Around the Tubes: September 26, 2020

 
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 Helstrom, Run, People Yo May Know, Sasha Sloan, Eric Clapton, INXS, Shannon LaBrie, Citizen Bio, Cold War, Kids, Nina Simone, The Circus, Decision 2020, and Arrow.

- Every family has its demons! Check out the official trailer and key art below for our upcoming horror series Helstrom starring Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon.  All 10 episodes premiere Friday, October 16, only on Hulu!

- Hulu Original Film RUN premieres Friday, November 20, 2020 on Hulu.  The film stars Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Sarah Paulson and introduces newcomer Kiera Allen.  RUN is the first major thriller since the 1940s starring an actual wheelchair user. Lionsgate will release the film theatrically in select international markets.  SYNOPSIS:  They say you can never escape a mother’s love... but for Chloe, that’s not a comfort — it’s a threat. There’s something unnatural, even sinister about the relationship between Chloe (newcomer Kiera Allen) and her mom, Diane (Sarah Paulson). Diane has raised her daughter in total isolation, controlling every move she’s made since birth, and there are secrets that Chloe's only beginning to grasp. From the visionary writers, producers and director of the breakout film Searching,  comes a suspense thriller that shows that when mom gets a little too close, you need to RUN.

- AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now features the Streaming Premiere of the new timely and hard-hitting documentary PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW on Monday, September 28, 2020. Set in the run-up to the 2020 US Presidential Election, People You May Know explores the political alliance between religious fundamentalists, oligarchs, and controversial British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica and its shell companies which have fundamentally shifted the balance of politics and elections in the US. People You May Know was licensed from Abacus Media Rights.  Sundance Now is AMC Networks’ premiere streaming service for engrossing true crime, heart-stopping dramas and fiercely intelligent thrillers from around the world.  The film follows Charles Kriel, specialist advisor to a UK parliament disinformation committee, when he discovers Cambridge Analytica collaborating with a software company creating a microtargeting platform for US churches, targeting vulnerable people - the poor, the grieving, the addicted - to radicalize them for far-right politics. With the imminent US 2020 elections, Kriel gathers a team of whistle-blowers and journalists to journey across America with his young family, where he discovers a powerful organization with ties to the heart of the White House. The man who commissioned Cambridge Analytica is a member of the most powerful secret political organization in the United States with an agenda to rewrite the Constitution according to Christian Law. Going undercover, Kriel risks everything to gain access where no outsider has ever set foot. 
 

- Sasha Sloan: Lie:

    

- This November sees the release of 50^th Anniversary edition of Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, available as a 4LP vinyl box set via UMe/Polydor. In celebration of the 50^thanniversary of the 1970 double album, the original has been given the ‘Half-Speed Mastered’ treatment by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios and is completed with a certificate of authentication.The 50^th anniversary 4LP box set, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, is available exclusively through uDiscover and Sound of Vinyl and can be ordered here.  Layla is often regarded as Eric Clapton’s greatest musical achievement. The album is notably known for its title track, an evergreen rock classic, which had top ten single chart success in the U.K. and features the dual wailing guitars of Clapton and Duane Allman. Alongside this are a further 2LPs of bonus material some of which has not previously been released on vinyl. All the bonus material across all of LP3 and LP4 is mastered normally (so is not half-speed mastered). The LP set also includes a 12×12 book of sleeve notes taken from the 40th-Anniversary Edition.

-  Singer/Songwriter Andrew Farriss celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the multi-platinum selling album 'X,' released on this day 30 years ago from the world-renowned band, INXS. Farriss, a founding member of the band, played keyboard and provided backing vocals and other instrumentation. With INXS, he has sold over 60 million records, received multiple Grammy nominations, and an induction into the ARIA Hall Of Fame in 2001. 'X,' INXS’s 7th studio album, was released on September 25th in 1990.  “I can’t believe it’s been 30 years since the release of the ‘X’ album,” shares Farriss. “As INXS, we knew we had to have the right songs to follow up on the massive success of our previous album ‘KICK’. I love the energy of the ‘X’ album. My favorite songs are still “Suicide Blonde,” “Disappear,” “Bitter Tears,” “Who Pays The Price,” and “Hear That Sound,” plus having blues music legend Charlie Musselwhite playing on the ‘X’ album with us was awesome!” 

- Shannon LaBrie prepares for the arrival of her upcoming LP Building, with the release of the reflective new track “Angels Fall,” that honors the gift of encouraging relationships we encounter throughout life. The lyric video premiered with Cowboys & Indians, saying, “In the midst of everything, the optimistic Nashville-based singer-songwriter finds hope…” watch the lyric video HERE.  “Angels Fall'' is now available, listen to it HERE. LaBrie’s forthcoming album Building will be available Sep. 25 and can be pre-saved HERE or pre-ordered HERE. 

