Friday, September 21, 2018

Around the Tubes: 9/21/2018



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 Veronica Mars, The Guest Book, Dark Money, Saved by the Bell, Top Ten Deadliest Beasts, Africa’s Hunters, Eryn Allen Kane, Ben Howard, Crash Test Dummies, Grown-ish, and Let Science Speak.

- Yesterday, Kristen Bell confirmed that Veronica Mars will return as part of the Hulu Originals slate in 2019 and that fans will be able to watch all past episodes on Hulu beginning in summer 2019.

- Greg Garcia’s anthology comedy series The Guest Book, which premiered as 2017’s #1 new cable comedy, returns to TBS on Tuesday, October 23 at 10:00 with back-to-back new episodes. Subsequent episodes will air on Tuesdays at 10:30. As planned with every new season of The Guest Book, season two features a new town, new series regulars, and new guest stars. In the small oceanside community of Mabel Beach, vacationers who stay at the Bare Feet Retreat record their confessions, alibis, and farewells in the cottage’s guest book. They are hosted by town locals Bodhi, Nikki and Tommy, played by series regulars Jimmy Tatro (American Vandal), Kimiko Glenn (Orange Is the New Black), and Dan Beirne (Fargo).


- Your vote can be bought, but at what cost? Dark Money follows local Montana journalist John S. Adams, who is determined to uncover the truth about funding in his state’s elections. The film gains insights over the course of three election cycles, as it solves an increasingly complicated and blurred puzzle. Dark Money traces Adams’ steps and sheds light on the grassroots movement to unveil the mysterious financing behind our elections. Dark Money has its national broadcast and streaming debut on the PBS documentary series POV and pov.org on Monday, October 1 at 10:00. (check local listings). POV is American television’s longest-running independent documentary series, now in its 31st season.

- It's a bummer that summer's over, but Shout! Factory starts the new school year off with a bang by unveiling the final list of bonus features for Saved by the Bell: The Complete Collection, a "Max-ed" out, completist's DVD set of the iconic and addictive '90s Saturday morning sitcom. On October 2nd, relive the laughter, lessons and love with Zack and his Bayside High Pals in the ultimate 16-disc collector's set of this iconic '90s sitcom, featuring every series episode and BRAND NEW Bonus Features, available now for pre-order at Amazon.com!

- An eight-foot Terror Bird with a head the size of a horse, a giant venomous lizard called Megalania and an aquatic scorpion the size of a human being. These aren’t fantasy creatures but rather some of the most brutal predators to ever walk the face of the Earth. Premiering Wednesday, October 24 at 8:00, Smithsonian Channel’s Top Ten Deadliest Beasts will count down the 10 most lethal animals in all of history, with computer-generated imagery showing these killers as they were in all their glory.

- Smithsonian Earth continues its epic journey through Zambia’s Luangwa Valley with all-new episodes of Africa’s Hunters. This stunning series takes viewers into the backyard of some of Africa’s greatest predators, following the lions, leopards, wild dogs and hyenas that call the region home. The second season picks up from where we left our amazing cast of characters just a year ago – checking in with the lonely lion cub Misfit of the Nsefu pride and introducing us to the new leopard queen Olimba, who’s taken over from Kamuti’s rule. Along the way, witness the triumphs of a hard-earned kill, the heartbreak of loss and the bonds of brotherhood that endure in the Luangwa Valley. Filmed with military-grade thermal cameras that allow the filmmakers to go unnoticed at night, Africa’s Hunters captures the every movement of these predators 24/7 over the course of several dedicated years. Viewers will get an unfiltered look into the lives of these amazing creatures like never seen before. New episodes are now available on Smithsonian Earth™, which is available on Apple®, Roku®, Amazon, Android™ and at SmithsonianEarthTV.com.

- Critically acclaimed Detroit-raised and LA-based R&B singer and songwriter Eryn Allen Kane shares a new single entitled Feel The Need. Get it HERE. The song heralds the arrival of her forthcoming eight-track EP, Imperial Soul, arriving at all DSPs on September 28, 2018. Listen to Feel The Need HERE.

- Ben Howard returns today with three brand new songs, written and recorded during the sessions for his recently acclaimed third album, Noonday Dream. One of the new songs 'Hot Heavy Summer' features a collaboration with American electro pop duo Sylvan Esso, and last night featured as Annie Mac's Hottest Record on Radio 1. Listen to all three tracks here.

- Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies will reunite for the first time in 17-years to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their seminal sophomore album God Shuffled His Feet. They will perform the album in its entirety as well as other fan favorites including “Superman’s Song” and “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead.” The north American tour launches November 23rd at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, MN and will feature the original line-up of Brad Roberts, Ellen Reid, Dan Roberts, and Mitch Dorge. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 21st at noon EST. Fans can get tickets on the official Crash Test Dummies website: crashtestdummies.com/#/tour.

- Freeform announced the start of production on season two of hit comedy series Grown-ish. Reprising his role as Doug is musical artist, rapper and actor Diggy Simmons in a recurring role for season two, quickly became a fandom favorite for his character’s relationship with Jazz Forster. Simmons recently released his latest single “It Is What It Is” and "Anchors" off of his highly-anticipated sophomore album that will be released later this fall.

- Let Science Speak is a six-part digital short documentary series about the importance of science in our ever-evolving world. Through intimate storytelling, Let Science Speak highlights not only what is at risk for our lives, our country, and our planet when science is under attack, but what that means for the humans behind the research, and the people behind the facts. The series goes beyond the "War on Science" headlines to humanize environmental scientists, illustrating how their work is intrinsically connected to personal values that many Americans hold dear, including innovation, health, faith, civic duty, class, race, and family. Let Science Speak will premiere during the 2018 Tribeca TV Festival on September 20th and will be available to watch at letsciencespeak.com.

Sunday, September 16, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/16/2018



The Challenge: Final Reckoning: Well that was a confusing challenge. Why did the people who got the most bags get rewarded by having more disgusting food?
You can download The Challenge: Final Reckoning on iTunes.

Castle Rock: One of the biggest critiques of Stephan King is that, even though he comes up with some great idea, he at times is not very good at finishing his stories. So it should not be that much of a surprise that show inspired by King, though had a great twist in episode in episode nine, was a bit of a let down by the time the final credits rolled. It felt like we ended right back at where we started with The Kid back in his cage but now it is Henry keeping him there instead of the Warden.

We never did get a confirmation if The Kid’s story of the alternative universe was real or not. We did learn that it was, in fact, Henry that pushed his father off the cliff, but we did not see what happened to him after that. I actually thought they were going towards the Henrys going back to the other world with Black Henry being stuck there in a cage for the next twenty-five years until he could find his way back to his world.

Then after the start of the credits we finally got some quality Jackie. She was the best part of the early episodes but just disappeared for long stretches only to return to wield an axe like her uncle. But what exactly was that last scene? Was it just one big Easter Egg because it seemed like all her character was this season? Or was it a teaser for season two and the show will follow her out west to where the story she was writing began? The Overlook Hotel (home of The Shining) is out west in Colorado. After not appearing in much of the first season, I would definitely look forward to a Jane Levy-focused second season.
You can stream Castle Rock on Hulu.