Around the Tubes: 12/18/15

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 Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth, After Hours, The Breaks, The Wonder Years, Paris Terror Attack: Charlie Hebdo, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, Million Dollar American Princesses, East Los High, and TNT pick ups and renewals.

- Today, Showtime has greenlit a groundbreaking new political series The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth, produced in cooperation with Bloomberg Politics and featuring Bloomberg Politics managing editors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann (co-authors of the New York Times best-sellers Game Change and Double Down, and co-hosts of the nightly political show "With All Due Respect" on Bloomberg Television) and noted campaign strategist and media advisor Mark McKinnon. The real-time documentary series will pull back the curtain on the 2016 presidential race, revealing the intense, irreverent, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines of what promises to be one of the most fascinating and consequential elections in modern history. Premiering in January 2016, in advance of the Iowa caucuses, The Circus will deliver the stories as they are happening and examine what really goes on behind the carefully constructed facade of a presidential campaign in real time. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President, Showtime Networks Inc. The Circus will follow multiple individual stories and key characters from the campaigns and capture their unique perspectives in weekly half-hour shows between January and November. With intimate, behind-the-scenes access, cameras will offer viewers a look at what the public rarely sees and explore the high human drama inherent in the pursuit of the Oval Office.

- The big day is almost upon us, the new Star Wars movie will finally hit theaters on Friday – which means we have ahead of us five glorious days of the best Star Wars content the internet can produce. The creative team at Cracked.com are starting the week off strong with a special themed episode of their Webby Award winning series After Hours, “Why the Jedi Are the Galaxy’s Biggest Idiots.” As always with After Hours, the hosts take something from pop culture they love and have a dynamic and hilarious conversation that re-contextualizes everything. In the new episode, the After Hours gang explains why the Jedi are actually terrible at their jobs. The After Hours “Star Wars” episode can be found at here.

- VH1’s new scripted movie The Breaks chronicles three friends (Mack Wilds, Afton Williamson and David Call) united by their love of hip-hop, as they work to make their big mark in the music industry. Premiering on Monday, January 4th, 2016, “The Breaks” takes viewers back to the summer of 1990 in New York City where the music industry’s artists and hustlers intersect in the dance clubs and the street corners of the city. They discover lives can be broken as fast as legends can be born. VH1’s “The Breaks,” is based on journalist Dan Charnas’ book “The Big Payback,” a narrative history of the hip-hop business. “The Breaks” cast is led by Afton Williamson (Banshee, Pariah, Man on a Ledge) and reunites “The Wire” favorites Wood Harris (Remember The Titans, Paid in Full) and Mack Wilds (90210) along with writer, director and executive producer Seith Mann (The Wire, The Walking Dead and Homeland). Newcomers David Call (Gossip Girl) along with Antoine Harris (HBO’s series Ballers and Starz’s Power), Evan Handler (Californication, Sex & The City), Russell Hornsby (Grimm, Lincoln Heights) and rapper Method Man round out the cast. “The Breaks” is scored and executive music produced by DJ Premier. “The Breaks” First Look

- For six Emmy Award®-winning seasons, The Wonder Years on ABC captured the angst of growing up in suburban middle-class America in the late '60s, as seen through the life and times of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage). Audiences eagerly followed his evolution as a typical awkward teenager who remembered every moment of his transition from childhood with excruciating detail and remarkable hindsight. Specially-Produced Bonus Features and More Than Three Dozen Songs as Featured in the Original Broadcast, Including Classics from Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Beach Boys, The Who, Hank Williams and Many Others! Street Date: January 12, 2015.

- On Wednesday, January 7, 2015, ten months before the brutal terrorist attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, two radicalized Islamist brothers, Said and Chérif Kouachi, burst into the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, where the publication’s weekly editorial meeting was drawing to a close. The brothers murdered a total of 11 people at the offices: cartoonists, journalists, a bodyguard and a janitor. They then murdered a 12th – a Muslim police officer – in the chase that followed. One year after the attack, Paris Terror Attack: Charlie Hebdo, premieres on Monday, January 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel. It follows, hour by hour, the event that foreshadowed the worst terrorist attack in France in over 50 years.

- Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, the critically acclaimed new film from writer/director Stephen Cone (The Wise Kids), will open in New York at the IFP's Made in NY Media Center on January 8th, before expanding to additional markets and VOD platforms. The film focuses on a young boy coming to terms with his sexuality during his emotionally charged birthday party. Marking his feature film debut, Cole Doman plays Henry; Henry is turning 17, and Henry might be gay. But he’s not telling his pastor father (Pat Healy, Cheap Thrills, Compliance)—not during his pool party, where school and church collide in a sunny, hormonal afternoon. This funny, heartbreakingly honest portrait from Stephen Cone finds a home between devout faith and burgeoning sexuality. Trailer

- Oscar®, Golden Globe® and Emmy® nominee Elizabeth McGovern returns to host the second season of Smithsonian Channel’s Million Dollar American Princesses, the acclaimed series whose first season chronicled the fascinating in-depth stories of real-life American heiresses who inspired the TV drama Downton Abbey. Premiering on Sunday, January 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, the new season picks up the story in a tumultuous era in which women’s lives and expectations are completely transformed.

- TNT has added two new original dramas to its 2016 slate. Good Behavior, starring Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) and Argentine-Spanish actor Juan Diego Botto (1492: Conquest of Paradise, El Greco) in an adaptation of the Letty Dobesh novels by Wayward Pines author Blake Crouch. Also getting the greenlight is Animal Kingdom, starring Emmy® and Tony® winner Ellen Barkin (Sea of Love, This Boy's Life, Oceans 13) as the matriarch of a Southern California family whose excessive lifestyle is fueled by their criminal activities, with Scott Speedman (The Strangers, The Vow) as her second in command. Shawn Hatosy (Southland, Reckless), Ben Robson (Vikings, Dracula: The Dark Prince), Jake Weary (Pretty Little Liars, It Follows), Finn Cole (Peaky Blinders, An Inspector Calls), Daniella Alonso (Revolution) and Molly Gordon (Love the Coopers, Ithaca) also star.

- This week it was announced Hulu Original East Los High has been picked up for a fourth season.

- TNT has renewed the hit fantasy-adventure The Librarians and the gripping crime dramas Major Crimes and Murder in the First. The Librarians is in the midst of its second season, airing Sundays at 8:00, with the season finale set for Dec. 27. Major Crimes is currently airing Monday nights at 9:00 through Dec. 21 and will return with more episodes to round out its fourth season in February 2016. Murder in the First completed it second dynamic season this past summer. TNT has ordered 10 episodes for the third season of The Librarians, which is set to air in fall 2016; 13 episodes for the fifth season of Major Crimes, scheduled to begin in summer 2016; and 10 episodes for the third season of Murder in the First, also slated for summer.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 12/13/15

Once Upon a Time: Oh my goodness, they actually killed Hook! His puppy dog love affair with Emma may be at the top of the list of why this show has sucked for a couple seasons now. They even killed Neil, a much more interesting character, just to make it easier for Hook and Swan to get together. Oh wait after the commercial break Emma made her plan known of going to the Underworld to bring him back by giving him half her heart. What!?! This show is so stupid, just cancel it now and replace it with Galavant full time. And the promo make it look like the Underworld is not the one from Hercules but just Storybrooke with a filter on the camera. Ugg.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Homeland: I found Allison's excuse last week a little flimsy, but saying she ran it past the dearly departed David Estes makes it a little more plausible. But still, Estes not even telling his supervisor at the time is a little thin. But this week's hunt for Quinn was not excited as last week's episode because it seemed pretty obvious that Carrie would end up finding him. And it was pretty convenient that she found the terrorist nest after everyone left.

The Affair: We have not seen too many overlapping scenes this season but it was kind of odd how different this one was this week where both Allison and Noah thought they had made dinner the other missed. Also an interesting choice to basically have the first act be a bottle episode with Noah in the therapist office. Granted the part I spent the most time focusing on was Noah talking about seeing Captain America. I have spent most of this season when the future segments happened but now I am beginning to wonder when the main timeline is happening. Is the main timeline happening in the past? If so was Noah talking about the first one, which was released in 2011, the sequel, which came out last year? Would this mean the future on the show is present day? Or maybe the current timeline is in the future, they jumped about a year this episode, and he is talking about next year's Captain America movie. Now I am going to start obsessing about every little thing trying to figure out when the show is taking place.

Quantico: So Asher came up with the plan to plant the bomb at Grand Central Station but never intended to implement it and someone else found that plan and used it. Alrighty. Well if the promo monkeys are to be believed we will learn who actually did it during the winter finale (ugg). I predicted Shelby did it back when the show premiered but now I am leaning toward Jacob from Lost. Which would be a cop out because they billed the show as Alex got sold out by some in her class.
You can download Quantico on iTunes.

