Around the Tubes: January 18, 2020

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 Pearl Jam, Oh Wonder, Chelsea Cutler, Neneh Cherry, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Black Monday, Shrill, The Chi, Flack, Billions, One Day at a Time, COOKED: Survival by Zip Code, VICE, Big Cat Country, Mother Mary, The L Word: Generation Q, and Work in Progress.

- Pearl Jam will release their much-anticipated eleventh studio album, Gigaton, on Monkeywrench Records/Republic Records on March 27, 2020 in the US. Internationally, the album will be released and distributed by Universal Music Group. Produced by Josh Evans and Pearl Jam, Gigaton marks the band’s first studio album since GRAMMY award-winning Lightning Bolt, which was released on October 15, 2013. Gigaton is available for pre-order now at pearljam.com. The first single, “Dance of the Clairvoyants”, will be released in the coming weeks.

- Oh Wonder premieres the video for their latest single “Happy”—watch HERE! The duo’s fast-approaching third album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, is set for release on February 7th. Oh Wonder has also unveiled international dates for the “Wear Your Crown Tour,” which is on sale now at www.ohwondermusic.com.

- Singer, songwriter and producer Chelsea Cutler’s highly anticipated debut album, How To Be Human, is out now via Republic Records—listen HERE! The 16-track album features Chelsea’s latest single, “Sad Tonight,” written by Cutler and produced by the renowned creative team Captain Cuts. The song is accompanied by the official video, shot by award-winning director Drew Kirsch (“You Need To Calm Down,” “Lover”), out now—watch HERE! Chelsea will make her debut late night television appearance performing “Sad Tonight” on Late Night with Seth Meyers on January 23rd.

- Neneh Cherry continually draws inspiration from her surroundings. In the late ‘80s, she traversed between post-punk London nightlife and the burgeoning hip-hop movement in New York. Capturing these unique experiences, and also shaped by the influence of her musical family, she exploded onto the pop music landscape by closing out the ‘80s with her internationally acclaimed debut album, Raw Like Sushi. This melting pot of musical styles and streetwise lyrics that take on life and love with equal parts tenderness and toughness is set for a 30th Anniversary celebration befitting its global impact.

- Showtime has announced today that the highly anticipated series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels will premiere on Sunday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The series stars Tony® and Emmy® winner Nathan Lane, Natalie Dormer, Daniel Zovatto, Kerry Bishé, Rory Kinnear, Adriana Barraza, Michael Gladis, Jessica Garza and Johnathan Nieves. Tony and Golden Globe® 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. The series is currently in production in Los Angeles.


- Showtime has announced that the ten-episode second season of its acclaimed comedy series Black Monday will debut with back-to-back episodes each week beginning on Sunday, March 15th from 10 to 11 p.m. ET/PT. The series is executive produced by Emmy® nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Don Cheadle, who stars with two-time Tony Award nominee and Grammy® winner Andrew Rannells (Girls), Regina Hall (Little, Girls Trip) and Screen Actors Guild® Award winner Paul Scheer (Veep). The series is created by showrunners and executive producers David Caspe (Happy Endings) and Jordan Cahan (My Best Friend’s Girl). Emmy nominees Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Good Boys, The Boys) serve as executive producers.


- After facing her demons – her mom, her boss and, of course, her troll – Annie starts the season feeling pretty good with boyfriend Ryan by her side. That is, until she realizes that hastily quitting her job and jumping into a relationship with someone who is, well, a little less career-focused may not have been the best idea. Shrill (starring Aidy Bryant) returns with eight all-new episodes Friday, January 24, only on Hulu.


- Showtime has announced that the third season of its drama series The Chi, which will feature series creator and Emmy® winner Lena Waithe (Queen & Slim, Boomerang) in a multi-episode arc as a Chicago mayoral candidate, will debut on Sunday, July 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.


- Crisis averted! Pop TV today announced the return of the dark comedy Flack, set in the world of a celebrity crisis PR firm, starring Academy Award® and Golden Globe® winner and Emmy®-nominated actress Anna Paquin (True Blood, The Affair on Showtime®). The six-episode season will premiere on Friday, March 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and features new cast members Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor Sam Neill, Screen Actors Guild Award® winner Daniel Dae Kim and guest star Emmy-winner Martha Plimpton. Executive Producer Stephen Moyer will direct two of the season’s episodes. Pop TV will make the entire second season available on its app Pop Now and via cable and satellite video on demand after the Network premieres the first episode.

- Showtime announced that season five of the hit drama series Billions will premiere on Sunday, May 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Starring Oscar® nominee and Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Paul Giamatti and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis, Billions is currently in production in New York. As previously announced, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) and Golden Globe nominee Corey Stoll (House of Cards) will guest star in multiple episodes of the fifth season.

- Showtime has announced that it has picked up an 11th and final season of its hit comedy series Shameless, premiering this summer. Shameless, which originally premiered in the winter of 2011, ranks as the network’s no. 1 comedy, its longest-running series and has the youngest-skewing audience of any Showtime series. Season 10 of Shameless, which will finale on Sunday, January 26, has been averaging 5.7 million weekly viewers across platforms.

- After a celebrated new season pickup following a passionate fan campaign, Pop TV today announced that the acclaimed series One Day at a Time, will return on Tuesday, March 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, following all new-episodes of the final season of Schitt’s Creek before moving to 9 p.m. ET/PT, starting on April 14.

- The new feature documentary COOKED: Survival by Zip Code, a searing exploration into the politics of “disaster,” blends investigative reporting about the deadly 1995 Chicago heat wave with a potent argument that the best preparation for a disaster may start with investing in racial and economic justice. COOKED: Survival by Zip Code will have its national television debut on the PBS television series Independent Lens on Monday, February 3 at 10:00 pm (check local listings), preceding coverage of the Iowa Caucuses. The film will also be available to stream at PBS.org and on the free PBS Video App throughout Black History Month.

- Showtime announced that the Emmy®-winning documentary series VICE, known for delivering longform, on-the-ground journalism and newsworthy explorations of our world today, will premiere across all Showtime platforms on Sunday, March 29, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The 13-episode season will continue to air weekly on Sundays. The series has delivered crucial in-depth journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, including civil uprisings in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and beyond, and has provided perspective on some of the world’s most pressing issues, from LGBTQ rights and the climate crisis to immigration and gun control.

- In Zambia’s Luangwa Valley, two neighboring prides have held their land for generations – the Hollywood pride, consisting of six female lions and the once-powerful MK pride, made up of 17 lions. Both prides now face a gang of young males aggressively looking to takeover new territory. Smithsonian Channel’s Big Cat Country exposes every triumph and tragedy as the two prides struggle to withstand the young males’ invasion and maintain control of their land. Can they survive the greatest challenge of their lives? Find out when the captivating six-part series premieres Wednesday, February 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

- #Blessed. Pop TV this week announced that it has ordered the miraculous new comedy pilot Mother Mary, a modern twist on one of the famous stories ever told. The project is conceived by CBS Television Studios, written by Casey Feigh (What We Do in the Shadows), Dan Gregor (How I Met Your Mother) and Betsy Sodaro (Disjointed) and executive produced by Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) along with Tony Hernandez and Brooke Posch of Jax Media (Broad City, Russian Doll, FLORIDA GIRLS), and Feigh, Gregor and Sodaro. The pilot joins the Network’s slate of bold comedies with a point of view including SCHITT’S CREEK, ONE DAY AT A TIME and FLORIDA GIRLS.

- Showtime has ordered a ten-episode second season of The L Word: Generation Q, the sequel to the groundbreaking drama series THE L WORD®. Season one has followed the intermingled lives of Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals), Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig) and Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey), along with new characters Dani Nùñez (Arienne Mandi), Micah Lee (Leo Sheng), Finley (Jacqueline Toboni), Sophie Suarez (Rosanny Zayas) and Gigi (Sepideh Moafi), as they experience love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in L.A. Currently airing Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, season one is executive produced by showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan (The Four-Faced Liar, 6 Balloons), with series creator Ilene Chaiken, Kristen Campo, Allyce Ozarski, Steph Green (pilot), and original series stars Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey. The season finale is set to air on January 26.

