Around the Tubes: 3/16/2018

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 Little Fires Everywhere, Leaving Earth: Or How to Colonize a Planet, Paul Simon, Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild, Drop the Mic, Defining Hope, and Kidding

- After a competitive bidding war that ignited Hollywood, Hulu has obtained the rights to develop Little Fires Everywhere, the highly-anticipated limited series from Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller, as a Hulu Original Series. The project will be produced by Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, Washington’s Simpson Street and ABC Signature Studios, and will join Hulu’s award-winning slate of original programming. Witherspoon and Washington will also star as leads in the series. Liz Tigelaar (“Life Unexpected,” “Casual”) will write and serve as showrunner and executive producer.

- In what may be Stephen Hawking’s last major television project, Smithsonian Channel explores his controversial position that the survival of the species depends on inhabiting another planet. Planet Earth has been home to humankind for more than 200,000 years, but with a population of 7.3 billion and counting and limited resources, some scientists believe it might not support human life forever. Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s most prominent scientists, believed that humans must have an interstellar escape plan in place within the next 100 years. He asserted that this is the only way to safeguard the future of the human species from the next mass extinction – by leaving Earth and making a new home on another planet. The program visits an exo-planet observatory in the heart of the Atacama Desert, reveals a plasma-powered rocket engine that could revolutionize space travel, explores the giant greenhouses of Biosphere 2 and showcases NASA’s own “robot army.” Hawking, top scientists, technologists and engineers around the globe investigate whether humans really do have what it takes to colonize another planet. Leaving Earth: Or How to Colonize a Planet airs Sunday, March 25 at 8:00.

- Legendary songwriter, recording artist and performer Paul Simon has announced the final leg of Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour, culminating with four shows in the New York City area: the Prudential Center on September 15 in Newark, NJ (the city where Simon was born), and two nights at Madison Square Garden on September 20 and 21, with an additional concert to be announced soon. As previously announced, Simon and his band will embark on the artist’s final tour May 16 in Vancouver, bringing to the stage a stunning, career-spanning repertoire of timeless hits and classic songs. Tickets for the third and final leg of Paul Simon’s Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour will go on public sale beginning Friday, March 16 @ 9am ET. Go to PaulSimon.com for ticketing information as it becomes available.

- An hour-long block of comedy, competition and hip-hop returns to TBS on Sunday, April 15 with the hit unscripted series Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild at 10:00 and Drop the Mic at 10:30. The network renewed both series after they quickly emerged as the top two new unscripted cable comedies in 2017, reaching an average of 2.7M viewers per episode across TBS’s linear, VOD, and digital platforms, and earning over 250 million social and YouTube views to date.

- The ground-breaking new documentary feature film Defining Hope (www.hope.film) from director Carolyn Jones (The American Nurse) follows eight patients with life-threatening illness, and the nurses who guide them to make critical choices along the way as they face death, embrace hope, and ultimately redefine what makes life worth living. “Defining Hope is a documentary that has evolved over the course of my career,” says director Carolyn Jones. “It’s a journey with nurses and their patients that speaks to the universality of death and leads us to a place of knowledge and power as we recognize that we have agency over the way that we die. To know what we want at the end of life, we have to figure out what makes life worth living.” Produced by Carolyn Jones Productions, the award-winning team behind The American Nurse Project, Defining Hope is presented and distributed nationally by American Public Television (APT), and is slated for release nationwide on public television stations beginning April 1, 2018 (check local listings).

- Showtime has announced that Justin Kirk (WEEDS) has been cast in a recurring role in the upcoming Showtime half-hour comedy Kidding. Kirk joins Golden Globe® winner Jim Carrey, along with Oscar®, Emmy® and Golden Globe nominee Catherine Keener (Get Out), Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) and Judy Greer (Married). Kirk will play Peter, the new boyfriend of Jill (Greer) who is Jeff’s (Carrey) estranged wife.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 3/11/2018

Homeland: C’mon, did they really have to kill a dog? And how do you let the militia sneak up on that FBI agent like that? They were out in a field. But we did get a poetic comeuppance to O’Keefe who used to run a Russian disinformation farm and then he gets caught and his militia buddies all die because of disinformation.

The Walking Dead: Did we really need the name cards? Sure I did not know the name of half the characters, and will probably forget them by the start f next episode, but that seemed to have no purpose. But at least they killed off almost all the trash people. They were completely worthless. But I do wonder what the leader does now without her flock. Teaming up with Rick against the Savior seems like the play but he clearly wants nothing to do with her. I guess there is always the lady tribe in the woods.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

The Chi: So Sunny was not dead, did dude just knock him over the head? There was a lot of blood. Then on the flip side, I actually thought the doctor was going to pop right up at some point up until his wife went to look for his pulse.

Lucifer: Wait, they killed Abel already? Are they done with him or are they just going to kepp bringing him back but in different bodies.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

The Alienist: Well that was the second time John was chloroformed and nothing that bad happened to him, this time he woke up to a friendly(ish) face. Bad for him the Swede may be bringing more chloroform. Except he may have gotten knocked out again at the end of the episode too except this time the old fashioned way. Oh and that was a creepy way to start the episode with Lazlo stabbing the corpse. I am beginning to realized that maybe most alienists need an alienist of their own.
You can download The Alienist on iTunes.

Good Girls: Oh, creepy manager was not actually dead, they just hilariously tied him up in a treehouse. I guess good old fashion blackmail to stop a blackmailer is a good plan.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: I never understood why no one beside Wes ever went up against Johnny. On Survivor winners get targeted instantly but Challengers just let Johnny slide every season and he rarely even sees an elimination. Hopefully this is the sea change know that everyone sees him as vulnerable. But it was weird the anti-bullying angle of the episode. The show was built on bullying. Getting punched by CT was like an initiation.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Path: Alright, all the cards are finally on the table. Well, I guess Vera did conveniently leave out the whole Eddie has to die thing. But everyone does finally knows that Vera’s mother was an original Mirist member who wants credit for the movement. Also that Steve is her father. Wait did we know that before? It may have been hinted at but I think this is the first confirmation. Which makes thing complicated between her and Cal, not only does he now know they knew each other, but her father got a little too handsy with Cal. But what was with that final scene? Vera’s mom wants to talk with Eddie but she does not answer only for us to see her motionless and eyeless in a chair. Was she dead? Was she having a vision?
You can stream The Path Hulu.

The Looming Tower: Wait, they fired Saarsgaard already? Sure he was a bit prickly but the guy is right. In the first couple episodes it seemed like Jeff Daniels was the protagonist, but Saarsgaard is right in his predictions. And the thing that got him fired, it sounds like the famous story of the time a sniper had Osama bin Laden in the crosshairs but President Clinton called it off because there were roytals there at the time. But I still do not care about Daniel’s personal life and his newest girlfriend maybe moving to New York City while his other girlfriend wants to get married.
You can stream The Path Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: So they need a unanimous vote to send people to Ghost Island or they draw rocks? That means they will be drawing rocks until the merge. Lame. Then when dude gets to Ghost Island, there is no advantage again. Double Lame. And speaking of Ghost Island advantages, the first one is switching hands again as the third straight person I actually liked got voted out. Triple Lame. If Kellyn gets the boot next week I may stop watching this season.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

Gotham: I still miss the old Ivy. And by the old Ivy I mean the middle Ivy.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: Whenever there is a Groundhog’s Day episode I fully expect a death montage, but this episode was still entertaining enough.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: I appreciate the Stay-Puff Marshmallow man reference. When they first said this new portal was a manifestation of their fears. It was the first thing I thought of. But for the big one hundredth episode, all they could get back was Deathlok? They even had Gemma play a LMD instead of getting Ada. That was kind of lame. But we did get the big reveal that Deke is Fitz-Simmons’s grandson(?). I put the question mark there because he does not seem to know who they are to him. So maybe great grandparents. But if that is the case, they really need to get started at making a family.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 3/9/2018

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 Pitch Perfect 3 Special Edition, U2, New Wave: Dare to Be Different, Glen Campbell and Willie Nelson, Record Store Day, Bill Nye: Science Guy, Arabian Seas, and Sklars and Stripes.

- Pitch Perfect 3 Special Edition, the highly anticipated follow up to the smash-hit and platinum-selling soundtracks Pitch Perfect & Pitch Perfect 2, is available digitally now. The Special Edition contains the 15 songs from the original, standard CD, along with 7 bonus tracks (22 total). Two additional on-screen performance tracks are also included, “Bend Over” and “Don’t Speak x Hard For Me to Say I’m Sorry,” which is a new mashup from a deleted scene available on the bonus content for the home entertainment release. Pitch Perfect 3 Special Edition soundtrack from UMe/Republic is available digitally here now.

- UMC/Island/Interscope are proud to announce the release of 3 new vinyl reissues from Irish rock giants, U2: Pop (1997), Wide Awake In America (1985) and All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000).

- U2, Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Blondie, Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, The Clash, The Cure – over half a billion records sold, but you might have never heard of them if not for a small suburban radio station on Long Island, NY called WLIR 92.7. New Wave: Dare to Be Different, premiering on Showtime on Friday, March 30 at 8:00 on-air, on demand and over the internet, is a nostalgic look back at the rogue radio station on the cutting edge of music throughout the 1980s. Program director Denis McNamara, the station crew and the biggest artists of the era tell the story of how they battled the FCC, record labels, mega-radio and all the conventional rules to create a musical movement that brought New Wave to America.


- Music legends Glen Campbell and Willie Nelson have been nominated for the Academy of Country Music Award for Vocal Event of the Year for their poignant duet “Funny How Time Slips Away.” The 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards will air live on Sunday, April 15, at 8 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. Listen to “Funny How Time Slips Away” here.

- UMe is pleased to announce details for several exclusive, limited edition vinyl releases confirmed for Record Store Day 2018. With special releases from Bobbie Gentry, Chet Faker, David Bowie, Def Leppard, Ella Fitzgerald, Elton John, Frank Zappa, Gloria Gaynor, Marvin Gaye, Soundgarden, Sublime, The Police, The Who and more, UMe’s slate for April’s hotly-anticipated music shopping bonanza is filled with an eclectic and exciting mix that includes re-pressings of classic albums and singles, as well as several U.S. vinyl release debuts. All the special releases will be available at Record Store Day-participating record stores on Saturday, April 21. Visit RecordStoreDay.com for more details and to find your local shops.

- Bill Nye is on a mission to stop the spread of anti-scientific thought and action. Once the host of a popular kids’ show and now the CEO of the Planetary Society, he’s leading a mission to launch LightSail, a satellite propelled by sunlight, while in turn fulfilling the legacy of his late professor and Planetary Society cofounder Carl Sagan. Bill Nye: Science Guy by David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg has its national broadcast and streaming debut on the PBS documentary series POV and pov.org on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 at 10 p.m. (check local listings). The broadcast precedes Earth Day on April 22. POV is American television’s longest-running independent documentary series and will begin its 31st season on television and streaming in summer 2018.

- On May 6th, 1882 – on the eve of the greatest wave of immigration in American history – President Chester A. Arthur signed into law a unique piece of federal legislation. Called the Chinese Exclusion Act, it singled out by name and race a single nationality for special treatment: making it illegal for Chinese laborers to enter America on pain of imprisonment and for Chinese nationals ever to become citizens of the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act, a two-hour film for national broadcast on PBS Tuesday may 9 at 8:00, will explore in riveting detail this little known, yet deeply resonant and revealing episode in American history – one that sheds enormous light on key aspects of the history of American civil liberties, immigration, and culture – during one of the most formative periods of U.S. history.

- NBA Hall of Fame basketball star and platinum hip-hop artist Shaquille O’Neal reads the immersive Edward Hirsch poem “Fast Break” about the universal experience of playing basketball in a remarkable new 12-part television series Poetry in America that aims to bring poetry to millions of viewers. New episodes of Poetry in America will be on public television stations nationwide starting Wednesday, March 28 through Wednesday, May 2. (Check local listings as some stations will debut the series at other times during the spring.)

- The waters bordering the Arabian Peninsula are home to a host of unique marine animals, from predators like zebra sharks and giant stingrays, to camouflage kings such as the cuttlefish and sea horse. Wade into this little-seen world of ocean oddities with Arabian Seas, now streaming on Smithsonian Earth. Smithsonian Earth is available on Apple®, Roku®, Amazon, Android™ and at SmithsonianEarthTV.com. Kicking off the five-part series is the premiere episode, Carnivores of the Coral Garden, which is now available to stream for free at SmithsonianEarthTV.com. Nine miles off the coast of Oman, a zebra shark scans the ocean floor for crustaceans, while a menacing giant stingray floats by. Soon, night becomes day and new killers emerge, from toxic scorpion fish to crown-of-thorns starfish, both bringing coral devastation.

- Randy and Jason Sklar's upcoming long-form audio documentary, Sklars and Stripes, is poised for an April 5, 2018 release on Audible. The comedic audio documentary captures their experiences on the road and, as a bonus on Audible, all listeners receive a full album of the Sklars' stand-up from the tour: The Tour Tapes. The 6-hour Sklars and Stripes is exclusively available on Audible for pre-order now, and will be free with an Audible 30-day free trial or as a premium Audible credit for members.

Previewing Hard Sun

Have you ever watched a sci-fi show with no actual sci-fi elements? That was a thought running threw my brain while watching Hard Sun. Sure the first scene features someone getting stabbed below the eye like nothing happened. But that is never talked about afterward aside from seeing a scar there. I thought it was weird when some dude in his early twenties called someone who looked the same age mom, but when another character asked if she had him when she was thirteen or fourteen, I looked up the actress and found she was actually in her mid-thirties which made getting pregnant right after puberty ended plausible.

The closest thing to a sci-fi element is that a pair of cops happens upon a government conspiracy covering up knowledge of an extinction level event appropriately named “Hard Sun.” The first episode plays out like a fascinating political thriller as the cops race to get the information out before being killed like everyone who has seen this information. The following episodes follows the cops as they investigate crimes inspired by people coping with knowing they only have five years to live. It is an interesting look into the psyche of people who know they and everyone they love only have five more years to live. Sure our protagonist go with the cherish every minute and spend as much time as you can with your loved ones but there are plenty of people who just want to get the pain and suffering out of the way now because why wait five years knowing you are going to die along with everyone else on the Earth.

Not so fascinating is the clichéd subplot of two new partners where the newest to the department is brought in to investigate the older one of possibly being shady. We have seen this story play out many times before in movies and television and just takes away from the actually interesting look at the human condition with the end of the world off in the not so distant but not really that close future.

