John Landgraf of FX coined the term “Peak TV” when he counted 400 scripted television shows that year and since then it has only gotten peakier and will explode even more this year with the launch of HBO Max, Peacock, and something called Quibi which apparently you will only be able to watch on your phone. I do not think anyone even bothers to count how many shows are being aired anymore (the best I could find is 1400+). So with so many different options, there are shows for every little niche you can think of.
But watching Utopia Falls, a Canadian import coming to Hulu today, I have to ask, who exactly this show is for. Having watched every episode, the best I can describe this show is “Hunger Games meets Fame”; feel free to put that in your promos Hulu. I just do not know who would see that and think, cool, I have to watch them. At best, there may be a couple people who read that and think, what the fork, that sounds so stupid I have to watch to see if that is what the show really is.
But seriously, Utopia Falls takes place hundreds of years in a dystopian future where a city within a dome has been split up into four sections, Progress, Industry, Nature, and Reform (which seems to be the lowest rank). The dome is to protect them from the poisonous outside world that was turned into a wasteland from endless wars. Then for the past seventy-three years twenty-four exemplars from the sectors are chosen, but instead of a fight to the death, Hunger Games style, they compete in a talent competition, be it dance, singing, or playing a musical instrument. See, I told you, Hunger Games meets Fame. I was not joking.
Like any good dystopian future, everyone wears very boring clothing and hair styles but there has not been any civil unrest in five decades. Of course most of them have weird names but unlike other YA adaptation, these are just dumb, like Tempo, Apollo, Bohdi, Mags, and Sage and their last names are numbers. Then most everyone is hot and ambitiously ethnic with some weird parentage. The vaguely Asian chick has a black and white mother. The Latina has a redhead mother. If it is ever explained how the parentage does not make any biological sense, I missed it.
Though they are currently living in Utopia, as the title suggests, that will not last long. While celebrating their selection as an Exemplar, two happen upon a secret library outside the city limits which houses a library of media from present day that had been long lost. And really, there are very few things more entertaining that watching a bunch of people who clearly were hired for the dancing ability try to act like they have never heard hip-hop before. Oh, and did I mention, the Alexa of this library is voiced by the disembodied voice of Snoop Dogg?
So despite never hearing rap music before, one dude is able to spit verses an hour later. The Exemplars become so versed in modern music, before long they are debating Old School and New School. And yet the person that claims there was no good rap before N.W.A. (umm, I think someone got their old school/new school and East Coast/West Coast debates mixed up) starts rapping The Message less than five. So I really cannot call this show at all good with its paint by numbers dystopian YA trope presented with bad acting, yet I am kind of hoping it gets renewed.
All episodes of Utopia Falls are now streaming on Hulu.
The Outsider: So the weird Fear Demon is now haunting the cop’s wife, kind of like apparently it did with the kid early on. But it seemed to vaguely suggest she was just seeing thing. Is this a Freddy Kruger situation? And can it just haunt anyone the person who body it snatches come in contact with? But then why haunt a child and a woman to threaten the cop instead of just haunting him? I guess it is kind of scarier this way.
Stumptown: Yeah Dex, all those Twister knockoffs should have been a very huge warning sign. But I am beginning to wonder just how long that cassette that is stuck in her car is? Should start replay songs at some point. A cassette tape is at most forty-five minutes, unless that crappy broke tape deck and auto flip.
You can download Stumptown on iTunes.
Vikings: Oh wow, the Russians won and Ivar (it looks like) killed Bjorn. That was totally unexpected. Though I do not believe this is the end of the Vikings Empire like the promo for the second half of the season suggested. They did already announce a sequel. But I wonder how that is ending up on Netflix. The show was successful enough that it ran for fairly long on History and then Hulu has the streaming rights so it is weird that Netflix would swoop in for a continuation about those two.
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 Kidding, Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, Utopia Falls, Pearl Jam, Arrow, First Ladies, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, BENEE, Editors, SHAKIRA, Oh Wonder, Phantogram, The Kingmaker, World of Weapons, Infinity Train: Book One, and Katy J Pearson.
- The acclaimed Showtime comedy series Kidding, starring Golden Globe® winner Jim Carrey, returns to television for its second season on Sunday, February 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, airing back-to-back episodes at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT every Sunday. Season two hosts an impressive roster of guest stars including Grammy® winners Ariana Grande and Tyler, The Creator, NBA all-star Blake Griffin, Emmy® winner Dick Van Dyke (Mary Poppins), Rachel Boston (500 Days Of Summer), Mae Whitman (Good Girls) and Oscar® and Golden Globe nominee Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight). Tara Lipinski and Jenna Alvarez have signed on to return as guest stars for the second season.
- Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, premieres February 7, 2020. Created by Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Megan Ganz, “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet” follows a team of video game developers as they navigate the challenges of running a popular video game. In addition to McElhenney, who stars as the fictional company's creative director, Ian Grimm, the ensemble cast also includes Academy Award-winner F. Murray Abraham, Danny Pudi, Imani Hakim, Charlotte Nicdao, David Hornsby, Ashly Burch, and Jessie Ennis. The series is produced by Lionsgate, 3 Arts Entertainment and Ubisoft. All nine, half-hour episodes of the live-action comedy will debut globally on Friday, February 7, exclusively on Apple TV+.
- About Utopia Falls: Hundreds of years in the future, in the last living colony on earth, a city called New Babyl, twenty-four teenage candidates are chosen to take part in an annual musical competition known as The Exemplar. For all of them it's a chance to write their names in the history books, but for Aliyah, the independent and adventurous daughter to a city government official, it’s the beginning of an incredible adventure. Through the discovery of a mysterious archive, she is exposed to hip-hop, an ancient form of music culture, which will lead her to question everything she has ever known and change her world forever.
- Pearl Jam released the official and final video for "Dance of the Clairvoyants", the first single from Pearl Jam's forthcoming album, Gigaton is out now. Watch the official and final music video for “Dance of the Clairvoyants (Mach lll)” HERE Listen to "Dance of the Clairvoyants" HERE.
- After eight remarkable seasons, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC mark the end of an epic era with its final installment of the suspenseful and action-packed series with the release of Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season on Blu-ray & DVD April 28, 2020. Get ready for nonstop action from start to finish with all 10 action-packed episodes from the eighth and final season, plus the show’s 2019 Comic-Con Panel, the broadcast special Arrow: Hitting the Bullseye and deleted scenes! A limited edition bonus disc featuring all five DC Crossover Event: Crisis on Infinite Earths episodes will be available exclusively for fans who purchase the Blu-ray. Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season is priced to own at $24.98 SRP ($29.98 in Canada) and $29.98 SRP for the Blu-ray which includes a Digital Code (U.S. only), ($39.99 in Canada). Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season is also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers. Arrow: The Complete Series will also be available for fans to own on Blu-ray and DVD for $189.99 / $169.99 SRP ($249.99 / $229.99 in Canada). The bonus disc is included in the Blu-ray Complete Series set.
- Showtime has given a series order to the first season of the hour-long drama First Ladies, starring and executive produced by Oscar, Emmy and Tony® winner Viola Davis, who will play former first lady Michelle Obama. Produced by Showtime and Lionsgate Television, the series will also be executive produced by Julius Tennon, Oscar winner Cathy Schulman (Crash, Five Feet Apart), Jeff Gaspin (Rhythm + Flow, L.A.’s Finest), Brad Kaplan (Mr. Church) and author Aaron Cooley (Four Seats: A Thriller of the Supreme Court), who created the series and will write.
- The Marley family, UMe and Island Records have begun to roll out their yearlong MARLEY75 commemorative plans in celebration of the legendary cultural icon, Bob Marley's 75th birthday and 40th anniversary of the timeless classic "Redemption Song." In honor of Black History Month, now underway, and to mark the beginning of all MARLEY75 celebrations in 2020, the official music video for "Redemption Song" premieres today on Bob Marley's YouTube channel. Created by French artists Octave Marsal & Theo De Gueltzl, the breathtaking animation, featuring 2,747 original drawings, uses powerful symbols to amplify the magnitude of the song's timeless lyrics and importance in today's world. The video highlights Bob's contribution to the empowerment of black civilization, as well as his manifestation of hope and recovery for all mankind.
- Jimi Hendrix's immortal 1970 live album, Band of Gypsys, is one of his most influential releases, with the charismatic guitar icon testing the bounds of his creative approach to produce some of the most ambitious music of his career. Capitol/UMe will honor this landmark record on March 27, almost exactly 50 years from its original release, with special 50th anniversary vinyl editions of Band of Gypsys that recapture the album’s boundary-breaking spirit.
- UMe will reissue Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ first two albums Matthew & Son and New Masters on March 27, available on vinyl for the first time since 1982. Exquisitely ‘De-mixed’ with enhanced vocals at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios, both albums will be available on 180-gram vinyl with fully restored artwork. Featuring newly enhanced vocals, Abbey Road Studios have used their revolutionary ‘Demix’ software on the original master tapes to reinvigorate and breathe new life into both albums. Where vocals have always been buried by the subsequent orchestral backing track, ‘Demixing’ enables the studio to digitally extract and enhance the original vocals to create a superior listening experience for fans. As well as vocals, ‘Demixing’ has also considerably helped amplify the bass, something that was commonly strenuous to achieve with mixes in the late 1960s. Pre-order here.
