Did Billions tease us just how the show will end during the season four finale when Taylor said, “They’re both lined up to destroy each other. At the right moment, when both of their guns are raised, I’ll step out of the way and let it happen.” The first two seasons saw the U.S. District Attorney Chuck Rhodes and Hedge Fund manager Bobby Axelrod tried to bring each other down even through mutual assured destruction. They called a truce when their respective protégées tried to stop this war because they were losing site of everything else.
At the end of season four, the duo got Chuck’s protégé Brian Connerty to break the law in attempt to bring him down (which is ironic considering Connerty’s biggest gripe against Chuck was that he was willing to break the law to bring down Axe). While Axe’s protégé had to come back to his company after Axe crushed the fledgling new shop. Now with those problems vanquished, it is time to turn their sight back at each other and Chuck fires the first shot when asking Taylor to be a mole, who, as seen by the quote has plans of her own.
Axe on the other hand starts the new season acting like the truce is still going on. Granted he is too blind to see Chuck’s behind the scenes scheming because he has a new antagonist on the scene as he enters the Deca Club (for ten billion dollar club, although I am not sure how they distinguish between that and the ten million dollar club, or just billion because that is ten digits, I may have went with the Hendeca Club myself, but I digress). He is joined in the club by Corey Stoll (The Strain) who is the current face of the Deca Club who seems to be as worthy of an advisory as Chuck Rhodes.
Also popping up this season is Julianna Margulies (The Hot Zone) as a professor at the college Chuck decides to teach a class at. Sure it is a little weird that the sitting Attorney General of the state is teaching law, but hey, not the weirdest thing I have ever seen on television. Frank Grillo (The Purge: Election Year) also shows up as an aloof painter who finds himself in the middle of a feud between Axe and Stoll. Granted both guest stars seem to be brought in to help further separate the Rhodes marriage that was severely fractured last season. Granted the most interested guest stars are the random actors that are brought into a storyline involving Wags.
Will Taylor actually end this season standing over the bodies of Chuck and Axe? Sure, it will be a while until we find out because the Caronapocalypse delayed production so only the first seven episodes will air in this run with the last five will return (hopefully) this fall. It is teased, but five seasons in, it is hard to think anyone but Chuck or Axe will be the ones to bring down Chuck and/or Axe. The best Taylor can do is like she suggests, just step to the side when the guns do go off.
When Hulu first announced an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s book Normal People, my first thought was cool, this kind of sounds like an Irish version of another literary adaptation they had just done, Looking for Alaska. The show based on the John Greene novel was a quintessential teen based television show by Josh Schwartz, the guy who pretty much invented the new millennium teen drama. That show started with a car crash before transitioning into The Killers’ All These Things I’ve Done and never let up with zippy dialogue, loud songs, and always something to catch your eye.
Normal People, it turns out, is the furthest thing from Looking for Alaska as you can get. Teen drama is about the only thing the two shows have in common. Where Looking for Alaska starts with a big set piece and a great pop song, Normal People just starts. The start is so subdued, a couple minutes into it I had to look to make sure I clicked the first episode to play. There are no big pop songs, or really songs at all in the series premiere except what sort of sounds like a muffled Chvrches song during a party. Music is used very sparingly throughout the season, there is not a proper montage set to music until the fifth episode. Then when you think they are going to do more traditional television music scene with Carly Rae Jepsen or Selena Gomez, those songs only last for maybe five seconds.
Instead the show starts what looks like in the middle of a school day. Maybe it was the first time Marianne (who could pass as a younger Anne Hathaway) catches the eye of Connell or maybe vice versa. He is a jock while she is a nerdy girl with an attitude, though still plenty pretty, this is not an absurd She’s All That story. Of course that was another flashy blockbuster teen movie; Normal People is much more of the indie film version of a television show. All the character are very subdued and quit except for Marianne’s bother that seems like he is antagonist from a Nicholas Sparks movie, but he is even in maybe five scenes throughout the season.
Normal People, for twelve half hour or less episodes, follow Marianne and Connell as they come in and out of each other’s lives over the course of maybe four years. Roles get reversed as the characters transition to college with Marianne, with a more flattering haircut, is now the popular one with Connell, no longer the sports star but a struggling writer is having troubles fitting in.
Oh, and then there is the sex. Lots and lots of sex. Half of the second episode is pretty much just the first sexual encounter. Sometime awkward, sometimes kinky when one of them starts dabbling in BDSM, but always a little too real. They do tease what I thought was going to tease what I though was going to be a Chekov’s threesome but clearly one of the leads is just not as adventurous as the other, which probably leads to them to drift apart.
While never flashy, Normal People is at the very least always compelling. They play with the limited time length very well, twelves half hour episodes does seem to work a lot better than had they tried six hour length episodes because any longer and I feel like I may had been tempted to peak at my phone. I liked it better when the characters left their native county to go to Italy and elsewhere but it is always at its best when the two main character are together.
All episodes of Normal People are available on Hulu starting today.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: C’mon, how are you gonna singe Here I Go without draping someone across the hood of a car? But anyway. I knew the title of the episode was Zoey’s Extraordinary Outburst, but oh my goodness did she go off on everyone harder than I was expecting. You just do not see a protagonist get that raw very often. Though very realistic because if you have to watch a loved one slowly die, you are about to explode eventally.
You can download Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist on iTunes.
Killing Eve: Oh hey, Yara Greyjoy. Weird her smile.
Homeland: Well, Russian dude just ramped things up really quickly. Now, I could see Carrie sell out Saul to get that asset to retrieve the black box, but kill Saul? Oh my. That would be going out with a bang in the final season. Though I could see Carrie killing Saul, getting the black box, and then the final shot being a not very dead Saul.
Good Girls: I have long thought they should have gotten rid of the gang banger and brought in a new big bad every season to freshen things up. I really hope the sniper actuvlly kills him and then they have to spend a season trying to pay off the rest of the bill. That guy was a hoot.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.
Little Fires Everywhere: Well, that was unexpected. I believe the first line of dialogue was Lexi saying that Elena would find a way to blame this on Izzy. Well, of course, she was the one who dosed her stuff with gasoline first. I never really suspected the kids mostly because of that line. But the fire really took a back seat to the trial, but that ended anti-climatically as we did not even get to see the verdict being read, just the aftermath. I guess I should have seen the ending to that storyline coming as it pretty much line up with Mia’s story of stealing a child and living a life on the run. But what the whole, once a human touches a baby bird its mother rejects it, supposed to be a metaphor for Izzy with Mia and that is why Izzy bolted? Elena seemed to pretty much give up on Izzy long before Mia showed up. I wonder of Reece will try to squeeze another season out of this show like she did Big Little Lies. You could also have a search for Izzy and Maribelle but I am not sure how you can work in Mia and Pearl, cannot imagine they ever set foot in Shaker Heights ever again. Well, unless Pearl really did end up getting knocked up by Tripp and she felt guilty enough to keep the baby and did not want her kid to grow up without knowing her father. I am sure I would watch.
You can stream Little Fires Everywhere Hulu.
Survivor: Winners at War: We have had plenty of dumb player on the show that give up immunity, try to play fake Idols, vote for the wrong player which results them getting voted out but I figured on an all winner season we would not get many dumb movie. But I was shocked this week when not one, not two, but three people who somehow won this game gave a Fire Token to Tony. Okay, I could sort of get Jeremy who was in clear danger, but Nick and Ben have absolutely no reason to do this. I hope they at least got their tokens back that Tony then won.
Then Tony came up with the most convoluted plan. Instead of getting Kim and Denise who was with Jeremy the previous week, he goes with a three split vote to get out Sophie. Again, everyone he pitched it to were dumb enough to go along with it. Seriously, how did Nick win his season again? He has been nonexistent this season only to pop up to be creepy or make dumb moves.
You can download Survivor: Winners at War on iTunes.
The Challenge: Total Madness: Why was everyone ganging up on Ashley? It was Mattie who fired the first shot by saying Ashley had worse things in her mouth. That seems worse than what Ashley said. If you do not want people to bring up your prison time, do not do anything that will and you in prison. Mattie slut shaming was a lot worse in my book.
