Previewing The Chi Season Six

 

Showtime recently released three different posters hyping the return of The Chi, each focusing on a different group of people from the show.  Twenty-five different characters were featured.  This is the problem with the show going into its sixth season: there are just way too many characters to keep track of.  That is almost peak Game of Thrones amount of characters.  What started as a show focusing on four guys in Chicago in much different life stages has ballooned into featuring almost everyone who lives in Chicago ever since they killed off half those original characters.  Seriously, am I really supposed to care about one of Emmitt’s baby mamas new boyfriend (who turned out to be related to someone else on the show which I am not sure is a new revolution this season or if it was mentioned in the past but I forgot because there are way too many characters to keep track of)?

 

Since Showtime recently announced they are developing Millions and Trillions spinoffs of Billions (as well as Billions shows set in Miami and London), a Dexter prequel, and have even discussed Yellowjackets spinoffs, why not just split The Chi into three shows: one about the high school students, one about politics, and the third following Emmitt’s baby mama drama.  That way we do not have to try and remember all twenty-five major characters during ever season.  They already expanded the episode count to 16 this season, might as well just split up the storylines.

 

Season six opens up in the winter just in time for the dog days of summer in the real Chicago.  And everyone is keeping warm this season by having sex.  Though, I vaguely remember they already did an episode which opened with a five minute sex montage.  If they are recycling ideas, maybe they should not expand the show, instead they should think about wrapping things up.  I had to be reminded by press release that the last season ended with Douda killing Quentin and that plot line still lingers.  Will Douda finally get some comeuppance after terrorizing The Chi for four seasons now?  Hopefully we will not have to wait sixteen episodes to find out.

 

The Chi airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime, but you can stream episodes on Fridays on Paramount+ with Showtime.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 30, 2023

 

The Walking Dead: Dead City:  Wait, so this was not a limited series?  For some reason I thought it was, but that certainly did not feel like an ending.  But if the Croat’s gameplan this whole time was to get Negan to his side, why not just ask?  Why the elaborate plan to kidnap Maggie’s kid when he could have just rolled up to wherever Negan  was.

 

Cruel Summer:  So who could have the dude page that could have also been the killer?  I think maybe it was the black dude.  He could hold a grudge that he took his girl early this season.   Of course the death could always be an accident so maybe it is brother.  It would be hilarious if it turns out to be Parker who seemed important early but looks to be this season Angela who was this mysterious newcomer who turned out to be no one important.

 

Justified: City Primeval:  Hopefully actually got on that plane, I fear we might see her again, even before the finale when I have to assume there is a father / daughter trip to Graceland.

 

Secret Invasion:  Did they really need to gun down Shooter McGavin like that?  Was there even a human version of him?  I did not see him in the pod rescue scene.  So is Khallissi the most powerful person in the MCU now?  She has the power of pretty much everyone who was at the Endgame battle.  That makes her way too powerful.

 

Full Circle:  I am still confused by what exactly Claire Danes did twenty year ago and how exactly her uncle fit into all of thise.  Though I did enjoy that her dad just turned out to be a clueless moron.

Around the Tubes: July 29, 2023

 

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on Only Murders in the Building, Dolly Parton, Sheryl Crow, Billy Idol,  San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2023, James Blake, and Rick and Morty.

Check out the trailer for the upcoming third season of Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building." The Emmy^®-nominated series returns with two episodes on Tuesday, August 8. New episodes stream weekly.

- Dolly Parton, a global icon, is collaborating with NBCUniversal on the video for her new song “We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You,” which will be used to promote NBCU’s coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 that begin one year from today.  “We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You” is Parton’s cover of the famous rock anthems by Queen and a new song from her upcoming album Rockstar, which was inspired by her 2022 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The album is set for global release on Nov. 17.

