Chuck and Axe in the same scene in two straight episodes. The show was better when they were at each other’s throats but only came face to face once or twice per episode. I do wonder which one will end this truce first. It has to happen eventually.

The Walking Dead: They say you save the best for last, and thought the heads on spikes parade was going to end on the pregnant Rosalita, but they really ended with the annoying kid? I never really cared for him at all and am kind of glad he died. Although was that not Rosalita in the second to last spot? I thought I saw her later. So maybe that was Tara? Everyone else was kind of a yawn. I think that redhead only had one line and that was earlier in the episode. Although this all begs the question, just how can you kidnap seven(ish) people from a carnival without anyone noticing until the daughter told the King? And if Tara is dead, who is the new leader of Hilltop? Did we ever get an explanation on Maggie? Is the show being vague in the hopes that her new show will fail (which it pretty much is)?
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Good Girls: Maybe I forgot, but I did just notice that they were trying to scam Cloud 9 from Superstore. It is a shame they could not get the actual actors to play the clerks.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes

Black Monday: Okay, so just how long has Blair been conning everyone? We get confirmation that he is a gay-homosexual this week so has he been running the Georgina play this whole time and then was scamming Mo? Was scamming Mo this whole time the plan or did he just needed someone at Wall Street and since that was the only job he could get thanks to Mo, he went with it?

The Act: Gypsy gets her first kiss. Oh was that weird and awkward. And of course DeeDee showing up was the only way it could have gotten any weirder.
You can stream The Act on Hulu.

Survivor: Edge of Extinction: It is always weird to hear people talk about their majority that is not an actual majority. I remember the last Fans vs. Favorites season there was a four person alliance in a Tribe of ten who thought they had the numbers and then promptly started getting voted out. Luckily for this six person “majority” in a tribe of thirteen, they actually got those seven other players to vote for each other. Granted, now six-six, those non-“majority” players have three Idols between then. They just got to figure out how they can work together considering they voted one of them out and tried to do it again. David is really going to need to mend those fences. Although it may not be six-six because the Promo Monkey makes it looks like someone dies. Has to be Wardog, dude has been pretty incompetent so far.

Sure the vote was surprising but so was the jury showing up already. I do wonder if the jury will be everyone who does not quite, or did they just bring everyone to Tribal just in case they make it back in the game, but the actual Jury will just be the last nine or ten that were booted. Probably the former just so they can get more screen time for Aubrey and Joe.
You can download Survivor: Edge of Extinction on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists: So we got an update on Hanna and Spencer (sorry other two Liars). Although I really want a Hermie the Hermaphadite update. But as wild as the first episode with the douchebag blackmailing everyone and then dying, kind of a boring second episode. I wonder when the not dead sister comes back into play.
You can download Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of World: Oh Georgia, what is wrong with you? You literally get caught as the other woman and yet end the episode back with Bear who inexplicably keeps winning on the Killing Floor. Dude needs to go away soon.
You can download The Challenge: War of Worlds on iTunes.

Doom Patrol: I was going to call this the first meh episode, but then they had to end it with a rat called Admiral Whiskers. Awesome.

The Blacklist: Red gets his stay of execution and a weird episode to mark his escape by meeting his mentor and getting screwed over by that mentor one more time. Second episode was even more unexpected with what looks to be the exit of Samar. So how did Red know the next target was going to happen in America? Did he know it was going to be Samar?
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: March 30, 2019

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 Lisa Hannigan, Aerial Britain, Tre Maison Dasan, Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase, Tony Lucca, Aly and AJ, Taylor Janzen, Amazon, The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story, Guess I'm a Ghost, Marvel’s Runaways, Homeland, and the 2020 Democratic Debate.

- Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan is pleased to share "Bookmark", a brand new single taken from her forthcoming album Live In Dublin that is due for release on May 31, 2019 through Play It Again Sam. A spellbinding collaboration with composer Andréde Ridder and his s t a r g a z e neo-classical orchestra, the project sees Lisa’s sparse, ethereal folk, now backed by strings, percussion and brass, transformed into something truly cinematic and evocative. The album was recorded when Hannigan and s t a r g a z e took their show to Dublin’s National Concert Hall following stops at the Barbican and various European festivals. Listen to "Bookmark" HERE.