In the Dark: Oh yeah, I forgot about the blind chick’s other evil boyfriend. She sure knows how to pick them. I somehow think he will not be leaving Chicago. But I was surprised the Queen Pin did not ask for proof that the other guy took care of him. Aren’t you supposed to ask for a finger when you kill someone?
The Blacklist: There have been weirder Blacklisters, but a dude who inseminates prostitutes with dead men sperm to extort their family for money has to be pretty high on the list. Then the twist of actually keeping the babies made it even weirder. It looked like there was a teenager there which means he has been doing this for a very long time. But what is going on with Ressler? Have we met hi brother before? Do we know what he did?
You can download The Blacklist 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 The Great, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Beastie Boys Story, Into the Dark, Black Monday, Pearl Jam, Kōkua Festival 2020- Live From Home, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, BENEE, James Blake, The Score, Planet of the Humans, Jesus Trejo: Stay at Home Son, and FilmRise.
- Check out the official trailer for Hulu Original comedy series The Great. All 10 episodes of The Great will premiere May 15, only on Hulu.
- Showtime has released the series premiere of its new drama Penny Dreadful: City of Angels early for free online sampling, on streaming platforms and on demand. 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 premiere episode is available for free now on YouTube and SHO.com. The 10-episode series will officially premiere on-air this Sunday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime. Showtime is also supporting the Farmworkers Covid-19 Pandemic Relief Fund to help raise funds for farmworkers and their families, similar to the Vega family depicted in the series. California produces over two-thirds of the fruits and nuts and over a third of the vegetables consumed in the U.S. With this series set in Los Angeles, the network is donating in support of those who feed us through their labor and ensure our food supply, as these communities may be among the hardest hit due to lack of resources.
- Beastie Boys Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz tell you an intimate, personal story of their band and 40 years of friendship in this live documentary experience directed by their longtime friend and collaborator, and their former grandfather, filmmaker Spike Jonze. "Beastie Boys Story" is set to premiere on the heels of the 26th anniversary of the release of Beastie Boys' No. 1 charting 1994 album, "Ill Communication." The film reunites Beastie Boys with director Spike Jonze over 25 years after directing the music video for the album's immortal hit single, "Sabotage." On Apple TV+ now.
- Check out the new trailer for Into the Dark's May episode, DELIVERED! In the series' Mother's Day installment, a pregnant woman's life is upended when she realizes someone close to her has darker plans for her and the baby.
- The final four episodes of the second season of the acclaimed Showtime comedy series Black Monday will premiere Sunday, June 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, concluding with the season finale airing on Sunday, July 19. The series, which began its 10-episode run in March, aired six episodes of its second season before pausing due to post-production issues related to COVID-19. Viewers can catch up on the first six episodes Sundays, starting May 17 at 8:30 p.m., or watch On Demand or streaming.
- Pearl Jam announced the Gigaton Visual Experience – a special audio-visual event available free to all Apple TV app users in over 100 countries for seven days before being available to rent or buy. This immersive visual album experience pairs the band's inspired visuals, produced by the award-winning Evolve Studios, to create an unparalleled experience that enhances Gigaton's massive scope. The event will be available in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, revolutionary audiovisual technologies developed by Dolby, which will bring the album alive through immersive audio and ultravivid picture quality.* This audiovisual album experience is only available as a limited time event on Apple TV 4K and on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac users. Their eleventh album, and first in nearly seven years, Gigaton has received acclaim as their greatest and most adventurous work to date. Watch here: https://apple.co/PearlJam.
- In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and in support of the Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation and Covid-19 relief efforts, multi-platinum artist and environmentalist Jack Johnson announces Kōkua Festival 2020- Live From Home, a livestream on Saturday, April 25th in partnership with Amazon Music. Jack Johnson will host and perform within a two-hour livestream from his front porch in Hawai‘i and share the digital stage with special at-home performances from Kōkua Festival alumni including: Ben Harper, G. Love, Ziggy Marley, Lukas Nelson, Paula Fuga, Kawika Kahiapo, John Cruz, Anuhea, Ron Artis II and his brother Thunderstorm Artis. Viewers will also be treated to at home cooking lessons from some of Hawaii’s top chefs, Ed Kenney and Mark Noguchi. Additionally, fans can get ready for the festival with the Kōkua Festival 2020 Playlist, and tune into Amazon Music’s Twitch channel at 12pm HST/3pm PT/6pm ET on April 25th at www.twitch.tv/amazonmusic or Jack Johnson’s Facebook to watch the show.
- Republic Records releases Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Season 1, Episode 10 (Music from the Original TV Series) in conjunction with the critically acclaimed new NBC television series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, produced by Lionsgate and Universal Television in association with the Tannenbaum Company, Feigco Entertainment and Universal Music Group’s Polygram Entertainment. Get it via Republic Records HERE. New EPs will be released in tandem with each new episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, which will air weekly on Sundays at 9pm ET/ PT on NBC.
- Poised to be one of the best new artists of 2020, New Zealand’s indie pop sensation BENEE has become one of the most-listened to artists in the world this month as her latest track reaches over 200 million in total streams and over 1 million in global consumption. Within a short time, BENEE has gone from canvasing Soundcloud with covers out of her teenage bedroom to rising the charts with her latest song “Supalonely” [feat. Gus Dapperton] and amassing over 400 million streams of her catalog around the globe. Listen to “Supalonely” ft. Gus Dapperton HERE.
- You’re Too Precious' marks James Blake’s first release of 2020, and a period in which James has also won widespread praise for his intimately uplifting live streams under lockdown. These have already featured a 2-hour production masterclass, on top of career-spanning sets including fan favourites, intimate covers, and a further taste of brand new material...
- Gold-certified and critically acclaimed LA-based, New York-born rock band The Score—Eddie Anthony and Edan Dover—reveal their new single “Best Part.” Get it HERE via Republic Records. On the track, bold percussion echoes beneath the sing-song refrain, “I can be a liar, I can be a cheat, I can be neurotic, I can be a freak, I can be everything in between, but you always find the best part of me.” Bold guitars roar as “Best Part” resounds with raw rafter-reaching power.
- Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Michael Moore announced today that he is releasing a brand new documentary film on his Rumble Media label – and is offering it as a gift, free of charge, in the midst of the global pandemic. On Tuesday, April 21st, beginning at 9:00 am EDT, Planet of the Humans, directed by filmmaker and environmentalist Jeff Gibbs and executive produced by Michael Moore, will make its world premiere on Michael Moore’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/MMFlint (click here for direct link to the full film: https://youtu.be/Zk11vI-7czE). Moore is scheduled to be the main guest on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night to make his first appearance for the film.
- Jesus Trejo takes the stage in his first Showtime comedy special Jesus Trejo: Stay at Home Son, premiering on Friday, May 29 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Filmed at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood, the hour-long special is full of candid humor as Trejo gives us a front-row seat into his amusing family dynamics. An only child of immigrant parents, Trejo learned many life lessons in some of the most unconventional ways. From running his first marathon to winning his first fight, JESUS TREJO: STAY AT HOME SON explores the lengths he’ll reach to meet his parents’ expectations.
- In this new frontier of self-quarantine and sheltering in place, streaming TV has become a must in providing some much-needed comfort and distraction while we’re indoors and staying safe. FilmRise, the company at the forefront in shaping the ad-supported free streaming landscape, is happy to help with its selection of nostalgic and comforting TV shows streaming for free. FilmRise content can be seen on free streaming platforms including The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, IMDb TV, Crackle, Vudu, Sling, Stirr, Samsung TV Plus, Stirr, Xumo and many more – including FilmRise’s own apps on Roku, Fire TV and on iOS and Android powered devices. FilmRise is happy to announce that two very popular classic TV series - “My Favorite Martian” and “The Rifleman” are now available to stream for free beginning this month. “My Favorite Martian” stars Ray Walston as a Martian who gets stranded in Los Angeles and is rescued by a newspaper reporter played by “The Incredible Hulk” star Bill Bixby. “The Rifleman” chronicles the adventures of a Wild West rancher (Chuck Connors) who wields a custom rapid-fire Winchester rifle. The series had many notable guest stars throughout its run, including Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton, Martin Landau, and Sammy Davis, Jr., to name a few.
