Around the Tubes: October, 16, 2021

   

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting.  This post includes blurbs on Animaniacs, Desus & Mero, Taste the Nation, Chelsea Cutler, Foxes, Of Monsters and Men, Cusp, The Honeymooners.

- Season Two of ANIMANIACS premieres on Hulu Friday, November 5th!  Yakko, Wakko and Dot return for an all-new season of this iconic, family-friendly series with something for everyone: pop culture parodies, musical showstoppers, takedowns of historical baddies...and even some important safety tips. Join the Warners and Pinky and the Brain as they wreak havoc everywhere they go, from the Warner Bros. lot to an international beauty pageant and all the way into outer space. And keep an eye out for season one favorites Starbox & Cindy, as well as some rejected Animaniacs characters that were left on the cutting room floor.

- SHOWTIME announced that DESUS & MERO returns to air with new episodes starting Sunday, October 17 at 11 p.m. ET/PT with guest Nas. Currently in its third season, the WGA Award-winning late-night series will continue to air weekly on Sunday and Thursday nights at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Shot in a revamped New York City studio, each episode features Desus Nice and The Kid Mero giving their take on the day’s hot topics and chatting with guests at the intersection of pop culture, sports, music, politics and more, with past guests including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, President Barack Obama, Zendaya, Glenn Close, Lil Nas X, Barry Jenkins, Issa Rae and Matt Damon. DESUS & MERO has been renewed for season four, which will premiere early next year.

- Get a taste of the upcoming 4-part "Taste The Nation: Holiday Edition" with the new trailer and key art! All episodes premiere Thursday, November 4th, only on Hulu. In “Taste the Nation,” award-winning host, executive producer and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi, who recently received her 3rd Emmy nomination, takes audiences on a journey across America, exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history - ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.  "Taste the Nation” returns this Fall for a special 4-part “Holiday Edition” where each episode will highlight unique traditions through the lens of a different immigrant culture and city, like Korean New Year in Los Angeles and Cuban Christmas in Miami.  Trailer: HERE

- Platinum-Certified singer, songwriter, and producer Chelsea Cutler unveils her sophomore album, When I Close My Eyes, out now—listen HERE. The 13-track album—written, recorded, and produced by Chelsea with several artists and collaborators—features her newest single, “Forever.”  On the album, she says, “I’m so excited to give you my sophomore album When I Close My Eyes. I felt so much joy being able to work on music collaboratively again, so I can only hope all of that joy is woven into this album for everyone to hear.”

- Foxes releases the energetic new bop "Dance Magic"– the second single to be taken from her recently announced third studio album, The Kick, due for release on February 11 2022 via [PIAS] Recordings.  "Dance Magic" follows the latest release "Sister Ray," produced by Ghost Culture (Daniel Avery, Kelly Lee Owens) and released last month alongside the long-awaited announcement of The Kick and the official music video. Inspired by the Velvet Underground song of the same name, the single takes a more anthemic and electronic approach akin to Robyn.

- Marking an important milestone, multiplatinum Icelandic collective Of Monsters and Men announce My Head Is An Animal (10^th Anniversary Edition) to be released on October 29^th.  To celebrate a decade since the arrival of their platinum-certified debut My Head Is An Animal, the group is releasing a version of the album as it was when it was released in Iceland in 2011. This version has a total of four tracks that were not on the 2012 US release, including two never-before-released songs: “Phantom” and “Sugar In A Bowl.” The anniversary album will also be accompanied by commemorative merchandise and a limited-edition vinyl as a special thank you for fans.  Pre-order/Pre-save My Head Is An Animal (10^th Anniversary Edition) album and view exclusive merchandise—HERE.  Watch the trailer for new single “Phantom” HERE.

- The SHOWTIME award-winning feature documentary CUSP, from first-time feature-film directors Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt, will premiere Friday, November 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Winners of the 2021 Emerging Filmmaker Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival^®, the filmmakers present an intimate and authentic glimpse into American girlhood when the constraints of adolescence clash with the growing desire for personal agency. The film will begin an awards qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, November 12 ahead of the SHOWTIME premiere.  To watch and share the trailer, visit https://youtu.be/QNjk85n_9g4

- The Honeymooners Specials: A Christmas Carol comes to DVD on November 2, 2021.  SYNOPSIS:  In 1977, Jackie Gleason, Audrey Meadows, Art Carney and Jane Kean reunited for the second of four hour-long specials representing the final performances of their classic Honeymooners characters. Ralph enlists Alice, Ed and Trixie to perform with him on stage after he agrees to supervise and star in the annual office holiday fund-raiser for a charity chosen by his boss’ wife. Ralph ends up rewriting and reimagining Charles Dickens’ dramatic classic A Christmas Carol with comedic results when Ed serves as the inexperienced director.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 10, 2021

 

 Billions:  Like Damian Lewis’s last Showtime show, he extended his usefulness to the show one to three seasons too long.  But if you are going to write him off the show, you are really going to write him off like that?  So basically the two main characters in their death feud somehow both seem to come out as losers?  Chuck was unable to get his white whale and Bobby was exiled, unable to do what he loves either.  I always thought the only way for the show to end after they spent so much time going after each other was for them both to lose, but I thought that should be they they end up in a cell next to each other this seems so hollow.

