57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/18/15

The Strain: The first season it seemed like the show really had a hard time finding the right balence and tone. On one hand the vampire were the creepiest creatures on television with their tongue claw things. On the other, their Master looked like a Muppet. It is hard to figure if the show is actually getting on the right track or not but there it looks to be. It looks like we will be getting a new Master, at least that is what I took out of the scene with vampire mom getting her voice back though it will is yet to be seen if she will be going back to her old form or will be fitted with a Muppets mask of her own (the former Master in the flashback look more like the lesser vampires on the show so maybe she will be fitted with a latex suit). We also learned more backstory and it turns out the Master went rouge from his kind of which there are seven of (no word on what is up with the three other yet) which is kind of interesting. The least interesting part continues to be the science behind the show with them trying to "cure" vampireism..
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Falling Skies: So Anthony's girlfriend dies in the premiere and this week Pope's lady friend gets stuck in some sort of alien quicksand... it looks like no one is going to get a happy ending in the final season. Well except the Mason family, they always get their ways.
You can download Falling Skies on iTunes.

Murder in the First: Wait, so you are not allowed to plead guilty without being considered insane despite multiple eye witnesses and overwhelming physical evidence? Seemed like an open and shut case. Take the win and move on guys.
You can download Murder in the First on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Oh that lab scene was glorious, Hannah learning she was chipped, they stupidly freeing the animals including a wild raccoon that she has to give her dinner to appease. And of course Mona showing up to almost makes sense. It almost made me forget the Allison coaching youth soccer story line. Almost.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Tyrant: It only took five episode but Barry has finally decided to fight for his country. Let the season finally begin.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: Finally an episode featuring Dalia Royce in more than two scenes. And she was a nice diversion to the extremely trippy Elliot story line. From the start I have assumed Christian Slater was a figment of his imagination but he did talk to a couple other characters this week and gave money to the drug dealer so maybe I am wrong.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Under the Dome: I finally caught up with the early season and though the second season was completely dreadful I actually like the season premiere with the alert=native reality. But since that ended this invasion of the body snatcher lite story line is almost as dreadful as last season.
You can stream current episodes of Under The Dome for free with Amazon Prime.


Aquarius: Once again the most interesting aspect of the show did not happen on the show this week because there was no way it could because the show has not aired this week yet. That is because NBC announced this week that it is getting moved to Saturdays (along with Hannibal) starting tonight. This has to be the first time a show that has been renewed but banished to the death slot less than a month later.
You can download the entire seaaon of Aquarius on iTunes if you do not want to watch television on Saturdays.

Around the Tubes: 7/17/15

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 Affair, Life on the Reef, Childhood's End, Heroes Reborn, The Hunger Games, Sports Detectives, and Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks.

- Today, Showtime debuted the second season key art and a new teaser for its Golden Globe Award-winning drama The Affair, premiering this fall on linear, On Demand and over the internet. Starring Golden Globe nominee Dominic West (The Wire), Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (Luther), Emmy® nominee Maura Tierney (ER) and Screen Actors Guild® Award nominee Joshua Jackson (Fringe), season two of The Affair explores the emotional and psychological effects of an affair that destroyed two marriages, and the crime that brings these individuals back together. This season, the provocative drama will be told separately from four different perspectives, revealing four distinct truths. To watch and share the new teaser for season two of THE AFFAIR, go to: http://s.sho.com/1HY8ro8. For a behind the scenes look at the new season art, go to: http://s.sho.com/1UV81To.

- Life on the Reef, a three-part series that explores the mysteries and hardships of the world’s greatest marine wilderness, premieres Wednesday, July 22, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). The documentary examines the array of life in and around one of the planet’s most extraordinary and endangered places, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and the efforts to protect it.

- Childhood’s End follows the peaceful alien invasion of Earth by the mysterious “Overlords,” whose arrival begins decades of apparent utopia at the cost of human identity and culture. Check out the trailer below:


- Imperative Entertainment released the first trailer for Heroes Reborn: Gemini (console/PC) and Heroes Reborn: Enigma (smartphone/tablet) -- two games connected with the upcoming Heroes Reborn TV series. The trailer gives a glimpse into the dark world of the Heroes universe as well as the incredible powers fans and players can expect to wield in the game.


- EPIX presents the world television premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1 on Saturday, July 25th at 8:00.

- Muhammad Ali’s Olympic gold medal. The basketball from Wilt Chamberlain’s famous 100-point game. The American flag draped over goalie Jim Craig after the “Miracle on Ice.” All precious artifacts from legendary moments in sports – and all are either missing or in dispute. Enter Sports Detectives (working title), a new Smithsonian Channel docu-series currently in production that looks to uncover the true stories behind some of the most iconic objects in sports history and the moments that defined them. Sports Detectives, comprised of six one-hour episodes, is scheduled to premiere in 2016. The announcement was made today by David Royle, Executive Vice President of Programming and Production, Smithsonian Channel.

- It’s opening day of the Outer Banks bluefin season, and the captains battle it out to make the season’s first catch. Captain Charlie “Griff” Griffin may be new to the competition, but he’s a legend in these waters. Griff, who fishes alongside his son, manages to form a friendship with Gloucester captain Dave Marciano of the Hard Merchandise. Despite the competition, Griff offers to help Marciano navigate the treacherous currents that run through Oregon Inlet as boats pass under Bonner Bridge. It’s a dangerous gamble: If they make it through they’ll reach the fishing grounds, but one wrong move could end both their seasons. Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks: First Strike premieres Sunday, July 19, 2015, at 9:00.

The Eleventh Scooter Television Awards

Welcome to the 11th Annual Scooter Television Awards honoring show that aired a majority of their season between July 2014 and June 2015. Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2014 STA's:

Best Scripted Show: Justified

Best Sitcom: Blackish

Best Sci-Fi Show: Orphan Black

Best Comic Book Adaptation: Marvel's Agent Carter

Best Animated Show: Star Wars: Rebels

Best Reality Show (Competition): The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II

Best Reality Show (Documentary): Sing it On

Best Talk Show: Pardon the Interruption

Best New Show: Marvel's Agent Carter

Guiltiest Guilty Pleasure: Hindsight

Best Awards Show: 2015 Grammy Awards

Best Hour of TV: Fight - Masters of Sex

Best Half Hour of TV: Martin Luther Skiing Day - Blackish

Biggest Shocker: Paige telling someone who her parents really are

Worst Idea: Bringing back Resurrection for a second season

Worst Moment: Carrie seducing her target on Homeland

Biggest Disappointment: It took Paige this long to learn her parents are Russian

Best New Title Sequence: The Affair

Best Dance Sequence: Alison and Donnie Hendrix rap video homage

Best Character: Alison Hendrix (Orphan Black)

Best New Character: Peggy Carter (Marvel's Agent Carter)

Best Recurring Character: Ronald Pierce (Ray Donovan)

Best Guest Appearance: Lady Sif (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Best Duo: Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder (Justified)

Most Entertaining Reality “Star”: Nany Gonzalez (The Challenge)

Most Annoying Reality “Star”: The men of Survivor:Worlds Apart

Show That Should Be Brought Back: Hannibal

Most Anticipated New Show of Next Season: Blindspot

Biggest Question for 2015-2016: What happened to Becca in the elevator?

The Ten Best Television Shows of 2014-15

For my list of best shows of the year, I only consider shows that finished their seasons between July 2014 and June 2015 so the final season of Mad Men which stupidly was split into half season is finally eligible even though the season started almost seventeen months ago. What is not eligible is the show that topped last year's list Hannibal as it just started its third season. Here are the ten best shows that aired their episodes in the same twelve month periods.

1. Justified 7.x (FX)
2. Masters of Sex 2.x (Showtime)
3. Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC)
4. The Americans 3.x (FX)
5. Homeland 4.x (Showtime)
6. Parenthood 6.x (NBC)
7. Gotham 1.x (FOX)
8. Mad Men 7.x (AMC)
9. Blackish 1.x (ABC)
10. Orphan Black 3.x (BBC America)

Previewing The 2000's: A New Reality

VH1's I Love the 80's was one of the greatest specials ever in the history of television. Of course I Love the 90's came next. After that the channel went back further for I Love the 70's even though a better title could have been I Kinda Like the 70's because "Love" is a little strong for that decade. But the huge mistake was when VH1 produced I Love the New Millennium. First off, stupid title. Sure we never landed on a title for the decade, but man up and definitively call it something. Even worse it aired in 2008 before the decade was even over. Not only that, the decade pretty much sucked worse than the seventies.

A couple years back National Geographic Channel debuted its own retrospective The '80s: The Decade That Made Us which was a more newsy, macro version of I Love the 80's. Not surprising they followed that up with The '90s: The Last Great Decade?. The simple answer was yes. Much like I Love the New Millennium, I feared that another in the NGC special in the series would be unnecessary. But tonight sees the premiere of The 2000's: A New Reality. At least they actually waited until after the decade was over to produce it.

With all that happened surrounding the Supreme Court last month, it is actually a little funny that the special starts off with liberals like Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi decrying that radical un-elected judges decided who got to be president while conservatives like Bill O'Reilly commended the Supreme Court for following the word of the Constitution. What a difference fifteen years makes.

I figured going in this retrospective would be more depressing than the two previous but watching the four hour but all the bad news stories just kept on getting compounding: Elian Gonzalez, USS Cole, hanging chads, Chandra Levy, 9/11, anthrax, Tora Bora, Beltway Sniper, Enron, the Iraq War, the Southeast Asian tsunami, Janet Jackson's nipple, Abu Ghraib,Hurricane Katrina, global warming, Lehman Brothers. Sure tails of Survivor, Napster, iPod, The Osbournes, YouTube, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy are sprinkled in but it is hard not to be glad that decade is over after watching A New Reality.

Back again as narrator is Rob Lowe. We also get first hand accounts of the biggest stories by politicians Dick Cheney, Nancy Pelosi, talking heads Bill O'Reilly, Geraldo Rivera, entertainers Randy Jackson, Adam McCay, people who where on the USS Cole when it was attacked, survivors of the tsunami and Katrina, and even the whistle-blowers behind Enron and Abu Ghraib. The 2000s: A New Reality probably is something airing too early (we should probably wait at least a decade before we should take stalk in history) but it is something that will hold up for future generations to understand just how depressing and wild the decade was.

The 2000s: A New Reality premieres tonight at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel and concludes tomorrow also starting at 9:00.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/11/15

Penny Dreadful: So the creepy Vanessa doll was the Earthly vessel for the Fallen Angel... Awesome. But did destroying the doll end the Fallen Angel or will he just be stewing in hell until he find another witch to do his bidding (and could the witch's daughter be that person; though I have a feeling if she shows up again it will be to help Ethan escape)? I did not quite understand the absorbing the scorpion, was she absorbing the Fallen Angel and is now an angel herself? Is that why she burned the cross. Maybe that was the Fallen Angel processing her, maybe? Though it does seem that they are setting up Lilly and Dorian as the big bad of season three.
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

Tyrant: Offering his services as baby sitter for the woman who is leaving the village for six months really makes it looks like Barry will be spending the whole season there and not trying to get home to his family which would be a bummer. At least the promo monkeys make it seem he will be going to Syria next week.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: That bar scene basically just confirmed to me that Christian Slater is just a figment of Elliot's imagination. Then you had Tyrell going as close as you can get to going American Psycho without having Huey Lewis and the News playing in the background (which begs the question who is this decade's Huey Lewis... Maroon 5?) But still, I need more than one or two scene of Dalia Royce per episode. This is the worst tease in television history.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Hannibal: Leave it to this show to make even hot lesbian sex seem creepy. And I finally figured out who Mason looks like with his new face: he looks like a resident of Whoville. Now I will probably start laughing whenever he comes on screen.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 7/10/15

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 Homeland, Twinning, The Expanse, Chris Cornell, Other Voices, Showtime on Hulu, Incredible Flying Jet Packs, Hell on Wheels, and WAGS.

