Around the Tubes: May 1, 2021

         

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting:

- Based on The New York Times bestselling book by author Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers takes place at a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation as nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this ten-day retreat is the resort's director Masha (Nicole Kidman), a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine “perfect” strangers have no idea what is about to hit them.  The series stars Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall, Samara Weaving, Melvin Gregg, Asher Keddie, Grace Van Patten, Tiffany Boone and Manny Jacinto.

- New Zealand’s platinum sensation BENEE drops the music video for her song “Happen To Me”—watch it HERE. “Happen To Me” stands out as the fan-favorite track from her critically adored full-length debut album, Hey u x.  The gothic visual finds BENEE at the center of the table during a surreal The Last Supper-style royal feast. She sits on a throne alone as guests enjoy medieval delicacies. As she flips through tarot cards, she turns over the death card only to be greeted by a man on a pale horse before finally disappearing from the table. As the song grapples with her own fear of death, the video personifies this existential struggle. Over a soundtrack of hummable guitar and lithe synths, she confesses, “I think about these things too much. My mind likes to wind itself up. And I don’t get a lot of sleep. ‘Cause what if they happen to me?” Ultimately, BENEE upholds what has become a tradition of captivating and cinematic videos with “Happen To Me.”
- Welcoming friends into the mysterious embrace of Whispering Pines Studios today, Lord Huron uncover a new single entitled “I Lied” [feat. Allison Ponthier]. It’s the latest tune to be shared from their anxiously awaited fourth full-length album, LONG LOST, out May 21^st via Whispering Pines Studios Inc./Republic Records.  Pre-order Long Lost HERE, listen to “I Lied” HERE, and watch the official music video HERE.
- 19 year old Molly Burman made a striking first impression with her debut single proper, "Fool Me With Flattery", arriving as she did a fully formed prospect last month. Today, she follows up that significant promise with a further slice of empowering, woozy slacker-pop in "everytime". Listen and watch its accompanying video HERE.
- Unconventional pop star Ali Barter has released her new EP Chocolate Cake. Following on from singles "Twisted Up" and "You Get In My Way", the 4-track EP is out now on Inertia Music / [PIAS]. Alongside its release is a lyric video for the title track, made with the same creative team for her previous singles, We Made That. Watch and listen HERE.  The Chocolate Cake EP was written across both hemispheres. Barter engaged in writing sessions in Los Angeles and Nashville before the crushing reality of COVID-19 jeopardized her first US tour and forced her back home to isolate in Melbourne. The EP was rounded out remotely with the help of creative minds Harlan Silverman, Lost Boy, K-Flay, who co-wrote the EP title track, Brandon James and lockdown buddy/ husband Oscar Dawson.
- SERGIO MENDES & FRIENDS: A CELEBRATION, a joyfully tuneful salute to the pioneering Brazilian musical artist – producer, composer, keyboardist, vocalist – and Oscar®-nominated songwriter will make its world premiere as part of special programming on PBS stations in June 2021 (check local listings). This program, presented by WNED PBS, was created especially for PBS and is derived from the forthcoming feature documentary Sergio Mendes: In The Key of Joy by acclaimed filmmaker John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs John Lennon, Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary, and The Happy Days of Garry Marshall). The deal was negotiated by WNED PBS and the film's distributor Brainstorm Media.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: April 25, 2021

  

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist:  The show was on a string of great episodes since I came back from hiatus but this felt like one of those pre-hiatus episodes.  My problem with those episodes is there seemed too much screen time without Zoey.  I did not care about Maggie’s business and I do not care about what seems to be a new gambling problem.  Just fast forward to where Zoey helps her.  Though Zoey seems to be having a problem with helping lately, this week I just kept getting annoyed with her trying to get Emily to talk when clearly Emily just wanted to blow off some steam.  Let get get her dance on, then talk it out later.

 

The Nevers:  Why exactly are most of the Touched ladies?  So all we met is the doctor and the three eyed raven?  Maybe the singer will expose more.  But if the three eyed raven followed the electricity lady, did he just let her get captured? Then his mother is evil?  And just what did she do to the Italian chick?

 

Fear the Walking Dead:  So last week John is ready to die but decides he wants to live only to be shot.  Then this week, Ginny is ready to die, get a reprieve, only to be shot.  Way to recycle plot.  But why didn’t Ginny get in the car with her hostages?  Did she want to stay in the middle of v shootout where people wanted to kill her?  And where did those mask people come from and how were they able to find Morgan?  And how did Morgan escape on foot.  And how did everyone find his hidden compound so easily?  They had the entire pandemic to write these episodes and yet they seem sloppier than usual.

