Around the Tubes: March 26, 2022

            

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 Only Murders in the Building, City on a Hill, The Hardy Boys, Eraser, James Bay, Ural Thomas And The Pain, Jessia, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Theirs Is the Kingdom.

- Check out Hulu’s date announcement video for the upcoming second season of "Only Murders in the Building." The new season returns on Tuesday, June 28th.  Following the shocking death of Arconia Board President Bunny Folger, Charles, Oliver & Mabel race to unmask her killer. However, three (unfortunate) complications ensue - the trio is publicly implicated in Bunny's homicide, they are now the subjects of a competing podcast, and they have to deal with a bunch of New York neighbors who all think they committed murder.

- SHOWTIME has announced that the third season of its acclaimed Boston drama series CITY ON A HILL, starring Emmy^® nominee Kevin Bacon and Screen Actors Guild^® award winner Aldis Hodge, will premiere on Sunday, July 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, and the network has released a first-look trailer for the new season. The series also stars Jill Hennessy, Lauren E. Banks and Matthew Del Negro, and joining the cast this season as guest stars are Emmy nominee Corbin Bernsen, Joanne Kelly and Ernie Hudson. Season three consists of eight one-hour episodes.

- Check out Hulu’s official trailer and key art for the upcoming second season of "The Hardy Boys," which premieres with all 10 episodes on Wednesday, April 6, 2022.  The second season picks up six months after the events of Season 1, building on the mystery and drama of the inaugural season and welcoming new friends and suspects. In Season 2, when a Bridgeport classmate mysteriously disappears, Frank (Rohan Campbell) and Joe Hardy (Alexander Elliot) drop their new normal routine to get back to detective work. But when they discover the mystical relic they destroyed last year is still in play, it becomes clear their simple missing person case is actually part of something far more sinister. The Hardy boys and their friends must quickly learn who they can and can’t trust as they race against time to unravel the truth, and ultimately realize that no one is safe from their past.

 

- We just released the never-before-seen trailer for Eraser: Reborn and wanted to share with you. Get in on the action and unravel the secrets with the explosive trailer here:  https://youtu.be/u2_IiOM0vkY.  A reboot of the 1996 blockbuster, Eraser: Reborn comes to Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD on June 7, 2022, and will be available for streaming on HBO Max in Fall 2022.  This all-new action-packed film stars Dominic Sherwood (Shadowhunters), Jacky Lai (V-Wars), McKinley Belcher III (Marriage Story) and Eddie Ramos (Animal Kingdom).

- Three-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated and BRIT Award-winning multi-platinum singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist James Bay returns with a brand-new single entitled “Give Me The Reason” via Republic Records.  Listen to “Give Me The Reason” HERE and watch the official music video HERE.  On the new single and music video Bay said: “I wanted this song to feel huge and emotional. It’s about that moment when you feel like the sun is beginning to set on a relationship, it’s about the fight to stay together. I want it to explode with energy when I play it live. It’s about feeling your heart beat fast and love racing through your veins.”

- Following their barnstorming performances at this year’s SXSW festival, Ural Thomas And The Pain share the new single “Do You Remember The Times We Had?” from their upcoming album Dancing Dimensions out June 3rd on Bella Union/[PIAS].  On the track, Ural says: “To me this song is about that feeling everyone has sometimes, wishing we were kids again. As we go through life, childhood memories can start to fade away, Do You Remember The Times We Had? reminds us to never ‘grow old’ but also to live with joy in the moment.”  The band have previously shared an entertaining video for Dancing Dimensions’ irresistible title track - watch HERE - and announced a London Jazz Cafe show on Saturday 18th June.