- The hit aerial exploration series from Smithsonian Channel, Aerial America, expands across the pond with the debut of Aerial Britain. This newest installment takes viewers on a journey to four regions of Britain, discovering the historical significance of the island from breathtaking heights. Filmed from helicopters and drones equipped with cutting edge 4K/Ultra High Definition cameras, Aerial Britain presents views of stunning iconic landmarks, both natural and man-made, as well as fascinating monuments off the beaten path. Aerial Britain premieres Sunday, April 28 at 8 PM ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

- Told directly through the children’s perspective, Tre Maison Dasan is an up-close and unfiltered look at the lives of three Rhode Island boys, each navigating childhood and adolescence with a parent behind bars. Each boy faces the pressure of growing up in a society that often demonizes their parents, provides little support for their families, and assumes “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Produced and directed by Denali Tiller, Tre Maison Dasan premieres on Independent Lens this Monday, April 1, 2019, 10:00-11:00 PM ET (check local listings), and will also be available simultaneously for online streaming at pbs.org.

- The iconic mystery solving teenager from the classic Nancy Drew books is back with an all-new feature length film that will keep you guessing until the very end! Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase is out on Digital now, and Blu-ray™ Combo Pack & DVD on April 2, 2019. Check out this never-before-seen clip from the bonus features here.

- Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tony Lucca is flexing his Americana muscles on his forthcoming new album, Ain’t No Storm, which he will be releasing on March 29, 2019. Ain’t No Storm reads like a who’s who of East Nashville notables: Ken Coomer produced the record at his studio, Cartoon Moon, great Nashville players like Michael Webb, Ted Pecchio, and Joe Garcia lent their talents — and even Patrick Sweany stopped in for a cameo on “Room With A View.” Replete with songs borne of his admiration for Nashville’s rich history – the town’s creative community ultimately fueled Lucca’s return to the studio and inspired the new album – Ain’t No Storm finds Lucca embracing with reverence the process and craft of songwriting and taking his time (more than two years) to get it right.

- “I do bad things for the sake of good times I don’t regret / Call me what you will, I’m in it for the thrill, I’m just selfish / I need redemption," the sisters Aly and AJ harmonize over a starry synth and electronic textures, producing a resounding strength from the two who are not afraid to let their voices and stories be heard on the lead single "Church" from their forthcoming 5-track EP Sanctuary.

- With her stunningly sparse melodies and minimalistic guitar riffs, 19 year old Taylor Janzen may seem softly spoken, but her staggering lyrical narrative and deeply personal writing sends a resounding message. The Winnipeg artist garnered praise from the likes of New York Times with her debut EP, "Interpersonal", which was mastered by Greg Calbi (Julien Baker, Arcade Fire, Big Thief), and co-produced by Taylor. With further praise from NYLON, Paste, The Line of Best Fit and more, Taylor kicked off the year as an Official Artist at SXSW where she performed at the Rolling Stone Emerging Artist Showcase and NPR featured her in their coveted Austin 100.

- Amazon opened its curated storefront for the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival featuring festival essentials from categories like fashion & accessories, beauty, health & wellness, tech, and camping. Items available include sunglasses, sunscreen, pain relievers, bug spray, portable fans, disposable cameras, nail art, and more. Customers can order in advance for delivery to their home or Amazon pickup point, or ship directly to an Amazon Locker located inside the festival gates, here: amazon.com/Coachella. In addition, Amazon has worked with actress and musician Vanessa Hudgens to shop the store and select her favorite items that she plans to wear to this year’s festival