Penny Dreadful had one of the weirdest flex in the history of television; they announced the show would be ending simply by putting a “The End” title card of what ended up being the series finale. No long march to the end, they just killed off Eva Green and before you start to wonder where the show would do without its lead, they just said peace out. Kind of wish more shows did that.
Four years later, the creator John Logan (writer of Gladiator) apparently wants to play in that playbook again but instead of a full reboot, he is making what he call a spiritual sequel. Where the original features a team up of a bunch of 19th century Victorian monsters, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels features characters from Mexica folklore set in the 1930’s. But where pretty much everyone in the original cast was a monster of some sort, only two members of the show are supernatural (or so far in the episodes I have seen, we did not learn Josh Hartnett was the Wolfman until the season one finale) and one of those is not even in the main cast.
Instead the show mostly focuses on the first Mexican-American detective on the Los Angeles police force plated by Daniel Zovatto (It Follows). It helps that with his haircut he can pass as just tan for those that are ignorant. But most of his family is still very weary of the cops so he is stuck between two worlds. Pulling him to the other side of the tracks is the only person on the force willing to be his partner, Nathan Lane (Joe vs. the Volcano) who happens to be the only Jewish cop in LA.
Making this divide worse is Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) as the dark goddess Magda who is a shape shifter (okay, they just put the actress in different wigs, though she does have a few other tricks up her sleeve) who is whispering in ears on both sides to speed up a race war. One of her biggest marks is an American first Nazi played by Rory Kinnear (Frankenstein’s monster in the original; feel free to think that after the event of the first show, he traveled to Germany only to later show up in Los Angeles). On the other side she is shacking up with some dude named “Fly Rico” and their scenes together just seem to ripped from West Side Story. Though Dormer’s explanation of how she is Hispanic is pretty convoluted.
I do kind of miss the folklore elements of the original as much of that takes a back seat to the historical crime cases that are featured here. Though none have supernatural elements, it feels like thirties crime in Los Angeles have been well documented. Dormer’s mythical counterpoint, Santa Muerte (Lorenza Izzo, The Green Inferno), the angel who takes souls up to heaven, is only listed as a guest star and is not as interested in involving herself in the lives of humans. Though there is still time for other supernatural beings to come forward. There are some religious characters introduced in the second episode that seem like prime candidates. But I do like the idea of Penry Dreadful turning into an anthology featuring different folklore. Maybe future series can delve into Native American, African, Japanese, the possible stories are endless.
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime.
Homeland: Mmm, is Carrie really going to burn Saul to get the Black Box back? Why not tell him of the Russians plans so they can devise a way do get the Black Box back without naming the mole? Just how is Carrie going to find out who the mole is, inform the Russians, all while under arrest?
Black Monday: Oh hey, the gang is finally back together. Only took half the season. Most other shows would have annoying done that by the end of the season premiere. Be interesting where all the allegiances align now and going forward. I do wonder if Ken Marino is still playing both Lehman Brothers. I would be a huge time commitment to put Ken in all that makeup and then film another version of him as the other normal brother.
Killing Eve: Meh, I was really hoping that the show lived up to its name with that final scene last season. Kind of had to know Eve was not really dead, I mean, she was in the marketing to the season. But after Eve stabbed the crazy French assassin at the end of the season, and the crazy French assassin shot Eve at the end of the second season, where exactly do they go from there? I am assuming the crazy French assassin was not the person to kill the son, but who did then? The Thirteen? The Crazy French assassin's even crazier Russian assassin trainer? are the crazy French assassin and Even going to team up to shoot her at the end of this season?
Run: This felt like someone dared Phoebe Waller-Bridge to write a show within twenty-four only with the rule that it starts with someone getting a text that simply reads, "run." Hopefully it adds a plot soon.
Briarpatch: Okay, mostly half watched most of the season because I found it mostly boring, so who killed the sheriff? I assume that can she reached for is a huge clue but I missed it. But watching the dude get eaten by a tiger just highlights how much better the show could have been had they added more escaped animals. That was pretty much the only thing that set the show apart for other paint by numbers murder mysteries but the animals just seemed to quickly disappear.
Little Fires Everywhere: What really struck me about last episode is that for the first five episodes, Elena was this picturesque put together almost Stepford Wife, in episode six we just saw her completely crack multiple times. And then we saw her finally snap at Izzy. Then I found it interesting is than in the very next scene we see Pearl just snap at her mother. They have been clearly tying together Mia and Izzy but I am just now realizing that Elaina and Pearl are more tied together. Of course it is Elaina tells Pearl who she really is, not her mother. That just kind of confirmed to me that Mia is the one that burns down the house. Really, Izzy is the only other suspect at this point.
You can stream Little Fires Everywhere Hulu.
Survivor: Winners at War: My least favorite episode of any season somehow got worse: a full half an hour of loved ones, and even more than usually. But you have to feel bad for Michele who only had her sister show up when other had a spouse and three children. Really Fiji airlines, she and the others who only have their fiancés show up could not also have a parent or also a buddy show up?
Speaking of Michele, why the fork did she vote for Tyson? Did she just want to be part of the majority or was hoping to avoid a tie which would lead to rocks? Then did the group of five fork up? Shouldn’t they have gone three-three? Did they know Michele was with them? And how did Nick find himself in the majority after being on the bottom the last two weeks? How did Tony go from wanting to align the big threats to find himself in an alliance full of hyenas this week? Maybe the editors should not have spent half the episode on the family visit.
You can download Survivor: Winners at War on iTunes.
Devs: If Forrest was such a tech genius, how did he not realize that the reason Devs stopped seeing in the future was because Lily did something that it could not predict? When they first said that the program stopped when she went to Dev, my first thought was, oh, she just does not go to Devs. And yet both die anyway and meet up in a computer simulation. That may have been a more nonsensical ending than Annulation.
You can download Devs on iTunes.
Motherland: Fort Salem: I noticed this week that Will Ferrell and Adam McCay were producers. Wait, what?!? Have I been watching this right? I thought I have been watching a crappy sci-fi show, is this really a farce? I guess have the big bad being blue balloons makes more sense if we are not supposed to take the show seriously.
In the Dark: Two person consent laws are stupid. But seriously, the captain is really going to reinstate someone he knows murdered a child and is working for a drug queen pin because he says wants to bring her down? That is a stretch even by television standards.
The Blacklist: Well that was a weird episode. Red wants to go after the dude who makes guns after seeing someone get gunned down after murdering countless people himself after using the same weapon. Probably not the best vehicle to tell this story.
You can download The Blacklist 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 Florence + the Machine, Kid Cudi, Oh Wonder, Alice Boman, KIANA LEDÉ, Diana Ross, Danzig, and Private Lives of the Monarchs.
- From the midst of lockdown in South London, Florence Welch today releases the previously unreleased song ‘Light Of Love’. Originally recorded for Florence + the Machine’s last album ‘High As Hope’, it’s a soothing sonic balm to help heal anxious spirits. “’Light Of Love’ never made the record but I thought it would be nice to share it with the fans at this time of uncertainty, and could be a good way to raise awareness for the Intensive Care Society COVID-19 Fund. And to show my love, respect and admiration to all those working on the front line of this crisis. Florence will be donating all her income from this song to The Intensive Care Society Covid-19 fund and welcomes fans to make a donation if they are in a position to do so.
- Kid Cudi returns with a new single entitled “Leader of the Delinquents” today. Get it HERE via Republic Records. It marks his first release since Kids See Ghosts in 2018 and first solo music since 2016’s Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’. Once again, the GRAMMY® Award-winning multiplatinum artist, rapper, producer, actor, and visionary levels up and brings the culture with him. Cudi is readying his previously announced seventh full-length studio album, Entergalactic.