- New Zealand’s indie pop sensation BENEE returns with the video for “Supalonely” featuring Gus Dapperton, today—watch HERE! “Supalonely” is featured on her latest EP, STELLA & STEVE, released to critical acclaim in November. BENEE worked with rising Australian director, Rome, on the video. Explaining how she wanted the video to match the song’s colorful and fun mood but also convey its contrasting lyrical theme, she says, “It starts with me being a lonely teen at home then turns into this weird dreamscape, where I end up dancing around with Gus who appears through a TV screen in the lounge!”
- Having kicked off the European leg of their Greatest Hits tour in Paris last week, Editors this week unveil the brand new video for "Upside Down", the latest single from their best-of album Black Gold, out now via Play It Again Sam. Watch it HERE. Directed by Rahi Rezvani, the striking video plays with shadows and light, enclosing the band in a room that beguiles and denies as they are illuminated one second and cast in darkness the next. The result is an uncanny sense of mental claustrophobia and that reflects the uncertainty of the track’s lyrics.
- SHAKIRA--the iconic, Colombian singer-songwriter and multi-GRAMMY® award winner–is drawing rave reviews for her electrifying and history-making live performance last night at Super Bowl LIV, the biggest sporting event on the planet. Performing on her birthday, SHAKIRA played a new Gibson Firebird guitar which was encrusted with 70,000 Swarovski jet hematite crystals. She treated the worldwide audience to a thrilling medley of her music hits celebrating Latin music with a few surprises including “She Wolf,” “Empire,” “Ojos Asi” and Led Zeppelin, “Kashmir” Remix, “Whenever, Wherever,” “I Like It” (Shakira and Bad Bunny), “Chantaje” and “Callaíta” Remix (Shakira and Bad Bunny), “Hips Don’t Lie” and a finale of “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” alongside co-headliner Jennifer Lopez at the Pepsi Superbowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium.
- Oh Wonder releases their third album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown—listen HERE. The record was previewed by the beautiful video for their new song, “In And Out Of Love,” out now—watch HERE. The duo’s epic 2020 world tour begins this week with intimate album release shows across the U.K., followed by headline tour dates through the summer—see the full list of dates below.
- Lauded as an experimental and alternative band, and one that’s never been married to a particular genre, Phantogram—comprised of lifelong friends Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel—have continued to change the zeitgeist for almost a decade by consistently challenging it with their signature blend of hard-hitting beats, guitar-driven dark psychedelia and electronic pop. Today, Phantogram announces the release of their highly anticipated fourth studio album, Ceremony, set for release on March 6th. The duo celebrates the announce by dropping “Pedestal,” from the forthcoming project. Pre-order Ceremony HERE and listen to “Pedestal” HERE.
- The Kingmaker, nominated for a Critics’ Choice Best Documentary Feature Award and a WGA Award for Best Documentary Screenplay, will have its television debut Friday, February 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Written and directed by Emmy winner Lauren Greenfield (Generation Wealth, The Queen of Versailles, Thin), the critically acclaimed feature from SHOWTIME Documentary Films presents a searing portrait of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines whose behind-the-scenes machinations in the political careers of her husband, and later her son, cemented her indelible mark on the global political stage. The Kingmaker was named to several 2019 “Best Of” lists during its theatrical run last fall and premiered to sold-out audiences at prestigious film festivals across the world, including the Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival.
- Smithsonian Channel will explore the evolution of weapons throughout history and how they changed the course of mankind in the new documentary series World of Weapons. Weapons comprise an ever-evolving arsenal that has transformed combat – helping build empires, destroy them and deter aggression. This ten-part series highlights some of the world’s most important and innovative weapons and how and why they work, what problems they solve on the battlefield and give fresh insight into their role in history. Along the way, renowned international experts look at weapons and war as a way to explain human progress and how they may determine our fate. World of Weapons premieres Sunday, March 15 at 9 PM ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.
- Created by Owen Dennis (former writer and storyboard artist from “Regular Show”), Cartoon Network’s mysterious and critically acclaimed series Infinity Train: Book One will be released on DVD on April 21, 2020 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Go on a journey will all 10 episodes from the first season and bring home some extra magic with over an hour of epic bonus features including commentaries, documentaries, animatics, and more! Infinity Train: Book One DVD is priced to own at $14.97 SRP ($16.99 in Canada).
- New Heavenly Recordings signee Katy J Pearson has shared brand new track "Hey You" and its accompanying video. Watch it HERE. Written during solo sessions at community artist space Island Studios in her home city of Bristol, the track was later recorded with Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, M. Ward, Perfume Genius, Gruff Rhys) at his studio Toy Box.