- Coming off its acclaimed world premiere at SXSW earlier this month, Pilgrim Media Group and Lance Bass Productions’ YouTube Original feature documentary The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story is getting a one-week theatrical release in limited theaters in Los Angeles and New York – beginning Wednesday, March 27 in LA (Arclight Sherman Oaks) and Friday, March 29 in New York City (AMC 34th Street). The movie will debut exclusively on YouTube April 3. Directed by Pilgrim’s Aaron Kunkel, and produced by Pilgrim Media Group CEO Craig Piligian, alongside producer, artist, host and entrepreneur Lance Bass; Pilgrim Media Group’s Nicholas Caprio; and Matthew Charles Ducey, the film tracks the life of boy band impresario Lou Pearlman from his childhood in Queens, New York through discovering mega-bands the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, and chronicles his later life, including his perpetration of one of the largest Ponzi schemes in American history.

- Guess I'm a Ghost is a comedy web series in eight episodes that explores coming to terms with your past mistakes, making amends, and how we both perform ourselves and find out about death through social media. Tonally, the series is a mix between High Maintenance and The Good Place. Using both naturalistic and absurd comedy, the show looks to see how we grieve over imperfect people we think we knew, but maybe didn't at all. Diane...wasn't the best friend. She liked to bend the truth and look out for number one. After embarrassing herself at a party, she's killed in a ride-share accident when climbing into the front seat to charge her phone. Then, because of a mistake in the afterlife, she's sent back to earth and forced to haunt those she could've treated a little better, and might owe her an apology themselves.

- Hulu has renewed Marvel’s Runaways for a 10-episode third season. Marvel’s Runaways is executive produced by series showrunners/writers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (The O.C. and Gossip Girl) along with Marvel’s Head of Television, Jeph Loeb (Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger) and Quinton Peeples. Fake Empire’s Lis Rowinski produces as well. Marvel’s Runaways is a co-production with ABC Signature Studios. “We are so excited to tell more Runaways stories and are so grateful to Marvel, Hulu, our amazing cast and crew and of course our passionate audience,” said co-showrunners and Executive Producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. “Season three will be a magical time on Runaways, as we deepen our connection to the Marvel universe. We are honored to continue to play in the sandbox created by Brian K Vaughn and Adrian Alphona.”

- Emmy-nominated actor Hugh Dancy (Hannibal) will guest star in a multi-episode arc on the award-winning drama series Homeland, starring Emmy and Golden Globe winner Claire Danes and Emmy and Tony® winner Mandy Patinkin. Dancy will recur as John Zabel, a savvy Washington consultant who joins the White House as a new foreign-policy advisor to the President and a formidable opponent to Saul Berenson (Patinkin). The acclaimed series is currently in production on its eighth and final season and will premiere later this year.

- NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo will host the first democratic presidential primary debate of the 2020 cycle live from Miami, Fla. The debate will take place on back-to-back nights on Wednesday, June 26 and Thursday, June 27. The prime time events will be broadcast live across all three networks with real-time Spanish-language translations on Telemundo. In addition, the two-night special event will also be streamed for free on NBC News’ digital properties, including NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, NBC News Mobile App, and OTT apps in addition to Telemundo’s digital platforms.

I Want My Music Television: March 27, 2019

I Can’t Get Enough - benny blanco, Tainy, Selena Gomez and J Balvin


I was not all that interested in the new Selena Gomez song when I saw there was two other people credited on the track because she does not have the best track record when it comes to collaborations after she left The Scene. But when I actually listened to it the song was surprisingly good… until the rapper came in sounding like he was trying way too hard to be Latin Drake. Hopefully a version get released without him.


Rule the World - 2 Chainz featuring Ariana Grande


Okay, 2 Chainz and Ariana Grande has to be the weirdest pairing since… well I guess Taylor Swift / Future / Ed Sheeran was not that long ago. But really all this song does is make me miss Amerie. Now that was a great song.


Now That I Found You - Carly Rae Jepsen


Cat people scare me. Case in point: Carly Rae Jepsen.