- Oh Wonder releases a new track “Keep On Dancing,” the second song in their Home Tapes project—listen HERE! Home Tapes sees the idiosyncratic London-based duo write, record, produce and release an intimate series of new music direct from isolation. The first song from Home Tapes—"Lonely Star”—also receives a visual treatment made by Oh Wonder in collaboration with thousands of fan-entries worldwide. Watch the video for “Lonely Star” HERE!
- Swedish songwriter Alice Boman follows her recently released debut album Dream On with a series of piano versions of tracks taken from the album, kicking off with the somewhat pertinently titled "Everybody Hurts". Listen to it HERE. The series of wonderful reinterpretations from Boman start with the piano version of previous single "Everybody Hurts", stripped back, gossamer vocals hold your ear over the trickle of exquisite piano playing elevate the track to a new level.
- Delivering a critically acclaimed R&B phenomenon, gold-selling Phoenix-raised and Los Angeles-based artist KIANA LEDÉ rules multiple charts this week. Her anxiously awaited full-length debut, KIKI, bows in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top R&B Albums Chart, Top 5 of the Apple Music R&B/Soul Albums Chart, Top 5 of the iTunes R&B/Soul Albums Chart, and Top 10 of the Apple Music Overall Albums Chart. Meanwhile, it has impressively gathered over 38 million worldwide streams to date. The album was Executive Produced by longtime collaborator Mike Woods [Rice N' Peas] and The Heavy Group, while she co-wrote the entire project as well. Get it HERE via Republic Records.
- Supertonic is a special kind of Diana Ross magic. Absolutely authentic, it’s her voice, her electrifying sound. This music has no boundaries, blending the past and the now in this new collection. On May 29, the digital release of Supertonic, featuring new remixes of nine classics, will be released by Motown/UMe. Supertonic also will be available June 26 on CD and crystal-clear vinyl. Supertonic is produced by Diana Ross with remixes by producer Eric Kupper. Executive Remix Production & Marketing By Brad LaBeau Co + Peter Nelson for Pro-Motion. All remixes are created from the original multi-tracks of the masters taken from the Motown vaults.
- Anticipation for the DANZIG Sings ELVIS one-of-a-kind album release increases as the first single is finally in sight. Danzig’s version of “One Night” stays true to its classic Elvis foundation while exhibiting a modern alternative sheen unlike anything fans would expect to hear. The single was exclusively premiered by Rolling Stone on April 9.
- Historian Tracy Borman returns to host a second season of Private Lives of the Monarchs, giving viewers an inside look into more discreet dealings and hidden love affairs of the most controversial figures of European royalty. From the glamorized and sometimes shocking life of Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret, to the enigmatic Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, the new season unveils some of the more sordid events in royal lives that didn’t make it into history books. Private Lives of the Monarchs returns Monday, May 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Well that was a very special episode. Nice work adding in the deaf actors signing instead of singing. But of course the one dude learned sign language to get laid.
You can download Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist on iTunes.
Homeland: That was kind of a waste of an episode when it was pretty obvious Carrie would end up getting her hands on the Black Box. The only question would be if the Russian dude would turn on her or not. Oh wait, I forgot option three, she tries to fork another enemy of the state and then he still turns on her. I am going to miss this show.
The Walking Dead: Okay, the show has been a drag since… um, ever, maybe, but the weird purple haired chick is a riot. Hopefully she sticks around to liven things up.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.
Good Girls: Wait, Leslie was not dead. Okay, I vaguely remember him “dying” only to be found hiding in his grandmother’s apartment. But how he ended up in prison is still a mystery to me. Really needed a recap of that. But now he is “dead” again but we do not get to see him die so I am guessing the gangsta has other plans for him.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.
Black Monday: Boo, I am going to miss Mo’s relaxer hair. That was comedy gold. But Mo being cleared that easily, was a bit of a stretch even by television standards. What could the FBI possibly want that would let him off the hook? Speaking of being left off the hook, it would also be a cheap stretch even by TV standards if Keith going to the Lehman Brothers’ Club Fed and being released early was just part of Mo’s plan and Keith is in on it.
Manifest: I know I should not have expected different, but that was extremely dumb. So frostbite dude comes back to life because he did good deeds? Kind of ruins the suspense of the death date. And now we are stuck with a lame love triangle.
You can download Manifest on iTunes.
Little Fires Everywhere: Last week, Mia’s parents implied that the kid was not hers. I just assumed they meant biologically, but maybe they just meant legally because when you use a turkey baster, you kind of have to the biological mother. This definitely explains why she is so adamant that the co-worker should get the kid back. Hers were by far the more interesting flashback, but boy was young Elena scenes rough. You are certainly going through things if you are driving five hours to see an ex-boyfriend. But I wonder if they are trying to explain Izzy’s problems with the sip of wine Elena had at that dinner?
You can stream Little Fires Everywhere Hulu.
Survivor: Winners at War: So I picked Adam to win solely because he seemed like the most random person who got to speak during the preview last fall. It seemed like I was more and more right as he kept on getting screen time despite being kind of insignificant. And yet, there were a bunch of little scenes made to make him look like a buffoon, like the inability to get his torch in the stand, so I actually kind of thought that weird thing was an Idol, but alas it was not and he was voted out. After all that, can he possibly be the one that comes back from Extinction and actually win? If so, that would be one of the weirdest bits of editing ever.
You can download Survivor: Winners at War on iTunes.
Devs: I really kind of hate the trope of someone predicting the future, someone else says, all I have to do is not do the thing you say I am going to do, but then they always do that exact thing. I kind of hoped what ended the Devs future was the chick just did not go to Devs. Really the last half of the episode was kind of boring.
You can download Devs on iTunes.
Motherland: Fort Salem: Wait, did not one really notice the wicked witch raised the temperature, like fifty degrees? Huh?
The Blacklist: We finally get to learn Agent Park’s deep dark secret, broke a few laws to get to the person she thought was responsible for killing her mother, but of course Red was the one that arranged the meeting. Makes me wonder how long he has been following her.
You can download The Blacklist 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 THE LONGEST WAR, AN AMERICAN ARISTOCRAT’S GUIDE TO GREAT ESTATES, AMERICA SAYS, Pearl Jam, The Avett Brothers, Sting, Frank Sinatra, The Seattle Symphony, A Kid From Coney Island, THE AMERICAN NURSE, Disgraceland, and Sew It Online.
- SHOWTIME has released the first-look clip for the upcoming feature-length documentary THE LONGEST WAR, which hails from Emmy®-winning director Greg Barker (Manhunt: The Inside Story of the Hunt for Bin Laden) and Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon, the executive producers of the Emmy® and Peabody-winning series HOMELAND. THE LONGEST WAR premieres on SHOWTIME on Sunday, April 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following the penultimate episode of HOMELAND.
- Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, gives an all-access pass into some of Great Britain’s most magnificent homes, revealing their incredible histories and the aristocratic families, both past and present, who have taken up residence in each estate. AN AMERICAN ARISTOCRAT’S GUIDE TO GREAT ESTATES is an intimate tour of estates with priceless treasures, exquisite gardens, aristocratic dramas and deep secrets. In the new eight-part series, Julie explores the challenges of living in a national treasure and the creative ways owners keep their estates running. AN AMERICAN ARISTOCRAT’S GUIDE TO GREAT ESTATES premieres Sunday, May 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.
- Tune-in to a specially created “sports edition” of AMERICA SAYS featuring play-by-play commentary from Emmy®-Award-winning play-by-play commentator, Rich Waltz on Game Show Network, April 11 at 5 p.m. Best known for calling television broadcasts for the Miami Marlins, CBS Sports Network, and MLB Network telecasts, Waltz will add his skilled observations to amuse viewers on the network’s survey-guessing game show, AMERICA SAYS, which is the most-watched original series on the network among W25-54[i].