Jim Sturgess (21) is the cop suspected of killing his partner why Agyness Deyn (Clash of the Titans) is the newbie investigating the detective. Oh yeah, and he is hooking up with his dead partner’s widow, the one he may have killed, all the while his wife is pregnant. Oh course as the show ponders, does any of it matter if everyone is likely to die in five year? But then, the final scene in season completely changes everything.

All episodes of Hard Sun were released today on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 3/4/2018

Homeland: So a person who may have played a role in the assassination of a US General while he was in prison was dumb enough to get a parking ticket while doing the deed? I am not a conspiracy or Deep State guy mostly because I do not believe there are enough smart people to pull stuff like that off. Someone will slip eventually. But getting a parking ticket in the place you are doing something shady is a little too dumb for me. Speaking of dumb, what is Wellington doing? Giving the go code to a general without the Presidents okay is not just a fire able offense, that is treason, and we know what Keane’s thoughts on those who commit treason.

The Walking Dead: Wait, so those flash-forwards we saw last season were not a look into the future at all but just Carl fever dreams of the utopia that he hopes happens? That is forking stupid. I guess that explains why no one but Rick and the baby aged. Oh well, at least Carl is finally dead.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

The Chi: That is interesting, the old guy went through all that trouble to jack those guns just to sell them back to the police for dramatically less than street value. But he learned out that if you live by the guy, you die by the gun. Well, or your brother does. Did he seriously did not think there would not be any payback?

Lucifer: Did I miss why someone was hosting a seventeen year class reunion?
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

The Alienist: Wait, the Man with the Silver Smile was not the killer? So he was just a general, run of the mill pervert. That was a twist. So the two guys who killed him are the killers. Okay. And what was with Sara’s obsession with proving that Laszio was not born a cripple. I thought it bizarre that him playing that one movement was a telltale sign; aren’t all major pieces of piano writings ones you would need both hands for?
You can download The Alienist on iTunes.

Good Girls: I knew the titular characters were going to rob a store, but murder too? Though that was kind of telegraphed because you really cannot have someone like that know. Which was my main complaint of the Pilot: seriously, why are you robbing your own store? Mask aside, your coworkers could still recognize your voice and / or body type. Or in this case your tramp stamp.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: It still ceases to amaze me how Jonny Bananas skates by all these years. I wonder if Devon will get his wish and see Bananas in elimination.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Path: Oh yeah, Vera’s mom is definitely a doomsday cultist. That was a creepy ending. But at what point does Vera tell Eddie about her mother? When will Sarah figure out who Vera really is? Apparently Carl know now because of the story where described a time with him as children. But exactly how much does he know?
You can stream The Path Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: One thing I noticed last season was just how early Asian chicks seem to be going out on this show. Last season, the token Asian was second out. The previous all new season, the first two boots were Asians. Of course the show solved that problem this season by casting a lone Asian male. Instead this season the first person sent packing was a Latina which prompted former contestant to point out that over the past decade, the first person to go home was a woman of color fifty-five percent of the time despite only making up sixteen percent of the cast. It actually got worse because some in the tread pointed out eight women of color were the second booted out and eighties percent of the past twenty seasons, a minority woman went home either first or second (then in three seasons they were the first two). Oh, and interestingly enough, someone pointed out that in his two seasons, Stephan’s first votes were both for Latinas.

So the casting departing is doing a horrible job because they are either casting racists or they are not doing a good job finding compelling female minorities. Or, in the show’s defense, it could be an anomaly. But maybe it is time for Race Wars II (the original being one of the best seasons of all time) so at the very least some minority women can get somewhat far in the game.

Social discussions aside, we did get a new twist this season with the introduction of Ghost Island where bad decision of the past come back to haunt current players. Poor Jacob, not only did he get the Legacy Advantage, probably the lamest advantage in the history of the show, he did not even get to keep it, he instantly had to give I away. Not that it mattered because he was promptly voted out the next Tribal. But I guess that was still better than Donathan who went to Ghost Island and got nothing. But my biggest complaint of Ghost Island was there were no actual Ghosts there. I was really hoping the Ice Cream Scooper would come out and tell someone, “Never, under any circumstance, give up your Immunity” or Eliza shouting at someone, “It’s a forking stick!” Big missed opportunity there.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: Gee, hiring a hitman is bad enough, but paying someone to be your alibi so you can do the deed yourself is somehow even more sadistic,
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The X-Files: Well that was weird but I could even tell by the second ad break that all Fox had to do to make it stop was to leave a forking tip.
You can download The X-Files on iTunes.

Waco: Yeah, I knew how this was going to end (and it was pretty obvious that Thibodaux would get out because since they spent so much time on him he probably was the guy who wrote the book) but what I did not know is how often the FBI used tear gas and a fire then just happened to ignite afterwards. That was pretty damning. Still, you got to leave the compound a lot early and not let I get to that point. It was just a series of dumb decisions all around.
You can download Waco on iTunes.

Gotham: So we get a Toyman Jr. on Gotham even though he is a main character on Supergirl. Okay, they did give these Toymen different names at least. And we have gotten yet another Poison Ivy who this time around is barely even a redhead. And she apparently lost all her fun in the transformation. Meh.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Deke getting sent back in time made absolutely no sense if he was not even near the monolith. So being next to Enoch was enough? Stupid. Okay it did lead to a funny montage at the bar. Then poor YoYo, her future self is already coming to fruition with her losing her arms just one day back in current timeline. And she got them cut off by some teenager. Or so we are led to believe. Clearly she is not the real daughter of the general. All her minions were robots, could she be another LMD?
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 3/2/2018

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 Smithsonian Channel, Beyond the Opposite Sex The Maestro The Rollie Massimino Story, I Think We’re Alone Now, Snowpiercer, Animal Kingdom, and The Alienist.

- Smithsonian Channel launches into space with four premieres centered around space exploration and humans‘ impact on the solar system. The first special, Billionaire Space Club, on Sunday, March 25 at 8:00, highlights the efforts of billionaire Sir Richard Branson and others to make space travel more accessible to the average person. The Sunday block also takes viewers on a journey revealing how humans have changed the planet Earth and how they will continue to shape its future on Sunday, March 25 at 9:00 in Earth From Outer Space. The following Sunday, April 1 at 8:00, Finding Life in Outer Space explores one of the greatest mysteries of the universe – why life exists – and at 9:00, Leaving Earth: Or How to Colonize a Planet featuring Stephen Hawking reveals the secrets of space travel and what the future holds for exploration and potential habitation beyond Earth. These four hour-long premieres highlight innovators and pioneers who are forging ahead with space exploration to plan for an unknown future.

- In 2004, Showtime introduced viewers to the story of Rene and Jamie with the documentary The Opposite Sex, showing two brave people going through their long-awaited gender affirmation surgeries. Beyond the Opposite Sex, premiering on Showtime on Friday, March 16 at 9:00 on-air, on demand and over the internet, is a follow-up documentary that picks up 14 years later to find that their surgeries, which had been lifelong goals, were far from the finish line of their difficult journeys.

- FOX Sports pays tribute to one of college basketball’s all-time great coaches with a new original documentary, The Maestro The Rollie Massimino Story, debuting Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 11:00 PM ET on FS1 following the Seton Hall at Villanova college basketball game. The Maestro chronicles former NCAA Champion coach Rollie Massimino’s final season with Keiser University, an NAIA Division II program, while he battled brain and lung cancer.