Dancing On My Own (From Teen Spirit Soundtrack) - Elle Fanning


Elle Fanning just has that aura of likeably about her and just seems like a fun hang (unlike the other Fanning who just seems dour and a really bad hang). Though this song just sounds like bland karaoke. But since it is for a movie about someone shooting to fame on a singing competitions, I guess it is apropos because that is intiy nine percent of singing competitions.

Previewing Knightfall: Season Two

We have hit have hit peak television a couple years ago and yet it is only getting peakier as Disney, Apple, Warner Brother, and Comcast all look to start their own streaming services soon that will all have their own original programs. So what a great time to be an actor because all those shows need to be filled with a new cast. Seriously, Lyla Garrity is currently playing a superhero on DC Comics newly christened streaming service.

Too bad this was not always the case. Back in the eighties, there were only three networks who only aired nine months of programing (and that is not even taking account copious amounts of re-runs in season) and not that many movies being released each month. So while someone like Lyla Garrity can get steady work basically from being launched on Friday Night Lights, you take someone from the eighties like Mark Hamill who shot to stardom as Luke Skywalker really never got another starring role. Really, his second biggest gig may be voicing The Joker in multiple shows, movies and video games.

But now in the era of Peak TV, Mark Hamill is finally getting his just due as the lead in the biggest movie franchise as he has been brought on to the second season of Knightfall to give that show a little star power. And Knighfall really needed it because no one in the cast is all that recognizable (and it does not help the show has been off the air for thirteen months). There is a moment in the second premiere where there is a big reveal of someone in a fight club but I basically went: what, should I know who that guy is? I guess I should have paid more attention to the “Previously On” package.

Okay, so on a show set in France and filled with mostly British actors, Hamill and his gruff American accent is a bit out of place. Hamill plays a Templar elder who trains new recruits. How Yoda of him. One of which is Landry, who got booted from the order for breaking his vow of celibacy when he knocked up the Queen of France who died in childbirth at the end of last season. But Landry is allowed to rejoin but has to start from the bottom. This is actually great for the rest of the new recruits who get to train alongside one of the best Templars of the day.

Back in France, there is strife between the king and his children. The Prince is mad that his mother had died in his absence. Added to this, his bride is having trouble giving him an heir. The princess is unhappy because her mother wanted her to marry for love, and now her father is forcing her to marry for politics to a man who is known as a pervert. So the Queen may be dead, but there is still plenty of palace intrigue.

Knightfall airs Mondays at 10:00 on History.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 24, 2019

Supergirl: Oh snap, Miss Tessmaucher is evil. Oh wait, she says she has been evil this whole time? I guess maybe why someone with an advanced degree was an assistant to Cat Grant, but um, how exactly did that help with Lex Luthor’s plan? She need to have Cat leave, get close to James and have James get close to Lena. Maybe it will be better explained next week which I believe is a flashback episode of how Lex planned all this. And is Manchester gone forever? I guess it makes sense that he had this death wish so he can be with his dead girlfriend, but did not really get his revenge first.
Supergirl on iTunes.

The Walking Dead: Did I miss how Michonne and Daryl got out of their restraints after being captures by the Lord of the Flies gang? But I guess when Michonne has to kill a bunch of children because she let someone she trusted into Alexandra is a good reason to not let anyone new in after that.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Good Girls: When they learned about the every growing landfill, I thought they would actually take the body their instead of dumping it in the trash. Seems like a lot could go wrong with the body getting discovered before making it to the dump. Of course that might be the point.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes

Black Monday: A little jarring when you see that the episode takes us all the way back to seven thousand days before Black Monday. Although a bit disappointing that half the episode took place a day after the last episode and the far back half was just a red herring to make you think that Mo was capable of kidnapping only for it to be her parents which likely will be the reason Blair comes on board the plan.

The Act: The one thing that really bothered me with this whole story is if DeeDee was really faking Gypsy’s illnesses, how exactly was she able to get away with this from a doctor? Well we did see in the second episode one doctor try to get to the bottom of things, even going as far as to call Child Protective Services. But now I am left to wonder why stop? Was it just because the social worker could not find enough to go any further?
You can stream The Act on Hulu.