Like most of America, I did not see Jem and the Holograms but I could only imagine it may have been better as a horror film (hey, they repurposed Fantasy Island as one recently so why not). Maybe we will see what a potential Jem and the Hologram horror movie might look like with the latest Into the Dark installment, My Valentine.
The new episode stars Britt Baron (G.L.O.W.) as, well, Valentine, a musician performing for the first time since a really bad co-dependent relationship. Of course her first show back attracts said boyfriend… and his new girlfriend, who just so happens to be the spitting image of her because he took all her songs and looks (they both spot wigs that look like a mix of California Gurls era Katy Perry and Just Dance version of Lady Gaga, yet somehow more annoying looking) and turned it into Trezzure, the newest pop start with 21.9 million subscribers.
With it pop music sensibilities mixed with gratuitous violence, this is the weirdest episode of Into the Dark in a while. I am not going to say that is a good thing, but boy it is weird. I do appreciate they went in a different direction from last year’s Valentine’s Day episode, but did end up enjoying that one more. But for those that have been patiently waiting for any sign of a Into the Dark extended universe, I believe this is the first episode that actually references a previous installment (even though the episode ends with two music videos for mediocre songs, stick around for it in the credits).
Into the Dark Season Two Power Ranking:
1. Uncanny Annie (October)
2. A Nasty Piece of Work (December)
3. Pilgrim (November)
4. My Valentine (February)
4. Midnight Kiss (December)
Into the Dark: My Valentine premieres today on Hulu.
It struck me as I am slowly working on my best of the decade list is how different my greatest shows of the decade would look if I just ranked shows on their first season. I would not have to deal with the trash fires that were the last couple season of Game of Thrones. Mr. Robot would be much higher. But the biggest benefactor would undoubtedly be Homeland which had one of the best debut season ever but then the third was one of the worst ever and has been bouncing back and forth between good and bad for the next five season. This is not a problem confined to this decade; Lost also had a great first season but ended up in the middle of my top 100.
So here we are at the final season of Homeland and for all the talk we have about sticking the landing, after eight season, I am just glad we will finally get a conclusion be it bad or good. I kind of hope it ends with Saul and Carrie retiring because, boy have they been through so much this decade. Fork, Carrie ended the last season spending 213 days in a Siberian prison without her bi-polar medication. And yet, twenty-three minutes into the premiere, Carrie is back behind enemy lines doing spy work for her country despite a failed polygraph which most spies are taught to pass and still recovering from being tortured. Granted it is an interesting juxtaposition from the first season where you wonder if the Russians turned Carrie like the Taliban turned Brody.
But hey, Saul needs her in Afghanistan for a week or two. He is close to bringing peace to the region if it not for a Pakistani general who is acting like he is the villain in an eighties action film. Also in the region is Max, Carrie’s wire tapper she hired whenever she did not want her bosses to know what she was doing. Apparently Saul hired him to in an official capacity to repair a functional listening devise near an enemy camp. Also back is Beau Bridges who I forgot was promoted to president after his superior resigned last season. And he seems to be at odds with his VP as his predecessor was with him. But in Homeland world why you actually can lose your job as president for gross incompetence, I wonder if he will last the season. Maybe by the end of the series, maybe Carrie or Saul will fail all the way to the White House.
I know I spend a lot of time complaining bout how much I forget about a show’s previous season, but you would think a mild mannered children’s television host running over his wife’s boyfriend on Christmas Eve would have been pretty memorable. But there I was watching the previously on for the second season of Kidding and Mr. Pickles just ran over a dude… and that is where the season left off.
The first season of Kidding had to be the weirdest show in the history of television that was completely based in reality. It probably helped that Jim Carrey played his children’s show host in the vein of Mr. Rogers so straight that it got really weird. And then that character started to crack and shave what I guess you can call a reverse Mohawk into his head. Just as that grew back he gets another haircut early in season two, this one a little less funny, and he is not the only one who gets a haircut this season.
Another thing I forgot is last season also featured a speech by Mr. Pickle that was controversial enough to get his show pulled from the air for the first time in thirty years so not only is he losing his wife, he might also be losing his show. His sister’s divorce also complicates things as her husband wants half of everything, which includes half of the puppets she created for the show.
But not is all lost, we do get to see a full episode Mr. Pickle’s Puppet Time and much like G.L.O.W.’s show within a show, it is one of the best, and I would say in the case of Kidding, the best of its two season run so far. This episode features a special appearance of Pickara Grande, a pickle fairy played by Jim Carrey super-fan Ariana Grande. Really, this season is worth watching just for that. Although the season also features the second episode that I have seen in less than a month (the other being Mix’ish) that centers on the Challenger explosion. So yeah, that was also weird for different reason.