- Multi-JUNO Award nominee and Canadian platinum-certified artist  JESSIA delivers the piano-forward, unfettered truth bomb of a track ‘Next Time’, available everywhere via Artist Driven Records in partnership with Republic Records. The vulnerability in her songwriting shines on ‘Next Time’, and JESSIA’s soft vocals steadily build from whisper to battle cry, with a robust crescendo that embodies crushing heartbreak so succinctly it leaves little for the imagination. There’s an aching familiarity to ‘Next Time’; the type of song that has you quietly reflecting on past relationships in one moment, and singing at the top of your lungs in wounded fury the next.  Listen to ‘Next Time’ HERE.  Watch the Lyric Video HERE

- We’ve got movie sign … again! This spring, the critically acclaimed television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 returns for a brand-new season of movie riffing. And this time, – thanks to a second record-breaking Kickstarter campaign – MST3K has gone fully indie and will be releasing episodes directly to the fans, without a network.  As Mystery Science Theater 3000 returns for its 13th season, the Mads – Kinga Forrester (Felicia Day), loyal henchman Max (Patton Oswalt), and grandmother Pearl Forrester (Mary Jo Pehl) – introduce the show's biggest, maddest experiment yet!  The new season kicks off on May 6th with three days of new episode premieres, only on the Gizmoplex!

- Theirs Is The Kingdom, the inspiring feature-length documentary that takes place at the intersection of poverty and portraiture, is poised to make its broadcast premiere.  Following film festival screenings from coast to coast, and the opening night feature slot at Justice Film Festival in San Diego on March 24, the film is making its broadcast premiere on WORLD channel nationwide. Screenings on select PBS stations including New York (WLIW), Los Angeles (KVCR), Chicago (WTTW), San Francisco (KPJK) and many others will begin in late March, leading to a national Easter Sunday premiere on April 17. The film is also available to stream for free on PBS.org until May 1, 2022.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 20, 2022

  

Killing Eve:  They have done a very job poor job explaining who the new Indian people are.  And now the sister has killed the brother.  Is she supposed to be the new crazy French assassin?  Then after wasting the crazy French assassin at church camp the first two episodes, now they have put her in prison.  This is just another waste of the character.  Though we know she can escape from prison.  But hey, at least they had completely unnecessary title card

 

The Walking Dead:  So the black chick with glasses was the chick talking to Eugene all along, but that chick was using a different name.  This feels like yet another set up.  And I forgot Oceanside was still a thing.  Is there anyone still there that I would remember?  I certainly did not recognize the chick who talked to the head Commonwealth lady.

 

Billions:  I was wondering a couple episodes ago where were all the gratuitous Olympics athlete cameos.  Though when I think Olympic stars, I do not really think soccer.  The World Cup is what makes soccer players stars.  But anyways.  Chuck (and reality) won, the games are going back to Los Angeles.  Maybe?  There are still four episodes left so I am not sure if Mike prince has another trick or two up his sleeves.  Or are the final four episodes just going to be him trying to get back at Chuck.  But what I found most interesting was that Kopelman was not able to get a Jay-Z song for when he performed at the Uber party, but was able to license Jay-Z for his other show.

 

Super Pumped: The Fight for Uber:  Wait; was there any proof that Uber got caught hacking phones and cameras of Lyft’s users?  Whenever an app asks if they can have access to a bunch of other apps, I usually gloss over and blindly click okay when I should be more selective, but there is a huge difference if you access someone else’s app.  That should put a lot of people behind jail.  And if there is no proof, that seems pretty liable.  While the show could not get Jay-Z and Beyoncé, or even their music, did they really get Mark Cuban to play himself turning Travis down?  That is a pretty big get even if he did not specifically turn down investing in Uber.  I have not been following the Uber story (but I at the very least knew Uber was not going to buy out Lyft) so I was petty shocked when Travis locked out Bill.  Travis vs. Bill seems like it will be much better than what the first couple episodes have been.

 

 Snowpiercer:  So the new chick is dead already?  What a waste of what could have been an interesting character.  We barely saw her, she rarely interacted with anyone, and now she is dead. 

 

The Endgame:  So the lasers stopped when they hit the floor.  No one thought to put something they could crawl under between the laser and the floor that they could get through?  But that the evil people went through all that just to back people up so they would find the secret safe was pretty funny.

 

Survivor:  That challenge was confusing, having two pairs from each team on the course at the same time just made it hard to figure out who was who and who was ahead.  It was not until everything was corrected until I figured out what was going on.  But I never understand why people just do not boot annoying people first.  Why do you (potentially) want to spend the whole game with them?  I get you want to sit next to them at the end, but if you are thinking that, so is everyone else.  Best to get these people out early.

 

Resident Alien: Wait, so even if half human, they would still have to worry about baby alien eating other humans?  That is gross.  Though it never actually ate a human.  But I do wonder if the two cops heard that gunshot.

 

The Dropout:  So this week’s notable actors that just randomly pop up are Jack son from Lost and the comic book store owner from The Big Bang Theory.  We still got some Walgreens, so hopefully my hope for a spin-off is still alive.  But poor chemist, killing himself to avoid everything.  Though if you are stuck between an NDA and being under oath in a court of law, doesn’t US Government supersede a private NDA?  At least consult a lawyer.  NDA seem to violate First Amendment rights.

 

Big Sky: Why did the doctor give Ronald the adrenaline he needed just to kill Scarlett?  Give him something poisonous and then kill her.  Oh well, at least they are both dead… I think.  Drew Carey’s brother seemingly died twice only to survive (and maybe will a third time).  Though, at least T-Lock is dead-dead.  I guess we will have to wait for confirmation of everyone else.

 

Around the Tubes: March 19 2022

            

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 Lucifer, I Love You for That, Woke, Candy, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Ziwi, Eraser, The Honeymooner, and Hulu's Spring schedule.

- Indulge your deepest desires as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings you Lucifer: The Complete Fifth Season on DVD May 31, 2022. You’ll have a devilish grin as you indulge in all 16 hell-raising episodes from the fifth season with tantalizing deleted scenes, and a gag reel included in the bonus features. Lucifer: The Complete Fifth Season is priced to own on DVD at $29.98 SRP ($39.99 in Canada) and will also be available on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Archive Collection. Warner Archive Blu-ray releases are easily found at www.warnerarchive.com and on your favorite online retailer sites.  Lucifer: The Complete Fifth Season will also be available to own on Digital on March 28, 2022 via purchase from digital retailers.   In the fifth season, the stakes are higher than ever. Secrets will be revealed, Lucifer makes a tumultuous return from Hell, Chloe rethinks romance, Ella finally finds a nice guy, and Amenadiel adjusts to the whole fatherhood thing. In the first half of the season, Lucifer’s twin brother Michael secretly takes the devil's place on earth while he's back in Hell. Eventually, Lucifer must face the mess his brother made with his life. He’ll also finally confront his feelings for Chloe, and answer a question that fans have been asking since the very beginning: “will they or won’t they?” Then in the second half of the season, God makes his grand appearance. Except, Lucifer never prayed for this, and he already can’t wait to send dear old Dad back where he came from. Unfortunately for Lucifer, God isn’t going anywhere, and wants to get into every aspect of Lucifer’s life. But our heroes will soon discover that God is here for more than just some family bonding time!

- SHOWTIME has released the official trailer for I LOVE THAT FOR YOU, the half-hour comedy series starring and executive produced by Emmy^® nominee Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live), with fellow nominee Molly Shannon (The White Lotus) and Screen Actors Guild^® Award nominee Jenifer Lewis (Black-ish) also leading the cast. The series will premiere on Friday, April 29 on streaming and on demand for all SHOWTIME subscribers, before making its on-air debut on Sunday, May 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. The eight-episode season will continue to drop a new episode every Friday via streaming and on-demand platforms before appearing on air Sunday night.

- Check out the official trailer for season 2 of Hulu’s Original comedy series "Woke."  "Woke" premieres with all eight episodes Friday, April 8 on Hulu.  

- Hulu has revealed a first look of the upcoming Original limited series "Candy" starring Jessica Biel, Timothy Simons, Melanie Lynskey, Pablo Schreiber, and Raúl Esparza.  "Candy" will premiere on Hulu Monday, May 9, kicking off a five-night event leading up to the finale on Friday, May 13.  Candy Montgomery is a 1980 housewife and mother who did everything right—good husband, two kids, nice house, even the careful planning and execution of transgressions—but when the pressure of conformity builds within her, her actions scream for just a bit of freedom. With deadly results.

- SHOWTIME has released the first five minutes of upcoming drama series THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, following its SXSW^® world premiere today. The new series stars Oscar nominees Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris, along with Jimmi Simpson, Rob Delaney, Sonya Cassidy, Joana Ribeiro, Annelle Olaleye, Kate Mulgrew, Clarke Peters and Bill Nighy. The series will debut on Sunday, April 24 at 10 p.m ET/PT.  Custom posters at the Festival will include a unique QR code linking to the first 5 minutes of the series and non-festival fans can watch and share the first five minutes here: https://youtu.be/PLniMU6dJck.  Inspired by the Walter Tevis novel of the same name and the iconic David Bowie film, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH will follow a new alien character (Ejiofor) who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future. Harris plays Justin Falls, a brilliant scientist and engineer who must conquer her own demons in the race to save two worlds.