- Momentum Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to I Think We’re Alone Now, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Reed Morano, Emmy Award-winning director of the acclaimed series The Handmaid's Tale, the film had its world premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the festival and was awarded a Special Jury Award for Excellence in Filmmaking. I Think We’re Alone Now follows Del (Peter Dinklage) who finds himself alone in the world, literally, after the human race is wiped out. He’s content in his solitude - until he discovers Grace (Elle Fanning), an interloper on his quiet earth. Her history and motives are obscure, and worse yet, she wants to stay. A visceral psychological journey, the film explores human behavior and the undeniable need for companionship.

- Turner's TNT has tapped award-winning writer and producer Graeme Manson (Orphan Black) to serve as showrunner on Snowpiercer, a futuristic thriller based on the acclaimed movie of the same name. The series stars Oscar® winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind), Tony Award® winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton, Black-ish), Mickey Sumner (American Made), Alison Wright (The Accountant), Susan Park (Ghostbusters), Sasha Frolova (The Interestings), Sheila Vand (Argo), Katie McGuinness (Dirty Filthy Love), Roberto Urbina (Narcos), Sam Otto (Jellyfish), Tony Award® winner and Grammy® nominee Lena Hall (All My Children), Annalise Basso (Bedtime Stories) and Benjamin Haigh (The Conjuring 2).

- Turner’s TNT has cast Denis Leary (Rescue Me) in season three of the hit drama Animal Kingdom. In this bold, gritty series about a Southern California crime family, the Emmy®-nominated actor joins Emmy® and Tony® winner Ellen Barkin, the matriarch of the Cody clan, along with Scott Speedman, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Robson, Jake Weary, Finn Cole, Molly Gordon and Carolina Guerra. Leary will play Billy, Deran’s (Weary) drifter dad who Smurf (Barkin) kicked out years ago.

- TNT’s The Alienist scored another impressive week’s premiere Monday night holding claim to cable’s #1 new drama series this season and continuing to show strong momentum to achieve an extraordinary 40 percent in-season growth, a trajectory that only two top dramas (in a universe of more than 500 dramas on television) managed to achieve in 2017.

- Over the last two weeks, the editorial boards of Dallas Morning News, Corpus Christi Caller Times, and Bryan-College Station Eagle endorsed Stefano de Stefano, a traditional, pro-business, pragmatic Republican and Houston-based energy attorney in the upcoming Texas Republican Primary Election for U.S. Senate. Forbes followed up with a feature article of their own.

Previewing The Looming Tower

I remember cleaning my basement in 2005 only to find a Newsweek from the late nineties with Osama bin Laden’s name on the front cover. It was a fascinating article in retrospect. I am sure I read it but like most, the name Osama bin Laden did not actually resonate with me until 2001. But what that cover showed to me, even though he was not in the public consciousness in the nineties, somebody knew something.

That is the basis of the new mini-series The Looming Tower as the FBI and CIA track Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden as they declare war on the United States through an interview with ABC News while the agencies butt heads with each other. The big point of contention that starts the series is the CIA acquiring a hard drive from an Al-Qaeda operative but refuses to share that information with the FBI. Things only get more heated when at the end of the episode; two American Embassies get blown up. This is 1998.

The show does the best job I have heard explaining the differences between the two federal agencies and why they are at odds. The FBI are a law and order agencies who want to bring in enemy combatants and put them on trial if they did anything wrong, while the CIA look at the bigger pictures not wasting time on small fish if it will harm catching big fish. And of the course the spies have no problem killing enemy combatants.

The FBI on the show comes in the form of Jeff Daniels (Arachnophobia) as Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's National Security Division in New York City. I would not recommend Googling his character because he plays what I assume a huge role later in the series. Peter Sarsgaard (Green Lantern) is the head of a CIA counter-terrorism unit in DC. Feel free to Google him, he does not exist (but the person he may be based on is fairly easy to find and you can tell why the creators of the show did not want to use his real name; I will say he did not seem to like the book that the mini-series was based on). It is probably because of this that in the battle of FBI and CIA on this show, the former come out looking better than the latter.

The one name I did recognize in the first episode was Richard Clarke who was the National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection at the time. The head of the CIA George Tenet (played by Alec Baldwin) does show up in episode three to discuss retaliation on bin Laden. The most high profile government official at the time Bill Clinton only shows up archival footage. And a lot of it, the show does not miss a chance to have a newscast featuring bits on the Monica Lewinski scandal on the television in the background, and the occasional foreground whenever anyone is near a television.

But Clinton is not the only one with a little action on the side. In the first episode alone, Daniels takes flowers to a woman in an apartment in New York. While in Washington, he takes flowers to another woman, and by the end of the episode he goes to the suburbs where another woman is waiting with his two daughters. Do really need to know this guy hunting terrorists has not one but (at least) two mistresses? Probably not. Granted I do find the home life of the rare FBI agent that can speak Arabic who is called to go to a foreign country on his first date and surprisingly there is a second.

There is a growing number of nineties true crime shows on television that I fear we are not too far away from the Amy Fisher and / or John Wayne Bobbitt story, but of the ones that have aired so far, The Looming Tower is the most well made of them. And with all the FBI stories in the news these days, the show is a relevant reminder of just how hard the job is and it is a job that never ends. And more importantly, just what is really going on in the world when the media has one singular focus on something that may warrant impeachment but in the end is may be trivial?

The first three episodes of The Looming Tower are available to stream now on Hulu with new episodes every Wednesday.

The Fifty Best Post-The Voice Songs

In honor of the tenth season of The Voice I counted down the best Blind Auditions in the history of the show and each subsequent season I tackled a new round until last season when I did the best Live Show performances. Instead of cycling back, I thought I would check in with past contestants and count down the best songs they have released since being on the show.

Sure we have heard for thirteen seasons the show has yet to launch anyone’s career, but let’s be honest, the music industry as a whole is not very good at creating superstars anymore. Adele was arguable the last and Rolling in the Deep was released in 2010, five months before The Voice launched.

Since then the thirteen winners of The Voice have released ten full length albums, only eight on a major label, and half of those were by Daniel Bradbery and Jordan Smith. So less than half of the winners put out an official major label album (granted that last three are supposedly still working on theirs).

The good thing about the modern music it is easy to get your music out there. The bad part is that it is hard to get anyone to listen if you do not have a major or even minor label pushing your songs. I tend to prepare these lists by listening to Spotify and most of the stats are pretty abysmal, especially when an average of ten million watch The Voice and many of its contestants do not have many if any songs above Spotify dreaded “< 1,000” designation. So I will do what I can to give a little shine to my favorite Post-Voice songs which you will give a listen to. Note, I did not consider any cover songs for this list.