Kidding airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime with back-to-back episodes.
Dare Me: Just when you thought it was not going to get more gross than someone biting their own lip last week, someone gets their teeth kicked out this week. Except I guess it was implied this week that Beth did not bite her own lip, but that she was sexually assaulted. But was the pool of mouth blood on the mat the same pool of blood from the season premiere? I kind of assumed that someone died. But without actually looking back at that first scene, it did look similar.
Shameless: So the Frank storyline did not amount to anything but to add a car to Ian’s wedding? And was that car always a convertible? But the big news is that Debbie is about to be arrested (and Carl may be right behind her). Although what exactly is the law in Illinois? Most states have a grace period so kids a couple months older but just slightly above the adult line do not get in trouble for this kind of thing. I believe my state has a five year rule which Debbie would be easily inside. But that is it, just one more season left… until the inevitable reboot in ten years.
The Outsider: So that random prison storyline last week was the nurse at Jason Bateman’s father’s hospital? If that was expressed last week, I missed it. Then he opens this week again as we see how he got the “virus.” But the whole pain demon thing that feeds on destroying whole families make it just seems worse than just child murder. So how did the lady in jail survive?
Supergirl: Just when you thought it could not get worse than multiple Brainiac 5’s last week, this week we got multiple Toymen Jr.’s. Ugg. Now if only we could get multiple Saturn Girls.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.
Manifest: So if that college student ends up forking the daughter who a year ago to him was just ten, would that not be kind of creepy?
Vikings: I thought the Resurrection episode title was going to be a huge spoiler that Floki would finally return after being trapped in a mountain for the last eight episode, instead we got an even more shocking return of Athelstan. Or, I guess someone who claimed to kill him. I had to look it up since it has been so long, but it was Floki who actually killed Athelstan. Umm, whatever that means. Another thing that I am not entirely sure what it means, Ivar brother does not think the queen looks like his dead wife. But he is crazy so maybe that may not mean anything.
The Good Place: So the suicide door turned out not to be a suicide door… but kind of still feels like a suicide door? Sure Eleanor turned into stardust that got Michael Realman’s neighbor to get him his lost mail, but it still seemed to endorse suicide to me. And Michael Realman kind of got a short shrift getting sent to earth in his current form of an old dude. How about giving him a baby skin suit and let live a full life? But I guess even with the suicide door it ended up being a solid finale but I feel like a great finale was sitting right there. Instead of a suicide door, make it a reincarnation door and have the final scene being the soul squad unbeknownst to themselves just happening to bump in to each other.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.
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 Desus and Mero, Def Leppard, lovelytheband, Kate Tempest, Disgraceland, Keb’ Mo’, Angie Rose, COOKED: Survival by Zip Code, The Circus, and Friends.
- Desus and Mero returns with special guest David Letterman joining the duo in-studio to kick off season two on Monday, February 3 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime. The show will continue to air all-new episodes on Monday and Thursday nights. Desus and Mero features the duo chatting with guests at the intersection of pop culture, sports, music, politics and more, as well as giving their take on the day’s hot topics in their signature style in front of a small live studio audience from New York City. Additional upcoming guests include Missy Elliott, Penn Badgley, Lakeith Stanfield, Seth Meyers and returning guest Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
- Legendary British rock ‘n’ roll icons and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame® inductees Def Leppard release The Early Years 79-81 box set, representing the band’s first two albums, On Through The Night (1980) and High ‘N’ Dry (1981), on March 20 via UMe/Virgin. The box set was executive produced by lead singer Joe Elliott and mastered by the band’s long serving sound engineer Ronan McHugh. Joe Elliott says of the box set, “Well the fans asked, and we listened! Really excited to have our early years reworked with a load of rare material including the newly unearthed Live at the Oxford New Theatre, recorded on the 1980 UK tour …. It’s been a trip putting this box set together and I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as we did working on it!” Pre-order The Early Years 79-81 box set HERE.
- This week, alternative pop trio lovelytheband is back with their brand-new single “loneliness for love. The track is packed with an energetic beat, glistening keys, and nimble guitar that pulsates alongside sweeping verses and an instantly irresistible chorus. “loneliness for love” is available now at all digital retail providers via The Century Family, Inc. Click HERE to listen.
- British spoken word artist, rapper, poet, novelist and playwright Kate Tempest releases her new song, “Unholy Elixir”—listen HERE! The track, produced and mixed by Dan Carey, is accompanied by a video created by illustrator Natalya Lobanova—watch HERE!