- The critically acclaimed late-night variety series ZIWE, starring and executive produced by Ziwe (Dickinson, Succession, The Great North), will return to SHOWTIME for season two on Sunday, May 1 at 11 p.m. ET/PT, for the season’s first installment of six episodes. ZIWE will return for a second installment of new episodes later this year. The inaugural season of ZIWE included interviews with Phoebe Bridgers, Fran Lebowitz, Andrew Yang, Eboni K. Williams, Gloria Steinem and Stacey Abrams, along with musical performances by Ziwe, sketches and more – including unscripted and unpredictable interactions with everyday people.

- 25 years after the blockbuster hit, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will have you on the edge of your seat with the release of Eraser: Reborn, on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD on June 7, 2022. A reboot of the 1996 blockbuster, this all-new action-packed film follows US Marshal Mason Pollard, a specialist in engineering the fake deaths of witnesses that need to leave no trace of their existence. Eraser: Reborn will be available on Digital for $14.99 SRP ($14.99 in Canada), on DVD for $19.98 SRP ($24.98 in Canada), and on Blu-ray for $24.98 ($29.98 in Canada), which includes a Digital Copy (US Only). Pre-orders for the Blu-ray and DVD will be available on March 22, 2022. Eraser: Reborn will be available for streaming on HBO Max in Fall 2022.  Eraser: Reborn will also be available on Movies Anywhere. Using the free Movies Anywhere app and website, consumers can access all their eligible movies by connecting their Movies Anywhere account with their participating digital retailer accounts.

- MPI Media Group proudly announce the March 22, 2022 DVD release of THE HONEYMOONERS SPECIALS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION.  Comes to DVD on March 22, 2022

- Here is Hulu's Spring 2022 Schedule:

FILMS / DOCS

Deep Water: Premiere Date: March 18, 2022, Trailer: HERE

Captive Audience: Premiere Date: April 21, 2022 - NEW ANNOUNCEMENT

Crush: Premiere Date: April 29, 2022 - NEW ANNOUNCEMENT

The Valet:  Premiere Date: Spring 2022

SERIES

The Dropout:  Finale Date: April 7, 2022:  Trailer: HERE

Life & Beth:  Premiere Date: March 18, 2022 (all-at-once), Trailer: HERE

The Girl From Plainville:  Premiere Date: March 29, 2022 (first three episodes, new episodes weekly), Finale Date: May 3, 2022, Trailer: HERE

Woke: Premiere Date: April 8, 2022 (all-at-once), Trailer: HERE

Candy:  Premiere Date: May 9, 2022 (five-night event leading up to the finale on May 13th), Teaser: HERE

Conversations with Friends:  Premiere Date: May 2022 (all-at-once), Teaser: HERE

Shoresy:  Premiere Date: Spring 2022, Teaser: HERE

KIDS & FAMILY

Madagascar: A Little Wild:  Premiere Date: April 4, 2022 (all-at-once)

The Croods: Family Tree:  Premiere Date: April 5, 2022 (all-at-once)

The Hardy Boys:  Premiere Date: April 6, 2022 (all-at-once), Teaser: HERE

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 13, 2022

 

Killing Eve:  Well, did not take long for crazy assassin lady to start assassinate non-feline people again.  But killing the priest, and especially his daughter, seemed even extreme for her.

 

The Walking Dead:  This show has been a hard watch for a while but Eugene becoming a mix of Veronica Mars and Carrie Mathieson was the most entertaining thing I have seen on this show in a very long time.  But of course the show had to ruin it by a stupid reveal at the end.  So does everyone in the community know she was a spy?  Was wearing glasses enough to disguise like she was Superman?