- Showtime has picked up a second season of the critically acclaimed comedy series Work in Progress. Created and written by Chicago improv mainstays Abby McEnany and Tim Mason and co-written by Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix), the series stars McEnany as a fictionalized version of herself whose misfortune and despair unexpectedly lead her to a vibrantly transformative relationship. The ten-episode second season will be entirely written, shot and produced in Chicago this year. Season one currently airs on Sundays at 11 p.m. ET/PT, with its season finale set to air January 26.

Hulu TCA Announcements - Little Fires Everywhere, High Fidelity, Normal People, and The Great Trailers

Today, during the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour at The Langham Pasadena, Hulu’s Senior Vice President of Originals, Craig Erwich, presented the company’s lineup of upcoming original programming including Little Fires Everywhere from Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, High Fidelity starring Zoë Kravitz, the television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel Normal People and Catherine The Great comedic drama The Great, featuring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult -- all of which will join the company’s growing slate of premium Original content.


Erwich also announced an upcoming comedy series starring Oscar® and Emmy Award® winning actor Steve Martin and Emmy Award® winning comedian Martin Short. From This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman and co-created by John Hoffman and Steve Martin, the untitled new series puts a hilarious spin on the ever-popular true crime genre. The comedy will join Hulu’s reputable slate of comedic television including Shrill, Ramy and Pen15.


“Hulu’s success in Original content is driven by highly curated programming from world class talent, said Craig Erwich, SVP of Originals, Hulu. “From the Steve Martin project, second series orders of Ramy and Dollface, to shows like Little Fires Everywhere, our momentum in original content is stronger than ever.”


As the fastest growing major SVOD service in the U.S., Hulu has gained remarkable momentum over the past year. In 2019, the streaming platform saw a 70% increase in engagement (total hours watched) with its original programming and Hulu Originals continue to drive conversation, more than doubling social media engagement year-over-year.


Announcements revealed from Hulu today include:

Hulu Orders Straight-to-Series Comedy Starring Steve Martin and Martin Short from 20th Century Fox Television

The untitled comedy about three strangers who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one, hails from co-creators and writers, Steve Martin and John Hoffman (Grace & Frankie, Looking). Martin and Hoffman will executive produce along with This is Us creator Dan Fogelman, Jess Rosenthal (This is Us) and Martin Short.


Company Renews Hulu Originals Wu-Tang: An American Saga and Dollface For Sophomore Seasons

Following a successful first season, Hulu announced today the renewal of Wu-Tang: An American Saga. Based on one of the most influential music groups in hip-hop history, the Wu-Tang Clan, the series chronicles the history and formation behind the music group as they deal with the daily struggle of balancing their music career amidst the drug induced early 90’s.

Wu-Tang: An American Saga stars Ashton Sanders, Shameik Moore, Dave East, Siddiq Saunderson, Marcus Callender, Julian Elijah Martinez, Zolee Griggs, Erika Alexander, TJ Atoms and Johnell Young.

The series is created and written by Alex Tse and The RZA and executive produced by Brian Grazer, Tse, The RZA, Method Man, Francie Calfo and Samie Kim Falvey. Wu-Tang: An American Saga is produced by Imagine Television Studios.

New episodes of Dollface come to Hulu after a stellar first season, serving as the best performing new binge series for subscriber engagement amongst Hulu Originals in 2019. The original comedy series follows Jules (Kat Dennings), a young vibrant woman who is dealing with the aftermath of being dumped by her boyfriend. With a broken heart, Jules battles her own imagination in order to literally and metaphorically re-enter the world of women, with friendships she left behind and the new battle of dating post breakup.

Dollface stars Kat Dennings, Brenda Song, Shay Mitchell and Esther Povitsky. The series was created by Jordan Weiss, who served as an executive producer alongside showrunner Ira Ungerleider; Margot Robbie, Brett Hedblom and Tom Ackerley for LuckyChap Entertainment; Bryan Unkeless and Scott Morgan for Screen Arcade; Kat Dennings; Nicole King and Stephanie Laing. Dollface is produced by ABC Signature Studios, part of Disney Television Studios.

Company Strengthens Kids Programming Slate with DreamWorks Animation Originals Part of New Multi-Year Streaming Deal

As a new streaming home to future slates of DreamWorks Animation feature and library films, as well as brand-new original series, Hulu announced the first three premieres to be Hulu Originals in 2020: Madagascar: A Little Wild, TrollsTopia and The Mighty Ones.

Loveable foursome Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo steal the show in Madagascar: A Little Wild, executive produced by Johanna Stein (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny). Capturing the iconic personalities of each of the four dynamos, Madagascar: A Little Wild showcases the team as kids residing in their rescue habitat at the Central Park Zoo. They might be small, but like everybody who lands in New York City, these little guys have big dreams and Madagascar: A Little Wild will follow all of their adventures.

TrollsTopia will be a new original based off the famous Trolls franchise following Poppy and other enchanting characters from the upcoming feature film Trolls World Tour.

In every backyard, a secret world exists filled with tiny creatures. The Mighty Ones, follows the hilarious adventures of a group of creatures: a twig, a pebble, a leaf and a strawberry. These best friends, self-named The Mighty Ones, live in an unkempt backyard belonging to a trio of equally unkempt humans whom they mistake for gods. Despite their diminutive stature, The Mighty Ones are determined to live life large and always have fun in their wild world. The series is executive produced by Sunil Hall (Pickle and Peanut) and Lynne Naylor-Reccardi (Samurai Jack).


Hulu Reveals Premiere Dates for Upcoming 2020 Hulu Originals The Great, Ramy and Solar Opposites

The much-anticipated series from Oscar-nominated writer Tony McNamara (THE FAVOURITE), The Great debuts on Hulu on Friday, May 15. The comedy series chronicles the genre-bending, anti-historical ride through 18th Century Russia and follows the wildly comedic rise of Catherine the Nothing to Catherine the Great. The series stars Elle Fanning as Catherine, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, Gwilym Lee, Charity Wakefield, Douglas Hodge and Sacha Shawan.

The Great is created, written and executive produced by Tony McNamara and executive produced by Marian Macgowan, Thruline’s Josh Kesselman and Ron West, Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding, Elle Fanning, Mark Winemaker and Matt Shakman. The project is produced by Civic Center Media in association with MRC Television.


The Golden Globe® Award-winning actor Ramy Youssef returns to Hulu for his critically acclaimed performance in the Hulu Original comedy series Ramy. All 10 episodes of the new season will debut on Friday, May 29. The series follows first-generation, Egyptian-American Ramy Hassan (Ramy Youssef) who is on a spiritual journey in his politically divided New Jersey neighborhood. Ramy brings a new perspective to the screen as it explores the challenges of what it’s like to be caught between a religious community who believes life is a moral test, and a millennial generation that doubts an afterlife even exists. In the second season, Ramy delves further into his spiritual journey, finding a new Muslim community and embracing a deeper commitment to his faith.

Alongside Youssef, the new season will also have a special guest star, two-time Academy Award ® and Golden Globe ® Award-winner Mahershala Ali. The series also features Mohammed Amer, Hiam Abbass, Amr Waked, May Calamawy, Dave Merheje, Laith Nakli and Steve Way. Ramy is written, executive produced, created by and starring Ramy Youssef, executive produced by A24’s Ravi Nandan, co-creators Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, Jerrod Carmichael, and produced by A24.

Co-created by Justin Roiland (Rick & Morty) and Mike McMahan (Rick & Morty, Star Trek: Lower Decks), Solar Opposites centers around a family of aliens from a better world who must take refuge in middle America. They disagree on whether Earth is awful or awesome. All eight episodes of the series will debut on Hulu on Friday, May 8.