 

Good Girls:  Getting caught robbing a jewelry store so the Secret Service will pay you seems like a really bad plan.  But is grandma the real boss or was that just a term of endearment?  Or both?

 

Mare of Eastown:  This was one of the first times I remember they actually gave an episode to a victim on one of these dead girl shows.  That actually got me to care that she is now dead.  But it seems almost obvious that Guy Peirce did it.  Not that anyone I assume did it after one episode ever turns out to be correct.

 

City on a Hill:   I wonder Siobhan knows her client is very guilty.  I guess it helps us as the viewer tthat we know for sure.  But sometimes lawyers do not care either way.  If only Decourcy could get a confession.  But he could not even get the chick that killed Jimmy to turn informant when she was the one that actually pulled the trigger.

 

Cruel Summer:  From the trailer I thought this show was going to be a mystery show about who adducted Kate but then they answered that question by the end of this first episode.  So then I thought the mystery was going to be who was lying, Kate or Jeanette.  But then Kate admits she was lying about something in the chatroom.  Now I guess the mystery is just what exactly is Kate lying about, and if she is lying about Jeanette, just how did she get the necklace?  I do have a sinking suspicious the old friend is involved somehow.

 

But man, did this show move at a breakneck speed.  Those two closing shots to each of the episodes were just epic.  I just hope they do not move too fast and just run out of plot like the first season of Homeland.  Or turn into The Affair and constantly give us multiple points of view of the same scenes.  But after two episodes I am definitely hooked.  This show is also doing a very good job scratching that nineties nostalgia itch.

 

Debris:  Um, what happened to the chick from the beginning?  They just found her and then were back to look for daddy.  But I do not sure happened to the dude that was helping them, he was clearly shot point blank in the check, but when they got to the car, he was bleeding from the neck.

 

Supergirl:  What a shameless rip-off of Ghostbusters.  I am deeply offended by that.

 

Big Sky:  What is wrong with family, first the mother bites her daughter over drugs.  Then one brother goes all Cain over the other one.  But at the show did not make us wait to figure up what the now dead son and his father were cryptically talking about.

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  I cannot remember a time when a musical supervisor buried someone like they buried Fessy this episode.  First they play Boys Don’t Cry while he pouting on a rock.  TJ guilts him to help his partner then disqualifies them after he eats more bull testicles. Then the music supervisor twists the knife by playing Karma Chameleon for the guy who kept dragging his female partners all season only to lose because he was pouting like a little boy, refusing to complete a checkpoint.  I do not know how Fessy comes back from that (though, unfortunately he is rumored to be on the next season).  CT wearing Johnny like a backpack is still the greatest Challenge moment of all time, but this montage may make it into the top five.  Oh yeah, and speaking of CT, he won again.  Meh.  And what was with that end credits scene?  What challenge was TJ activating twenty-four hours later?  Was that supposed to be a teaser for the Senior Tour?  Does that mean they are continuing the spy theme into the next challenge?  It was just confusing.

 

The Challenge: All-Stars:  When the trailer came up with TJ telling someone, “Hope to see you never” I thought for sure that he was talking to Beth.  Well, I was close; Beth was in the Crater when Arissa decided to go off on everyone.   But another pretty entertaining daily challenge, even the elimination looked interesting, why do all the ones on the original show look so boring or overdone?

 

Manifest:  I always wondered how the doctor was able to cover up a murder.  I think this was the first time they mentioned he knew.  I guess he was the one that got the garbage truck to pick the body up.

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  People have been saying Sharon was the power Broker since she showed up but I never bought into that theory because it never really made much sense.  She was so strong in her convictions she was willing to become a traitor in her country’s eyes just to do the right thing but now she is funding actual terrorist?  Well that turned out to be the case and everything she did makes no sense.  Unless another popular theory is true: who we are seeing is not the real Sharon but a Skrull and this is setting up the upcoming Secret Invasion show.  Maybe her pulling off the face was a huge Easter Egg.

 

The Blacklist:  So Lizzie rams Red’s girlfriend’s car and all of the sudden they are share a cabin close?  And why not set her up in the cabin and lure Red there?  And why is Red’s girlfriend fighting an armed assailant? Considering Lizzie has been gone for so long, I was expecting more in her return.  But there she is with Red an easy target, and I am sure they will figure some stupid reason why she does not kill him.