 

Billions:  So they are really are going through with the New York City stealing the Olympics.  For a show that wants to live in reality so much that they routinely bring in celebrities to play themselves, they are really going to deviate from reality with such a huge change from real world events.  Though is there anything at this point that Chuck can stop it?  Even if can prove shenanigans, would the IOC really switch a games for a third time?  And can he use Wendy to bring Prince down?  Without Bobby, out of the way, maybe it is time for them to get back together.

 

Super Pumped: The Fight for Uber:   Wait, Jay-Z and Beyoncé were stockholders and investors in Uber?  A quick internet search shows that they, indeed, invested in the app fairly early (and there apparently other celebrities that did the same, I wonder if they show up).  While the show’s musical budget can get enough now four Pearl Jam songs, they could not get a Jay-Z and Beyoncé and I can see why they do not really want to be associated with the app or show considering the debauchery that was in the episode.  I was surprised Lyft showed up so soon on the show.  I guess you had to assume the rivalry would be addresses eventually, but this was really quick.  But I do guess that Lyft seemed to pop up real soon after Uber.

 

Snowpiercer:  I was expecting Melanie to pop up in the dream.  Really no one we have not seen in a while made an appearance.  Though once I realized we were not getting Melanie in the dream sequence, her name randomly pops up because someone thinks she is in France.  Huh?  Wasn’t the lab she was at in Colorado?  How did she get to France?

 

The Endgame:  Nothing I have more than cops that are supposed to be super smart but cannot figure out the easiest connections.  They see the bank robbers take money and the screen is hacked by the head chick telling everyone to come to the back followed by the cops claiming they have no clue why she was doing either.  Well, of course they were moving the money to give it to the people coming to the bank to cause a diversion.  So easy to guess that.

 

Pam & Tommy:  I am not well versed in late period Motley Crue so I wonder if the song they played was an actual bland rock song or did they create some bland rock song for them to play since they could not license an actual Motley Crue song?  Whatever it was, I am just so glad the show is over.

 

Survivor:  How exactly do you need three days to decide to kick somebody off for lying about the medical records?  That seems like an obvious boot now, bring in an alternate.  Kind of gross they decided to let Jackson on to milk the drama like that.  Speaking of people who need to be fired beside whomever though that was a good idea: the editor needs to be fired too.  In the opening montage, we see Tori find the dumb phrase advantage, except she did not find it in the episode.  So when the editors made it seem like it was going to be either her or Zach at Tribal, obviously we knew who was not going home.  So stupid.

 

The Dropout:  In this week’s installment of random cameos: Cameron Frye, Harry Crane, the brother from Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, and Sam Waterson.  I really hope we get a Walgreens spinoff with the first three guys.  Obvious get Katy Perry to do the theme song.

 

Single Drunk Female:  Wait, didn’t that chick have her bachelorette party during Sam’s last bender which would be a year ago if Sam is now one year sober? 

Around the Tubes: March 12, 2022

           

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 Deep Water, Death on the Nile, Sheryl, The Hardy Boys,  Florence + the Machine, Oh Wonder, Kae Tempest, Benee, Lyn Lapid, Em Beihold, Honeyglaze, Kira Kosarin, and Career Opportunities in Murder and Mayhem.

- Hulu has released the trailer for the psychological thriller “Deep Water,” starring Ben Affleck (“Gone Girl”) and Ana de Armas (“Knives Out”), directed by expert thrill master Adrian Lyne (“Fatal Attraction,” “Indecent Proposal”). “Deep Water” will debut March 18 exclusively as a Hulu Original in the U.S.  Based on the celebrated novel by famed mystery writer Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley), “Deep Water” takes us inside the marriage of picture-perfect Vic (Affleck) and Melinda (de Armas) Van Allen to discover the dangerous mind games they play and what happens to the people that get caught up in them. Directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay by Zach Helm and Sam Levinson, based on the novel “Deep Water” by Patricia Highsmith, “Deep Water” stars Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Tracy Letts, Lil Rel Howery, Dash Mihok, Finn Wittrock, Kristen Connolly, Jacob Elordi, Rachel Blanchard, Michael Braun, Jade Fernandez, Grace Jenkins, Brendan C. Miller, Devyn Tyler and Jeff Pope. The film is produced by Arnon Milchan, Guymon Casady, Benjamin Forkner and Anthony Katagas.