Survivor: Edge of Extinction: Once Immunity has been won, it is usually pretty obvious who is going home. Sure the editors will try to make you think there is another option and occasionally there are some shocking twist but ninety [percent of the time you can easily guess who it is. Like in the first hour, seemed pretty obvious Aubrey was going to be voted out because all the dominate tribe has talked about is how the returning players did not deserve to come back. Sure there was a chance the redhead ended up going with the all-chick alliance or Aubrey pulled out her Idol, but that turned out the case.

As for the second hour we had the very rare, I have no clue what was going to happen. We had five vs. five going into Tribal. Except Wendy was the only person who had not been with her tribe the whole time, and yet, she kind of hated her old tribe. Then it seemed like David and the redhead could very well switch instead of going to rock (anyone who goes to rocks is a moron, alliances do not matter anymore, just get yourself to tomorrow). Oh, and both Lauren and Wentworth have Idols.

Shockingly Wardog came up with a reasonable plan and even more shocking, it actually went off without a hitch. I mocked Wardog all episode for being the least athletic fit looking dude who could not even throw a bag despite a Yankee’s tattoo on his arm, but he somehow pulled that out of his noggin. Although all the whispering that we were not privy to via subtitles were a bit annoying. What exactly did David and Wendy talk about? Was that just a giant ruse? Did he try to sway her to vote with them? Get the name of who she was voting for? We will never know.

But we finally get the Edge of Extinction playing out next week. Crazy thing is, I was thinking if Aubrey is the player who returns (which is likely the producer’s pick) the former Manu could end up in the majority post merge. There are just four original Manu left, Aubrey would likely join them out of spite and bring Joe because he would also be targeted as a returning player and then they could recruit Aurora who also seemed on the out too. Then that would be seven to the remaining original Kama’s six. But if not Aubrey, will a former Manu player come back into the game bitter and will be fine at the bottom of Kama or try again with people who already booted them? Though the worst case scenario for everyone would be Wendy returning who would just be pure chaos.

Okay, one more group of questions: so do the losers that do not win their way back in the game go back to Edge of Extinction or are their torches snuffed again? Or is this going to be like Redemption Island where the deck is cleared and everyone post merge goes there and has a chance to come back in at around four left? Or are we done with Edge of Extinction?
You can download Survivor: Edge of Extinction on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of World: There is an old saying that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did but backwards and in heels. I thought of that this week because I believe every team had the chick walk backwards in this challenge. But I am really ready for Bear to be off my television screen. Just deport him to Ex on the Beach or something. But weird play from Wes. Targets the British alliance last week then burns a vote on one and votes in a very weak team. For a self-proclaimed genius, that seemed like a very weak play.
You can download The Challenge: War of Worlds on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists: Pretty Little Liars was a drag. They stretched out who was A way too long and just became a chore to watch the longer it went. So I was dreading watching the spin-off because the last one sucked. But then started explaining the plot of the first episode to someone: there is a dude who is dating a hot black chick, forking a hot Latina who he broke up with by letting her walking in on him forking some random which chick, oh yeah, and he is blackmailing the nerdy white dude he also forked. And then he was thrown off a building. Okay, that was kind of an awesome premiere. And I did not even get to the gay politician who got taped cheating on her wife with a dude. Hopefully they do not take five seasons to figure out who killed the guy.
You can download Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists on iTunes.

Deadly Class: Not one but two cliffhangers to end the season (especially considering the rating puts a renewal in the toss up category)? And just how did the cartel people know where everybody was?
You can download Deadly Class on iTunes.

Gotham: Mmm, an Al-Gul daughter plans an elaborate scheme to punish her father’s killer with the help of Bane… where have I heard that one before? And then why is the show taking a month off if there is just two episodes left? Just finish it now.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Doom Patrol: Well that got dark. But hey, the new Doom Patrol has one more member and a Cyborg so maybe that will even the odds in their next battle. But what exactly has Mr. Nobody been doing since that battle, just plotting for a couple decades?