 

Around the Tubes: April 24, 2021

        

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 Unbreakable, Homeroom, Cream, The Weeknd, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Def Leppard, and Taylor Swift

- Fuse is premiering its newest series, Unbreakable, on May 4 at 11 PM ET/PT.  The show follows the lives of young adults with disabilities as they overcome extraordinary obstacles to reach their dreams. According to a soon to be released study from Fuse Media, people with disabilities ranked #1in regards to needing the most representation of all under-represented groups in media.  An inspiring cast of people with disabilities set out to achieve ambitious life milestones. Whether it's breaking into modeling, inventing a revolutionary mountain bike, launching a craft beer or starting a family, these individuals with dreams face challenges and overcome extraordinary obstacles. They must find the power within themselves to reach their personal goals.

- Hulu has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to Emmy Award–winning director/cinematographer Peter Nicks’ 2021 Sundance Film Festival official selection HOMEROOM.  HOMEROOM is Peter Nicks’ final chapter in a trilogy of films examining the relationship between health care, criminal justice, and education in Oakland, CA over the past decade. Hulu is thrilled to also have the U.S. streaming rights to THE WAITING ROOM (2012) and THE FORCE (2017) so audiences can experience all three projects of this groundbreaking trilogy together. 

- UMe/Polydor is delighted to release the limited edition, blue, 2LP release of Cream's show Live at the Forum, recorded at the Los Angeles Forum during their Goodbye Tour of 1968. Taken from the 2020 full version of the 4-CD set of the Goodbye Tour 1968 and produced by Bill Levenson, this sumptuous 2LP set is the first authorized release of the full concert on vinyl and is available today, April 23, HERE. It captures Cream at their virtuosic best, at the end, and at the height of their career.

- The Weeknd unveils the much anticipated “Save Your Tears Remix” with Ariana Grande via XO/Republic Records. Listen to “Save Your Tears (Remix)” HERE.  Watch the official animated video with both stars directed by Jack Brown and produced by Blinkink HERE.  The diamond-selling icon paired with Grammy winner Grande, continuing a tradition of epic collaborations together such as “Love Me Harder” and “off the table.”

- Capitol Records/UMe is pleased to announce Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band’s ‘Live’ Bullet will be reissued in its original 2LP format celebrating the 45^th anniversary of this classic album.  Hailed by critics as one of the best live records of all time, including the June 1976 review from The New York Times,  “This music roars on and on until at the very end of the performance, Seger—still raring to go—bellows: ‘I’m going to rock and roll all night long.’ He means it and ‘Live Bullet’ is proof positive that he’s a living dynamo.”  ‘Live’ Bullet will be offered in two versions: a 2LP album in a standard version 150 gram black vinyl with a lithograph, and 2LP translucent orange and red swirl vinyl only available at independent record stores, Bob Seger’s Official store, and Capitol/UMe store. The lithograph is a reproduction of the Live Bullet cover of Seger onstage from the show taken by well-known Detroit photographer Robert Markliwitz. The album has been remastered by GRAMMY®-nominated mastering engineer Robert Vosgien.

- On June 11, 2021, legendary British rock ‘n’ roll icons and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame®inductees Def Leppard will release Def Leppard – Volume Three, a new limited edition box set UMe/Virgin.  This set marks the third of four volumes of the band’s complete recorded output in both 180gm vinyl and limited-edition CD box sets. They contain all the recordings from the band in the 2000’s and features the original packaging on both formats. To date, X, Yeah! and Songs from the Sparkle Lounge have never been available on vinyl before.

-  Returning to #1 around the world and breaking numerous records, Taylor Swift has made history yet again with Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Notably, she's the first woman with three new No. 1 albums in less than a year. Moving over 1 million units worldwide, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) logged the “biggest first week debut of any album this year,” “the biggest first week debut for a country album since 2015” and “the biggest female country streaming week ever.” Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the only No. 1 album of its kind: a re-recording of an artist’s (own or another’s) previously released album.  Generating 50 million-plus streams on release day, it also achieved “the biggest first day streaming debut for any album on Spotify this year” and marked her fourth consecutive album to exceed 50 million Spotify streams in 24 hours. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) also becomes the first country album by a female artist to reach #1 on Apple Music’s US Albums chart.