- 20th Century Studios’ daring mystery-thriller “Death on the Nile,” directed by and starring eight-time Academy Award® nominee Kenneth Branagh and featuring an all-star ensemble cast, will debut March 29, 2022 on Hulu in the U.S. The film will also debut on HBO Max in the U.S. the same day as Hulu.  “Death on the Nile” will debut on Disney+ in select international markets and on Star+ in Latin America as follows:  March 30: Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Taiwan, Luxembourg, Austria;  April 6: Spain, Singapore, Indonesia (Hotstar), Malaysia (Hotstar), Thailand (Hotstar);  April 20: Latin America, Brazil.  “Death on the Nile” is based on the beloved 1937 novel by acclaimed author Agatha Christie. Kenneth Branagh, back as the iconic detective Hercule Poirot, is joined by Tom Bateman, four-time Oscar® nominee Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Letitia Wright. “Death on the Nile,” which reunites the filmmaking team behind 2017’s global hit “Murder on the Orient Express,” is written by Michael Green, adapted from Christie’s novel, and is produced by Ridley Scott, Kenneth Branagh, p.g.a., Judy Hofflund, p.g.a. and Kevin J. Walsh, with Mark Gordon, Simon Kinberg, Matthew Jenkins, James Prichard and Mathew Prichard serving as executive producers.

- SHOWTIME Documentary Films today announced SHERYL, an intimate story of song and sacrifice about musical icon Sheryl Crow, will have its SHOWTIME premiere on Friday, May 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Director Amy Scott navigates Crow’s seminal yet hard-fought musical career battling sexism, depression, perfectionism, cancer, and the price of fame – before harnessing the power of her gift.  To watch and share the trailer, visit: https://youtu.be/FCSkonIngWM.  SHERYL is told through present-day interviews with Crow, behind-the-scenes verité on the road and in her studio, never before seen archival footage spanning 20 years of touring, and interviews with close allies Keith Richards, Laura Dern, Joe Walsh, Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile, and others. Crow’s early gift of music and dedication to songwriting set her on an unapologetic path to perfection – which ultimately became both a blessing and a curse to overcome. 

- Check out Hulu’s teaser trailer for the upcoming second season of "The Hardy Boys," which premieres with all 10 episodes on Wednesday, April 6, 2022.  The second season picks up six months after the events of Season 1, building on the mystery and drama of the inaugural season and welcoming new friends and suspects. In Season 2, when a Bridgeport classmate mysteriously disappears, Frank (Rohan Campbell) and Joe Hardy (Alexander Elliot) drop their new normal routine to get back to detective work. But when they discover the mystical relic they destroyed last year is still in play, it becomes clear their simple missing person case is actually part of something far more sinister. The Hardy boys and their friends must quickly learn who they can and can’t trust as they race against time to unravel the truth, and ultimately realize that no one is safe from their past. 

- Florence + the Machine debut a new song, “Heaven is Here,” today alongside a video by acclaimed director Autumn de Wilde and choreographed by Ryan Heffington. Listen/watch here.  “‘Heaven is Here’ was the first song I wrote in lockdown after an extended period of not being able to get to the studio,” says Florence Welch. “I wanted to make something monstrous. And this clamour of joy, fury and grief was the first thing that came out. With dance studios also shut it was my dream to one day create choreography with it. So it’s one of the first pieces of music I have made specifically with contemporary dance in mind.”

- Oh Wonder is back today with news of a new album, 22 Make, and brand new single “Magnificent”—listen HERE.  22 Make is the surprise second half of the alt-pop-duo’s 22 Break project, a brand new album they dropped with little warning towards the end of 2021. The band’s most powerful and intimate music thus far, it unpicked a turbulent period in the incredible story of Oh Wonder: here were universal themes (loneliness, inadequacy, resentment, fears for the future) as experienced by one couple in real-time, all blown up in the pandemic. Not many bands can make a break-up album that culminates in them tying the knot—but then again, Oh Wonder have never been like other bands. Coming out of 22 Break and all the soul-searching that it forced them to do, Josephine and Anthony got married and channelled all this into 22 Make: a whole new album set for release on July 22^nd, soundtracking the light at the end of a tunnel and completing the dual project (with 11 songs on each half). 