 

Making things worse is it looks like they are plugging in Mike Prince into the Bobby roll with very little change.  Prince literally is now sitting in Bobby’s office owning everything that Bobby once own.  The only difference is that Dollar Bill and McFee are gone and the logo on the wall will change.  I guess the only thing of interest going forward is which side exactly in the new Chuck vs. Prince feud will Wendy fall.  Who does she hate more?

 

The Walking Dead:  Watching the spin-off got me wondering, is the group that Eugene and company have gone to going to turn into the evil group in the spin-off?  Timeline is fuzzy and they do not have the three circle symbol (not that I was looking for it).  But the governor’s son was just an over the top douchebag.  No one is going to be that angry that someone saved their life. 

 

American Rust:  So we actually get to see what went down in episode four.  It is good they did not wait much longer because it played out exactly how I assumed it did.  But are just bringing in Billy for questioning or id this an arrest?  Bruised knuckles and an anonymous tip from someone fleeing the state seems pretty flimsy for an arrest

 

The Walking Dead: World Beyond:  I did not remember much going on last season, just the two girls looking for their dad, one of their companions turned out to be evil, but maybe I should have done some catching up because I was lost for most of the episode.  It did not help that some of it was dream sequences (or maybe not, that helped with the lostness).  I am not sure who that one sister killed.  Was that one of the evil people?  Is so, why were they there?  If not, was it someone guarding their community?

 

Y: The Last Man:  Oh wow, I was not expecting that bath scene on something that was supposed to be on FX.  But what I did expect was Y going off on his own only for Agent 355 to track him down, tell him not to do it again, only for him to do the exact same thing next episode.  But back to the bathing ladies, are they going to start cutting off breasts?  I felt like that was coming during that weird ceremony after the creepy leader talked about Amazonians doing that, but it never came.  Maybe that is coming later.

 

Only Murders in the Building:  Last week was a nice change of pace, but I am glad the new three amigos are back together and talking again.  It was funny how Amy Ryan quickly became the Yoko Ono of the group and once Oscar showed up, Martin Short felt so left out, he went down to get the superfans to keep him from being the fifth wheel. 

But poor Yoko, gets stabbed after one podcast session.  I guess it is time take her off my suspect list.  I am also taking Sting off because the note said “I’m watching you” not “I’ll be watching you.”  But that is Steve Martin’s girlfriend, Martin Short’s dog, is Oscar next?  We do see Selena Gomez covered in blood hovering over someone in a tye-dye sweatshirt in the first episode.  Granted the superfans were wearing the same thing.

 

La Brea:  Wait, did they really CGI the daughter’s leg?  And not very well since she walked with a limp?  If that flashback happened before she lost her leg, why not put her in pants?  Or do some creative editing like when the flashed back to Barbra before her accident on Titans?  The show is about a group of people who fell in a sink hole and were transported 10,000 year in the past where people try to outrun a sabretooth tiger instead of getting into an ambulance there are standing right next to, yet this was the most confusing thing. 

 

Stargirl:  They really retconned some things this week.  So the original JSA broke up after killing a dude, but got back together years later just to get defeated by the Injustice Society?   I am really over Eclipso at this point.  Can we get Shiv back?

 

Wu-Tang: An American Saga:  Another good episode, this week we get to see Ghostface and Raekwon John Wu themselves through a radio station just to get their song played.  Awesome.  But I also like the ODB and the gang going to college.  That could have been the whole episode right there.

 

Survivor:  Oh joy, another week, another way to lose your vote.  But I have no idea what the rules of the boat ride were.  When they show up for the stuff, I was just like, okay, that happened.  But Shan made a second mistake at Tribal Council in two trips.  She should have gotten out Brad the first week, but this week, she should have gotten out JD who lied to her.  If he goes, she has her Steal a Vote in her pocket.

 

The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies: Good riddance Bamber.  Only two more annoying Big Brother players to go.  I was hoping with Josh teamed up with house pariah Pricilla he would follow shortly, but it seems like we are done with pairs.  The winners did not get to pick new partners and the promo make it looks like everyone is working by themselves next week.  But are they still going to boot two people at a time?  Alternate genders?