- As the world’s medical research community grapples with the current COVID-19 pandemic, SHOWTIME Documentary Films will premiere a new, timely feature-length documentary entitled CITIZEN BIO, which explores in depth the nascent biohacking movement and the unconventional scientists and researchers developing alternative medicines to prolong human life and eradicate incurable viruses and diseases. Directed by Trish Dolman and executive produced by Graeme Manson (Snowpiercer, Orphan Black), CITIZEN BIO will premiere on SHOWTIME on Friday, October 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.  To watch and share the film’s official trailer, go to: https://youtu.be/moyabKVvY1c.

- Cold War Kids have unveiled plans for a landmark virtual tour, featuring four unique concert performances scheduled through November. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at coldwarkids.nocapshows.com beginning September 24 at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET, with individual tickets priced at $15 and the four-show bundle priced at $50.  BUY TICKETS  All four shows on the virtual tour will begin at 6:00 pm PT/9:00 pm ET; the shows will then be archived though Sunday, November 29, one week after the final event.

- Nina Simone's classic 1965 albums I Put a Spell on You and Pastel Blues will be released as definitive audiophile grade versions as the third installment of Verve/UMe’s recently launched audiophile vinyl reissues series Acoustic Sounds. Utilizing the skills of the top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings, the LPs, which will be available November 6, were mastered in stereo from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality tip-on gatefold jackets. Like all Acoustic Sounds titles, the releases are being supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world’s largest source for audiophile recordings. The Simone titles follow the Acoustic Sounds editions of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and Ballads set for release October 9.
 
Pre-order I Put a Spell on You: https://Verve.lnk.to/NSSpellOnYou
Pre-order Pastel Blues: https://Verve.lnk.to/NSPastelBlues

- With fewer than 40 days before the election, THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE CRAZIEST POLITICAL CAMPAIGN ON EARTH continues its fifth season this Sunday with a look at the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, what it means for the future of the Supreme Court and how it is reshaping the 2020 presidential race.  Hosts John Heilemann, Alex Wagner and Mark McKinnon, along with guest contributor Jennifer Palmieri, examine the unfolding drama as President Trump and Senate Republicans move toward filling Ginsburg's court seat before the election. As Republicans and Democrats prepare for a looming political fight, THE CIRCUS also speaks with voters and activists about how the Supreme Court battle is mobilizing both sides ahead of November 3.  For a preview, go to: https://youtu.be/acGZGcWxc60.

- With just over six weeks until Election Day, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo poll published today offers the latest snapshot of Latino voters’ views on the 2020 presidential election.  The nationwide poll was conducted as part of Telemundo’s “Decision 2020” initiative, a non-partisan multiplatform news and civic engagement effort to provide Latinos with comprehensive information and resources on this year’s election. The poll is the latest in a yearlong series of Telemundo local and national surveys focused on the Latino electorate.  A story about the results of the NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo poll is available in Spanish at Telemundo.com. Highlights of the results will also be featured on Noticias Telemundo’s Sunday newscasts at 6:30 p.m EDT/5:30 pm CT and 11:30 p.m. EDT/10:30 CT. 

- After eight remarkable seasons, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC mark the end of an epic era with its final installment of the suspenseful and action-packed series with the release of Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season on Blu-ray & DVD April 28, 2020. Get ready for nonstop action from start to finish with all 10 action-packed episodes from the eighth and final season, plus the show’s 2019 Comic-Con Panel, the broadcast special Arrow: Hitting the Bullseye and deleted scenes! A limited edition bonus disc featuring all five DC Crossover Event: Crisis on Infinite Earths episodes will be available exclusively for fans who purchase the Blu-ray. Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season is priced to own at $24.98 SRP ($29.98 in Canada) and $29.98 SRP for the Blu-ray which includes a Digital Code (U.S. only), ($39.99 in Canada). Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season is also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers.  Arrow: The Complete Series will also be available for fans to own on Blu-ray and DVD for $189.99 / $169.99 SRP ($249.99 / $229.99 in Canada). The bonus disc is included in the Blu-ray Complete Series set. 

- Majorities of Americans across racial and ethnic backgrounds support meaningful changes to policing, including requiring officers to live in the communities they police and involving community-resource workers in certain emergency calls, a new national poll found.  The poll also found broad support for economic policies and programs to reduce wealth and income inequality, including a federal jobs guarantee, temporary suspension of rent and mortgage payments, fair hiring protections for people with criminal histories, and a program to provide grants to Black entrepreneurs starting small businesses.  The results point to encouraging opportunities for unity among Black, Latinx, and white Americans on priorities for tackling inequities.

Previewing The Comey Rule

Late in the second and last episode of The Comey Rule, the United States Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, fighting back tears argues to the acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Andrew McCabe the he should wear a wire in meeting with the president of the United States, Donald Trump, so he and the cabinet would have enough evidence to invoke the 25^th amendment of the condition declaring the president is unable to serve.  Wow, what a bombshell if true.  I jumped on my phone and apparently this news was already out there with the New York Times reporting this back in September 2018 and McCabe, in an interview with 60 Minutes in February, confirmed such.  It is amazing that there has been so much craziness in the past four year that is easy to forget something as big as a conspiracy to remove the president.

 

Weirdly Rod Rosenstein is sort of the narrator of The Comey Rule.  He opens the two night event trashing the titular character sometime after the bulk of the show takes place and is also the last voice we hear.  We actually see more of Rosenstein in a post mortem of the show than during the time James Comey was leading the FBI.  But hey, it is weird to even have a show based mostly on the memoir of James Comey on the eve of the election featuring the guy who fired him.

 

The limited series was originally scheduled to premiere in late November, I guess because it wanted to adhere to the FBI rule of not wanting to open a case that might influence an election.  But unlike James Comey who stubbornly stuck to principals in hopes to keep the FBI non-partisan (and was attacked for it by Rosenstein who called him a boy scout, which apparel to Rosenstein is considered an insult) Showtime caved to pressure to move the show up to just six weeks before the election.  Granted, who at this point watch The Comey Rule and realize maybe it is not wise to re-elect a psychopath?

 

This is the second straight year Showtime has aired a based on a tell all political show, thankfully The Comey Rule comes off as much less icky than the Roger Ailes show, The Loudest Voice.  But Showtime split the five hours and forty-five minute over seven weeks, for The Comey Rule, they split the three and a half hour into two back to back nights.  Why not spread that out across four week, especially in the middle of a pandemic where they are probably running low on things to air?

 

Much like The Loudest Voice, The Comey Rule has a very recognizable cast led by Jeff Daniels as the former FBI director.  Granted this is weird for me as I was also watch The Newsroom while watch The Comey Rule because I mostly saw Will McAvoy with slightly darker hair (ironically the episode I watch prior to The Comey Rule was the first Anthony Weiner scandal, probably not a spoiler to say Weiner comes up in the new show too in a major way).  I am not sure why they did not go with the full black dye job that the real Comey likely does.  Brendan Gleeson (Gangs of New York) does a pretty bad job as Donald Trump and the bad wig and bad make-up job do not help him at all, granted, just how can anyone replicate such a mess?  Kingsley Ben-Adir (Love Life) does a better job as the former president Barack Obama despite looking a good thirty years younger than the guy he is playing.

 

Thankfully the show puts up a name card whenever someone new comes on screen, taking out the guess work of who they are playing.  It is surprising how many names I recognized.  I probably could not name many in past administrations other than maybe the head of the FBI, but I recognized most of the people who popped up on the show.  The limited series also features (honestly, I am just copying and pasting this from the Showtime press release) Holly Hunter (The Piano) as former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, Michael Kelly (Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan) as former FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Jennifer Ehle (Zero Dark Thirty) as Patrice Comey, Scoot McNairy (Halt and Catch Fire) as former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul) as former National Intelligence Director James Clapper, Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones) as former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, Amy Seimetz (The Girlfriend Experience) as former FBI lawyer Trisha Anderson, Steven Pasquale (The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story) as former FBI agent Peter Strzok, and Peter Coyote (The Disappearance) as Robert Mueller. Steve Zissis (Togetherness), Shawn Doyle (House of Cards), Brian d’Arcy James (Spotlight), Dalmar Abuzeid (Anne with an E), William Sadler (When They See Us), Richard Thomas (Tell Me Your Secrets), T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy), Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Spencer Garrett (Bombshell), Michael Hyatt (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Damon Gupton (Black Lightning) and Seann Gallagher (Good Witch) also star. 

 

Bizarrely, comedian Truglio is playing former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and it is not as a joke.  I got to wonder just who The Comey Rule is for.  Unlike The Loudest Voice which came off as a liberal hit job, The Comey Rule seems to want to be as noble as James Comey wants us to think he was.  The second episode starts shortly after the election and we see a guy shooting off an e-mail about how Hilary got what she deserves and then pans to a crying woman upset than Clinton lost (well this is right after a pretty hilarious song that almost makes the series worth it).  The show also takes painstaking ways to make Comey out to be the Boy Scout Rosenstein complains about like when first briefed on the Steele dossier, Comey actually asks, “What’s a golden shower?’ which was just very eye rolling.  The liberals hate James Comey because they think he swung the election to Trump while conservatives hate him because they think the Russia investigation was just done to delegitimize his presidency.  So just who is The Comey Rule for?  Probably political junkies who want to complain on Twitter how poorly their side is being represented.

 

The Comey Rule premieres Sunday at 9:00 on Showtime and concludes the following day.

