Around the Tubes: December 7, 2019

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 Truth Be Told, Homeland, Consequence of Sound's Top 100 Shows of the 2010s, Hala, Apple Music Awards, The Weeknd, Oh Wonder, Chelsea Cutler, Don’t Be Nice, Disasters at Sea, and Shrill.

- When new evidence compels podcaster Poppy Parnell (Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer) to reopen the murder case that made her a national sensation, she comes face-to-face with the man she may have mistakenly helped to put behind bars. Based on the novel “Are You Sleeping" by Kathleen Barber, “Truth Be Told” provides a unique glimpse into America’s obsession with true crime podcasts and challenges its viewers to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage. The series stars an award-winning cast, including Aaron Paul, Ron Cephas Jones, Lizzy Caplan, Elizabeth Perkins, Mekhi Phifer, Michael Beach, Tracie Thoms and Haneefah Wood. Beginning December 6, the first three episodes of Truth Be Told will be available to watch on Apple TV+ in over 100 countries and regions around the world. New episodes will continue to roll out weekly, every Friday.

- Showtime has released the official trailer and poster for the final season of its Emmy® and Golden Globe® winning hit drama Homeland premiering on Sunday, February 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Starring Emmy, Screen Actors Guild® and Golden Globe winner Claire Danes and Emmy and Tony® winner Mandy Patinkin, Homeland is the network's No. 1 drama series and one of the most acclaimed dramas on television.


- Rounding out their final "Top of the 2010s" coverage, Consequence of Sound has dropped their list of the "Top 100 Shows of the 2010s." With the launch of streaming services, ever expanding networks and series spin-offs, the 2010s ushered in a new era of television. Looking back at the decade, CoS has highlighted iconic period dramas including Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire, captivating shows like Breaking Bad and Making A Murderer, the absolute phenomenon that is Stranger Things and the undeniably unique Atlanta. Be sure to check out the full list at consequenceofsound.net/2019/11/top-100-tv-shows-of-the-2010s.

- Seventeen-year-old Pakistani American teenager Hala (Geraldine Viswanathan) struggles to balance desire with her familial, cultural and religious obligations. As she comes into her own, she grapples with a secret that threatens to unravel her family. Written and directed by Minhal Baig and executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, Hala was an official selection of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.


- Apple Music closed out 2019 with a special performance by Artist of the Year Billie Eilish on Wednesday evening at the Steve Jobs Theater in celebration of the inaugural Apple Music Awards. In addition to receiving top honors as Apple Music's Global Artist of the Year, Billie also received the award for Top Album of the Year as well as for Songwriter of the Year with her brother FINNEAS. Billie performed this exclusive bespoke show for her fans to mark the occasion and Apple Music live streamed the event in 115 countries. When introducing Billie and FINNEAS to the stage, Apple Music global creative director Zane Lowe told a packed crowd at the Steve Jobs Theater: "There are amazing artists, there are amazing producers... but there are very few who can make us think different,

- The Weeknd just shared the stunning cinematic and psychedelic music video for his new song "Heartless". The Anton Tammi-directed piece shows The Weeknd and his producer / cohort Metro Boomin shutting down Las Vegas streets and the iconic Caesars Palace.


- Oh Wonder drops a surprise Christmas song “This Christmas”—listen HERE! The duo recently confirmed details of their third album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, which will be released on February 7th, 2020 and includes recent tracks “Hallelujah,” “Better Now” and “I Wish I Never Met You.” The duo has also confirmed international dates for the “Wear Your Crown Tour,” which is on sale now at ohwondermusic.com.

- Singer, songwriter and producer Chelsea Cutler drops “I Was In Heaven” from her highly anticipated debut album, How To Be Human, set for release on January 17th, 2020—listen to “I Was In Heaven” HERE! How To Be Human is now available for pre-order HERE. Of “I Was In Heaven,” Chelsea says, “As much as love is a part of the human condition, so is heart break. I wrote ‘I Was In Heaven’ at a point in my life when that’s exactly what I was going through. This song is really special to me because of how honest and raw it is, and I decided to keep the original demo vocals from when I wrote the song to really capture the raw emotion.”

- Encore Telecast of Don’t Be Nice, which had its World Television Premiere earlier this year as part of the Award-Winning Fuse Docs series. Documentary – directed by Max Powers and produced by Nikhil Melnechuk and Cora Atkinson – focuses on the journey of young poets as they head to the National Poetry Slam. Date: Saturday, December 7 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Fuse. DESCRIPTION: A team of young poets from the Bowery Poetry Club have one month to compose their best work for the National Poetry Slam. Challenged by their coaches, the team must break through personal boundaries and explore issues such as family, race, relationships, sex, and bullying to create their most vulnerable and honest work yet.

- From a routine New York ferry trip that turned deadly to the mysterious loss of a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea, the question still remains – how and why do these maritime catastrophes happen? Smithsonian Channel will transport viewers to the scene of the accident in the second season of Disasters at Sea, revealing what went wrong on these fatal voyages. Using eyewitness accounts, archival footage and dramatic reenactments, experts search for answers and provide invaluable knowledge on how to prevent future fatal accidents. The new season of Disasters at Sea premieres Sunday, January 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel. Season two of Disasters at Sea continues to follow investigators as they uncover shocking revelations behind maritime disasters, and send Remotely Operated Vehicles equipped with cameras to the bottom of the sea floor to recover a ship’s black box – the Voyage Data Recorder – in order to piece together what happened.

- Hulu released the official teaser trailer for the new season of Hulu’s hit original comedy Shrill, starring Aidy Bryant! Shrill returns with eight all-new episodes, Friday, January 24, only on Hulu.

Previewing Reprisal

Since the last time I wrote about a new Hulu Series we got two new streaming services each with their own rollout for shows. Disney+ is just going to make everyone wait a week for new episodes while Apple+ dropped every episode of Dickenson when they launched but for their more adult fare they are dolling those out weekly. Which I guess makes sense if you do not stick to the every week like regular television or all at once like Netflix.

Hulu’s roll-outs still seem perplexing. It seems like they had decided on releasing their comedies all at once but then they released Four Weddings and a Funeral weekly. They release most of their older skewing shows weekly, but two adult shows with deep mysteries this year they released all at once. It was hard to avoid Veronica Mars spoilers the weekend after its release and Reprisal comes with so many twist and turns the screeners came with a list of plot lines critics are not allowed to bring up in their reviews.

Much like Veronica Mars, Reprisal is a noir story, but where Veronica Mars was an interesting take of the dark noir storytelling in sunny southern California, Reprisal is a hard noir chalk full of femme fatales and plenty of other very stylized characters and a whole lot of poetic license that will drive the people who got mad that Jack Bauer never went to the bathroom or got stuck in Los Angeles traffic extremely crazy. I first though the show was set in the fifties as plenty of the characters looked like extras from Grease but then someone checks into a motel and is mad there is no cable (which probably did not show up in some hotels until the eighties) and then another character uses a flip-phone (from earlier this century). So I am not sure when this takes place, maybe in it takes place in some alternative universe where even the gangs are racial diverse.

Reprisal stars Abigail Spencer (Mad Men) as the femmest of femme fatales who starts the series being dragged across a field and left for dead by her brother. He is played by Rory Cochrane (Dazed and Confused) who is the leader of the Banished Brawlers (symbolized with an upside-down skull with spider legs coming out) whom he punishes his sister for going against the gang. A decade later she is married, going by a different name and he is a recluse who is rarely seen at the gang ran Go-Go.

Surprisingly Spencer is not plotting her revenge the whole time despite saying they would meet again was the last thing she says to her brother; it takes her husband’s death and a couple pieces falling into space for her to find her way back to her former life. She has actually been working for her husband’s catering business, which has its own run in with gangstas (the physical embodiment being Ron Perlman) that want their cut after the owner’s death but Spencer wants the inheritance to bankroll her revenge. The weakest part of the show is that storyline just disappears and by the time it pops back up again you only vaguely remains.

