Thursday, February 16, 2017

Around the Tubes: 2/16/17



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 Water & Power: A California Heist, Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars, T'Pau, Maggie Rogers, Victorian Rebel – Marianne North, Pochahontas: Beyond the Myth, and In the Heat of the Night.

- Today, more than 500 million people around the world lack access to clean drinking water. Global warming, drought, overconsumption, corporate greed, terrorism and political corruption have all contributed to a stark reality where fresh water is scarce, expensive and not a guaranteed human right. Coinciding with World Water Day (March 22), National Geographic has announced two new projects from Academy Award winner Alex Gibney (“Going Clear”, “Taxi to the Dark Side”) that will air throughout the month of March and shed light on critical issues bubbling up around the world and in our own backyards. First, following a successful debut at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, is the feature documentary Water & Power: A California Heist. Directed by Emmy award winner Marina Zenovich (“Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired”) and executive produced by Gibney and Jigsaw Productions, the film unfolds like a real-life version of the 1974 film noir “Chinatown,” as it peels back the layers of California’s history of water manipulations.

- Showtime Documentary Films will release the new documentary Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars, an unflinching and deeply personal journey into the life of the legendary musician. The documentary will screen at domestic and international film festivals later this year, followed by a theatrical run in the U.S. and Canada, before airing nationally on SHOWTIME in 2018. The film will be directed by Oscar®-winner Lili Fini Zanuck (Rush, Driving Miss Daisy), with John Battsek (One Day In September, Searching for Sugar Man) producing for Passion Pictures. BAFTA winner Chris King (Amy, Senna) will serve as editor.

- Following on from the success of 2015's expanded ‘Bridge of Spies’ set UMG / Virgin now present T’Pau – The Virgin Anthology. This collection is a comprehensive, 4-CD curation of T'Pau's Virgin Records career: all those glorious singles from the mighty, quadruple platinum debut album ‘Bridge Of Spies’ ('87,) the two Top Ten albums which followed, the platinum-selling ‘Rage’ ('88) and Top 10 gold-selling ‘The Promise’ ('91,) plus a glimmering collector's grotto of B-sides, remixes, tantalising rarities and unreleased demo versions of the songs which lit up the late-‘80s skyline like luminous shooting stars. In the era's dominant teen-pop landscape T'Pau were a proper band, their stadium-level ambition powering into realisation via one of the most distinctive vocalists in history, Carol's singular force-of-nature tone somehow merging, stunningly, the youthful euphoria of the ingénue with the depths of a woman's wisdom.

- Maggie Rogers: “Alaska”:


- Smithsonian Channel is celebrating Women’s History Month with new specials that highlight two of the most courageous and independent-spirited women of their time, both leaving a lasting impression for centuries to follow. Victorian Rebel – Marianne North remembers one of the most adventurous female explorers and botanists of all time in a story of obsession, tragedy and ultimately triumph in Victorian England. Pochahontas: Beyond the Myth revisits the life of a legendary woman whose story continues to gain new resonance over time, even now on the 400-year anniversary of her death in March 1617. Victorian Rebel – Marianne North premieres on Wednesday, March 8 at 8:00. It is produced by Dan Chambers for Blink Films and Warner Sisters Productions. Charles Poe, David Royle and Joy Galane serve as executive producers for Smithsonian Channel. Pochahontas: Beyond the Myth premieres on Monday, March 27 at 8:00. It is produced by Biscuit Factory for Smithsonian Networks. Rob Lyall and Molly Herman are executive producers for Biscuit Factory. John Cavanagh and David Royle serve as executive producers for Smithsonian Channel.

- During his frequent guest appearances on The Carol Burnett Show, Tim Conway, who had originally gotten his start on McHale's Navy, was a one-man wrecking crew capable of leveling the audience and cast members alike with the slightest gesture. With an unparalleled gift for improvisation and physical comedy, Conway became a permanent part of the cast in 1975 and would go on to create a gallery of oddball characters that blossomed in their own bumbling ineptitude, from the "Oldest Man" to the irascible boss, Mr. Tudball. The Carol Burnett Show: The Best of Tim Conway celebrates this inimitable and legendary comic with four complete episodes - three not seen in more than 40 years - featuring some of his most unforgettable characters and moments. Street Date: April 4, 2017.

- Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will kick off the 8th annual TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday, April 6th with a 50th anniversary screening of the Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger classic In the Heat of the Night (1967). The iconic actor Sidney Poitier, who will attend the screening, broke stereotypes and new ground when he starred in this five time Academy Award winner about a black detective from the north who finds himself investigating a murder in a small-town in Mississippi. Producer Walter Mirisch and Director Norman Jewison along with actress Lee Grant and composer Quincy Jones will be on hand to discuss the film which is considered to be a landmark.

- A group of governors from both ends of the political spectrum are urging President Donald Trump to support renewable energy, saying the wind and solar industries are crucial economic engines for impoverished rural regions. The Governor’s Wind & Solar Energy Coalition is seeking increased federal funding to modernize local power grids and boost clean energy research, according to a letter submitted to the White House Monday. The group is also calling for legislation to promote offshore wind farms and efforts to streamline the permitting process for wind and solar projects.

No comments:

Post a Comment