1. Sway - Danielle Bradbery

2. Trapeze - Dia Frampton

3. I Hate That Part - Caroline Glaser

4. I Alone Have Loved You - Hannah Huston

5. Snapshot - Xenia

6. Half a Mile - Elenowen

7. Blue – Reagan James

8. Dreams - Caroline Glaser

9. Today - Amy Vachal

10. Hello Summer - Danielle Bradbery

11. I Need You - ARCHIS (Dia Frampton)

12. Go Forth - Suzanna Choffel

13. Don't Look Back - Dia Frampton

14. My Confession - Tony Lucca

15. Don't Kick the Chair - Dia Frampton featuring Kid Cudi

16. Here so Far Away - Nicholas David

17. Young - RaeLynn featuring Leeland Mooring

18. Lovesick - Caroline Pennell featuring Felix Snow

19. Golden Boy - Amy Vachal

20. Never Gonna Let You Go - Tony Lucca

21. Red Wine + White Couch - Danielle Bradbery

22. You Can Have Me - Amy Vachal

23. Money Tree – Caroline Glaser

24. Stonewallin' - Jane Decker (Jane Smith)

25. Manipulation - Jacquie (Jacquie Lee)

26. Flames - Mathai

27. Cannonball - Rebecca Loebe

28. Wait - Amy Vachal

29. Not a Fool - Xenia

30. Buffalo Stars - Lelia Broussard

31. Walk Away - Dia Frampton

32. Where Did You Go - Queen Hilma (Andi and Alex)

33. Love Triangle - RaeLynn

34. The Ghost - Holly Henry

35. For the Taking - Elenowen

36. Say It in the Silence - Caroline Pennell

37. The Old Me - Jacquie (Jacquie Lee)

38. Sink - Holly Henry

39. Lonely Call - RaeLynn

40. Bullseye - Dia Frampton

41. Better Than This - Reagan James

42. Morning Light - Caroline Glaser feat. Liz Longley

43. Right On Time - Tony Lucca

44. Ruin - Jane Decker (Jane Smith)

45. Tears Fall - Jacquie Lee

46. 2 Times - Nicholas David

47. Once Again - Mathai

48. Hands (Piano Version) - Paxton Ingram

49. Summertime.Fin - Darius Scott

50. Holy Water - Reagan James

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 2/24/2018

Homeland: As bad as the third season with the Carrie / Brody love affair, Carrie vs. Ransomware is the single worst episode in the history of the show. Sad thing is, I actually thought she was going to have sex with him. And I am a little surprised that the 200 detainees were released so quickly. I thought that was going to be the season. Maybe the big mystery is who killed the general. Even President Keene knows how bad that looks for her. But if she (presumably) not involved who did it? One of Keene’s buddies without her knowledge? Did someone do it just to make her look bad?

The Chi: So what are those old guys up to? I thought the one guy came back to find out what happened to the basketball player, but ends up killing all (?) of the people who may have been involved without getting any information out of them. And what are they going to do with all those guns? Are they going to try to unload them?

The Alienist: Gee, Lazlo maybe could use an alienist of his own to figure out that mother figure rant at the beginning of the episode. But that was a cheap ending with them making us think Roosevelt found the killer as the Man with the Silver Smile got a knock on the door at the same time. Oh, and it turns out the killer is the lamest Batman villain Calendar Man.
You can download The Alienist on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: We have known from the first promo someone was going be see lifeless head down in the water, the only question was when it would happen and who was it in the water. Poor LeRoy. I am surprised Zach was not hurt either after busting open the back window. If it is not LeRoy, someone is going to get seriously hurt by these falling from heights into the water challenge.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Path: A cleansing is about to happen? Wait; was Vera part of a Doomsday cult? Actually, now that I think about it, her and her mother talked earlier this season about it is too early to sacrifice Eddie. I take it that is part of the cleansing, but do they kill themselves and/or others in the process? And I understand not feeling worthy of the car, but why did Cal have to destroy it? How about selling it and donate the money to the movement?
You can stream The Path Hulu.

Waco: How disappointing that the FBI did not play Panama to smoke out the Branch Davidians.
You can download Waco on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 2/23/2018

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 Last O.G., Sublime, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the World Cup™, The Mountain Lion and Me, and Showtime news.

- Comedy superstar and multiple Emmy® nominee Tracy Morgan returns to television with TBS starring in The Last O.G., a new comedy series that he executive produces alongside creator and executive producer Jordan Peele. Beginning April 3, episodes will air Tuesdays at 10:30.


- Southern California’s reggae-punk pioneers Sublime are celebrating the 50th birthday of their dear friend Bradley Nowell with a special animated video of “Boss D.J.,” the acoustic fan favorite off of the Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends album. The band commissioned renowned animator and artist Andrew William Ralph to create and direct a “looped” animation video that will debut on their official website on what would have been Nowell’s 50th birthday, February 22. In addition to the new video, Sublime will launch a birthday fan-wall on their official website and will have a space where fans can write birthday notes and post memories using the hashtag #BradleyNowell50th as well as exclusive merchandise sold through Sublime’s webstore. For more information please visit www.sublimelbc.com. Furthermore, the classic 1996 self-titled album Sublime is being released as a limited edition double LP on color vinyl this week exclusively from The Sound of Vinyl beginning Thursday February 22. Presented on 180-gram vinyl and limited to 500 copies worldwide, the one-of-a-kind pressing features LP1 on opaque yellow and LP2 on opaque blue. Members of the The Sound of Vinyl Text Message service will receive early access to purchase the limited edition Sublime color vinyl album, one day before it is available for purchase on The Sound of Vinyl website.

- To commemorate the 21st anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fox Consumer Products is launching the first-ever Buffy Slay Day on March 10, 2018 for fans who would like to pay homage to one of the original badass chicks – who paved the way for women and girls everywhere -- Buffy! As part of the 21-hour celebration on Buffy Slay Day, fans will have a chance to reward the most important slayers in their lives with cool merchandise. Additionally, Fox Consumer Products plans to uniquely highlight the strong, empowered and celebrated program alongside a wide group of Buffy partners through the following activities: Celebrate this pivotal show and its female heroine by harnessing your inner slayer, of courage, pride, and empowerment. On Slay Day 2018, Buffy fans can reward those who help them slay in their own lives with kickass loot. A wide-range of Buffy themed prizes is up for grabs, including apparel, toy figures, books and more! Details on how to reward the slayers in your lives can be found on BuffySlays.com.

- The road to Russia will go through Austin, Texas as the FOX Sports House opens March 9-12 at the 2018 South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals. With its sights on the World Cup™, FOX Sports kicks off a celebration of soccer at one of the world’s biggest interactive showcases for sports, innovation and the arts.

- Montana filmmaker Casey Anderson has formed a remarkable relationship with one of America’s most powerful predators, a mountain lion named Mama Mo. Casey first discovers Mama Mo one winter night when tracks in the snow appear outside of his home in Paradise Valley, Montana. It sparks Casey’s year-long obsession with the adult mountain lion and her cubs who are hunting in his backyard. Astonishingly, Mama Mo lets him into her world, and Casey uses the latest high-tech tools to capture an unprecedented view into the intimate lives of mountain lions in the wild. Casey not only painstakingly tracks Mama Mo’s every move, even as she crosses into the legal hunting zone, but he even ventures deep inside the lion’s den. The Mountain Lion and Me premieres Wednesday, March 14 at 8:00 on Smithsonian Channel.