The second weakest is the bloated cast, twelve in the Hulu press release (yet only eleven get a character description, sorry W. Earl Brown, one of the more recognizable members thanks to his turn on Deadwood). Some of the others worth mentioning are Rodrigo Santoro (300) as the defacto leader of the Brawlers with the actual leader rarely showing up anymore. Mena Massoud is the new guy to the club given the menial job on the scout crew for the Brawlers, The 3 River Phoenixes. Massoud earlier this week lamented that he has not had one audition since his billion dollar grossing film Aladdin had been released. Well, if he feared being type casted, this role is far from a Disney prince as you can get. Plus the best part of the Hulu upfronts earlier this year was when Spencer started singing A Whole New World during the Reprisal presentation.

The breakout star of the show is Madison Davenport (Sharp Objects) who seems like the only one having fun in this hard noir tale of revenge. She works at the Brawlers’ Go-Go, the awkwardly named Bang-a-Rang. She also has a little side hustle going on hoping to raise enough money to leave the place she grew up in. Of all the over-stylized moments in the show, her casually putting her shades on over a blood splattered face may be the most stylized. Really, for anyone into drinking games, drink whenever someone casually puts on the glasses walking away from something dramatic, make it a double if they are covered in someone else’s blood.

But Reprisal really answers the question of can something be too stylized? There are a lot of choices like Spencer’s voice or Santoro’s beard but sometimes I wished they spent more time developing a plot than developing a mood (two or three less episode could have made the season a little tighter). Still there are some great moments like a speech from Spencer about being underestimated during a Mexican Standoff, a great sequence set to Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4, and there is a random bored housewife that pops up to do something weird at just the right time. And, hey, if you need something dark to counteract all the holiday cheer coming the next couple weeks, you could do a lot worse than Reprisal.

All episodes of Reprisal premiere on Hulu today.

Previewing Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work

Christmas horror movies are weird. This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of year (though why anyone would call a time which is sometimes thirty degrees and snowy “wonderful”) and yet some executives occasionally think movie goers want a little blood to offset the holiday cheer. Personally cranberry sauce is the only gooey red stuff I want to see in December. Yet the third Black Christmas is coming out on Friday the 13th and we are getting our second Christmas In the Dark episode.

Although A Nasty Piece of Work is one of those scripts that seem to be retrofitted to be holiday themed but really could have taken place any day of the year with a few minor tweaks. But as a holiday horror movie, a dark comedy tile this works better than a slasher bloodfest. A Nasty Piece of Work takes place at a firm that did not have a good year so no Christmas bonuses this year instead everyone will have to endure the shared sacrifice. But two promising executives do get an invite for a Christmas party where one will get a promotion while the other gets eliminated but you will be left wondering if they will be losing just their job.

Needless to say, the boss is the titular nasty piece of work who has some warped ways to determine who is the worthy employing. Or it could be his wife who may be even nastier than him. The respective wives of the employees also have some nastiness in them. Before long you will be left wondering what games are going on or if there is even a promotion to behave and these rich people are just getting their rocks off by all of this. I am not a big fan of being scared around Christmas but this may be close to a best case scenario for a December installment of Into the Dark.

Into the Dark Season Two Power Ranking:

1. Uncanny Annie (October)
2. A Nasty Piece of Work (December)
3. Pilgrim (November)

Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work premieres tomorrow on Hulu.

Previewing Vikings: The Final Season

The one lasting memory of the last season of Vikings that stayed with me was that of Floki going into a cave and getting trapped when an earthquake blocked his exit. Now with most shows, I do not believe someone is truly dead until I see the body (and even then I am still sometimes suspicious) but being trapped in a cave on a barely populated island where no one knows where you are and your torch just went out seems is pretty dire.

There is no Floki in the two hour premiere but with Edge coming back to Kattergaurd, he is discussed. There is not even any Floki in the episodes I saw. There is not even any Iceland in the first couple episode. But there is one character that also seemed pretty dead the last time we saw them who pops up in one of the early episode (well two but one is very definitely a ghost). The bride that Ivar the Boneless turned on him and he strangled her in return shows up very alive… or at the very least the actress portrays someone who looks very much like his presumed dead wife.

Last season Ivar was ran out of Norway when his brothers banded together to exile. He takes to The Silk Road before taken in by a king he passes by. It is unclear what the new royal wants with Ivar but he does have roots in Norway and even knows the language. But I laugh at every time he or someone in his kingdom that they want to speak to Ivar in his language. But as someone who hates to read while watching television, I appreciate it.

Back in Norway, Bjorn is adjusting to his new life as ruler of Kattergaurd, but not all his brothers are thriving in the post Ivar rule. Bjorn’s mother Lagatha has moved to a small village to live out the rest of her peacefully, but that of course does not go all too well for the warrior. But the most interesting is Bjorn, now leader like his famous father. Will he be able to unite Norway like his father? Will he travel to foreign lands looking for better things like his father? Well this is the final season, so he has a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time.

Vikings airs Wednesday at 9:00 on History though it is taking Christmas Day off in three weeks.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: December 1, 2019

Ray Donovan: So Micky was burned beyond recognition? Well at least they did not drag it out very long to reveal he was not really dead considering it was extremely obvious he was not. Now they just need to explain how he survived such a huge fireball. But hey, if Micky is “dead” Ray should easily be able to get his prints to take the fall for that murder.

Watchmen: Hooded Justice was black? Did not see that coming. Although I did see after the episode someone pointed out that Lou Gossett Jr. had the same color scheme early in the season so it is not that they did not telegraph it. I kind of wish that Angela was the POV the whole time, that would have been more interesting. I also wish we had gotten more of his life than just that short few months… Unless Angela is still under the Nostalgia and that ending was how Lady Truie met Hooded Justice. That would explain how she got out of police custody.

The Walking Dead: So Michonne is just going to leave her small children to help that dude back home? Huh? Almost a big question as how Daryl and everyone is going to get out of their predicament.

Shameless: So a week after shiving a dude in the sick ward, Ian is up for parole? Then to hurt his parole chances, he tries to shiv someone else? Although the best part of the episode was when I realized Debbie did not forget to load the debit cards but instead they were all garnished by the government for unpaid debt.

Mr. Robot: RIP Janice, but you really kind of annoying. Otherwise, felt like huge filler episode.
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

His Dark Materials: Wow, it just seems like Lin-Manual Miranda is on a completely different show. I mean, both his show and the main show are bad, but just a different kind of bad.

Castle Rock: Strangulation by stethoscope… had we not seen someone this season shove an ice cream scooper down someone’s throat, that would have been a pretty imaginative self-defense scene. Interesting the episode description said, “Annie sees things for what they are.” Considering she saw her long dead mother and a waterfall that came out of a mirror. But maybe it says that because she is the only one who is not under the cult’s spell as even Joy is not walking in step. But annie is legit crazy, I wonder what is so special about the doctor? Is it just that you have to see the statue to be enthralled by it? But a surprisingly short episode, about thirty-five minutes, even less than a network drama without commercials.
You can watch Castle Rock on Hulu.

Survivor: Island of Idols: Idols have been out of control for a while now and two of the last seasons featured someone who went on a three or longer Idol run until Idols were no longer available to play, but at this point I really hope Karishma somehow finds an Idol every week and somehow finds herself in the final (but I fear she will be more like Rick than Ben in the fire making challenge) and manages to win the whole things. Only her or Janet are the only ones from this season that would land them in the bottom five winners of all time list.
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: Poor Nany, Smashley gets lost and she still cannot solve a simple Sudoku puzzle. But I wonder if she would have turncoat because the Brits with only one actual Brit clearly look like the better team at this point. Of course it would serve Cara Maria and paulie right to get beat by people who they tried to get rid of.
You can download The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 on iTunes.

Almost Family: What a nice treat of back to back episode. The Thanksgiving episode may be the best so far.
You can download Almost Family on iTunes.

Titans: When they said one Titan would fall, New Robin seemed obvious considering he famously “died” in the funny books. Except they already threw him out of a window to certain death only to be saved by Superboy in the next episode. Hawk seemed like the next most likely so he could be sacrifice himself and redeemed for his bad behavior. Why I put any thought into might happen because who actually died was completely outside the realm of reason. First of all it, it took forever for that pillar to fall, Lyla Garrity could not get two people out of harm’s way in ten seconds? Then, instead of using her super-speed to hold up the pillar, how about Super Girl using her super-speed to move people out of harm’s way instead of holding the pillar? And can a little electricity really kill an Amazon? Aren’t they Gods? Ugg, what makes things worse is she was the second best part of the show. But is she really dead-dead? Raven pretty easily healed Starfire and says her powers are evolving. And of course this is DC so I am sure there is a Lazarus Pit somewhere. Hopefully she shows up next season somehow.