 

In the Dark:  Well that was a horrible ending to one of the worst seasons of television ever.  Really, the cop was able to see the dude with a gun but somehow did not spot Jess and her new hideous bangs?  So now the blind chick is in prison with the person she helped bury’s girlfriend.  That should be a fun fourth season.

 

Doom Patrol:  The show regained some of that season magic after the Chief’s daughter storyline wrapped up but I found this episode to be pretty meh.  I kind of which the Brotherhood of Evil was the big bad of the season because after one episode I am out on the Sisterhood of Dada.  But with Rita heading back in time, maybe the Brotherhood will come back in place.  Mmm, I wonder if the Brotherhood of Evil and Sisterhood of Evil working together… or maybe they are enemies of each other.

 

Titans:  Not one, but two Titans got shot this week.  And yet Starfire somehow got powers after getting shot in the chest while I doubt Nightwing will die despite being shot in the neck and we last see him getting ganged up on by an angry mob.  Maybe Wonder Girl will show up and save him.

 

Big Sky:  Okay, the show is still trash, Drew Carey’s brother having a twin brother is one of the dumbest twists in the history of television, but I kind of like the new psychopath in town.

Around the Tubes: October 9. 2021

  

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting.  This post includes blurbs on Billions, Crossing Swords, Oh Wonder, Lord Huron, Blondie, James Blake, How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?, The Circus, POV, and Hellraiser.

- On the heels of the shocking season five finale of BILLIONS, SHOWTIME has announced that season six of the hit drama series, starring Oscar^® nominee and Emmy^® winner Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll and Maggie Siff, will return on Sunday, January 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Daniel Breaker (Girls5eva), who stars as Scooter, the brilliant and locked down Chief of Staff of Michael Prince (Stoll), has been upped to series regular.  In season six of BILLIONS, the dust of season five clears to reveal a world that has evolved. With Axe (Damian Lewis) gone and Michael Prince assuming his place, Chuck (Giamatti) must develop a new strategy that is keener and more sophisticated than before. All the players, from Wags (David Costabile) to Wendy (Siff), from Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon) to Sacker (Condola Rashad), and of course Senior (Jeffrey DeMunn), must sharpen their weapons and look for new alliances in order to survive. The ground is ever shifting and the stakes absolute. New king, new war, new rules.

- Crossing Swords, Season 2, coming December 10 on Hulu.  Another ten episodes of bingeable mayhem representing the next chapter in the adventures of Patrick the long-suffering squire (Nicholas Hoult) as he climbs the ladder of knighthood in the service of the volatile King Merriman (Luke Evans). There are new friends to make, new enemies to vanquish, and new horrors to scar Patrick for life; including bloodthirsty leprechauns, an island of killer monkeys, and a shadowy villain who could destroy everything Patrick has ever known! From creators John Harvatine IV and Tom Root, and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the producers of Robot Chicken and Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.! Also featuring the voice talents of Alanna Ubach, Tara Strong, Tony Hale, Adam Ray, Maya Erskine, Adam Pally, Seth Green, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Breckin Meyer, Jameela Jamil and more

- Oh Wonder has today released their beautiful, surprise new album, 22 Break, alongside a stunning short film accompanying the record in full—listen to 22 Break HERE and watch the short film HERE. The album features their newest single, “Rollercoaster Baby,” released yesterday.  The band has also confirmed a global, online broadcast of their recent London show at The Albany (which sold out in seconds), which will take place on their YouTube on October 14^th at 1pm EST. A 52-date world tour for 2022 is on sale now, following an eventful period for the unique London duo (who scored back-to-back top 10s with 2020’s No One Else Can Wear Your Crown album, on top of 2.7 billion streams and 1.7 million adjusted album sales).

- Recently, Lord Huron performed “Love Me Like You Used To” on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Watch the performance here!  Recently, the band has been performing on their Long Lost fall 2021 headline tour, their first shows in support of Long Lost. The shows been selling out across the country including two sold out shows at Brooklyn’s Pier 17 and the iconic Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Not to mention they recently performed at Sea. Hear Now Festival and Ohana Encore Festival performing alongside Pearl Jam and Beck. The tour continues this fall, visit www.lordhuron.com for more info and ticket links.

- As the summer months come to a close, one can’t help but look ahead and begin daydreaming about the holidays to come. And this year, legendary New York rock band Blondie are bringing a little more fun to the holiday season with the release of their EP: Yuletide Throwdown. The 3-track EP, released digitally today, October 8th, and on 12” limited edition vinyl in both magenta and black, on November 5th (via UMe-Capitol/Numero Group) features the ultra-rare 80’s Christmas-inspired track “Yuletide Throwdown,” co-written and performed with Fab 5 Freddy, along with a new, exclusive remix of the song by Cut Chemist.

- GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake releases his highly anticipated new album, Friends That Break Your Heart, via Republic Records – listen HERE. The 12-track album is James Blakes’ first new full-length album in three years.

- The first teaser for the upcoming Thomas Keith-directed film How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?, starring Danny Glover, Henry Rollins, and the late Edward Asner, features Jackson Browne’s “Until Justice Is Real” and is available to watch now. The film takes the audience on a journey through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement to better understand what it feels like to live in a society where you are not wanted, while Browne’s “Until Justice Is Real” reckons with the kind of existential questions that define who we are and where we’re headed. “What is the future I’m trying to see?” Browne asks himself. “What does that future need from me?” Aligned in their messages, “Until Justice Is Real” will be featured in the end credits of the film. Watch the teaser for How Does It Feel To Be a Problem? HERE

- Recently nominated for two Emmy^® awards, THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE GREATEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH continues its sixth season as controversial new Republican policies in Texas spark outrage across the nation.  Hosts John Heilemann, Alex Wagner, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri crisscross the state to examine the Texas Republican Party as it turns further to the right. The program reports on the implications inside the state and across the nation of Texas' strictest-in-the-nation abortion law, contentious voting rights overhaul, and border policies.  For a preview, go to: https://youtu.be/D9cK7OYajLQ.

- American Documentary | POV is pleased to announce the national broadcast premiere of North by Current, the feature documentary from acclaimed visual artist Angelo Madsen Minax. North by Current will show as part of POV’s 34th season, broadcasting on Monday, November 1st at 10 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) and streaming online at pov.org. The film will be available to stream until December 31st, 2021. North by Current arrives on POV after a decorated festival run with screenings at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival and AFI Docs in addition to receiving the Grand Jury Award at the Camden International Film Festival and an Honorable Mention for the Jury Award at Outfest. The documentary begins as Minax returns to his Michigan hometown after the inconclusive death of his niece and the wrongful persecution of his sister and brother-in-law, dwelling upon the experiences of grief and the enigmatic emotions of homecomings. 

- Spyglass Media Group, LLC (“Spyglass”) and Hulu have opened the puzzle box and are unveiling its cast for the loyal, yet evolved re-imagining of Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic, “Hellraiser,” it was announced today by Peter Oillataguerre, President of Production for Spyglass. The horror film stars Odessa A’zion (“Grand Army,” “Mark, Mary, & Some Other People,”) alongside Jamie Clayton (“The L Word: Generation Q,” “Sense8,”) who portrays the iconic character “Pinhead.” Principal photography wrapped production.  Rounding out the cast are Brandon Flynn (“13 Reasons Why,” “Ratched,”) Goran Visnjic (“The Boys,” “ER,”) Drew Starkey (“Outer Banks,” “Love, Simon,”) Adam Faison (“Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” “Into the Dark”), Aoife Hinds (“Normal People,” “Anne Boleyn,”) and Hiam Abbass (“Blade Runner 2049,” “Succession.”).  Original creator Barker, alongside Marc Toberoff, come aboard as producers, joining Phantom Four’s David S. Goyer and Keith Levine. As previously announced, David Bruckner (“The Night House”, “The Ritual,”) is directing from a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (“The Night House,” “Super Dark Times”) with story by Goyer.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 3, 2021

Billions:  Wait, did the guys at Billions actually buy the Wu-Tang album so they could have Bobby use I as a gift or was that just a fake version?  The last we knew, the US Government seized it from the Pharma Bro and sold it at a secret action to an undisclosed buyer.  Did Billions in real life buy it so they could make it seem like Bobby bought it?  Do they know who bought it and borrowed it for the scene?  This is the most interesting part of the show in multiple seasons.  Inquiring minds want to know.

 

But a lot of family feuding this week.  I did not think Chuck Sr. would put his kidney over his kid, but there he was doing just that and Chuck Jr. used it against him.  Then Sacker sets up her father.  Finally there was Mike prince using his daughters as pawn.  All to bring down Bobby.  Though we have seen this before.  Chuck nails Bobby to the wall in the penultimate episode, but then Bobby somehow wiggles out in the finale.  Let me predict that the Prince daughters are the reason why Bobby manages to avoid jail this time around.  The show would be much better if Bobby just goes away and just have Chuck battle Mike Prince and/or Taylor.  Or just have the three do a Mexican standoff and target each other now that Bobby is out of the way.

 

The Walking Dead:  So the secret room in the floor also had an escape route?  How paranoid were the people who originally lived in that house?  I also have a lot of questions about the creepy Halloween house.  Number one, how did those people survived?  What did they eat?