Supergirl: Oh you sneaky writers. With a character named Hank Henshaw you had to think he was going to be Cyborg Superman behind those red eye. But it turns out the real Hank is dead and Martian Manhunter took over his identity (on a side note, I would be a little worried if I were that actor learning my character died prior to the show and the guy I am playing is a shape shifter who presumably take another form next season; but then again, the real Hank is probably off turning himself into a Cyborg and may play two characters next season). Of course his over the top anti-alien rhetoric was a bit much in the premiere make a little less sense now. And though we the viewers know Martian Manhunter is a good guy, Kara's sister should probably be very skeptical of him, maybe more so now. And is it safe to assume the one other person who knows his true identity is Superman? And does that mean we are going to get a version of the Justice League at some point. Granted if there is a team up there probably will not be anyone of the charter members because DC will want to keep them off the small screen. The show really could not do a variant of Teen Titans because TNT is developing that property. So with the properties the show will have available to them, the Justice League may just be Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, a reprogrammed Red Tornado, The Wonder Twins, Plastic Man, and Apache Chief.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

The Voice: All I wanted was either Amy Vachal or Madi Davis in the finals. I am not greedy, just one of them, I did not need both in. But do you know who is greedy, bored housewives and country fans who had to fill the finale with boring white dude balladeers and country singer, and of course one country singing boring white dude. A lot of people complained about the massive cut from nine to three with one Twitter Save, but it did work. I watched the semi-finals for the first time since season three because Amy and Madi made it that far. Had they done the double elimination like previous season, they may have both been gone before we lost one country singer.

But the producers should know there is a better way to keep viewers from bailing than string fans around fora month only to break everyone heart who is not a country fan or bored housewife in one fell swoop and they can do it in one of two ways. The first is something I doubt they would ever do because they clearly give these coaches complete free will no matter how dumb their decisions are, but they should sit down the coaches and tell them they are setting a hard quota to make sure the top 12 is a diverse group of different musical styles and for goodness sake Blake, no more all country teams again.

But since they will never tell the coaches what to do despite the coaches having multi-millions of reasons to do what they are told to do, the other fix is really easy. Change how we can vote. Right now you can vote for as many people as you want ten time, so if out are a country fan, you are probably just going to vote for all four country singers. And then you have cases like Braiden Sunshine who is no one's favorite but is enough people's fourth or fifth favorite to make it to the semi-finals. That has to stop, they need to change the rule so each round you have ten votes total. Put all ten on your favorites or divide them among your two to five favorites. Of course instead of doing this, the show will probably just switch the schedule next season to just eliminate one per week again but will end with an eight person finale.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Oh my goodness, they actually killed Ward! It came a season too late but they finally did it. Oh wait after the commercial break zombie Ward is standing in the street. What the frack!?! That is trice this week ABC killed someone just to be surprise, the character is sticking around! I guess we are to assume that is the Inhuman god thing that shape shifted into Ward. Pretty convenient to make it into a shape shifter all of the sudden. Why he was hanging out in the astronaut's bomb shelter was a little silly.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Survivor: Second Chances: Mostly a filler episode like these late season episodes tend to be until a really bad ending when Tasha co-opted Joe's let's vote out the person everyone want to sit next at the end pitch and somehow was able to get Jeremy, Kimmi and even Spencer on board. Well at least Abi Maria made the jury. But the most interesting part came in the credit when Probst saying something that has never happened in thirty-one season is going down in the season finale. Are we going to have our very first tie at Final Tribal? What exactly is the tie breaker for that? Building fire would be a silly way to determine who gets one million dollars.
You can download Survivor: Second Chance on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 12/11/15

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 Path, Conan, Showtime Boxing, Homeland, The Affair, and Telemondo.


- We’re excited to announce the Hulu Original The Path will premiere on March 30, 2016. The Path follows a family at the center of a controversial cult as they struggle with relationships, faith and power. Each episode takes an in-depth look at the gravitational pull of belief and what it means to choose between the life we live and the life we want. The series comes to Hulu from Universal Television and Jason Katims’ True Jack Productions and was created by Jessica Goldberg who will write and executive-produce the series, along with Katims and Michelle Lee of True Jack Productions. The 10-episode series stars Aaron Paul, Michelle Monaghan, Hugh Dancy, and Rockmond Dunbar.

The Path on Hulu — Join the movement on March 30, 2016

Follow us. The Path premieres March 30, 2016, only on Hulu.

Posted by The Path on Tuesday, December 8, 2015

- The Force will be with TBS this month when the late-night series Conan welcomes the cast of the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie, along with director J.J. Abrams will all join host Conan O'Brien on Thursday, Dec. 17, at 11 p.m. (ET/PT) for what's certain to be a blockbuster show.

- For the first time ever, a boxing match has been released in its entirety in 360 degree immersive virtual reality, as Showtime captured the shocking first round TKO from Saturday night’s main event between WBA Middleweight World Champion Daniel Jacobs’ and previously undefeated challenger Peter Quillin. The all-Brooklyn main event has been made available in 360 video from ring-side, giving fans an unprecedented boxing experience. The virtual reality video engrosses viewers in the matchup of the top middleweights, facing off in the prime of their career, where Brooklyn’s Jacobs (31-1, 28 KOs) won the “Battle For Brooklyn.” The 360 footage is viewable on the Showtime Sports’ YouTube channel*, the Showtime Boxing Facebook page, on the Samsung Gear VR via the MILK VR app and Littlestar VR apps for Samsung Gear VR, iOS and Android.

- In advance of the final two episodes of the current seasons of its hit fall drama series, Showtime has picked up a sixth season of Homeland and ordered a third season of The Affair. Showtime currently has the top two rated scripted series on premium television in the fourth quarter, with Homeland and The Affair (ranked based on Live+SD, L+3 and L+7 ratings). Homeland season five stars Emmy®, Screen Actors Guild® and Golden Globe® Award winner Claire Danes, Emmy nominee Rupert Friend and Emmy and Tony® winner Mandy Patinkin. The Affair season two stars Golden Globe nominee Dominic West, Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson, Emmy Award nominee Maura Tierney and Screen Actors Guild nominee Joshua Jackson. Both series air on Sunday nights starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.

- A new national poll released this week by Telemundo, MSNBC and the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion finds that in a hypothetical match-up for the Presidential elections, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 52%, leads businessman Donald Trump, 41%, by double digits and is ahead of Texas Senator Ted Cruz by seven points, 51% for Clinton to 44% for Cruz. However, the race tightens when Clinton is matched against former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. Clinton edges Bush by four points, Rubio by three points, and she is in a virtual tie with Carson. The poll also finds that all of the mentioned Republicans candidates, except Trump, are getting a greater proportion of Latino voters than either Romney or McCain did in their presidential bids against Obama.

The Voice Season Nine Top 9 Power Rankings

Well crap, we finally had a chance to get rid of Braiden and Korin had to go and forget the lyrics (and yet still almost beat him). If I were Korin, I would have spent more time last week practicing my Save Me song than the one on Monday. Well only one more week of Braiden, no way he survives the five person cut next week. I thought it was a pretty meh week yet surprisingly seven of the ten made the top 10 on iTunes. I wonder how many of them will at this time next week will have wished they saved that song for the big cut instead during a week when Korin and Braiden were clearly in the bottom. It seem like Amy was the only one who took it easy this week (and yet still managed to make the top ten). At least I hope that was the case, saving a great song for next week, and Adam has not officially run out of ideas, thinking turning a cheesy teen pop song kiss off into some moody goodbye.

Prediction time, this season seems pretty hard to predict as everyone but Braiden seem pretty close and it will come down to song selection (you are definitely going to get in the top 10 tomorrow to be saved by America after last week) and maybe even performance order. The last three weeks someone who performed in the first hour has entered the top 25 on iTunes before the show has even ended on their way to the top 10. When only one person is going home with obvious fodder at the bottom it does not matter, but when it is close, you are losing about 70,000 votes. Twice it has happened Amy who has yet to perform in the 9:00 hour. Does she finally get to perform late? Does Madi get to perform late again since she is the only Pharrell member left? Does Jordan get to go last again despite being the only lock for the final? I think one of Blake's team is the only other lock to get saved by America. That leaves Amy, Madi, Jeffery, and Blake's other country singer fighting to get the last spot. So I am going to predict that Jordan, Barrett, Emily Ann get saved by America while Amy picks up the Twitter Save after singing Maroon 5's Sunday Morning because everyone will probably be singing a Maroon 5 next week. As for my Power Rankings:

1. Madi Davis (Even)
2. Amy Vachal (Even)
3. Emily Ann Roberts (Even)
4. Jordan Smith (Even)
5. Shelby Brown (up 2)
6. Barrett Baber (up 3)
7. Jeffery Austin (down 1)
8. Zach Seabaugh (up 1)

64. Braiden Sunshine (still dead last)

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 12/6/15

Once Upon a Time: So Emma stole everyone's memory because she stole Captain Hook's memory and wanted everyone to forget she turned him into a Dark One and stole his because his big master-plan was to resurrect all the Dark Ones. I hate this show. When Captain Hook was going to open the gates to the Underworld I actually was kind of hoping the show was going to exploited Hercules next and go hang out with Hades.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Homeland: What a great episode. The whole trying to entrap Allison was just gripping. First time fails as she just has sex with a dude instead of panicking. And then there is a great spy vs. spy stuff when she actually does run. But I was a bit disappointed in the ending when Allison whispers in the Russian's ear and I am thinking it is some great plan only for her to say he was her asset this whole time which I really do not think anyone should buy. She has a high ranking Russian mole that she has never told anyone about before? I really hope that Dar (or the writers think Dar) is that stupid. She is going to need more than that to get out of this.As for the other half of the episode, I am beginning to tire of the Quinn story line.