- Pearl Jam’s Gigaton has been hailed “superb”, “fascinating and ambitious”, “inspiring and engaging”, “their finest studio hour” and “Pearl Jam’s best in a generation.” The critics and fans alike have praised the bands latest release and it has now bowed at #1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums Chart this week. Additionally, it landed in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top 200. Internationally the album debuted #1 in Italy and Austria, Top 5 in Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Canada, and Finland and Top 10 in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. Get it at pearljam.com.
- The Avett Brothers: C Sections and Railway Trestles (Tonight Show: At Home Edition):
- Sting & The Roots Remix "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (At-Home Instruments):
- Capitol/UMe and Frank Sinatra Enterprises celebrate the 60th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s Nice ‘n’ Easy, another iconic album in a series of collaborations between Sinatra and arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle with a special anniversary edition. Originally released on Capitol Records in July 1960, the Nice 'n' Easy album topped the charts at #1 for nine weeks. The album was nominated for multiple Grammys, including Album of the Year, Best Male Vocal Performance, and Best Arrangement (Nelson Riddle). Since its original release, Sinatra’s body of work still resonates with fans and critics today.
- The Seattle Symphony brings five performances to audiences this week with three rebroadcasts of R. Schumann Symphony No. 2 (movements 1, 3 and 4), led by Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, along with two new family-friendly educational broadcasts: Meet the Instrument: Violin with Seattle Symphony Violin Andy Liang and Tiny Clips for Tiny Tots: Strings, hosted by Seattle Symphony Horn John Turman. As announced earlier this month, the Seattle Symphony is continuing to share performances that provide strength, comfort and joy through video rebroadcasts and livestreams as we confront the current global health crisis.
- A Kid From Coney Island, the highly anticipated documentary on the life and career of former NBA player, Stephon Marbury is now available on all digital and on demand platforms including Apple, Amazon, Youtube, Vudu, FandangoNow, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish and more. In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, the digital release of the documentary, which provides an intimate portrayal of the rise, fall, and rebirth of Stephon Marbury, was accelerated to April 7 to immediately bring the film to homes of fans everywhere. Due to the global health crisis, theaters closed following the documentary’s successful opening weekend of its theatrical release where A Kid From Coney Island was the number one title in multiple New York City area theaters.
- At no time in recent history has the vital role of nurses in America been so clear. To honor nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, Kino Lorber is offering a free streaming re-release of the acclaimed documentary, THE AMERICAN NURSE (www.americannurseproject.com). The documentary highlights the lives of five American nurses from diverse specialties, bringing to the big screen a sincere look at the commitment, necessity, and compassion behind this profession that impacts us all.
- Today, the music and true crime podcast Disgraceland takes a break from its regularly scheduled season 5 release schedule to release a surprise episode about Tiger King's Joe Exotic. This surprise episode follows an April Fool's day episode on John Denver as well as official episodes on Little Richard, Jay-Z and Guns N' Roses.
- Sew It Online, a family-owned and operated sewing & craft shop, is the epitome of the American spirit and even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rewind to early March, hospital administration at University Hospital in Cleveland reached out to the local company that provides education, supplies and machines to the sewing community about filling in the gap with their lack of masks. After working with countless medical professionals to create a medically approved mask, Sew It Online began creating masks and shared this video. The video garnered hundreds of thousands of views which prompted the launch of #MillionMaskChallenge, a global sew-a-thon aimed at supporting healthcare workers and others in need.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Is it too soon to call this the best episode of the decade? Of course, who knows when Hollywood gets up and running, we may not get much new television after next month. You start off with a great rendition of Crazy. Zoey trying not to sing I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Pressure was not far behind. Max was pretty astute that Zoey sang him a love song but sang Simon a lust song. Then they capped things off by making everyone cry. But are they really going to kill off Peter Gallagher? After the first episode I assume they would have him sing every week, but he has sung in less than half of the episode and just sits there bug eyed most of the time. Kind of seems like a waste of his talents.
You can download Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist on iTunes.
Homeland: Last week I predicted one of Max or the Taliban dude would survive, probably both. Oops, wrong on both counts. Although the Talban guy ended up surviving the first round of bullets. Um, Pakistan, maybe it is time to get better soldiers if you can miss the head from maybe ten paces. But I do not understand why the Taliban’s son killed Max that way. Why not do it on camera?
The Walking Dead: Um, where did Carol go? That was pretty cheap to just leave Negan out there like that after he brought your mortal enemy’s head. And what was going on with Beta. Why steal Alpha’s head just to take it nowhere and kill her? Did he just want to show her the new horde he was making?
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.
Good Girls: So all that just for the boyfriend to chicken out at the end? Meh. Well at least he got his bird back. Maybe the children can get the chicks after the bird lays the eggs.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.
Black Monday: I hope we get to see the Rubber Room later this season, it sounds like comedy gold. I hope we do not see Horatio Sanz pull down his pants ever again.
Manifest: Um, why were the bad guys steal the hot cop’s nephew when they could have just as easily taken her instead? It is not like her half dead husband could do anything about it.
You can download Manifest on iTunes.
Little Fires Everywhere: Well that took an unexpected turn. I actually had to rewind the scene a couple times and turn up the volume to make I heard what I was not hearing. So, at least according to her grandparents, Pearl is not Mia’s child? Oh wow. I thought the twist was that the baby daddy was abusive but the real reason is that Mia was a surrogate and really does not want anyone to know where she is because she does not want Pearl taken away. No wonder she feels so strong about her co-worker is the rightful parent because she was the one that gave birth to the child. Now the big question is, what does Elena do with this information? Will she be willing to blow up Pearl’s life just to stick it to Mia? Will she blackmail Mia to stop supporting the co-work so her buddy can keep the kid? Oh yeah, and there is the whole fire business. We see Izzy go pyro this week, but like her name getting thrown out in the first episode, it is so obvious; you have to assume it is someone else. But other than maybe Mia and the co-worker, not many other suspects right now.
You can stream Little Fires Everywhere Hulu.
Survivor: Winners at War: Oh man, we were seconds away from the darkest timeline: Rob coming back in the game with an Idol. Oh wait; the true darkest timeline would be Rob coming back in at five with two Idols after accumulating enough Fire Tokens for more. But I have to say the creepy Nick montage was the greatest bit of editing since Angelina almost died while searching for an Idol.
You can download Survivor: Winners at War on iTunes.
The Challenge Total Madness: It is the biggest twist in the history of the show!!!!! Okay, calm down T.J., I am not sure it is top five. But it will be interesting how the power players who try to avoid elimination like the plague will play this. Do you try to go in early and make sure alliance serves you up a tomato can (and hope it is the type of challenge that favors you) or do you wait until you are near the end for fear if you go in early you may have to go in multiple times if you lose power? Granted this begs the question of if T.J. will even give them a head’s up. I probably would want to get it out of the way early.
Motherland: Fort Salem: What is with all the aging and de-aging? I get that they are witches, but I do not get what ends they are doing it in this episode.
Devs: Okay, when the old dude said to the young kid that got fired last week was nineteen, I was taken aback. The kid’s voice has yet to drop yet. So I did some googling and it turns out that young boy is actually a twenty-two year old woman in real life. That may have been the biggest plot twist on the show so far.
You can download Devs on iTunes.
The Blacklist: Ugg, I forget if the guy that Lizzie was looking for was Red as a younger man or his buddy that her mom abducted. I am pretty sure it is Red, which in case, good luck finding someone who no longer exists.
