Around the Tubes: 7/3/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Ray Donovan, Masers of Sex, Conan, The Last Ship, Falling Skies, Funny or Die Presents America's Next Weatherman, Premier Boxing Champions, How to Train Your Dragon, Story of God, Don’t Stop the Music USA, and Milkshake.

- Showtime is giving viewers nationwide an opportunity to sample the third season premieres of its critically-acclaimed hit drama series Ray Donovan and Masers of Sex across multiple platforms, in advance of their debut on SHOWTIME on Sunday, July 12th starting at 9:00. Viewers can sample the TV-14 rated premieres of Ray Donovan (s.sho.com/RD301) and Masers of Sex (s.sho.com/MOS301) for free now on YouTube and SHO.com. The new season premieres can also be accessed via select television providers’ free On Demand channels and websites, on Showtime on Demand® and various partner sites and applications. Additionally, the episodes will be available via Showtime Anytime® on desktop, iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phones and tablets, Kindle Fire™, Roku® players, Chromecast™, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox 360®, Xbox One and Apple TV® streaming players anywhere in the U.S., as well as for download as a free video podcast on iTunes. Ray Donovan and Masers of Sex will also be available on the SHOWTIME Preview app on Smart TVs from Samsung, LG and Panasonic.

- When TBS’s Conan heads to San Diego July 8-11 for a week of shows during Comic-Con® International, the late-night series will showcase the incredible star power coming to town for the annual gathering. Host Conan O'Brien will welcome the stars of three massive pop-culture phenomena: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (Thursday, July 9), Game of Thrones (Friday, July 10) and The Walking Dead (Friday, July 10). In addition, the show will welcome a special surprise cast from an upcoming film to be unveiled in San Diego. The special week will open with appearances by actor Elijah Wood and The Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick. Conan's Comic-Con episodes will be taped at San Diego's historic Spreckels Theatre Wednesday, July 8 – Saturday, July 11, including two rare weekend shows. The episodes will air on TBS at 11 p.m. (ET/PT) each night and will be available across TBS and Team Coco's digital and mobile platforms the following day.

- TNT is bringing the explosive dramas The Last Ship and Falling Skies to Comic-Con International: San Diego 2015. TNT's presence at the annual gathering will include all-star panels for both series, plus an Oculus Rift virtual reality experience that puts fans of The Last Ship in the middle of the action. Among the many stars set to participate are The Last Ship's Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra, Adam Baldwin, Travis Van Winkle, Jocko Sims and Marissa Neitling, along with Falling Skies' Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, Drew Roy, Sarah Carter, Connor Jessup, Colin Cunningham and Doug Jones. Also participating are The Last Ship executive producer Hank Steinberg and Falling Skies co-executive producer Olatunde Osunsanmi.

- TBS is about to bring some stormy competition to late night with the brand new series Funny Or Die Presents America's Next Weatherman, produced by Funny Or Die, Mark Burnett and United Artists Media Group (UAMG). Funny Or Die Presents America's Next Weatherman features 12 competitors vying for a job as America's next great weathercaster. Matt Oberg (The Comedians) hosts the competition, which will be judged by longtime weather personalities Johnny Mountain (KABC, KCBS) and Jillian Barberie (Good Day LA). The series is set to premiere Saturday, Aug. 8, at 11 p.m. (ET/PT) on TBS, with availability across TBS's on-demand, digital and mobile platforms the following day.

- Undefeated Welterweight World Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) is ready for his July 11 Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on ESPN fight, the first PBC fight on ESPN. Thurman will meet former world champion Luis Collazo (33-6, 19 KOs) on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT live from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa.

- Evolve Media’s CraveOnline Media (craveonline.com), the largest online male lifestyle publisher, announced today their annual Comic-Con activation, Crave Escape, aboard San Diego’s USS Midway. On Friday, July 10, two thousand select guests will board the historic aircraft carrier to enjoy an evening of food, drinks, and entertainment. Once again catering to its massive audience of music, gaming, and entertainment enthusiasts, CraveOnline will host performances by Cold War Kids, Bad Suns, and Cathedrals, as well as the Best of Gaming Cosplay Fashion Show. For complete coverage of Comic-Con, as well as photos and videos of the event, please visit: craveonline.com/hub/comic-con.

- FamilyFans is giving away SIGNED "Dragons" Memorabilia - Free! This month only. "Hiccup's Map" Poster from Dragons: Race to the Edge SIGNED by showrunners, Art Brown and Doug Sloan.

- National Geographic Channel and Executive Producers Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary and James Younger of Revelations Entertainment announced today The Story of God, a new global series exploring mankind’s quest to understand the divine. Host Freeman will embark on an epic exploration and intimate reflection on God, immersing himself in religious experiences and rituals all around the world, as well as becoming a test subject in scientific labs to examine how the frontiers of neuroscience and cosmology are intersecting the traditional domain of religion. The Story of God is slated to air on National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Mundo in 2016 in the U.S. and globally in 171 countries and 45 languages. Each episode of The Story of God will center on one big question about the divine, from the mystery of creation, to the true power of miracles, to the promise of resurrection. These timeless and universal mysteries impact people from every faith. Freeman will be on the ground at some of humanity’s greatest religious sites, such as Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, India’s Bodhi Tree, Mayan temples and the Lakewood megachurch in Texas. He’ll travel with archeologists to uncover the long-lost religions of our ancestors, such as the 10,000-year-old ruins at Gobekli Tepe in Turkey or the ancient Celtic monument at Stonehenge.

- Imagine what it would be like if the talented artists, producers, and composers of the past and present had not been introduced to the power of music. This is the reality for large numbers of students, as schools throughout the US facing budget restrictions make music and art departments the first to go. The would-be musical stars of tomorrow are being denied access to essential education. In fact, just recently the city of Atlanta eliminated almost all music education programs. Although music education is often seen as a luxury, its absence from the curriculum is disastrous for America’s children, asthe value of music extends well beyond any student’s potential for stardom. Music increases understanding of subjects such as math, science, and foreign language, and schools that offer a music program have graduation rates 20 percent higher than schools that don’t embrace the power of music. “Quite simply,” said director, Emmy Award winner Nicole Boxer, “art can save lives.” The production team recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds they need as a basecamp for seeking the full project budget. Learn more about Don’t Stop the Music USA at http://kck.st/1Cooiol.

- Reality TV veteran Phil Abatecola (Hell's Kitchen, Big Brother) founded Distant Signal LLC in 2013 to focus on personal and unconventional storytelling with high production value on YouTube and other streaming platforms. He partnered with writer Mark Gonzales to create Distant Signal's freshman production, Milkshake, available on YouTube now. Milkshake tells the story of two unlikely friends who meet weekly in search of a legendary milkshake they once shared, but can't remember where. Lance, unemployed, but responsible, and Drake, a low level drug dealer with a day job, share their dreams, fears, and frustrations as they encounter LA's nightlife characters in search of the elusive, icy treat. Milkshake speaks to every young man trying to find his place in a post college world.