Previewing Cinema Toast

 

I am a simple man with simple pleasure, so when I see Alison Brie’s name, my brain goes, sure, I will check that out.  Maybe I should have paid more attention to the Cinema Toast press release than just seeing Alison Brie.  When I skimmed the non- Alison Brie parts of the press release that said the show was a reimagining of movies in the public domain, I was under the assumption they would be re-filming the scripts.  But it turns out the actors are coming up with new dialogue to put over the action of old films.  Other voices include those of Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, John Early, Christina Ricci, Megan Mullally, Chloe Fineman and Chris Meloni.

 

But all you really need to know is that all ten episodes are being released on Showtime’s streaming service and On Demand page today.  Today as in 4/20, the most celebrated day for stoners.  You have to be pretty high to enjoy this show and unfortunately recreational legalization has not come to my state yet.  It probably also hurt that I am not much of a cinephile of movies older than I am so of the ten episodes, the only movie I recognized was Night of the Living Dead.

 

That movie gets turned into Attack of the Karen’s where the zombies are repurposed of whiney while ladies.  There are a couple episodes that reappropriate these movies into modern tales; the first episode features a family that reluctantly invited a Qanon believer to Thanksgiving.  Others stick to their times like the one where gay marriages comes to town where one brave straight dude tries to protest it by… sacrificing straight people off a giant ladder.

 

Another episode turns John Wayne into a gay cowboy… I think.  Is it gay if the actors are both dudes, but one is voiced by a woman?  You probably have to be high to properly answer that question.  But the strangest of all the episodes (which there is plenty of stiff competition for) features Ronald Reagan watching a film with Ronald Reagan where he watches a film that features… Ronald Regan.  My brain hurts now.  Maybe I can get my doctor to prescribe some medical marijuana to dull the pain.  At least that is legal here.

 

All episodes of Cinema Toast are now available on the Showtime streaming app or their On Demand page.

 

57 Channels and Only This Is On: April 18, 2021

 

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist:  For the third week in a row I have to say this episode is now the best episode of the season.  Since last season’s glitch was the best of the first season, they really need to figure more ways to make Zoey’s powers glitch.  It was a pretty big missed opportunity earlier this season when Zoey got high but only sang the one song.

 

I thought for sure that it was the physic that was the one that was supposed to be singing Max’s really sad song.  Simon was the first thought but there was no reason for him to be that sad, even if Zoey canceled on him.  But she also blew off Emily that should have been the big tip off. 

 

But as great as everyone singing someone else’s songs and trying to figure out which song went to which person, I kind of want to see how that songs should have gone.  Like the programmers doing the Anything song to each other.  Or Rose singing a song about drinking to a server instead of some kiss off song.  Also a shame they could not work her having a naughty word being cut off by the title card.  But I guess that is the price to pay to hear Simon sing the stupid Fox song.  I have not laughed that hard in a long time.

 

The Nevers:  Something felt off with this show, and not because the writer/director/creator got canceled.  Actually it seems more like it did not feel like one of his shows more.  The show was missing his usual witty banter.  Hopefully things pick up and soon.  But some of these powers seem pretty lame.  They are like the D-List X-Women so far.

 

Shameless:  So they actually went and killed off Frank.  I was actually expecting that after they shut the door on the cremation, Frank was going to start knocking on the door.  Instead they went for he was filled with too much alcohol to light on fire gag.  I guess he will not be back for the inevitable reboot… unless Frank had a twin brother no one knew about.  Frank did not know about that daughter that showed up for a season or two before disappearing without anyone noticing and did not even get a mention in the letter. 

 

It was a little surprising how the rest of the storylines ended kind of vaguely.  Lip and Kev had offers but neither sold the house or bar by the end credits.  Debbie got an offer to go to El Paso but did not commit.  Then it was weird the chick who raped Carl popped up last week pregnant, claimed it was not his but who knows if she was telling the truth, and was not brought up again. As finale as Frank’s storyline was, I do wonder if this was all left vague for the possibly of a reboot.

 

Fear the Walking Dead:  Wait, so Dakota is just as evil as her sister now?  That escalated quickly.  I still do not understand why she shot the dude.  He is no longer a ranger, he was not planning on going with her, what exactly did she think he would do?  And for someone who wanted to die, he sure held on for a while.  So does Morgan just turn Dakota over to her sister now as a punishment?

 

Good Girls:  Just how many evil businesses does Rio have?  And if he has a boss, how many Rio’s does the big boss have and how many evil businesses are they running?

 

City on a Hill:  Wait, did they not only recast Kevin Bacon’s daughter but also the husband?  It has been so long, I forgot if he was arrested or killed.  But at least the daughter almost looked the same.  This dude looked about a decade or two older, bigger, and had a shaved head.  Maybe they should have killed him off if this was the best replacement they could find.  Yet, they kill off the brother-in-law at the end of this episode.  Certainly did not see that coming.  Will the person the brother-in-law owes money to come after her now?  But I did like that speech Decourcy gave Jackie when Jackie confronted him.

 

Debris:  Watching the lame powers on The Never made me realize just how stupid this show is, all these different things the debris do are pretty stupid.  Did the aliens have plans for Earth?  Is this there plan?  Where there even aliens flying the ship?  Was the ship sentient?

 

But this episode featured one of the worst tropes.  Some evil person with mind control power has a bunch of people kill themselves except for no apparent reason they let the main character go unharmed.  The the one dude was apparently the first person to think; maybe I should just fight the urge to kill themselves.  Then out of nowhere his young niece just brutally murders him.  Alrighty.

 

Supergirl:  So the married gay vampire had three roommates?  Was the husband the breadwinner of the family?  Do gay vampires have harems that they call roommates?  I actually do not remember much else from this episode other than the gay vampire’s living situation.

 

Big Sky:  So this loner trucker who has to resort to kidnapping women for human contact was able to get a live in girlfriend who does not notice he is wearing a bad wig within three month.  But I do like this new family, they are weird.  Hopefully this case is more entertaining than the first one. 

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  What a horrible place to put a cliffhanger.  Does it really matter that much who they choose?  And is it not obvious that they pick Kam and Corey who were in second place?  But the “Next Time On” pretty much spoils that Fessy and Casey are the ones eliminated as they are the only ones that are not featured in scenes past the eating contest.  Granted not much a spoiler than a confirmation of what everyone assumed after Casey heard a pop and Fessy refusing to eat.

 

But that could not have happened to a better team.  Fessy has been whining all season about his partners weighing him down even though he has not brought anything to his team.  Then finally gets the partner he wanted only to push her too hard and makes her get injured.  Then being the punk he is, gives up in the eating challenge even though the last person who won the checkpoint was able to pick a new partner.  Hopefully TJ views this as quitting and treats Fessy according and put him on the ban list.

 

The Challenge: All-Stars:  One of the things that has drug down the parent show (besides recruiting too many boring or annoying people) is that the actual challenges are not as fun.  The melt a block of ice with your body is one of the most iconic challenges ever and it took way too long for them to bring it back.  Unfortunately TJ just gave up halfway through and just gave everyone hammers.  But TJ makes up for that with just randomly pulling out a bag of peppers at elimination.  You knew those peppers were rough when TJ had to put on gloves just to handle them.

 

Manifest:  So now the 828ers are inadvertently helping the meth heads now?  So stupid.  As stupid as the cliffhanger.  Of course they are showing him the reconstructed plane.  They already showed us that in the trailer, why play coy now?

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  The introduction of Elaine was pretty cool.  It would have been cooler if I had a forking clue who that character was.  But she has to be the Power Broker, right?  So the only question is just what is Sharon up to.  Is she trying to get back at the American government for branding her a terrorist?  Is she just deep undercover?  Hopefully it is the latter because evil Sharon just does not feel right.

Around the Tubes: April 17, 2021

       

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 Shrill, Cinema Toast, The Kings, Lord Huron, Paula Fuga, Lionel Ritchie, NOW That’s What I Call Music!, Cusp, and A Cinderella Story: Starstuck.

- Hulu's Shrill trailer has arrived, ready or not!  The final season premieres Friday, May 7, only on Hulu.  SYNOPSIS: Season three of Shrill finds Annie (Aidy Bryant) energized by her breakup with dud boyfriend Ryan and her newfound momentum at work. Annie feels like everything is finally falling into place for her, but does she actually know how to get what she wants?