Solar Opposites stars voice actors Justin Roiland, Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone and Mary Mack. The series is executive produced by Roiland and McMahan alongside Josh Bycel and is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

Winter 2020 Music Preview

When I did my list of the most anticipated events of this year, I included a mostly optimistic hope that there will be a return of rock music. Then a couple days later, Pearl Jam announced there were another band from the hey day of rock to release an album early this year. Will they, or any of these rock bands make any dent on the singles chart (they will undoubtedly chart very high on the albums chart before falling off)? Probably not because legacy artists just do not make much of a mark on pop culture anymore (except for when, sat, Drake samples Lauryn Hill). The comeback used to be a huge part of the music biz. Even Donny Osmond manged a hit in the late eighties. But i do not think that has really happened since maybe Santana. It is weird how big nostalgia is except on the pop charts. Oh well, I will at least give all these rock albums a spin of Spotify as well as these albums:

Last Week
Rare - Selena Gomez
Lonely Generation - Echosmith
3 Joints - Redman

This Week
Nightfall - Little Big Town

January 31
The Unraveling - Drive By Truckers
Trio Sessions: Vol.1 - Joseph

February 7
Father of All... - Green Day
Half Moon Light - The Lone Bellow
No One Else Can Wear Your Crown - Oh Wonder
Far From Home - Aubrey Sellers
Never Not Together - Nada Surf
Limitless - Richard Marx
Perdida - Stone Temple Pilots
Goodbye Tour - Live 1968 - Cream

February 14
Weather - Huey Lewis and the News
And it's Still Alright - Nathaniel Ratliff
White Ladder (20th Anniversary Edition) - David Gray

February 28
Saturn Returns - The Secret Sisters
Color Theory - Soccer Mommy

March 6
Silver Landings - Mandy Moore
Superstar - Caroline Rose
Carnivore - Body Count

March 13
Endless Dream - Peter, Bjorn, and John
Healer - Grouplovve

March 20
The Light - Delta Rae

March 27
Gigaton - Pearl Jam
Local Honey -Brian Fallon

April 3
Migration Stories - M. Ward

April 24
Notes on a Conditional Form - The 1975

May 15
Van Weezer - Weezer


TBA
Imploding the Mirage- The Killers
RTJ4 - Run the Jewels
Recover - The Naked and Famous
Serpintine Prison - Matt Berninger
Adele
Billie Eilish
Bleachers
Bruce Springsteen
Bruno Mars
Dixie Chicks
Foo Fighters
Haim
Hayley Williams
Liz Phair
Nathaniel Rateliff
Portugal. The Man
Rihanna
The Weeknd

Of course this could also be the decade that Dr. Dre releases Detox.

The 50 Best Music Videos of 2019

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


2. Summer Girl - HAIM


3. I Get No Joy - Jade Bird


4. bad guy - Billie Eilish


5. Cops Shot the Kid - Nas, Kanye West


6. Lose You To Love Me - Selena Gomez

7. Lonely Generation - Echosmith

8. 7 rings - Ariana Grande

9. antisocial - Ed Sherran featuring Trais Scott

10. Prophet - King Princess

11. Afterlife - Hailee Steinfeld

12. Land of The Free - The Killers

13. Go - The Black Keys

14. 555 - Jimmy Eat World

15. GIRL - Maren Morris

16. Screwed - Janelle Monáe featuring Zoë Kravitz

17. Good as Hell - Lizzo

18. Harmony Hall - Vampire Weekend

19. Sing Along - Sturgill Simpson

20. Swan Song (From the Motion Picture Alita: Battle Angel") - Dua Lipa

21. White Mercedes - Charli XCX

22. Now I'm In It - HAIM

23. Lover - Taylor Swift

24. My Motto - Jade Bird

25. Used to Be - Anna of the North

26. This Is On You - Maisie Peters

27. Sisyphus - Andrew Bird

28. Party For One - Carly Rae Jepsen

29. ME! - Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco

30. Raise a Man - Alicia Keys

31. Hey Rosie - The National

32. Fire - Sara Bareilles

33. The Hunger - Bat for Lashes

34. Take On Me - Weezer

35. Stay Young - Maisie Peters

36. Sugar Coat - Little Big Town

37. Sunflower - Vampire Weekend featuring Steve Lacy

38. This Land - Gary Clark Jr.

39. Don’t Call Me Angel (Charlie’s Angels) - Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey

40. Truth Hurts - Lizzo

41. Look at Her Now - Selena Gomez

42. Western World - LION BABE featuring Raekwon

43. You Mean the Wold to Me - Freya Ridings

44. MONOPOLY - Ariana Grande with Victoria Monét

45. Lost in the Woods - Weezer Version - Weezer

46. Spirit - Beyonce

47. I Remember - Betty Who

48. break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored - Ariana Grande

49. Doin' Time - Lana Del Rey

50. You Need to Calm Down - Taylor Swift

The Twenty-Five Worst Songs of 2019

For the past fifteen years I have been counting down the forty songs that annoy me the most each year. I originally chose that number because of the Top 40 format where most of the songs came with. As the years go by I have been finding it harder and harder to come up with forty songs because I stopped listening to the radio a decade ago as I switched to streaming and podcast when I used to scan the dial so it is just easier to avoid crap. I hear the bad songs once on Spotify's New Music Friday playlist, skip them after five seconds and never think about them again> I believe the worst songs should be ones I can think of off the top of my head so I do not go looking for crap. I saw something called Lil' Dicky on a bunch of worst lists, but I never heard and have no interest in finding out how bad it is. So for the first time, I limited my Worsts Songs of the Year list to twenty-five which may be apropos because most Top 40 radio stations do not even play that many songs nowadays. But here are those songs that did annoy the fork out of me over the past twelve months:

1. Old Town Road - Remix - Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey and Young Thug

2. Old Town Road (Remix) - Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

3. Old Town Road (Diplo Remix) - Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

4. Old Town Road - Lil Nas X

5. Old Town Toad - Soul Town Road Remix - Lil Nas X featuring RM of BTS

6. Baby Shark - Pink Fong

7. Cattitude - Miley Cyrus featuring RuPaul

8. No Guidance - Chris brown featuring Drake

9. Into the Unknown - Panic! At the Disco

10. Dumb Blonde - Avril Lavigne featuring Nicki Minaj

11. Hell Right - Blake Shelton featuring Trace Atkins

12. Going Bad - Meek Mill featuring Drake

13. I Don't Care - Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Beiber

14. Senorita - Camila Caballo and Shawn Mendez

15. Sunflower - Post Malone and Swae Lee

16. Sweet But Psycho - Ava Max

17. Wobble Up - Chris Brown featuring Nicki Minaj and G-Eazy

18. Clap Back - Iggy Azalea

19. Knockin Boots - Luke Bryan

20. Panini - Lil Nas X

21. Light It Up - Marshmello featuring Chris Brown

22. If I Can’t Have You - Shawn Mendez

23. Memories - Maroon 5

24. Beautiful - Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello

25. Closed on Sunday - Kanye West

57 Channels and Only This is On: January 11, 2020

Ray Donovan: Oh snap, Smitty was wearing a wire. Although it is not like the first time Ray got caught by law enforcement. I believe the FBI owned him for a couple seasons so I am sure he will somehow weasel his way out of this even though he is on tape admitting to shooting a cop. Maybe he will finally give up his father. But I do not see Smitty making it to the end of the season, but will it be Ray or Bridget who does it? But I was surprised that that one dude implied that Succession daddy had something to do with Ray’s sister’s death and Ray did not go straight to the source. Did the guy stage the suicide? Did he do something that made Bridget so guilty to commit suicide? I guess they are saving that for the finale because obviously Ray will not be going to jail or at the very least will not be staying there long.

Dare Me: So in the dead of night, shooting into two headlights from maybe twenty yards away though a windshield, that chick’s camera phone could clearly show the faces of two people in the cab of a truck? My camera phone is not good with some bomb lighting. Granted I do not have a sugar daddy who will buy me a new one whenever I lose one. I know ads like to hype how well their cameras are but I have yet to actually see one that good.

Shameless: Frank went to college for ten years? Where did he get the money? Was he just making that part up and the lady did not smash the Oxy because she just did not know? And just how did Frank end up in a car with a college football player and crack?

Manifest: Oh, wow, I kind of actually remember the black dude at the end. I believe he was a federal agent that got blew up. Of course, that begs the question, how the fork is he still alive?