 

American Rust:  So are we supposed to believe shady drug dealer guy?  His story lines up with what we know.  Though he never does say that he saw Billy land the fatal punch, just that he say him fleeing.  For now I will take shady drug dealer at his word but I think that it was Isaac that hit him.  But then why didn’t shady drug dealer ID him?  Was he hiding somewhere?  And why were Billy and Isaac there in the first place with the stolen money?  Were they there to buy drugs and were hoping to resell it for a profit?  All I know is I could do without Isaacs travels out west.

 

Y: The Last Man:  Oh, finally assumes Y is just a chick who transitioned.  And I do like the weird, and kind of evil, scientist.  But I still do not understand this escape plan.  So they stole two planes, put the two pilots in the same plane and crashed it.  But is no one missing the second plane?  Did they make the second plane look like it crashed?  But wouldn’t there being two people in the one plane and no bodies in the second place cause suspicion too?

 

La Brea:  So does show take place in the Godzilla vs. Kong extended universe?  There seems to be the same portal to a place where time forgot in the show.  Though it does not seem to be some inner Earth realm but time travel since the husband found the necklace.  But how exactly did a concussion make him see in the past.

 

Only Murders in the Building:  Oh hey, a very special episode of the show.  But is it special or more of a gimmick now?   It seems like everything that attempts to be prestige television tries one of these types of episode once a season.  I wish the show only went quite when it was in the deaf guy’s point of view.  I made no storyline sense that Steve Martin had a silent date.  It certainly was not plausible that Steve Martin could keep his mouth shut, even during a funeral he was crashing. 

 

Still, there were a lot of revelations this week.  The other Hardy Boy’s death was more of an accident, though Nathan Lane still blackmailed Tim Kono.  Then the Lane family business is stealing from the dead which presumably Tim Kono was getting his jewelry from.  Despite Nathan Lane explaining why he is funding the podcast with the keep your enemies closer, I still do not buy him, or his kid, as Tim Kono’s killer.  Since a lot of my theories went out the window this week, here is my new one:  Nathan Lane is not the ringleader who is blackmailing Lane and then blackmailed Tim through Lane’s blackmail, but then killed Tim after the ringleader found out Tim was skimming off the top.

 

Stargirl:  The was an SNL sketch a while ago where a bunch of evil scientists were at a convention and one of them just crossed a preverbal line and the rest were like, we are evil, but we are not that evil.  That was what went through my mind while watching this episode.  Sure, Thanos wanted to wipe out half of all living creatures, Darkseid wanted to wipe out all of humanity, but at least neither was just outwardly racist the way Eciplso was this week.  There have been some evil comic book supervillains, but I do not remember any of them being just outwardly racist.  C’mon, Eclipso, maybe turn it down a notch.  I have a feeling all the other comic book supervillains would be saying they may be evil, but they are not that evil.  Dude made Hour Man go to prison, yet what he did to Dr. Mid-Nite seemed much worse.  So now Hour Man is in prison, S.T.R.I.P.E. is destroyed, Wild Cat turned in her costume, Is Star Girl next?

 

Supergirl:  So what was Supergirl’s trial?  Does she need the courage to let people die and not save everyone?  Does she have to keep trying with every totum?  Is just going to continually fail until the very last totem?  I hope that is not the rest of this season.  But I completely forgot about Miss. Teschmacher.  So she shot the reporter?  I had to look her up to remember what exactly happened to her.  So Lena turned her into A.I. after being Lex’s spy at Catco.  But Crisis wiped all that out and she instead turned into an assassin that killed Supergirl’s dad.  What?!?

 

Wu-Tang: An American Saga:  Okay, this was easily the best episode of the whole series.  Why wasn’t the show this from the beginning showing how each song was constructed with everyone in a room and the weird vinaigrettes?  Instead we spent too much time in the first season following RZA around, with Ghostface Killah as a sidekick.  The group is much better together.  Hopefully the show can now kick into high gear.

 

Survivor:  It is almost as is Probst went to his team and said, come up with the most convoluted advantage as you can possibly come up with and this three way Idol was it.  So does dude have to talk about butterflies at every challenge or does he just have to do it once?  And what is their obsession with making people lose their votes this season?  Since no one else said the special phrase, dude lost his vote this week.  You can lose your vote if you roll the dice at Tribal Council.  You can lose your vote with the stupid wheel is you risk your vote, though that one is now moot because everyone now knows to discuss what to do prior to splitting up.

 

The girl’s alliance was also pretty dumb this week.  Now we are seeing why women have not won in so long.  The nerdy chick saw the advantage, knew what else had to be said at the challenge, but still strong-armed everyone else to vote for the doctor because she was scared.  But guess what, dude still has his Extra Vote, may get his vote back with an Idol next week and guess who he is targeting then?  If the other girls were smart, they still vote for the guy with all the advantages and it would have been 2-1-1.  Or just get rid of the old chick because she is too unpredictable an hope dude does not get the Idol next week.