Around the Tubes: November 30, 2019

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 Motown Christmas, Oh Wonder, Keb’ Mo’, Maelyn, Anna Sofia, otta, and Gossip Starring Cindy Adams.

- Three of Motown’s biggest Christmas classics – The Jackson 5’s “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” The Supremes’ “My Favorite Things” and The Temptations’ “Silent Night” have been brought to life with a series of official animated videos illustrating the magic of the holiday season. The videos are the latest from UMe, Universal Music Group’s global catalog company, which has partnered with legendary artists and estates to create vibrant new visuals for holiday songs that have never before had a video. The initiative launched earlier this month and includes animated clips for Bobby Helm’s “Jingle Bell Rock,” Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” Burl Ives’ “Holly Jolly Christmas,” Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” and Frank Sinatra’s “Jingle Bells.

- Oh Wonder reveals the video for their latest single, “I Wish I Never Met You,” taken from their upcoming third album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, set for release on February 7th, 2020. The new album will include their first single “Hallelujah” and more recent follow-up “Better Now.” The duo has also unveiled international dates for the “Wear Your Crown Tour,” which is on sale now at www.ohwondermusic.com. See a full list of dates below. WATCH THE “I WISH I NEVER MET YOU” VIDEO HERE

- Recently recognized for his GRAMMY nomination in the Best Americana Album category, Keb’ Mo’, helps the Scrooges of the world ring in the holiday season with the release of his music video for the tongue-in-cheek track, “Christmas Is Annoying.” Off his debut holiday album Moonlight, Mistletoe & You, now available (HERE), the anti-Christmas song has grown in popularity, holding a warm place in the hearts of those who may have a heart two sizes too small for Christmas season festivities. Watch the video HERE.

- On the heels of her international breakthrough as winner of NBC’s The Voice Season 16 and recent chart-topping success, Maelyn shares a spirited and seasonal take on the holiday classic “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Get it HERE via Republic Records. Layered above lush piano, her angelic delivery emanates warmth in between the timeless hook. All at once, she channels the nostalgia of the original, while infusing her own style and soul. Representing a full circle moment, the tune forever holds a special place in her heart.

- After releasing her recent single “No Fun” to critical acclaim, today Anna Sofia has released the official music video for the track via Electric Feel Records/Republic Records. Check out Anna Sofia’s official music video for “No Fun” Here!

- South-London artist otta has released new single "small hours" and also announced a debut 5-track EP titled after it all blew over that is due for release on January 24th, 2020 via [PIAS]. Listen to the new single HERE . The British-Finnish artist will release their debut EP via [PIAS] and Warp Records producer kwes’(worked with Loyle Carner, Mica Levi, Damon Albarn, Solange Knowles, Tirzah) label BOKKLE. While all songs on the EP have been written, recorded, produced, engineered and performed by otta, kwes also lent additional production and mixing to the EP.

- SHOWTIME Documentary Films today announced a new limited docu-series, Gossip Starring Cindy Adams (w/t), profiling the longtime columnist whose work at the New York Post made her the reigning queen of gossip. Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are executive producing, with Emmy and BAFTA® nominee Jenny Carchman (THE FOURTH ESTATE) producing and directing. Scheduled to premiere in 2021, the series will be produced by Imagine Documentaries in cooperation with the New York Post. The announcement was made by Vinnie Malhotra, Executive Vice President, Nonfiction Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. Gossip Starring Cindy Adams will chronicle the history and rise of Adams and her gossip columns in Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post, the longtime nexus of New York’s quotidian news. Not only will the project celebrate Adams’ legendary, four-decade career, it will examine the cast of celebrated and often notorious characters that have emerged from her writing, as well as the legacies of other storied journalists within her orbit.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 24, 2019

Ray Donovan: The back and forth of Ray hating and helping his father got played out a couple season ago and I have long thought the show would be much better without Mickey, but I am shocked that they may do the show without him. I say “may” because even though the explosion was so big it could be seen miles away, I will not believe Mickey is dead until I see his corpse. And even then I may not believe because the bodies may be too charred. We also know that back door was broke, he could have slipped out when he saw the tanker coming at him.

Supergirl: What the fork is going on with Lena? Ehy is she so mad at someone who keeps saving her life? This plot just makes no sense. Okay I get being mad at first but after she saves your life, maybe it is time to forgive her?
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Watchmen: Some well circulated fan theories turned out to be well founded this week. First is that Ozymandias is being jailed on the moon by Dr. Manhattan. Okay, we do not know exactly who put Ozymandias hidden on the moon, but who else has that ability? The other which seemed far-fetched at the time was that the senator was 7th Kalvery. I mean he almost got kidnapped by one of them. Although he claimed to join to keep the peace in Tulsa with Don Johnson controlling the police. So did he orchestrate his kidnapping or did does the 7th Kalvery do not know that is him under the mask. Clearly none of the masks are fooling anyone.

The Walking Dead: Here is the problem with the last couple seasons of the show: I do not care about any of these new people For the last couple episode, the doctor guy kept on having dreams which left me wondering, is this guy important now? He just seemed like a background character; got a little more screen time and now he is dead. And I am not entirely sure who killed him. That guy looked vaguely familiar but am not sure why.

Shameless: Debbie was able to guilt someone out of sexual pleasures? And then uses that lesson to ease up on the male parts of the family? Alrighty.

Mr. Robot: Well this show got really depressing fast. Although if his father was doing that to him, why did Elliot use his likeness as another personality? Seems like a weird choise. And where did the therapist go at the end where she was able to get a knife and killing drug dealer guy. Did I fall asleep? But I thought for sure that the therapist was going to make her big reveal a third personality. They seemed to drop that big reveal from earlier this season.
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

His Dark Materials: Wait, do those Deamon things just go up in smoke if their owner dies? And dude just throws himself down an elevator shaft, seems extreme.

Castle Rock: I kind of had to assume that the dude who was hooking up with the main witch was who the dude Annie killed ended up being, but they really had to make that abundantly clear with the first scene in present day. If it not for the subtitles, I would not have mind if that was the whole episode. But we finally got Tim Robbins to Shawshank (though I thought they said early in the season it was shut down, but since his brother-in-law said he was back, maybe it was reopened).

We get our first real tangible link to season one and… um, so what happened to the creepy dude from last season? He just disappeared? Did he somehow go back to the other dimension? But he was the leader of the cult this whole time? Is he going to be resurrected like the other cult members? Is that why he is still around, because he just keeps on being resurrected? And then since he is a higher being he gets to keep his same form? And what about Henry Dever? We do not even get a mention of him. I kind of have to re-watch the first season.

But we did get an answer to why the cult did not just nab Annie already; it apparently has to be on the anniversary. But one more big answer I want to know is just what do these body snatchers know about their former bodies? Ace seemingly knew to visit his father, but was it just to get to where the creepy cell was? But as many questions that were answered, they just set up a bunch more. Hopefully they can finish this season stronger than the last.
You can watch Castle Rock on Hulu.

Survivor: Island of Idols: If handy Dan did not go home, I guess Misty and Aaron were decent
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: Stupid promo monkeys giving me false hope that Cara Maria and Paulie could go home in one fell swoop. Though it was apropos that Joss got eliminated when he stupidly kept Kaleigh over Georgia a couple weeks ago and was party to throwing the challenge last week that eliminated that chick whose name I have already forgotten.. I do wonder if having so few people will actually benefit the “Brits” (with one whole Brit left), kind of a less cooks in the kitchen situation. So we have one more female elimination before the finale. I take it that it will end up being Tori vs, Nany no matter what? Meh, this season is so boring.
You can download The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 on iTunes.

Almost Family: Okay, Brittany Snow’s new ring tone was just hilarious.
You can download Almost Family on iTunes.

Stumptown: So has Friendsgiving just been three people up to this point? Do Dax and the other dude not have any other friends? Where was food truck guy?
You can download Stumptown on iTunes.