- Showtime will celebrate SMILF, The Chi andShameless at the South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals from Thursday, March 15 through Saturday, March 17 with art, food and music at The Showtime House at Clive Bar on Rainey Street in Austin, Texas. On Thursday, March 15, Showtime will feature a diverse lineup of female-fronted bands across multiple genres including rising teenage indie rocker Snail Mail and experimental violinist and vocalist Sudan Archives, in honor of the Golden Globe® nominated comedy SMILF. Golden Globe nominee Frankie Shaw will make a special appearance introducing headliner Princess Nokia, whose music was also featured on the show. Friday, March 16 will be dedicated to the hit drama The Chi, with food from Harold’s Chicken Shack in Chicago, a custom sneaker gallery, Chicago graffiti art and featuring live hip hop artists. Chicago-based artist Joey Purp will perform, along with Lee Fields & the Expressions, whose music is featured on The Chi. The night will culminate with a DJ set from RUN-DMC’s Darryl DMC McDaniels, introduced by THE CHI star Jacob Latimore. And finally, on St. Patrick’s Day, The SHOWTIME House will transform into an “Alibi Bar” pop up, where SXSW badge holders can party like a Gallagher with drinks served by Shameless stars Shanola Hampton and Steve Howey. Musical acts include Low Cut Connie, Tank and The Bangas and headliners WAVVES.

- Showtime Sports continues to expand its position at the intersection of combat sports and culture with a first-of-its-kind, sports talk show, Below the Belt hosted by Brendan Schaub. The twice-monthly, 30-minute show debuts on Wednesday, February 28 on SHOWTIME Sports digital platforms, days before American heavyweight Deontay Wilder defends his WBC title against Luis Ortiz. The announcement was made today by Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc.

I Want My Music Television: 2/20/2018

River - Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran


Beyonce was wise to sit out the Walk on Water video (though it would have been wiser to skip the song entirely), poor Ed Sheeran got roped into this Eminem video. At least he did not appear as the other man.


Volcanic Love - The Aces


The Aces landed three songs on my list of the 100 Best Songs of 2017 list off their strong EP. Now they are ramping up to release their first full length album and, well, the first song release is just alright. Not as good as those first songs. Extended a one syllable work into multiple syllables has always annoyed me. But hay, the videos for those songs did not feature weird fruit art.


Wait - Maroon 5


What happened to Maroon 5? Their first album was decent if not top heavy with a lot of filler. Their music got progressively mediocre with every album. Then Adam Levine gets cast on The Voice and they have not released a good song since, and disturbingly became even more popular while becoming mainstays on my Worst Songs of the Year lists. But hey at least they cast Alexandra Daddario in their video so there is that. I just have to utilize the mute button.


Wild Love - James Bay


When James Bay came out, I for a second thought it was John Mayer, he looked and sounded just like him. For his second album, dude got a hipster haircut that does not fit him and is sounding more like James Blake, which again, does not fit him. What is wrong with cheesy pop-rock songs?

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 2/17/2018

The Chi: Who would have guessed an End the Violence block party in Chicago would actually end with no violence. Unless you count the two solitary gunshots (which, being from the suburbs, my first inclination was those were firecrackers). We had some uncomfortable moments at the party

The Alienist: So we got what I believe was the first good look at the murderer. Actually two views. One in the middle where he weirdly is squeezing himself into women’s gloves. Then at the end where he looks like a regular businessman, well until he flashes his silver smile and calls a group of young boys “girls.” And that preceded a creepy scene when he let the Alienist and his crew know he know they are on to him and wants to let them and the whole world know he does not violate his vitems. But was he there? Or was he at the diner saying hi to the “girls”?
You can download The Alienist on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: It still amazes me how everyone after all these years still let Johnny Bananas run things. Really, no one seemed to care that he just anointed the Troika will little debate? And am I supposed to be intimidated by the new Invaders? They are not exactly CT using Johnny Bananas as a backpack intimidating.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Path: So Mary did kill her father, or at least she thinks she did. A couple episodes she gave some drugs to him in what looked to be an attempt to get him to overdose. Of course since we never saw the body he is likely not dead yet. But for a travel episode, a lot happened. Mary and Mira bonded and not look to be teaming up to fight Eddie for control of Meyerism. Mira then learned more about he mother and her as the scar on her back was from her mother. But what does Cal know about it, he did glare at that scar awhile. Then you have Sarah who somehow was able to access Lilith’s memories. Maybe that European dude should start his own religion. Then back in America Hawk is becoming gayer.
You can stream The Path Hulu.

Around the Tubes: 2/16/2018

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 Word Is Bond, Hard Sun, Barry White, Noah Kahan, UB40, Vic Mensa, Shot in the Dark, Kidding, Ball Street, Twenties, and Deadlier Than the Male.

- In honor of Black History Month, Showtime will premiere the documentary, Word Is Bond, on Friday, February 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on-air, on demand and over the internet. Directed by Sacha Jenkins (Burn Motherf*cker, Burn!, Fresh Dressed) the film explores the transformative power of lyrics in the world of hip-hop. What was born on the streets of the South Bronx has now taken root globally, and the young poets of New York have helped to spawn regional dialects everywhere.


- Check out the trailer for Hulu's upcoming Hard Sun. The full six-episode season launches on Wednesday, March 7th.


- From his hitmaking '70s heyday until his untimely passing in 2003, Barry White set an unmatched standard for sexy, seductive, soulful R&B. As a vocalist, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, White created music that was unmatched in its sonic and romantic intensity, highlighted by lush, widescreen arrangements and the artist's deep, dark baritone voice. Over the course of his remarkable career, two-time Grammy Award–winner Barry White scored 106 gold albums worldwide, with 41 of those attaining platinum status, along with 20 gold and 10 platinum singles, with worldwide record sales of over 100 million records. He remains one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. On April 13, Mercury Records/UMe will release the first of a series of catalog releases of Barry White's classic work, in a yearlong celebration of the 45th anniversary of White's first release on 20th Century Records. New collections feature such White solo hits as “Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe” and “You're The First, The Last, My Everything,” along with hits by female trio Love Unlimited ("Walkin' In The Rain With The One I Love," "I Belong To You") and the 40-piece Love Unlimited Orchestra ("Love's Theme," "Satin Soul"), both of which benefitted from White's distinctive songwriting and production skills.

- With over 45 Million streams on Spotify and a rapidly climbing single on the Triple A charts, rising singer and songwriter, Noah Kahan recently released his debut EP, Hurt Somebody. Produced by Joel Little (Khalid, Lorde), the five song EP includes Kahan’s most recent single and title track, “Hurt Somebody” featuring two time Grammy nominated artist JULIA MICHAELS. Kahan, who has previously performed and toured with Anderson East, The Strumbella’s, Milky Chance, and Ben Folds, was recently announced as one of Bandsintown’s “Top 5 Fastest Growing New Artists” and will be hitting the road again this month with LP – dates listed below.


- A Real Labour Of Love is the new album from UB40 Featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey, to be released March 2nd on UMe. As founding members of Britain's biggest reggae band UB40, singer Ali Campbell, second vocalist Astro and keyboardist Mickey Virtue topped the UK singles chart on three occasions and sold 70 million records as they took the ir smooth yet rootsy musical blend to all corners of the globe. Now with 'A Real Labour Of Love' the trio give us a fresh take on the legendary series of albums, putting the focus primarily on reggae tracks from the 1980s.

- une in Friday, February 16 to watch the broadcast premiere of the concert special Vic Mensa on AT&T* AUDIENCE Network via DIRECTV Ch 239, AT&T U-verse Ch 1114 and streaming on-demand through DIRECTV NOW. Airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT the one-hour concert with was shot on location at AT&T AUDIENCE Network’s studio in Los Angeles, CA.

- FOX Sports Films is excited to announce the premiere of Shot in the Dark, February 24, 2018 on FOX. This second film in the MAGNIFY documentary series is produced by Los Angeles Media Fund, executive produced by Dwyane Wade and Chance the Rapper and directed by Dustin Nakao-Haider for Bogie Films, and in association with ZZ Productions. “Shot in the Dark” is scheduled to air at approximately 4:30 p.m. Eastern following Villanova vs. Creighton basketball.

- Showtime has announced that Judy Greer (Married) has been cast as a series regular in the upcoming Showtime half-hour comedy Kidding. Greer joins Golden Globe® winner Jim Carrey, in Carrey’s first series regular role in more than two decades, along with Oscar®, Emmy® and Golden Globe nominee Catherine Keener (Get Out) and Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon). Greer will play Jill, Jeff’s estranged wife who has recently hit a rebellious streak.

- Regina Hall (Girls Trip) and Paul Scheer (The Disaster Artist, The League) are set to join the cast of the Showtime half-hour comedy pilot Ball Street. Starring Emmy® nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor Don Cheadle (Avengers: Infinity War) and two-time Tony Award nominee and Grammy® winner Andrew Rannells (Girls, The Intern), Ball Street is directed and executive produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The pilot, which has also added Kurt Braunohler (The Big Sick) and Eugene Cordero (Kong: Skull Island), is created by David Caspe (Happy Endings) and Jordan Cahan (My Best Friend’s Girl), who also serve as executive producers and showrunners. Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) will guest star as Tiff, Blair’s (Rannells) girlfriend who appreciates the finer things in life that Blair’s new job may not provide. Reuniting with Happy Endings and Marry Me producers Caspe and Cahan, Wilson will recur if the show goes to series. Production is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles this week. The pilot is a co-production of Showtime and Sony Pictures Television Studios.

- On the heels of her Emmy® win for Best Comedy Writing and the launch of her series The Chi, TBS has picked up writer and Master of None star Lena Waithe’s project Twenties to pilot. Twenties is a single-camera comedy that follows the adventures of a queer black girl, Hattie, and her two straight best friends, Marie and Nia, who spend most of their days talking shit and chasing their dreams. It's a show about friendship, finding love, and messing everything up along the way. Twenties is created, written, and executive produced by Waithe through her production company Hillman Grad Productions and executive produced by Andrew Coles, her manager, for The Mission Entertainment.

- Turner's TNT has given a series greenlight to Deadlier Than the Male (working title), an intense, morally complex thriller about three damaged people trying to start over. Lily Rabe (American Horror Story), Enrique Murciano (Without A Trace), Hamish Linklater (Fantastic Four), Chiara Aurelia (Pretty Little Liars) and Amy Brenneman (The Leftovers) star in the suspense drama. The series is being produced by Bruna Papandrea's Made Up Stories and Turner's Studio T, and executive-produced by Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies); Harriet Warner (Call the Midwife, Mistresses), who wrote the script; and Casey Haver of Made Up Stories. Houda Benyamina (Divines) directed the pilot. The series will begin production this summer in New Orleans.

Previewing Cardinal: Season Two

Netflix used to be the place where you could catch up on television and movies. Breaking Bad was even credited with becoming a hit basically out of nowhere in its last season because people were apparently binging on it with Netflix. But now Netflix is more interested in becoming a content creator. In the half year alone they have ponied over a half a billion dollars for Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes to create new programming. While their original programming grows even larger, their acquired library keeps shrinking with basically Disney and The CW being basically their only major contracts left with the former saying they will not be renewing their contract when it is over.

Quietly Hulu is becoming the go to place for classic programming. The recently landed ER’s first streaming rights along with plenty other television shows from your childhood. Sure if you want to watch the Fuller House reboot, you need Netflix, but if you want to watch the original series, you need a Hulu subscription. And though they may not have much original programming, The Handmaid’s Tale has swept every major television award in the past year, including Best Drama at the Emmys, besting three Netflix series in a category Netflix has never won.

Aside from old shows, Hulu has also been amassing a growing foreign catalogue too. Want to watch the original Shameless? Hulu’s got it. Want to watch Real Humans which the AMC show is based on, Hulu’s got it. The original The Bridge? Yep, on Hulu. And, oh my goodness, the original Australian The Slap is also on Hulu. Hulu even has a bunch of international shows not (yet) bastardized by American networks yet.

Last year Hulu acquired the right to the Canadian show Cardinal and tomorrow the entire second season premieres on Hulu. It was another murder mystery show that benefitted from international schedules allowing shorten seasons with Cardinal only being six season. Ten to twenty-two episodes t solve a crime on American television is way too long.

As you would expect, the second season of Cardinal starts off with a scared woman running through the wood, falling, hitting her head to her death. Except, the big twist of the season is the girl shows up a couple scenes later in a bar without her memory. Oh, and after a medical examination Red (named for the color of her hair and because Jane Doe is usually for dead chicks; apparel they do not watch Blindspot) also has a bullet in her brain that essentially lobotomized her. Then the episode ends with some weird and creepy ritualistic killing that it is safe to assume ties into Red’s memory loss.

Cardinal may not be a profound show or reinvent the wheel, but it has proven to be a compelling bit of mystery television crammed into an easy to consume six episodes. And for people looking for something to do when everything on television is on an Olympic hiatus, here is something worth trying out.

You can stream the second season of Cardinal on Hulu starting tomorrow, season one available now.

Previewing Word Is Bond

For me, Ice-T’s The Art of Rap is the quintessential rap documentary. Of course when you are Ice-T, you can open up your digital Rolodex and get every living MC, past and present, you would possible want to talk about the craft. And being a rapper himself, Ice can steer the conversation to make sure you got all the important information out of the subjects.

So Work Is Bond has a lot to live up too. First off, director Sacha Jenkins (Fresh Dressed) does not get the names Ice-T did. This documentary is top-lined by Nas, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane. But the thing is, the guy found some rappers not big enough for the Ice-T one that still had some fascinating insight like Brother Ali, Flatbush Zombies, and the Run the Jewels guys.

There were a few oh yeah, I remember those guys. Seriously, anyone remember Peedi Crakk? Then there is a segment on Rhymefest who is apparently still working and recently added an Oscar as a co-writer on Glory to his Grammy he won for Jesus Walks. While Freeway has noticeably lost a lot of weight since he was Roc-A-Fella’s next big thing about a decade ago and sadly we learn why as he is dealing with a serious health issue.

Okay, not all the talking heads are winners. Is anyone really that interested in hearing J. Cole’s thoughts on anything? Most of the interviews focus mostly on each rappers experiences and influence, but there is a fascinating discussion in the middle of the documentary where everyone is asked their stance on ghostwriting in rap, and oh, boy, there are a lot of strong, varying thoughts on the subject.

Word Is Bond premieres Friday at 10:00 on Showtime.

I Want My Music Television - 2/12/2018

Capital Letters - Hailee Steinfeld and BloodPop®


I always feel queasy when the new soundtrack to a 50 Shades movie comes out because I just feel bad for everyone involved. Seriously how much money do you have to pay Taylor Swift to be featured on someone else’s song on the soundtrack? Like most Hailee Steinfeld songs, this is moderately catchy but still wish she would stick to acting which she is much better at. But at least the video does not feature any corny 50 Shades footage.


Fix Me - Beck


Fix Me - Beck, babies, and dogs. Three minutes well spent.