 

The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies: There is an old saying in sports that a playoff series does not really start until a road team wins.  If feels like this season is not going to start until a veteran is sent down into the Lair.  Sure, Bamber already went down, but that someone how did not start a free for all and the veterans’ alliance still somehow stayed intact and there was not even retribution against Fessy.   So a veteran will definitely be going down to the Lair next week.  Though even then, the Agency could still send down two rookies so maybe the season will not really start until two or more veterans go down to the Lair and one goes home.

 

But I feel bad for Pricilla.  Finally a rookie catches on to what the veterans are doing, except she let her blind hatred of Smashley get to her and took Smashley’s partner Josh.  Who just so happens to be the most annoying and most incompliant person she could have picked.  She could have had Kyle, or even Devin would have been a better pick.  But it is amazing, that Cory, who seemingly got a new partner every week last season, 

 

 

In the Dark:  Really, all this for the lesbian roommate to be working at a pet store and it was the real girl being trapped in the basement?  What a waste of a season.  And why is creepy kidnapper just letting them live?  This whole season has been really stupid.

 

Doom Patrol:  So Larry does not eat and Robot Man cannot eat, so just how exactly can they turn back from zombies by eating Niles’s brain?  That is some comic book logic right there.  But is that it for Niles?  It is hard to come back after someone eats your brain.  But this is a comic book and people have come back from worse and there is a time travel machine right out there.

 

But time traveling lady is just going to break her promise to Niles?  And Rita found the flight suit that was won by the other her that kept her from escaping.  Time travel lady does kind of look like an older Rita, though rarely does someone gain an accent as they get older.  And Rita does not age.  Could time travel lady morph into Rita?  She was able to morph into furniture, maybe another version of herself without memory loss has better control of that morphing abilty.

 

Titans:  So Wonder Girl comes back to life and somehow in the vicinity of Batman who seemingly was trying to kill himself and now she hopped on a plane back to Gotham without any mention of that?  And are there no direct flights into Gotham?  Then where did Raven come from?  Did she come back at the same time as the other chick who was testing Wonder Girl?  This show is just yadda-yaddaing a lot here.

 

Big Sky:  Just when I thought the show could not get any more dumb, apparently the sheriff who somehow got shot right in between the eyes and somehow survived only to be murdered by his wife has an evil twin brother who seeming is keeping the creepy dude as a farm animal.  Why?  Who knows.

Around the Tubes: October 2, 2021

 

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting.  This post includes blurbs on Chucky, Public Enemy, John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen, Oh Wonder, Chelsea Cutler, Jeremy Zucker, and Rick and Morty.

- In the new television series, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos after a vintage 'Good Guy' doll turns up at a suburban yard sale. Soon, everyone must grapple with a series of horrifying murders that begin to expose the town's deep hypocrisies and hidden secrets. Meanwhile, friends and foes from Chucky's past creep back into his world and threaten to expose the truth behind his mysterious origins as a seemingly ordinary child who somehow became this notorious monster.  Chucky series premieres on USA & SYFY October 12 at 10 PM.

- Def Jam Recordings/UMe releases the 30^th Anniversary digital Deluxe Edition of Public Enemy’s platinum selling, landmark release, Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black. The Deluxe Edition of Apocalypse 91… features thirteen bonus tracks, eight of which have never been available through digital platforms, and it can be pre-ordered and pre-saved HERE.  “We never begged for acceptance and thought that was the most rebellious sh** ever,” says Chuck D. “So we set out to never repeat ourselves on an album. Once you thought you had us figured out, we flipped on you again. Apocalypse 91 came with a totally different sound than Fear Of A Black Planet which had a totally different style than It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back which was even more different than Yo! Bum Rush The Show. With Apocalypse 91,” Chuck D continues, “we wanted to grate on nerves and still be great in our approach. Never beg for acceptance. This is what it is, down your throat. Boom.”

- John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen come together for the first time with the new single, “Wasted Days.” The duet is unveiled alongside an official music video directed and produced by filmmaker and frequent Springsteen collaborator Thom Zimny. Mellencamp and Springsteen filmed the video together in New Jersey this September.  Listen to/share the track HERE and watch/share the video HERE. Additional information is available at the revamped Mellencamp.com.  “Wasted Days” is the first single off of Mellencamp’s forthcoming album slated for release in 2022.  