The Walking Dead: Oh Carl, kill that kid... and his brother. Then I do not sure who is more stupid fighting to the death over the captured Wolf: Carol or Morgan. Know you both are knocked out and he is set free. The show usually does premieres and finales the best but this may have been the worst of any of them since the farm season. Hopefully Negan is as great as message board commentator say. The Governor certainly was not.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

The Affair: This is the third time this season I spent the episode we would get to spend an entire act with the daughter. The first time was when she showed up drunk to the guest house, then when she showed up drunk to the Lockhart's Thanksgiving, and now with she drunkenly making out with another chick in a hot tub while her naked father watched inches away. Since the switched up the format this week, can we please get an episode dedicated to what she has been up to this season? Oooh, maybe that is the season finale: we follow drunk daughter through this season and ends with her drunk driving into Scotty.

Into the Badlands: The plot is still thin and silly but, hey, it is still visually cool. And that has to be the first wheelchair fight ever on television. Well, unless you count the cripple fight on South Park.
You can download Into the Badlands on iTunes.

Gotham: What a bizarrely awesome assortment of people going after Galavan. Thankfully Lucius finally was able to fix the computer two months later to join them to point out how silly it all was. Seriously, a fifteen year old girl took out an armed guard with a kick. Then Tigress's great escape was great, pushing her niece out the window only to just out later only to reveal they both had parachute gliders. But I did call Silver would be the one who saved Bruce (somewhat, she basically just stalled long enough for the ragtag gang to show up). I was a bit surprised that Jim was the one who killed Galavan, I thought he would just walk away and let Penguin do what he wanted. And how did the body end up in the morgue? How about dropping the body in the river to get rid of the evidence. Now Dr. Strange has control of the body for whatever reason along with a not so subtle glimpse at Fish Mooney in one of the tanks. I did not recognize anyone else in the tanks that could hint at who is next, I will have to check the internet nerd who are smarter than me to see if I missed something. Though I definitely recognized Mr. Freeze at the end.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Supergirl: Yeah, Maxwell Lord is definitely going to hook up with Kara's sister. Kind of a meh episode aside from the Landry Clarke's father sighting. I wonder now that he is free from his creator if Red Tornado will gain free will and start fighting for good or if this was a one off episode for him.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: I was shocked when the episode started with Coulson having a dinner date with Roz after learning last week she was working with Hydra, even if that was inadvertently. But being a show with Joss Whedon on it, having a happy couple means one of them had to die. And of course this drives Coulaon to skydive into a portal to another world. Aside from the shocking death, mostly a filler episode setting up what looks like a big Winter Final (ugg) with a battle on the Inhuman planet. The big question is if they are able to bring back Simmons' astronaut buddy and will the big bad Inhuman comes back too. My prediction: they are the same person!!!!
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Survivor: Second Chances: I know you have to say anything to make it three more days when you think you are on the bottom, but Joe's "We should vote out the person everyone wants to sit next to at Final Tribal" has to be the worst pitch in Survivor history. How about pointing out how the person who dominates the Immunity Challenges never win the game?
You can download Survivor: Second Chance on iTunes.

Nashville: The daughters are really starting to get annoying. I know teenagers are annoying and moody in real life but do television writers realize how painful it is to watch them on television? Teenagers on television have not always been this annoying. I blame the annoying people who are constantly harping on things not being realistic, which I think started when people started pointing out Jack Bower never went to the bathroom once over the course of twenty-four hours or ever got stuck in Los Angeles traffic. These this did not happen because it made for bad television.And as realistic as annoying teenagers are, it is time to ban them from television.

The Wiz Live!: Well that was significantly better than the previous two musicals even if there was a visible camera in the first scene. Which I guess was not too hard because Carrie Underwood cannot act, Allison Williams was horribly miscast and Christopher Walken may have been asleep the whole time. Mary J. Blige pretty much stole the show with maybe the most over the top acting ever put to film. Maybe NBC should do Wicked next and let Mary reprise her role. Granted, if I were the guy in charge, I would still throw all the money I could at Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling for a live production of Guys and Dolls, with Kristen Bell and Jason Street in the supporting roles. Of course now we do not have to wait another year for the next musical because next month Fox is putting on Grease Live. Cannot wait. We are truly living the the greatest era for cheesy entertainment since the eighties.

Around the Tubes: 12/4/15

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 Telenovela, Flight Before Christmas, The Hateful Eight Soundtrack, The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, In Performance: Christmas Under the Stars, Miraculous™, Newtown, Austin City Limits, Major Crimes, Rizzoli & Isles, Outside Television, Gigolos, TruTV, and You're the Worst.

- Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) stars in Telenovala, a big, fun and flashy half-hour comedy as Ana Sofia, the star of a popular Spanish language soap opera. One problem, she doesn't speak any Spanish. Other problems? Ana must manage a new boss, jealous castmates and high-maintenance best friends - and that's all before her ex-husband is hired as her new on-screen love interest. Just like a real telenovela, this comedy is full of all kinds of drama, including love, hate, life and even death! Despite all the chaos, this telenovela's cast and crew is a family... or, at least, they try to be.


- Flight Before Christmas, Saturday at 8:00 on Lifetime. Synopsis: Excited to take the next step in their relationship and move in with her boyfriend, Stephanie is crushed when he drops the bombshell that he wants to break up. Faced with spending the holidays heartbroken and homeless, she decides to fly home to Connecticut. On a red-eye the day before Christmas, Stephanie finds herself seated next to Michael, who is planning to propose to his college girlfriend. The two get off to a rocky start but things get even worse when the pilot announces that a huge, unexpected snowstorm is crossing the country. Their flight is diverted to a small town in Montana where Stephanie snags the last available room at the town’s bed and breakfast. Despite their differences, she offers to share the room with Michael and try their best to get along.

- Quentin Tarantino and Decca Records today announced the release of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight original motion picture soundtrack. The soundtrack will be available for purchase on CD, vinyl, and at digital retail worldwide via Decca Records on December 18, 2015. Third Man Records will also release an exclusive vinyl edition of the soundtrack in the United States. The Double 180 gram LP will include a tri-fold reversible jacket with a soft touch finish, 60"x12" poster, 36"x12" poster, and 12-page booklet insert with stills from the film. The Hateful Eight film will be released on December 25, 2015 screening exclusively in glorious Ultra Panavision 70 mm film and will open wide on January 8, 2016. Pre-order links for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack can be found below:
Decca
Third Man Records

- The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is proud to present the 2016 Outstanding Performers of the Year award to both Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan on Monday February 8, SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling announced today. This is the first time the award will be given to two honorees. Both Larson and Ronan had previously been awarded the festival’s Virtuoso Award, in 2014 and 2010 respectively. The duo will be celebrated for their remarkable performances in Room and Brooklyn. The 2016 festival is the 31st year of the festival, which will run February 3 to February 13, 2016. For more information, and to purchase tickets, festival passes and packages, please visit sbiff.org.

- With the Christmas season in full swing, prepare to tune in, this Sunday, with the whole family as Gentri -the Gentleman's Trio- join 13-year old Lexi Mae Walker for a celebration of Christmas music and the true meaning of Christmas. Filmed on location at an old Jerusalem replica set, the one-hour special, In Performance: Christmas Under the Stars, airs on Sunday, December 6 at 5pm MT/7pm ET on BYUtv, and also features The Snow College Chamber Orchestra, The Snow College Cadence Chamber Choir, The American Heritage Youth Chorus, and other musical guests.

- On Sunday, December 6 at noon ET/PT, Nickelodeon will broadcast the premiere episode of the all-new 3D CGI-animated, action-sitcom series, Miraculous™. The 26-episode series, which will air every Sunday at noon ET/PT, is owned and produced by ZAG, under its “Zag Heroez” umbrella. The series tells the story of a charismatic girl who transforms into a courageous, vivacious superhero named Ladybug and saves the day to restore happiness and peace for the citizens of Paris. While making its first appearance in the U.S. this December, Miraculous™ has already debuted in France and Korea, attaining consistent number one ratings across all kids shows week over week. Series premieres will continue to roll-out globally, in 120+ markets worldwide over the next three months.

- Filmed over the course of nearly three years, the film-makers use unique access and never before heard testimonies to tell a story of the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history. Newtown documents a traumatized community fractured by grief and driven toward a sense of purpose. Joining the ranks of a growing club to which no one wants to belong, a cast of characters interconnect to weave an intimate story of community resilience. The film will have a national broadcast on PBS in 2016. It will also be screened at additional film festivals, followed by a theatrical release, community and school screenings nationwide along with educational, international and digital distribution.