- “No Prizes” feat. Lianne La Havas is the second single to be revealed from British spoken word artist, rapper, poet, novelist, and playwright Kae Tempest’s new album The Line Is A Curve, set for release on April 8^th via American Recordings/Republic Records. It is the fourth album from the Lewisham-based artist and has been produced by long term collaborator Dan Carey alongside executive production by Rick Rubin and features additional collaborations with Kevin Abstract, Grian Chatten of Fontaines DC, ássia, and Confucius MC. The record also follows the critically acclaimed play Paradise, which premiered at the National Theatre in London in 2021.  LISTEN HERE & WATCH HERE.

- Following the release of her critically acclaimed EP Lychee on Friday, BENEE reveals the video for her new single “Never Ending”—watch HERE. Directed by Devan Narsai and Riley Coughlin, the glitchy video shows a different side of the New Zealand alternative pop star, further showcasing BENEE’s evolution as an artist and her knack for pushing genre boundaries.  Of the video, BENEE says: “From the start, I knew I wanted the ‘Never Ending’ video to be driven by lots of fast cuts and lots of post-production to make it a really cool visual trip! The video was made with two friends of mine Devan & Riley – Devan has a really good eye for shots & Riley is super skilled at creative direction. I also knew Riley would kill the whole post prod side of the project! This has been my favourite video to date as I just love how well it suits the song. It was a last minute decision to put my dog Tūī in it, but I knew she’d make my performance walking down the street feel more natural (.:” 

- Breakout songstress Lyn Lapid releases her latest single “The Outsider” today from her soon-to-be-announced debut EP—listen HERE. The song features Lyn’s angelic vocals over a bouncy indie pop beat as she sings, “Now I’m someone you used to know, The outsider of an inside joke.”  Lyn says, “I wrote ‘The Outsider’ about that stage in your life when you start to grow apart from people who were part of your every day. For a lot of people, it can be about becoming distant in relationships that you thought would last forever. For me, those relationships in my life were with my old high school friends. Since we all kind of went in different directions after high school, it was sort of inevitable to become distant with them. Watching them grow apart from you and seeing them make new memories with other people is a truly bittersweet feeling. They were probably off making inside jokes with new people, and that felt very isolating, which is why I called it ‘The Outsider.’”

- Emerging as one of the year’s breakthrough acts, Los Angeles singer and songwriter Em Beihold (pronounced bye-hold) unveils the music video for her buzzing single “Numb Little Bug” today via Moon Projects/Republic Records. Watch the music video for “Numb Little Bug” — HERE. Listen to “Numb Little Bug”— HERE.  The visual seamlessly translates the song’s story and energy to the screen, evoking her sharp sense of humor and even sharper songwriting sensibility in the process. It serves as the perfect companion to this rising hit!

- With their highly anticipated debut album due out later next month, Honeyglaze share their new single "Female Lead" today and announce new shows, including Wet Leg dates followed by their own headline tour in May, and numerous festivals this summer.  Their Dan Carey-produced, self-titled debut album will be released on April 29 via Speedy Wunderground. Preorder here.  The South London based, haiku-loving trio formed just before the first lockdown, and a combination of compelling live performances and early singles "Shadows", "Creative Jealousy" and "Burglar" has seen their profile rise rapidly and garner support from a plethora of early fans including Steve Lamacq, Matt Wilkinson and Wet Leg – who have all declared themselves in love with their intoxicating brand of poetic lyrics and impressive musicianship.  Today they also share new single, "Female Lead", premiering on The Fader with accompanying video directed by James Ogram and the band's Anouska Sokolow, and featuring Jojo Macari, one of the stars of Netflix's Sex Education.  

- After making a name for herself as a successful actress and independent artist, Kira Kosarin is ready to re-introduce herself. Today, the 24-year-old singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, embarks on her next chapter with Republic Records—as exclusively announced by Billboard. To celebrate the news, she shares her debut single “mood ring.”  Listen to “mood ring”—HERE.  Kicking off with a lightly picked acoustic guitar and complimented by Kira’s ethereal vocals and lush harmonies, the song serves as the perfect introduction for her new music. “I’m excited to have something out there that when people come and look, is actually a reflection of me, for maybe the first time in my life,” says Kira. “With “mood ring”, I’m telling a story of falling in love through color,” she says. “It’s got a rhythmic pocket that just feels really good to listen to, while still maintaining the emotional connection and acoustic side of my sensibility.”