You can download The Blacklist 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 Normal People, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Showtime, Impractical Jokers: The Movie, Master Minds, Disgraceland, The Weeknd, Oh Wonder, KIANA LEDÉ, Basketball Country: In The Water, Autism: The Sequel, Robin Williams, and Hustlers
- Hulu released the official trailer for Normal People, a 30-minute drama series based on Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel. Normal People premieres with all 12 episodes, Wednesday, April 29th, only on Hulu.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic Turns "One More Minute" into a Social Distancing Anthem:
- Given the suspension of production operations due to the COVID-19 virus, SHOWTIME is making the following scheduling adjustments for its series BLACK MONDAY, BILLIONS and THE CHI: BLACK MONDAY will air through the sixth episode of its second season on Sunday April 12, then will return with the final four episodes of the season later this year. As previously announced, BILLIONS will premiere its fifth season on Sunday, May 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The first seven episodes of the season will debut starting in May, with the remainder to also air later this year. The season premiere of THE CHI will move up to Sunday, June 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The entire third season will air without interruption. Also, the entire season of PENNY DREADFUL: CITY OF ANGELS is currently scheduled to air beginning with its season premiere on Sunday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. In the cases of both BILLIONS and BLACK MONDAY, the pause in new episodes will come at a natural point in the story arcs of their seasons.
- Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is bringing the pranks into homes this April Fool’s Day with the early digital release of Impractical Jokers: The Movie on April 1, 2020, only five weeks after its successful theatrical debut. The film, an extension of the wildly successful Impractical Jokers series, was directed by Chris Henchy (Daddy’s Home, “Eastbound & Down”). A truTV original production and produced by Funny Or Die, Impractical Jokers: The Movie carries a suggested retail price of $19.99 for the Digital ($24.99 in Canada) and is rated PG-13.
- Master Minds, the new expert trivia game show hosted by Emmy®-nominated Game Show Host Brooke Burns (“Baywatch”; “The Chase”) and featuring Jeopardy! G.O.A.T./Trivia Legend Ken Jennings premieres next Monday, April 6 at 4 p.m. ET on Game Show Network. This engaging, fun, and educational show is family-friendly entertainment that every age group can enjoy and strives to be an uplifting respite and dose of playful competition for families who are at home together during this tumultuous time.
- The explosive music and true crime podcast Disgraceland continues its 5th season with a new episode on Little Richard. The episode will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network beginning today and can be heard now on the iHeartRadio app and wherever podcasts are available. So far in season 5, host Jake Brennan has released an epic two part episode on Guns N' Roses and an episode focusing on Jay-Z.
- The Weeknd’s latest album, After Hours (XO/Republic Records) was released to massive critical and fan acclaim and has now been crowned the year’s biggest release, earning over 2 billion global streams and nearly 2 million in global consumption. The Grammy Award winning artist has not only captured a #1 album debut, but the single “Blinding Lights” has simultaneously captured the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his 5th #1 on the chart. In addition, After Hours has become the #1 R&B streaming album of all time, breaking the record previously held by The Weeknd’s 2016 release, Starboy. The artist now holds the #1 and #2 top streaming R&B albums of all time with After Hours and Starboy. After Hours is topping the charts across the globe, debuting #1 in Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and New Zealand. The album debuted at #1 on Apple Music in over 85 countries and dominated the global Spotify Chart, capturing 7 of the Top 10. Additionally, "Blinding Lights" has been the #1 airplay song and #1 official single in multiple countries for several consecutive weeks as well as Spotify's #1 Global Song for 37 days and counting. The record has also has crossed over 5 million in Single Consumption.
- Oh Wonder launches a new series called Home Tapes, which will see the duo write, record, produce and release a string of new songs from their home studio in South London. The first arrives today in the form of twinkling and gently hypnotic track “Lonely Star”—listen HERE. It’s been a whirlwind year so far for Oh Wonder—the idiosyncratic musical partnership of Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht. February saw them release their second U.K. Top 10 album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, and subsequently embark on their momentous “Wear Your Crown” World Tour to celebrate. The tour began with a magnificent homecoming show at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire but was put on hold three days later in Paris as the world was brought to a standstill.
- Affirming herself as the boldest and brightest breakthrough R&B songstress of 2020, gold-selling Phoenix-raised and Los Angeles-based artist KIANA LEDÉ reveals her highly anticipated full-length debut, KIKI, today. The album was Executive Produced by longtime collaborator Mike Woods (Rice N' Peas) and Kiana co-wrote the entire project as well. Get it HERE via Republic Records.
- Short-form sweepstakes program GAME SHOW NETWORK DAILY DRAW, which turns network viewers into winners, will return to Game Show Network on Monday, April 6 within the 4:30pm airing of GET A CLUE. Hosted by Rob Belushi, actor and host of Game Show Network’s word giving and guessing game, GET A CLUE, the one-minute interstitial will give viewers the opportunity to win up to $500 each weeknight.
- SHOWTIME this week announced the new documentary titled Basketball Country: In The Water, a collaboration with NBA star Kevin Durant and sports business executive Rich Kleiman’s Thirty Five Ventures. The film explores how one county in Maryland, Durant’s hometown, has recently produced more elite basketball players than anywhere else in the world. BASKETBALL COUNTY: In The Water will premiere on SHOWTIME on Friday, May 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. A fascinating examination of a remarkable community, BASKETBALL COUNTY: In The Water tells the story of Prince George’s County, Md., and its social, economic and cultural evolution through the lens of some of the game’s biggest stars—Durant, Victor Oladipo, Michael Beasley, Quinn Cook, Rebekkah Brunson, Marissa Coleman and many more. Since 2000, the county just outside the nation’s capital has spawned some 25 NBA players, more than a dozen WNBA players, and countless more who have competed at elite universities, highlighting the decades-long prevalence of basketball within a region of roughly 800,000 residents.
- In 2006, HBO debuted the 2007 Emmy®-winning Autism: The Musical, a poignant, heartwarming film that followed five children on the autism spectrum as they wrote and performed their own musical. We revisit the stars of this musical 12 years later in Autism: The Sequel as the original subjects, now in their early 20s, navigate what independence means to them as they manage challenges and triumphs as adults. Weaving together present-day interviews with footage of the subjects and their families shot 12 years ago, the uplifting short documentary Autism: The Sequel debuts Tuesday, April 28 at 9pm on HBO.
- While Robin Williams started performing stand-up comedy in the mid-'70s, most of America first fell in love with him as the naïve and hilarious alien from the planet Ork in Mork & Mindy. He became an instant superstar and went on to do five HBO stand-up specials and dozens of feature films. Robin performed steadily for nearly four decades-from comedy clubs to stadiums, from talk shows to USO tours-and continually amazed audiences with his frenetic energy and unbelievably quick wit. This April Fools' Day, the comedy connoisseurs at Time Life will launch The Official Robin Williams YouTube Channel, celebrating Robin's comic genius. Whether you know Robin from the stage or from the screen, as a comedian, an alien, or a genie-home audiences can subscribe to the channel and be prepared to laugh and cry at unforgettable and hilarious performances by the singular talent.
- The television premiere of the smash hit film Hustlers will air on SHOWTIME on Saturday, April 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Network subscribers will also be able to watch the movie across all platforms including SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and the SHOWTIME stand-alone streaming service. Acclaimed by critics and beloved by audiences, HUSTLERS netted star Jennifer Lopez her first Golden Globe nomination since 1998’s Selena. Inspired by a viral New York Magazine article, the film follows a crew of savvy former strip-club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. The ensemble cast of HUSTLERS includes Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians), Julia Stiles (DEXTER®), television personality Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart (Riverdale) and music superstars Lizzo and Cardi B.
During my review of the My Valentine episode of Into the Dark I mentioned how I thought the Pooka cameo was the first time an episode referenced a previous one but it turns out I was wrong as that was the second time the creepy doll popped up. The first time was during the thanksgiving episode Pilgrim. Now Pooka is the first character to get a full sequel. I did see they gave My Valentine a shout out in response. But if there is a Pilgrim reference, again, I missed it.
Pooka Lives! is I guess April Fool’s Day themed, though it seems like a made up Pooka Day is the actual “holiday” here. Granted Easter is also referenced, so who knows. Yeah, sometimes they play fast and loose with the holidays. Though I wonder if this will be the last episode for a while or have there already filmed these episodes in advanced. It would be cool if someone aspiring filmmaker was able to create a Memorial Day episode from quarantine.