- The landmark television music series Austin City Limits (ACL) announces the second half of Season 41, with seven brand-new shows to begin airing in January 2016 as part of the program’s fourteen-episode season. ACL has featured some of the most iconic performances in live music for over four decades, and continues with an ever more diverse line-up showcasing the most original and relevant music of today. The program returns on Saturday, January 2nd at 8:00, ringing in the new year with a new installment featuring the return of powerhouse rockers Alabama Shakes and the debut of soul revivalists Vintage Trouble. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings for times) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at video.pbs.org/ immediately following the initial broadcast. The show's official hashtag is #acltv. Here is the full lineup:

January 2 Alabama Shakes / Vintage Trouble
January 9 Kendrick Lamar
January 16 Ryan Adams / Shakey Graves
January 23 Angélique Kidjo
January 30 Sleater-Kinney / Heartless Bastards
February 6 Leon Bridges / Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
February 13 Tedeschi Trucks Band

- Television's favorite detectives will be back on the case in February as TNT presents
all-new episodes of the hit series Major Crimes and Rizzoli & Isles. Major Crimes is set to kick off its winter episodes on Monday, Feb. 15, at 9:00, with Mary McDonnell, G.W. Bailey and Tony Denison leading the exceptional ensemble cast. The following day, Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander will return in Rizzoli & Isles, which will start its winter run Tuesday, Feb. 16, with back-to-back episodes beginning at 9:00.

- Outside Television, America’s only television network for people who share a deep passion for the active, adventure lifestyle, is expanding its reach today as it launches on Sony PlayStation Vue. PlayStation Vue is a new cloud-based TV service bringing subscribers live television, movies and sports through the PlayStation platform. With this launch, Outside Television will be available on the Vue platform in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, and Miami markets. Outside Television is available nationwide through various providers including DISH Network, Comcast XFINITY, Cox Communications, RCN, The National Cable Television Cooperative, CenturyLink PRISM TV and Google Fiber.

- The boys are back in town! The sexy Showtimes unscripted series Gigolos returns with eight half-hour episodes on Thursday, March 17th at 11:00. The Gigolos are heading back to Las Vegas to spotlight the sultry, salacious antics of fan favorites: Nick, Brace, Vin, Ash and Bradley (and Guerin, their booker). For a sneak peek at the new season, go to YouTube.

- Placing an even bigger bet on the scripted arena, truTV has ordered a second season of its first scripted series Those Who Can’t three months in advance of the show’s launch – an unprecedented move for the network. In addition, truTV has also ordered two pilots and a pilot script from several established comedic talents, including Dean Lorey (Arrested Development, The Crazy Ones), comedian Tom Segura and also Melissa Hunter (Adult Wednesday Addams). This flurry of scripted activity comes as truTV celebrates momentum on the first anniversary of its “Way More Fun” branding.

- FXX has ordered a third season of the critically-acclaimed comedy You’re the Worst from Creator and Executive Producer Stephen Falk, who has reached an overall deal to develop and produce projects for FX Networks and FX Productions, it was announced today by Nick Grad and Eric Schrier, Presidents of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions. The third season of You’re the Worst will air on FXX in summer 2016. The multi-year overall deal will enable Falk to write, develop and produce television projects for FX Networks and FX Productions.

ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas 2015 Schedule

ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas, cable’s biggest programming event of the year, returns with 25 continuous days of holiday-themed entertainment for the whole family. From December 1 – 25, viewers can ring in the holidays with holiday specials, classic holiday movies, and returning favorites. ABC Family is becoming Freeform in January 2016.

This year, 25 Days of Christmas will feature classic Jim Henson Christmas specials The Bells of Fraggle Rock and Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, which have been remastered and are returning to television after several years. Additionally, December 13 features a marathon of Disney∙Pixar’s Toy Story films. Also, the network will air Beyond the Shadows: The Making of Shadowhunters, which gives an inside look at the upcoming saga series.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS day-by-day programming highlights include*:

Tuesday, December 1
(7:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) THE PREACHER’S WIFE
(11:00 AM–1:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(1:00–2:30 PM ET/PT) MICKEY’S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS
(2:30 PM–3:30 PM ET/PT) THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS
(3:30–4:00 PM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(4:00–6:00 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH AND FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS IN JULY
(6:00–7:00 PM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(7:00–9:00 PM ET/PT) THE POLAR EXPRESS
(9:00 PM–12:00 AM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (Live Action)
(12:00–1:00 AM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(1:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR

Wednesday, December 2
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) THE CHRISTMAS SHOES
(9:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(11:00 AM–12:30 PM ET/PT) MICKEY’S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS
(12:30–1:30 PM ET/PT) A MISER BROTHERS CHRISTMAS
(1:30–2:30 PM ET/PT) JACK FROST (1979)
(2:30–3:30 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR
(3:30–6:00 PM ET/PT) WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
(6:00–8:45 PM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) SNOW

Thursday, December 3
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) CHRISTMAS IN BOSTON
(9:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL
(11:00 AM–1:45 PM ET/PT) WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
(1:45–4:00 PM ET/PT) I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS
(4:00–6:00 PM ET/PT) JACK FROST (1998)
(6:00–8:15 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE
(8:15–11:00 PM ET/PT) FRED CLAUS
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) SNOW 2: BRAIN FREEZE

Friday, December 4
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) MEET THE SANTAS
(9:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) THE FIRST CHRISTMAS: THE STORY OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS SNOW
(11:00 AM–12:00 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR
(12:00–2:00 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH AND FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS IN JULY
(2:00–4:00 PM ET/PT) JACK FROST (1998)
(4:00–6:00 PM ET/PT) I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
(6:00–7:00 PM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(7:00–9:30 PM ET/PT) FRED CLAUS
(9:30–11:50 PM ET/PT) ELF
(11:50 PM–2:00 AM ET/PT) PRANCER

Saturday, December 5
(7:00–8:00 AM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR
(8:00–10:00 AM ET/PT) RUDOLPH AND FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS IN JULY
(10:00 AM–12:15 PM ET/PT) I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
(12:15–3:00 PM ET/PT) PRANCER
(3:00–4:00 PM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(4:00–5:00 PM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(5:00–7:15 PM ET/PT) THE POLAR EXPRESS
(7:15–9:30 PM ET/PT) ELF
(9:30 PM–12:30 AM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
(12:30–2:00 AM ET/PT) TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Sunday, December 6
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) A VERY BRADY CHRISTMAS
(9:00–11:00 AM ET/PT) HOME ALONE: THE HOLIDAY HEIST
(11:00 AM–12:00 PM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(12:00–12:30 PM ET/PT) THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
(12:30–2:30 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(2:30–4:45 PM ET/PT) THE POLAR EXPRESS
(4:45–6:30 PM ET/PT) TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
(6:30–9:30 PM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
(9:30–10:00 PM ET/PT) BEYOND THE SHADOWS: THE MAKING OF SHADOWHUNTERS
(10:00 PM–12:00 AM ET/PT) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION

Monday, December 7
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) HOME ALONE: THE HOLIDAY HEIST
(9:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
(11:00 AM–1:00 PM ET/PT) THREE DAYS
(1:00–4:00 PM ET/PT) LOVE ACTUALLY
(4:00–6:30 PM ET/PT) FRED CLAUS
(6:30–8:45 PM ET/PT) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) THE MISTLE-TONES

Tuesday, December 8
(7:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) FRED CLAUS
(11:00 AM–1:00 PM ET/PT) SECRET SANTA
(1:00–3:00 PM ET/PT) THE MISTLE-TONES
(3:00–4:00 PM ET/PT) PINOCCHIO’S CHRISTMAS
(4:00–6:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(6:00–6:30 PM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(6:30–8:45 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) THE POLAR EXPRESS
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) SNOWGLOBE

Wednesday, December 9
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) 12 DATES OF CHRISTMAS
(9:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY BOOK II
(11:00 AM–12:10 PM ET/PT) PINOCCHIO’S CHRISTMAS
(12:10–2:20 PM ET/PT) PRANCER
(2:20–4:30 PM ET/PT) SNOWGLOBE
(4:30–6:00 PM ET/PT) MICKEY’S TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS
(6:00–6:30 PM ET/PT) MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL
(6:30–8:45 PM ET/PT) THE POLAR EXPRESS
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) ELF
(12:00–1:00 AM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(1:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR

Thursday, December 10
(7:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) PRANCER
(11:00–11:30 AM ET/PT) NESTOR, THE LONG-EARED CHRISTMAS DONKEY
(11:30 AM–12:00 PM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(12:00–2:00 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH AND FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS IN JULY
(2:00–2:30 PM ET/PT) MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL
(2:30–4:00 PM ET/PT) MICKEY’S TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS
(4:00-4:30 PM ET/PT) THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
(4:30–5:30 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR
(5:30–6:30 PM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(6:30–8:45 PM ET/PT) ELF
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) SANTA BABY 2: CHRISTMAS MAYBE

Friday, December 11
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) DESPERATELY SEEKING SANTA
(9:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(11:00 AM–1:00 PM ET/PT) HOLIDAY IN HANDCUFFS
(1:00–4:00 PM ET/PT) THE FAMILY MAN
(4:00–6:45 PM ET/PT) FRED CLAUS
(6:45–9:00 PM ET/PT) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
(9:00 PM–12:00 AM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
(12:00–1:00 AM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(1:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS

Saturday, December 12
(7:00–8:00 AM ET/PT) JACK FROST (1979)
(8:00–9:45 AM ET/PT) MICKEY’S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS
(9:45–11:30 AM ET/PT) MICKEY’S TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS
(11:30 AM–12:15 PM ET/PT) THE BELLS OF FRAGGLE ROCK – ABC FAMILY PREMIERE!
(12:15–1:20 PM ET/PT) EMMET OTTER’S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS – ABC FAMILY PREMIERE!
(1:20–2:30 PM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(2:30–3:30 PM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(3:30–4:00 PM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(4:00–6:00 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH AND FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS IN JULY
(6:00–9:00 PM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
(9:00–11:15 PM ET/PT) ELF
(11:15 PM–2:00 AM ET/PT) FRED CLAUS

Sunday, December 13
(7:00–8:45 AM ET/PT) MICKEY’S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS
(8:45–10:25 AM ET/PT) MICKEY’S TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS
(10:25–11:05 AM ET/PT) THE BELLS OF FRAGGLE ROCK
(11:05 AM–12:10 PM ET/PT) EMMET OTTER’S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS
(12:10–2:15 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH AND FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS IN JULY
(2:15–4:30 PM ET/PT) ELF
(4:30–6:45 PM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY
(6:45–9:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY 2
(9:00–9:30 PM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT
(9:30 PM–12:00 AM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY 3

Monday, December 14
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) MR. ST. NICK
(9:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
(11:00–11:30 AM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(11:30 AM–2:00 PM ET/PT) CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
(2:00-4:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY
(4:00–6:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY 2
(6:00–6:30 PM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT
(6:30–8:45 PM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY 3
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) SNOW

Tuesday, December 15
(7:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
(11:00 AM–1:00 PM ET/PT) DESPERATELY SEEKING SANTA
(1:00–3:00 PM ET/PT) SANTA BABY
(3:00–5:00 PM ET/PT) SANTA BABY 2: CHRISTMAS MAYBE
(5:00–6:00 PM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(6:00–8:15 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
(8:15–10:30 PM ET/PT) ELF
(10:30–11:00 PM ET/PT) THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) SNOW 2: BRAIN FREEZE

Wednesday, December 16
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) THREE DAYS
(9:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
(11:00 AM-2:00 PM ET/PT) THE FAMILY MAN
(2:00–4:00 PM ET/PT) CHRISTMAS IN BOSTON
(4:00–5:00 PM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(5:00–6:00 PM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(6:00–8:15 PM ET/PT) ELF
(8:15–10:30 PM ET/PT) THE POLAR EXPRESS
(10:30–11:00 PM ET/PT) NESTOR, THE LONG-EARED CHRISTMAS DONKEY
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) DESPERATELY SEEKING SANTA

Thursday, December 17
(7:00–10:15 AM ET/PT) THE FAMILY MAN
(10:15 AM–1:30 PM ET/PT) LOVE ACTUALLY
(1:30–4:15 PM ET/PT) THE PREACHER’S WIFE
(4:15–6:30 PM ET/PT) SNOW
(6:30–8:45 PM ET/PT) THE POLAR EXPRESS
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) HOLIDAZE

Friday, December 18
(7:00–9:45 AM ET/PT) THE PREACHER’S WIFE
(9:45 AM–12:00 PM ET/PT) CHRISTMAS CUPID
(12:00–2:00 PM ET/PT) THE MISTLE-TONES
(2:00–4:15 PM ET/PT) SNOW 2: BRAIN FREEZE
(4:15–6:30 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(6:30–7:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S PREP & LANDING
(7:00–7:30 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S PREP & LANDING: NAUGHTY VS. NICE
(7:30–9:45 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE
(9:45 PM–12:00 AM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) THREE DAYS

Saturday, December 19
(7:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) PRANCER
(9:30–10:30 AM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR
(10:30 AM–12:30 PM ET/PT) JACK FROST (1998)
(12:30–2:30 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH AND FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS IN JULY
(2:30–3:00 PM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(3:00–4:05 PM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(4:05–5:15 PM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(5:15–7:30 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE
(7:30–9:45 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
(9:45 PM–12:00 AM ET/PT) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) HOLIDAY IN HANDCUFFS

Sunday, December 20
(7:00–8:00 AM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR
(8:00–10:00 AM ET/PT) JACK FROST (1998)
(10:00 AM–12:45 PM ET/PT) PRANCER
(12:45–3:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(3:00–4:45 PM ET/PT) TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
(4:45–7:00 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
(7:00–9:15 PM ET/PT) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
(9:15–11:30 PM ET/PT) ELF
(11:30 PM–12:00 AM ET/PT) MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL

Monday, December 21
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) PRANCER
(9:00–11:15 AM ET/PT) DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(11:15 AM–1:00 PM ET/PT) TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
(1:00–2:00 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR
(2:00–2:30 PM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(2:30–4:30 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
(4:30–6:30 PM ET/PT) SNOWGLOBE
(6:30–8:45 PM ET/PT) ELF
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) JACK FROST (1998)

Tuesday, December 22
(7:00–8:00 AM ET/PT) RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR
(8:00–10:00 AM ET/PT) 12 DATES OF CHRISTMAS
(10:00 AM–12:00 PM ET/PT) HOLIDAZE
(12:00–2:15 PM ET/PT) CHRISTMAS CUPID
(2:15–4:30 PM ET/PT) JACK FROST (1998)
(4:30–5:30 PM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS
(5:30–6:30 PM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(6:30–8:45 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) HOLIDAY IN HANDCUFFS

Wednesday, December 23
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) THE MISTLE-TONES
(9:00–11:00 AM ET/PT) HOLIDAY IN HANDCUFFS
(11:00 AM–1:00 PM ET/PT) SANTA BABY
(1:00–3:15 PM ET/PT) SANTA BABY 2: CHRISTMAS MAYBE
(3:15–4:15 PM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(4:15–6:30 PM ET/PT) RUDOLPH AND FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS IN JULY
(6:30–7:00 PM ET/PT) FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND
(7:00–7:30 PM ET/PT) MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL
(7:30–9:45 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
(9:45 PM–12:00 AM ET/PT) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) HOME ALONE: THE HOLIDAY HEIST

Thursday, December 24
(7:00–9:00 AM ET/PT) RUDOLPH AND FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS IN JULY
(9:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
(11:00 AM–1:00 PM ET/PT) HOME ALONE: THE HOLIDAY HEIST
(1:00–3:15 PM ET/PT) PRANCER
(3:15–5:00 PM ET/PT) TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
(5:00–5:30 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S PREP & LANDING
(5:30–6:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY’S PREP & LANDING: NAUGHTY VS. NICE
(6:00–6:30 PM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT
(6:30–8:45 PM ET/PT) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
(8:45–11:00 PM ET/PT) ELF
(12:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE

Thursday, December 25
(7:00–9:30 AM ET/PT) PRANCER
(11:00–11:30 AM ET/PT) NESTOR, THE LONG-EARED CHRISTMAS DONKEY
(11:30 AM–12:30 PM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(12:30–2:15 PM ET/PT) TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
(2:15–4:30 PM ET/PT) THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
(4:30–5:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY∙PIXAR’S TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT
(5:00–7:15 PM ET/PT) ELF
(7:15–11:00 PM ET/PT) HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE
(12:00–1:00 AM ET/PT) SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN
(1:00–2:00 AM ET/PT) THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS

The Voice Season Nine Top 10 Power Rankings

Do you believe in highly unlikelys!?! One of the boring white dudes finally went home!!!!! Okay it was not Braiden, Zach, or even Barrett who gave the most embarrassingly bad performance of the week, but hey, you got to start somewhere. I actually thought Shelby would find her way to the bottom but surprisingly the country voting block still voted her through despite a disastrous Lady Gaga performance. Oh no, the finals is going to be Jordan an three country singers isn't it? Amy might want to save her best song left in her chamber for the semi-finals because she will probably need another top 10 finish to make the finals. As for my Power Rankings, there is still four groups but there was some shuffling this week as a bunch of people moved out of their groups as there was a mass exodus from the Boring But Acceptable into the newly named bottom group. But on the brighter side, someone actually joined the Top of the Crop level.

The Top of the Crop

1. Madi Davis (Up 1): Where the heck did that come from? I thought she was in the Amy lane of coffee house type singers when she was doing soft Laurel Canyon songs early in the season. Then out of nowhere this week she just starts wailing away like some diva singer (as someone wiser than me pointed out) singing a James Bond Theme sounding song. I do not know why her song did not sit along Amy in the Top 10 this week. Madi's problem may be she is the type of artist that gets better with each listen. I remember liking it when I watched it live but thought it needed a slower build. But upon another listen you just start to her the little intricacies and keep hear something new with every repeat.

2. Amy Vachal (Down 1): After how great and retaliatory Hotline Bling was last week I feared there would be a let down this week (I feared Adam would try Trap Queen next). But instead they went in a completely different from a moody and seductive song last week to a fun and flirty version of a Taylor Swift song and it was just as great. The only thing the two performances had in common beside being great was the the reappearance of the upright bass. I have been resigned to an all boring white dude finale but I am starting to think Amy can sneak in. Hopefully she has another top ten finish in her for the semi-finals. Really the only complaints I have about Amy this week was I spent most of the time during the Team Adam performance thinking, if Amy done this herself that would have been another top 10 hit. I was also disappointed she was saved first. I know it would have ruined the suspense (talking about ruining the suspense, oh Carson and his oops) to have the iTunes leader be saved last but they really could have brought her out in the outfit more than twice. Oh my.