Stumptown: So Dex is this army-trained soldier that we have seen take down multiple dudes at a time, but she has trouble with an old Asian dude? Unless that was Mr. Miyagi, it should not been that hard.
You can download Stumptown on iTunes.

Vikings: Stabbing someone with your barely still there shield and then finishing them off with their own sword had to be one of the greatest ways to kill someone. But to put up that kind of fight only be killed by a crazy person trying to kill a serpent was a sad way to go. But then again, she did kill his mother if I remember correctly. Then what is the Russian dude up to? It is still hard to believe that Ivar’s dead wife looks like his betrothed and he would mount her in front of him, but how could he know and how could he make her look like the dead wife?

The Good Place: So when Timothy Olyphant popped up, I commented on social media that this will already be the best cameo of the year, unless of course Scone Cold Steve Austin shows up in the finale. Then someone pointed out that Blake Bortales would beat them both. I am an idiot.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: January 11, 2020

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 Who Will Write Our History, Utopia Falls, Bob Seger, Oh Wonder, Our Cartoon President, I Got You Babe: The Best of Sonny & Cher, and The Binge Watchers Guide to Doctor Who.

- In November 1940, days after the Nazis sealed 450,000 Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, a secret band of journalists, scholars and community leaders decided to fight back. Led by historian Emanuel Ringelblum and known by the code name Oyneg Shabes, this clandestine group vowed to defeat Nazi lies and propaganda not with guns or fists, but with pen and paper. Now, for the first time, their story is told in the documentary Who Will Write Our History. Featuring the voices of three-time Academy Award® nominee Joan Allen and Academy Award® winner Adrian Brody, Who Will Write Our History mixes the writings of the Oyneg Shabes archive with new interviews, rarely seen footage and stunning dramatizations (shot on location in Lodz and Warsaw, Poland) to transport audiences inside the Ghetto and the lives of these courageous resistance fighters. Premiering to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Who Will Write Our History debuts SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 3 pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel and on Discovery Go. In addition, the film will air on multiple Discovery owned networks around the world.

- Imagine a world with no past – only a future. Without a history, we are all equal… or are we? Hulu, in partnership with Sonar Entertainment, announced today the premiere of original teen sci-fi drama Utopia Falls. Infused with music and dance, all 10 one-hour episodes of the Hulu Original series hit the streaming service on February 14. Set in the not-too-distant future, amidst the charred ruins of Earth, Utopia Falls follows a group of teens chosen to compete in the prestigious Exemplar performing arts competition in the seemingly idyllic colony of New Babyl. When they stumble upon a hidden archive of cultural relics, they are forced to question everything they have been taught, ultimately using the power of music to ignite change and expose the truth. Showcasing a variety of musical genres and dance styles (Hip Hop, Pop, Latin, House, Classical, Indigenous, among others), and featuring themes of afrofuturism, youth activism, and eco-awareness, Utopia Falls is the first ever performance based sci-fi series for culturally diverse and socially and politically minded young audiences.

- Capitol Records/UMe is pleased to announce the debut of Bob Seger’s official artist channel on YouTube with the premiere of the brand new lyric video for “Night Moves.” The video is the first of a series of lyric videos Capitol is producing to highlight Seger's classic hits. One of Seger's most popular tracks, "Night Moves" was named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of The 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. The Bob Seger Official Artist Channel will also premiere rare and classic Seger music videos restored for the first time in HD, and feature custom playlists of Seger's catalog in HD quality audio, fan generated videos, as well as rare and unreleased content. Fans around the world can share their favorite Seger stories on the channel's Community page. Bob Seger's new Official Artist Channel - to Subscribe for Free click here

- Oh Wonder welcomes you warmly into 2020 with their brand new single “Happy” out today—listen HERE! The new track arrives just weeks before the band’s fast-approaching third album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, is released on February 7th. The duo has also unveiled international dates for the “Wear Your Crown Tour,” which is on sale now at ohwondermusic.com. See a full list of dates below.

- The Showtime animated series Our Cartoon President will return for its third season on Sunday, January 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime. Executive produced by multiple Emmy® winner Stephen Colbert, showrunner R.J. Fried and Late Show executive producer Chris Licht, Our Cartoon President kicks open the doors of the White House for a satirical look at President Trump, his family and the power players in Washington, D.C. and beyond. Season three order includes 18, 30-minute episodes, with 10 episodes airing until March 29th, and returning with 8 episodes to air this fall tied to the 2020 Presidential election.

- When Salvatore "Sonny" Bono and Cherilyn "Cher" Sarkisian came together it was undeniably magical. America first knew them as the duo behind the classic hit "I Got You Babe," and their popularity exploded with the '70s smash variety show The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. The perfect match on stage and off, millions of fans tuned in each week to watch the sparks fly and see what Cher was (or wasn't!) wearing and the show quickly became essential viewing. Now, this February, the TV DVD archivists at Time Life open wide the Classic TV vaults for a very special collection of one of the '70s hippest, goofiest and most fondly remembered TV variety programs with I Got You Babe: The Best of Sonny & Cher. The Hilarious Beat Goes on with This Nostalgia-Filled 5-Disc Collector's Set, Available on February 11, 2020 and Packed with Never-Before-Released Episodes of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, Incredible Guest Stars and Exclusive Extras Including a Brand-New Interview with Cher Herself!

- Riverdale Avenue Books has published the first book in the new series The Binge Watchers Guide to Doctor Who, featuring Jodi Whittaker’s Doctor, just in time for the international premier of the new season on January 1. The new line of books is dedicated to pop culture phenomenon from movies to TV shows and will include titles on the films of Harry Potter, Friends, Golden Girls, The Handmaid’s Tale, Riverdale, American Horror Story, Black Mirror, etc. The first book in the series, The Binge Watcher's Guide to Doctor Who, Season 11 by Mackenzie Flohr, will take readers on a journey through time and space, showing how Doctor Who became the longest-running show on television by weaving through its history, starting with the current incarnation of the Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker. The book will examine the impact of having the first female Doctor in the show’s five decade-long history among fans and critics as well as In addition to exploring the details of creating this season of the show, the book will examine the impact of having the first female Doctor in the show’s five decade-long history among fans and critics, as well as include exclusive, never-before-seen interviews with Wendy Abrahams, Beth Axford, Christian Basel, Will Brooks, Ken Deep, Stephen Hatcher, Krystal Moore, David Solomons and Alisa Stern.

- Oscar® winner John Ridley (12 Years A Slave, GUERRILLA) is joining the upcoming Showtime untitled musical drama series as executive producer, writer and director. 15-time Grammy® winner Alicia Keys serves as executive producer along with the Oscar, Tony® and Grammy winning team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman), who will also contribute music. The project centers on an emotionally complex family story that spans generations and threatens the fabric of the community in present day Milwaukee.

The Ten Most Anticipated Events of 2020

10. Ghotbusters: Afterlife (July 10) / Bill and Ted Face the Music (August 21): Two ionic eighties comedies with questionable sequels will be getting a third movie almost three decades later. Ghostbusters looks like it will be a soft reboot with Paul Rudd and a bunch of kids taking the lead but the three original Ghostbusters are supposed to nr showing up (RIP Harold Ramis). While Bill and Ted now have teenaged daughters and we now live in a world where rock, which they were supposed to be the saviors of in the first film, is pretty much dead. I am cautiously optimistic of both.

9. The Return of Rock?: Or maybe the return of Bill and Ted will bring the return of rock. The fall was when all the big albums were released but with no one even buying CD’s as Christmas gifts anymore, we are getting a few big names releasing albums early this year. Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots (2/7), Huey Lewis and the News (2/14), The 1975 (2/21), Body Count (3/6), Weezer (5/15) all have release dates with possible albums by Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers (with John Fruscianti back for the first time since… well they last had a hit song), The Killers, and The Offspring. Last decade was pretty dire for rock music with Imagine Dragons taking the top three spots with Twenty-One Pilots taking three other places in the top ten. Will any of the great rock band of yesteryear regain some traction or are we just doomed for the watered down hybrid sound for another ten years? Well at least a reunited Rage Against the Machine are headlining Cochella this year so while we may not get much great rock this year, the acts I mentioned at least have a deep catalogue to return to so I guess rock will always live on.