- Hot on the heels of launching its stand-alone streaming service, Showtime is giving viewers a first look at the upcoming fifth season of the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning drama series Homeland. Premiering this fall, the series will pick up two years after Carrie Mathison’s (Emmy®, Screen Actors Guild® and Golden Globe® Award winner Claire Danes) ill-fated tenure as Islamabad station chief. Struggling to reconcile her guilt and disillusionment with years of working on the front lines in the “war on terror,” Carrie finds herself in a self-imposed exile in Berlin, estranged from the CIA and working as the head of security for a German philanthropist.


- For the first time ever, VH1 is putting “twin-tuition” to the test with new reality competition series Twinning premiering Wednesday, July 22nd at 10:00. With ten hour-long episodes and hosted by Angie Greenup, Twinning is an arc’d competition series in which 12 sets of twins will go head-to-head for a grand prize of $222,222.22. But getting there won’t be easy. Viewers will experience double the meltdowns, double the hook-ups, and, of course, double the fun when twin teams are pushed to their limits in unexpected ways. As the strengths and weaknesses of each twin pair is revealed, relationships will be tested and resentments will be exposed. In the end, one pair of twins will be left standing and win the cash prize, and be crowned as “Twinners!”


- Syfy has announced the launch of a virtual reality app for The Expanse, the network’s highly-anticipated drama series from Alcon TV premiering in December 2015. Utilizing Google Cardboard, the app immerses viewers into the vast world of The Expanse, giving them the opportunity to enter into settings from the show and experience them in virtual reality. “The Expanse VR” app – available for iOS and Android devices – takes users on a 360-degree tour of the spaceship Canterbury (the massive ice freighter introduced in the first episode of The Expanse). Additional virtual reality content will be added to the app in the months leading up to the series’ premiere in December.

- When Grammy-winning, Golden Globe® nominated singer/songwriter and rock icon Chris Cornell was about to release his 1999 solo debut on Interscope/A&M/Geffen Records, he was dissuaded from his first choice for the title, Euphoria Mourning, and reluctantly dubbed it Euphoria Morning. Now, 16 years later, Universal Music Enterprises is correcting that admitted misjudgment, re-releasing the re-mastered album under its original name on August 14, for the first time on vinyl as well as reissuing digitally and on CD. Euphoria Mourning will be pressed on 180 gram vinyl and include a download card featuring 320 kbps MP4 audio ripped directly from the vinyl.

- The latest special from the acclaimed Irish music series Other Voices is headed to North America. The one-hour program, featuring worldwide sensation and Grammy Award-nominated artist Hozier, will be broadcast on Smithsonian Channel in the U.S. and Canada. OTHER VOICES is distributed by Monster Entertainment. Hosted by Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones and The Wire), Other Voices is filmed in the spectacular seaside town of Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland, where the main performances are shot in the very intimate and beautiful 200-year old St. James’ Church. The announcement was made today by David Royle, Executive Vice President of Programming and Production, Smithsonian Channel and Andrew Fitzpatrick, Chairman, Monster Entertainment.

- A new era has arrived. Starting today, Showtime is available as a stand-alone streaming service on Apple TV®, iPhone®, iPad®, iPod touch® and the Roku streaming platform, and consumers can subscribe to the service for one monthly price of $10.99. Viewers can also subscribe to Showtime via PlayStation Vue’s cloud-based TV service, or can get the SHOWTIME service through their Hulu subscription and stream on a wide range of the most popular internet-connected streaming devices. The launch of Showtime through these new internet distributors coincides with the new seasons of the critically-acclaimed, hit series Ray Donovan, starring Liev Schreiber, and Masters of Sex, starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, premiering this Sunday, July 12th. In addition, Showtime is also available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers.

- Jet packs have sparked our imaginations for decades. They’re fast, they’re cool, and people dream of them becoming part of everyday life in the 21st century. A new Smithsonian Channel one-hour special, Incredible Flying Jet Packs, premiering Sunday, July 19 at 9:00, explores their past, present and future.

- Season Three of Hell on Wheels ended with Cullen married to a pregnant Naomi and living in a Mormon fort where the Swede (Christopher Heyerdahl) was impersonating church leader, Bishop Dutson; Thomas "Doc" Durant (Colm Meaney) back in control of the Union Pacific Railroad which had successfully expanded westward to Cheyenne; and Elam (Common), gravely injured by a bear while searching for the missing Cullen. And, as Hell on Wheels: The Complete Forth Season unfolds on blu-ray and DVD exclusively from Entertainment One (eOne), civilization makes its way west with the railroad, bringing with it men who attempt to do with their pens what rougher men did in seasons past with their guns. Conflict between government and big business, ranchers, homesteaders and the railroad will continue to define the drama as all of those interests compete with one another for control of Cheyenne, Wyoming, the "Magic City of the Plains", and the most important railroad hub in the country.

- E! takes a wild ride into the world of some of today’s hottest professional athletes from the perspective of the women who stand by their side, otherwise known as WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends of Sports Stars). These WAGS are playing the most competitive sport out there: getting and keeping that pro-athlete man. As part of an elite, exclusive group, the WAGS are close friends who are bound together by a strict hierarchy, unspoken rules and plenty of drama – and those who have the coveted ring and a husband with a contract are the ones with all the power! As in sports, this game is all about getting that “W” and this pack knows how to play the field… Jump into the competitive, fast-paced, glamorous world of “WAGS” when the new series premieres on E! Tuesday, August 18th at 10:00.

Previewing Masters of Sex: Season Three

Late last season on Masters of Sex, Virginia's ex-husband George showed up looking to alter their custody arrangement much to her chagrin. I actually thought he had a good case because at that point I had completely forgotten she had children, they were MIA for most of the season and the only time I even remember them being mentioned was when Libby wanted to piggyback Virginia's babysitter to spend more time with her nanny's brother. It seems like there will not be a lack of Johnson children this season because they have enough of a storyline this year to warrant a title card at the end of each episode (or the very least the first two) letting us know that though the sex study is based on their real research, the children on the show are completely fictitious.

When the Johnson children did pop up at the end of last season during the custody battles I was a bit surprised that with all the time jumping that happen last season (five years had passed since the series started) the kids were played by the same actors that played them in the first season despite the five years that had passed in the time. Since another four year has passed since the end of last they have finally recast the kids to more age appropriate actor. Henry is now seventeen and looking like Steve Rogers before he got his Captain America super powers. While fifteen year old Tessa is now being played by Isabelle Fuhrman (the creepy girl from Orphan who did such a great job in an otherwise mediocre film that I had to go straight to her Wikipedia page to see if she really was a forty year old like her character or an actual teenager like she looked). Focusing more on teenagers has always been a drag on otherwise great television shows, but the best part of the early season is when Ginny suggests Dr. Masters, who has spent his life studying the subject, give Tessa the birds and the bees speech.

This comes when the Johnsons and Masters (who have added a third child since the last episode) descend on a cabin for vacation on the even of their book finally being publish. When we last left Libby she was finally admit her husband was having an affair and it seems like everyone now know this but never speak of it which leads to a bunch of awkward conversations even before the subject of birds and bees is brought up. The end of the premiere bring a bombshell that will shake up the new season which will result in the addition of Maggie Grace as fellow doctor (yes, the token hot chick from Lost will be playing an MD) who assists Dr. Masters when a very important person is in need of Masters's expertise.

Over two season, Masters of Sex has established itself as one of television's best, combining drama and sexual education with a wry sense of humor (thankfully Betty and Lester still working at the clinic) and it only continues to get better in its third season. And it may end up being the first great television show that can make kids of the characters entertaining.

Masters of Sex airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime. You can download previous season of Masters of Sex on iTunes.

Previewing Ray Donovan: Season Three

For seven years fans of Justified were hoping that Raylan Givens would run into his alter ego's nemesis Al Swearengen. Unfortunately all we got instead was a dreadful Michael Rappaport season. We may have never gotten the Deadwood reunion we wanted on Justified but we will be getting one on Ray Donovan with Ian McShane showing up on his favorite prostitute's show. He plays a very powerful (and kind of shady) billionaire in need of Ray's by any means necessary approach when his son is held for ransom. That one favor turns into two and when Ray needs a favor, McShane then completely owns Rays (but it is a really big favor).

I had some big problems with the first season of Ray Donovan. It really epitomized what I considered the post-golden age era television is currently in: the acting is ghe writing is good, but something is just missing, and in this case, the show just was not entertaining. The show did improve in its sophomore outing as it found its humor; the Conner birthday was a highlight of last season. Yeah it did still have some rough spots; Bunchy was still a useless character (well so are the kids, but that was the case even during the Golden Age). The show also would have been better off had they just killed off Micky at the end of the first season instead of Sully. But Wendell Pierce was a great addition as Micky's parole officer.

Unfortunately we may not be see much of Pierce this season as apparently his parole expired in between seasons (he does show up in the third episode) and Micky has moved on to babysitting a five year old girl (seriously). Instead we get a recurring Katie Holmes as McShane's sports agents daughter which disappointingly brings Ray back to his first season self where Ray finds himself bailing athletes out of sticky situations that the lower half of their bodies get them into. And it does not happen early in the run, but it seems safe to assume Ray will forcibly have sex with her at some time and will disturbingly like it.

Much like Ray himself, the show is seriously flawed but is working hard at what he does. It is not clear if the third season is where the show can finally turn a corner but at the very least, it will be nice have l Swearengen back on a channel where he can say his favorite word (which sadly, I doubt will chance, a lot has changed in the decade since Deadwood) but it will be interesting if the writers can figure out a reunion with Trixie. But at the very least the second episode is worth checking out just to hear Terry's (who is absent in the season premiere) cellmate sing his favorite Huey Lewis and the News song.

Ray Donovan airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime. You can also download previous seasons of Ray Donovan on iTunes.

Previewing Destination Wild

In a measure of full disclousure I should mention that I have never actually played Angry Birds. I think I got the Star Wars edition when some site offered it for free but never got around to tranfering it to a mobile devise let alone play it yet. But I understand that the mobile game is a cultural phenomanon. It is even getting its own tie in special on Nat Geo Wild this Sunday with the appropriately titled Real Angry Bird. And these birds more than live up to their title with the birds going wild on other animals and even some bird on bird action like one species who go one on one with what look like a female cheering them on like someone is filming a white trash family reunion. And in a rarity on these animal specials, us human beings get featured as a target o some aerial assults.

Real Angry Birds is part of a twelve week Destination Wild branded events all starting Sundays at 9:00. Here is a full down of what is airing this summer:

Real Angry Birds
Premieres Sunday, July 12, 9/8c
“Angry Birds” is an addictive game, but are there real angry birds out there? What happens when they stop being polite and start getting mad? For the aviary set, every day is a battle to survive, find food and shelter, and stay out of harm’s way. Tune in for a bird’s-eye view of our feathered friends’ fights, singing battles and dance-offs.

The Eagles
Premieres Sunday, July 12, 10/9c
Eagles are top predators that battle fiercely for survival and diligently raise their young. This eagle clan has 60 members, united by their acute eyesight, powerful wings, sharp talons and hooked beaks. We follow one eagle from hatchling to home ownership. Her fight to survive shows what it takes to be queen of the sky. In the words of another reality diva: “It’s Gone With the Wind fabulous.”

Brazil
Premieres Sunday, July 19, 9/8c (two hours)
From the rolling mountains and luscious rain forests to the scorching desert and the iconic Amazon River, meet the extreme wildlife of Brazil. And we’re not talking about an episode of “Botched.” We’re talking giant anteaters, venomous snakes, capuchin monkeys, dolphins, boa constrictors and many more.

Clever Monkeys
Premieres Sunday, July 26, 10/9c
Narrated by natural history legend David Attenborough, Clever Monkeys opens our eyes to a world filled with intelligence, love, sadness, empathy, language, lying, social manipulation, stress and humor more touching than anything you might see on Bravo! Scientists around the world are listening to monkey calls and finding language with grammar. They have even discovered lying monkeys. Some monkeys suffer from depression, high blood pressure, ulcers and stress. Come along to a monkey world that looks strikingly similar to ours.

Kings of Baja
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 2, 10/9c
There are few places on Earth more forbidding and beautiful than Baja, Mexico. That said, Laguna Beach came close in its reality heyday. Eight hundred miles long and 10 million years in the making, Baja is home to a punishing desert and the most diverse sea on the planet. Kings of Baja showcases the unique evolutionary adaptations of the flora and mega fauna to survive in their slice of the ecosystem including sea lions, devil rays, great white sharks, hammerheads, giant mantas, whale sharks and gray whales.

Fur Seal Battleground
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 9, 9/8c
If you’re looking for the ultimate survival reality show, you won’t want to miss the adventures of Ruby and Oliver, two New Zealand fur seal pups struggling to learn the secret to staying alive. From the very start, they must stay out of the way of testosterone-charged bulls so they aren’t trampled to death. Every few days the pups are left to themselves while their mothers go off to feed. Only half of all fur seal pups survive the first year of life, so these pups must learn fast if they want to beat the odds.

Lemur Island
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 9, 10/9c
Millions of years ago, hundreds of castaway creatures crash-landed on Madagascar’s rugged shores. Isolated from the mainland, evolution went into overdrive. Of the tens of thousands of species found on the island, approximately 80 percent are unique. This myriad of bizarre life forms had a huge impact on the early human settlers — lemurs in particular shaped their culture, fueling folklore and legend that still guide their lives today. Legend has it that early reality sensation Puck is descended from a lemur.

The Kangaroo King
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 16, 10/9c
The scorching interior of the world’s oldest continent is home to the toughest kangaroo on the planet, the mighty Red. You won’t want to miss extremely rare footage of a red kangaroo birth and specialized in-pouch cameras that capture an intimate portrait of Red’s development. We are also introduced to the kangaroo’s formidable neighbors through close encounters with wedge-tailed eagles, dingoes, venomous snakes and giant monitor lizards. This is a story of survival against the odds and what it takes to endure drought, heat wave and bushfire.

Alpine Underworld
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 23, 8/7c
The Alps’ lofty mountain world is a holiday destination from January to December, but there is an unknown side to the picturesque vacation spot. Using the latest technology, our cameras summit lofty peaks and dive into ice-cold lakes to reveal zones of life and death. We’re talking real-world Life Below Zero here. The lakes’ abyss includes ghostly shipwrecks complete with ghastly residents, medieval trees felled by too much snow and fascinating sea life. High up on the mountaintops we meet the animals that breathe this rare air including lynx, the poisonous asp viper and the stone eagle. This alpine tour brings an entirely new perspective to one of Europe’s most fascinating landscapes.

Wild Spain
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 23, 9/8c
Arab emirs called it the Great River; today it is called the Guadalquivir and it flows for 400 miles from the Carzola mountain range in Spain to the Atlantic Ocean. Together with a lone fox, we embark on the ultimate reality road trip along the banks of the Guadalquivir, from the snow-covered summits to the seashore, enjoying the greatest biodiversity in Europe. The fox’s goal is safer ground, and on his way he meets a motley crew of animals including an Iberian lynx, golden eagle, spider crab, dragonflies and sturgeon. This spectacular variety of landscapes and fauna is a must-see.

Elephant Queen
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 30, 9/8c
After the tragic death of her daughter, the herd matriarch must lead her elephants to safety. This epic journey will take them across an arid desert, past mud swamps, a valley of dust storms and beyond the lion gatekeepers of a forbidden kingdom, into the herds’ ancient feeding grounds in the Okavango Delta. The route they will follow is an ancient one, etched in elephant memory that stitches waterhole to waterhole in an invisible map across the dry lands. However, if Mensah loses her way, her herd could all die of thirst, or worse.

Boteti
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 6, 10/9c
Twenty years of drought has turned the Boteti River into Botswana dust. The animals that live here endure hardship to stay alive and must adapt their behavior to survive. Herds of zebra fight over water, crocodiles dig tunnels to stay cool and elephants practice water conservation. Now for the first time in 30 years, rain has fallen, sending a stream of water through the riverbed. After years of extreme drought, the Boteti has returned in all its glory, transforming the landscape and bringing dramatic changes to the resident animals. It’s like when the contestants on “Survivor” get a food reward — buckle up for a wild ride.

DISNEYNATURE: WINGS OF LIFE Narrated by Meryl Streep (NETWORK TELEVISION PREMIERE)
Premieres Sunday, September Sept. 13, 8/7c (90 minutes)
WINGS OF LIFE is a stunning adventure full of intrigue, drama and mesmerizing beauty. Narrated by Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep, this intimate and unprecedented look at butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, bats and flowers is a celebration of life, as a third of the world’s food supply depends on these incredible — and increasingly threatened — creatures.

Behind Russia’s Frozen Curtain
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 20, 9/8c
Explore the stark landscape, frigid sea and wild animals in Franz Josef Land, one of the most remote and inhospitable places on Earth. National Geographic Pristine Seas Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala leads a group of scientists and adventurers on the first international scientific expedition to Franz Josef Land. His team will work with some of Russia’s most formidable biologists, geomorphologists and ornithologists to see how climate change is affecting this untouched world. Behind Russia’s Frozen Curtain is also featured in Sala’s new book, “Pristine Seas: Journeys to the Ocean’s Last Wild Places,” on sale Sept. 22.

Land of 10,000 Grizzlies
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 27, 8/7c
Russia’s Far East is a wild and isolated realm that was closed to outsiders by the Soviet military for most of the past hundred years, but wildlife was left to flourish. Compelled by the instinct to reproduce, millions of salmon journey to Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula every summer, drawing some 10,000 grizzly bears to its shores. Talk about an “Amazing Race.” Journey with us to this harsh and beautiful terrain to find Northern fur seals, the artic fox and Steller’s sea eagle.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/5/15

Penny Dreadful: Last week I was beginning to think that Sembene was special after he was able to shake Sir Malcolm from his enchantment. Well it turns out the marks on his face was because he was a slave trader and he is, as he claims, just a man. Of course if he is still around next week after surviving a wolf attack he is more than just a man. But the show did set up what looks to be a tense finale. Malcolm and Dr. Frankenstein are locked up in a room of illusion. Vanessa was introduced to a creepy doll version of herself (or I assume even though it looks less like her than the bust of Lionel Richie made by a blind woman looked like him). Then you have to wonder if Lyle is still playing both sides because he is safest of them all right now.
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

The Last Ship: The two hour premiere was pretty intense, defeating the evil dictator o Utopia. But is that going to get the whole show now that they have the cure: go into a new area, overthrow a dictator, pass out the cure? Hopefully they find something more interesting to do this season because that could get old soon. This week's searching for surviving family members was kind of boring.
You can download The Last Ship on iTunes.

American Odyssey: Oh, how did the writers think they were actually going to get a second season? There really was no need for a cliffhanger here. It really put a damper on a stupid fun season which is becoming a NBC post football Sundays tradition. But at least the show went out stupid with Aslam just running the streets of Spain looking for Odell, the weird thing in the cemetery, plus there should have been no reason for a cliffhanger because shouldn't Peter's flashdrive backed up everything Odell said? Oh well. It will not put a damper on whatever cheap Homeland ripoff NBC puts in this slot next spring.
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Can we just please get to the point where Allison starts coaching the church's soccer team please. Forget the summer of answers, all I want this season is her coaching. For some reason we will have to wait at least two weeks or that because the show is randomly off next week. In non soccer news, let me go ahead and predict the little dancing girl is actually the younger version of Spencer.

Tyrant: So is Barry just going to spend the whole season in a desert town? Even in the middle of nowhere and with a beard, it is kind of hard to believe no one noticed the brother of the president.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: The show does paranoia better than I can remember being depicted on screen before. It crossed my mind last week but I am becoming more convinced that Christian Slater is just a figment of Elliot's paranoia, basically the person he want, or thinks he should be. And maybe all the hackers are parts of him. But as good the first two episodes have been, I am going to need more Dalia Royce than just one scene going forward.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Hannibal: If Danny DeVito's momma cannot survive being thrown from a train it is hard to believe Will Graham can. And I thought European countries had bullet trains now. Oh well. At least Jack got some form of revenge on Hannibal as we know he will not be able to capture him (not that Jack looked like he had any intention of capturing). I am just hoping Hannibal's capture happens soon so they can move on to the next capture because I am not sure if I want to sit through a whole season of near captures.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

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