- Hulu Originals gives series order to drama Career Opportunities in Murder and Mayhem.  How do you solve a murder in a post-fact world? Especially when sailing the Mediterranean on an ocean liner filled with the wealthy and powerful. Everyone on board is hiding something… but is one of them a killer? That’s what the world’s once greatest detective, Rufus Cotesworth, and his protégée aim to discover. The truth at all costs. Credits: Written, executive produced and co-showrun by Mike Weiss and Heidi Cole McAdams. Marc Webb directed the pilot and executive produces for Black Lamb. Mark Martin also serves as executive producer.   Cast: The series stars Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Pardis Saremi, and Mandy Patinkin.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 6, 2022

 

Killing Eve:  So the crazy lady assassin is religious now?  Okay, I guess she is still not above feline murder.

 

The Walking Dead:  So who is left back in Alexandra?  We gained from last week, Maggie was still there.  One armed guy is the only other person that I could think of off the top of my head.  Eugene was also conspicuously absent this week, but he was in the “Next Week On” so he was in Alexandra somewhere, we just did not see him.  Then Princess was almost unrecognizable without that puffy jacket.  But how long do we hvve to get to see that confrontation between Daryl and Maggie?

 

Billions:  Episode 6:  If you are in the same room as an instructor, why do you need a screen of the instructor two feet in front of your face?  But anyway.  Almost confusing is a Chinese company having a plant in Wisconsin.  Couldn’t it be cheaper to produce the product in their homeland?  Do they do this solely to slap “American made” on their product?  I am also a little confused to how Chuck is going to use Prince’s alma mater.

 

Snowpiercer:  Well, that escalated quickly. Pike and Layton were fighting Wilford two episodes ago, Pike tries to kill Layton last episode and Layton kills Pike this week.  But Layton kind of had to since Pike had the information of the Horn of Africa being a scam.  But is he just going to kill everyone that lady tells because she really let that slip fairly quickly to Pike.  And of course, people may find out sometime.  Are there really going to find a habitable place in Africa?  It would be weird doing Snowpierer without people actually living on Snowpierer.

 

The Endgame:  I missed how people think the evil lady’s husband was dead in the first episode only to see him talking to the agent’s husband.  How does no one know that someone who is prison is not dead?  Did he fake his death and part of the plan was him to get himself incarcerated with the husband?  What is this plan?  Is she just doing this to expose corruption within the government?  Is she just going to bring don a new official every week?

 

Resident Alien: The only thing funnier than cat murder: octopus murder apparently.  They just drug out that scene until it was not funny anymore and then continued some more until it was funny again.

 

The Dropout:  There is nothing I appreciate more than when shows populate their cast with recognizable actors no matter how small the role.  Sure William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf and the lady from 24 are big enough for more than two scenes in three episodes, but I appreciate the character work.  Then you got Stephan Fry and the guy from Ghost as lab technicians who I am not sure we will see much of after the initial three episodes.  The dude from the Blacklist just pops in for a couple scenes to ask what fork is going on.  I also spotted Cameron Frye in the “This Season On.”  Having recognizable actors, especially in a large ensemble makes it easier to remember who is who.

 

I have not been following this story very closely, just knowing the headline, but I was not ready for just how weird everything is.  It is interesting to watch this at the same time as the Uber show.  Travis built his whole brand on false bravado, while Elisabeth is just this weirdo with zero confidence, and when she tries to exude confidence, I am not sure she can even convince herself, she certainly does not seem to be convincing anyone else, at least not yet.  But as long as Elisabeth does some white girl dancing in every episode, this show may end up being my favorite show of the year.

 

Big Sky:  Silly me thinking Drew Carey’s brother was dead… again.  He already survived a bullet between the eyes, why would I think having his skull bashed in would be any different?  But it is time to wrap up both storylines; I am getting tired of both of them at this point.

 

The Blacklist:  So they waited until Park left to arrest the Conglomerate because they did not want to put her in danger?  Arresting everyone right after an agent leaves seems like the best way to put a target on her back.  Nothing says set up quite like a raid after someone leaves.  That seemed as dumb as no one realizing that the bug could still be on Lizzy after not finding it on her clothing.  That was the first place I thought of.