Blindspot: Oh yeah, the evil therapist is still alive. For some reason I was thinking he was killed by an explosion. I guys the scars means he survived the blast.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

The Blacklist: So Red was able to bluff his way out of his execution and somehow also inadvertently uncovered the very conspiracy that was trying to kill him. Although now that he is out, isn’t he going to track down the person who put him in prison? And though Liz says she no longer cares who Red really is, what about her sister?
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: March 23, 2019

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 Action, A Life Among Monkeys, Tre Maison Dasan, bülow, Maggie Lindemann, We Are Columbine, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Looking For Alaska, and The Loudest Voice.

- Showtime has released the official trailer for its new four-part docu-series Action, premiering on Sunday, March 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Directed by Luke Korem, Action explores the legalization of sports gambling and its evolving impact on the industry following the landmark 2018 Supreme Court decision to lift a ban on sports betting. Peeling back the curtain on a once taboo industry during its most critical juncture, Action chronicles the lives of professional gamblers, bookies and oddsmakers throughout the 2018 NFL season, culminating with the biggest gambling day of the year, Super Bowl Sunday. The character-driven narrative delivers intimate access to a diverse cross-section of the sports gaming community and documents the effects of legalization through their prisms.


- Smithsonian Channel will introduce viewers to a class-conscious community of Sri Lankan monkeys in a new documentary to air during the network’s Wild Wednesday lineup. The one-hour special draws upon the remarkable work of Dr. Wolfgang Dittus, who has spent over 50 years studying the charismatic toque macaques of Sri Lanka, constituting the longest continuous monkey study in the world. Centered in the stunning ancient kingdom ruins of Polonnaruwa, A Life Among Monkeys reveals trials and tribulations of life in the intricate social order of toque macaques, documented for the first time thanks to Dr. Dittus’ pioneering work, and forces us to reevaluate what we thought we knew about primate societies. A Life Among Monkeys premieres Wednesday, April 24 at 9 PM ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

- Told directly through the children’s perspective, Tre Maison Dasan is an up-close and unfiltered look at the lives of three Rhode Island boys, each navigating childhood and adolescence with a parent behind bars. Each boy faces the pressure of growing up in a society that often demonizes their parents, provides little support for their families, and assumes “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Produced and directed by Denali Tiller, Tre Maison Dasan premieres on Independent Lens Monday, April 1, 2019, 10:00-11:00 PM ET (check local listings), and will also be available simultaneously for online streaming at pbs.org.

- JUNO Award winning, pop iconoclast bülow has announced the release of her new EP, Crystalline, on April 5th via Wax Records /Republic Records/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company. Music fans can listen to the EP’s debut single, “Sweet Little Lies,” here.

- Maggie Lindemann has been adventurously investigating her sound and identity since breaking through with the global pop smash 'Pretty Girl.' From that track's laser-sharp pop focus to the darker, revealingly vulnerable recent tracks ‘Human’ and ‘Would I,’ Maggie has demonstrated a brave desire to tackle bold new ideas while amassing over a billion streams.

- This April marks 20 years since tragedy unfolded at Columbine High School. Director and former student Laura Farber now brings us stories from those who lived it and how they’ve since dealt with the residual trauma in We Are Columbine, the new documentary playing this April in select cities along with a digital HD release April 9th. Offering a unique perspective, We Are Columbine follows four students who experienced one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Director Laura Farber, who was also a Columbine freshman at the time, sensitively captures her classmates' deeply personal and unique perspectives during an unprecedented walk-through of the school itself, shedding light on the complexity of a life impacted by violence and loss at a young age.

- Showtime has announced that Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful) has joined Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, the next chapter of the Penny Dreadful saga, in the series regular role of Dr. Peter Craft. Craft is a successful German pediatrician and the head of the German-American Bund, an organization he hopes will keep the United States isolated from the growing threat of war in Europe. The series also stars Natalie Dormer, Daniel Zovatto, Adriana Barraza, Jessica Garza, Johnathan Nieves and Tony® and Emmy® winner Nathan Lane. Tony and Golden Globe® award winner and three-time Oscar® nominee John Logan, the creator, writer and executive producer of the Emmy nominated series Penny Dreadful, continues in those same roles. Michael Aguilar (Kidding) also serves as executive producer. Production on the drama series is expected to begin later this year.

- Hulu’s upcoming (8-episode) limited series, Looking For Alaska, announces additional series regulars: Denny Love, Jay Lee, Landry Bender, Sofia Vassilieva, Uriah Shelton, and Jordan Connor. They join previously announced series regulars, Kristine Froseth and Charlie Plummer. The series comes from Paramount Television and Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire. Logline: The series is based on the John Green novel of the same name. It is told through the eyes of teenager Miles “Pudge” Halter (Plummer), as he enrolls in boarding school to try to gain a deeper perspective on life. He falls in love with a girl, Alaska Young (Froseth), and after her unexpected death, he and his close friends attempt to uncover the truth behind her death and make sense of it.

- Showtime has announced that Emmy and Golden Globe® nominated actor Josh Charles (The Good Wife) will play a recurring role in the network’s upcoming limited series The Loudest Voice about Fox News founder Roger Ailes. The series, led by Academy Award® and Golden Globe winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind), is based on extensive reporting by Gabriel Sherman in his bestselling book, The Loudest Voice in the Room. Production is currently underway in New York City. Charles will portray Casey Close, husband of former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson (Oscar® nominee Naomi Watts) and well-known sports agent, who tries to comfort his rattled wife and reassure her that her situation at Fox isn't as bad as she thinks.

2019 Spring Music Preview

When I did my Winter music preview, it resolved around us getting three new Ryan Adams albums this year. Ooops. Dude got #MeToo-ed and the first album has been indefinitely delayed. Granted this did not come to much of a surprise because, c'mon, we have known Adams has been a douche for quite a long time now. The first story I ever remember of him was that he once stopped a concert and refused to continue until a dude who shouted "Play Summer of '69" was kicked out. And there are a lot of stories of this guy being an unhinged mess. I remember an article for Jenny Lewis's last album (not the one being released tomorrow) which Adams produced songs for and I came away from this thinking, wow, this guy is bat-shirt crazy. Kind of makes me wonder why anyone get close to this guy in the first place. Oh well. There is still plenty of new music coming our way this spring. Here is what I will at the very least give a spin on Spotify. You can pre-order on Amazon by clicking on the title. Click the artist's name to be taken to their iTunes page.


Tomorrow
On the Line - Jenny Lewis
My Finest Work - Andrew Bird
No Words Left - Lucy Rose
100% Fresh - Adam Sandler

March 29
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? - Billie Eilish
Union - Son Volt
For the Many - UB40
Rattlesnake - The Strumbellas
You're the Man - Marvin Gaye
Stand Back: 1981-2017 - Stevie Nicks

April 5
Amidst the Chaos - Sara Bareilles

April 12
Begin Again - Norah Jones
Love Is All You Love - Band of Skulls
The Hurting Kind - John Paul White
This Wild Willing - Glen Hansard
My Happy Place - Emma Bunton
Absolute Zero - Bruce Hornsby

April 19
Jade Bird - Jade Bird
Akron, Ohio - Sad Planets
In Stereo - Bananarama

April 26
Thrilled To Be Here - BAILEN
In the End - The Cranberries

May 3
Father of the Bride - Vampire Weekend
Pep Talks - Judah and The Lion
Age of Unreason - Bad Religion
Dreaming Time Again - Corey Hart

May 10
Wah Gwaan?! - Shaggy
We Get By - Mavis Staples
Space Between - Sammy Hagar and The Circle

May 17
Living Mirage - The Head and the Heart
I Am Easy to Find - The National

May 24
40 - Stray Cats

May 31
Glazed - *repeat repeat

June 21
Keepsake - Hatchie


TBA
Bleachers
Chance the Rapper
Fiona Apple
Guns N' Roses
Selena Gomez
Tiffany Haddish

And of course, this could be the season Dr. Dre releases Detox.

Previewing The Act

Last summer Hulu premiered Castle Rock releasing a new episode every week. There were two just outstanding episodes over the course of the first that spawned countless think pieces across the internet. And that was the last time Hulu released one of its show one episode per week instead opting for the Netflix model of releasing full seasons at one time. I never quite understood this other than the thought, well Netflix is successful is at so we should do it too. Except if you subscribe to Hulu, you probably to it to watch last night’s episode of NBC, ABC, and Fox shows.

Almost a year later, it looks like Hulu is rethinking its release schedule. The first drama to release every show at once was The First which was already canceled. I do wonder if it had been more successful if it was released weekly. Much like Castle Rock there was a truly great episode in the middle except there were no think pieces about because when a show is released all at once, when exactly do you write it? Instead most critics wrote about the show once, said there was one great episode but the rest was mostly, meh, and that was about it. Though The First is the only show since canceled, only Light as a Feather has been renewed. And really shows aimed at teenagers and younger are probably the only shows Hulu should release all at once.

So starting with The Act, Hulu is, at least for now, is going back to a weekly release schedule. (The Handmaid’s Tale and Harlots will follow this spring and both have released weekly in their first two season so I would assume that will continue though no word on Catch-22 which premieres before them.) And really it will be better for it because you may need a full week to pull process each episode because The Act is completely messed up. And I mean that in the most complementary way possible.

The Act is another in an every growing trend of True Crime limited series and this series may have found the most bizarre true crime story in America’s history. The Buzzfeed article that brought the story to the masses says it all: “Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter to Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom to Be Murdered.” Patricia Arquette (who is back in a bad wig after winning an multiple end year awards for another pretty bizarre true crime story, Escape from Dannamora) plays Dee Dee who has been abusing her daughter with Munchausen syndrome by proxy for years. Gyspy is played Joey King (Ramona and Beezus) who is not going to make it easy for Arquette to also take home the Emmy where she may just compete against herself and King. Really, these two going out it in every scene going for that Emmy is going to be as compelling as every March Madness game this year. I might just give it to King by a hair because she literally has none for this role because Dee Dee told Gypsy she was so sick she could not grow any and shaved her regularly.

That Buzzfeed title is not really that spoilery for those unfamiliar with the case because there are flash forwards in the premiere where we see a lifeless Dee Dee with multiple stab wounds in her back. This act took place in 2015 while the first episode flashes back seven years when two New Orleans are built a new how in Missouri by Habitat for Humanity after being displaced by Katrina. Gypsy gets medicine and food injected through her belly and wears a mask to sleep. She also has the largest medicine cabinet you may ever see. And of course early in the show Gypsy has to be taken to the Emergency Room, her seventh time that year and it is not even summer year.

But this is the time of a young girl’s life where they are starting to be old enough to think about best friends, boyfriends. Or so one would assume, it is unclear just how old Gypsy is. Dee Dee is really exploiting records being destroying in Katrina to put Gypsy’s age in doubt. But Gypsy is now smart enough to clear the browsing history. One friend that presents herself is AnnaSophia Robb (Race to Witch Mountain) who lives across the street with her mother Chloë Sevigny (American Psycho).

Each episode of The Act opens with the tag “Based on real event” but I also found it interesting that each episode end with, “While this program is based on real events, some scenes and characters have been dramatized or fictionalized.” Which kind of leads me to wonder what exactly is real and what is not? I remember watching Hidden Figures last year and was disappointed to learn afterwards that the best part of the movie, when Kevin Costner tore down the “Colors Bathroom” sign, never actually happened because that character he did that for did not actually had to go across campus to use the restroom she was allowed to go in. Fake or real, The Act is creepy as it gets and I cannot wait to see how it fully unfurls and actually write about it every week.

New episodes of The Act premiere on Hulu every Wednesday. The first two episodes are available now.