Previewing Falling Skies: The Final Season

Last week The Last Ship premiered with a two hour premiere pushing the new season of Falling Skies to tonight. I found this odd considering it seemed like every other season premiere for Falling Skies itself opened up with back to back episodes and it is weir that it would stop that streak for its final season. I guess the TNT action baton has been passed early.

The penultimate season of Falling Skies ended with a bang as Tom destroyed the alien power source on the moon with the help of his two year old Khalissi like daughter who sacrificed herself to save her father. Expect his Beamer was sent into space without any power. The new season starts up with a dream sequence ... or something like it with Tom's dead wife giving him a pep talk. It is unclear what is going on or how he gets back on Earth but it is clear that these "dreams" will have a big bearing on the new season.

Once reunited with the 2nd Mass, Tom uses these dreams to wipe out the remains of the Espheni fighting force left on the planet including wild roaming Skidder no longer linked to the Overlords. And what would a new season would be without a new alien creature harassing them and this season introduces a new mutated wasp which only becomes more creepy when they get it under a microscope. Though it it remains unclear in the early episodes who created them or what they were created for. My money would be whoever saved Tom.

Falling Skies airs Sundays at 10:00 on TNT. You can download Falling Skies on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/27/15

Orphan Black: Season three got off to a rough start with muddling mythology and a new clone that was not very interesting. Things did start picking up around the time the killed off most of the dude clones and the female ones started interacting more again. We did get a mostly satisfying season finale even if they reintroduced the nevolutionist (those are the guys with the tails from the first season right) who I did not really care for. I am surprised that Cosima's new girlfriend did not turn out to be someone involved, those she is still on the top of my list of who killed Delphine.
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: Last week's episode was kind of meh, but things certainly picked up this week with the best of the season, maybe series. We learned Lily is playing dumb and apparently Dr. Frankenstein implanted the brain of some evil megalomaniac. We finally got to see what Dorian Grey was hiding (even if everyone already knew what he was looking at). We also got the full text and that Lucifer needs Vanessa to get back into heaven and the vampire monster that was the big bad of last season was his brother that was cast out of heaven at the same time. We also may have learned what is up with Sembene who was able to break the witch's curse (unless I am reading that scene wrong but dude has to have some power right?). Should make for an interesting final two episodes.
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

American Odyssey: Oh yeah, #OdellLives was a thing before everyone except for her daughter forgot about her. And we learned by Luc is so irrational around her, he actually loves her. And could anyone have blamed her had she just stayed dead with the hot French dude instead of going home to her slubby husband?
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: I really hope this season does not devolve into Charles being alive and dead every other week. Make up you mind. Hanna should have continued digging up the grave (not that a body would have confirmed it was him; everyone thought Allison was in her grave). But I was mostly disappointed we did not see Allison coach youth soccer this week.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: I had absolutely no interest in watching this show from the promos, seriously television and movie writers, hackers are not lead characters, the are background ones at best. Especially one who is trying to bring down some Illuminati one percent cabal which has been done to death recently. It did not help knowing Christian Slater was in the cast considering all the crappy one and done series over the past decade. Then I saw a behind the scenes package featuring Dalia Royce as one of the hacker. Awesome. That got me to watch. I was really shocked with how good the whole thing was despite the tired plot and the even more tired Christian Slater. And that was even with Dalia Royce only appearing in two scene. If they up her involvement in future episodes we may have out first contender for best new show of the television season.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Aquarius: Again the most interesting part of the show this week happen off screen when NBC actually renew the show for a second season. Apparently releasing the whole season online was a resounding success. NBC even said it broke streaming records. I just wished NBC would have tried that once with Hannibal before canceling that show this week. Oh well, now there is the waiting game to see if anyone will bother to pick Hannibal up. As for onscreen, as much grief I gave her when the show started, the hot cop with the bad accent is the most entertaining part of the show and it was a much better episode with her back this week stupidly trying to seduce a football player who beats women before Mulder stepped in.
You can download the full season (just the televised version as of now) of Aquarius on iTunes.

Hannibal: After a month, we finally learn what became of Alana Bloom, apparently just a lot of broken bones. And we learned that Will is after Hannibal, Jack is after Will, and Mason is now also after Hannibal with a reward. Alrighty. I really do not like this non-linear storytelling this season. But it looks like we are all now caught up with everyone now so hopefully it is linear from here on out.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 6/26/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on He Named Me Malana, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Nirvana, On the Record with Mick Rock, SharkFest, The 2000s: A New Reality, Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail, Mission Pluto, Mark McGrath, Penny Deadfull, Epix, Hulu, Mama's Family, Face Off, Kelsea Ballerini.

- Fox Searchlight Pictures announced this week that National Geographic Channel has joined forces with Fox Searchlight Pictures for the global theatrical release of Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming feature documentary He Named Me Malana, an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. With this partnership, National Geographic Channel and National Geographic Society will join the global launch campaign to support the theatrical release this October. Additionally, in 2016 the film will air on the National Geographic Channels in 171 countries and 45 languages. Check out the trailer below:

It's here! Take a first look at HE NAMED ME MALALA, a documentary about Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai's...

Posted by Malala Fund on Thursday, June 18, 2015

- The two-time Emmy® nominated series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, starring Jerry Seinfeld and executive produced by Jerry Seinfeld and Embassy Row, returns this Wednesday, June 24 with a new episode starring comedian, television host, and political commentator Bill Maher on the television streaming network Crackle. In the all-new episode, Jerry and Bill drive around Los Angeles in a 1979 Volkswagen Beetle police car discussing how they think they’d do in prison, “ghost butter”, and why we still make things like pennies and the phone book. The original unscripted series is the first streaming program to compete with the coveted late night slate, airing brand new episodes every Wednesday at 11:30pm EST.

- On August 28, 2015, Nirvana - Nirvana’s self-titled, double platinum-selling (United States) / 7x platinum-selling (Worldwide) posthumous collection Nirvana (UMe) makes its debut on 45rpm double LP, pressed on 200-gram heavy weight vinyl and packaged in a furnace black gatefold sleeve with liner notes and a digital download card for 96kHz 24-bit HD audio; as well as a 33rpm single LP 150-gram standard weight vinyl edition which will feature a download card for 320kbps MP4 audio. Nirvana will also be released as a Blu-Ray Pure Audio in high resolution 96kHz 24-bit and is available in three stereo audio formats: PCM, DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD stereo.

- June 25, 2015 Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Blondie, Queen... there’s one rock ‘n’ roll photographer who has captured iconic images of them all on film: Mick Rock (aka, “The Man Who Shot the Seventies”). Today, Mick is as in-demand as ever; photographing legends-in-the-making like Snoop Dog, Daft Punk, The Killers, Cee Lo Green, and the Black Keys, among many others, but this summer, he’ll come out from behind the camera to host his own show: On the Record with Mick Rock, premiering on Ovation TV Sunday, August 2 at 8 pm ET.