- Jake Brennan, host of “Disgraceland” in partnership with iHeartRadio, released the first episode of the podcast “27 Club,” a musical, true-crime iHeartRadio Original Podcast that tells the stories of musicians who have joined rock and roll’s most infamous and morbidly exclusive 27 Club. Over the course of 12 episodes, season one will analyze the life and death of one of the greatest guitarists of all time: Jimi Hendrix. “27 Club” will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network beginning today and can be heard now on iHeartRadio and everywhere else podcasts are available. Episode 2 will air this Thursday, January 30, with new episodes to follow every Thursday through the end of the season.
- he now five-time GRAMMY® Award-Winner, Keb’ Mo’, has earned another statue for his mantel for Best Americana Album, awarded for his critically acclaimed album Oklahoma released via Concord Records on June 14, 2019.
- Rising hip-hop artist Angie Rose has released her latest single “Infatuation” today, an up-tempo track that tells the story of a girl who grows in personal strength and independence, as she overcomes an initially deceptive attraction to a man, by realizing those feelings were ultimately nothing more than infatuation. Highlighting her raw energy and undaunted songwriting, the single promises to become a radio staple.
- 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 this 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.
- This week on The Circus, Alex Wagner goes backstage with Andrew Yang, who talks about the future of his campaign, how he voted for Bernie Sanders in 2016, and his chances in Iowa on caucus night.
- On September 22, 1994 the first episode of Friends aired on NBC, and since then the series, characters and its infamous taglines have become a global phenomenon. After 236 episodes and its ten season run on-air, the beloved series went into syndication episodes on a number of networks, and in 2015 Netflix acquired the exclusive rights to stream the series; eventually becoming one of most watched shows on the platform, until the close of 2019! So where have your “Friends” been, now that its 2020? According to Ross, “We Were On A BREAK!” from streaming - but have no fear, you can still get all of your favorite episodes on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD today!
Ray Donovan: So OG Bridget was pregnant and knocked up by Succession Daddy when she jumped off the roof? Somehow that death got even darker. But no one asked the question I would have asked, did she actually jump or was Succession Daddy getting rid of two problems at once? But after two or three seasons, is the show going back to California? Bridget says she wants to go home. Ray did follow her there. Terry was just there to train a boxer which faded away. Mickey and Bunchy just came to this coast to avoid the law. The whole Donovan tribe could migrate back west. Hey, maybe Connor is just hanging out in the house alone this whole time. I would not mind the move back because the setting was much better there.
Dare Me: Oh wow, finally an entertaining scene with the two half-sisters in therapy with their daddy. More of that please. Less lip biting, too, please. Really more proof, she dies by the end of the season, probably by her own hand.
Shameless: Wait, is the chick would go through great lengths to set up Frank because he got her boyfriend and just casually mentions she is taking a vacation? I thought for sure that was another ploy by her to get back at Frank. Maybe that will come next episode. But if going on two dates at once, a big sitcom clichéd plot, is the best the show can come up with now, maybe it is a good thing they announce next season will be it last (until it is inevitably rebooted in five years). Okay, Mickey as bridezilla was pretty funny.
The Outsider: If you are a super prestige show that does not want its characters to devolve into a caricature, maybe should not introduce your character on the spectrum with a Sheldon Cooper bit. But she did shout out my doppelgänger theory even though it seems to be already debunked as it seems like we are dealing with a shape shifter. Then what was going on in prison? Dude implanted a shiv, but had to craft a shiv to get the other shiv inside him. Then used it to kill himself. Did I miss an episode?
Supergirl: So Crisis gave us a soft reboot which you think would have fixed one of the bigger flaws of this season in Lena’s irrational hated of Supergirl but instead Lex somehow gave her all of her memories. Meh. Even worse, Crisis gave us multiple Braniac 5’s. Ugg. But why were they talking about there only being one Earth now? We saw at the end of Crisis that Doom Patrol et al were still on different Earths? Are they just being self-centered that now that Supergirl is on the same Earth as The Flash and Black Lightning that there are no other Earths out there? Where do they think all those people went? Just were not brought back after they rebooted the timeline? And what happened to Miss Tessmacher? Lena essentially killed her last season turning her into a robot? Is she still a robot? Is she dead? Is she back as a secretary at CatCo? Since Lex never was “evil” in this timeline, does she not become evil? Is she with Leviathan? It was weird that she ran into Leviathan is the season finale, but that really was not brought up this season.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.
Manifest: Really, all that to get cave boy out of prison after he pleads guilty? Just seemed like they need to fill and extra episode. And I missed the connection between yoga mom and the university guy? Are they plotting something together?