The Sixteenth Annual Scooter Television Awards

Welcome to the 16th Annual Scooter Television Awards honoring show that aired a majority of their season between July 2019 and August 2020. Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2020 STA's:

Best Scripted Show: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist 

Best Comedy: The Good Place 

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show: Castle Rock

Best Comic Book Adaptation: Watchmen 

Best Period Show: The Great 

Best Animated Show: Harley Quinn 

Best Reality Show: The Challenge 

Best Remake, Reboot, or (non-comic book) Adaptation: Veronica Mars 

Best Miniseries: Little Fires Everywhere 

Best Talk Show: Pardon the Interruption 

Best New Show: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist 

Guiltiest Guilty Pleasure: Zomboat 

 Worst Show I Made Though an Entire Season Of: Dispatches From Elsewhere 

Best Hour of TV: Zoey’s Extraordinary Glitch (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) 

Best Half Hour of TV: A Very G.L.O.W. Christmas (G.L.O.W.) 

Biggest Shocker: Cal was Dr. Manhattan this whole time (Watchmen) 

Best Line: “Look: I’m stomping on your fish!” (Bane to Aquaman, Harley Quinn) 

Worst Idea: Launching your streaming service without access to seventy percent of digital media players 

Worst Moment: Roger Ailes groping and sexualizing his employees (The Loudest Voice) 

Biggest Disappointment: Run 

Best Musical Moment: The last seven minutes of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’s finale 

Best Karaoke: Crazy – Zoey Clarke (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) 

Best New Title Sequence: Little Fires Everywhere 

Best Character: Jason Mendoza (The Good Place) 

Best Recurring Character: Vicky (The Good Place) 

Best Guest Appearance: Jason Bateman (The Outsider) 

Best Cast Addition: Lizzie Caplan (Castle Rock) 

Best Duo: Catherine the Great and Peter III (The Great) 

Most Entertaining Reality “Star”: Michele Fitzgerald (Survivor) 

Most Annoying Reality “Star”: Rob Mariano (Survivor) 

Most Anticipated New Show of Next Season: Only Murders in the Building 

Show That Should Be Brought Back: The Good Place (or at least a Jason prequel in Jacksonville)

Biggest Question for 2020-2021: What is television going to look like during the Coronapocalypse?

57 Channels and Only this Is On: September 20, 2020

 

Lovecraft Country:  Well that was gross.  But I wonder now if the creepy white dude ever existed?  Did he die when the mansion blew up in the second episode?  It does make the conversation where the creepy white chick and the sheriff attacked each other for not being part of the evil cult thing.  Apparently the creepy white chick was a part of it after all, just not in her form.

 

We Hunt Together:  The cop was right when he told Baba was not like the rest of us.  To lie that easy and then flip the bird on the way out of the police station.  But they did get her.  Thought I am not a lawyer and definitely do not know anything about British law, but, here, drawing the eyes and being is the only evidence is not enough to convict.  But I guess that is the potential season two to see if they can get anything concrete on Freddie.

 

Raised By Wolves:  Through most of the first episode this week I thought we were just going around and around in a circle with no major change… and then Ragnor just planted the android with an axe after stealing her eyes.  But of course he could not destroy her because he may be the vague prophecy.  Is Ragnor and the androids going to team up to destroy the religious zealots?

 

Around the Tubes: September 19, 2020

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 Moonbase, Your Honor, The Comedy Store, U2, Great Performances: GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends, deryk, Zach Gill, Maja Kristina, Desus and Mero,and BET.

- SHOWTIME announced that the new half-hour comedy series MOONBASE 8, starring Emmy^® nominee Fred Armisen (Portlandia), Tim Heidecker (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!) and Golden Globe^® and Academy Award^® nominee John C. Reilly (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story), will premiere on Sunday, November 8 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The series is created, written and executive produced by Armisen, Heidecker, Reilly and Emmy nominee Jonathan Krisel (Baskets), who also serves as series director.  Set in the isolated desert of Winslow, Arizona at NASA’s Moon Base Simulator, MOONBASE 8 follows eager astronauts Skip (Armisen), Rook (Heidecker) and their leader Cap (Reilly) as they attempt to qualify for their first lunar mission. While working vigorously to complete their training, a series of unexpected circumstances forces the astronauts to question their own mental sanity, trust in each other and whether or not they’re cut out for space travel.


-  SHOWTIME has released the official trailer for the upcoming limited series YOUR HONOR, starring Oscar nominee and Emmy, Golden Globe^®, Screen Actors Guild^® and Tony^® Award winner Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad). BAFTA winner Peter Moffat (The Night Of, Undercover) serves as showrunner, executive producer and writer of multiple episodes. The series is executive produced by Emmy nominees Robert and Michelle King (The Good Fight, The Good Wife, Evil) and Liz Glotzer (Evil, The Good Fight). Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning writer/director Edward Berger (PATRICK MELROSE) executive produces and directs the first three episodes. YOUR HONOR is set to air this December.