- Every year as summer approaches, the world’s fascination with sharks resurfaces. The apex predator is vital to balancing the ocean’s ecosystem, but its reputation has been battered by myths and fabrications. Nat Geo WILD’s third annual SharkFest continues a tradition of focusing on the facts, featuring a week of insights from shark experts and incredible footage of shark behavior to get a comprehensive look at the species in all their glory. This year concentrates on the world’s shark hot spots, diving into feeding frenzies and exploring the country’s top shark beaches in SharkFest, a week-long event beginning Sunday, July 5, at 8/7c. For more information, visit natgeowild.com/sharkfest

- The 2000s introduced an abundance of new terms to the global lexicon: hanging chads, bailouts, marriage equality, al Qaeda, mobile applications and wardrobe malfunction. It was 10 years of highs and lows that would make even Howard Dean yell. National Geographic Channel (NGC) examines the decade that started with the September 11 tragedies and ended with the election of the nation’s first African-American president. The 2000s: A New Reality, narrated by Rob Lowe and premiering July 12-13 at 9/8c, follows the same wildly successful formula that made hits of its predecessors, The ’80s: The Decade That Made Us and The ’90s: The Last Great Decade?, by revisiting the key events of the 2000s through first-person interviews with the unexpected game changers, news makers, world leaders and entertainers who left their marks on history. The miniseries will later air globally on the National Geographic Channel in 171 countries and 45 languages, and on the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo.

- The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the most profound turning point in the history of human enterprise: the detonation of the atomic bomb and the revelation of the destructive force contained within its primary element, uranium. PBS premieres Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail, a two-part program that provides a fascinating journey through the complex history of the most controversial substance on Earth, on Tuesday, July 28, and Wednesday, July 29, 2015, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings).

- National Geographic Channel (NGC) joins top scientists at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in conjunction with NASA on a historic mission to the edge of our solar system with the goal of capturing the first clear images and data ever recorded of Pluto — a “dwarf planet” so mysterious, not even the high-powered lens of the Hubble Telescope can tell us what it looks like. Pluto could hold the key to further unlocking the mysteries of our galaxy, and the world waits in anticipation for the cutting-edge spacecraft New Horizons to complete its fateful approach. Premiering Tuesday, July 14, at 9/8c – the same day New Horizons is scheduled to make its historic flyby of Pluto — Mission Pluto takes an in-depth look at the ambitious project from start to finish, leading into the final hours of a journey more than nine years, $700 million and over 3 billion miles in the making. The special, hosted by Jason Silva (@JasonSilva) (National Geographic Channel’s hit series Brain Games), also premieres July 19 on Nat Geo Mundo and globally on National Geographic Channel in 170 countries and 45 languages.

- Mark McGrath, an American singer from Southern California, is best known as the lead singer of the groundbreaking band Sugar Ray. Mark co-starred in last summers indie hit Sharknado 2 and has a role in this summer's sequel Sharknado 3. In addition to his role in Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, opening July 16th, he was the co-host of Extra, and hosted Don't Forget The Lyrics as well as TV show Killer Karaoke. Though Sugar Ray is still together and as Mark puts it, "Rocking stages around the world," Mark is excited to announce his debut solo record and he has chosen to work with PledgeMusic, the groundbreaker in the direct-to-fan platform.

- Recently picked up for a third season, Showtime will bring the world of Penny Dreadful to San Diego Comic-Con, starting with an autograph signing with star Reeve Carney, on Saturday, July 11 at 3 p.m. at the Entertainment Earth booth #2343. Additionally, makeup artist and YouTube sensation Alexys Fleming will transform five lucky Penny Dreadful fans into characters from the show, including the Creature, the werewolf and a witch, through her masterful makeup applications. The transformations will take place at the Entertainment Earth booth on Friday, July 10. Fleming also created five custom videos on her YouTube channel, MadeYewLook, teaching fans how to recreate their favorite Penny Dreadful characters themselves throughout the season: s.sho.com/MYLWolfPD. In addition, the over 160,000 lanyards worn by all Comic-Con attendees will be branded by Showtime and Penny Dreadful.

- Premium TV network EPIX announced today that it will spotlight the surreal, naughty and hilarious comedy of Grammy® nominated, Peabody® and Emmy® Award winning comedian Craig Ferguson, in the Original Comedy Event Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest making its World Television Premiere Thursday, September 10, at 10pm ET/PT, 9C. The stand-up special airs during the EPIX Free Preview Weekend taking place September 10-13. EPIX subscribers can watch the Free Preview Weekend across all EPIX platforms-on air, online, on demand and via the EPIX app. Non EPIX subscribers can enjoy the Free Preview Weekend online at EPIX.com.

- Hulu subscribers will soon have the ability to add the Showtime service to their Hulu subscription and stream on a wide range of the most popular internet-connected streaming devices. The announcement was made today by Matthew C. Blank, Chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc. and Mike Hopkins, CEO, Hulu. Starting in early July, Showtime will become the first premium service to be offered to Hulu’s nearly nine million subscribers nationwide. Hulu will make Showtime available for purchase prior to the highly-anticipated July 12th premieres of the critically-acclaimed hit series Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex. For an early look, go to: hulu.com/getshowtime.

- It's the end of the proverbial DVD line for Mama, as Mama's Family: Mama's Favorites: Season Six marks the final release in the fan-favorite sitcom franchise starring Vicki Lawrence as the irascible Thelma "Mama" Harper. But Mama will not go silently into the good night, as this DVD installment features the six greatest episodes from the final season of the series as hand-selected by Lawrence herself, including: "Mama Fights Back", "Bubba's House Band", "The Big Nap", "Pinup Mama", "Look Who's Breathing" and "Bye-Bye - Baby!"

- Fresh off of being named the Best Reality Competition Series by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, Syfy’s hit reality competition series Face Off – the network’s most watched unscripted series – will return on Tuesday, July 28 at 9:00 for an exciting ninth season consisting of fourteen all-new episodes.

- Black River Entertainment recording artist Kelsea Ballerini’s smash debut single Love Me Like You Mean It tops both the Mediabase and Billboard Country Airplay Charts for the first time this week. The proven hit co-written by Ballerini earns her a spot alongside only 10 of country music’s leading women including Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood and Carrie Underwood who have achieved a #1 with their debut country single.

2015 Summer Music Preview

During my Spring Music Preview I mentioned that the most interesting thing in music was that they would be moving the album release day to a global release day on Friday. Last week it was announced that would start July 10. Since that was just announced some of these dates may be off and it is unsure if those albums will be released three days later and four days earlier. And like Spring, there are not really enough great albums coming up for a Most Anticipated list, albums that I was looking forward to released mostly lackluster first singles. Alas, here are the albums coming out in the next couple months that will at the very least be worth a spin on Spotify. If you would like to pre-order the albums on Amazon, click on the title. Click on the artist name to be taken to their iTunes page.


Yesterday
Pageant Material - Kacey Musgraves
Coming Home - Leon Bridges
Unbreakable Smile - Tori Kelly

June 30
Wildheart - Miguel
VENUS - Joy Williams
Blood to Bone - Gin Wigmore

July 10
Adrian Younge Presents Twelve Reasons To Die II - Ghostface Killah
Ghost Notes - Veruca Salt
Working Girl - Little Boots
Mobile Orchestra - Owl City

July 17
Recreational Love - The Bird and the Bee
Something More Than Free - Jason Isbell
Sing Into My Mouth - Iron & Wine & Ben Bridwell
How Does It Feel - MS MR
Sirens - Sublime With Rome
Born In The Echoes - The Chemical Brothers

July 24
Watkins Family Hour - Watkins Family Hour
The Blade - Ashley Monroe
Blue Pool EP - Vanessa Carlton
Woman - Jill Scott
Twenty+ - All-4-One

July 31
The Answer - Joss Stone

August 14
Midnight - Grace Potter
Vikings - New Politics

August 21
The Meth Lab - Method Man
The Awakening - P.O.D.
Emotion - Carly Rae Jepsen

August 28
Bad Magic - Motörhead
Depression Cherry - Beach House

September 4
Yours, Dreamily, - The Arcs
The Book Of Souls - Iron Maiden

September 11
Repentless - Slayer

September 18
This Means War - ZZ Ward
Higher Truth - Chris Cornell
Paper Gods - Duran Duran
Pagans in Vegas - Metric

September 25
Music Complete - New Order

October 23
Another Country - Rod Stewart

TBD
Habeas Corpus - Geto Boys (donate to the Kickstarter campaign)
Moonlight - Ariana Grande
Heart Blanche - Cee Lo Green
And the Anonymous Nobody - De La Soul
Speedin' Bullet to Heaven - Kid Cudi
Cass Country - Don Henley
Christmas in Tahoe - Train
The 1975
Adele
Band of Horses
Chic
Frank Ocean
Gary Clark Jr.
Grimes
Hailee Steinfeld
Janet Jackson
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Mudcrutch
Nas
Selena Gomez

Previewing Anne Frank's Holocaust and Brazil

It is depressing to think the last time most people thought about Anne Frank was during the silly debate over whether she would have been a fan of Justin Bieber. I really hate society sometime. Now we have all had to read The Diary of Anne Frank at some point in our lives but what it is easy to overlook was that there was more to Anne Frank after she was separated from her diary. Anne Frank's Holocaust retraces Frank's steps after being found in her father's annex August 4, 1944.

We are maybe a decade or so away from having any more first person accounts of World War II and the new special manages to find two childhood friends of Anne Frank in the Netherlands who would again cross paths at a concentration camp just months before the end of the war. They provide rarely seen photographs and provide a more vivid insight of Frank's early life and that spent in the concentration camps.

Anne Frank's Holocaust premieres tonight at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel.


If the Holocaust is too dark for you, National Geographic Channel's sister station Nat Geo Wild is premiering a new mini series also airing tonight for three straight hours. Brazil is having a moment in the sports world now, hosting the World Cup last year and the Olympic next year. The mini-series Brazil takes you out of the cities away from the people going deep into the many jungles rain forests in the nation. Where here in North America we had cold and warm seasons, in Brazil they have wet and dry season where different species thrive and have to survive in the other which is not as easy as hibernating like our local animals. Most fascinating of which are the fish the have to "jump" back to the rivers during the dry season when their habitat dries up.

Brazil premieres tonight at 8:00 on Nat Geo Wild.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/20/15

Penny Dreadful: I guess we should not be surprised that Lily did not come back right, but a what is up with her killing a dude during sex?
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

American Odyssey: I am not sure what my favorite part of the episode was: Luc again flipping allegiances by saving Odell by pretending to have her kidnapped and killed and not bothering to tell her the plan. Or Ruby who loves Harrison so much that she would commit suicide by cop that either kill him or get arrested (even though if her boss wants him dead can he not just hire another assassin after she dies). Nope, now that I think about it, my favorite part was Ruby having a pager. Who knew those were still around?
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: In the supposed "Summer of Answers" we still did not really get any. We did get a confirmation that Charles is a long lost brother of Allison but we essentially already knew that. But I do not really need answers this summer, really all I need from the the show this summer is multiple scenes of Ali mentoring a youth soccer team.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Tyrant: I was kind of hoping that this show would not be back for a second season because it was one of those post golden age shows that had a good concept, good acting, but was just missing something (usually any entertainment value). I was hoping for a hard reboot with Jamel actually going through with the execution of Barry, and was almost fooled that he did until I remembered my cardinal rule of television: no one is really dead until you see the body (and even in some cases that still does not stick), so I figured that was someone else under the hood. But if you are not going to hang Barry, why leave him out in the middle of the desert to die? Meh.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Aquarius: Another week without the howling hot chick with the bad American accent? Meh. But again the most fascinating part of the show this week was something that did not happen on screen as the show did not get a "Next Time" segment instead airing a promo for I Can Do That making me wonder if they are going to pull the show. Though Hannibal did get a Next Time package which ended with the announcer saying, "after an all new episode of Aquarius." Plus my TV Guide listing does still list an all new episode next week. It would be interesting if they actually pull the show the week the streaming and On Demand full season episode were supposed to expire. Of course that would not have been the weirdest thing NBC has ever done.
You can download the full season (just the televised version as of now) of Aquarius on iTunes.

Hannibal: It is official, the show is much better as a procedural with weird cases every week instead of a stow hunt for Hannibal. At least it looks like the whole gang will be back together next week.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 6/19/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Brain Games, First People, Bitten, Salvage Dawgs, The Bomb, Silicon Valley, Love at First Kiss, Penny Dreadful, Steampunk'd, Hellevator, Hey Kids, Let's Eat, Keep the Change, and The Way.

- All new episodes of National Geographic Channel’s (NGC’s) Emmy-nominated series Brain Games return Sunday, June 28 (9:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET/PT) and Monday, June 29 (9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET/PT) during a two-night premiere event. Kicking off the summer and just before the July 4 weekend, host, futurist and “Shots of Awe” creator Jason Silva hits the streets of New York and Las Vegas with new, captivating social experiments that reveal mysteries of the human mind.

- This five-part series First People shows migration of our ancient ancestors and how homo sapiens became the dominant species on each of five continents, beginning with “Americas” at 9pm ET, followed by “Africa” at 10:00 (check local listings). Archaeological finds combine with cutting-edge DNA science to tell stories of how early humans met, mated, and fought for their lives.

- In 2014, Syfy introduced genre audiences to Elena Michaels (Laura Vandervoort, Smallville, Ted), the world's only female werewolf, in Bitten, a steamy, emotionally charged supernatural series based on the novels by New York Times best-selling author, Kelley Armstrong. Now, this July, Entertainment One conjures up Bitten: The Complete Second Season in a loaded 3-disc DVD set, featuring all ten thrilling, unedited episodes, along with a collection of howlingly good bonus features.

- The hit DIY Network TV Show Salvage Dawgs just began airing its fourth season and just got renewed for a fifth season. Salvage Dawgs chronicles the adventures and creativity of Black Dog Architectural Salvage, a prominent architectural salvage warehouse and retail outlet located in Roanoke, Virginia. With a mission to reclaim, renew and redefine architectural salvage for a sustainable future, they specialize in saving such elements from the landfill. Humorous, family-friendly banter, a suspenseful approach to presenting the salvage process and useful information about how to reuse the historic items they find has resonated will with audiences nationwide.

- PBS’ new special The Bomb tells the story of the most powerful and destructive device ever invented. Premiering on PBS Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 8:00 (check local listings) in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the detonation of the atomic bomb, the show highlights how humans harnessed this incredible power and what challenges we have faced living with it for 70 years. The Bomb features newly restored footage of nuclear weaponry, some of which has been declassified only recently by the Department of Defense.

- HBO’s Silicon Valley has teamed up with Bitmoji, the popular emoji app that everyone loves, to create a special edition theme pack celebrating the show’s finale this Sunday. Released today, the six new Bitmojis bring the socially awkward world of Pied Piper to your fingertips featuring infamous Erlich expressions including “Trending Up” and “Time for a Vision Quest.”

- VH1 switches up the rules (and order) of dating with the network’s newest series, Love At First Kiss. The eight-episode series, from The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss and Warner Horizon Television, is slated to premiere in Fall 2015 and will bring together two strangers, both single and looking for love, who use just a kiss as their initial greeting and first and only impression.

- Showtime has renewed the critically-acclaimed, BAFTA Award-winning drama series Penny Dreadful for a third season, it was announced today by David Nevins, President, Showtime Networks Inc. Created, written and executive produced by three-time Oscar® nominee John Logan, Penny Dreadful stars Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton and Eva Green. A co-production with Sky Atlantic, Penny Dreadful will once again shoot on location in Dublin, Ireland for a nine episode order to debut in 2016. The second season of Penny Dreadful, currently airing on Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime, will air its season finale on Sunday, July 5.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today that it has started production on a new original skill-based competition series, Steampunk’d. Hosted by Jeannie Mai (“The Real”), the show seeks to find the most talented and versatile Steampunk designers in the country. Inspired by the Victorian era, Steampunk is a retro-futuristic design movement seen in everything from fashion to technology to design. In Steampunk’d, 10 contestants (also known as “Makers”) will be challenged to marry objects from the past and present in order to create impressive futuristic designs. Dramatic reveals each week will build to a grand finale of a fully realized Steampunk’d manor and the winner will take home a $100,000 grand prize. Currently shooting in Los Angeles, the eight-episode series is scheduled to air later this summer (exact date TBD.)

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today that it has greenlit eight episodes of a new horror-themed game show, Hellevator. The terrifying new show from Blumhouse, the team that brought the world the Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister, and The Purge franchises, dares contestants to survive a series of challenges from the depths of an abandoned warehouse. The new series is expected to premiere later this year.

- The award winning PBS series Hey Kids, Let’s Cook! is back for another summer marathon on Create TV on June 27 & 28, this time for season 3 of the series, which includes a visit to the White House featuring First Lady Michelle Obama and a very special surprise guest!

- Ready to bring music to life on your phone? NextRadio is a free smartphone app that connects you with local FM radio directly on your mobile device. Utilizing your phone’s built in FM receiver hardware with 3X better battery life and 10X less data usage, NextRadio won’t drain your data plan or battery! Combining FM radio broadcast with the internet, the app allows for a truly interactive and creative experience with album artwork, song details, station logos and program details. No longer limited to your car, NextRadio allows you to catch morning shows, talk radio, live DJ performances and music broadcasts from anywhere!

- Tangerine Entertainment is pleased to announce the June 18 world television premiere of Keep the Change on the nation’s largest public television station, NYC's THIRTEEN, airing at 10:30. This premiere coincides with the launch of their crowd funding campaign, which begins today with goals of expanding the short to a feature length film, seedandspark.com/studio/keep-change.

- Emmy® Award-winning actor Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Smashed, Big Love) has been cast as the lead male actor in the Hulu Original The Way (wt). Known for his role as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad, Paul is the first three-time Emmy® Award-winner in the drama supporting actor category. Paul will also serve as a producer on the series and his production company Lucid Road Productions has made a first look deal with Universal Television.

I Want My Music Television: 6/18/15

Biscuits - Kacey Musgraves


2013 was a great year for new music, Lorde, Haim, Chvrches, and Daughter all put out very good debuts, but my favorite album by a new album was Same Trailer, Different Park by Kacey Musgraves (it came in second on my list of the 25 Best Albums of 2013). So her follow was one of my most anticipated albums of 2015. Except it became a little less anticipated when I heard the first single Biscuits which sounds exactly like Follow Your Arrow off the first album both musically and lyrically ("Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy" is literally a left over line from Follow Your Arrow). I began to fear a Mumford and Sons situation where the second album ends up sounding like B-sides leftover from a stellar first album (Family Is Family which was released last week did not quash those fears). But I will say the music video for Biscuits is more entertaining than that of Follow Your Arrow although thanks to the bouncing biscuit, I learned that the first line of the chorus is "Hoe your own row" and not, "Hold your own rope" like I originally thought.


Coffee - Miguel


Ever since the turn of the century, RnB music has gotten worse and worse. And with the lack of good RnB meant the lack of good baby making music. Really there has not been many reasons to update the Baby Making Playlist since Babyface sank into obscurity. And then two years ago Miguel came along and lit the bedroom flames again with songs like Adorn and the kind of date-rapey How Many Drinks. I have high hopes for his follow up and though Coffee may not be as smooth as Adorn, it will certainly worth an add to the Baby Making Playlist.


Love 3X - ZZ Ward


I kind of wanted to like ZZ Ward's album but it was trying a little hard to be important but just failed despite have a couple good, but no great songs. That first album had a post Adele-bluesy feel to it, but judging by the first single from her sophomore album, she is going for more of a pop sound with this faux-Jamaican, cheesy fun ditty. It is definitely catchier than anything on that first album, but I still think Put the Gun Down is still a better song overall. But the music video is a little weird because for some reason ZZ has decided to look like Ashlee Simpson circa her new nose phase. At least that silly hat work better with the shorter hair.


Songs I Can't Listen To - Neon Trees


The latest Neon Trees is about songs someone can no longer listen to after a break up. Funny, I sort of get more obsessed with those songs afterwards.

Previewing Proof and Rizzoli and Isles: Season Six

The truth is out there. But what if the truth was not the existence of aliens but the proof of an afterlife. And Scully was a practicing medical doctor who, like every doctor in the post-House world, would be considered a horrible person if it were not for the whole saving lives thing. And Mulder was some rich amalgamation of of Steve Jobs and Richard Branson. Except he is too rich go out into the field and send an underling as a proxy so he is more like the Skinner and, um... okay, my The X-Files comparison to the new TNT drama Proof is starting to break down.

Proof stars Jennifer Beals (Flashdance) as the Sully stand in who is propositioned by Matthew Modine (Jobs) to determine what happens after we die after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and cannot wait a couple months to learn what happens first hand. And they say money is wasted on the rich. Beals is chosen because her scientific mind and her own near death experience (she is a horrible person but she will go to Haiti after the Earthquake or almost drown why aiding tsunami victims).

If there is a Smoking Man of the series it is Callum Blue (Dead Like Me), a supposed physic medium and best selling author. He is probably the most interesting character on the show. Either him or Beals daughter who has taken to pushing mean girls into lockers to cope with her dead brother and pending divorce (he is not so coincidentally works at the same hospital as Beals) and reminds me as a more dramatic version of Jane Levy on Suburgatory who herself was just Emma Stone adjacent.

So the series features Beals and her team (Modine's underling and an African intern played by Justified's Jean Baptiste) go on the look for X-Files type cases dealing with death including a girl who died and came back to life with drawings of dead relatives she had never met, a jealous ex-wife, and an Iraqi War vet who has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder... from a past life who participated in the Korean War. Proof feels like an X-Files episode that is being stretched into a full full season and makes the mistake many professional dramas do these days and thinks we actually want to see what goes on when they go home (dear television writers: we don't) which would be an alright concept if the X Files was not returning this winter. And if I am only going to watch one second rate X-Files this year, it is going to be the reboot.

Proof airs Tuesdays at 10:00 on TNT.


It seems odd that Rizzoli and Isles would start off their new season with an officer involved shooting, in a subway platform of all places, considering what has been going on in the real world over the last couple month. But at least the suspect is white (and since it was done by one of the main castmembers probably actually justified even if the perp's gun disappears after the shooting). On a lighter note, Dr. Isles is getting a new assistant medical examiner who may be as eccentric as Maura. There is an even lighter note next week when Boston's finest investigate a murder at a bass fishing tournament which also features a new suitor for Jane.

Rizzoli and Isles airs Tuesdays at 9:00 on TNT.

Previewing Clipped

We are living in the age of the comeback, groups ranging from Jodeci to the Afghan Whigs have come back after a decade long hiatus. Those the musical landscape is littered with comebacks, actors never really have comebacks because with the advent of cable and now the internet, there are countless hours to be filled. So actor never really go away, they are just relegated to channels you did not even now where on your cable package. Seriously, turn on the Hallmark or its Movie channel, you will undoubtedly see an actor you have not seen in five to ten years that you forgot you liked in a movie you will not be able to watch for more than five minutes (oh hey there Lyla Garrity and Earl Hickey).

So you may not have seen George Wendt since Cheers went off the air, but don't call Clipped his comeback, George's been here for year. Okay, Norm on a TBS show is not like Al Bundy on Modern Family but it is a step up from the ABC Family Christmas movies he has been in lately. And sure Al Bundy may be on a show that has won five straight Best Comedy Emmy's, but Norm is on a show where he makes out with Carl Winslow. Seriously.

Yeah The Big Bang Theory and the previously mentioned Modern Family are doing fine, but television comedies audience are becoming more and more fractured with niche type rating. I think it has been five years since an NBC comedy has gotten more than two season and shows airing after The Big Bang Theory and The Voice, the two highest rates shows on television routinely get axed because of pitiful retention rates. As we move into the nicheification of comedy, TBS has weirdly gone into a retro direction green lighting laugh-track heavy show multi-camera shows that feel like their are from the eighties even though none of these shows get more than three seasons (there only interesting programs are when they play with the format like with Glory Daze but that only got one season and King of the Nerds).

Clipped is another workplace comedy taking place at a barber chop populated by six high school friends (and Wendt) in Boston complete with poor Masshole accents. Thankfully Ashley Tisdale (Scary Movie 5) does not even try. Tensions start off the first episode when the owner decides he has to fire someone because of Obamacare premiums and makes his employees decide which one gets the boot. Though it was unclear how up to this point he was able to employ five barbers and an receptions to work at the same time in a shady part of Boston. The plot plays out exactly how you would expect.

Worst of all is the characters are all kind of boring. Two of the character's main attribute is they are hot (and of course they are destined to be together though things will keep them apart for a season or two). There is the necrotic one but he is not necrotic enough t. The overly bubbly receptionist. The douchebag boss. The only interesting character is the Jewish black girl ("Dr. Dreidel" is the funniest joke in the Pilot, possibly the only funny joke). Like TBS's previous sitcoms, Clipped my get a second season, but I would be surprised if it gets to a third.

Clipped airs Tuesdays at 10:00 on TBS. You can download the first episode of Clipped for free on iTunes.

Pilot - Clipped

Previewing Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos

Pink flamingos are always the highlight of any of the nature shows that populate the weekly specials that have popped up on the television over the the past decade so it is not surprising that DisneyNature would give them their own film (spoiler alert: it turns out they are not pink by birth but their pink cue comes from staining their feathers). Tonight is the premiere of The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos at 8:00 on Nat Geo Wild. The documentary give you the lifespan of the bird, from the courtship to the laying of the egg, to learning to fly and the hazards a young flamingo has to get through to make it to adulthood. A warning to those with small children, there are graphic death scenes. But for those with children already familiar with the circle of life, Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos makes for a great family movie. Check out the trailer from the teatrical relerase of the film below:

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/13/15

Orphan Black: Oh Donnie, how long until he tries to have sex with one of the clones, I thought it may actually happen this week with Helena. Then I thought he might accidentally kill another dude this week but instead just gets into a slap fight instead (where I thought he might have been dead until the promo monkeys went and spoiled that).
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: Fun fact: I was once an award winning actor who once was tasked with throwing confetti on stage during every performance. After the first time I actually did it and the play was over, I went to sweep up the mess I created until the director came by and told said the star does not have to clean anything, leave that to the minions. I felt bad as someone else had to clean up after me every night. It was that thought that ran through my mind when it started raining blood this week, somebody is going to have to clean that up, wash the clothes and everything. And just for a dream sequence. Poor chaps. But I have a feeling we may never see Dorian Grey's ball room again after that.
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

American Odyssey: Of course Odell gets captured by a pre-teen army. Why would she not? Luc not selling her out would have may actual sense, he has to flip on her for no reason at all every other episode. I also liked Yucef's plan to assassinate a sitting Senator so he could go on trial and tell his story as if that really would have happened his security team would have totally shot first and asked questions later, instead of wrestling the gun toting terrorist to the ground without a shot fired by them.
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Well that was boring. After a tense season premiere, that was really boring with the girls moping around for the whole episode. So much for the Summer of Answers.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Aquarius: I had spent the first two week making fun of the hot cop with the embarrassingly bad American accent but I have to admit I kind of his her and her howling this week. Oh well. But hey, Mulder rescued the runaway about eight episodes before I expected him too. And the acid trip scene was almost as entertaining as the howling.
You can download the full season (just the televised version as of now) of Aquarius on iTunes.

Hannibal: When Abigail Hobbs walked into Will's room as he was coming to I thought, she has to be a hallucination. They actually got me to believe she was real when she was still around "8 months later." Well they got me, of course no one is going to survive getting their throat slit twice. Noe she can go to that big fly fishing river in the sky. But this reintroducing only one character per episode like it is Lost is getting kind of annoying.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 6/12/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on The Strain, Operation Wild, Conan, Masters of Sex, VH1 Premiere Dates, Master P’s Family Empire, Separation Anxiety, Perfect High, Showtime, Lyfe Jennings, Make Music Day, and Episodes.

- It’s getting darker. More horrifying. And fun to watch. Get a FIRST LOOK at what’s to come in the all new season of The Strain which premieres Sunday, July 12 at 10:00 only on FX.


- In an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at how pioneering human medicine can also transform the way to treat ailing wildlife, the three-part series Operation Wild (watch a clip here) premieres Wednesday, July 1, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). Filmed over 18 months in co-production with the BBC Science Department, Operation Wild follows veterinarian teams from around the world as they undertake groundbreaking operations to try to save, or at least improve, animals’ lives.

- Conan O'Brien's shows are legendary for breaking hot new musical acts into the mainstream, a phenomenon Billboard Magazine recently called "The CONAN Bump." Now Conan's music tastemakers are coming to Spotify and letting the public in on the fun. Team Coco on Spotify will launch with a splash, releasing 22 historic playlists featuring every song played over two decades on Conan's three different shows. Additional playlists – including favorite songs from celebrities and pop stars, themed playlists from Conan and other Team Coco talent – will all be shared across Team Coco's powerful network of social media channels. The Team Coco web site will drive awareness for the playlist.

- On the heels of today’s announcement of the new Showtime over-the-internet partners, the network unveiled the season three key art and a newly released teaser for the award-winning drama series, Masters of Sex, which premieres Sunday, July 12th at 10:00. To watch the season premiere of Masters of Sex, in early July consumers will have the option to subscribe to Showtime through the stand-alone streaming service on Roku® and Apple devices, or through Sony PlayStation® Vue, in addition to their cable, DBS or telco provider. To watch the newly released teaser for the third season of Masters of Sex, visit: s.sho.com/MOSSexualRevolution

- VH1 has updated the premiere dates of Dating Naked: Playing For Keeps to 9:00 on Wednesday, July 22nd, and the series premiere of Twinning to 10:00 on Wednesday, July 22nd. The second season of Candidly Nicole will debut the following Wednesday, July 29th at 11:00. Stay tuned on July 22nd for Dating Naked: Playing for Keeps episode 202 at 11:00.

- REELZ today announced that, for the first time, music mogul Master P is opening the doors to his family home on the network’s original series, Master P’s Family Empire. Master P, whose real name is Percy Miller, is a single father who made it his mission to forge the Miller family empire—but with five kids ranging in age from 9 to 25 it’s not always easy keeping his business interests in order, let alone keeping his kids on track. How will he manage his own projects along with the singing, modeling, acting and sports careers of his children without losing his mind? Master P’s Family Empire will give an inside look at how this single father skillfully juggles his roles as entrepreneur, philanthropist and hip-hop artist with his most important role: being a dad. Master P’s Family Empire is produced by Asylum Entertainment and premieres Saturday, November 28.

- Comedian Iliza Shlesinger (Excused, Last Comic Standing) has been named the host of the upcoming TBS series Separation Anxiety, a comedic, relationship-based game show featuring a unique twist that isn't revealed to contestants until after they've played the game. TBS has ordered 14 one-hour episodes of Separation Anxiety, with plans to launch the show in late 2015. The series, which was announced in May during Turner's Upfront presentation in New York, is being produced by 5x5 Media and Electus.

- Los Angeles-based Just Singer Entertainment and Vancouver-based Sepia Films have announced the airdate for the powerful new television movie Perfect High set in the world of teenage drug use. The film is scheduled to air Saturday, June 27 at 8:00 on Lifetime in the US and Sunday, July 5 at 8:00 on SuperChannel in Canada. The film stars Bella Thorne in a bold departure from her earlier work and an outstanding ensemble cast including Israel Broussard, Daniela Bobadilla, Ross Butler, Jasmine Sky Sarin and Matreya Fedor.

- On the heels of announcing the Showtime stand-alone streaming service, Showtime has partnered with Roku, Inc.’s Roku® players and Roku TV™ models and Sony Network Entertainment International LLC’s PlayStation® Vue for the launch in early July. SHOWTIME is a brand which has been embraced by consumers as the home for cutting edge original programming, sports and movies, and it is the only premium streaming service to offer customers live East and West Coast feeds. Showtime will be available through these new internet distributors on all supported streaming platforms prior to the highly-anticipated July 12th season premieres of the critically-acclaimed hit series RAY DONOVAN, starring Liev Schreiber, and MASTERS OF SEX, starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan. The announcement was made today by Matthew C. Blank, Chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc.

- R&B artist Lyfe Jennings’ highly anticipated sixth studio album, Tree Of Lyfe, is now available for iTunes pre-order http://smarturl.it/TreeOfLyfe_LJ ahead of its June 23rd release via RAL/Sony Music Entertainment. Fans can also get a first listen of snippets of the full album at VEVO http://www.vevo.com/watch/USQX91501052.

- Make Music Day announces full lineup of more than 2,250 free, outdoor musical events taking place in 23 U.S. cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Nashville, San Diego, Seattle, Madison and Philadelphia. The world’s largest annual music event will fill June 21, the first day of summer, with every imaginable sound. Make Music Day is free to the public and everyone is invited to play along.

- Showtime has ordered a fifth season of Episodes, consisting of nine, half-hour episodes. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President of Showtime Networks Inc. The series stars Matt LeBlanc in his three-time Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role as a fictionalized version of himself. Creators and executive producers David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik have also received three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, as well as two Writers Guild of America nominations. The series will begin filming in London in 2016.

Previewing Murder in the First: Season Two and Major Crimes: Season Four

I like a good murder mystery, I even enjoy bad ones too, hey I made it through two seasons of The Killing (but I stopped after I learned who killed Rosie Larsen, I am not a sadomasochist). The first season of Murder in the First was alight, when the detectives went home to their families (or lack there of in one case) was a bit of a drag but we did get a conclusion that satisfying for the most part. I did not give much thought of it after the finale and to honest was a bit surprised there is a second season.

But hey, the new season features the addition of Emmanuelle Chriqui (You Don't Mess with the Zohan) so it has to be on an upswing on that bit of casting alone. Sure he plays a member of the Gang Task Force but she does not even crack the top ten list of least believable law enforcement agents in the history of television. The new season also features of shift in storytelling. Gone is the murder mystery (at least for now) and instead of one case, the log lines promises "a series of crimes" that will take the time of the San Francisco Police Department.

Sure we have all seen our fair share of fictitious school shooting that have police and high school dramas since Columbine, but the season starts off with a slightly new take with two kids taking out their classmate on a school bus before escaping on the streets of the city with a few smoke bombs that will instantly make anyone who has picked up a controller of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Though the theme is familiar, the season premiere is very gripping, tense, and a better hour than any of the first season episodes. You may think it cannot possibly take too long to hunt down a pair of teenagers, you would be right, that case seems to be closed by the time I watched all the episodes TNT sent over. It is unclear where they will go next, but a couple time over the first two episodes the department talked about an undercover officer who has gone missing while ingratiating a prostitution ring.

Murder in the First airs Mondays at 10:00 on TNT.


Prior to the new season of Murder in the First is the fourth season of Major Crimes. The new season starts off as it usually does, Lt. Provenza is being grumpy and looking a way to dump their current case on another department because he does not think it is a "major crime." It almost works this time until someone come out crying from a neighboring house with what he has to admit actually is a major crime. The neighbor's mother has been murder which may be linked to a rash of break-ins around town.

Also this season, the team will be investigating a case involving a dead body left in the trunk of a car that is wrecked during a high-speed chase and a gangland shooting case involving an 11-year-old witness. During his first drive-along as a Reserve Officer, Buzz Watson will be dragged into the latest Flynn and Provenza investigative debacle after a dead body in a bathtub threatens an extremely expensive wedding. And Sanchez will return to the Major Crimes unit, but struggle to rebuild relationships and trust with his fellow officers. Back at home, Sharon Raydor’s newly adopted son, Rusty, will discover a passion for journalism that tests his mother’s patience, and could threaten the prosecution of a confessed murderer.

Major Crimes airs Mondays at 9:00 on TNT.

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

Orphan Black: Finally, after weeks of boring and confusing mythology, we actually got back to what made the first season so good: clones interacting with and pretending to be each other. I still think there needs to be a Donnie and Allison crappy CBS spinoff sitcom. I may bring this up every weekend until I will it into existence
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: Well that was a dark montage at the end. And just when you thought it could not get any creepier, Dr. Frankenstein has sex with his creation? Ew. As for the previously mentioned montage, what is Sir Malcolm thinking? Ethan just told you to be on high alert. I would think a woman coming on to him at this very moment would be suspicious, but, c'mon Malcolm, she "accidentally" drew your blood with her ring. That might as well have been a tattoo on her forehead that reads, "I'm a witch!"
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

American Odyssey: When Bob told Harrison that he deeply cared for him I was taken about thinking that is a little strong thing to say, you might as well try to kiss him at this point. And then Bob leaned in. Oh my. I know this show is not very good, but what it lack in quality it certainly makes up for in entertainment value. And apparently Harrison was so shocked by the move and having someone's brain matter splattered on him he was stupid enough hook up with the person who was responsible for that brain matter. But hey, at least she is not a witch.
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes

Pretty Little Liars: I was kind of hoping we would get an entire season in the dollhouse. Probably not the smartest idea to set a fire when you are locked underground but again, these are not the smartest girls to ever be on television. At this point it would be out of character to do the smart thing.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Stitchers: Just last week I declared the chick from Aquarius to have the worst American accent put to film, but the lead on this show is pretty bad too. And what may be more annoying is the accent fluctuates constantly. Seriously casting agents either 1) let these actors use their normal accent; there is not reason the lead charterer here cannot be from Australian (okay, it would be a bit more of a stretch to have a rookie Australian cop back in the sixties; which begs the question, just how many hot Australian are there in Hollywood these days? Even Harley Quinn in the upcoming Suicide Squad is played by an Australian) or 2) just be xenophobic and cast an American.
You can download Stitchers on iTunes.

Aquarius: So having your kid run away is an aphrodisiac... who knew? As previously mention, the hot lady cop has the worst American accent put to film, but you know how to make her accent less distraction: make her howl. Wow. That was weird and random. But much like last week, the most interesting aspect of the show this week did not happen on screen but behind the scenes when the creator said there is an NC-17 version of the show floating around. He originally said it was the version on iTunes but that turned to be incorrect and revised to say it is coming soon. I did notice some kind of bad overdubs this week where they obviously replaced naughty words and once where they just completely cut out one of Mulder's words. I wonder if the edits are just auditory or if there are any missing scenes. Though I do not really need to see Charlie Manson bed Emma's dad.
You can download the full season (just the televised version as of now) of Aquarius on iTunes.

Hannibal: The show left us with three of the leads bleeding on the floor along with Abigail Hobbs. We will have to wait to find out their fates (though it is a bit of a spoiler that all three actors remain in the title sequence so Hobbs is the only one with a question mark). The show has always been a slow cooker, but with the hole episode devoted to Hannibal, it got kind of boring. Hopefully things get back on track when the people at the FBI (presumably) show back up next week.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 6/5/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Showtime, After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir, The Chase, Chain Reaction, Aerial America, Dateline NBC, and Shovel Buddies.

- For the first time ever, Showtime will be offered over the internet as a stand-alone streaming service launching in early July, with Apple as its first partner. The stand-alone service will be called SHOWTIME, a brand already embraced by consumers as the home for cutting-edge original programming, sports and movies. The launch of Showtime will coincide with the new seasons of the critically-acclaimed, hit series Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex, premiering on Sunday, July 12th.

- This week, Audible Studios released the audiobook version of After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir by Christina McDowell, a brutally honest, cautionary tale about one family’s destruction in the wake of the Wall Street implosion. McDowell, the daughter of Tom Prousalis, one of the guilty players sucked into the collateral fallout of Jordan Belfort (the “Wolf of Wall Street”), narrates this audiobook herself, providing listeners with the unique opportunity to have her tell her tragic story directly to them in the most intimate possible way. I would love to offer you a review copy of this audiobook or a clip of McDowell’s narration so that you can experience firsthand the touching, mortifying, and fascinating nature of her story.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today it will air never-before-seen episodes of its Emmy®-nominated hit game show, The Chase followed by the debut of an all-new edition of the popular word association game show Chain Reaction, beginning Thursday, July 16th at 8:00.

- Mission accomplished! The most expansive aerial series in the history of U.S. television has completed its epic quest to capture all 50 states from the air. Aerial America, the signature Smithsonian Channel series, will premiere its 50th state, Aerial America: Illinois, on Sunday, June 7 at 8:00. Preceding Illinois, Smithsonian Channel will broadcast a marathon of the previous 49 states beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 5.

- This Sunday June 7th at 7:00, Dateline NBC will air an episode entitled "Growing Hope" focused on three families who, having run out of medical options, go to extraordinary lengths to obtain access to CBD-rich hemp oil as an option for their children struggling with life-threatening conditions.

- AwesomenessTV announced the cast of Shovel Buddies this week, the Black List screenplay by Jason Hellerman. Shovel Buddies stars teen sensation Bella Thorne, digital juggernaut Kian Lawley and Alex Neustaedter (star of upcoming indie film Ithaca), in a coming of age story about four teens that must conquer a “shovel list” of activities left behind by their recently deceased friend. The cast also includes Anton Starkman, Philip Labes and James C. Burns.