Vikings: Well the episode title, Valhalla Ca Wait turned out to be a huge spoiler. Though I did think the skies would open up and put out the flames, instead it was his brother who would save him. Then with three episodes left (at least until the end of the half season, I kind of hate when they block off episodes like this, just call each ten episodes a season if the next ten will not air for months) we finally go back to Iceland. I wonder if we will finally get any definitive proof of Loki, dead or alive.
The Good Place: I did not like all the Best Show of the Decades that came out late last year, I thought it was silly to rank The Good Place with five episodes remaining which no one is not going to be considered when ranking the Best Shows of the 20’s. What is the show had a Game of Thrones type ending that knocks it down five to ten spots? Really, if the door they came up with this week, which sounded very pro-suicide to me, turns out to be suicide, this show might sink more than ten spot on my list which I hope to have out before the end of the year… I hope.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.
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, The Go-Go’s, JP Cooper, KIANA LEDÉ, Black in Space: Breaking the Color, The Circus, Mo’nique and Friends: Live From Atlanta, The Trade, Our Cartoon President, and Outcry.
- "Dance of the Clairvoyants", the first single from Pearl Jam's forthcoming album, Gigaton, is now officially available. Listen to "Dance of the Clairvoyants" HERE. "I can’t tell you how proud I am about this group of songs, " explains Jeff Ament. "As you know, we took our time and that benefited us taking more chances. 'Dance' was a perfect storm of experimentation and real collaboration, mixing up the instrumentation and building a great song, and Ed writing some of my favorite words yet, around Matt’s killer drum pattern. Did I mention Mike’s insane guitar part and that Stone is playing bass on this one? We’ve opened some new doors creatively and that’s exciting." To accompany the single, Pearl Jam have released mysteriously titled video "Dance of the Clairvoyants" Mach I. Watch the video HERE.
- The multi-platinum Los Angeles rock band The Go-Go’s announce 11 North American summer dates in conjunction with the release of THE GO-GO’S, a new Showtime documentary directed by Allison Wood which chronicles the meteoric rise to fame of a band born of the L.A. punk scene. Kicking off on June 25th at Humphreys in San Diego, CA, and performing at intimate venues across North America gives fans a chance to see the band up close and personal. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 24th at 10am local time with the Los Angeles dates going on sale next Friday, January 31st at 10am PT. For the latest ticketing information visit facebook.com/OfficialGoGos/.
- JP Cooper follows singles ‘The Reason Why’ and ‘Sing It With Me’ with ‘In These Arms’, out on the 24th of January. ‘In These Arms’ is an all-powerful torch song ballad, with Cooper’s voice soaring above a grand wall of sound. The lyrics pivot between unquestioning love and paranoia, whilst the verses classic, uncomplicated descriptions of precious time sets the scene for a sucker punch of a chorus. To accompany the release of the single, JP has also shared the visuals for the track – watch them HERE.
- After emerging as one of 2019’s boldest and biggest breakout R&B starlets, KIANA LEDÉ returns with a new single entitled “Mad At Me” today. Get it HERE via Republic Records.
- The race to get to space is long over, but buried in time is the revelatory story of the world’s first black astronauts. For many Americans, the 20th-century Space Race was a Cold War competition over rocketry and technological feats, but the world’s two superpowers were also engaged in another high-stakes race – one whose impact is still being felt today. Black in Space: Breaking the Color examines the crucial moment when America’s history of racial prejudice became a critical vulnerability in the effort to win hearts and minds around the globe. Confronting a Soviet foe determined to show that communism was the face of the future, the U.S. would need a new generation of astronauts. Black in Space: Breaking the Color barrier premieres Monday, February 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel and will also be available to stream on Smithsonian Channel Plus beginning February 1.
- With less than two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, The Circus gets a rare behind-the-scenes look at Senator Amy Klobuchar’s efforts to campaign in Iowa while stuck in Washington serving as a juror in the Trump impeachment trial. Click here for a preview: https://youtu.be/-TcuhlZ2Fc8.
- Bold and unapologetic, comedienne Mo'Nique is back hosting her first stand-up special in almost 10 years, Mo’nique and Friends: Live From Atlanta, premiering Friday, February 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Filmed at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, the hour-long special features a variety of talented newcomers including Prince T-Dub, Just Nesh, Tone-X and Correy Bell alongside veteran comedian Donnell Rawlings (Chappelle's Show). To watch and share a clip from Mo’nique and Friends: Live From Atlanta, go to: https://youtu.be/8k0OBNfnU24.