Rose Colored Boy – Paramore


Speaking of dogs, Paramore put one in a tin foil hat while Hayley Williams made her hair up like Aimee Mann in the Voices Carry music video for no apparent reason than the eighties. Still no apparent reason for the Bill O’Reilly reference.


Don't Make Me Wait - Sting and Shaggy


No seriously, not only did Sting and Shaggy made a song together, they made an entire album.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 2/10/2018

Supergirl: Seriously Mon-El, Saturn Girl was an upgrade, why are you still pining over Supergirl? You are truly the worst. Maybe they should get a divorce and then just give Saturn Girl her own spin-off.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

The Alienist: Well that was a bit anticlimactic. We left the guy drugged at an underage male brothel as a cliffhanger and all that happened to him was getting dumped in the alleyway to start the next episode. I was hoping for something more life threatening.
You can download The Alienist on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: Well that was a pretty generous draw Bananas. I wonder just how random the draw was. And how do you come on a competition show like this and not move a ring an inch? You gotta train people. Even LeRoy, a historically bad swimmer moved it a little.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Path: Exactly, is Hawk gay now? Dude was pretty girl crazy the first two seasons. Now he is kissing dudes. Oh yeah, and Hank died. And Mary’s father too? I am just guessing she gave him more heroin in hopes of an overdose. Though if we did not get conformation this week, he probably survived to terrorize some more.
You can stream The Path Hulu.

Knightfall: So after a full season of searching for the Grail, Landry tried to use it on the Queen and when it fails, smashes it against a tree… kind of feels like a waste. Well except someone knew to cut open the base for a secret message. Though he promptly ate it. But the biggest letdown was we never got to learn why the Pope spared Landry’s life. The Pope said he would tell Landry when he returned the Grail (which Landry was not going to do anyway) but he never went back.
You can download Knightfall on iTunes.

Previewing Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars

There was a time in my life had you asked me who my favorite artist was, I would have told you Eric Clapton. We spend most of our first decade on this planet basically listening to whatever the radio told us to listen to or just what your parents do. Then comes the time when you discover that there was actually music released before you were born and even stuff, good stuff being released that did not even get radio airplay.

This time for me just so happened to coincide with a career resurgence of Eric Clapton whose Tears in Heaven was his first top five single since the seventies and first in my lifetime. That was quickly followed by his installment of MTV Unplugged which most would consider one of the top two episodes ever (other people can argue if Nirvana’s was better) which would sweep that year’s Grammy’s and introduce a whole new generation to what most would consider one of the top two guitarist of all time (though some may argue Jimmy Hendrix).

Now at seventy-two, hopefully it is time for another generation to discover the greatness of Clapton even though you rarely even hear a guitar on pop radio today unless it is a quick sample. For those looking for a quick recap of his life and career, look no further than Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars, an expansive look at the guitarist career. Or really, his sixties career as over half of the two plus hour documentary focuses on that time in his career.

And that decade is jam packed of action as Clapton bounced around from band to band. Clapton was a fickle musical, spending two years with The Yardbirds, John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, three years with Cream, two years with Blind Faith, and two years with Derek and The Dominos, before finally going solo in 1970. But his solo work is mostly just an alcoholic haze and really the music during the seventies and eighties basically just get a one minute montage treatment.

This is my biggest complaint of the documentary. Slowhand, one of the greatest album ever made is barely mention other that hoe Clapton does not like listening song from that era because he can tell just how drunk he was while listening to those songs. The quick montage through this time comes to an abrupt end with the birth of his first child Connor whose tragic death at four inspired Tear in Heaven. But after all the Grammy’s were won, we get another quick montage to modern day. For a two hour and eighteen minute more time could have been spent from the seventies to now. Still Life in 12 Bars is a good primer on the artist life and would a look for music fans of all ages. And for those youngsters not that familiar with his work, I would recommend starting with The Cream of Clapton and his Unplugged album and go from there.

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars premieres tonight on Showtime at 9:00.

Around the Tubes: 2/9/2018

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 Michael W. Smith, Epic Warrior Women, Cleopatra, Family Feud, and the SAG Awards.


- Michael W. Smith is excited to release his new album “A Million Lights” next Friday February 16th, followed by the release of his highly anticipated live worship album “Surrounded” the following Friday February 23rd. In support of both albums Michael will kick off a North American headlining tour on March 8th, followed by a tour of Israel and another 40-date North American tour this fall. Compassion International, a child-advocacy ministry for which Michael has sponsored over 70,000 children from Third-World-Countries, will present the U.S. tour.

- Smithsonian Channel celebrates Women’s History Month with two new series featuring the real-life stories of women who are symbols of empowerment, independence and strength. Epic Warrior Women exposes history’s most iconic female fighters from the Roman Empire to Central Asia and West Africa. Each extraordinary tale of blood, sacrifice and endurance centers on the life of one young female warrior caught up in the bloody struggles of her time. Epic Warrior Women premieres on Monday, March 19 at 8:00. Cleopatra examines the life of Egypt’s most famous ruler, the sole woman of her time to rule alone. It is a story of survival, political acumen, seduction and notoriety, revealing the reasons her name still resonates today. Cleopatra premieres Monday, March 5 at 8:00 on Smithsonian Channel.

- Survey says: love! Forget flowers and chocolate, enjoy your Valentine's Day with Game Show Network's marathon of romance-themed Family Feud episodes from 5 to 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 14.

- SAG Awards® Executive Producer Kathy Connell yesterday announced the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® ceremony will be held on Sunday, January 27, 2019. The Silver Anniversary celebration of the previous year’s outstanding film and television performances will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS at 8:00.

Previewing Homeland: Season Seven

One thing that struck me during the “previous on Homeland” segment that starts the season premiere is Dar Adal telling the president-elect, “Don’t go to war with your national security establishment, it’s a war you won’t win.” One would think the show went with a women president to coincide with real world events that ended up not coming to pass, they were surprisingly accurate at predicting the future in other ways. They even had a Russian troll farm last season long before social media giants were brought before congressional hearings.

But once the “elect” designation was dropped from the fictional character’s title at the end of last season, President Keane arrested two hundred government officials in connection to her assassination attempt including Saul Berenson. And at the start of the new season, the president is jailing journalists for leaking news and appearing at tribunals advocating death for those that conspired against her.

Carrie, of course, starts the season listening to experimental jazz while exercising heavily. Losing her advisor title to the president-elect on account of arresting her old mentor, Carrie is back in DC living with her sister again in a now full house with her brother-in-law who still works for the government, their teenage daughter activist (who thankfully is not as mopey as Dana Brody), and of course an every growing Frannie is still around.

Not surprisingly Carrie has not gotten an office job or even gotten back into private security like she did when the show went to Germany, she is instead trying to get her friend, and those unjustly jailed, out of prison. We are also still following the Alex Jones conspiracy peddler from last season who is now on the run from the Keane administration but still manages to record a show six days a week. And to give you a sense of how much time has passed from last season, he does say it has been fifty-two days of the resistance.

And being Homeland, there are plenty of twists and turns to be had even in the first episode. Someone gets a surprising job offer as a National Security Advisor and some dies (I think). Oh, and Max is back. Now if only we get one of Carrie’s crazy boards and go off her meds and we will have a classic Homeland season. Auntie Carrie is already off to a decent start.

Homeland airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime.