57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 15, 2026

 

Phony:  There being a twin sister kind of seemed like an obvious answer.  Yet, somehow it seems too obvious.  And why take her sister’s life?  And where is the original mother?

 

VisionQuest:  Yep, I really feel like I needed copious number of drugs to understand this show.  How many different Ultron’s were there?

 

Lord of the Rings:  Rings of Power:  My big complaint of this show was there were just way too many characters and plotlines to keep track of.  Well, writing off the Harfoots and killing multiple characters is certainly helping (though the jumping out the window was eerily similar to HotD).  Though is the black elf really dead?  I have a feeling he will somehow survive.  Yet, there still seems to be too many characters and storylines.

 

Survivor: “… does not count” is always extremely satifying.  Somehow this was even wilder because someone successfully played their Shot in the Dark and two people when home based on one vote. 

 

The Lowdown:  Kind of weird to bring in Tommy Lee Jones, keep him in a C-storyline away from Ethan Hawke for most of the season and then kill him off.  But the kidnapping scene was very funny.

Around the Tubes: November 14, 2028

 

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on Mosquito, Tom Petty, Beastie Boys, De La Soul, Amy Winehouse, Nelly Furtado, and  Vevo “DSCVR Artists to Watch.

- Disney+ and Hulu announced that principal photography is underway in the UK on Mosquito, a six-part Hulu Original dramedy series from Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning writer Tony McNamara (The Great, Poor Things). Matthew Moore directs all six episodes with 20th Television, Piggy Ate Roast Beef Productions, and Hustle & Punch producing.  Nicholas Hoult (Superman, Nosferatu) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Twisters), both previously announced, star as newlyweds Ed and Kate. Joining them are Kyle Soller, Phoebe Fox, John Macmillan, Belinda Bromilow, Liv Hill, Frances Magee, Phoebe Campbell, Akshay Khanna, Bamshad Abedi Amin, and Den Rasaq. Mosquito reunites McNamara with Hoult, who starred in McNamara’s Hulu Original The Great.

-  The Tom Petty Estate today unveils Origins 1971-1978, a quintessential collection of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ earliest days, marking the band's 50th anniversary, out now via UMe—order HERE. Digging into the vaults, this collection traces the sonic formation of the band in the white-hot ‘70s era and features collaborations with legendary artists Al Kooper, Leon Russell, Jim Gordon, Emory Gordy and more, across country, folk, punk, reggae, rock and soul originals.  To mark the release, a music video for a new mix of “Depot Street,” originally released as Mudcrutch’s debut single in 1975, is out now. Co-directed by actors and longtime Tom Petty fans Luke Wilson and Tim Baltz, the video weaves archival footage of Petty and his Mudcrutch bandmates, including Tom Leadon, Randall Marsh and Mike Campbell, into a modern-day story starring recent Emmy winner Stephen Root (Widow’s Bay), plus appearances from Wilson and Baltz.

- Released forty years ago this week on November 15, 1986, Beastie Boys’ landmark debut album, Licensed to Ill, introduced a global audience to Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D’s brash, rock-and punk-influenced take on hip-hop. Driven by hard-hitting beats, rock guitars, and irreverent humor, the album made an immense and immediate impact, becoming the first rap album to top the Billboard 200. Produced by Rick Rubin and Beastie Boys, the album, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2015 for sales of more than 10 million units, has since been ranked by critics among the greatest hip-hop albums and debut albums of all time. Licensed to Ill features seven singles, including “Brass Monkey,” “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” “Paul Revere” and “Fight for Your Right.”  In celebration of its 40th anniversary Def Jam Recordings/UMe will mark four decades of Licensed To Ill with a limited Vinylphyle edition featuring mastering from original sources on March 18, 2027. Pressed on 180-gram black vinyl LPs with lacquers cut from a high resolution digital transfer from the original 1986 1/4” album master by Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound, this newly remastered Vinylphyle edition is housed in a gatefold tip-on wrapped jacket with a satin-matte finish and printed on clay-coated board and includes a four-panel insert with scans of the original tape boxes, a classic band-logo etching on the vinyl, and all-new liner notes by Public Enemy co-founder Chuck D. Pre-order the limited Vinylphyle edition of Licensed to Ill, HERE.

 

- Thirty years after challenging hip-hop to examine its direction, legendary hip-hop group De La Soul celebrates the enduring legacy of its landmark fourth studio album, Stakes Is High, with an expansive 30th Anniversary Edition arriving this Friday, October 23, via A.O.I. Records, distributed by Chrysalis. Pre-Order/Pre-Save here.   Featuring newly remastered audio, rare recordings, remixes, instrumentals and exclusive collectible editions, the release honors one of hip-hop's most influential albums while introducing its timeless message to a new generation of listeners.  Pre-Order/ Pre-Save here.

- To celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black, universally regarded as one of the greatest, most important and influential albums in pop history, UMR/Island reissue this seminal album in a series of special formats which include unreleased demos, rare B-sides as well as a live performance from Paradiso, Amsterdam (February 8^th 2007) from the Back To Black tour. The formats also include never-before-seen photos by original album photographers Mischa Richter and Alex Lake, plus brand new and poignant liner notes from producers and friends, Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, and are now available today, just days before the 20^th anniversary of the album’s original release date of Friday 27^th October 2006.  Back To Black, Amy’s deeply personal, lyrical and musical masterpiece, was not only a huge critical sensation but also became a major commercial success. In the UK, the album debuted at No. 3 and later reached No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart before going on to be the best-selling album of 2007. The album, which has now sold over 4.5 million copies the UK earning a 15× Platinum certification, debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 eventually peaking at No. 2 following Amy's infamous 5-Grammy haul. Amy swept the board that memorable night winning the prestigious Record Of The Year & Song Of The Year awards as well as Best Pop Vocal Album, Artist of The Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance with “Rehab”. Now 20 years on and a double-Platinum RIAA certification later, Back to Black has since topped charts across Europe — including Austria, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland — and has sold well over 25 million copies worldwide. Amy Winehouse, a once in a generation talent, is rightly revered around the world for her extraordinary songwriting ability, her honesty, her remarkable voice, and the purity of her artistry.  Order/Listen Back To Black 20^th Anniversary Editions HERE.

- GRAMMY® Award-winning, multiplatinum singer, songwriter, and producer Nelly Furtado’s “All Good Things (Come To An End)” takes on fresh club energy with a new remix from producer and DJ Ian Asher, available across streaming platforms now.  On his remix, Asher pushes up the tempo with speed house production and fluttering synths, transforming the reflective Loose favorite into a euphoric pop-dance track. Combining Furtado’s pitched up vocals with ear candy production, Asher brings a new pulse to the track in 2026.  Listen to “All Good Things (Come To An End)” (Ian Asher Remix) HERE.

- Vevo, the world’s leading music video network, today released the complete list for its highly-anticipated Vevo “DSCVR Artists to Watch” 2027 campaign. Now in its 13th year, Vevo’s DSCVR ATW program is a highly curated selection of global artists who Vevo has tipped to break through to the mainstream. Starting Tuesday, November 10th, Vevo’s DSCVR ATW will showcase high-quality live performance video content from the class of 2027, with two bespoke performances from each artist, shot exclusively for Vevo.   Born out of Vevo’s taste-making DSCVR series, “DSCVR Artists To Watch” is one of the most highly anticipated and competitive lists in the emerging music space, receiving over 600 submissions. Artists and bands selected for the program receive critical exposure and promotion that help propel their careers, marketing and features in Vevo’s expert music video programming via playlists and editorial features across Vevo’s network. 

 

Previewing the Second Half of Rivals Season Two

 

Rivals has always been filled with plenty of twists and turns as well as a fair share of sex.  But the first batch of episodes of the second season ended with a massive shake up.   Monica Baddington died in a car accident after fleeing her cheating husband.  The show is back for the remaining episodes of the current season with even more twist and turns including fallout from that shocking death.  Of yeah, and of course, there is still plenty of sex. 

 

The death was not the only floating cliffhanger that is extended into the final batch of episodes.  There is the lingering question of who exactly is the father of Sarah’s baby.  There is still a mole that need to be found.  And of course, will anyone find out about the numerous affairs that going on in the show.  Oh, and there is always the lingering question of who will hook up with who yet. 

 

Episode seven mostly revolves around Monica’s funeral and only this show would have a sex montage featured in the middle of a funeral.   This batch of episode adds some globe hopping while the fight for the franchine goes on.  Oh yeah, and of course there is copious amount of sex in these episodes.  Strap in, if you though the first half of the season was wild, it is about to get more wild as we veer to the end of the season.  Hopefully a third season announcement will happen soon.

 

Rivals airs Tuesdays on Hulu.  Episodes 7-9 are now available to watch.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 8, 2026

 

Phony:  This show is messing with my head.  I am starting to think the mom really is dead. 

 

VisionQuest:  I really should take a gummy before watching these episodes. So there are three Visons now?  One is human?  I am struggling to keep all this straight.

 

Survivor:  Was Brody annoying?  Yes.  Was he the most entertaining player left?  Also, yes. Sigh.

 

The Lowdown:  They really love starting every episode with Lee starting in random places.

 

Mobland:  That guy seemed way too into cutting up that body.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 1, 2026

 

Phony:  I watched this trailer and was intrigued.  Then I learned it was a television series and became significantly less intrigued.  Then I saw it was listed as a “comedy” and I went, huh, I did not get that vibe at all from the trailer.  So, I went ahead and gave the show a show.  This thing is weird.  Weirdest of all, when I watched the trailer, I thought they switched out Connie Britton for Mireille Enos.  But now I realize this was not the case.  They really messed me up.

 

VisionQuest:  I am still really confused.

 

The Challenge:  Wait, I thought the lady team was blowing out the other team.  How did they win?  It did not even seem close. And really lame that Tori did not take Johnny’s earnings and give it to Sarah. 

 

Survivor:  Wait, they voted out a guy?  I did not realize they were allowed to this season.  But I wish the show would realize there is no drama the smaller the tribes are.  At least we are getting a merge next week.

 

Mobland:  Why Harry wait until the third time to take the gun away from the psychopath? 

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 25, 2026

 

VisionQuest:  Wait, Lady Ultron?  Yesh, I definitely need to be high to watch this show.

 

The Challenge:  Yeah, dragging CT to the finals seems to be a worse and worse idea.  It seems like they are trying their best to make this seem close, but it really seems like the ladies’ team is going to run away with this.

 

Survivor:  Have these people never watched the show before?  You always go to rocks.  If you are playing this scared, you have no chance in winning.  Sigh, what an annoying way for one of the more entertaining players to go out.

 

The Lowdown:  That into made me feel like I missed an episode.

 

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 18, 2026

 

VisionQuest:  There were points in the first two episodes where I wondered, am I supposed to be high while watching this show?  Granted, that would not have helped remembering all the things I forgot about WandaVision.

 

The Challenge:  I came up with a couple different scenarios of what they would do with the lack of men.  A co-ed elimination was not something I considered.  And what a hilarious blowout we got because of it.  Good riddance to that loser.  Hope to see you never.

 

Survivor:  Why tease a one world style switch up only to give us a boring three team uneven swap.  We also got an extremely boring Tribal.  We just had an epic eleven-person Tribal last week.  How have they not realized the more people, the more unpredictable the outcome?  If this season is about unpredictable, how about not doing the same thing you always do when it comes to tribe swaps?

 

The Ark:  Huh?   So, where did that human come from if it has been there for so long?  And is his replacement just gone from the show now?

Around the Tubes: October 17, 2026

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on Rivals, The X-Files, The Land, Stevie Wonder, Aaron Dessner, Cold War Kids, Steven Page, Spectacle: Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl, and Maiah Wynne.

- The critically acclaimed season of Rivals returns with new episodes on Wednesday, November 11th, with a three-episode premiere on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S.

- Hulu has announced that Ryan Coogler’s “The X-Files” project has been picked up to series. From Onyx Collective and produced by 20th Television in association with Proximity Media, the series will star Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel. A reimagining of the classic, the series follows two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents who form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.

- “The Land,” from “Paradise” and “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman, premieres on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US, and Disney+ internationally on February 15.  After several disappointing seasons, Cleveland Browns’ head coach Danny Roarke has one last chance to turn around his football team. His fate rests on a newly drafted Ohio State quarterback — who just happens to be his son. Meanwhile, the owner, Hal Durkin, must decide which of his two daughters is best equipped to take over the team. “The Land” is the story of two families, in which the high-stakes drama plays out not only on the field but also in the front offices of this NFL franchise, as a loyal fanbase wants a winning season now … or face big changes if they don’t.  The series stars Christopher Meloni, Mandy Moore, Chace Crawford, Sam Corlett, Tanner Zagarino, Chloe Bennet, Bridget Moynahan, William H. Macy, Omar Epps.

- Legendary singer, songwriter, musician, producer and activist Stevie Wonder celebrates the 50th anniversary of Songs in the Key of Life with a four-song EP featuring previously unreleased recordings from the album’s sessions: “It’s Easier,” “My Life Story of Love,” “I Can See the Sun In Late December,” and “I’m Into Livin’.” The release opens a new chapter in the story of a landmark album that reshaped modern music, offering listeners a deeper look into the imagination and musical exploration behind one of Wonder’s defining creative periods.  Personally curated by Stevie Wonder, the recordings were recently mixed for this EP by the album’s original recording and mixing engineers, John Fischbach and Gary O Adante. Adante was credited on the original LP as Gary Olazabal.  LISTEN HERE.

- Grammy-winning producer, songwriter and The National co-founder Aaron Dessner welcomes veteran journalist Anthony Mason to Long Pond Studio for a revealing new episode of Alchemy with Anthony Mason, out today on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Recorded at Dessner’s home and workplace in upstate New York, the conversation explores the relationships behind his collaborations with Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Noah Kahan and Mumford & Sons—and why decades of success have not erased the uncertainty of starting a new song.  Dessner recalls wondering whether Swift’s unexpected text proposing a remote collaboration during the pandemic was a friend playing a joke. After he sent her a folder of instrumental sketches, she returned a voice memo of “cardigan” within hours. Their exchange grew into folklore, and Dessner describes how Swift’s conviction helped him learn to see ideas through rather than leave them unfinished. He also explains how working with Abrams introduced a different creative rhythm: writing together in the room, sometimes making two or three songs a day from scratch. The conversation traces the chance encounter at Electric Lady Studios that sparked his collaboration with Mumford & Sons and how working on Abrams’ contribution to Noah Kahan’s “Everywhere, Everything” brought him closer to Kahan’s music.

-  Over the last few months, Cold War Kids have been sharing songs from their earliest days, returning to unfinished material written during the Robbers & Cowards era to complete and record it two decades later. Today, the band releases “Jesse Latour,” the latest preview of Robbers & Cowards / Complete Cowards (20ᵗʰ Anniversary Edition), arriving October 30 via UMe. The expanded edition also includes six live recordings—five previously unreleased—captured across the U.S. and Europe in 2007 while touring in support of their breakout album.  Inspired by an old friend in the band’s hometown, “Jesse Latour” draws on frontman and primary songwriter Nathan Willett’s memories of a sensitive poet and the narrative ambition of Bob Dylan.  Pre-order Robbers & Cowards / Complete Cowards (20ᵗʰ Anniversary Edition):  https://coldwarkids.lnk.to/CompleteCowardsPR

- Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee and Barenaked Ladies co-founder Steven Page will release Steven’s Greetings, a new holiday album that finds the acclaimed singer and songwriter embracing a kind of music he once approached with a healthy dose of skepticism. Due November 13 via Fresh Baked Goods, Steven’s Greetings brings together new original songs, holiday favorites and fresh recordings of music from Page’s past, performed largely with longtime collaborators Craig Northey and Kevin Fox of the Steven Page Trio.

- Hulu and ESPN announced a new documentary “Spectacle: Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl.” The film is set to debut February 2027 on Hulu and ESPN.  In January of 1993, the world of sport, entertainment and broadcast was forever transformed when Michael Jackson took the stage at the Rose Bowl during the Super Bowl XXVII Halftime show. "Spectacle: Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl,” a new feature documentary that takes the viewer through the backstory of the halftime show and chronicles the journey to and through this iconic, industry-shifting show, featuring never-before-seen footage of Michael and his team, its powerful legacy, and how it catapulted the Super Bowl Halftime show into the single biggest spectacle in pop culture.

- The new album from acclaimed singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Maiah Wynne is out. Alongside the album release, Maiah has shared a new video and new single titled ‘Girl Dinner.’   think this song speaks for itself in many ways. We truly are living in a dystopian reality with late-stage capitalism, the influence of money in our governments, and the horrors of those influences on war and international politics. It is hard to read the news every day and witness so much suffering in this world, and to feel so powerless in the face of everything. There is so much I want to say and will say, but for now, this song is a tongue in cheek protest tune I wrote for a little cathartic release. Playing this song on tour with the audience singing along was one of the most meaningful experiences I have ever had through music, and I tried to capture that feeling in the recording. Hopefully, it can be a moment of catharsis for those listening too. The more divided our world becomes, the more important it is for us to reconnect through any means we can. I think there is always hope to be found in a song. - Maiah Wynne.  WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘GIRL DINNER’

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 11, 2026

 

Lanterns:  Meh, the lady cop killing Hal was a bit anticlimactic.  It was one of those lame television tropes of not picking the obvious suspect so they can go with the character that makes no sense.  But I guess I was wrong to predict that every DC property was going to end with someone ending up on the Peacemaker planet.  So, are they jut going  to leave Sinestro on the fear planet?  Why not ship him off to the Peacemaker planet?

 

The Challenge:  I really wanted to see Ana Leigh vs. Michele.  It seemed like Ana Leigh would win and then we would have had a team with no eligible guys and a team with no eligible girls.  So, what exactly are they going to do next week?  Are they going to make two guys from the same team go against each other?  Johnny vs. CT would be fun.

 

Survivor:  I do not think I have had this level of secondhand embarrassment watching this show before.  If you want to go home, just tell everyone to vote for you last week.  I feel bad for the person who went home last week, should have been him instead.  Also, melancholy happy trails to Pants-less Pat.  Kind of sucks she saved the wedding photographer last week, only for her to vote her out this week.  Why not have them vote for the boring guy instead?  It is always annoying when someone who not even mentioned gets voted out.