-  SHOWTIME has announced that the new anthology series CINEMA TOAST will premiere all 10 episodes on the SHOWTIME on-demand streaming and partner platforms on Tuesday, April 20. Created by Jeff Baena and produced by the Duplass Brothers, CINEMA TOAST is a post-modernist reinvention of older movies that turns pre-existing imagery from the public domain on its head to tell brand new unique stories. Directors include Baena, Jay Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Alex Ross Perry, Marta Cunningham, Aubrey Plaza, Numa Perrier, Jordan Firstman, Kris Rey and David Lowery. The episodes are voiced by actors including Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, John Early, Christina Ricci, Megan Mullally, Chloe Fineman and Chris Meloni.
- In boxing, it is said that styles make fights. From 1980 through 1989, it was the style of four great fighters that not only made legendary fights, it ushered in a boxing renaissance. The fierce rivalry between world champions and future Hall of Famers known as the “Four Kings” – Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Durán, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard – produced a Golden Age defined by the nine world championship fights between them and solidified their place among the greatest to ever live.  SHOWTIME SPORTS DOCUMENTARY FILMS today announced THE KINGS, a four-part series chronicling the four fighters' dramatic and divergent ascents to greatness and the legendary matches they produced. The weekly series premieres on Sunday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET /PT on SHOWTIME, with all episodes being made available across the network’s on-demand and streaming platforms at premiere.
- Deepening the mystery of their current chapter, Lord Huron unveil a new song entitled “Long Lost” today. It stands out as the title track of their anxiously awaited fourth full-length album, LONG LOST, out May 21^st via Whispering Pines Studios Inc./Republic Records. Listen to "Long Lost" HERE & watch the lyric video HERE.  Pre-order Long Lost HERE.
- Paula Fuga announces new album Rain on Sunday, available June 18^th through all digital services. “If Ever”, the lead track, available today along with a lyric video, is a duet with Jack Johnson featuring musician Ben Harper. Listen to “If Ever” and watch the accompanying lyric video here and to purchase, view here.  Rain on Sunday is Fuga’s much-anticipated second full-length album and also her debut album on Jack Johnson’s own Brushfire Records and Republic Records. In bringing Rain on Sunday to life, Fuga worked with producer Mike Love, recording live with her longtime bandmates and infusing every song with a kinetic and joyful energy. For the album’s creation, everything was tracked live, playing in a room together, which was of most importance to Fuga.
- While Lionel Richie and his American Idol colleagues continue their mission to discover music’s next superstar, today marks the 25^th anniversary of Louder Than Words, the Top-30 Billboard album that ushered in a new chapter for one of the most successful Pop and R&B artists of all time. Island Def Jam Music Group/UMe will celebrate this era in Lionel Richie’s illustrious career with digital deluxe editions of multiple albums throughout 2021, including Just For You (May 7) and Time (June 25). Each of the bonus tracks on the digital deluxe editions of Louder Than Words, Just For You and Time will make their streaming debut.  Kicking off these releases will be the 25^th anniversary expanded digital deluxe edition of Louder Than Words, Richie’s fourth solo studio album and first for Mercury/Island Records, originally available on April 16, 1996. Available here, Louder Than Words, which at the time was Richie’s first full album in 10 years, features “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” co-written by Lionel Richie, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Also featured are “I Wanna Take You Down,” “Paradise,” “Climbing,” “Ordinary Girl,” and Lionel Richie’s work with Babyface and David Foster. The bonus tracks include rare Spanish and Italian language versions of “Still In Love,” the radio version of “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” and non-album cuts “What Do They Know” and “Now You’re Gone.” Louder Than Words enhances Richie’s smooth R&B style with traces of funk and hip-hop for an emotional journey through heartbreak, anticipation and romance that speaks volumes.
- NOW That’s What I Call Music!, the world’s bestselling multiple-artist album series, showcases today's biggest hits across chart-topping numbered volumes and themed releases. NOW’s latest numbered volume, NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 78, will be released April 30 on CD and digitally. On the same date, NOW That’s What I Call A Decade! 1990s will also be available on CD and digitally.  Preorder NOW:  NOW That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 78 (CD, Digital): https://now.lnk.to/NOW78  NOW That’s What I Call A Decade! 1990s (CD, Digital): https://now.lnk.to/Decade1990s
- SHOWTIME Documentary Films announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to CUSP, the documentary feature from directors Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt, winners of the Emerging Filmmaker Special Jury Award at the Sundance^® Film Festival, where the film premiered earlier this year. Set in a small military town in Texas, CUSP chases three wild-spirited teenage girls as they live out a fever-dream summer, when the strictures of adolescence clash with the growing desire for personal agency. SHOWTIME is planning a theatrical release ahead of a network premiere later this year.  Shot in vérité style, CUSP captures authentic moments of female friendship while examining what it means to grow up in a culture of toxic masculinity. Though the girls’ experiences are completely unique to their upbringing, CUSP is also a strikingly universal coming-of-age tale — and true-to-life, at turns funny, tragic, complicated and stirring.
- Lights, Camera, Action! Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will have you singing and dancing in your seat with the release of A Cinderella Story: Starstuck, on Digital beginning June 29^th, and on DVD on July 13^th. The all-new musical film set in Dreary, Idaho stars Bailee Madison (A Week Away) as our modern-day heroine Finley Tremain and Michael Evans Behling (All American) as her charming romantic interest, Jackson Stone. Other featured actors include April Telek (Chris Watts: Confession of a Killer) as the cruel stepmother, Valerian, and step-siblings Saffron and Kale, played respectively by Lillian Doucet-Roche (A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish) and Richard Harmon (The 100).  A Cinderella Story: Starstruck will be available on Digital for $14.99 SRP ($14.99 in Canada), and on DVD for $19.98 SRP ($24.98 in Canada).

 

57 Channels and Only This Is On: April 11, 2021

  

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist:  For the first time this season, maybe ever, an episode filled with all great songs that I actually own them all.  Well, except the Australian’s sex song about Zoey, unless you count Maroon 5’s This Love which they clearly borrowed the guitar lick from.  It also included the greatest Disco song of all time, though I wish it had been more of an ensemble than just Simon singing with everyone else being a back-up singer/dancer.  I would have been fine had they done the full song.  It was easily my favorite performance of the season so far. 

 

Also my favorite episode of the season, bumping off last week’s episode.  As much grief as I give the guy for living I  San Francisco most of his life yet having a strong Australian accent, I am beginning to enjoy Aiden’s presence,  Though I am not sure how much we will see him after getting rejected by Zoey.  I am also beginning to like the coder chick and her new weird thing with Tobin.  I even like Max’s camp buddy (can’t go wrong if you sing a little INXS).  After a rough start, things are starting to come together this season.

 

Shameless:  So the chick that may have rapped Carl by not using a condom a couple episodes ago who claimed to be on the pill and had a latex allergy is now ready to pop?  So juts what is she up to?  Is she scamming someone else and pretending it is Carl’s baby?  Has time passed that much since that episode?  More confusing is Debbie hanging out the chick who threatened to kill her daughter.  And I thought Lip was supposed to be the smart one.  It never dawned on him that selling to the other person on the other side of the three was a possibility? 

 

The Walking Dead:  So before the dead started to rise, Negan was good… but not really… but kind of was?  What a mess of an episode.  Maybe Memento is the only one that can properly tell a story backwards.

 

Debris:  Oh hey, Cocoon… but they got to actually look young too.  They the two agents came clean about the not so dead father.  This show is kind of boring.

 

Supergirl:  If there is one bright side of being sent to the Phantom Zone is it somehow got rid of Supergirl’s hideous bangs.  Oh yeah, and she found her not so dead father.  Though he seems like a complete waste of a person now.  But I am not entirely sure just how Lex got off.

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Kam forked up.  They came up with this brilliant plan, but decided against utilizing it when just because Fessy ruined the meaning Leroy would end up with Nany.  But had Kam forced Corey to go in, if Fessy wins and picks Casey, then Kam could pick Leroy as a partner.  But we got our fourth Hall Brawl of the season and second in a row, which makes me wonder if they were being lazy or being really manipulative by benefiting the Big Brother alliance.

 

The Challenge: All-Stars:  My favorite part of the episode did not actually happen on the episode by the aftershow when Darrell kept complaining that Neiamiah actually got asked to spell “Challenge” backwards with the word plastered all over the rig.  Not sure how that qualifies as ancient Challenge history.  He also complained that Neiamiah got a Wes question and it was just weird to think Neiahaih who has not been seen in a decade started on a season with Wes who has been on almost every season in the past decade.

 

Manifest:  So the meth heads were in a picture with the chick from the Americans?  That is a bizarre coincidence.  I do not remember anyone having their paths cross like that before.  Kind of ripping of Lost there.

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  So Zemo had every chance to escape last week, but just bolts this week?  I guess the Wakanda warriors are that scary is they are coming for you.  But this was the first time I remember anyone dying by being thrown into something by someone with super strength.