8. West Side Story (December 18) / High Fidelity (February 14, Hulu): Two things that may not seem like they have a lot in common but they are both IP that were adapted into all-time great movies that will be getting remakes this season that, again, will be going into the cautiously optimistic basket. At least High Fidelity is not another attempt at a movie but instead is being turned into a show starring Zoe Kravitz whose mother Lisa Bonet was in the movie.

7. Little Fires Everywhere (March 18, Hulu): Reese Witherspoon is going for the prestige TV trifecta with her third book adaptation in four years with Big Little Lies on HBO, The Morning Show on Apple+, and now her third book turned show Little Fires Everywhere. The show is set in nineties Cleveland and also star Kerry Washington. Oh, and it premiere on my birthday. Fun times.


6. Snowpiercer (TBA, TNT… maybe): What a weird trip this show has taken to make it to air and we still do not have an airdate. TNT ordered the show back in 2016. It started filming in 2017 but delays took it over a year to finish filming. Then in May of last year it was announced the show would be moving TBS because it seemed like TNT was getting out of the scripted game (another long in development show got shipped off to the upcoming HBO Max), but then switched back to TNT in October. Despite all the turmoil, the show has already been renewed for a second season which has already started filming. Now when I first saw the film, I liked it but I thought it would have been better as a television show with each episode featuring on a different car on the train so hopefully after over three years of waiting we will finally get to see it.

5. The Olympics (July 24): My favorite two weeks of every two years. Where we get to see weird sports and wonder why things like Handball do not get more airtime in off Olympic years. It is a little of a downer that much of the events will be taking place while most of this hemisphere will be asleep. Though 8:00 PM EST is 10:00 AM Tokyo time so maybe we will be getting some early live morning events in primetime. This Olympics will see the return of baseball/softball for the first time since 2008, and new events karate, sports climbing, surfing, and skateboarding.

4. How do The Good Place (returning January 9, NBC) / Homeland (February 9, Showtime) End?: It is the end of the era with two all-time great first seasons. The Good Place has been steadily good since while Homeland fell off a cliff in season three before finally finding a solid footing except for that season where we had to watch Peter Quinn slowly die (man this show waits way too long to kill off characters way past their usefulness). We last saw Carrie completely broken after months in a Russian gulag and Eleanor was last seen waking up her soulmate who is the last chance to save humanity. Should not be hard for someone who loves decisions as much as Chidi.


3. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (premiere January 7, then timeslot premiere February 16, NBC): It has not been a good year for the Pitch Perfect cast, Britany Snow’s Almost Family and Anna Camp’s Perfect Harmony are putting up CW type numbers, the last hope (baring some streamer saving one of those two) is Skylar Astin whose new show, like his wife’s Camp’s show, involves singing, but instead of a choir, Astin works with Jane Levy who hears other people’s thoughts through elaborate song and dance numbers. Awesome. Hopefully this survives somehow. But it will be nicce to see Suburgatory's Jane Levy going back to doing something fun after being a scream queen for the last couple years.


2. The Great (TBA, Hulu): During last year’s upfronts, Hulu showed off promos for a bunch of shows, all of which have aired except one: The Great. I would think The Great would be the next up, but Hulu has already announced its next three premieres (Shrill being the one I have not mentioned) so hopefully it is coming soon because what I saw was hilarious. The show stars Elle Fanning as Catherine (Helen Mirran played an older more serious version on HBO last fall) and Nicholas Hoult as her future husband who looks off his rocker. Hopefully an announcement will be come soon but if Little Fires Everywhere is airing weekly we may not get this any sooner than May.

1. Women Can Be Superheroes Too!!!!!!: It was pretty abysmal for the fairer sex with superpowers. Supergirl back in 1984 sucked and it wasn’t until twenty years later until we got Catwoman, which also sucked. Marvel’s first try at ladies who can fight with Elektra a year later, also sucked. It then took twelve more years after that to get another female fronted with Wonder Woman and it, wait, this one was actually good! Marvel, finally gave a woman her first solo film in the MCU with its twenty-first film. After those two movie made decent amount of bank, things are exploded with three female fronted films this year. You can say four with The Eternals staring Angelina Jolie who is the biggest name in that cast, but really no superhero movies will be headlined white dudes who have dominated the medium up to this point.

First up is the movie I am most excited about: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (February 7), then Black Widow (May 1) in her first solo movie after appear in the MCU eight times already (and after apparently dying… I have not watched Endgame yet, so spoiler alert to me) and the lady who started the woman can headline a superhero film trend with Wonder Woman 1984 (June 4).

But again, I am extremely excited for Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn was the best (only good) thing about Suicide Squad. And where DC has had some head scratching casting for some of their male superheroes (like, say their last two Batmen), but have had some inspiring choices for the feminine ones. Joining Margo Robbie’s Quinn is Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress and Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary which is like my fantasy casting come to life. Now if only they will cast Jane Levy as Batgirl.



Then here is everything I will watch on television to start off the year:

Mondays
8:00 – The Neighborhood (CBS, January 6)
9:00 - Brain Games (National Geographic, January 20)
10:00 – Manifest (NBC, January 6)
TBD – Cosmos: Possible Worlds (National Geographic Channel, March 9)

Tuesdays
9:00 – Mix’ish (ABC, January 7)
9:30 – Black’ish (ABC, January 7)
10:00 – Project Blue Book (History, January 21)
10:30 – Miracle Workers: Dark Ages (TBS, January 28)

Wednesdays
8:00 – The Goldbergs (ABC January 15)
8:00 – Survivor (CBS, February 12)
8:30 – Schooled (ABC, January 16)
9:00 – Almost Family (FOX, already back)
9:00 - Modern Family (ABC, January 8)
10:00 – Stumptown (ABC, January 8)

Thursdays
8:00 – Superstore (NBC, January 9)
8:00 – Grown’ish (Freeform, January 16)
8:30 – Perfect Harmony (NBC, January 9)
9:00 - The Good Place (NBC, January 9)
9:00 – The Bold Type (Freeform, January 23)
Briarpatch (USA, February 6)

Fridays
High Fidelity (February 14)

Sundays
9:00 – The Outsider (HBO, January 12)
9:00 – Supergirl (The CW, January 19)
9:00 – Homeland (Showtime, February 9)
9:00 – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC, February 16, sneak peak January 7 at 10:00)
9:00 – The Walking Dead (AMC, February 23)
10:00 – Dare Me (USA, already started)
10:00 – Kidding (Showtime, February 9)
10:00 – Good Girls (NBC, February 16)

57 Channels and Only This is On: January 4, 2020

Ray Donovan: There were a lot of references to Ray killing his father, both pro and con. I have long thought the show would be much better if they move beyond Micky and his never-ending feud then team up with Ray. I did find it interesting that we saw young Ray and baby Daryl but the other three Donovan children were completely missing. But I appreciate that we did not get a full flashback episode like other shows like to do because it was hard to tell who some of Micky’s buddies were.

Dare Me: I was looking forward to this because how can you mess up hot chick mean girl cheerleader. Well you make it boring apparently, and the casting was not great. I just do not buy the new coach as hard as nails as she is bring portrayed and the former captain just is not attractive enough to be a Queen B. Hopefully it gets better.

Shameless: For an episode I thought Frank managed to attract yet another rich crazy woman, she turned out to be an evil genius who was preying on his weakness. I was wondering who that dude they lingered on in the picture was. I just assumed that it was someone from the early seasons that I forgot. Turned out to be a guy from even further back in Frank’s past.

Almost Family: You really have to be delusional to be mad you get demoted when you are forking the opposing council. Someone needs to be debarred by the end of this. But Julia being extremely awkward continues to be the best part of the show, this time around her boyfriend’s kid. How dumb do you have to be to buy someone the exact same t-shirt that they wear? But I guess the biggest question is who is Julia’s real father? The only dude on the show that is the right age is Roxy’s father, but we know he shoots blanks, so I guess it is someone we have not met.
You can download Almost Family on iTunes.

Vikings: Wait, how did Russian dude get Ivar’s dead wife? Does he know? Was this planned? Is it just a coincidence and she is just a distant cousin doppelganger? Is Ivar just seeing things?
You can download Vikings on iTunes.

The 100 Best Songs of 2019

1. The Bones - Maren Morris

2. Stay Young - Maisie Peters

3. Hard Place - H.E.R.

4. Cross Me - Ed Sheeran feat. Chance the Rapper & PnB Rock

5. Thoughts - Sasha Sloan

6. GIRL - Maren Morris

7. Harmony Hall - Vampire Weekend

8. I Was Wrong - BAILEN

9. Lover - Taylor Swift

10. Truth Hurts - Lizzo

11. Out of Love - Alessia Cara

12. Faking It - Sasha Sloan

13. Now I'm In It - HAIM

14. Sunflower - Vampire Weekend feat. Steve Lacy

15. Summer Girl - HAIM

16. Count On Me - The Lone Bellow

17. Oh, What a World - Kacey Musgraves

18. I Get No Joy - Jade Bird

19. BLOW - Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton & Bruno Mars

20. This Is On You - Maisie Peters

21. Lo/Hi - The Black Keys

22. Orphans - Coldplay

23. bad guy - Billie Eilish

24. This Life - Vampire Weekend

25. Wildflowers - Elle Fanning

26. seasonal depression - mxmtoon

27. Family and Loyalty - Gang Starr feat. J. Cole

28. You and I - LÉON

29. Complainer - Cold War Kids

30. Late Night Feelings - Mark Ronson feat. Lykke Li

31. You Ain't the Problem - Michael Kiwanuka

32. Adore You - Maisie Peters

33. When I Wasn’t Watching - Mandy Moore

34. Missed Connection - The Head and the Heart

35. Eagle Birds - The Black Keys

36. Castles - Freya Ridings

37. Priorities - Jillian Jacqueline

38. Good as Hell - Lizzo

39. Baby Don't Talk - LÉON

40. Bang Bang - The Avett Brothers

41. Black Moon Rising - Black Pumas

42. Tucson Train - Bruce Springsteen

43. Fire - Sara Bareilles

44. I Guess I Just Feel Like - John Mayer

45. Hold Your Nerve - Boy & Bear

46. Sing Along - Sturgill Simpson

47. Gloria - The Lumineers

48. Go - The Black Keys

49. Outnumbered - Dermot Kennedy

50. prom dress - mxmtoon

51. Almost (Sweet Music) - Hozier

52. Western Stars - Bruce Springsteen

53. Seventeen - Sharon Van Etten

54. The Flower - Michael Franti & Spearhead feat. Victoria Canal

55. Heartless - The Weeknd

56. Just Do It - Lily & Madeleine

57. Supply & Demand - Wilder Woods

58. Bad - James Bay

59. Can't Help the Way I Feel - Lily & Madeleine

60. Common - Maren Morris feat. Brandi Carlile

61. Bad Name - Gang Starr

62. Hallelujah - HAIM

63. SPIRIT - Beyoncé

64. Sure Don't Miss You - The Dip

65. bury a friend - Billie Eilish

66. Gave You Everything - The Interrupters

67. TATTOOED ON MY HEART - Bishop Briggs

68. Hero - Michael Kiwanuka

69. Father of All... - Green Day

70. High Steppin' - The Avett Brothers

71. It Wasn't Easy to Be Happy for You - The Lumineers

72. Something Tells Me - Meg Mac

73. Here With Me (feat. CHVRCHES) - Marshmello

74. NASA - Ariana Grande

75. Rainbow - Kacey Musgraves

76. Burning - Maggie Rogers

77. Crowded Table - The Highwomen

78. Season’s Greetings - Stella Donnelly

79. Black Jeans - Lucie Silvas

80. At Least I Look Cool - Sasha Sloan

81. Forgive Me Friend - Smith & Thell feat. Swedish Jam Factory

82. Cheap Queen - King Princess

83. Don't Leave Me Lonely - Mark Ronson feat. YEBBA

84. Sucker Punch - Sigrid

85. Give Me My Name Back - Meg Mac

86. I Dare You - The Regrettes

87. Bad Ideas - Tessa Violet

88. My Motto - Jade Bird

89. Do Your Worst - Rival Sons

90. I Like (The idea of) You - Tessa Violet

91. No Bullets Spent - Spoon

92. Blame It On Your Love - Charli XCX

93. Insomnia - Daya

94. Out of Touch - Dove Cameron

95. Everyone Hides - Wilco

96. Beloved - Mumford & Sons

97. Prophet - King Princess

98. Ride out in the Country - Yola

99. in my head - Ariana Grande

100. Come Tomorrow - Dave Matthews Band feat. Brandi Carlile

57 Channels and Only This Is On: December 28, 2019

Shameless: Carl did a good deed? Wow, that has to be a first for him. For a guy who wanted to be in the army, dude only had been doing things for himself his whole life.

Ray Donovan: More brother on brother violence. But haven’t we already seen Ray and Darryl fight with Darryl complaining that Ray does not treat him like a brother before? But things came full circle with the old family friend as Succession daddy pulled a heist back in the seventies with Mickey, apparently became very rich and surely Mickey will want his cut after killing everyone else involved. But who gets to Mickey first, Ray or lady cop?

Mr. Robot: Okay, I am mildly confused at what I saw. Did anything we saw actually happen? Darla did give that speech about how many people were dead, but is Darlene real? I was under the impression that Elliot in the dream world was the “real” Elliot but he did not have a sister. And what happened to American Psycho dude. He went off to the woods to die but then there was a bright light and we never see him in the “real world” again. Le sigh. Add this show to the ever growing list of shows that would have been much better remembered had they just ended after one season
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

His Dark Materials: So both of Lyra’s parents are evil? But why didn’t Lyra yell at her father to stop. And if Daemons can morph into different animals when their humans are still young, why didn’t that Daemon morph into something smaller and leave the cage? Lyra’s ferret looked like it could slip into the cage. Now I know this is the network that ended a season with Ned Stark being beheaded, but goodness, what a depressing way to end a season.

Previewing New Order: Decades and Duran Duran: There’s Something You Should Know

Duran Duran and New Order were both synth heavy acts that released their first music in 1981 and coincidentally both released their last album in 2015 but really that is where the comparisons end. Musically they are completely different. Duran Duran used that new synthesizer sound to craft bright pop hits while New Order used the same instrument to make dark moody music after the death of their original band leader when the members were in the even moodier Joy Division. But both will be getting the documentary treatment tonight.

Naturally Duran Duran is the headliner with their eleven top ten Hot 100 singles (New Order just broke the top 40 twice and just barely both times). We get some interesting moments in There’s Something You Should Know like the four remaining members cram into their first “tour bus” and discus a many different topics. Then lead singer Simon le Bon goes back to church to listen, and critique a performance as a youth there.

But overall, this just feels like mostly a retread of their Behind the Music episode but without the iconic narrator. The stuff since that episode includes the Astronaut tour (who knew they even had an album of that name) which came eleven years after The Wedding Album and then they skip forward another eleven years to barely touch on their latest album, again, points if you remember Paper Gods. If you remember at all their Behind the Music episode, this new documentary is very skippable.

New Order shakes up their retrospective Decades a little by being part documentary, part concert film. The concert in question took part in 2018 and features a twelve piece synthesizer orchestra. The band explains the songs they picked were best suited for this type of setting so this was not a greatest hits concert. But I had to laugh when one of the band members said they would not be performing Blue Monday because the song could not get too musical considering there was a great orchestral version of the song which was recently used in the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer. So of the five songs featured in the film, Bizarre Love Triangle is the only one that casual fans like me will likely recognize but diehards will likely appreciate the band pulled out a Joy Division song which is something New Order rarely does considering how that band ended.

New Order: Decades airs tonight at 7:30 followed by Duran Duran: There’s Something You Should Know at 9:00, both on Showtime.

Previewing Into the Dark: Midnight Kiss

What made me excited for a second round of Into the Dark seasons is that maybe we would be getting some new holidays to celebrate. But here we are four installments in and we have gotten exactly the same episodes as the first season. Not only that, the New Year’s Eve/Day one kind of has the same premise in a group of friends convince at the most wealthiest friend’s house and celebrate the end of the year. It even hits midnight right at the halfway point.

But instead of four female friends, this time around it is four gay friends (and a token straight female). Oh, and there is a serial killer on the loose this time in an S&M mask. But before any anti-homosexual people out there get excited at the thought of all the gay dudes being slaughtered, be warned, there is copious amount of nudity (although aren’t the most ardent anti-gay crusaders turn out to be closeted gays anyway?). It was like they were trying to turn the tables of forty years of objectification of women in horror and cram the same amount of male objectification into less than ninety minutes. I am pretty sure all the main dudes in the cast go full backal at least once and those boys sure like getting clean because they are constantly in the shower.

The Midnight Kiss in question is a game the gays (and one chick) play every New Year’s Eve going back to 2013 where there are three simple rules: 1) it has to be to one guy who is a stranger; 2) the kiss must be consensual; 3) Do whatever you want between midnight and sunrise but no contact with the guy afterward. There does not really seem to be any prizes or anything, but basically just a way to hook up with random dudes, but since all but one have Grinr, it does not sound like a special game other than they have to do it without aide of an app.

Unfortunately Midnight Kiss, aside from the change in sexuality of the lead characters is riddled with almost every slasher cliché except the black dude dies first, but that is mostly because there were no black dues in the cast. There would have been one pretty creative kill except there was a similar death scene on the most recent season of Castle Rock. And there really is not enough death. With only four dudes (and a straight chick) it really cuts down on the number of deaths and kind of makes who the murderer kind of obvious as the movie goes along. Someone does bring back their Midnight Kiss from the club and someone is murdered Gay Psycho style (remembered how I said it was clichéd; just because it is the first time it happens to a homosexual does not make it interesting) in the opening scene though that is never mentioned by any of the friends at all.

Not only is Midnight Kiss the weakest installment of the season so far, it is one of the weakest Into the Dark episodes ever. It is not equality to give the gays their own horror movie if you are just going to make it a boring one. This is essentially to the gays in the horror genre what Catwoman was to women and African-Americans was for the Superhero genre.

Into the Dark Season Two Power Ranking:

1. Uncanny Annie (October)
2. A Nasty Piece of Work (December)
3. Pilgrim (November)
4. Midnight Kiss (December)

Into the Dark: Midnight Kiss premieres tomorrow on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: December 22, 2019

Ray Donovan: That old family that the Donovan family grew up with seems very Sucessiony. Or wheat I believe Succession to be, really, Billions is the only rich people doing bad rich things I can watch at this time. Although, unlike Succession, I feel the patriarch will die sooner than later, be it naturally or someone speeds up the process. Now if only the Donovan patriarch will just die soon.

Watchmen: Oh wow, I got a prediction right. Lady Truie turned out to be Ozymandias’ daughter. Though I would never have guess that her mother self-inseminated herself using his private collection. And I would not have guessed she was in her thirties now either, she came across much older. But in the end everything just came together nicely. Well, except the stupid Inception ending and we never learned the identity of Lube Man.

Shameless: You know what; Debbie does have a point about the persecution of redheads. Really, we have become so politically correct in the country; really the only groups of people you can make fun of without the Twitter mob coming after you are redheads and Canadians. So I do feel her pain in that respect.

Mr. Robot: Mmmm, so I have for long times have thought White Rose’s machine was some sort of time machine. Instead it zapped everyone to an alternative dimension? Except there is no Darla. Is it because she is not dead? Or is she there, we just see her yet and there may be two of some people now like there are now two of Elliot. The one we saw was in that dimension all along while the one we saw at the end was the one we have been seeing for the first four season. This has gotten too confusing for me.
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

His Dark Materials: So Lyra just fell from that air balloon and is perfectly okay. That was some soft snow.

Survivor: Island of Idols: Yawn.
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

Vikings: So the old king captures King Herald, attacks Bjorn just to set up a meeting to discuss how Bjorn should be the king of all of Norway. Seems like there could have been a better way to do that. But these are Vikings I guess.

Around the Tubes: December 21, 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 High Fidelity, The Morning Show, Twin, Guordan Banks, Keb’ Mo’, The Score, BENEE, Discogs, Freakonomics Radio, Into the Dark, Midnight Traveler, The L Word: Generation Q, Showtime Movie Premieres, and Noticias Telemundo.

- A departure from Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel and beloved 2000 film, Hulu’s High Fidelity centers on Rob (Zoë Kravitz, who also serves as an executive producer), a female record store owner in the rapidly gentrified neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn who revisits past relationships through music and pop culture, while trying to get over her one true love. High Fidelity also stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David H. Holmes, Jake Lacy, and Kingsley Ben-Adir.


- The Morning Show: SEASON FINALE - Debuted Friday, December 20. In the season finale, “The Interview,” The Morning Show faces a day of reckoning as a plan to upend the power structure at UBA is set in motion.

- What would you do for an identical twin you hadn't seen in 15 years? Would you assume his very different life following a tragic accident? That's but one of the pressing questions raised in TWIN, an eagerly-anticipated, suspense-filled limited series from Norway starring "Game of Thrones" Kristofer Hivju (Wildlings leader Tormund Giantsbane), and making its North American streaming premiere on MHZ Choice this February.

- Getting into the spirit of the season, critically acclaimed R&B sensation Guordan Banks releases his first-ever holiday EP, Christmas On The Vinyl. Get it HERE. On the five-song project, he brings soul and shine to classics such as “Oh Holy Night,” “Let Us Adore Him,” and “Silent Night 3000.” Check out the full tracklisting below.

- Following the release of the tongue-in-cheek tune and music video, “Christmas Is Annoying,” (watch here) newly GRAMMY®-nominated Americana artist Keb’ Mo’ now embraces the holiday season in his new music video for “Merry Merry Christmas.” Having premiered via PASTE.com, watch Keb’ spice things up at a small-town bar as he wins over the crowd with his infectious smile and unrivaled guitar dexterities. Watch the music video here: found.ee/KebMo_MerryMerryVideo.

- Gold-certified and critically acclaimed LA-based, New York-born rock band The Score—Eddie Anthony and Edan Dover—have unleashed a brand new single entitled “Bulletproof” featuring Xylø. Check out “Bulletproof” ft Xylø HERE via Republic Records. The song’s release comes in tandem with the release of Netflix’s highly anticipated new film 6 Underground starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Michael Bay. “Bulletproof” is featured as the end title song in the film and three additional songs from The Score are also featured including “Glory,” “Legend” and “The Fear.” 6 Underground is in select theaters now and on Netflix.

- 19-year-old indie pop sensation BENEE drops the video for her song “Blu,” taken from her critically acclaimed five-track EP STELLA & STEVE—watch HERE! On the inspiration behind the video, directed by fellow New Zealander Charlotte Evans, BENEE says, “We filmed in this awesome, rundown, old theatre called Crystal Palace in Auckland. I wanted the video to have a pretty but slightly off vibe about it. The dress was made by a crazy talented designer called Olli, and the rabbit suit found secondhand did a good job of makin things feel weird.”

- Discogs, the leading online physical music exchange, now enables users to preview millions of songs through the Discogs App. As of today, the Discogs iOS and Android apps integrate with Apple Music. Together with the streaming giant, Discogs hopes to provide users with a service that will make their experience in the Discogs App more complete. Users can now stream music previews from albums directly with automatic track pairing through Apple Music API. Until now, the Discogs Community has been able to manually pair YouTube videos with Master Releases on Discogs. While this has been a great feature for visitors seeking to listen to music directly on our platform, Discogs is making discoverability even better. Thanks to the Apple Music integration you’ll be able to listen to those releases directly on Discogs without waiting for a playlist to be created.

- Back in January, a little-known presidential candidate with just 27,000 Twitter followers appeared on Freakonomics Radio, one of the most popular podcasts in the country. Today, that candidate has more than a million followers and a slot in the most selective Democratic debate. And he returns to Freakonomics Radio, in an interview conducted last week from the campaign trail in Iowa. On the new episode, Andrew Yang explains why he thinks his ideas have taken off and offers some thoughts he hasn't said elsewhere, including his strategy for tonight's debate and what he thinks the Democratic Party is getting wrong — plus a colorful hypothetical imagining how he'd respond if Trump asked him to be his vice president. The full episode is available now here and on all podcast apps.

- Count down to Into the Dark's New Year's episode, Midnight Kiss, with the NEW TRAILER! In the horror anthology's newest installment, a group of longtime gay best friends head to a beautiful desert home to celebrate New Year's Eve. Relationships are put to the test and truths are revealed as the night turns into a fight for survival.


- The award-winning documentary feature Midnight Traveler, directed by Hassan Fazili, a nominee for the IFP Gotham Awards for Best Documentary, will have its national television debut on PBS television series POV on Monday, December 30, 2019 at 10 PM (check local listings). The film, which will also be available to stream at POV.org, was recently named on the Features Shortlist for the 35th Annual IDA Documentary Awards. Midnight Traveler had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. POV is in its 32nd Season.

- Hot on the heels of being named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year, two-time World Cup-winning U.S. women’s soccer star and co-captain Megan Rapinoe will guest star on The L Word: Generation Q this Sunday, December 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Rapinoe will play herself as a guest on Alice’s (Leisha Hailey) feminist-focused talk show.

- Showtime announced that it will air the television premieres of Five Feet Apart on Monday, December 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, On the Basis of Sex starring Oscar® nominee Felicity Jones and Golden Globe® nominee Armie Hammer on Wednesday, January 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and The Upside starring Kevin Hart and Oscar nominee Bryan Cranston on Saturday, January 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

- Congresswomen Verónica Escobar (D-TX), Sylvia García (D-TX), and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL) granted their first-ever joint exclusive interview to Noticias Telemundo’s Washington, D.C. Senior Correspondent Cristina Londoño. The Democratic Representatives discussed President Trump’s impeachment a day after the historic vote. Highlights of the interview will air today Noticias Telemundo at 6:30 pm / 5:30 CT and the full interview will be available for streaming on NoticiasTelemundo.com and the Noticias Telemundo properties on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Next some interview highlights: “It was a tragedy, because we have a President for whom the constitution is nothing, and for us, it is all.”* - Verónica Escobar (D-TX).

57 Channels and Only This Is On: December 15, 2019

Ray Donovan: So we are normalizing herpes now? Okay. But I hope that Bunchy throwing something away at the hospital was a sign he is not going to go with the white supremacist. Dude does have a black brother and all. So Mickey went to some tropical place only to return to New York to set up some time share scam? Please just put, and keep this guy in prison or kill him off.

Supergirl/Crisis on Infinite Earths: Of wow, they got Lucifer Morningstar and Arli$$. That was pretty shocking. Although I am not sure we needed a full minute on the Birds of Prey Earth. The Lucifer was somewhat shocking. I did read on I believe Men’s Health of all places that he would be included but I was not really going to believe television gossip I see on Men’s Health.

Makes me wonder who else will show up. Wonder Woman’s Linda Carter and Lois and Clark’s Teri Hatcher have both already appeared in previous seasons of Supergirl, and goodness knows the crossover needs a Wonder Woman presence because it is laughable in all the Earths there is not one. Granted, we did see Titans which had Wonder Girl who referenced Diana so there is definitely at least one Wonder Woman. Kind of an oversite of Harbinger who supposedly rounded up the greatest Superheroes of the multiverse. And are there no Batmen under fifty? We saw a broken down (and kind of gay) Batman of another Earth who apparel looks like Earth 1’s Batman. Then there is Michael Keaton and Sir Jorah Mormont. The Supermen are no spring chickens, but all three we saw are under fifty. There was a rumor the Gotham Batman may show up but he is on the other end of the age spectrum of being two young but that was a website I trust even less than Men’s Heath for my TV news.

So we got two seconds on the Titans’ Earth. I wonder if we will get a Doom Patrol sighting. I am mostly curious to see if they place that show on the Titans Earth or confirm what we were watching was on a slightly different Earth. There was some casting change and they gave Negative Man a completely different attitude from the Titans episode. The also completely ignored Beast Boy who has been living with them for a while and the only Titans reference was a magazine article.

Okay, fun fan service aside, that third episode was confusing. I have no idea what that whole treadmill thing was about and the Green Arrow in purgatory was a bit confusing too? So Olivier is giving up live to become the new Spectre. And the old one just came out of nowhere. And just how did they come up with those paragons? With Lex Luther, that makes four of the seven from Supergirl. I missed why Martian Manhunter was one because that dude just disappeared. Then one is an Asian scientist with no powers because… um, diversity? The only other person of color was a green dude from Mars (um, if all the other Earths are now gone, are all the Mars gone too?). I hope the last two episodes make sence because the crossover is almost as confusing as the actual comic it was based on.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Watchmen: Here is the problem with beings that are too powerful, I am left wondering why Dr. Manhattan did not zap him and Angela out of there instead of staying and fighting when he knew how that was going to end with him being zapped with the teleporter? He just zapped his kids a couple minutes earlier. But at least we got conformation of Ozymandias was put in his place by Dr. Manhattan but not a prison like most people thought but actually but as reward. Granted, I suspect that Dr. Manhattan knew that it would not be viewed as paradise very long.

Shameless: In ten seasons, it is kind of surprising they have not done the character was mad that they were the only one not molested by the town pervert before. Or maybe they did and I already forgot about it. Really after ten seasons, it is surprising the writers have not run out of messed up storylines yet.

Mr. Robot: Where has Bobby Canivalle been all this time? I have spent most of the season assuming he was dead. Kind of the same for the rapper, I definitely forgot he switched sides. Unless that was a big surprise. But what a silly rom-com ending except the two lovebirds missed each other. This show is really overthinking everything this season.
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

His Dark Materials: So are they not going to get the Daemons that were in the cages in hopes of maybe someday reuniting them with their humans?

Castle Rock: Well there goes my prediction that Joy ended up being the Annie Wilkes from the Misery book. I was also waiting to see who the author was, I thought they might make it Stephen King himself, but alas no shots of his face. But it was painfully obvious Joy was dead, she was just too happy after being “revived.” Weird we got one random shot of the creepy kid from season one but he did not figure into anything. Then there was a random missing flyer of Henry Deaver in Canada. Was that supposed to be an Easter egg or are we to believe someone actually put that up in a Canadian gas station? No post credits scene so I guess we will have to wait until season three to see if they dip back into the original story.
You can watch Castle Rock on Hulu.

Survivor: Island of Idols: Well after forking things up all season, they finally removed Dan right before the finale. And did it because an off camera incident with someone who was not a contestant. Of course this led to rampant speculation on the internet until some website claims they had multiple sources that Dan grabbed a producer’s leg betting into a boat after a challenge. So grabbing Noura’s arm to claim how innocent the action was is okay, but goodness, cannot touch anyone in production. Oh well, at least we know for sure he is not winning.
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: Kind of a borefest like most finales on the show, and honestly, I spent most of the episode searching for what Dan did. But hey, at least Paulie and Cara Maria lost after decimating their team.
You can download The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 on iTunes.

Almost Family: Well that was certainly a shocking ending. Of all the children he has fathered, the one Leon did not was the one he raised. Which begs the question, does he know? Clearly they did not need any sort of treatment but obviously he was definitely not shooting blanks. Weird that they set up this big weird family but now we know Juila is not blood related to her “sisters.”
You can download Almost Family on iTunes.

Stumptown: So Grey’s girlfriend turned out to be evil. Meh, and I kind of liked her. But what a weird plan to get rid of Dex. To assume that Grey would exile her but forgive did not seem like the best plan to me.
You can download Stumptown on iTunes.

The Blacklist: I thought last week would have made for a pretty good “fall finale” but then they really end with Lizzie’s mother being gunned down in the street… except not. Kind of extreme. And I did not get why Lizzie was so quick to side with her mother. She had been lying to her this whole time, had a dude tied up in her apartment, killed a dude in the vicinity of her kid, but lizzie still rescued her to safety.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.