- Oh Wonder has today released brand new track “Don’t Let The Neighbourhood Hear” – a further preview of surprise new album 22 Break, which is set for release on October 8^th. The project was launched recently by its powerful title track, and swiftly followed by news of a 52-date world tour for 2022 (an intimate London date at The Albany Theatre this week sold out in seconds and will be streamed globally on October 14^th). All this is the unique duo’s first new material since 2020’s No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, and back-to-back top 10 albums from the band who have—on their own distinct terms—become one of UK pop’s more unsuspecting success stories (2.7 billion streams, 1.7 million adjusted album sales, and vocal fans in the likes of Billie Eilish, who covered “All We Do” during her Apple documentary).  LISTEN TO “DON’T LET THE NEIGHBOURHOOD HEAR” HERE.  WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “DON’T LET THE NEIGHBOURHOOD HEAR” HERE

- Following the recent announcement of her upcoming sophomore album, Platinum Certified singer, songwriter, and producer Chelsea Cutler gifts fans with her latest single, “Devil On My Shoulder,” today—listen HERE.  The stunning song paints an intimate portrait of mental health, as Chelsea vulnerably sings about her struggle with depression, which is personified in the track’s title. Her voices echoes with raw emotion as she pleads, “Help me, I’m still waiting for someone to tell me, this won’t last forever but it’s hell for me, just to remind myself I’m supposed to breathe...”

- 17-year-old Southern California singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Claire Rosinkranz releases her Amazon Originals cover of Daniel Caesar’s smash “Best Part” [feat. H.E.R.].  Listen to “Best Part” only on Amazon Music HERE.  In between a sparse horn-laden beat, her voice flutters from intimate verse into a swooning hook. It showcases her dynamic vocals front-and-center as she takes on both sides of this R&B duet, infusing undeniable emotion into the original.

- Platinum-Certified singer, songwriter, and producer Jeremy Zucker drops his anxiously awaited sophomore album, CRUSHER, today—listen HERE.  With a newfound creative freedom, Jeremy opened up his sonic palette on CRUSHER and incorporated different elements and sounds, defining his artistic identity like never before. The 12-track album features his latest single, “Therapist” (co-written and co-produced with Ethan Gruska [Phoebe Bridgers, Fiona Apple]), alongside his summertime anthems, “18” and “HONEST,” and heartfelt ballad, “Cry with you.”

- America’s favorite crazy scientist and his grandson return for their long-awaited and highly anticipated misadventures when the latest season of Adult Swim’s hit series Rick and Morty: The Complete Fifth Season arrives on Blu-ray Steelbook, Blu-ray and DVD on December 7, 2021. From creators Justin Roiland (“Solar Opposites”) and Dan Harmon (“Community”), get ready to binge on one of cables #1 watched comedies featuring all 10 episodes from Season 5, and outrageous bonus content including the never-before-seen featurette - "Fighting Gravity": The Making of Season 5. Exclusive to the set, follow co-creator Dan Harmon and the crew as they reflect on the challenges of completing this season in the middle of a pandemic. Additional special features include “Inside the Episode” segments for every episode, numerous featurettes, and more. Rick and Morty: The Complete Fifth Season is priced to own at $24.98 SRP for the DVD ($29.98 in Canada), $29.98 SRP for the Blu-ray ($39.99 in Canada), $39.99 SRP for the Blu-ray Steelbook ($44.98 in Canada). Rick and Morty: The Complete Fifth Season is also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: September 26, 2021

 

Billions:  I could have sworn they said COVID was not going to effect the show.  But last week, there was an offhand comment of hospitals filling up soon and this week everyone is wearing masks.  Well, all the unimportant people were wearing a mask which seems all too realistic.  But how did it take Bobby until the episode the episode to realize that meeting was all a set up?  As soon as Chuck did not seem all that bothered that his estranged wife could hear and see things, I knew that he wanted her to see it.  This is because the show has pulled this trick so many times so far, it is just so predictable.

 

The Walking Dead:  Oh yeah, they never did find the deaf girl.  Or the deaf girl’s sister?  Friend?  Like I said before, I stopped caring about the new people a long time ago so I forget who exactly who anyone is most times.  And wouldn’t it be better for Eugene and company to be exiled than what other punishments coming inside the walls?

 

American Rust: After the first episode, I was thinking this was all a fake out and Billy did not have anything to do with the murder.   Maybe someone stole his jacket and was framing him.  But you do not burn your clothes and bury them if you are innocence.  So at the very least he witness something.  But why leave your jacket there?  Did he take it off to fight?  And why didn’t the chief come back and get the jacket?  It was not well hidden so someone will find it eventually while looking for clues.  But it was very heartening that a bunch of twenty year olds would get the excited for a Kool and the Gang song.  

 

Y: The Last Man:  Seeing who his sister is traveling with, isn’t the best way to keep Y safe is just claim he is transgendered?  Seems like an easy out right there.