- SHOWTIME has released the trailer and poster art for the upcoming docu-series THE COMEDY STORE, which chronicles the evolution of comedy from within the walls of the legendary L.A. club. Directed and executive produced by Mike Binder (The Upside of Anger, Reign Over Me), who started at the Store as a doorman before rising to main stage performer, and executive produced by Oscar^® nominee and Emmy winner Mike Tollin (The Last Dance), the five-part series premieres on Sunday, October 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.  THE COMEDY STORE brings to life the legends, heartbreak and history created at the iconic club on the Sunset Strip, weaving never-seen-before footage of trailblazers like Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison and Freddie Prinze together with interviews with David Letterman, Jay Leno, Chris Rock, Andrew Dice Clay, Joe Rogen, Whitney Cummings, Jimmy Walker, Michael Keaton, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Marc Maron, Damon Wayans, Bill Burr, Byron Allen and many more as they reflect on the ups and downs of The Store’s textured history.  As a Comedy Store alum, former stand-up comic Binder spotlights one of pop culture’s great laboratories that forever changed comedy and, for many, provided a launching pad to stardom in film and television. Legions of legendary performers cut their teeth doing stand-up at The Store on Sunset while being mentored by the tough but nurturing gatekeeper Mitzi Shore. Loved by most, hated by some, but always garnering their respect, Shore, says Binder “…changed the way comedy was presented. The Store is her legacy. It’s the epicenter of stand-up comedy in the world.”


- YouTube, Island Records, Interscope, UMe, and UMC today announce the relaunch of U2’s Official YouTube Channel with weekly releases of the band’s most iconic music videos and never before seen content on YouTube, all remastered at the highest possible standard. Over the course of the next year and beyond, the band’s music video catalog will be remastered in HD and launched exclusively on YouTube in that format.  The first phase of the relaunch will celebrate the upcoming 20th anniversary of the band’s tenth studio album, the GRAMMY Award-winning global smash hit, All That You Can't Leave Behind; leading with the re-release of one of the album’s most seminal tracks, “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” remastered in 4K as a premium music video (PMV) and Premiered yesterdy HERE.

- The Recording Academy® will honor its 2020 Special Merit Awards recipients with "Great Performances: GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends®," an awards ceremony and tribute concert hosted by Jimmy Jam on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app.  Announced earlier this year, the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Chicago, Roberta Flack, Isaac Hayes, Iggy Pop, John Prine, Public Enemy, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Ken Ehrlich, Philip Glass and Frank Walker received Trustees Award honors, and George Augspurger was recognized with the Technical GRAMMY® Award. Mickey Smith Jr. will also accept the Music Educator Award™ as this year’s recipient.  Performers include Laurie Anderson, Philip Bailey, Brandi Carlile, Cynthia Erivo, Chris Isaak, Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires, Cyndi Lauper, Sam Moore, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Yola. Presenters include Rhiannon Giddens, Joe Mantegna, John Legend, LL COOL J, Greg Phillinganes, Henry Rollins, and Don Was.

- Auckland-based, UK-born newcomer deryk first arrested us with her affecting voice on her debut single “Call You Out” earlier this summer. She has since shared the moving follow up “One Star,” alongside announcing plans for her debut EP release WOMb out on October 2^nd.  The EP focus track, “goodtimes” is a heart-on-sleeve account of a time in deryk’s life that she invites us to share with her. The song, which is at times almost uncomfortably intimate, succinctly showcases her impeccable ability to harness a mature understanding of life’s common experiences. A tale of heartache and lessons learnt, “goodtimes” manages to be both melancholic and uplifting—like only the best multidimensional pop music can.  LISTEN TO “goodtimes” HERE!

- Acclaimed singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist ZACH GILL unveils his third full-length solo album, Cocktail Yoga, today.  Stream Cocktail Yoga HERE via Brushfire/Republic Records and view the lyric video for “Playground In Your Soul” HERE!  Zach Gill, who over the course of his career has accumulated over 18 million global streams, heralds the nine-track instrumental new album with the single “King Dancer’s Delight.” Punctuated by nature sounds, immersive production, and artful sonic transmissions, Cocktail Yoga also drew critical attention right out of the gate. In addition to features from JamBase and more, Santa Barbara Independent enthusiastically wrote, “To me, it sounds like that ‘space-age bachelor-pad music’ made famous by Mexican legend Esquivel!”

- Recharging The Pointer Sisters classic for the 21^st century, acclaimed 22-year-old Stockholm songstress Maja Kristina shares her new single “Slow Hand” today.  Stream “Slow Hand” HERE via Eddie O Entertainment/Republic Records.  On the new track Maja said “I love this song and I'm super excited to bring it back from the 80's with a modern twist. Great songs never go out of style and this is no exception.”  Maja adds her inimitable energy to this seductive rendition of the 1981 staple. Over fresh production, she leans into infections verses as the track culminates on the timeless hook illuminated her magnetic charm and the scope of her expansive voice.