- A&M/UMe releases a brand-new Dolby Atmos mix of Sheryl Crow’s career-making major-label debut album, August 1993’s Tuesday Night Music Club in celebration of the album’s 30th Anniversary. Propelled by the playfully descriptive Grammy-winning No. 2 hit single “All I Wanna Do,” Tuesday Night Music Club has also been certified as 7x platinum in the United States, and it is Crow’s best-selling album to date.  This stunning Dolby Atmos mix by Mills Logan (Allison Moorer, Keb’ Mo’), enhances the 360-degree breadth of each of Tuesday Night Music Club’s 11 songs. Crow’s breakthrough album, Tuesday Night Music Club ultimately garnered her three Grammy Awards — Best New Artist, Record of the Year (“All I Wanna Do”), and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (“All I Wanna Do”) — and it helped set in motion the trajectory of an influential and original artist who only keeps on growing with each subsequent release. Listen to Tuesday Night Music Club – 30th Anniversary Edition HERE.

- Rock legend Billy Idol releases the expanded edition of his self-titled debut album via Capitol/UMe. The reissue includes the original ten-track album, a previously unreleased recording of Idol’s complete August 12, 1982 concert at The Roxy in West Hollywood, CA, and the recently unearthed and previously unreleased 12-minute Clubland Extended Remix of his classic song “White Wedding.” Fans can purchase the deluxe reissue HERE and watch/share an official video for the Clubland Extended Remix of “White Wedding” HERE.  Fans are also encouraged to celebrate the release of this iconic album with a Dolby Atmos®️ aural upgrade by GRAMMY®️-winning engineer Paul Hicks who has remixed albums in Atmos®️ for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, George Harrison, and more.

 

- Silicon Valley's premier annual music event, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2023 celebrates the 50th Anniversary of hip-hop with newly confirmed headliner Big Daddy Kane set to perform with a full band and backup singers on The Sobrato Organization Main Stage on Friday, August 11, 2023. One of hip-hop's most innovative and trendsetting MCs who's renowned for bringing the "playa" style to the game, Big Daddy Kane holds an array of career accolades that have catapulted him to legendary status in the genre. From several Gold records and a GRAMMY Award to being recognized as an icon at the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, Big Daddy Kane's hit singles have brought his influential, lyrical baritone voice to the masses across multiple decades being in the hip-hop spotlight.  Big Daddy Kane's acclaimed catalogue of albums include Long Live The Kane, It's A Big Daddy Thing, Taste of Chocolate, Prince of Darkness, Looks Like A Job For..., and Daddy's Home. His standout tracks have appeared on film soundstracks such as Lean On Me, Juice, Mo' Money, and Colors, and his distinguished voice can be heard as the narrator of the documentary film, Notorious. As a powerful figure on the rap scene, Kane has collaborated with Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Heavy D, Busta Rhymes, Patti LaBelle, Quincy Jones, among others. Big Daddy Kane performs on the actual 50th Anniversary of the birth of hip-hop at SJZ Summer Fest -- 50 years to the day when DJ Kool Herc played records at a party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York.  Big Daddy Kane joins a star-studded lineup of headlining artists performing on The Sobrato Organization Main Stage, which features appearances by Blue Note recording artist Gregory Porter, renowned funk/jazz bassist and a UNESCO Artist for Peace Marcus Miller, GRAMMY-winner and platinum-selling Anthony Hamilton Featuring The Ton3s, buzzy rock-inspired traditional African music group W.I.T.C.H., Havana, Cuba's superstar Cimafunk and his nine-person band La Tribu, and eight-member NOLA brass sensation The Soul Rebels. Pete Rock & The Soul Brothers are no longer performing at SJZ Summer Fest 2023. To see the full artist lineup, please visit summerfest.sanjosejazz.org.

- Mercury Music Prize and GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake has shared a new single entitled “Loading” available now. Listen HERE.  “Loading” is the second single from Blake’s highly anticipated sixth studio album, Playing Robots Into Heaven, which will be released on September 8^th via Republic Records. 

- OOH WEE! Go on an intergalactic adventure across the multi-verse with the epic release of the Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1-6 boxed set on Blu-ray™ and DVD on September 12, 2023. Get Schwifty while you binge on one of cable’s #1 watched comedies that follows the sci-fi misadventures of genius scientist Rick and his family. Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1-6 includes all 61 episodes from six seasons of the award-winning series, copious special features, audio commentary, deleted scenes, “Inside the Episode” segments, numerous featurettes, animatic sketches, and more. For a limited time, fans who purchase the set will also receive an exclusive Rick and Morty poster.

View From the Peak - Everything Coming to Paramount+ in August

 

Summer is in full swing, and it is way too hot to go outside. Instead, why don’t you stay in and stream something cool from the snow-capped peaks of Paramount Mountain? In August, premium subscribers can savor the exciting season premieres of the SHOWTIME hits Billions and The Chi. Romantics in the mood for a summer fling will enjoy the Paramount+ Original movie Love in Taipei. You can avoid getting sunburn out on the links and stream CBS Sports' coverage of the PGA Tour Championship from the comfort of your home. Or you can watch things really heat up in the epic action-adventure film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts which makes its streaming debut on the service today. For a closer look at all the entertainment coming to Paramount+ in August, check out the latest edition of View from the Peak.

BEHIND THE STREAMS

Jacob Latimore and Birgundi Baker in The Chi The Chi In August, the SHOWTIME original series The Chi, by creator and executive producer Lena Waithe, will kick off its sixth season. The series revolves around the many residents of a neighborhood in Chicago’s South Side and explores themes of family, mental health, gentrification and economic empowerment, giving the audience a panoramic view of the city itself. Having grown up near 70th street in the Chatham community herself, it was crucial for Waithe to accurately portray the many facets of her hometown and the city has always been one of the shows’ main characters. During production, several cast members reflected on the series’ appreciation for its namesake city. While on set, series star Alex Hibbert said “Chicago is a beautiful place. Even with all the violence going on in this world there is beauty in it, just like a rose growing out of concrete. That’s what we’re trying to show, the beauty, the depth, the melanin.” Series star Birgundi Baker also believes the show has given viewers a larger view of the city, and noted during production, “I think The Chi does a great job of showing all the different colors of Chicago. It’s really given the city a light to be seen in different colors and different ways and is a reminder of how beautiful the city is and how beautiful it has always been and how beautiful the people are.” Feel the breeze by the Windy City when The Chi season six premieres on the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan on August 4.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Daniel Breaker, Corey Stoll, Toney Goins, Damian Lewis, Asia Kate Dillon, David Costabile, Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff, Sakina Jaffrey, Dola Rashad and Jeffrey DeMunn in Billions.   Billions   All good things come to an end and next month, the hit SHOWTIME series, Billions, will debut its seventh and final season. In season seven, conflict comes to a head when longstanding loyalties are called into question which will determine who ultimately ends up on top, and who will be taken down. In this final clash, a familiar face returns with fan-favorite hedge fund manager Bobby “Axe” Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis. “Being back on Billions is great,” said Lewis as production began. “Bobby's been away for a bit, but Bobby's back and he'll be causing some mischief as per usual. We’ve got a fantastic story for this season when we learn exactly what he has been doing.” When it was announced that this would be the show’s last season, longtime members of the cast shared their own feelings about bringing the story to a close. “It feels surreal to be wrapping it up,” said series regular Maggie Siff, who plays Axe Capital’s performance coach Wendy Rhoades. “I think it's just dawning on me that this is the last.” Paul Giamatti, who plays Attorney General of New York Chuck Rhoades, echoed these sentiments, saying, “I’ve played this character now for seven seasons. It’s a strange thing doing it for this long. It really becomes a part of you.” If you mess with a bull market, you’ll get the horns when Billions season seven premieres on the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan on August 11.

WATCH THE TRAILER

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Ashley Liao and Ross Butler in Love in Taipei In August, viewers will follow the romantic adventures of Ever Wong in the Paramount+ Original movie Love in Taipei. Since the film’s story is adapted from Abigail Hing Wen’s New York Times bestselling YA romance novel Loveboat, Taipei, we sat down with the author, who also served as executive producer on the film, to get an inside look at the story. What was it like to see your story go from novel to screenplay? Interest for a book-to-screen adaptation began as soon as we announced the book deal, with producers and scouts calling my agent before the book even debuted.  With such a uniquely Asian American story, it was important for me to serve as an active executive producer to preserve the authenticity of the story. The first step was the challenge of condensing a 400-page novel into a 100-page script! Fortunately, our screenwriter Charlie Oh was incredible at condensing without losing connection to the characters — check out all the meet-cutes!  What has it been like to see your characters brought to life by the actors? A writer’s life can be solitary with made-up characters in your head and a blank page before you. So it was incredibly rewarding to work with people who knew these characters as well as I did — and to see them come to life!  My novel is so deeply personal to me. And from commenting on every draft of the script, to reviewing audition tapes, to watching and alt-ing take after take scene after scene on set — I experienced myself iterating over and over. What was very important for the filmmakers to get right about the Taipei setting? The best part was filming in Taipei with a director and production crew that knew and loved the city. From Taipei 101 to the Lin Family Gardens to Dadaocheng Wharf, I love how much the film showcases some of the highlights of Taipei that I fell in love with as a student on the Loveboat program myself. What do you hope audiences will take away from the film? That people who have been traditionally marginalized can have the spotlight. That there is diversity among Asians and Asian Americans. That they can be the main characters of their own lives. And that their stories matter.  Set sail on the Loveboat when Love in Taipei premieres on August 10.

DID YOU KNOW?

Today Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the latest film in the hit Paramount Pictures franchise which opened to #1 at the domestic box office and grossed over $420M worldwide, has joined the prominent lineup of blockbuster theatrical movies on Paramount+. Rise of the Beasts adds a new faction to the Transformers franchise: the maximals, a race of evolved beast-robot hybrids hailing from a jungle planet.   Cowabunga! Ahead of the theatrical release of the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Paramount+ will be the streaming home of the amphibious franchise with a collection that includes the films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, TMNT (2007), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, the documentary Turtle Power and the Nick series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. After spending nearly a decade trying to find success in films, Elvis Presley had hit an extreme low point in his career—but a single one-hour special became the most-watched show of the year, restored Presley to stardom and changed the pop-culture landscape forever. The new feature length documentary Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback explores how the special came to be made, featuring expert commentary from historians and original attendees alike. Did you know members of the press are eligible for a complimentary subscription to Paramount+ with SHOWTIME? Send a note to press@paramountplus.com to sign up today.

STREAM TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS

STREAMING SOON

ORIGINALS, EXCLUSIVES & PREMIERES 8/1: Mixtape premiere 8/4: The Chi Season 6 premiere* 8/5: ShoBox* 8/8: Never Seen Again Season 4 premiere 8/10: Love In Taipei premiere 8/11: All Up in the Biz* 8/11: Billions Season 7 premiere* 8/15: Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback premiere LIBRARY SHOWS August 2 Air Disasters (Season 17) Air Warriors (Season 9-10) Big Brother (Season 25)* Butterbean's Cafe (Season 2) Ollie's Pack (Season 1) August 4 Secret Celebrity Renovation (Season 3)* August 9 RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 15) RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race (Season 1-2) Superfan (Season 1)* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) (Seasons 4 -5) August 10 The Challenge: USA (Season 2)* August 11 PAW Patrol: Moto Pups The Challenge: USA (Season 2) August 23 The First of Us (Season 1) August 24 Football Must Go On (Season 1) MOVIES August 1 Adventureland Basic Instinct* Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey* Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure* Black Snake Moan Boogie Nights* Casino* Cop Land* Cousins Danny Collins* Dead Again Dinner For Schmucks Domestic Disturbance Double Jeopardy (1999) Downhill Racer El Dorado Explorers* Fatal Instinct* Firewalker* Force Majeure* French Postcards Ghost Town Gone Baby Gone Hard Rain* I.Q.* Indecent Proposal Jacob's Ladder Jade* Jennifer 8 Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius King Kong (1976) Kinky Boots* (2006) Last Holiday Need For Speed* Neil Young: Heart Of Gold Nightwatch* Orange County* Playing By Heart* Rat Race (2001) Regarding Henry* Rescue Dawn* Rosemary's Baby* Rudy Sahara* She's All That* She's Having A Baby* She's Out of My League She's the Man Shooter Shut In* Sicario Snow Day (2000) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III The Bigfoot Trap* The Color of Money The Crow* The Devil Inside* The Faculty The Fighter The Forger* The Grifters* The Honeymooners (2005) The Ladies Man The Last Airbender* The Midnight Meat Train* The Running Man The Thing Called Love: Director's Cut* The Truman Show The Uninvited The Whale* Thelma & Louise* TMNT (2007) What's Eating Gilbert Grape* Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! Without a Paddle*v Wolf* Zodiac* August 10 The Pink Panther (2006)* August 15 Sick of Myself* August 16 Catch Me If You Can* War of the Worlds (2005) August 17 Mercy August 19 Sabotage* August 23 Bringing Out the Dead Coneheads Machete Kills* August 24 Organ Trail SPORTS 8/5: NWSL – San Diego Wave FC vs. Angel City FC 8/5: Campeonato Brasileirão Série A – Fluminense vs. Palmeiras 8/5: BIG3 Basketball 8/5 - 8/6: PGA Tour – Wyndham Championship (Third and Final Round Coverage) 8/6: NWSL – OL Reign vs. Portland Thorns FC 8/6: Professional Bull Riding – PBR Team Series: Kansas City 8/6: Takeya Pickleball Showcase 8/12: 3ICE Championship 8/12 - 8/13: PGA Tour – FedEx St. Jude Championship (Third and Final Round Coverage) 8/13: BIG3 Basketball 8/13: Campeonato Brasileirão Série A – Grêmio vs. Fluminense 8/13: Campeonato Brasileirão Série A – Flamengo vs. São Paulo 8/16: UEFA Super Cup – Manchester City vs. Sevilla 8/19: BIG3 Basketball 8/19: Start of 2023 Serie A Season 8/19: NWSL – San Diego Wave FC vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC 8/19: Campeonato Brasileirão Série A – São Paulo vs. Botafogo 8/19 - 8/20: PGA Tour – BMW Championship (Third and Final Round Coverage) 8/20: Professional Bull Riding – PBR Team Series: Nashville 8/20: NWSL – Portland Thorns FC vs. North Carolina Courage 8/25: NFL ON CBS (Preseason) – Detroit Lions @ Carolina Panthers 8/26: Serie A – AC Milan vs. Torino 8/26: BIG3 Basketball Celebrity Game, All-Star Game & Championship 8/26 - 8/27: PGA Tour – TOUR Championship (Third and Final Round Coverage) 8/27: Professional Bull Riding – PBR Team Series: Austin 8/27: NWSL – Washington Spirit vs. Portland Thorns FC 8/27: Campeonato Brasileirão Série A – Botafogo vs. Flamengo Throughout August: NWSL competition Throughout August: Italian Serie A competition Throughout August: UEFA Champions League Qualifiers Throughout August: Argentina Liga Profesional de Fútbol competition Throughout August: Campeonato Brasileirão Série A competition Throughout August: Combate Global competition * Title is available to Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers. Dates for library titles are subject to change. Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to CBS titles to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on-demand. Essential tier subscribers have access to these titles on-demand the day after they air.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 23, 2023

 

The Walking Dead: Dead City:  I do not get why the bald dude let the Croat that they were coming?  What exactly think what would happen?  And where did all the Croat’s people go, and more importantly, where is Hershel?  It seems like he has been abandoned.  Do they have a backup lair?

 

Cruel Summer:  Well, we already know that the dude was grazed, so pretty obviously Isabella did not kill him with the cliffhanger shot.  The question is did all the drugs and alcohol actually kill him?  Since there are a couple episodes left, I guess the obvious answer is no.  My theory is that after what they did this night, the girls decide to keep him captive (how season one), he gets loose, and then someone kills him.

 

Justified: City Primeval:  It is great to have this show back even though Raylan’s daughter is annoying (okay, ordering the dumbest drink on the menu was hilarious, right up there with when the Crowe attempted the 12 Foot Rule on Raylan and the time Dewey thought he had four kidneys).  Hopefully he puts her on the first flight to Florida at the start of the next episode.  These are also lower tier Justified villain.  He is too much of a mustache twirling villain with no depth. 

 

Secret Invasion:  So the dad is dead-dead, burial and all.  But is Fury’s wife just going to try and kill everyone that Gravik sends?  Speaking of Gravik, how exactly do you kill someone who indestructible?  Bomb?

 

Full Circle:  Is this a comedy?  I laughed a few times, there is noted comedian Jim Gaffigan, but it still feels very much like a drama despite the multiple comedies of errors.  I feel like I would have liked the show more if it were an over the top comedy.