The Good Place: It is episodes like this that makes me made that we are not getting ten seasons of this show because they really could have had a bunch of seasons that were just reboots. I would have really enjoyed an entire season with Chidi’s soulmate being the goth chick. Though I have to wonder why Vicki and her acting chops did not demand that role.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

The Blacklist: I think the new chick is basically the viewer at this point. Just a great addition to the cast pointing out the stupidity of it all at every turn. Though she was not there in the bathroom to point out the stupisity of that scene. So just how did Lizzy’s mom get that body out of a public restroom without being noticed and did she not have cleaners to eliminate any trace of the body afterward?
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: November 23, 2019

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 Marvel’s Runaways, Servant, Kacey Musgraves, This Warm December, Vol. III, Chris Cornell, Simple Minds, bülow, Sheléa, Little Steven, Bootstraps, Desus and Mero, FLCL: Progressive, Yellowjackets, Big Deal, The Animal People, Back to Life, YOSHIKI -Life of a Japanese Rock Star-, and Lionel Richie.

- Alongside the trailer, Hulu announced that its fan-favorite series Marvel’s Runaways will return for its third and final season giving the fans what they’ve been waiting for. After evading corrupt parents, battling powerful aliens and coming face-to-face with the world’s most powerful sorceress, the conclusion to this epic saga will leave no stone unturned. Marvel's Runaways will return on Friday, December 13th with all 10 episodes.


- From Executive Producer and Director M. Night Shyamalan, comes a half-hour psychological thriller that follows a Philadelphia couple in mourning after an unspeakable tragedy creates a rift in their marriage and opens the door for a mysterious force to enter their home. Beginning Thanksgiving Day (November 28), the first three episodes of Servant will be available to watch exclusively on Apple TV+ in over 100 countries and regions around the world. New episodes will continue to roll out weekly, every Friday.


- Kacey Musgraves: Glittery from The Tonight Show:


- Multi-platinum recording artist and environmentalist Jack Johnson’s holiday album, This Warm December, Vol. III is available today! This Warm December, Vol. III is the latest in a trilogy of coveted holiday albums and features both original and holiday-classic songs from Jack Johnson and friends, including G. Love, Bahamas, Mason Jennings, Zach Rogue (of Rogue Wave), Zach Gill, Paula Fuga and more. Watch the lyric video for Bahamas' "I'll Be Home For Christmas" HERE.

- Due to overwhelming demand for the 2018 pressing of the original box set collection, fans now have another chance to celebrate the recorded legacy of musical icon and singer/songwriter Chris Cornell, with a limited-edition color vinyl of the Chris Cornell Super Deluxe LP box set starting, November 22. The box set will be re-released by Cornell’s wife, Vicky Cornell on behalf of The Chris Cornell Estate through UMe, and available exclusively via the Chris Cornell official store. The 2018 Deluxe Edition 4CD, the GRAMMY® Nominated 2LP, 1 CD and Digital versions are also available.

- On November 22nd, UMe will release 40: THE BEST OF - 1979-2019, a new compilation album that covers all 40 years of legendary band Simple Minds recording career. It captures their early experimentation, cross over chart successes, right up to their new imperial phase represented by songs from 2015's Big Music and last year's Walk Between Worlds, which was their highest chart success in over 20 years, charting at number 4 in the UK. Formed in the seventies, and named after a lyric - "so simple minded" - from David Bowie's seminal 1975 single "The Jean Genie," Simple Minds have become one of the most successful bands ever to come from the UK, selling over 60 million records worldwide, having number one singles on both sides of the Atlantic, and number one albums the world over, including five UK number one albums: Sparkle In The Rain (1984), Once Upon A Time (1985) and Street Fighting Years as well as the concert recording Live In The City Of Light (1987), and the compilation Glittering Prize 81/92.

- Award winning and multi-platinum selling artist bülow unveils the official music video for “Boys Will Be Boys” from her latest body of work, an EP titled, The Contender via Wax Records /Republic Records/Universal Music Canada. Watch the official music video HERE. Listen to The Contender HERE.

- R&B/Pop/Soul songstress and pianist Sheléa, a protégé of music icon Quincy Jones, will release her new original holiday single “Don’t Wanna Wait “Til Christmas” on November 22, supported by performances on the nationally televised Hollywood Christmas Parade, taping December 1 on Hollywood Blvd. and airing December 13, and the New York Stock Exchange’s annual tree lighting event on December 5. Check it out here. Comments Jones: “I think she made it pretty clear; don’t make her wait ’til Christmas! It makes my soul smile to hear Sheléa use her undeniable chops to bring us some more music to enjoy this holiday season. Absolutely beautiful.”

- As Little Steven looks back on his early solo career with the upcoming boxed set, RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work, the creatively restless Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is simultaneously looking forward with a slew of new releases including a theatrical, Gene Kelly-inspired video for his song “Love Again” from his latest album, Summer Of Sorcery, and an exuberant live performance video of Bruce Springsteen’s “Tucson Train.” Leading up to the December 6 release of the boxed set, Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt has been steadily releasing digital deluxe editions of the albums included over the last few weeks and has just made available his 1989 album, Revolution, which includes two rare mixes of the title track.

- Los Angeles based artist Bootstraps has released the stunning video for his song “Whenever You’re Around,” directed by and starring Parenthood's Sam Jaeger. Joining Sam in the cast is his former co-star Erika Christensen, Alexandra Daddario and Marco James. This song came to Jordan Beckett, the mastermind behind Bootstraps, very quickly after being out all night with an old friend. It's about those people in your life that you may not see for years but when you are together it is like no time has gone by at all. For Jaeger the concept came from conversations with Beckett on how relationships can evolve over time, but the strongest ones have that initial spark underneath. Listening to “Whenever You’re Around“ for the first time reminded Jaeger of the days before he and his wife were dating. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why he felt the way he did or what it meant, he just knew that life was better when she was in the room. That understanding got them, as a couple, through all the highs and lows, so this video is meant to be a celebration of that feeling. Bootstraps music is also very introspective and cinematic so the video was made to reflect that.


- Showtime has picked up a second season of Desus and Mero, the network’s first-ever late-night talk show. Desus and Mero will return for season two on Monday, February 3 and will air all-new episodes every Monday and Thursday at 11 p.m. ET/PT. Desus and Mero features the duo chatting with guests at the intersection of pop culture, sports, music, politics and more, as well as giving their take on the day’s hot topics in their signature style in front of a small live studio audience from New York City. The season one finale will air tonight at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, Presidents of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.


- Showtime has announced that Oscar®, Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Juliette Lewis (Camping) and Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Christina Ricci (Z: The Beginning of Everything) have joined the hour-long drama pilot Yellowjackets as series regulars, along with Ella Purnell (Sweetbitter), Sammi Hanratty (SHAMELESS), Sophie Thatcher (Prospect), Sophie Nélisse (The Book Thief), Steven Krueger (The Originals) and Amy Okuda (Atypical). They join previously announced cast Melanie Lynskey (Castle Rock), Tawny Cypress (Unforgettable) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers). Produced for Showtime by Entertainment One (eOne), Yellowjackets was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson (Narcos), who are executive producing and serving as showrunners. Karyn Kusama (Destroyer) will executive produce and direct the pilot. Drew Comins of Creative Engine also serves as executive producer. Lewis and Thatcher star as adult and teen versions of Natalie. Despite her natural talent, Natalie's punk rock spirit and habit of finding trouble make her the unlikeliest member of the team. As an adult, Natalie struggles to quiet the demons that still haunt her from her time in the wilderness. Lewis is best known for her Oscar and Golden Globe nominated performance in Cape Fear, and starring roles in Husbands and Wives, Kalifornia, Romeo Is Bleeding, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Natural Born Killers, From Dusk Till Dawn, Conviction and Whip It. Her television credits include I Know This Much is True, Camping, The Conners and Secrets and Lies. Thatcher’s film credits include Prospect and The Tomorrow Man.

- The wait is over! Adult Swim’s popular anime series FLCL: Progressive and FLCL: Alternative, both release for the first time ever as a Blu-ray combo pack from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on February 4th. Based on the original anime series written by Yōji Enokido and from director Kazuya Tsurumaki, the collection propels Haruko and her yellow Vespa back into action with 12 episodes from FLCL: Progressive and FLCL: Alternative. The Blu-ray Combo Pack is priced to own at $44.98 SRP ($52.99 in Canada). FLCL: Alternative will also be available on DVD on February 4th for the low price of $19.99 SRP ($24.99 in Canada).

- Showtime has announced a pilot order for the half-hour comedy series Big Deal, starring and executive produced by Emmy nominee Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live). Bayer co-created the project with Emmy nominee Jeremy Beiler (Saturday Night Live), who will also executive produce. Emmy winner Jessi Klein (Inside Amy Schumer, BLACK MONDAY, Big Mouth) will serve as showrunner and executive produce along with Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Wet Hot American Summer), who will direct. Annapurna’s Megan Ellison and Sue Naegle will also executive produce. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, Presidents of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc. Produced by Showtime, Big Deal is a grounded comedy in which Bayer plays a character, inspired by her own past, who overcame childhood leukemia to achieve her lifelong dream of landing a job as a QVC host.

- The chilling documentary feature The Animal People, from directors Casey Suchan (“Rock The Bells”) and Denis Henry Hennelly (“Goodbye World,” “Bold Native”) follows the harrowing journey of six young American animal rights activists prosecuted as terrorists by the United States Government for their involvement in a protest campaign. The film had its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival last month and will make its Los Angeles bow at the Santa Monica International Film Festival on November 30. “The Animal People” has been acquired by independent film distributor Virgil Films & Entertainment (Oscar®-nominated “Restrepo,” “Forks Over Knives,”) and will be released across all digital platforms around the globe beginning December 10, 2019.

- Showtime has announced a second season of the six-part comedy series Back to Life, which will be a co-production with BBC Three. From Fleabag producers Harry and Jack Williams of Two Brothers Pictures, Back to Life is created and written by Daisy Haggard and Laura Solon, with Haggard starring. Debuting to rave reviews, BACK TO LIFE will wrap up its first season on Sunday, November 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT with two back-to-back episodes. The entire season is available now for on-demand streaming or download on the SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME ANYTIME® apps, as well as for viewing via SHOWTIME On Demand.

- YOSHIKI -Life of a Japanese Rock Star-, a new documentary series, is slated to premiere on YouTube Originals—the global, streaming platform from YouTube where you can discover original series and movies from today's hottest talent—in March, 2020. YOSHIKI was hand-picked by YouTube Originals as part of a select group of internationally-renowned artists such as Paul McCartney, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, BTS, Robert Downey Jr., Will Smith, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Mark Ronson, Dwayne Johnson, and Taylor Swift. The six-episode series marks the first documentary program from a Japanese artist to be featured on YouTube Originals.

- Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB), a leader in immersive entertainment experiences, and Warner Music Group (WMG) are introducing an elevated way to experience WMG songs and albums with Dolby Atmos Music. Dolby Atmos is redefining how music is experienced by giving artists a platform that allows listeners to experience a deeper connection with their favorite artists and songs.

- This holiday season, international superstar Lionel Richie is introducing his premiere fragrance collection, “HELLO by Lionel Richie,” on Amazon. Driven to launch a fragrance by his passion for creativity and his desire to further connect with fans, the his and her scents are distinct and a perfect pair. Inspired by Richie’s passion for music and his international travel, the women’s fragrance, “HELLO by Lionel Richie Eau de Parfum,” and the men’s fragrance, “HELLO by Lionel Richie Eau de Toilette," each have three layers of intricate scents that deliver elegant, rich and modern aromas. The “HELLO by Lionel Richie,” is now available at Amazon.com.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 17, 2019

Supergirl: No Dreamer, no Alex’s girlfriend, very little Brainiac 5… and we may have had the best episode since Saturn Girl went back to the future. Sure, Andréa’s mask was a little too generic, I thought that was Dreamer for a split second.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Watchmen: So crazy rick Asian build her clock in Oklahoma away from the coasts where there is more likely nuclear attacks occur and earthquakes… but isn’t Tulsa right smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley? Of course we already know what she says is not necessary the whole reason behind what she does as seen by her introduction. But she shoots to the top of the list of who imprison Ozymandias in what they certainly implied was on the moon this week.

The Walking Dead: So what is Negan’s game? He is telling the Whispers he wants to be with them but I feel he is just saying that. I do not really seeing him put Rick’s kid in danger no matter how much barbed wire he wraps around his bat.

Shameless: Oh my, are they really going to kill off Lip’s baby mama? Granted he will not be the only single parent in the household.

Mr. Robot: I feel like I missed something. So we first see the FBI agent pointing her gun at Darla. Last week I thought they ended with her seeing the two in the car, when did she get to the apartment? Or was I not paying attention last week because I was bored that there was no dialogue?
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

His Dark Materials: Wait, this whole story is taking in an alternative universe from our own and there is a portal to get here? Okay, after being bored the first week, that was kind of interesting.

Castle Rock: So the cult of the centuries old invasion of the body snatchers people do not bother to secure their snatchee’s? And they do not have to kill the people first? The first dude was definitely dead. Although now I am wondering how he was resurrected. Was just falling into the crypt enough to resurrect whatever snatched his body but everyone else has to go through that casket process? And just why are they waiting to kidnap Annie to be the vessel for their leader? And is because she killed that dude with an ice cream scooper the reason she is the best candidate?

But the bigger new in Castle Rock was the arrival of Annie’s step-mom, who promptly gets shot. But hey, we do know she can survive trauma to the gut because that was about where Annie stabbed her. Or maybe she will body snatched and survive that way. But who was Jot saying mom too? She does not want to call Annie her sister which makes me think she would not be ready to call the new lady mom. And what was the plan after she sedated her real mother? Just go back on the run with Annie? With the cops involved (and four episodes left) they clearly are not going anywhere soon now.
You can watch Castle Rock on Hulu.

Survivor: Island of Idols: I had a lot to say on Twitter while this was happening and I really do not want to relive these two hour so just head there to get my thoughts if you do not already follow me.
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: I really wanted T.J., famously hates quitters to lay into the Brits for just blatantly throwing a challenge. Really, they should institute a rule that if you are caught throwing a challenge you are automatically thrown into elimination, even switch the gender week if you have to. The show has just let these people ruin this season by pulling this crap. Sure it looks like they are finally doing something about it next week (though if they eliminate the two black players due to a swimming challenge that will be a bad look), hopefully it is not too late to save this season. Although this season is starting to look much better now airing after Survivor.
You can download The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 on iTunes.

Almost Family: Brittney Snow being ashamed by doing just completely moronic this really is the best part of this show.
You can download Almost Family on iTunes.

The Good Place: Wait, the Blogger got 44% better over the year? How? I know we only saw about two and a half hours of the experiment but he ended by spreading gossip and fleeing when someone fell into a hole. Maybe since he started at so a low floor it was hard to get worse. But how does that explain Brett who got progressively worse until the final second when he started to apologize to get him to negative one percent. Although if the goal of this experiment was to get better, The Bad Place should have gotten great people who had very little room for improvement. Although now that the judge is going for a full reboot, should be interesting what comes next. I am going to go out on a limb and predict Team Cockroach finds a way to save humanity.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Titans: Um, just how did Batman managed to get the female Titans to the same place at the same time? And why not try to get New Robin, Hawk, or Beast Boy there? Was it just so they could make the mansplaining joke? And why not just break out him out yourself or just have Bruce Wayne buy Old Robin’s release? Or was Bruce really there, he was still acting weird like in Old Robin’s fever dreams. Scarecrow toxin?

Then New Robin just randomly quoting maybe the fifth best West Side Story song was weird. Maybe more weird than him forking Deathstroke’s daughter. And with Rose telling her father she is out, did they just confirm we are in the middle of Judas Contact?

The Blacklist: Playing babies in anti-abortion crusaders… that is just a bit extreme. Of course the evangelical kept it and the politician did not. Although if the rapist was the biological father, where did the eggs come from? The crazy doctor? And just how can the baby survive in a man?
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: November 16, 2019

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 Big Little Lies, Kristen Bell, The Morning Show, King Princess, Apple Music Replay, ANNA SOFIA, Oh Wonder, Maja Kristina, BENEE, The Band, Diana Ross, Holly Hobbie, Green Book, Eddie Griffin: E-Niggma, The Toys That Made Us, Made From Scratch, Showtime, and An Unquiet Life.

- HBO's smash-hit Big Little Lies returns for more drama, secrets, and seduction then ever before with the release of Big Little Lies: The Complete Second Season on DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on January 7, 2019. Iconic actress Meryl Streep joins the all-star cast in season two, along with Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoё Kravitz. Fans can purchase the DVD with all 7 exhilarating episodes from the second season and go behind-the-scenes with an all new featurette titled, “The Lies Revealed: A Conversation with the Cast.” Big Little Lies: The Complete Second Season is priced to own on DVD at $29.98 SRP ($34.99 in Canada), and is also available to own on Digital via purchase from all major digital retailers. Big Little Lies: The Complete Second Season will be available on Blu-rayTM courtesy of Warner Archive Collection. The Blu-rayTM release includes all the same content on DVD and is also arriving January 7, 2020. Warner Archive Blu-ray releases are found at wb.com/warnerarchive and your favorite online retailer.

- Kristen Bell Shares Frozen 2 Spoilers and Animation Secrets from The Tonight Show:


- The Morning Show: NEW EPISODE - Debutsed Friday, November 15: "No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around” In the fifth episode, “No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around,” a looming article threatens to upend the power structure of The Morning Show. Special guest stars include Mindy Kaling, Marcia Gay Harden, Cheyenne Jackson and Tom Irwin.

- Vevo announces the release of King Princess’ live performances of “If You Think It’s Love” and “Hit The Back.” American singer/songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist King Princess delivers her soulful vocals over warm, atmospheric synth production inspired by influences like Perfume Genius, Nick Cave, Beyoncé and Dolly Parton.

- As we near the end of another decade and the world once again becomes blanketed in layers of holiday nostalgia and pumpkin spice, we invite you take a musical journey down memory lane with the brand new Apple Music Replay. Beginning right now, Apple Music subscribers can relive the highs, lows and in-betweens of 2019 with the songs, artists, and albums that soundtracked and defined their year. Additionally, with Apple Music Replay we create a playlist with your top songs for 2019-AAAAAND one for every year that you have been an Apple Music subscriber. You can also save these to your library and share them with your friends. Apple Music Replay was built to celebrate your favorite music from our growing catalog of over 60M songs.

- On the heels of fan-adored independent anthems “Meaner Girl” and “I Try,” rising star and critically acclaimed 16-year-old singer and songwriter ANNA SOFIA serves up a new single “No Fun” as her official debut for Electric Feel Records/Republic Records. Check out “No Fun” Here!

- Oh Wonder announces details of their upcoming third album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, which will be released on February 7th, 2020! The new album will include their first single “Hallelujah” and most recent follow-up “Better Now.” Oh Wonder also shares a brand new track from the album, “I Wish I Never Met You,” out now.

- Buzzworthy 21-year-old Swedish songstress Maja Kristina unveils the music video for her brand new single “Idiot.” Watch the official music video for “Idiot” HERE.

- Garnering over 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify and receiving critical praise across the globe,19-year-old indie pop sensation BENEE’s STELLA & STEVE EP arrives today – listen HERE! The five-track EP includes the irresistible pop bop “Supalonely” feat. Gus Dapperton, as well as BENEE’s recently-released viral hits “Find an Island” and “Monsta” and new songs “Drifting” feat. Jack Berry and “Blu.”

- The Band’s influential, pioneering self-titled album is being celebrated with a suite of newly remixed and expanded 50th Anniversary Edition packages. Available now via Capitol/UMe, the album is available as a Super Deluxe 2CD/Blu-ray/2LP/7-inch vinyl boxed set with a hardbound book; 2CD, digital, 180-gram 2LP black vinyl, and limited edition 180-gram 2LP “tiger’s eye” color vinyl packages. All the Anniversary Edition releases were overseen by The Band’s Robbie Robertson and feature a new stereo mix by Bob Clearmountain from the original multi-track masters, similar to the acclaimed 50th anniversary collections of last year’s Music From Big Pink releases. The 50th Anniversary Edition’s CD, digital, and box set configurations also include 13 outtakes, featuring six previously unreleased outtakes and alternate recordings from The Band sessions, as well as The Band’s legendary Woodstock performance, which has never been officially released. Order/stream The Band (50th Anniversary Edition): TheBand.lnk.to/TheBand50

- The spirit and sound of the iconic angelic voice of Diana Ross rings bright again this holiday season with the vinyl reissue of her classic Wonderful Christmas Time. The 20-track collection is available for the first time in two physical configurations, a standard black 2LP, a limited-edition translucent red 2LP. Wonderful Christmas Time is also available on CD and all major digital platforms from Ross Records/UMe.

- Holly Hobbie season 2 premieres on Hulu, Friday, November 22. As season two gets underway, Holly’s life begins to get more complicated (Boys! Bullies! Breakouts! Biology tests!) and so does her music. Holly continues to use her life as a source of inspiration for her songs but this season, for the first time, some people don’t like what she has to say. When Holly’s attempt to deal with the haters backfires, Holly wonders if some topics are off limits. Like, can she write about her crush on Tyler? Her friends? What about her family? And if she does, can she handle the consequences? All this second-guessing triggers a serious case of writer’s block and spirals Holly into a big ol’ funk which is further exacerbated when Holly meets another talented musician who isn’t afraid to express himself. As Holly starts to collaborate with him she finds her voice again – but is she ready to share it with a bigger audience?


- The television premiere of the Academy Award winning film Green Book will air on Showtime on Saturday, December 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Network subscribers will also be able to watch the film across all platforms including SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and the Showtime stand-alone streaming service.

- Veteran entertainer Eddie Griffin is back for his third Showtime comedy special, Eddie Griffin: E-Niggma, premiering on Friday, December 6 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The hour-long special is filmed at the restored, historic landmark Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, home to many iconic performers including Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Lena Horne. Griffin’s unapologetic storytelling canvasses his 30-plus year comedy career and offers an intimate glimpse into the 10th year of his nightly Las Vegas residency, The Eddie Griffin Experience. Through his quick wit and a fiery rhetoric, Griffin flexes his perspective on a number of personal family situations and real-world issues while teaching sociopolitical and hypothetical history lessons along the way.


- Prepare for a plastic-and-nostalgia overload- wildly popular Netflix docu-series The Toys That Made Us is back this Friday for its third season, with new toys, stories, and perspectives. The series delves into all of the legendary toys, action figures, and figurines that shaped America's childhoods, and this upcoming season tackles Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Wrestling, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, following prior seasons' dives into Barbie, G.I. Joe, LEGO, Hello Kitty, and more. Watch the trailer.

- An all-new episode of Made From Scratch, the unscripted weekly series from FUSE that features artists as they cook their favorite childhood dishes with family members who helped them rise to prominence, on Tuesday, November 19 at 11:00 pm, ET/PT on FUSE. On this episode of Made From Scratch, Vic Mensa and his sister Lizzy make one of their favorite meals growing up, “Omo Tuo,” a Ghanaian stew. Vic and his sister talk about the drama surrounding his foundation, when a racist landlord kicked them out because of the music video for “Camp America.” Plus, they talk about growing up taking chances, details on his new album, and founding a label. Grab a seat at the table as these artists share their personal stories and the special meaning behind their menu. Made From Scratch airs Tuesdays at 11:00 pm, ET/PT on FUSE.

- Showtime Networks Inc. and A24 Films have entered into an exclusive output agreement under which qualifying A24 films theatrically released through November 1, 2022 will air across SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as on SHOWTIME multiplex channels and streaming services. The agreement allows Showtime Networks Inc. to exhibit high-profile A24 features across its premium services on-air, on demand and online. The announcement was made by Kent Sevener, Executive Vice President, Content Acquisition and Business and Legal Affairs, Showtime Networks Inc. The deal will include up to 16 films annually produced by A24. A24’s upcoming theatrical releases include Gotham Award-nominated Waves, starring Sterling K. Brown, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Lucas Hedges; Mike Mills’ next film starring Joaquin Phoenix; Green Knight, starring Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander; Joel Cohen’s adaptation of Macbeth starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand; Zola from Janicza Bravo; and Jonathan Glazer’s untitled WWII project. The deal also gives Showtime Networks exclusive rights to the television premiere of A24’s previous Oscar®-winning and nominated films including Moonlight, Lady Bird, Room and Ex Machina.