- Showtime has released the trailer and key art for the upcoming season of the IDA Award-winning series The Trade ahead of its premiere next week at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Emmy® and DGA Award winner and Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman, the four-part series follows Central Americans on an odyssey to the United States (including some heading back home after being deported), while also delving into the shadow industries that prey on them every step along the way. By shedding light on the smugglers and traffickers who take advantage of the migrants’ vulnerability and on law enforcement pursuing them at the border, THE TRADE brings audiences inside the rarely seen underbelly of the migrants’ world and humanizes their struggle to survive. THE TRADE premieres on Friday, March 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
- Showtime has released the key art and trailer for the upcoming third season of Our Cartoon President, premiering on Sunday, January 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. 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.
- Showtime announced it will air Outcry, a five-part documentary series examining the gripping story of high school football star Greg Kelley, his controversial conviction and the quest for truth and justice as the case unfolds. Produced and directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Pat Kondelis (DISGRACED), OUTCRY will have its world premiere at the South by Southwest (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals in Austin, ahead of its television premiere on Friday, April 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
I have a completely rational hatred of movie theaters so I am content to wait and watch movies when they come to services I already pay for. These are the best movies I watched in the past twelve months:
My big problem with the first season of Project Blue Book was that it seemed like the real life version of The X-Files but where the X-Files could actually do aliens and bile monsters, Project Blue Book has to stay in the realm of reality. So they hinted at it and other weird stuff, but we never did, and likely never will get any real aliens or other weird stuff. But they do certainly push the bounds of what we think we see.
Although the second season does delve into two of the biggest mysteries involving UFO’s in America’s history, the two part season premiere dealing with Roswell, New Mexico where people believe a UFO crash landed at a ranch near the town. That is then followed up with an Area 51 episode where some claim the US government is hiding proof of alien life and a group actually planned on storming it last year except no one actually showed up. Although I really doubt the validity of that conspiracy theory now considering the guy who now knows all the country secrets has not let that slip yet but was quick to declassify the JFK assassination and told Russians Israeli state secrets in the Oval Office.
The Roswell episode involves someone claiming to have proof of an alien encounter and is going to share that information with the public which includes metal that was not made by men. Of course that brings to town the Project Blue Book duo to try and figure out what is really going on. It also turns out this is not the first time General Harding has been to the Arizona town which only deepens the conspiracy. But the end of the two episodes we do get an interesting theory as what could be behind the spike in UFO sightings. Although the show would be even more interesting if there was a bile monster every once in a while.
Project Blue Book airs Tuesdays at 10:00 on History.
Ray Donovan: Ray has gotten out of some sticky situation, but being caught on tape admitting to killing multiple police officers, then assaulting one of the officers taping you seemed like a very hard predicament to escape. But apparently even murder can be forgiven if you can help take down the dirty mayor. Alrighty. Seems like some jail time would still be warranted.
Dare Me: Still mostly bored, but I am now predicting the Queen B chick hurting herself turns out to be the forshaddowing from the beginning of each episode.
Shameless: Debbie living the dream of hooking up with a mother and her daughter. Great like from her friend about Debbie is going down. But will Lip really be going down… to Wisconsin? A free house is a free house. Although the renting it seems like a decent option. Or maybe sell it and buy something closer to Chicago. I do not see Lip living out in the country.
The Outsider: I think I may have cracked the case while making a joke on social media. While Jason Bateman was getting arrested, I commented that of course he was a child murderer; he has an evil doppelganger goatee. Which made me think, oh, maybe the twist is that actually is an evil doppelganger out there.
Crisis on Infinite Earths: So the Green Arrow died and became The Spectre and then died as The Sprectre? Huh? And what happened to his hot daughter? Shouldn’t she get his chair? But really, had it not been for all those cameos (oh wow, movie Flash), this crossover would have been a complete and utter mess that made little to no sense. Okay, the comics it was based on made little to no sense so I guess it was faithful. But if Gleek is in for the next crossover sign me up.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.
Almost Family: Is the show implying that Britanny Snow’s mother is a homosexual? I guess if she looks anything like Brittany Snow, she could very well turn and gay dude straight.
You can download Almost Family on iTunes.
Vikings: Sure Lagatha went out kind of weakly last week being done in by a crazy person after surviving an epic fight but at least she got a hero’s send off this week. I guess that leaves Bjorn as the only original character still alive. Maybe Floki. We never got a definitive answer either way other than we last saw him stuck in a cave and he has gone missing. I guess a very old Rollo is out there somewhere in France.
The Good Place: So after showing up at the end of the Crisis, Gleek’s name shows up on the blackboard of potential humans that could work in the new system that could get into the Good Place. Obviously that had to be Jason’s suggestion. But add Vicky running the new Good Place evaluation system to potential spin-off I really want to see. Granted, I do not believe Team Cockroach will stay in the Good Place and will eventually run the new system with Michael by the finale.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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
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.
1. A Simple Favor
9. Spider-Man: Into the Spideyverse
17. Mr. Right