- SHOWTIME has picked up a third season of DESUS & MERO, the network’s first-ever late-night talk show, to return in 2021. Season two continues through October, airing weekly on Sunday and Thursday nights at 11 p.m. ET/PT and is currently shot remotely from the hosts’ own homes. Each episode of DESUS & MERO features the co-hosts giving their take on the day’s hot topics and chatting with guests at the intersection of pop culture, sports, music, politics and more, such as Senator Kamala Harris, Missy Elliott, Dr. Anthony Fauci, The Beastie Boys, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, Vice President Joe Biden and David Letterman. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.

- SHOWTIME has picked up the 10-episode first season of THE END, a half-hour dark comedy series starring Emmy nominee Harriet Walter (Succession, The Crown, Killing Eve) and Golden Globe nominee Frances O’Connor (The Missing, Mansfield Park). In THE END, three generations of a family live with separate but intersecting obsessions – trying to figure out how to die with dignity, live with none and make it all count. The series is scheduled to premiere on SHOWTIME in 2021. A coproduction between Sky UK and Foxtel Australia, the series was created and written by Samantha Strauss and is directed by Jessica M. Thompson and Jonathan Brough. The announcement was made today by Jana Winograde, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.  O’Connor plays Dr. Kate Brennan, an Australian-based specialist in palliative care. Euthanasia is a hot-button topic in Kate’s field of work, and she is passionate in her opposition. On the other side of the world, Kate’s mother Edie Henley (Walter) feels just as strongly about her right to die. Kate has little choice but to ship Edie out from England and deposit her in Australia’s Gold Coast in a nearby retirement community – Edie’s worst nightmare. While Kate struggles with her own problems, her children, one of whom is a teenage trans boy, are trying to work out who they are and who they want to be. THE END is a story about family, ethics and emotion, and mostly how it’s never too late to start again.

- BET announces the next phase of its nonpartisan #ReclaimYourVote campaign, which declares the inaugural National Black Voter Day to be recognized on September 18, 2020. In partnership with the National Urban League and an expanding list of over 40 key partners, BET will launch various initiatives and provide content to inform, empower and mobilize Black Americans’ participation in the November election. Resources will assist in getting voters registered, demystify some of the confusing processes, as well as provide guidance on voting rights restoration for eligible voters, and help voters create their voting plan to ensure their voices are heard.  Blake Griffin (six-time NBA All-Star), Caron Butler (NBA Champion), Desmond Meade (President, FRRC/Voting Rights Activist), Dwane Casey (Champion Basketball Coach), Erica Campbell (Recording Artist), Jaren Jackson, Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies center), Jonica T. Gibbs (Actor, BET’s Twenties), Marc H. Morial (President & CEO, National Urban League), MAJOR. (Grammy Nominated Musician), Morgan DeBaun (Founder & CEO, Blavity, Inc), Mignon Von (Actor, Tyler Perry’s Sistas), Offset (Rapper), Rapsody (Recording Artist), Soledad O'Brien (Journalist/Producer), Stacey Abrams (Founder, Fair Fight Action), Ms. Tina Knowles Lawson (Co-Founder, Where Art Can Occur), Udonis Haslem (three-time NBA Champion), Vivek Ranadivé (Sacramento Kings Governor) and more are lending their voices to this powerful campaign with original PSAs that will be dispersed across BET’s platforms and by impact partners to their constituents. Additionally, a roster of media partners have joined these efforts, including Black Enterprise, Bounce, Entertainment Tonight, The Root, The Shade Room and The Skimm, as well as BET’s sibling networks MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central. National Black Voter Day coincides with some of the country’s earliest voting days in states like South Dakota and Minnesota – the latter being ground zero of the fight for racial justice, since the killing of George Floyd.

57 Channels and Only This is On: September 13, 2020

Lovecraft Country: So now we got an Indiana Jones episode… cool. Thoug I believe this was the first episode with a B plot that did not really have anything to do with the main story. I wonder if we will get more of that going forward or was it just an anomaly. We Hunt Together: So much for Baba refusing to kill the teacher guy, Freddie actually did it herself this time. And she did not think this one threw. She was lucky to get away with the gay lovers going awry storyline, but I cannot see her spinning this in anyway positive for her. Especially when the episode ends with roadblocks everywhere and a gun pointed at her. Raised By Wolves: So Ragnar is now the leader? Not bad considering that is not really him. Though I am unclear who he really is. But I think it is quite obvious that the rapist is the little girl’s father. But I do think the Earth flashbacks are more interesting than the stuff happening on the moon.

Around the Tubes: September 12, 2020

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 Monsterland, Hulu, The Circus, U2, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Shania Twain, Of Monsters and Men, Pearl Jam, James Blake, Taylor Swift, and The Chi.

- Encounters with mermaids, fallen angels, and other strange beasts drive broken people to desperate acts in Monsterland, an anthology series based on the collection of stories from Nathan Ballingrud’s “North American Lake Monsters”.  The series star Kaitlyn Dever, Jonathan Tucker, Charlie Tahan, Nicole Beharie, Hamish Linklater, Marquis Rodriguez, Bill Camp, Michael Hsu Rosen, Taylor Schilling, Roberta Colindrez, Adria Arjona, Trieu Tran, Kelly Marie Tran, Mike Colter and Adepero Oduye.  Monsterland is created, written, and executive produced by Mary Laws (THE NEON DEMON, Succession, Preacher) and executive produced by Babak Anvari (UNDER THE SHADOW, WOUNDS), Lucan Toh (AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN, UNDER THE SHADOW, WOUNDS), Megan Ellison and Sue Naegle.  Ali Krug will serve as Co-EP.  The series is produced by Annapurna Television.  All 8 episodes premiere Friday, October 2^nd, only on Hulu.


- Hulu is excited to announce that four Original Series and one Original Film will be participating in New York Comic Con. Be sure to check out virtual panels featuring the cast and creators of our upcoming horror series Helstrom and Monsterland, animated series Animaniacs and M.O.D.O.K. and horror film BOOKS OF BLOOD. Virtual panel timing and details coming soon.

- HE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE CRAZIEST POLITICAL CAMPAIGN ON EARTH continues its fifth season this Sunday with a look at how the Covid-19 pandemic is changing the way people vote in the presidential election. Hosts John Heilemann, Alex Wagner and Mark McKinnon, along with guest contributor Jennifer Palmieri, examine the national fight over the mail-in ballots, election-year cuts at the Postal Service, and looming questions over the possibility of legal battles after Election Day. The series also explores the fallout from Bob Woodward's new book, Rage, and what it means for President Trump's re-election bid.  For a preview, go to: https://youtu.be/c01JqgNJDEQ.

- Island Records, Interscope, and UMe today announce the 20^th Anniversary reissue of U2's global smash hit album All That You Can't Leave Behind. This multi-format anniversary edition release, featuring a brand new 12-track remaster of the record, and a 51-track Super Deluxe box set is to be released on the actual date of the 20^th anniversary, October 30, 2020.  The anniversary also sees the release of an acoustic version of "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of." Watch brand new lyric video HERE.  All That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album from U2. Released in October 2000, the original 11-track record included the hit singles "Beautiful Day," "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of," "Elevation" and "Walk On" and went to Number 1 in 32 countries around the world. Produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno and recorded in Dublin and France, All That You Can't Leave Behind won 7 Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album, and is the only album in history to have multiple tracks win the award for Record Of The Year ("Beautiful Day" in 2001 and "Walk On" in 2002).

- Yusuf / Cat Stevens today unveils a 2020 reimaging of his seminal hit “Father and Son.” The song is the latest release from his highly anticipated forthcoming album Tea for the Tillerman² (out September 18th on UMe), an album that sees Yusuf recast the same eleven songs from his era-defining album for a new age, with dramatic results.  As the song reaches its 50th anniversary, “Father and Son” continues to endure as deeply as ever in the hearts of listeners, a true song for all times. This brand new version sees Yusuf singing both parts of the song - the role of the father brought together digitally with a recording of his younger-self, in the role of the son, originally recorded at his historic premiere performance at the legendary Troubadour in Los Angeles in 1970. The effect of the two generations of one man duetting is hauntingly uncanny and gives a whole new level of rarity to this most profound song.

- International icon Shania Twain, the best-selling female country artist of all-time in the US, announced the 25th anniversary of her GRAMMY-winning breakthrough album with The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition, on Good Morning America August 14 during their "Summer Concert Series." Watch the performances below.  Available October 2, via Mercury Nashville/UMG Recordings, Inc., the Diamond Edition contains a newly remastered version of the genre-busting, multi-platinum album.  The Diamond Edition also includes previously unreleased tracks, live recordings, and mixes that trace the evolution of an album that changed the way country music sounded. The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition will be available in two- and three-CD configurations, with the remastered album available in LP and Limited-Edition color variant LP versions, as well.  Listen or pre-order The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition now HERE. Pre-order The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition now and receive the "Any Man Of Mine" digital EP, which includes the remastered album track, the Live From Las Vegas version, and the Shania Vocal Mix.

- Multiplatinum Icelandic quintet Of Monsters and Men return with a brand-new single entitled “Visitor.” The track is the first song off of a body of work coming at the top of 2021 in celebration of the group’s tenth anniversary together. Stream “Visitor” HERE and watch the official music video HERE! Regarding “Visitor,” co-lead vocalist and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir commented, “‘Visitor’ is a song about disconnection and being on the fringe of change, seeing everything you once knew disappear, and finding yourself in the role of the visitor. It was written and recorded when the world was a completely different place, but the post-apocalyptic world of the video seems fitting. We shot the music video for it in Iceland in the freezing cold of February right before the pandemic hit. We are so very excited to finally share this song with you. Much love.”

- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Pearl Jam launched an initiative to encourage their fans to join them and take the “Take-Three Pledge: Vote by Mail, Recruit Three Friends, and Don’t Wait”.  Voting by mail increases participation and ensures that voters can cast their ballot easily, safely and securely.  “Voting freely and easily is our ultimate right as citizens of these United States” said Pearl Jam Bass Guitarist Jeff Ament. “It’s a hard-fought gift from our foremothers and forefathers.  Join us in our Take Three Pledge: Vote by Mail, Recruit Three Friends, and Don’t Wait. Learn more www.pearljam.com or text PJVotes to 52886 and join us.”

- GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake has officially released his cover of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” with accompanying music video.  Listen to “Godspeed”: HERE.  Watch the music video: HERE.  James Blake, who produced, arranged and played on the original version that appears on Frank Ocean’s 2016 album Blonde, initially performed the cover as a snippet on his Instagram Live. The clip of Blake’s reimagined version organically caught fire and incited a flurry of activity on TikTok. Almost immediately, it inspired nearly 500,000 videos and accumulated a total of over 5.2 million views on the platform. Press were quick to praise the musician’s stripped-down piano rendition with Hypebeast noting, “He exudes his ghostly vocals throughout, layering his soul-inflecting delivery over the skeletal piano chords.” 

- Standing out as the top-selling record of 2020 worldwide, Taylor Swift’s critically-acclaimed, 5 star album, folkore, has achieved “the longest consecutive run at #1 since 2016” with six straight weeks atop the Billboard 200. This success has translated worldwide as the record clinches #1 on three continents. Across the pond, folklore notably became “the only album in the UK to spend three consecutive weeks at #1 in 2020,” and Taylor emerged as “the first international artist since May 2019 to log three consecutive weeks at #1 on the Official Album Chart in the UK.” Down under, she became “the first female artist since February 2019 to hold #1 on the Official Album Chart in Australia for four consecutive weeks.” In addition, folklore captured #1 on the Official Album Chart in Ireland for four nonconsecutive weeks and seized #1 for three weeks in Canada.

- SHOWTIME has picked up the hit drama series THE CHI for a fourth season. Created and executive produced by Emmy^® winner Lena Waithe (Twenties, Boomerang) and executive produced by Academy Award^®, Emmy and Golden Globe^® winner Common (Selma), THE CHI is a timely coming-of-age story centering on a group of residents on the South Side of Chicago who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption. Season three cast included Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (Queen of Katwe), Jacob Latimore (Sleight), Alex Hibbert (Moonlight), Yolonda Ross (Treme), Shamon Brown Jr., Michael V. Epps and Birgundi Baker (Station 19). Justin Hillian (Snowfall) will return as showrunner and executive producer for the fourth season. THE CHI is produced by Touchstone Television (HOMELAND). Season three of THE CHI was up double-digits across platforms over last season and doubled its audience on streaming platforms.

The Twenty Best Television Shows of 2019-2020

1. Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist 1.x

2. The Great 1.x

3. Harley Quinn 1.x/2.x

4. The Good Place 4.x

5. Looking for Alaska 1.x

6. Dollface 1.x

7. Veronica Mars 4.x

8. Watchmen 1.x

9. Dickinson 1.x

10. G.L.O.W. 3.x

11. Castle Rock 2.x

12. Harlots 3.x

13. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 3.x

14. Normal People 1.x

15. The Outsider 1.x

16. Love Life 1.x

17. Little Fires Everywhere 1.x

18. This Way Up 1.x

19. Homeland 8.x

20. Impulse 2.x


Shows that aired a majority of their season between July 2019 and August 2020 were eligible for this list.

57 Channels and Only This is On: September 6, 2020

Lovecraft Country:  So is this just going to be a weird, mostly self-contained, story of the week that they are putting the characters in that are just tangentially related to each other?  First episode was a road trip, the second was about a cult, and this week we got a haunted house.  I guess it keeps the story going at warped speed.  At the start of last week, I just thought we would spend the entire season at the mansion.  But creepy daughter did show back up at the end kind of tying things back to the storyline.  For now, the show has my attention.

We Hunt Together:  Well that explains a lot about Freddie.  Really both of their backstories ask can some of your adult actions be overlooked if your childhood was really bad?  I do think there is a line but murder; even of bad people is on the wrong side of that time.

Raised By Wolves:  Well, that was weird.  Not necessarily good weird.  I spent most of the first three episodes wondering why Ragnar Lothbrooke has a mullet.  And was his group supposed to be the Templars?  I mean his new group; I am not entirely sure what he was before the plastic surgery.  And just who programed the robots?