 

Reservation Dogs:  So are the girls going to California?  The group talked about California all season but in the car they talked about going to “The City.”  I wonder if they end up going to Oklahoma City instead.

 

Only Murders in the Building:  Well, there goes my theory that Selena Gomez’s aunt never existed, Selena just made it up to hang out with rich kids.  But Martin Short was right, that was a great line to end an episode.  But Nathan Lane as the killer does not make much sense.  Why finance a podcast looking into the murder you committed?  Though his kid could be involved, he seems like he could be around the Hardy Boys’ ages.  And as much as I enjoy hearing the boomers and millennials trade insults, as someone as in between, I finally feel represented when the detective started talking about Herman’s Head and Dwayne Wayne.  I have to assume she is naming her kid Keith after Mr. Sweat.  But I was a bit offended when she mocked my: the cat did it theory.

 

via GIPHY

Stargirl:  So this is Eclipso’s plan?  Just get every member of the JSA to quit one by one, first it was Wildcat, and it looks D. Mid-Nite is next.  Is he just going to pick them off until… what exactly?  What is his grand plan?  He been trying to get out of that gem and now that he has, he is just going to stay and torture a bunch of teenagers?

 

Supergirl:  Well that was a very special episode of Supergirl.  Remember when comic books served as analogies to what was going on in the world.  Now they are just beating you over the head with it.

 

Nine Perfect Strangers:  How nice that Nicole Kidman can just torture people to figure out how to spend more time with her dead child, Stockholm Syndrome them into not pressing charges and lie to the police, and just drive off into the sunset while tripping balls in a stolen car.  Unless everything after Melissa McCarthy writing in the restaurant was just what is in her next book.  That was kind of confusing as to if that was her book or it really happened… or both?  But honestly, if the show wants to pull a White Lotus and just do a second season of the limited series with Samara Weaving as the new Nicole Kidman, I would definitely watch that.

 

Wu-Tang: An American Saga:  I thought maybe there would be more blowback to those contract.  No one is even going to even skim it?  But it was nice of them to remember that U-God was a member of the group.  But I kind of want more scenes with the ODB and the building manager.

 

Survivor:  Oh joy, the “new” Survivor which just seems like old Survivor but shorter timeframe and even more twists.  The dice game seems silly and could cause problems especially when we get past the merge and there can be advantageddon situation where everyone plays an advantage and someone spins a dice.  But like old Survivor one of the most attractive players goes out pretty quickly.  Meh.

 

The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies: Good riddance Fessy.  Never come back.  But I am not sure why a slap to the face is a bootable offence, but throwing a water bottle with malice only gets you a strong warning.  I think I would much rather be slapped than pelted with a water bottle, especially if it was full (I do not actually remember how full the bottle was, an empty water bottle would be fairly harmless, I guess). 

 

In the Dark:  Really, is the Blind Chick actually going to solve this cold case over beads?  Is this how she clears her name?  Gets hired by the CPD because she solved it?

 

Doom Patrol:  So the Candlemaker was this big bad that was going to destroy the world and Dorothy was able to control him within the first minute of the season?  What a waste of that storyline.  But it looks like she is gone, off to do… whatever the Dead Boy Detective agency does.  The Dead Boy Detective agency that has one girl in it.  A Girl named Crystal Palace.  I wonder who her favorite futbol team is.  Though I am sure we will see them again, they did leave a big plotline about the demon that possessed Crystal still out there.

 

But after they diverted their attention away from Dorothy the show is back to being as good as it was in the first season.  The Brotherhood of Evil just sounds great.  Even though it seems like they were already taken down by the original Doom Patrol.  Maybe they needed Garguax the Decimator (that name should have been a pretty big red flag; but a pretty entertaining dude) to kill Rita in the future to bring them back.  But maybe Rita needs to die to keep it from happening and that is why other Rita kept her from escaping?  The new chick who popped a squat in the middle of the road without even taking off her pants is from the past so maybe she will explain everything next week.

 

Titans:  With just five episodes left in the season, we finally got a Raven sighting.  But did they really have to make us wait nine episode to do what everyone knew was going to happen at the end of season two: that Wonder Girl would be resurrected?  Granted, it did not actually happen the way I was expecting with Raven becoming powerful enough to do it.  Instead, Donna and Tim Drake escape purgatory by some mythical bridge that Hawk somehow could not cross even though Donna was able to lasso Tim Drake.  I thought maybe it was because Hawk did not have a body to go back to, but where Tim ended up back in the ER where his body was, Donna was for some reason not sent back to Themyscira where her body was, but was sent to wherever Batman went off too.  Comic Book logic I guess.  But I thought it was weird that HBO Max premiered Doom Patrol in the middle of the Titans, but what makes it even more bizarre is that both shows had purgatory episodes this week.