Pooka Lives! stars Malcolm Barrett (Timeless) who has to move back home and become a copywriter for the Pooka company after being publically scored by an influencers who decides to destroy his life. He then comes up with an internet challenge for retribution involving the creepy doll which now has countless different versions, including one that looks like Pooka forked the Donnie Darko rabbit which is truly horrifying.
The episode also stars Felicity Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) but for some reason the two nineties nerd culture stars never share the screen. This episode seemed like it was going to be another slasher flick, the second this year after there was none in the first season, but the body count ended up pretty low. Maybe they are waiting for the third one for that, because this time it ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. But I have to say this was one of the few sequils better than the original. Here is how it ranks on my Power Ranking:
Into the Dark Season Two Power Ranking:
1. Uncanny Annie (October)
2. A Nasty Piece of Work (December)
3. Pooka Lives! (April)
4. Crawlers (March)
5. Pilgrim (November)
6. My Valentine (February)
7. Midnight Kiss (December)
Into the Dark: Pooka Lives! airs tomorrow exclusively on Hulu.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: You know what makes a good show: The small details. Like having some random extra with a fake baby deliver a line like, “That’s usually not a very good sign.” That just had me laughing throughout the commercial break. Just having a flash mob which Zoey, and, well me, thinks is one of her mental breaks was pretty brilliant too.
You can download Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist on iTunes.
Homeland: Wait, they have lady judges in Pakistan? Who knew they were that progressive? But does the lady who was evil earlier this season, plotting with the military 80’s villain, really want peace now? Or is she the reason they changed the judge? So we were left with two cliffhangers: the Taliban leader is going to go in front of a firing squad any minute. Am I really supposed to feel bad for a dude who killed countless numbers of people, because I sort of did before remembering he was a mass murderer? Then Max is about to have his head cut off. But I really doubt after being so lucky the first half of the season, he goes out like that. So will it be the three man Russian crew (four if you count Carrie) or the American extraction team that saves him. Granted, since he did give Carrie all the information she needs to get the black box, so maybe they will shock us and kill both at the start of the next episode. Homeland season one would have killed at least one, later Homeland will probably find a way to save both.
Supergirl: Oh hey, our first Miss Tessmacher sighting in post Crisis. I believe when we last saw her, Lena essentially turned her into AI. I guess that did not happen. I predict she is back to being Lex’s mole inside Catco.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.
The Walking Dead: Oh yeah, Michonne inexplicably left her children earlier this season to help some random dude find his family. And of course that random dude turned out to be crazy and almost killed her. But then led her to a ship that had something of Rick’s? Huh? And now Michonne is going to keep being away from her children to look for Rick with little clues? Huh? But speaking of people who have not been on the show for a while, the dream sequences reminded me that Maggie just disappeared without any explanation.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.
Good Girls: That is pretty brilliant to bury a body in a cemetery. Doubtful anyone would dig up the other grave and find it. What was not brilliant was leaving the phone on so the boyfriend could find it. I thought the boyfriend would find the bird when he went over to Beth’s but instead he had a chance meeting with the bird when donating bird feed. How convenient. So I guess the boyfriend will continue to be a little bit of a problem going forward.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.
Black Monday: There are fewer things I needed to see than Horatio Sanz’s little Horatio. But I kind of want an episode in the Rubber Room. That place sounded interesting.
Project Blue Book: Wait, are they implying that Quinn went through some portal to Antarctica? Isn’t this show supposed to be based on fact? This is going to be a hard thing to sell if there is a next season.
You can download Project Blue Book on iTunes.
Little Fires Everywhere: Well that escalated quickly. Elena just went after Mia who dished I all back. But is that custody battle really going to take up the rest of the season because it seems pretty open and shut. If you give up your child, you give up your child. You just cannot put a child on layaway indefinitely. Then what is up with Reece’s eldest? What teenage boy goes limp in the middle of sex? Seems as believe able as no assigned seats in high school.
You can stream Little Fires Everywhere Hulu.
Survivor: Winners at War: There is nothing more annoying on this show than whatever name gets thrown out in the confessional right after the Immunity Challenge and before the ad break almost never is the person that gets voted out. It is essentially a spoiler at this point. So when Yul said I was going to be Wendell, I knew at that moment is was almost certain to be Yul going home. Though I am not sure it was wise for Michelle and Nick to side with the guy at the last Tribal admitted he was willing to stab everyone in the back and front and could be bought with some Fire Tokens.
You can download Survivor: Winners at War on iTunes.
Devs: Just a reminder people, do not talk on the phone while driving. Wifey just blew right through that stop sign. But I was not entirely sure what I was seeing for most of the episode.
You can download Devs on iTunes.
The Bold Type: So Kat was fired and just like the season that ended with Jane taking another job, she will be back at Scarlett within an episode or two next season. But shouldn’t she be in prison? Especially if dude’s daughter is some high powered lawyer who already threatened her. Although the look those two had at the end of the episode seemed a little thirsty.
You can download The Bold Type on iTunes.
The Blacklist: There was a point for sure that Red was the one killing everybody off. Although, it did turn out to be a pretty entertaining Ten Little Indians episode.
You can download The Blacklist 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 Future Man, Desus & Mero, Pearl Jam, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Loop TV, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Impractical Jokers: The Movie, Into the Dark, and The Wretched.
- Check out the official trailer for the third and final season of Hulu Original comedy series Future Man. All eight episodes of Future Man will premiere April 3, only on Hulu.
- Showtime announced that the late-night series Desus & Mero will return to air with all-new episodes filmed from the hosts’ own homes, starting on Monday, March 30 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The show will continue to air new episodes on Monday and Thursday nights. Each episode will feature hosts Desus Nice (Daniel Baker) and The Kid Mero (Joel Martinez) giving their take on the day’s hot topics and continuing to host interviews with special guests through video conference technology. Episodes will continue to be shot remotely from the hosts’ homes in New Jersey and the Bronx until further notice.
- Pearl Jam have released their anxiously awaited new album, Gigaton [Monkeywrench/Republic Records], today. Get it at www.pearljam.com. Earlier this week, the band previewed the record on a special dial-in hotline: 585-20-PEARL (585-207-3275). Phoning the line allowed fans to listen to tracks in full before Gigaton’s official arrival. Following singles “Dance of the Clairvoyants” and “Superblood Wolfmoon,” they also shared “Quick Escape” as the final instant grat on Wednesday.
- Republic Records releases Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Season 1, Episode 7 (Music from the Original TV Series) in conjunction with the critically acclaimed new NBC television series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, produced by Lionsgate and Universal Television in association with the Tannenbaum Company, Feigco Entertainment and Universal Music Group’s Polygram Entertainment. Get it via Republic Records HERE. New EPs will be released in tandem with each new episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, which will air weekly on Sundays at 9pm ET/ PT on NBC.
- Remember the MTV and VH1 of the 80’s and 90’s, where you could tune in anytime and get an instant playlist of iconic, well-produced music videos to discover from “Take on Me” to “Thriller” and “Like a Prayer”? Sadly, the old MTV is gone forever, but that isn’t stopping the original brat pack of MTV executives—from Andy Schuon to Liz Heller—to team up and create the newer, better MTV. Loop TV—a streaming media company focused on premium short-form video—is launching its free channel of premium music videos on Amazon Fire Stick and Amazon Fire Stick enabled Samsung TV. This “new MTV” is bringing a resurgence of the music video to the entire industry ecosystem, from A&R, to production, to distribution, to most of all consumers.
- From Director Céline Sciamma (Girlhood, Tomboy), NEON's award winning Portrait of a Lady on Fire, on Hulu now, debuted at Cannes and was the winner of Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm at festival last summer. The Cannes winner was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, an Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Language Film, nominated by the Hollywood Critics Association for Best Foreign Language Film and was awarded Best Cinematography by the New York Film Critics. GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics awarded Portrait LGBTQ Film of the Year and it was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film. Portrait of a Lady on Fire has been hailed by critics as one of the best films of the year, earning 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. Set in France, 1760, Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse’s first moments of freedom. Héloïse's portrait soon becomes a collaborative act of and testament to their love.
- Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is bringing the pranks into homes this April Fool’s Day with the early digital release of Impractical Jokers: The Movie on April 1, 2020, only five weeks after its successful theatrical debut. The film, an extension of the wildly successful Impractical Jokers series, was directed by Chris Henchy (Daddy’s Home, “Eastbound & Down”). A truTV original production and produced by Funny Or Die, Impractical Jokers: The Movie carries a suggested retail price of $19.99 for the Digital ($24.99 in Canada) and is rated PG-13.
- Check out the new trailer for Into the Dark's April episode, POOKA LIVES! The fan-favorite villain returns this April, more murderous and terrifying than ever!
- The Wretched, opens May 1 on digital platforms and VOD. Following his parents’ separation, a rebellious teenage boy, Ben, is sent to live with his father for the summer and work at the local marina in order to gain some form of discipline. The idyllic tourist town offers little solace for him, however, as he is forced to deal with the local, privileged teens and his father’s new girlfriend. Ben’s problems grow increasingly disturbing when he makes a chilling discovery about the family renting the house next door. A malevolent spirit from the woods has taken ahold of the parents and starts playing a sinister game of house, preying upon the children and wiping away any trace of their existence. Ben’s suspicions of the supernatural horrors go unheeded and he launches a perilous crusade in order to put an end to the skin-walking witch’s reign of terror.
The movie business is being upended by the global pandemic but the music business is just humming along after pretty much converting to digital last decade. There are some major releases that do not even get physical releases now. Amazon said they would not be storing any CD's or vinyl records in their warhouses to save space for essiental product and that was met mostly with a shrug. I was a little surprised that Alicia Keys delayed her album that was supposed to come out last week for two months, just days after announcing it was coming at all. No one really knows how long we will be stuck inside, but there actually is a bunch of noteworthy albums coming out this spring to keep us entertained until the quarantine is listed. I am certainly not renting The Hunt for twenty bucks, that is like three and a half months of Hulu. Here are the ones I am most looking for:
1. Gaslighter - Dixie Chicks (My 1): Has it really been fourteen years since the last Dixie Chicks album? I guess it does not seem that long because Natalie Maines released a solo album while Emily Robison and Martie Maguire released two albums under the name Court Yard Hounds in between. The title track lead single makes it sound like they have not skipped a beat and are just as angry as they were during the Bush era. And to think, most people actually miss the Bush era compared with what is going on now.
2. Women In Music Pt.III - Haim (April 24): Ha, WiMP III. Clever title. Haim sprinkled three quality single across 2019 and those are finally culminating with their third album. Okay, the fourth song that was released with the album announcement was the weakest, but I am still looking forward to it.
3. Gigaton - Pearl Jam (This Week): Well that was a weird first single. Maybe we should have guessed end times were upon us when Pearl Jam released a song with a dance-able bass-line. While they will likely never reach the heights of those first three classic albums, late period Pearl Jam has been pretty solid.
4. Pick Me Off the Floor - Norah Jones (May 8): Thanks to that massive first (and technically only) hit, Norah Jones has has the luxury of doing pretty much what ever she wants since. This time around she worked with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and if it is like past collaborations, it should end up being pretty good.
5. Fetch the Bolt Cutters - Fiona Apple (TBD): Not quite Dixie Chicks long but it has been way took long Fiona Apple has released an album. Nothing is know but the title, based on a television quote of all things (but still not as weird as when she wrote poem length album titles) but just the thought of an album from Fiona will at very least put her on the list.
Here is everything else that is at least worth a spin on Spotify:
Last Week
After Hours - The Weeknd
3.15.20 - Childish Gambino
Tomorrow
Local Honey - Brian Fallon
Love Is An Art - Vanessa Carlton
Stain Cloud - Waxahatchie
Aporia - Sufjan Stevens
Walking Proof - Lilly Hiatt
Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (25th Anniversary Digital Deluxe Edition) - Ol' Dirty Bastard
April 3
Migration Stories - M. Ward
The Mike & Micky Show Live - The Monkees
Born to Sing: 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition - En Vogue
April 10
The Way it Feels - Maddie and Tae
LIFERS - Local H
April 17
Italian Ice - Nicole Atkins
One World - Billy Ocean
The Rainbow Children (Reissue) - Prince
One Night alone... (Reissue) - Prince
April 24
Notes On A Conditional Form - The 1975
Three. Two. One. - Lennon Stella
First Rose Of Spring - Willie Nelson
MTV Unplugged Live at Hull City Hall - Liam Gallagher
May 1
Hate For Sale - The Pretenders
May 8
Petals for armor - Hayley Williams
Recover - The Naked and Famous
That’s How Rumors Get Started - Margo Price
May 15
Alicia - Alicia Keys
Reunions - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Van Weezer - Weezer
May 29
Imploding The Mirage - The Killers
June 5
What's Your Pleasure - Jessie Ware
Surface Sounds - KALEO
June 12
Canyons - Gone West
TBD
Brother Sister - Watkins Family Hour
Ariana Grande
Daryl Hall and John Oats
Lorde
The Cure
Of course this could be the quarter Dr. Dre releases Detox.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: They really need to get Lauren Graham some better music to sing instead of getting stuck with crappy last decade pop trash. And while I am making requests, can someone please give the weird barista her own show?
You can download Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist on iTunes.
Homeland: Wow, that new girl is really bad at her job. First she mess up that fake interview, then she lost Carrie’s tail, and later in the same episode she watches Carrie board a plane and just leaves when she is out of sight. Really, you just saw how sneaky Carrie was maybe five hours ago. At least watch the plane take off. But Carrie working with the Russian dude cannot be good.
Supergirl: Um, clearly the show is not safe if Supergirl leaves because Dreamer is just unwatchable. And did the dude really admit that he did this because he wanted to fork Dreamer and got mad when he found out (s)he used to be a dude? So stupid.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.
The Walking Dead: So that did not make much sense. So Negan was working with Carol this whole time? But why abandon the gay dude? Why kidnap Alpha’s kid? Was the kid in that shack? So is Beta the main antagonist now? Negan? Carol?
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.
Good Girls: You know when gangbanger is starting to kill people in front of you, maybe this is the time to actually go to the police. Did the dead gay FBI guy not have any files on the guy? Is law enforcement this incompitant?
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.
The Plot Against America: Well that was kind of boring. Hopefully it will get more interesting when the campaign goes into high gear.
Project Blue Book: Interesting twist of the bomb not being live. But weird to have an episode the featured Russian spies and it did not involve the woman they just found out was a spy. But we did get another twist in JFK himself bringing in his own case, this time a weird one, a UFO coming out of the water.
You can download Project Blue Book on iTunes.
Survivor: Winners at War: Some really dumb moves on the Sele Tribe. First Michelle tells Wendell her plan to get Parviti’s Fire Tokens which made her look shady. Then Wendell gave such a bad Tribal performance I thought he would be going home. Just straight up admitting your vote could be bought seemed like a bad idea. When he was battering with Parviti, I was waiting for Nick and Ben would turn on him. Maybe Wendell told them that he would try to get Parvati’s Fire token and still voter her out like… well, I will get to that, but that also made Wendell look shady.
But Denise showed how to manipulate someone with Fire Tokens. Well at least do it better. I am not sure taking out the Queen, the biggest move this season, right before the merge was the smartest play because it now puts a huge target on your back. Making things worse is she unnecessary wasted an Idol on Jeremy. I think I would rather have the Idol in my back pocket than Jeremy still in the game. Plus the other tribe did not even split the vote so the point was mute.
You can download Survivor: Winners at War on iTunes.
Devs: So the fuzzy video of Marilyn Monroe is vague enough but crystal clear Jesus speaking is bad because it may be off? That scene was pretty confusing.
You can download Devs on iTunes.
The Blacklist: Oh yeah, so Red thinks he killed Lizzy’s mom who may or may not actually be her mom and Aram is forking someone’s wife. At least we had a filler episode to get us back up to speed. I just wish Aram would break up with the wife for good or finally reveal she is evil or something because that storyline was stale before the break.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.