3. Emily Ann Roberts (up 1): Had I grouped the singers every round, Emily Ann would have spent ever round in the Boring But Acceptable group. But this week she basically gave a country version of Amy's performance, simple and fun (although Emily Ann threw in some weird crazy eyed looks throughout the performance that threw me off a little). Fun used to be a death nail on this show as voter prefer big belters singing power ballads so it was nice to see two fun songs crack the top 10 on iTunes this week. In a season with an overabundance of boring white dudes, it would be nice if the finals ends up being Jordan with these three ladies above. But if Barrett and Zach already overcame Emily Ann's iTunes bonus once this season, I fear they probably had more votes this week too and will push one if not two of the girls out of the finals. Jordan and three country singers will probably be more likely than Jordan and three chicks.

The Boring but Acceptable

4. Jordan Smith (down 1): His weakest performance of the season still made the top ten. The guy could sing a nursery rhyme next week and still stroll into the semi-finals next week.

The Lucky There Was a Format Change

5. Korin Bukowski (up three): Finally someone cool enough to sing a Mandy Moore song on The Voice. Except it was not one of her cool late period songs but the sappy obscure one from A Walk to Remember. Not a very good sign of her escaping the Bottom Two again next week when she sings a kind of religious song and still finds herself in danger of getting eliminated. On the bright side, Pharrell still has one singer left for her to send home. Oh no, that is probably not going to happen because there will not be two boring white dudes in the bottom two weeks in a row and of course all the country artists will advance no matter how bad they are (and three were really bad this week). Hopefully the show manipulates things next week to help Madi (and more important to them, make sure Pharrell has someone to make it to the semi-finals). Maybe they will finally give a girl the Pimp Slot next week. Madi deserved it more than what they actually ended the show on.

The Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) Group

6. Jeffery Austin (down 1): Last week I pondered if the reason he has only sung British Blue Eyed Neo Soul music was because that is all he could do. After this week the answer is a resounding yes. Not as big a waste of the Pimp Slot as last week but there were better ways they could have ended the show this week.

7. Shelby Brown (even): What a horrible song choice. It seems clear Adam wants her gone so he can focus on Amy and Jordan. So wait for Adam's meltdown if Shelby outlasts them, it will probably be worse than his "I hate this country" moment after Amber Carrington got saved instead of Judith Hill and Sarah Simmons.

8. Zach Seabaugh (up two): I cannot believe his performance made it into the top thirty on iTunes.

9. Barrett Baber (down 4): Somehow Barrett did even worse than Zach yet still managed to chart higher than Zach. I hate this country... voters who watch this show and blindly vote for every country singer no matter how bad they are.

48. Braiden Sunshine (still dead last, always dead last): I cannot confirm nor deny I changed the bottom grouping after the Mötley Crüe song I suggested Braiden sing through The Voice App. Or that I also suggested he sing JoJo's Leave (Get Out). Or Hit The Road Jack. Or END of the Road by Boyz II Men.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 11/28/15

Homeland: So we finally learned why Allison is in bed with the Russians: blackmail for literally being in bed with her informant who she was going to run away with before he set her up. But I do wonder if Allison knew if the Acrobat was still alive or not . He did end up in the vacation destination Allison talked about (what a horrible screen saver, all that is going to do is burn that image into the screen, it should have at least rotated, and what douchebag these days still uses a screen saver instead of the auto screen shut off; it is just a waste in electricity dude). But if Allison knows that Carrie knows the Acrobat is still alive, you let the assassin to kill her because Carrie can figure out everything.

The Walking Dead: The show did not fool me when it looked like Glen was getting his guts pulled out the last time we saw him on screen. Then they pulled the actor's name from the credit making me think, oh wow, he may actually be dead, but it ended up being just a huge troll move because it was the other dude who fell on top of him and it was his guts being pulled out and Glen actually was able to pull himself under the trash bin and the and the hoard of zombies conveniently dispersed even though they knew he was under there and started clawing at him. After this obvious conclusion, I was hoping the writers actually pulled a bigger troll move and at the ended the episode with a zombie coming out of nowhere to bite him. Maybe they are saving that for the mid-season finale.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

The Affair: I am starting to wonder just what is the timeline in the future. This whole time I was thinking it was maybe five years in the future but I am beginning to think the future is right around the corner. Is the baby currently gestating in Allison's belly the one that may or may not be Scotty's? If so, does that mean the two hooked up while Allison was in her hippy retreat phase? Could Cole's wedding be the season finale?I kind of wish the show would spend more time in the future because that is becoming much more interesting. Or least give annoying daughter her own act.

Into the Badlands: The show looked stylish and there was not much else to watch this week so I thought I would give it a try. Yeah the show looked cool and the fight scenes are fun, but there is so really bad writing on this show. The plot seems to just be an amalgamation of every post apocalyptic warlord run future movie ever made. And for a show entitled Into the Badlands, there are a lot of characters talking about leaving the Badlands.
You can download Into the Badlands on iTunes.

Supergirl: Maxwell Lord is kind of a huge douchebag. Not only does he set up all those tests for Supergirl, he actually comes clean about it. Even Bond villains do not tell James their evil plan until after they think he is about to die. And I got this creepy vibe that Lord is going to hook up with Supergirl's sister at some point.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Gotham: The teenagers have been the weak link for a season and a half now thanks to some bad writing and even worse acting but that Bruce doublecross on Silver was great. When you get the dude from Sons of Anarchy to play a bad guy I completely bought that he would rough up a bunch of kids. Then you have a great scene between Alfred and Tigress, the stilettos on the elevator roof was a great shot. But it was obvious that Galivan would get off but the explanation was silly with the mayor changing his story, was that the plan all along or did Galivan threaten him from inside the prison? Fall finale (ugg) next week with James teaming up with Penguin to find Bruce and Galivan. But let me predict that it is Silver turning on her uncle that frees the Son of Gotham.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: The promo two weeks ago promised someone would die before the Fall Finale (ugg) and I just assumed that was Chrissy Seaver's boyfriend which was kind of cheap for that tease. Except we got a legitimate shocking death this week when tree tattoo guy killed CIA guy who I thought was going to be a big bad that looms on the show. Then tree tattoo guy shows Lady Siff of Lady Siff saying everything is going as planned and she did this to herself. What!?! So if I am understanding it correctly, she basically Trojan Horsed herself into the FBI because it is corrupt and she needs to fix it from the inside. Okay, not the dumbest reveal in television history.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes..

Survivor: Second Chances: What a range of emotions it may have been good to have a double episode on Thanksgiving Eve. The first hour ended with a low as Jeremy stupidly wasted an Idol on Stephan (which looks even more stupid after what happened in the second hour) leaving Ciera with the most votes that counted. And what I thought that happened ended up happening with Stephan being targeted at the next Tribal Council and Jeremy went from an alliance with two Idols and an Extra Vote to just one Idol and your closest alliance member heading to Pondarosa. And why are you saving someone who does not even trust you enough to tell you what his advantage was. Of course Ciera deserves some blame because it was stupid to express her plan to out Stephan in ear shot of Jeremy anyway. You float the idea of Stephan being a huge threat with his advantage in the group and then sway people in smaller groups.

But as dreadful as the first episode turned out, the second Tribal Council goes in the Pantheon. Seriously, what was Stephan doing? Again the split vote was unnecessary and ultimately sent him home. Why are you fearing Abi Maria has an Idol? This is a person who openly admitted to having an Idol the last time she played simply because Probsts asked if anyone else wanted to share that they have an Idol mostly in a joking way. If you wanted to know if Abi Maria had an Idol, probably all you had to do was ask. And this led to a weird vote. When Stephan stole Joe's vote I thought, well Joe is a goner. Except Stephan instead votes for Abi Maria and they uses Joe's vote to vote for Joe (which technically should not count because Survivor rules state you cannot vote for yourself, not that it ended up mattering). So I thinking if Stephan is confidant enough to split, he must had pulled Tasha and Spencer back into the fold but when that last vote was cast, it was Stephan who when home. What a great Tribal.
You can download Survivor: Second Chance on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 11/27/15

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 Shameless, The Avett Brothers, Soul Train Awards, Superstore, Big in 2015, Call the Midwife, Dark Net, Act Like a Musician, Moby Dick: Heart of a Whale, Taboo, and Fargo.

- In advance of the sixth season premiere of Shameless on Sunday, January 10th at 9:00, Showtime has released the full-length trailer for its highest rated comedy series. Shameless stars Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner William H. Macy as patriarch Frank Gallagher, who moves back home, much to the chagrin of his daughter, Fiona (Golden Globe® nominee Emmy Rossum). This season, the Gallaghers are hitting a new groove as major changes attempt to pull the tight-knit clan apart. To watch and share the Shameless season six trailer, go to (sho.com/1PR3dMo).

- The Avett Brothers announce their new live album, Live, Vol. Four [American Recordings/Republic Records], out Friday, December 18, 2015. The album is available for pre-order HERE. Live, Vol. Four continues a long tradition of official concert releases for the Grammy Award-nominated North Carolina alternative folk collective that began with 2002’s Live at the Double Door Inn. It captures last year’s New Year’s Eve concert where they performed to a packed crowd in Raleigh, NC at PNC Arena on a CD and DVD combo package as well as a special edition vinyl. Every fan who orders vinyl will receive a digital download of the album during release week- vinyl to be available in early 2016.

- Soul Train Awards 2015 airs simultaneously on Centric and BET, Sunday, November 29th at 8:00. The hippest trip led by the illest chick, Erykah Badu, features a plethora of unforgettable performances, including Brandy, Fantasia, surprise guest Bobby Brown, Jeremih, Boyz II Men, Jazmine Sullivan, Erica Campbell, V. Bozeman and Cameo. Special appearances by Eva Marcille, Kat Graham, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell Martin, Bresha Webb and more. Jill Scott will be honored with the first-ever Lady of Soul Award while Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds gets the night’s Legend Award.

- America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty") and Ben Feldman ("Mad Men," "A to Z") star in a hilarious workplace comedy Superstore (from the producer of "The Office") about a unique family of employees at a supersized megastore. From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless summer hires and the in-it-for-life managers, together they hilariously tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.


- Check out Miss Piggy & Elizabeth Banks celebrating at the VH1 Big In 2015 with Entertainment Weekly celebration premiering Monday, December 7, 2015 at 9:00 on VH1. Miss Piggy presented the honor to Elizabeth Banks and she was physically overwhelmed with excitement…

Big in 2015 - TV Shows - Full Episode Video

- The holiday season on PBS dazzles this year with programs and specials that will delight the entire family, featuring inspirational music, savory cuisine and beloved characters from across the pond. PBS returns to London’s Poplar neighborhood in time for Christmas 1960 in the Call the Midwife Holiday Special. Joyous spirits are in plentiful supply as the community pulls together to prepare for a carol concert — to be televised by the BBC. In addition, a trip to view the Regent Street lights and a full-scale manhunt for a missing Nonnatus nun make this a Christmas to remember. The special airs on Christmas day, Friday, December 25, 2015, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET (check local listings). And, as recently announced, the highly anticipated “Sherlock: The Abominable Bride,” a 90-minute special premiering at 9:00 p.m. ET on Friday, January 1, 2016 on Masterpiece Mystery!, bookends PBS’ holiday programming schedule.

- On Thursday, January 21st at 11 p.m. ET/PT, Showtime will premiere a revelatory, at times jaw-dropping, new eight-part docuseries, Dark Net, exploring the netherworld where virtual and physical lives collide in ways surprising, disturbing and seemingly inevitable. In contrast to much of the mainstream media, DARK NET reveals a more ominous and disturbing perspective of a digitally connected world where our every action is collected and stored. The series is developed and produced by Vocativ, a technology and media company that applies exclusive proprietary technology to search and monitor the deep web, the 80 percent of the internet that lies beyond the reach of regular search engines.

- AOL announces the premiere of its new show Act Like a Musician, a show that brings together renowned musicians and well known actors to intimately discuss their lives, careers, passions and friendships. Each episode showcases a new actor and musician in a unique setting. The series launches today and will stream for six weeks every Monday at aol.com/actlikeamusician. Watch now!

- Moby Dick: Heart of a Whale, draws from historical accounts where whales – then considered bloodthirsty predators – seemed to have deliberately attacked whale ships. It explores the anatomy and behavior of one of the largest creatures on the planet, capable of producing the loudest sounds, and weighing as much as sixty tons. This special tells the gripping story of the crew members of the whale ship Essex – whose epic whale hunting expedition became a tragic story as mythic in the nineteenth century as the story of the Titanic is today. The quest takes viewers from the home base of the American whaling industry in Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts, into the cruel waters of the Pacific and the sperm whale hunting grounds off the coast of South America.

- Taboo, a major eight-episode drama series created by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Locke) and directed by Kristoffer Nyholm (Danish TV series The Killing, The Enfield Haunting) for BBC One and FX, is to start filming in London this week starring Tom Hardy in the lead role alongside a major international cast. TABOO will star Hardy as ‘James Keziah Delaney’ who returns to 1814 London after 10 years in Africa to discover that he has been left a mysterious legacy by his father. Driven to wage war on those who have wronged him, Delaney finds himself in a face-off against the East India Company, whilst playing a dangerous game between two warring nations – Britain and America.

- FX has ordered a third installment of the Emmy®, Golden Globe®, AFI and Peabody award-winning limited series Fargo from Creator Noah Hawley, it was announced this week by Eric Schrier and Nick Grad, Presidents of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions.

The Voice Season Nine Top 11 Power Rankings

Adam has secretly been one of the worst coaches on the show. No one ever talks about it because he did manage to win twice and had three of four finalists two seasons ago. But the thing is he is almost always able to recruit the best talent in the Blind Auditions yet never takes his four of five best singers to the Live Shows. When someone like Gwen or Shakira only gets one great singer in the Blinds and cuts them before the public gets the vote it is more glaring when Adam cuts a couple when still has one or two great singers still around. For instance Gwen cutting Ellie, not once but twice, just looks stupid (granted America looks dumber for saving Braiden instead of Ellie), Adam dumping Alex and Andi is not as glaring because at least he still has Jordan and then stole Amy.

Then there is Adam's song selection which has been some of the worst in the show. He either goes super boring (every Tessanne Chin song) or historically bad (remember the countrified version of Skid Row) which I think sometimes are on purpose to sink someone's chances to help his favorite advance (giving Preston Pohl a rap song). So when I saw Adam was giving Amy, who up to this point has not sung a song less than fifty years old, a crappy Drake song I thought you could add Amy to the very long list of Team Adam members front-runners who he sunk thanks to a historically bad song choice.

Oh wow, I was wrong. Hotline Bling goes in the Pantheon of great performance in the history of the show. And that was not the only bizarrely awesome performance this week, let us not forget the weird reggae / lounge version of Who Will Save Your Soul, it was almost as if Cee-Lo was back as coach (the show has gotten so much more boring without him). Hopefully both stay in the weird zone (though I fear Adam will look at Amy's top ten iTunes result and think to himself, "Let's do Trap Queen next week!"). Unfortunately all the boring white dudes stayed boring and none of them found themselves in the bottom two.  I hate bored housewives.

Speaking of the bottom two, the show only eliminated one singer this week instead of the usual two, which sucks because there is a lot of fat to be trimmed this season, Korin could have well as gone home this week along with Braiden, Evan, Zach, well basically all the country singers could be instantly eliminated. But for the next three weeks, they are actually only cutting one person per week and then they are going to go from nine singer semi-finals to a four person finale, yes that means there is going to be a six person Twitter Save with five people cut at one time. Fun times.

I have seen internet conspiracy theories claiming this is to help certain contestants, keeping one coach's team from being completely decimated before another has even one person eliminated (I could have seen a scenario where Blake and Adam could have made up the entire Final 6) or it is to goose iTunes sale. Um, no. The real reason the show is doing it, and let us be honest, it is the same reason any television show does anything, they are doing it as a way to keep ratings from eroding. I remember three seasons ago they made the Playoffs not live and when asked why Mark Burrnett said that they wanted to cut down on the number of Live Shows because the rating drop a lot when the show goes live. Except that did not work, so they tried the Wildcard Round. Again that did not work so they tried the Coach Comeback, again, mostly a failure.

I agree the more singer that are around longer, the less likely people are going to stop watching when their favorites are gone if you make sure they stick around longer. I know I would stop watching if Amy and Madi are gone, had thy kept the double eliminations, maybe neither would have made the semi-finals. This way at least one, if not both will make it that far, though both will probably get cut during that semi-final bloodbath so four boring white dude and country singers can make the finals.

So the intent is a good one, but there is a much better way to stop the ratings slide when the show goes Live and that is make sure you have a more diverse cast. Look at season three where the rating were pretty stable whose final six singers were very diverse: their was a pop-rocker turned country singer, a classic rocker, a blue eyed soul weirdo, an RnB dude, and indie pop singer, and Amanda Brown, who could basically do it all. Since then the top twelve has gotten more boring and more homogeneous every passing season up to these season when America saved six boring white dudes two straight weeks in a row. There are two solutions to this, first set an unwritten quota for the coaches. Blake needs to stop it with his country heavy team, that country heavy season was a disaster for the ratings and had they done it the same elimination schedule there may very well have been another four country singer top six. Tell the coaches they should only take one singer per genre to the live show per team.  Seriously Blake, enough for turning around for every country singer, get one or two great ones in the Blinds then let some of the other coaches have some.

As for the second fix, it is also clear the bored housewives that run American Idol into a ratings nightmare with their love of boring but cute white dudes and that has started to ruin The Voice. They are currently on their third straight boring white dude winner and it looks like a lock for a fourth as in the Playoffs six of the eight singers saved by America were white dudes (and Madi was lucky she only had one boring white dude to compete against so it was six of a possible seven, and of course that one other girl was a country singer). To me it is clear that the reason Zach and Braiden are still around (seriously, how did none of the boring white dudes make the bottom two this week) is because these bored housewives vote for Barrett and Jordan and figure while I am on the Voice App I might as well vote for all the cute boring dudes so let me give ten votes to Evan too. So to limit this The Voice needs to change the voting system from being able to vote ten times per voting method per singer to ten votes per voting method period. So these country fans can no longer just vote for all country singers pushing them all into the final six, they instead would have to decide, do I want to give all ten of my votes to Barrett or do I want to split them, 3-3-2-2 among all the country singers. If The Voice does not change something soon to make the show appeal to a wider audience and not let just the bored housewives voting block dominate every season (I do not think the one elimination until a semi-final massive cut is a longtime solution; they basically lost all the RnB fans this week) it may soon get American Idol sized ratings.

Now for the Power Rankings which I have grouped into four groups:

The Top of the Crop

1. Amy Vachal (up 1)
2. Madi Davis (down 1)

The only two that actually tried something this week, one to great effect (Amy) and the other (Madi), well it was a decent try. I do hope they continue to push the envelope.  Just no Trap Queen.

The Boring But Acceptable

3. Jordan Smith (up 6)
4. Emily Ann Roberts (down 1)
5. Jeffery Austin (up 2)
6. Barrett Baber (up 4)
7. Shelby Brown (down 2)

Okay Jordan did switch things up this week doing his first non-diva power ballad but he was still mostly boring. The country gals stayed country, Barrett did another countrfied version of an adult contemporary classic. Then there was Jeffery who did his fourth straight blue eyed British neo-soul ballad pure karaoke cover. Ugg. What is he going to do next week: Amy Winehouse's Love Is a Losing Game? Duffy's Warwick Avenue after that? Time to switch things up dude. But then again the one time he has not sung a straight blue eyed British neo-soul ballad pure karaoke cover it was apparently so bad his The Weeknd Battle Round performance was montaged.

The Lucky There Was a Format Change

8. Korin Bukowski (down 5)

Korrin seemed like a lock to be the first to get the boot except instead of a bottom three there was only a bottom two and all she had to do was beat Mark. Had there been a boring white dude or (I gasp thinking of the possibility but it probably would have happened) Madi who would have split votes, she definitely would be gone. It will be shocking is she survives another Twitter Save, the only question is who will she be in the bottom with.  She has had only one great performance (the Battle Rounds) so it is unlikely she will ever find that magic again.

The Why Did They Not Cut Five Now Instead of the Semi-Finals?

9. Evan McKeel (up 2)
10. Zach Seabaugh (down 2)

48. Braiden Sunshine (still dead last, always dead last)

Seeing these three get saved by America two weeks in a row makes me think of Larry Wilmore on the Nightly Show who back in August, a month after Donald Trump topped the polls and kept rising despite calling Mexicans rapists, attacked a POW because he only likes soldiers who do not get captured, and blamed a journalists tough questions on her period, looked straight into the camera and said, "America, I am talking to you directly: Stop it! Stop it!! America, listen to me: Stop it!!!" Every time Carson calls one of their names, I just want to fly to Los Angeles, bum rush The Voice stage and say, "Bored housewives, I am talking to you directly: Stop it! Stop it!! Bored housewives, listen to me: Stop it!!!" Seriously, how many boring white dudes do you need on the show? They could eliminate all three of them and there would still be three boring white dues left. Except I bet at least two, if not all three make it to the semi-finals. Korin is close to a lock to leave next week and I would not be at all surprised if Madi or Amy follow the week before the semis. I said it before and I will say it again, to limit the bored housewife voting block, The Voice needs to change the voting so people only get ten votes per round to divvy up however they want it instead of letting the bored housewives vote for all the cute but boring white dudes ten times each.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 11/22/15

Once Upon a Time: Well that was weird, I know that it was not designed to be a two parter but still weird of all the episodes to pair up, why these two? Why not a two part winter finale instead? The first hour was heavy into the big mystery of the season where we finally learn Emma's plan (she saved Captain Hook by turning him into another Dark One, huh, and want to put the darkness into the Wicked Witch and kill her eliminating the darkness once and for all, alrighty) but then they follow it up with two characters we have not seen for a couple seasons. Both explanations of where Mulan and Red Riding Hood were a little silly. Really all it made me do was wonder what ever happened to Cinderella and Hurley the Ogre.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Homeland: When Saul was riding down the elevator, I was thinking to myself, if this were any other spy show, he would just ninja chop everyone and the door would open with everyone else conscienceless on the floor. What actually happened was almost as absurd as a bunch of ninjas abducted him instead. So now Saul has defected to Israel. Alrighty. If the CIA really wanted him, doesn't Israel give him back? Though I am sure the season will be resolved and Saul will be vindicated before that happens. Them the episode ends with Carrie calling Allison for help. So Carrie did not recognize Allison's voice when she called Quinn's attempted assassin's phone number?

The Walking Dead: So who said "Help" at the end of the episode? It did not cross my mind that it was a not so dead Glenn until the internet reminded me he was out there. Did he even had a walkie? At any rate I still do not think it was him but an yet to be seen newbie who hijacked the frequency.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

The Affair: During the early episodes I thought that the differences in the stories were just how Noah and Allison were spinning their stories to the police, but after that blow up at Thanksgiving where Allison called out Noah for distorting her versions of what happened, I am beginning to think that Noah's version his his book and Allison's version is a tell all story she will write in the future. Of course then that would mean Cole and Helen are also going to write their own tell all book... and possibly in future seasons, Whitney, the red head dude that is always lurking around, and probably even a posthumous book by Scotty. Actually the red head and drunk daughter end up getting their own segments in the future because they are becoming my favorite parts of the show because the four main characters are becoming increasingly dreadful.

Supergirl: Have we always known Dean Cain was dead? I kept wondering why he was not at Thanksgiving and then I finally learn at the end he was killed in a plane accident, possibly at the hands of Supergirl's other boss. And looking at Ally McBeal's new face may be rough but she definitely gets all the best lines: "You have the wit of a YouTube comment."
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Blindspot: I am wrong for actually kind of like Rich Dot Com? But anyway. I (apparently) was half right on Chrissy Seaver's boyfriend. So he has not turned out to be not be a bad guy but it looks like he will turn out to be the not so socking death last week promised (though it is kind of unclear if he is actually dead, the boss gave a head shack but was it a "it does not look good shake" or a "he is not going to make it" shake? Since the next promo did not promise a death I am guessing that was it.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes..

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: For me this season has been all about Simmons other planet and we finally got big reveal after big reveal about the place. So back in the earliest days of Hydra, which apparently pre-dates Red Skull by centuries, if not millenniums, there was the first Inhuman and they (for reason I did not quite understand) shipped it off to this other planet and would occasionally send sacrifices to the planet until they could build an Inhuman army for it to command. Okay, that is kind of awesome. Now evil Hydra guy want to bring the first Inhuman back and has to figure out how SHIELD was able to get Simmons back. This should be interesting to see if the evil Hydra guy is able to succeed in this plan or not or will SHIELD be able to stop them. Or maybe SHIELD will unwillingly bring that Inhuman back when they rescue Simmons astronaut friend.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Survivor: Second Chance: In a season of so many twists I have lost count we got two more this week. First off the lame one, again the show hid a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol instead of the actual Idol. But instead of hiding it at the Immunity Challenge, which was a cool chance, it was just some silly rules based scavenger hunt where Jeremy could only retrieve it at night when everyone was asleep. But the other twist was much more interesting, if you quit the Immunity Challenge you could receive an advantage in the game. I am actually surprised only two people jumped down, in the torrential downpour, I think I would take my chance with reaching the buoy first unless I was part of the Witches Coven who were on the chopping block. The advantage is a twist on last season's extra vote twist but instead of getting an extra parchment to write down another name, you get to steal someone else's vote. That is evil, I love it.

Then finally someone broke from the massive nine person alliance, I never understood why no one seemed to want to work with Abi Maria, Ciera, or Kass because those seem like lay-ups in the finals. Of course the vote came down to Kelley W. and Kelly W. (which was what Spencer actually wrote on his parchment). It looks like there may be another twist next week as the promo shows everyone drawing rocks. It is during the day so it is probably is not a tied Tribal Council (plus if you are Stephan, you make sure you break a tie with your advantage). Last season everyone who tried to bid their entire wad on an advantage at the food auction drew rocks. Could it be for the first time every everyone is smart enough to not buy food at the auction? Still I think if it came down to it I bet Abi Maria and Keith at least would still be stupid enough to buy food instead of waiting for the advantage.
You can download Survivor: Second Chance on iTunes.

Nashville: More hair drama! Though to be honest I would not have even notice if Maddie died her hair had someone not mentioned it. So it is, what, a shade or two lighter? Does not seem like much of a deal for a sixteen year old.
You can download Nashville on iTunes.

The Blacklist: For a "Fall Finale" that was a pretty week Blacklister of the week crew. They may have been the lamest Blacklisters in the history of the show (which is probably why they were not originally on the list). And Ressler's Boy Scout routine was a little much considering he was the one who let Lizzy escapee in the first place. But we got the reveal that the Senator is part of the Cabal though I am not sure how we got there, what was with the thing in Africa, I missed the significance there. Oh well. It looks like the midseason premiere has Lizzy stuck in Reddington's cage where I guess we will have a repeat of the episode where Red got stuck in the box with a shot Ressler this time with Lizzie in the box and the Cabal trying to get in.
The Blacklist on iTunes.