- Align and Goldcrest Features announced today that the as currently untitled (f.k.a An Unquiet Life) feature starring Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), and Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, Misbehaviour), will begin filming on November 14th. The story of the world’s most beloved children’s author, Roald Dahl (Bonneville) and his film star wife, Patricia Neal (Hawes) will be directed by John Hay (Lost Christmas, There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble). Hay also wrote the film alongside David Logan. The picture is being produced by Donall McCusker (The Hurt Locker), Adrian Politowski (The Artist), Martin Metz (Mandy) and Nick Quested (Danger Close ).

Previewing Dollface

Whenever I see awards nominations where all the acting nominations come from the same movies/shows that are also nominated for the top prizes I wonder is that a bit of a cheat? I mean congratulations; the best script and best directors of a great piece of art were able to make you look like a competent actor. I contend that the best acting awards should go to people who appear in crap but still manage a great performance. Like Kat Dennings in 2 Broke Girls, such a horrible show but she made it watchable and will it through six season when had any other actress been cast it likely would have been the first show canceled. Seriously, put Phoebe Waller-Bridge in a British remake of 2 Broke Girls and see how it does.

But thankfully 2 Broke Girls was finally canceled so Dennings can go on to do bigger and better things. The bigger is reprising her role in the MCU as Natalie Portman’s snarky side kick. Though she has not been announce to return to the Thor franchise with Portman in Thor 4 but will pop up in the Disney+ WandaVision show. Um, yeah, okay, that should be… interesting. Then the better being Hulu’s latest comedy, Dollface.

Like their dramas, Hulu’s comedies up to this year have been sparse. They launched two in 2015 as well as continued The Mindy Project that all lasted at least three season but only one of them was airing as of last season. But like the dramas that upped their output this year, Hulu launched five new comedies. The first three, PEN15, Shrill, and Ramy were all critically but it seems like no one but critics actually watched (I was lukewarm to all of them). Then came Four Wedding and a Funeral which critics and audiences all agreed was unnecessary. But Hulu saved the best for last with Dollface.

The show starts off with Dennings getting dumped by her longtime boyfriend who gives her the titular name. Though the signs should have been there, seriously ladies, do not date a guy who names his pets after Entourage characters. The thing is, after spending five years with this guy, Dennings has to reconnect with the girl friends she neglected during the relationship.

The best friend is played by Brenda Song who in nearly a decade on the Disney Channel sitcoms learned to hone a finely tuned comedic timing. Then there is their mutual name dropping friend played by Shay Mitchell who in nearly a decade on Pretty Little Liars… did not. Really, she kind of kind of comes off as a middle class American who tries too hard to be Tahani Al-Jamil. The break out star of the show is Eshter Povisky (Alone Together) who joins the friend group because… um, to be with someone she does not share her name with, I guess. I am not sure how it happened but I am glad it did because she has the best lines and just knocks even one out of the park. Just when you think her description of whiskey was going to be the funniest part of the season, she attempts to have a threesome. Please comedy writers, just please start putting her in everything.

Dollface reminds me of the critically under watched FX show Man Seeking Woman in that it can be completely absurdist at times (granted Man Seeking Woman was absurdist at all times). Like after her breakup, Dennings has to pick her things up at the “Emotion Baggage Claim” before being picked up by a cat lady bus driver. I mean an actual lady with a cat head that talks to her. It is because the show is too weird that award show will likely overlook Kat Dennings again, but I will just appreciate she is on my television again.

All episodes of Dollface are on Hulu tomorrow.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 10, 2019

Supergirl: This whole season makes little sense with the Lena storyline, but the sentient tattoos made the season even more nonsensical. And I do not even want to talk about the Doc Oct rip-off in the Robocop helmet.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Watchmen: Silk Specter made this episode a little less boring than the previous ones.

The Walking Dead: So Negan has his leather jacket back and a new bat. And then got captured by the Whispers. Maybe for the first time since being captured, the writers are going to finally give him something to do.

The Affair: Starting off the series finale with a flash dance. A flash dance with Helen’s neighbor that her boyfriend knocked up and then flew her across the country for her daughter’s wedding. Then there was just a random dude that I did not realize who it was until Noah mentioned his name and I finally realized, oh, that is the oldest son we have not seen since maybe the first season.

Then we finally got what I have been waiting for all season, Joanie meets a Soloway. I thought she may have bumped into one of the Soloway children, but no, she met an old Noah (in old man make-up that was very obvious him) who now owning the Lobster Roll. But what I never say coming was that the creepy reporter Joanie forked was Vic’s kid who gave a Spaceball’s explanation of how he was vaguely related to Joanie. Kind of made the whole series worth it for that scene alone.

But what a weird ending. This season seemed to be about Noah’s chickens coming home to roost set upon the backdrop of #MeToo. We the viewers knew some of those stories were made up and over-exaggerated, but Noah was still a pretty huge pervert who deserved some shame. But then they ended on a redemptive note, Noah outlive both his wives (I thought he was talking to Alison at the end; oh, and Helen’s mom lived to 100?), none of his children get even a mention in the future, and then he get the final shot doing the flash dance he choreographed as the final scene. But I kind of wish the whole season was this weird. The show set itself up as a super-serious piece of “art” but we never really got an explanation of two way some of the acts were wildly different telling of the same event. I guess Occam’s Razer is that was just how that person remembers things.

Mr. Robot: It only took me twelve minutes to realize, oh wait, no one is talking. Then two minutes later the guard whistled at Darla and I just rolled my eyes at the lengths they were going to pull off the now dialogue. Kind of a lame gimmick to pull off with so little time left. At least the one shot episode last season served a purpose and was by far the best non-season one episode. There were just too many times where there really should have been some dialogue. And I was a bit confused at where they broke into. Did this company just have a Soul Cycle open on Christmas Day?
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

His Dark Materials: This is the second attempt at adapting the books, the first bombed so bad it took down an entire movie studio. But after watching the first episode, maybe the book just is not something that should be adapted; the whole daemon thing just does not look good on screen and just comes across as weird when you see it in living color. And so far it is kind of confusing. I kind of need a Game of Thrones type map title sequence to give me an idea of where this is. Plus, and I really supposed to be scared of the chick from The Africa?

Castle Rock: Well, how Annie turned out the way she did makes much more sense now. Oh geez. Although her obsession with the song Let the River Run has a much darker context now. But from the moment that Rita started to show, I thought, oh no, is Annie going to kill her and steal her baby? Though I never thought that Joy could be her half-sister. Granted when we saw Annie’s wanted poster, it was only for murder, it did not say anything about kidnapping. But what I do not understand is where did Joy get the book. Did Annie just keep a copy this whole time; transfer it from computer to computer all this time?
You can watch Castle Rock on Hulu.

Survivor: Island of Idols: There have been plenty of dumb advantages but whatever they offered Janice may have been the worst. You get the triple wammie of not being trusted for playing it, not being able to vote, and then not even being able to view tribal Council. The Kellee was one of the most interesting plays in the history of the show. Then she managed to pull it off flawlessly and even had one unintended consequence of Jamal burning his Idol which then should put a target on his back which she clearly wants. As long as Dean does not blab about it, this may go down as one of the best moves in the history of the show. But she was one of four people targeted in the promo so maybe it will end up backfiring.
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: So now the British team has four actual British players and four non-Brits? It is a shame more people did not defect earlier. Really, Georgia, Bear, and Theo should have defected a long time ago when they realized they were never going to gain the numbers. But it will be funny if Cara/Paulie keep on sending in Americans who beat a Brit and then the “British” team then beats the Americans.
You can download The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 on iTunes.

The Good Place: Oh wow, they finished the new experiment half way through the season. So what next (the title of the next episode seems like it could be a spoiler… or just something Jason says… or maybe both)? You got Simone and the blogger MIA, did they freeze or did they go so far that they are not affected? Could they have found their way to The Bad Place (or been kidnapped by Sean) and have to be rescued? That would be too close to last episode though. Ugg, they usually they give us a teaser of what to come instead of a huge cliffhanger like this.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Titans: So did Raven know the gargoyle was going to go off and kill that dude or was it an unintended consequence? And just when is Old Robin going to get out of prison and how? Kind of seems like he know how but moneybags Bruce could always donate a win to get his release. Him just abandoning everyone just seems weird and these last too episodes just seems like a waste of time while they stall for the finale.

The Blacklist: So the baddie of the week was… a computer? Alrighty. But no fall out from Aram stealing the nametag from Red’s buddy. I thought for sure his new lady friend was nefarious, maybe she just is a thrill seeker and that was a complete coiuncidence.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: November 9, 2019

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 Reprisal, Jack Johnson, Mary J. Blige, Snow Patrol, Chelsea Cutler, Maja Kristina, The Russian Five, Desus and Mero, Billions, and Wrongful Conviction.

- Hulu released the official trailer for upcoming drama series Reprisal from the executive producer of The Handmaid’s Tale. The series stars Abigail Spencer, Rodrigo Santoro, Mena Massoud, Rhys Wakefield, Madison Davenport, Gilbert Owuor, David Dastmalchian, W. Earl Brown, Craig Tate, Wavyy Jonez, Shane Callahan and Rory Cochrane. Reprisal will premiere all episodes Friday, December 6th only on Hulu.


- Multi-platinum recording artist and environmentalist Jack Johnson announces the release of Brushfire Records’ This Warm December, Vol. III, the latest in a trilogy of coveted holiday albums from his label. This Warm December, Vol III features both original and holiday-classic songs from Jack Johnson and friends, including G. Love, Bahamas, Mason Jennings, Zach Rogue (of Rogue Wave), Zach Gill, Paula Fuga and more. Fans are able to pre-order This Warm December Vol. III, with an immediate digital download of the original first track, “New Axe” by Jack Johnson starting today, November 8. The full-length album will be available on November 22 with limited-edition vinyl available on December 13, all through Johnson’s own Brushfire Records. To pre-order the album visit, thiswarmdecember.com.

- Mary J. Blige, the legendary Grammy and Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist and honorary Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, will release an immersive box set of her biggest 1990s hits along with rare remixes, HERstory, Vol. 1, on December 6 via UMe. The collection will be released in three physical forms: a set of eight standard-weight black 7" vinyl records, a 1CD version, a 2LP set and a digital version. From her solo 1992 hit "You Remind Me" to the 1993 remix of "What's the 411" featuring K-Ci (of K-Ci and JoJo) and the Notorious B.I.G., HERstory, Vol. 1 tells the story of Blige as she first established herself as a tour de force of '90s R&B.

- Snow Patrol have announced details of a new album. Reworked features 13 reimagined versions of some of the band’s biggest hits alongside three brand new recordings and will be released on 8th November via Polydor Records. The record accompanies a Reworked tour in November and December and follows the release of Reworked EPs 1 and 2. Twenty-five years into a career that has taken in one billion global track streams, five UK platinum albums, an Ivor Novello award and Grammy and Mercury Music Prize nominations, Reworked marks a period of looking back and taking stock. “After 10 years of no success, no-one – least of all us – expected us these last 15 years to sell 17 million albums, headline festivals and play to thousands of people all over the world,” says frontman Gary Lightbody.

- Singer, songwriter and producer Chelsea Cutler reveals her long-awaited debut album, How To Be Human, will be released in January 2020! In celebration of the album announcement, Chelsea debuts the video for her latest single “Lucky” feat. Alexander 23 today—watch it HERE!

- Bbuzzworthy 21-year-old Swedish songstress Maja Kristina shares her brand-new single entitled “Idiot. Check out “Idiot” HERE via Eddie O Entertainment/Republic Records. Known for alternative pop, straight shooting lyricism and raw emotions, Maja once again delivers an anthem that’s as confessional as it is catchy. On the track, vulnerable verses give way to a quick-witted refrain where she calls out an ex without pulling any punches.

- - Critically-acclaimed documentary The Russian Five will make its U.S. television debut on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN, immediately following coverage of the Wednesday Night Hockey matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers. The Russian Five tells the story of the first five Russians to play hockey together in the National Hockey League (NHL) and how they helped transform the Detroit Red Wings from perennial losers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions. Toward the end of the Cold War the Red Wings hatched an audacious plan to draft the best Soviet players from behind the Iron Curtain and help them defect to Detroit, sneaking them out under cover of night and whisking them to the Motor City where they won the fans’ hearts and changed the way hockey is played in North America forever.

- The most expansive and ambitious aerial series explores America’s great cities from breathtaking heights – filmed from helicopters and drones equipped with cutting edge 4K/Ultra High Definition cameras to see our iconic and most treasured landmarks from a birds-eye view. Aerial America returns with 3 episodes Sunday, December 8 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

- Desus and Mero on Showtime and The Bronx Brewery (TheBronxBrewery.com) today announced that the iconic Bronx comedians, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, and their home-borough brewery will collaborate this fall on the launch of a limited-release lager. Named Bodega Boys Beer after their wildly popular "Bodega Boys" podcast that put The Bronx-born duo on the map, the collaboration will be an easy-drinking and light-bodied lager with a refreshing, crisp flavor at 5.5% ABV. The limited-edition lager will be available in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans at The Bronx Brewery's Taproom & Backyard located at 856 E. 136th Street in the Bronx. To celebrate the launch, The Bronx Brewery and the late-night show will host an exclusive event at the brewery on November 15.

- Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) and Golden Globe nominee Corey Stoll (House of Cards) have signed on to guest star in multiple episodes of the fifth season of the hit Showtime drama series Billions. Margulies will play Catherine Brant, an Ivy League sociology professor and bestselling author. Stoll joins in a season-long arc as Michael Prince, a business titan from a small town in Indiana. Starring Oscar® nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti, and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis, Billions is currently in production in New York and will return to the network in 2020. Billions averages 4.5 million viewers per week across platforms.

- The 9th season premiere episode of the Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom podcast has been released here. The episode presents the case of Rodney Reed, the innocent man sentenced to death row in Texas after being wrongfully convicted for killing Stacy Stites in 1996. With overwhelming evidence of his innocence drawing international outcry from the likes of Rhianna, Kim Kardashian, Dr. Phil, the Texas State Legislature, law enforcement groups, and many others, the podcast - which has over 10,000,000 series listens - urges the public to join the petition to the Texas governor to halt this injustice.

Previewing Shameless: Season Ten

After being the most consistent show of the decade, Shameless ended with a big change as Fiona rode off into the sunset, heading south after a big payday leaving the rest of the Gallagher clan to fend for themselves. The shakeup was supposed to be bigger because after his character’s own happy ending, being reunited in jail with his one true love, Cameron Monaghan also announced his departure only to announce he was returning to the show a couple months later. Too bad they locked his character away for a pretty violent crime.

With no more Emmy Rossum we get what I believe is the very first update to the title sequence in the ten season history. So instead of getting to see Fiona urinate every week, we get to see Debbie urinate every week (it took me until the second episode to catch that). And instead of Debbie wrapping Liam in toilet paper, Liam is the one who wraps Frannie. Then instead watching Fiona fork the dude who left the show back in the first season but we still got to see his naked behind every week, Ian and Lip get busy in the Gallagher bathroom. Although they did not update all the scenes which leads to a very weird moment of seeing a very young Carl followed by a grown very naked Carl about a minute later.

But the more things change, the more they stay the same and Shameless is as consistent as ever. The new season even starts off with Fiona, sort of. Even without Fiona and Ian in prison, there are still five Gallaher’s livings in the house with another one on the way. Yep, Lip’s baby mama is now very pregnant but was worried about having a child with severe health problems in her family. But she is going to great lenths to make sure her kid comes out all right. Somehow Frank is still allowed to stay; I guess he is still recovering from the broken leg from last season. Luis Guzman is back as Frank’s lone friend but he may be worse off than Frank now.

Without Fiona around, Debbie has stepped up as head of the household, though she was kind of taking that role last season when Fiona was spiraling. But she is hording all the money Fiona left her but knowing her brothers and father, that may be the smartest decision. Micky got arrested to give Ian the fairytale ending, but months later, they are much more Married with Children inside a six by eight cell. Then there is Liam who is starting to embrace his black heritage. So Shameless is as shameless as ever.

Shameless airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime.