Around the Tubes: April 3, 2021

      

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Hootie & the Blowfish, Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, Cream, and Bellator MMA.

- Sessions is excited to announce a new livestream performance by one of America’s most beloved bands, Grammy-winning Hootie & the Blowfish. The virtual performance will be an online presentation of the tour-closing performance from their hugely successful 2019 Group Therapy Tour, broadcast exclusively via Sessions Live on Friday, April 23 at 6PM PT/9PM ET.  Early-bird GA tickets priced at $15 are on sale now at SessionsLive.com/Hootie/tickets. GA ticket prices will increase to $20 on April 20 at 9 p.m. ET. VIP ticket packages priced at $250 are also available, which include access to the live stream as well as an autographed tour pass and access to an exclusive virtual afterparty Q&A session with the band.

 

- Eat, or be eaten! Kill, or be killed! Get into survival mode with Adult Swim’s #1 prehistoric animated series with the release of Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on June 1, 2021. The critically acclaimed series displays a perfect 100% rating by critics & 99% by audience on Rotten Tomatoes, and recently won 3 Juried Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Animation. Travel back in time and binge on all 10 fascinating episodes from the first season and go behind the scenes with interviews from the incredible talent from this wordless series. The edge-of-your-seat thriller is priced to own at $24.98 SRP for the DVD ($30.99 in Canada) and $29.98 SRP for the Blu-ray ($39.99 in Canada), which includes a Digital Copy (U.S. only). Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal: The Complete First also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers.

- UMe/Polydor is delighted to announce the limited edition, blue, 2LP release of Cream’s show Live at the Forum, recorded at the Los Angeles Forum during their Goodbye Tour of 1968. Taken from the 2020 full version of the 4-CD set of the Goodbye Tour 1968 and produced by Bill Levenson, this sumptuous 2LP set is the first authorized release of the full concert on vinyl. It captures Cream at their virtuosic best, at the end but also at the height of their career.  With Cream, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton, set the template for not only the ‘supergroup’ but also the “power trio,” with their innate musical talent and brilliance. Only coming together as Cream in July 1966, they shone briefly but blindingly bright throughout two trailblazing years. 

- At just 17-years-old, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and ballerina, Claire Rosinkranz buzzed to the forefront of the conversation this Summer with the independent release of her debut EP, BeVerly Hills BoYfRiEnd in June 2020.  Her song “Backyard Boy” gained unprecedented traction on TikTok, inspiring nearly 3 million video recreations, and sparking a highly competitive signing effort from labels around the world.  In addition to generating over 103 million Spotify streams, it captured #1 on the Spotify Global and U.S. Viral 50 Charts, with the EP exceeding 405 million global streams. With outlets like BuzzFeed, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Coup de Main and Genius chronicling her rapid rise, not to mention The New York Times naming “Backyard Boy” one of their “Best Songs of 2020,” Claire Rosinkranz is poised to become one of the year’s most unexpected and significant breakout acts.  Get the BeVerly Hills BoYfRiEnd (Remixes) EP, which features guest appearances from artists including ROLE MODEL, Jeremy Zucker, Rakeem Miles & Hauskey, HERE. Listen to her recent collaboration with Sarcastic Sounds and Clinton Kane, “Change Ur Mind” HERE.

- SHOWTIME Sports and BELLATOR MMA will deliver its inaugural event, BELLATOR MMA 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2, live for free to non-SHOWTIME subscribers across multiple streaming services, online platforms and cable television providers when the premier combat sports partnership debuts on Friday, April 2 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.  The main card, in addition to airing live on SHOWTIME for subscribers, will be available for free to millions across the United States on industry-leading streaming services Pluto TV, Hulu, YouTube and FuboTV, in addition to participating television providers Armstrong, Buckeye, Liberty, Optimum and Suddenlink without the need for a SHOWTIME subscription. The main card of BELLATOR MMA 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 features five high-stakes matchups and is headlined by the next round of the Featherweight World Grand Prix tournament, as BELLATOR’s reigning lightweight and featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (31-4) defends his 145-pound title against Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4) in a semifinal bout.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 28, 2021

 

Shameless:  Usually the Carl storyline is the best, but bringing back his first partner and making him boring killed that streak.  Though not that any of the other storylines were much better.  Okay, I will admit to laughing pretty hard at Papa Milcovich dating a Jew who ended up marrying a black man.

 

The Walking Dead:  Yeah, that was pretty easy to spot that was not really Ezekiel.  First off, the guard did not even notice he was there until he got punch?  Plus Ezekiel has never been that violent before.  Granted, the biggest red flag for me was why did he drop into the train car with no way of escaping?  That just seemed really dumb because there would be no way he knew that Princess found a way out?  Or did she?  I am not entirely sure she even left the car at all.  None of these new people knew there was a easily to remove wooden piece in the car?  Plus shortly after returning to the car, the new people have everyone lined up outside it before she reopened the door?  Unfortunately it may be a while before we get a conclusion to this cliffhanger, next week in the finale and the previously on focuses solely on Daryl and Carol.  Ugg, the pandemic shut down the show right before the season finale, so they added six more episodes and then end the season there.  I wish they just added the finale to the eleventh season and just air those together.  Oh well.  Then the week after that, we get the four final episodes of Fear the Walking Dead.  Now I got to try and remember what happened before the Coronapocalypse shut that show down.

 

Good Girls:  Okay, weird co-worker was pretty entertaining.  Give him and check-cash guy their own spin-off.  They have been low-key the best parts of the last two seasons. But just how does Dean get out of this?  Beth and FBI lady have to team up, they did kind of tease it there at the end.  But how do you tie that all to Rio?  And what about the hit on Rio?

 

Debris: So English agent hears American agent knows her father is alive and then seemingly orchestrates the brother in law break into storm to be with his family?  Am I getting this right?  If yes, then why?

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Poor Anessa, out again right before the final.  I went back and looked at her results and she went out first once, out the six episode another time, but other than that, she makes to at least the ninth episode every other time.  Well, now she is off to the Senior Tour where twelve twenty-two appeared in shows after her.

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  Still no Sharon Carter and Baron Zemo only got a couple seconds at the end.  I wonder had it been better if they did not announce them if they are only going to be in about half the episodes.  Better than waiting for them to show up.  I thought for sure the stowaway in the truck was going to turn out to be Sharon.  Oh well.  But the biggest problem is it still feels like an elongated Marvel movie that just finished its first act.  Had this been an actual movie and Zemo and Sharon do not show up until the second act, I would be fine with that.  But not getting any substantial screen time until at least the third episode when there are only six feels weird.

 

The Blacklist:  Still no Lizzy?  But what I do not understand about this week is why the hostage still had her phone?  Isn’t that something you want to take so she cannot text someone and be tracked?  But that lady turned out to be John Wick who managed to kill four out of five armed men with just a self-made shiv.  Give that lady her own show.

Around the Tubes: March 27, 2021

     

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Amy Winehouse, Ben Howard, Anna of the North, The oak Ridge Boys, Koala Man, and The Man Who Fell to Earth.

- Amy Winehouse At The BBC, a 3LP/3CD collection chronicling the many remarkable performances by arguably the greatest and most genuine talent to emerge in British music in decades, will be released on May 7, 2021 through Island/UMe. For the very first time, this updated release offers audio-only versions of the songs featured on ‘A Tribute To Amy Winehouse by Jools Holland’ and the ‘BBC One Sessions Live at Porchester Hall,’ and so a high proportion of these tracks will be completely new to digital music services. “Stronger Than Me,” “Tears Dry On Their Own” and “You Know I’m No Good” will be available March 24 on streaming services, and the video for “Stronger Than Me” will be available on YouTube. This comprehensive collection captures the strong and enduring relationship that Amy enjoyed with the BBC and is further proof of quite what an extraordinarily talented, completely original, and truly engaging performer Amy was.

- Ben Howard is very excited to today release his new album Collections From The Whiteout, out now on Republic Records. Stream the record in full here.   Ben has also shared a video for the album’s “Sorry Kid.”  The track is loosely inspired by the story of Anna Sorokin, the Russian born German woman who, after moving to New York City in 2013, posed as a billionaire heiress. Watch the clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsycB4z3Rn8

- Anna of the North releases her new single "Here's To Another." Out with a cinematic music video, the track leads the way to a 2021 Fall album.   Serving as an unintentional ode to 2020, "Here's To Another" is an anthem for reflecting on and letting go of all the negative in the past year. The nostalgic-sounding, melancholic but happy record sets the tone for a new era of Anna of the North. Pairing a steady yet euphoric beat with tongue-in-cheek lyrics that feel distinctly Anna but also fit the unified thought of "here's to another year," the Oslo based artist is building her own colorful world of pop music and inviting us on the ride. 

- GRAMMY® Award-winning and Country Music Hall of Fame members, The Oak Ridge Boys swing into Spring with the announcement of their new album, Front Porch Singin’, to be released on Friday, June 11. This is their fourth collaboration with Grammy Award-winning producer, Dave Cobb. Recorded during the pandemic, it was imperative to create a project that offers up just what the lead single details; love, light, and healing. Building anticipation for the upcoming album, the first single, “Love, Light And Healing'' is available to download and stream on all digital services today and is premiered exclusively by People.com!

- We're very excited to announce Hulu's upcoming animated series Koala Man.  From Michael Cusack, Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez, Koala Man continues Hulu’s relationship with Justin Roiland and 20^th Television Animation who are behind Hulu’s hit adult animated Original series Solar Opposites, which returns for a second season on March 26. The first season debuted May 8, 2020 and became the streaming platform’s most-watched Hulu Original comedy premiere of the year. Koala Man joins Hulu’s growing slate of adult animated Original series including Solar Opposites, Crossing Swords, and the upcoming Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. (5/21) and Marvel’s Hit Monkey.  Logline: An animated family comedy where the patriarch lives a not-so-secret identity of Koala Man, an Australian suburban superhero with no powers but a burning passion to snuff out petty crime and bring order to the community.

- SHOWTIME announced today that Oscar, BAFTA^®, Screen Actors Guild^® and Golden Globe^® award nominee Naomie Harris (Moonlight) will star in the highly anticipated upcoming original drama series THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH. Harris will play Justin Falls, a brilliant scientist and engineer who must conquer her own demons in the race to save two worlds. The series, also starring Oscar and Emmy^® nominee and BAFTA Award winner Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), is scheduled to begin production in London this spring and will premiere exclusively on SHOWTIME in 2022. 

Previewing City on a Hill: Season Two

City on a Hill is a show I desperately needed a lengthy “previously on” for a new season.  The first season finale before anyone had even heard the term COVID way back in August of 2019.  I vaguely remember Kevin Bacon being a dirty cop (which turned out to be an FBI agent), Aldis Hodge as the District Attorney (actually got that right), and two brothers who rob bank, one a snitch and the other one  cannot remember if ended up dead or in jail (still fuzzy on that last one, but since the actor is the lead on Debris now, I am nor expected he pops up either way).  But when watching the first episode I was quickly reminded that the show does not do proper “previously on” but a couple title cards before the show.  Hopefully nothing happened last season was that important.

 

The first time we see Kevin Bacon this season, he is drinking out of a flask while driving and a woman is snorting blow off him.  So if you forgot Bacon was a shady law enforcement agent, you are quickly reminded of such.  And I just noticed that his license played is Rohr, his character’s last name.  Yep, he is also a grade A masshole turned up to eleven.   His wife is still extremely depressed being married to such a douchebag.  He does have a new daughter in a recasting who has a completely new outlook on life after almost dying of a drug overdose last season (sort of remembered that).  He also has a new superior who tells Bacon in their first meeting, “You retire or I will make your life hell.”  Apparently she forgot much of the first season too, because Bacon is able to weasel out of every situation

 

While the snitch and his sister-in-law still get some screen time, the big case that takes up much of the two leads’ time involves a Valentine’s Day shootout that resulted in a stray bullet killing a young girl in the projects of Boston.  The project’s manager and community organizer play a big role in the story along with her two sons who do some things their mother is completely aware of.  So at least we will not have to remember much of the first season to enjoy the second.  All you need to know it is another cat and mouse game between two alpha males like the other Showtime series Billions.   Hopefully unlike Billions, one of these two do not have to take five plus seasons to win.

  

City on a Hill airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime.

  

Previewing Into the Dark: Blood Moon

 

I am always most interested in the episodes of Into the Dark that feature a holiday you would not expect.  Sure, some of them do not turn out very well, like the March installment in the first season that was based on the ides of March.  After the obvious St. Patrick’s Day instalment last year, the pandemic stalled second season ends in March, this time with another somewhat surprising holiday for this March: the Blood Moon.   Okay, that is not really much of a holiday and technically the full moon in a couple days is just regular one and the next Blood Moon is not until May.  But hey… werewolves!  Oh… now that I think about it, I guess the “Blood” is more literally.

 

It is pretty easy to tell we are getting the mythical creatures when the episode starts up with a woman holding a shotgun, with a ripped shirt who then takes a baby out of what looks like a dog’s travel cage.  The next time we see the kid, he is ten years old moving to another town where the mother only wants to shop local and get paid in cash.  But this is a slightly different take on the werewolf story, not told from the perspective of the creature, but that of the mother who is raising the young boy.  But this is a boy who, like most kids a little older who are going through puberty, is not entirely sure how or why their bodies are changing.

 

No word yet if there will be a third season  of Into the Dark or if they will start it back up immediate or wait to premiere in October to coincide with their annual Huluween celebration like the previous two seasons.  Hopefully we will get more monthly installments.  As up and down as some of the installments are, it is an innovated release schedule that highlights up and coming genre writers and directors.

  

Into the Dark: Blood Moon premieres tomorrow on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 21, 2021

 

Shameless:  Once again, the Carl storyline remains the most entertaining, or really, only entertaining one, really.  So no more bouncing around from mentor to mentor, now he is just going to bounce around from department to department.    Though I hope we get another episode or two in vice.  But the Gallagher clan finally learned of Frank’s condition.  And it only took public indecency at a school.  Or I guess The Middle School as they are going the Washington Football Team route of naming.  But back to Frank, are they really going to kill him off for the series finale or is he is going to get a miraculous cure like the time he had cancer or liver failure so he can come back for the inevitable reboot?

 

The Walking Dead:  So those two have been out with Maggie’s map for two weeks even though she just returned two episodes ago?  This show has some timing problems, especially when they do these episodes that just focus on small groups of people.  Then it was weird that they brought in T2 just to kill him, have the plot twist that his twin is still alive, and then have the twin kill himself too. Maybe there is a triplet out there somewhere.

 

Snowpiercer:  When they shut down the engine, I thought for sure that is when they passed Melanie by, but it looks like they are still in Asia after it got fixed.  So that is, what four episodes this season without the biggest star?  Kind of bold.  But I guess with Wilford in charge, he is just going to stroll right by because he can.  Maybe he will push Layton out to keep her company.  Unfortunately no episode next week but a two hour finale.

 

Debris: So there is weird stuff going on even before the debris started too fall?  I guess that opens the world up a little.

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  So the one person everyone wanted to send in won this week’s challenge.  That is always entertaining.  Unfortunately Kyle did not blow up the game by putting in Leroy but went with the safe choice of Corey.  Now the question is who gets sent in next week?  Big T needs a skull, but who is else?  Amber B seemed like the easiest choice, but she is now the Rouge Agent (pretty nice consolation prize of losing your partner, not getting sent in probably right before the final… excuse me, T.J.’s final).   Next up has to be Anessa.  But what if she wins again?  This seems like the scenario where Nany’s luck runs out.  But what I do not understand if why not manipulate it so Kam goes against Kacey?  Just take one strong person out before the finale?  Seems like everyone is playing a scared game, but why not make the TJ’s final a little easier for you?

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  This just seemed like the opening scenes of a movie stretched to forty minutes.  If you are going to do these television shows, make them television shows like WandaVision, not just very long movies chopped up.  But hey, if you are going to do a four hour movie, I guess it is more digestible if you chopped it up into six episodes.  I have to stop whenever a new chapter starts on The Snyder Cut.

Around the Tubes: March 20, 2021

    

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Sasquatch, Wework, The Chi, Black Monday, Flatbush Misdemeanor, Teen Wolf, 100% Wolf, Into the Dark, Cypher, U2, Lord Huron, Foxes, Maja Kristina, Greta Van Fleet, The Goldbergs, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Weeknd, Let the Right One In, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Shaka: King of the Zulu Nation.

From Duplass Brothers Productions and director Joshua Rofé comes a wild investigation into rumors of a bizarre twenty-five year old triple homicide said to be the work of a mythical creature. The three-part Hulu Original documentary series premieres on Tuesday, April 20, only on Hulu.  While visiting a pot farm in Northern California in 1993, investigative journalist David Holthouse heard a story that still haunts him: On a nearby farm three men were torn limb from limb in a savage Bigfoot attack. Sasquatch follows David as he revisits the Redwoods 25 years later, in search of any evidence that might lead to the truth of what happened that night. As he pulls at the threads of this story, he’ll be taken down a path that’s far more terrifying than anyone would have imagined. 

- Investigate the community-centric, people-first ideal that sent a little co-working venture sky-rocketing into unicorn investment territory – and what was really going on behind the scenes – with Hulu’s WEWORK: OR THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF A $47 BILLION UNICORN trailer.  WEWORK: OR THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF A $47 BILLION UNICORN is a feature documentary that explores the rise and fall of one of the biggest corporate flameouts and venture capitalist bubbles in recent years - the story of WeWork, and its hippie-messianic leader Adam Neumann. Utilizing interviews with journalists, experts, high-ranking former employees, and former WeWork members, the documentary takes a look at the community-centric, people-first ideal that sent the little co-working venture sky-rocketing into unicorn investment territory, and then investigates what was really going on behind the scenes.

- SHOWTIME has announced that the fourth season of its hit drama series THE CHI (9 p.m. ET/PT), the third season of comedy BLACK MONDAY (10 p.m.) and freshman comedy series FLATBUSH MISDEMEANORS (10:30 p.m.) will debut on Sunday, May 23 in a powerhouse night of programming.

- To celebrate March's Full Moon on Sunday the 28th, Hulu will be counting down the days with howling good series and film premieres for every wolf in your pack.  TEEN WOLF: COMPLETE SERIES 10th ANNIVERSARY (Streaming Monday, March 22), 100% WOLF (2020): Australian animated kids film. The story of 100% WOLF centers on Freddy Lupin, heir to the leadership of a proud family line of werewolves. Positive he'll become the most fearsome werewolf ever, Freddy is in for a shock when on his 13th birthday his first "warfing" goes awry, turning him into a ferocious... poodle. Thrown a bone by the pack elders, Freddy has until the next moonrise to prove he has the heart of a wolf, or risk being cast out forever. With the help of an unlikely ally in a streetwise stray named Batty, Freddy must overcome his pink and fluffy exterior to prove he's still 100% Wolf.  (Streaming Tuesday, March 23)  INTO THE DARK: BLOOD MOON SEASON 2 FINALE:  When Esme (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and her ten-year-old son, Luna (Yonas Kibreab), move to a small desert town looking for a fresh start they attract all the wrong kinds of attention. As the locals begin to probe, Esme must battle to protect her son and a terrifying secret before the next full moon threatens their very existence.  (Streaming Friday, March 26) 

- CYPHER, is making its exclusive premiere on The Roku Channel. Cypher -- an FBI code breaking specialist who discovers a secret organization's hit list, and must navigate the murky waters of loyalty and betrayal amongst fellow FBI agents – all as the clock ticks to save his kidnapped daughter.  Available for the first time to viewers in the U.S. and Canada, all seven episodes of Season One will drop on Friday, March 19^th, 2021.

- YouTube, Island Records, Interscope, UMe, and UMC today announce U2: The Virtual Road, a series of four concerts broadcast for the first time exclusively on the band's YouTube channel, for 48 hours only.  U2: The Virtual Road also marks the first time that three of these concerts – Slane, Red Rocks, and Mexico – have been made available digitally.  The first concert will broadcast on St. Patrick's Day, March 17,  2021. U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle celebrates the band's return to the legendary Irish concert site on September 1,  2001, for their first performance on the banks of the River Boyne in over twenty years. And in an exclusive YouTube performance, Dermot Kennedy will open the show with a solo performance recorded last week outside Los Angeles.  On March 25, fans can tune in to see U2: Live At Red Rocks recorded on June 5, 1983, at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, the United States, on the band's War Tour. A career-defining show, the rain-soaked performance at the iconic venue helped establish U2's reputation as one of the greatest live acts in the world. And another Grammy-nominated Dublin band, Fontaines D.C., will open the show with a performance recorded in their hometown last year.  The PopMart Tour stormed into Mexico City in December 1997 for a memorable show at the Foro Sol Stadium and on April 1 will see Carla Morrison open for the band, only on YouTube, for a very special one-off performance ahead of Popmart: Live From Mexico City.

- After causing a whole lot of chatter amongst audiences and critics alike, Lord Huron have begun to unwind the little riddle they’ve been spinning over the past few months and announce their fourth full-length album, LONG LOST, out May 21^st via Whispering Pines Studios Inc./Republic Records featuring new single “MINE FOREVER.”  Pre-order Long Lost HERE, listen to “Mine Forever” HERE, and watch the official music video for “Mine Forever” (Directed by Anthony Wilson) HERE.

- Foxes has shared details of her forthcoming new EP, Friends In The Corner, set for release April 1 via [PIAS] Recordings, alongside the release of her new single "Kathleen", produced by Courage (Stormzy, MNEK, Ray BLK) and Charlie Hugall (Halsey, Florence and the Machine) and its accompanying video. Watch and listen HERE.  New single "Kathleen" acts as an ode to her grandmother, called Kathleen, poignantly released as the UK eases from lockdown and prepares to see their grandparents after a year of distance. Kathleen in the '70s was a political activist, feminist, devoted environmentalist and English teacher, her values inspiring Foxes (Louisa Rose Allen) from her childhood as she encouraged her to read poetry, write, and get lost in novels, sowing the seeds for Louisa to grow to become Foxes. Their relationship is reflected in the video, directed by Florence Kosky, with two generations of ballerinas, the younger learning from the elder’s every move, and reminiscent doll-house scenes.

- Acclaimed 22-year-old Stockholm songstress Maja Kristina releases the official video for new single “Jessica” today – watch HERE. “Jessica” is off of Maja Kristina’s recently released self-debut EP, Maja Kristina – listen to the EP HERE via Eddie O Entertainment/Republic Records.  The track was produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Dan Nigro [Oliva Rodrigo, Conan Gray] and penned by Maja.

- Grammy Award-winning four-piece Greta Van Fleet are debuting their latest track “Broken Bells,” an anthem intended to inspire; listen/share HERE.  “Broken Bells is what the fetter of society does to impact a pure and innocent soul. Our intention is to remove the obligation of generational synthetic expectations; break down these walls and not build new ones,” explains the band’s Sam Kiszka.

- Singer/songwriter Dolly Parton’s number one hit record she recorded with the late Kenny Rogers, “Islands in The Stream,” will be featured in the upcoming episode of the ABC-TV hit comedy The Goldbergs on Wednesday, March 24 at 8 p.m. It marks the second time this season The Goldbergs are featuring a Parton number one hit. The Goldbergs included a tribute to Parton’s “9 to 5” on March 3, when singer/songwriter/actor Hayley Orrantia, who plays Erica Goldberg, performed “9 to 5” at the end of that episode.

-  GRAMMY® Award-winning and Country Music Hall of Fame members, The Oak Ridge Boys are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their Grammy-winning song "Elvira" which was originally released in 1981. While written in 1966 by Dallas Frazier, The Oak Ridge Boys decided to record the song for their album, Fancy Free. The song went on to reach number one on Hot Country Songs for Billboard and reached number 5 for Billboard Hot 100. "Elvira" has continued to be a classic, played in over 100 countries, added to over 109 editorial playlists, and has reached 5 million plays on Apple Music.

- Critically acclaimed, award-winning music producer Andrew Watt took home the award for Producer of the Year at the 63^rd annual Grammy Awards.  This marks the first official Grammy win for the multi-platinum selling hit-maker, who worked on some of 2020’s biggest music releases including; Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man, Miley Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts, both of which he executive-produced, Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, which tonight took home the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album, and Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding, nominated for Album of the Year.  Watt’s work has continued to dominate the charts. He helped steer the hit “Midnight Sky” to become Miley’s 14^th Top 20 US hit and Plastic Hearts to 3 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Rock Charts. And he started 2021 off with a bang with his recent work on Justin Bieber’s smash hit “Anyone” which helped catapult the single to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, making it Bieber’s 22^nd career top 10 in the US.

- Ten years ago, an anonymous force emerged from the shadows in Toronto and took the first step towards changing popular music forever. The story started before nominations at the Academy® Awards and halftime shows at the Super Bowl. On March 21, 2011, The Weeknd first unveiled his groundbreaking debut mixtape House of Balloons. A decade later to the date, it will be made available on all streaming platforms for the first time in its original incarnation, including original samples. This marks the first time House of Balloons has appeared on DSPs in its purest and most powerful form.  Additionally, The Weeknd will unveil an exclusive merchandise drop to celebrate the moment. Among many highlights, it features a collaboration with Daniel Arsham’s new interpretation of the iconic cover art and 1,000 limited-edition vinyl. Fans may purchase at shop.theweeknd.com on March 21 @ 3PM EST for 48 hours only.

-  SHOWTIME has announced a pilot order for the elevated genre series LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, starring Oscar nominee Demián Bichir (A Better Life) as Mark, a husband and father who had the perfect life until it was turned upside down by a mysterious creature who bit his daughter (Eleanor) and then vanished into the night. Award-winning playwright, writer and producer Andrew Hinderaker (Away, PENNY DREADFUL) will serve as showrunner and executive produce along with Seith Mann (HOMELAND, #FreeRayShawn, Blindspotting), who will also direct the pilot. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is produced by Tomorrow Studios (Cowboy Bebop, Snowpiercer) with Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements also serving as executive producers. Bichir will serve as producer.

- SHOWTIME announced today that the highly anticipated upcoming original drama series THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH – starring Oscar and Emmy^® nominee and BAFTA^® Award winner Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind) – will premiere exclusively on SHOWTIME in 2022. Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are writing and executive producing the series and with executive producer John Hlavin will serve as showrunners. Kurtzman will also direct multiple episodes of the series. Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Heather Kadin are also executive producing. The series, which is moving to SHOWTIME from ViacomCBS sibling Paramount+, is scheduled to begin production in London in April. 

- SHOWTIME has announced that it has placed a series order for the hourlong drama SHAKA: KING OF THE ZULU NATION, executive produced and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day). An epic drama centered around one man’s personal journey from stigmatized childhood to warrior king, the series is produced by CBS Studios, Propagate and Fuqua Films and created and written by Olu Odebunmi and Tolu Awosika (The Terminal List). They also executive produce with Ben Silverman and Rodney Ferrell of Propagate.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 14, 2021

 

 Shameless:  Okay, now I am confused, if the chick was on the pill and could have died because of a latex allergy, does it still make it rape?  Sure, she should have mentioned those before getting down to business, but is somewhat understandable.  And there is always the possibility that is a lie.  Then Debbie girlfriend has a school aged kid? What other deep dark secrets is she hiding?  But Frank wearing a blood stained bandana under his nose pretty much sums up why this country is where it is in this pandemic. 

 

The Walking Dead:  Was I really supposed to remember what was going on with this show five years ago?  I barely remembered what was happening right before the pandemic.  But I guess it happened during the time jump.  Almost as confusing was Darryl talking about looking for his brother.  I was pretty sure he died, but looked it up because that happen maybe five actual years ago in real life and yes, Merle is dead.  Daryl even killed the walking dead version of Merle after The Governor (wow, that was a long time ago) shot him in the chest.  So was Daryl referring to Rick or possibly Connie who was also brought up in the episode (I had to look her up too, apparently she was last seen alive near Oceanside)?

 

Good Girls:  Okay, I did not remember much during the “previously on” but the one thing I actually remembered from last season did not actually happen.  I thought for sure Andrew McCarthy actually did shoot the gangbanger.  But now that he and Johnathan Silverman are both on the show, hopefully he does kill the gangbanger and then they pretend he is still alive so they can spend the weekend out his summer house.

 

Snowpiercer:  So Snowpiercer is still in the Himalayas?  I appreciate the Jennifer Connelly update last week, but it is weird that they would end with the train going by her and then not even get to that point by the next episode.  I was also surprised to see the guy who slit his wrists still alive.  Even less believable is the little girl being able to leave the medical bay without anyone notice or that the preacher just has a easy to access opening to outside.

 

Debris:  So no one is going to question if the FBI is actually the clone and killed the real FBI agent.  And why exactly weren’t there more clones if everyone is in the same Hazmat suit that the FBI guy was in?

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Oh Nany, congratulations on your Gold Skull, but what a horrible choice you made after your win.  Didn’t Fessy gas out during last year’s final and has not been that successful this season except for the rare physical challenges, something that does not happen in the final?  Yet sitting right up there is Darrell who has won every season he has been on but two (and one of those he was kicked off for punching Brad).  Or she could have gone with CT who has three wins under his belt in the past decade.  Fessy even finished behind both Kyle and Cory during last year’s final.  Okay, I do understand not wanting to team up with Corey who is on his sixth partner.  But then again, why is everyone so confidant the pairs are going to stick together in the finals?  Six of the last eight seasons, there have been individual finals.  Why, in a season called “Double Agents” would you think you are going to have a partner in the finale, especially when you have been swapping them all season?

 

The Blacklist:  Yet another week without Lizzie but another episode with a Lizzie doppelganger.  I actually thought that lady in the very first scene was her for a second or two.  But this show has been on for so long, I may be wrong, but I feel like we already had that scene with Cooper telling Dembe he would make a good cop.

Around the Tubes: March 13, 2021

    

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Genius: Aretha, Molly Burman, bülow, Emlyn, The Weeknd, Mother/Android, and Ripley.

- Following this week’s multi-city, drive-in premieres for National Geographic’s upcoming anthology series, Genius: Aretha, Rhino today released a new cover of the classic “Chain Of Fools” from the show’s cast as a digital single on all digital download and streaming services. Click HERE to listen now.  One of Aretha Franklin’s signature songs, this new version features the cast of Genius: Aretha, which stars Double Oscar® Nominee Cynthia Erivo as the Queen of Soul. The original version was released in November 1967 as a single and appeared a few months later on Franklin’s third album for Atlantic Records, 1968’s Lady Soul. The song won the 1969 Grammy® Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and was inducted into Grammy® Hall of Fame in 2001.

- North London breakout talent Molly Burman has shared her debut proper single, "Fool Me With Flattery", an immediately melodic song that fleets between sharp, literate jangle-pop and the homespun, eclectic bedroom pop sound of the here and now. Listen and watch its accompanying video HERE.  Molly says about the themes behind the single: "I wrote the song after a long day of feeling overlooked and ignored by some of the guys in my life. I was fed up, angry and used the stereotype of a mansplaining misogynist to let it all out. This song is for anyone who feels belittled and like they’re being made to shrink themselves; be as big as you possibly can, and don’t let anyone fool you with flattery!"

- Alternative pop singer and songwriter bülow shares the official music video for new single “First Place.”  The bop is instantly stuck in your head, “we were never friends in the first place, so why you tryna be my friend now?” Watch the official music video HERE via Republic Records and Universal Music Canada.

- Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Emlyn returns with her third single “a thousand parties,” co-written and produced by Mike Robinson who was nominated for a GRAMMY for co-producing Katie Pruitt's "Expectations." Emlyn’s “a thousand parties” is a pounding anthem of pure pop confection that is amped and ready to find love. However, with this song Emlyn admits that she herself has never been truly in love. Instead, the song is inspired by the glitz and excitement that come with the often fictionalized tales of love like that of “The Great Gatsby.”  LISTEN / SHARE “A THOUSAND PARTIES”  “Having never been in love and watched many relationships around me fall apart growing up, as I got older I always tried to be really in tune to the healthy and beautiful relationships around me. I would try to take notes or “study up” in hopes that I might find one myself some day,” says Emlyn. 

- Exceeding yet another impressive benchmark, diamond-selling Toronto artist The Weeknd’s smash single “Blinding Lights” has again broken chart records spending its 52^nd week in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It becomes the first song in the history of the chart (which began Aug. 4, 1958) to spend a full year's time in the top 10. 

- Hulu Acquires U.S. Rights to Miramax Sci-Fi Thriller Mother/Android.  The film, starring Chloë Grace Moretz and directed by Mattson Tomlin, will debut as a Hulu Original Film in 2021.  Set in the near future, MOTHER/ANDROID follows Georgia (Chloë Grace Moretz) and her boyfriend Sam (Algee Smith) through their treacherous journey of escape as their country is caught in an unexpected war with artificial intelligence. Days away from the arrival of their first child, they must face No Man’s Land – a stronghold of the android uprising, in hopes of reaching safety before giving birth.  

- SHOWTIME has announced that Dakota Fanning (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) will join the new drama series RIPLEY, based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling quintet of Tom Ripley novels. Fanning will play Marge Sherwood, an American living in Italy who suspects darker motives underlie Tom's affability. She joins Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Sherlock) who stars in the title role of Tom Ripley, and Johnny Flynn (Beast) as Dickie Greenleaf. Oscar and Golden Globe^® winner and Emmy^® nominee Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, The Night Of) will write and direct the entire first season. Production will start later this year in Italy.  In the series, Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy businessman to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son to return home. Tom's acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit.