57 Channels and Only This Is On: August 7, 2022

 

Westworld:  They still cannot get the fidelity tests eight for humans.  That does not bode well for Caleb’s longevity on the show.  Though, maybe he is not really dead and is being kept in storage just like the Man in Black.

 

The Chi:  Last week’s episode was entitled “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off,” named after the great Jermaine Stewart song, and of course, this episode starts off with all the main characters with most, if not all of their clothes off.  Jermaine Stewart would be so disappointed.  Everyone should have just drunk more cherry wine.

 

Flatbush Misdemeanors:  Why exactly does Dan’s mom have box labeled “Wikileaks?”  But if she got back with her husband, does that mean Dan can get his job back?

 

In the Dark:  Were we supposed to know who the dude who killed the queenpin was?

 

Only Murders in the Building:  In a season full of daddy issues we finally got to see Mabel's dad and that got sad real quick. But my biggest take away from this episode was the person fleeing Mabel's apartment looked a bit skinnier than Glitter Guy and Guy in the Wall that Lucy saw. I have long thought that the killer and the art thief are two different people, so Glitter Guy/Guy in the Wall could very well be the art thief but not the killer (though I am beginning to think Glitter Guy and Guy in the Wall may even be two different people). Howard, Theo, and Will all have the build of Glitter Guy and Guy in the Wall, so who are our skinnier suspects? Cinda, Alice, Poppy, the waiter, and the still yet to be seen this season Oscar. So maybe my original theory that Cinda (and/or possibly Poppy) is killing people to keep her podcast going may end up being right. My last takeaway from this episode, did Oliver predict/cause this blackout?

 

Motherland: Fort Salem:  After an episode everyone went on separate missions, everyone is back together, even Rayell, but I feel like I for not understand where everything is happening.  I am getting late season Game of Thrones vibes where everyone can just go the length of the country (or even overseas) over the course of an episode.

 

The Challenge: USA:  Man, the editing really felt like Sarah was going to be eliminated.  But I feel bad for whoever get cat guy next week because it feels like he may go in every week until he is gone.

 

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin: What the fork us going on with Mouse?  At first I thought she was doing her own version of To Catch a Predator, but now I wonder if she is just looking for a father figure.  Could that be her sperm donor?  But my prediction that Karen is A took a big hit this week, assuming a ballerina would not be able to lift a football player by his neck.  But Faran is picking up my Kelley is actually Karen theory.

 

The Resort:  So weird dude is leaking knowledge, whatever that means, but can see the future.  Okay.  Not really the big twist I was expecting. There has to be more.

 

Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head:  The duo watching reality shows during the last reboot did not quite work, but YouTube does fit a little better, them watching an ASMR was hilarious, but I still prefer music videos.  Though I think less of Beavis for like K-Pop.

Around the Tubes: August 6, 2022

                     

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting.  This post includes blurbs on Tell Me Lies, John Legend, The Offspring, Marcus King, Quinn XCII, POV, and Mason.

- Check out the trailer and key art for Hulu Original drama series "Tell Me Lies" based on Carola Lovering's novel starring Grace Van Patten and Jackson White.  "Tell Me Lies" will premiere Wednesday, September 7 with three episodes on Hulu.  New episodes stream weekly.  “Tell Me Lies” follows a tumultuous but intoxicating relationship as it unfolds over the course of 8 years. When Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) meet at college, they are at that formative age when seemingly mundane choices lead the way to irrevocable consequences. Although their relationship begins like any typical campus romance, they quickly fall into an addictive entanglement that will permanently alter not only their lives, but the lives of everyone around them.  CAST: Grace Van Patten, Jackson White, Catherine Missal, Spencer House, Sonia Mena, Branden Cook, Benjamin Wadsworth, Alicia Crowder.

- Multiplatinum, 12-time Grammy Award-winner John Legend announced his highly anticipated eighth studio album, LEGEND, out September 9^th via Republic Records.  Executive produced by Legend and prolific producer-writer Ryan Tedder (Beyoncé, Adele, et al), the forthcoming project is a vibrant double album suffused with an unapologetic spirit of sensuality and joy, informed by the full vulnerability of pain, praise and healing.  LEGEND is available to pre-order HERE.  LEGEND marks the first time the musician has officially embraced the iconic meaning of his name throughout his illustrious career. “Until this point, I’ve never used an aspect of my name as the title of an album,” Legend explains. “I had to earn that, to live up to it by delivering in the performance and the music. And this is me saying, I’m proud of who I am, I’m confident in the work I’ve done, and I’m just going to declare it.” 

- Iconic Orange County punk band The Offspring was formed in Garden Grove, CA, in 1984 by lead singer Dexter Holland, who also became a licensed pilot and a USC graduate with degrees in molecular biology. The band signed to leading Los Angeles indie label Epitaph for their Smash album, scoring a hit single in “Come Out and Play,” which led to a major-label bidding war and a subsequent deal with Columbia Records.  The Offspring sold the rights to their music publishing and Columbia catalog to Round Hill Music in 2016 and will be releasing their 2005 Greatest Hits album on vinyl for the first time on July 29th.  There will be three different versions available: a black LP with a lyric insert / a limited-edition picture disc that features the band’s iconic flaming skull / and an exclusive limited-edition version that boasts a slipmat with the same logo. Preorders for all three will start on May 20th.   The band did a limited advance release of the Greatest Hits vinyl on April 23rd in celebration of this year’s Record Store Day. Pre-order The Offspring, Greatest Hits here: http://theoffspring.lnk.to/greatesthitsPR

- Marcus King today announced the release of “Blues Worse Than I Ever Had,” the final preview track ahead of his forthcoming solo album, Young Blood, due August 26. The track, co-written with Dan Auerbach, has a laid back groove and saturating slide guitar which soundtrack King’s visceral vocal, reflecting on a moment of despair and the hope that lies beyond it. King stated, “At the time, I’d changed medications when I was trying to process the death of family members. I was coasting through life like a zombie. When I’d get off them, I’d feel things that happened six months ago for the first time and crash down.”  Accompanying the song release, King also dropped a live performance video, created at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Studio, it features acclaimed musicians including Chris St. Hilaire on drums and Nick Movshon on bass. Watch it here: https://mk.lnk.to/blueslive

- Singer, songwriter, and producer Quinn XCII drops his new single “Backpack” on Republic Records—listen HERE. The end-of-summer anthem is accompanied by the tongue-in-cheek official video co-starring Yung Gravy, Zach Sang, YouTuber Kevin Langue, and more out now—watch HERE.  On “Backpack,” Quinn XCII’s soulful high register rises with acoustic guitar before a head-nodding beat. With a little reggae and a lot of roots flare, he tells a different kind of coming-of-age story as he croons, “She pulled out a backpack with some drugs I never done before, but I still told her, ‘Pass that’. I only said it because I’m trying get lucky like a four-leaf clover.”

-  POV, America’s longest running non-fiction series, follows Peabody Award-winning director Judith Helfand as she reckons with her mother’s belongings following her death, via decades of family home videos in the absorbing Love & Stuff, making its national broadcast premiere on POV, Monday, September 5, 2022 (check local listings), available to stream through November 5, 2022 at pbs.org, and the PBS Video app.  In addition to standard closed captioning, POV, in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, provides real time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities. POV is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary season.

- SHOWTIME announced today that it has greenlit the half-hour comedy pilot MASON, produced by A24 and created and executive produced by Nathan Min (Joe Pera Talks To You), who also stars. Daniels (Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan), the team behind the film Everything Everywhere All at Once, will direct and executive produce alongside Oscar nominee Steven Yeun (Minari, Nope). A24 is producing the project, with Daniels’ producing partner Jonathan Wang, and Adam Kopp of Universal Remote, Yeun’s banner. The announcement was made today by Amy Israel, EVP, Original Programming, Global Scripted, Showtime Networks Inc.  MASON is a surrealist comedy about a quiet man named Nathan, often misheard as “Mason,” seeking connection in a loud world. Based on the real-life experiences of comedian Nathan Min.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 31, 2022

  

Westworld:  There seemed to be some debate on whether Christina was human or robot, but if she is controlling humans with her mind, she has to be a robot.  So I guess that means that Charlotte, who is just a clone brain ball of Delores, created someone who looks like her, reprogrammed her into Christina, but still put Delores’ memories in deep down, because Teddy (presumably sent by Bernard) seems like her is getting her to access them.  That is Bond villain level dumb plan.  Why doesn’t Chorlotte, who is Delores on the inside, just put herself in Delores’ body?

 

The Chi:  When did Emmitt and Trig become cards buddies?  I do not even remember them ever sharing a scene before this.  But there goes Emmitt’s celibacy, the under was easy money.

 

In the Dark:  When the boys were thinking of a place to stay, that made me wonder, just what happened to Guiding Hope?  While I guess Felix stopped paying the electricity bill on account he does not have any money left, but that is at least a place with a roof to stay.  I also got a strong feeling that grandma’s money might be coming from the drug trade and she will end up being at the top of the food chain.

 

Only Murders in the Building:  When we saw the guy in the diner with Will last week, I thought, that kind of has the shape of Will. When we saw the guy on the subway, I thought, that kind of has the shape of Will. But if Will is the one texting Oliver the video of Mabel stabbing Glitter Guy, that is probably, most definitely, not him. So who kind of has the same shape as Will? Well, his possible half-brother Theo. There is also Howard who is the person I first thought of when we saw the guy in the Arconia walls with Lucy. Which of these two would most likely text Oliver and Charles to get out of the building, but would also want to get any evidence of the murder? I wonder if Theo, who we know knows about secret passage ways, saw Bunny with Mabel, contacted the police then texted the other two.

I have never really thought Alice was the killer, maybe she was involved in art theft, but that was some psycho level stuff she was doing there. She may not be at the top of my murder board yet, but she moved much higher after this episode.

Then I was wondering after her reappearance this week, how many seasons does this show have to go before Saz is the victim?

But if I had only one word to sum of this episode, it would be: Soup!

 

Motherland: Fort Salem:  I am surprised everyone split up this week, especially Tally who went the completely different direction as everyone else.  Just how long is she going to stay on the West Coast with just four episodes left?

 

The Challenge: USA:  You gotta love a good comeuppance story, and even though I did not watch Big Brother, I do appreciate Alyssa finally got get revenge on Xander.  But really, what a dumb strategy to break all the glass.  That ended up being a 28 seconds penalty once you factor in the time it took the other team to finish, plus their much shorter penalty.  How did someone with such a short fuse win Big Brother?

 

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin:  Well that was a flaming pile of hot garbage.  And I do not mean that in a good way.  It is clearly just IP fraud where someone came up with a generational slasher idea for a show called “Original Sin” and some executive at HBO Max said, what if we make the slasher a texter, call them “A,” and set it in Millwood?  But apparently Millwood high is a performing arts school that has film and ballet classes.  I know the original show was not high art, but the remake is so bad.  The physiological terror was an interesting take on the dawn of texting that did not take itself too seriously, but this new series is dead set on being serious, sucked all the humor out of the air and does not realize that slasher films do not translate to television because you can only kill so many people.  And I am not expecting them to be Meryl Streep, but the acting is so bad especially Imogen (give that girl a nickname quick) who routinely seems to forget she is supposed to be playing a pregnant lady. Since the show seems extremely predictable, it seems obvious to me that A is really Karen (a name way too on the nose, even though she turned out to be more likeable than the other girls on the show) and Kelly is actually the dead twin.  But on the bright side, at least they kept the theme music, though a crappier version.  Here is my way too early Pretty Little Liars Power Ranking:

1) Noa

2) Karen/Kelly

3) Faren

4) Mouse

5) Imogen

6) Tabby (seriously, enough with the movie references every time she opens her mouth)

 

The Resort:  Well that was weird.  But I feel like maybe it would have been better had it been weirder.  Usually with mystery shows like this, I have big predictions to make, but it does not feel like there is anything to predict other than they are both alive, but I am not entirely sure why I would predict that.  I wonder if I would like it more if it was longer.  When I see 35 minute run times, I guess I expect it to be funnier than it is.

 

Players:  I would be fine if this show does not be renewed.

 

Around the Tubes: July, 20, 2022

                    

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting.  This post includes blurbs on Wedding Season, Let the Right One In, Chucky, Reginald the Vampire, Reboot, POV, Hailee Steinfeld, Paul McCartney, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Imagine Dragons, Arkells, Claire Rosinkranz, and Kung Fu.

- Hulu cordially requests the honour of your presence at the debut of its new rom-com action thriller "Wedding Season." All eight episodes will walk down the aisle on Thursday, September 8th.  The date announcement is accompanied by the debut of first-look images of the brand-new series.  The genre-busting series tells the story of Katie and Stefan who fall for each other at a wedding and begin an affair, despite Katie already having a fiancé. Two months later at Katie’s wedding, her new husband and his entire family are murdered. The police think Stefan did it. Stefan thinks Katie did it. And no one knows for sure what the truth is…  The series is an action-packed romp across the UK and the US as Katie and Stefan go on the run, all while trying to prove their innocence.  Wedding Season” stars Rosa Salazar and Gavin Drea, with Jade Harrison, Jamie Michie, Callie Cooke, Bhav Joshi, Ioanna Kimbrook, and Omar Baroud.

- SHOWTIME will debut its new thriller drama LET THE RIGHT ONE IN on streaming and on demand for all SHOWTIME subscribers on Friday, October 7, before making its on-air debut on Sunday, October 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Led by Oscar^® nominee Demián Bichir (A Better Life), the 10-episode series from Tomorrow Studios (Snowpiercer) also stars Tony winner Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls, Power), Grace Gummer (Mr. Robot), Madison Taylor Baez (Selena: The Series), Kevin Carroll (Snowfall), Ian Foreman (Merry Wish-Mas), Jacob Buster (Colony) and Nick Stahl (Fear the Walking Dead).

- CHUCKY is a continuation of the iconic film franchise chronicling the murderous escapades of the notorious killer doll. In the TV series, Chucky crosses paths with archenemies, old allies and new prey, as he seeks to inspire fear and mayhem wherever he goes. After his diabolical plan to invade America’s children’s hospitals was foiled in season one, Chucky now seeks revenge on those he holds responsible: surviving teens Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson) and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind), along with his ex Tiffany, now his sworn enemy. Meanwhile, can “Jevon” make it as a couple in the face of adversity at their new Catholic school, not to mention a brand-new onslaught of terror from the demon doll?  Premieres October 5 at 9pm on USA & SYFY.  Watch the New Teaser Here!

- Imagine a world populated by beautiful, fit and vain vampires. Reginald Andres tumbles headlong into it as an unlikely hero who will have to navigate every kind of obstacle – the girl he loves but can’t be with, a bully manager at work and the vampire chieftain who wants him dead. Fortunately, Reginald discovers he has a few unrecognized powers of his own. A new show with a lot of heart and just enough blood, “Reginald the Vampire” proves the undead life is just as complicated as life itself.  Premieres October 5 at 10pm on SYFY.  Watch the NEW Teaser Here!

-  "Reboot." Hulu's upcoming eight-episode original comedy series  will premiere on Tuesday, September 20 with two episodes. New episodes stream weekly.  Hulu reboots an early 2000’s family sitcom, forcing its dysfunctional cast back together. Now they must deal with their unresolved issues in today’s fast-changing world.  The series stars Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, Paul Reiser, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy and Krista Marie Yu.  The series was created by Steven Levitan, who serves as an executive producer alongside Danielle Stokdyk and Jeff Morton. "Reboot" is produced by Steven Levitan Productions and Twentieth Television.

- America’s longest running documentary series, currently celebrating its 35th anniversary season, follows the erratic 2018 presidential election in Zimbabwe – the country’s first democratic election since its independence in 1980 – as it serves as the ultimate test for both the ruling party and for the opposition in the discerning documentary President.  President makes its national broadcast premiere on POV on Monday, August 8, 2022 (check local listings) and is available to stream free until September 8, 2022 at pbs.org, and the PBS Video app.

-  POV, America’s longest running documentary series, currently celebrating its 35th anniversary season, will present Faya Dayi in its national broadcast premiere on Monday, August 29, 2022 (check local listings).  The film, directed, produced and filmed by Jessica Beshir, is a hypnotic immersion in the world of Harar, Ethiopia, a place where one commodity – khat, a euphoria-inducing plant – holds sway over the rituals and rhythms of everyday life. Faya Dayi is available to stream free until September 29, 2022 at pbs.org, and the PBS Video app. In addition to standard closed captioning for the film, POV, in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, provides real time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities.

- Multiplatinum pop singer and songwriter and Academy® Award-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld returns with a new single entitled “Coast” [feat. Anderson .Paak].  Listen to “Coast” [feat. Anderson .Paak]—HERE. Watch the lyric video for "Coast" [feat. Anderson .Paak]—HERE.  Regarding the single, she exclusively spoke to Rolling Stone and shared, “I am so happy to finally be able to share Coast with the world. This song is deeply personal to me and was influenced by my California roots and the music I grew up listening to with my family. The only artist I envisioned collaborating with on this track was my friend, Anderson .Paak. Knowing he loved the song enough to lend his genius to it is absolutely surreal, and I am forever grateful to have his support. This is only the beginning and I can't wait to share the rest of what's to come with you all soon.”

- Written, performed, and produced entirely by Paul McCartney, his three eponymous career-spanning solo albums (1970’s McCartney, 1980’s McCartney II, and 2020’s McCartney III) will now be packaged together and available in one special boxset for the first time.  McCartney I II III box set will be available in three different formats – Limited Edition Color Vinyl, Black Vinyl Edition, and CD – each including three special photo prints with notes from Paul about each album. The newly created boxset cover art and typography for the slipcase are by Ed Ruscha. To pre-order McCartney I II III, please click HERE.

-  STREET SURVIVORS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PLANE CRASH, recreates the story of the ill-fated flight through the eyes of former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Artimus Pyle (who narrates the film), who not only survived the plane crash that claimed the life of the band’s founder and frontman Ronnie Van Zant amongst others, but who also physically pulled the remaining survivors out of the plane wreckage before staggering towards the nearest farmhouse in rural Louisiana to seek help.  “This film’s story, MY story, is not just about the plane crash but also about my personal relationship with the genius that was Ronnie Van Zant, whom I loved like a brother and still miss to this day,” says Artimus Pyle.  STREET SURVIVORS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PLANE CRASH was scripted and directed by Jared Cohn (DEVIL’S REVENGE, DEVIL’S DOMAIN), produced by Brian Perera, and co-produced by Tim Yasui for Cleopatra Entertainment. The film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, Roku, AppleTV, Tubi, and for purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

- Commemorating a major milestone, GRAMMY®-winning, multi-Platinum band Imagine Dragons will celebrate the 10^th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut LP with Night Visions (Expanded Edition) (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope/UMe) on September 9, 2022. It notably boasts nine additional studio tracks and two previously unreleased songs recorded contemporaneously entitled “Love of Mine” and “Bubble.” The Expanded Edition will be available at all DSPs and in physical formats— 2-LP (which boasts the original cover art plus a 10^th-anniversary cover art lithograph), 2-CD, or 2-Cassette. An exclusive limited-edition, canary-yellow 2-LP vinyl of the Expanded Edition will also be available.  The Super Deluxe Edition consists of 4 CDs + 1 DVD (Original Album, Bonus Tracks, Night Visions Live, Remixes, and The Making of Night Visions on DVD) and much more.  Pre-order the Expanded Edition—HERE. Pre-order the Super Deluxe Edition—HERE.

- Arkells share new track, “Human Being” featuring Lights, ahead of their seventh studio record, Blink Twice, coming September 23rd via Virgin Records / Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company.   “We wanted a chaotic energy - something like Talking Heads meets Billy Joel,” says frontman Max Kerman. “We are learning a lot about ourselves on this record. This song is about finding a truer version of yourself - the one you’ve hid in the past. The song is searching for a kind of freedom that conventional life paths have to offer. Once we had it in good shape we sent it to our friend Lights who is the best at writing about this kind of discovery.”

- Maintaining unstoppable momentum this year, 18-year-old Southern California singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Claire Rosinkranz serves up a new song entitled “123” via slowplay/Republic Records.  Listen to “123”—HERE. Watch the lyric video for “123”—HERE.  The track opens with a nostalgic swell of production as she croons, “I’m wasting your time, and by the way you’re a shitty dancer.” It kicks into a head-nodding bassline and glitchy beat as she exhales, “I just want to mess up what we had. Maybe you should listen to my dad.” The track showcases her seamless ability to shift back and forth between vibes effortlessly with style and substance.

- Get in on the action and fight the good fight as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings you Kung Fu: The Complete Second Season on DVD September 27, 2022. From Award Winning executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, indulge on all 13 action-packed episodes from the second season, plus a gag reel in the bonus features. Kung Fu: The Complete Second Season is priced to own on DVD at $19.99 SRP ($24.99 in Canada) and is also available to own on Digital via purchase from all major digital retailers and is streaming on HBO Max.  Six months after the explosive events of season one, Nicky and the Shens are in a great place: Nicky's been using her Kung Fu skills to keep Chinatown safe, she and Henry are only deeper in love, and the family are all in the know about Nicky's extracurricular activities. Everything's great...until the reemergence of Russell Tan and the surprise appearance of Nicky's cousin, Mia. 

Previewing City on a Hill: Season Three

 

Congratulations, we finally got him, after two seasons, dirty FBI agent Jackie Rohr was forced to turn in his badge.  In true Jackie fashion, he did not actual turn the badge in as much as tossed it into the Boston Harbor to swim with the fishes.  But that was not the end of City on the Hill, so at the start season three, Jackie has gotten a job as a bartender.  But it does not take very long to find another job more suited to his skills working for Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law) who may very well be a bigger sleaze ball than even Jackie is. 

 

Jackie’s sometime adversary, sometime frenemy Decoursey Ward is still reeling from his wife’s miscarriage from last season and now is faced with the mortality of his ailing father played by Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) that takes him away from Boston the start of the season.  It actually takes the Assistant District Attorney a couple episodes to even get a case to work on and takes even longer until that work runs into Jackie, though he does stop off at Jackie’s bar every once and a while.

 

The murder of Anton Campbell also looms large with the cop who shot him goes on trial.  The wives, Siobhan and Jenny are also around, dealing with past traumas, Siobhan with her miscarriage and Jenny with her father’s abuse.  Then both have someone from her past resurfaces to open past wound.  But that is just Boston in the nineties.

 

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

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 24, 2022

 

Westworld: Oh snap, they killed off the remaining human main character (well, assuming the Man in Black is not in cryostasis somewhere; how long can you keep someone alive like that).  But I guess Caleb’s kid has now hooked up with Bernard to uncover Maeve.  Though where was the Man in Black whom she was hugging when buried?  Now that those two timelines converged, the question now is how does Neo-Delores fit in?  It seems fairly obvious she is writing narratives for the fly people and it also seems like it would then be Bernard who sent Teddy, but why.  What is so special about Neo-Delores if the original Delores is dead and her cloned mind ball is in Charlotte?

 

The Chi:  Oh wow, I am surprised the mom picked her baby daddy.  It already ended badly once.  But Trig really needs a wardrobe upgrade if he is running for City Council, that one shirt he had on looked like he was wearing a sash. 

 

Flatbush Misdemeanors:  How many employees does that small bike shop have?  They went from none to three in five episodes.  Sure, none of them seem to be very good.

 

In the Dark:  I am mildly surprised that Jess did not show up at the trial.  I thought for sure she would be a surprise witness.  Instead the surprise was the bartender just went scorched earth on the stand.  But Felix had a point, she did contact him.  But now that Murphy is a CI, seems pretty obvious she will be forced to work with Darnell who is working undercover and that is how he gets shot.  Now the question is when that will happen.

 

Only Murders in the Building:  I was a bit annoyed that we did see the face of the person on the security camera. How about rewind it a bit to show him sitting down? The camera is pointing at the door, the guy had to of entered at some point. I am typically really annoyed when characters are that dumb for the sake of the plot, but I guess Oscar is not the brightest person, so I guess it tracks.

 

But my first thought looking at that guy from the back (and I am using male pronouns because it definitely looked like a guy) is that it kind of looked like Will. Come to think of it, the guy in the wall with Lucy last week also kind of looked like Will too (at least in build, I believe the skin under the mask was lighter), but would a guy with allergies become a vet? Though if Will has Dimas blood in him, maybe we should look at him as a suspect.

 

Though this episode really pushed Alice as the murderer, the whole Son of Sam game, Jan mentioning that the murderer is most likely an artist who would likely try to infiltrate the Three Amigos, which only makes me believe she did it less.  But Alice admitting she is a fraud made me wonder if she also lied about being from England, this could explain her bad accent.

 

Motherland: Fort Salem:  Oh snap, Alder just exploded a bunch of dudes from the inside.   But are they still heading out west, or will this attack make them go back to Salem?

 

The Challenge: USA:  They need to get through the choosing of partners quicker, which should be a thirty second montage.  But I always love challenges that involve intelligence.  It took some of them way too long to realize all the puzzles were and item from a country that are an alliteration. 

 

The Old Man:  Okay, I am confused, is Maeby Funke the warlord’s daughter or did Jeff Bridges who knocked up the warlord’s wife without him knowing?  But a really bad way to end the season.  I do wonder if this was meant to be a limited series, but they cut things short because of Bridges’ health and just kind of did a wink and a nod that they would be able to finish in a second season.

 

Around the Tubes: July 23, 2022

                        

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting.  This post includes blurbs on Only Murders in the Building, Mike, This Fool, Hotties, POV, People Puzzler, Em Beihold, Aerosmith, Megadeath, and Doriana Spurrell.

- Check out Charles-Haden Savage’s “hit” song, which debuted at #83 on the German music charts in 1989! Featured in Ep. 204 of "Only Murders in the Building," "Angel in Flip Flops" (written by Steve Martin and Kirker Butler, produced by Paul Schaffer) is out now. Please see the never-before-seen music video and single below. Steve Martin (co-creator, EP, and star) says, “I am as proud of ‘Angel in Flip Flops’ as I am of any work I’ve done that is not that good.” 

- Check out the newest trailer for Hulu's "Mike," starring Trevante Rhodes as Mike Tyson. Episodic images available now.  The eight-episode limited series will launch on August 25 with two episodes, on Hulu. Two new episodes to stream weekly.

- Check out the official trailer and key art for Hulu's "This Fool," which is inspired by the life of comedian Chris Estrada and executive produced by Fred Armisen. The series premieres on Friday, August 12th with all ten episodes.

- “HOTTIES” is a new dating competition series that pits pairs of blind dates against each other in a wild battle to cook up date-night worthy dishes, all while attempting to eat incredibly spicy food.  Set in food trucks in the desert heat, each 30-minute episode sees two pairs of sexy singles make a meal and choke down extreme spicy food challenges in a bid to fast forward the dating process and win a cash prize. Will battling the heat help them burn through first date facades to form a more authentic connection…or will it all just be a hilarious hot mess? Comedian Jade Catta-Preta serves as host, while also judging both what’s on the plate and each of the dates. Whichever couple has the best plate, best date, or both, wins a second date worth $2,500, or…they can split the cash, walk away, and promise to never see each other again!  Stream all episodes on Hulu August 16.

-  PBS television series POV presents an intimate look at the citizens of a small fishing town in Maniitsoq, Greenland as they reckon with their Danish colonial past and a promising future by an American industrial company in the eye-opening documentary Winter’s Yearning, directed by Sidse Torstholm Larsen (Living on the Ice) and Sturla Pilskog (Urban Hunters), and produced by Are Kvalnes Pilskog, Vibeke Vogel and BAFTA Award winner Emile Hertling Péronard (Borgen).  The national broadcast premiere is next Monday, July 25, 2022 at 10pmET/9C, and is available to stream free until August 25, 2022 at pbs.org, and the PBS Video app. In addition to standard closed captioning, POV, in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, provides real time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities. POV is America’s longest running documentary series and is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary season.

- Game Show Network, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, has announced today that the new season of one of its most popular originals, PEOPLE PUZZLER, will premiere on Monday, August 1 at 6 pm ET and will air weeknights at 6 pm ET.  Hosted by two-time Emmy® Award winner and Daytime Emmy nominee for Outstanding Game Show Host Leah Remini, and based on the iconic crossword puzzles in PEOPLE, the No. 1 magazine brand in the country, season three of PEOPLE PUZZLER will feature the familiar pop culture quiz fare along with some special contestants and show themes. 

-  Cementing herself as one of 2022’s breakthrough artists to watch, gold-certified Los Angeles singer and songwriter Em Beihold (pronounced bye-hold) releases her debut EP Egg in the Backseat via Moon Projects/Republic Records today!  Get Egg in the Backseat HERE.  About the EP Em commented, “I am so excited for Egg in the Backseat to be released into the world. I had the most fun making this EP with my collaborators (Dallas Caton, Alex Veltri, Michael Coleman and James Ghaleb), and I feel it comes through in the music. If you liked “Numb Little Bug,” be prepared for some more blunt, sunny pop."

- In continued celebration of their 50^th anniversary, today, the four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning and Diamond-certified rock legends Aerosmith, (Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer), announce the launch of 50 Years Live!: From the Aerosmith Vaults, the band’s new “official bootleg” streaming concert series featuring five deep, archival, and unreleased multi-camera live shows from Aerosmith’s vast personal vaults. With the entire production of all five concert films supervised by Aerosmith, the series kicks off with a live stream of Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977, a combination of classic live performances from a two-night stand in Houston in 1977 that captures the band in all its raw and powerful rock n’ roll splendor. Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977 will premiere on Aerosmith’s official YouTube channel on July 29^th at 12pm PT/3pm ET and will be available, in its entirety as a gift for fans, for one week only and can be viewed HERE. Highlight clips from Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977 will also be added to Aerosmith’s YouTube channel on July 30^th and will include “Back In The Saddle,” “Mama Kin” and “Sweet Emotion.”

-  MEGADETH premiered Night Stalkers: Chapter II, the next installment of a multi-part short film being released alongside MEGADETH’s next single “Night Stalkers” from their new studio album The Sick, The Dying…And The Dead! being released on September 2, 2022, via UMe. Both the video and single for “Night Stalkers” feature a special appearance by the iconic artist Ice-T.  Watch Night Stalkers: Chapter II, HERE.  Created by Dave Mustaine, produced by Rafael Pensado, and directed by Leo Liberti, Night Stalkers: Chapter II is the next episode in the multi-chapter saga about the origin of Vic Rattlehead as we continue to follow the tragic events leading to our operative’s complete transformation as he systematically exacts his revenge.

 

- Americana singer-songwriter Doriana Spurrell is releasing her new single, "Sunday," today (from her forthcoming EP). Recommended if you like: Brandi Carlile, Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, The Lumineers. "...Spurrell’s writing draws power from the smallest and most intimate of moments, tracing small stories that enlace into poetic meditations of life and meaning... 'Sunday' takes a winding tour through intimate character portraits, portraying a family clinging together through hard times. Keening country guitar tones and pastoral waves of strings ripple through the track as Spurrell’s vocals bring to it a warm and wistful sheen... The track feels almost nostalgic as it surveys a life full of both trials and warmth, holding the moments of stolen joy close like treasured memories." - Under The Radar