Around the Tubes: 2/3/17

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 The National Women’s Soccer League, TNT, Twin Peaks, The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, American Jihad, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.

- The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and A+E Networks have entered an historic partnership whereby A+E Networks will become the league’s newest investor with an equity stake in the National Women’s Soccer League, joining the existing team ownership groups. As one of the leading women’s media brands, Lifetime, will become an official sponsor and broadcast partner of the league in a three-­‐year deal, beginning in April. The strategic investment is accompanied by the creation of a new joint venture, NWSL Media, and marks a watershed moment in the league’s history that will bolster the league’s growth and support of the teams, players and fans. Lifetime, the premier entertainment destination for women, is making an unprecedented commitment with a three-­‐year agreement to be the official broadcast partner. For the first time in NWSL’s history, a league game will be broadcast on television every weekend of the season. The NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime will provide fans throughout the country with a live viewing platform every Saturday at 4 p.m. ET to watch the best players in the world. A pre-­‐game show will kick off each weekly event at 3:30 p.m. ET. Showcasing the network’s sponsorship and commitment to the league, Lifetime will be featured on all official jerseys with a patch on the right sleeve.

- This Summer, TNT is debuting some hot new and returning shows with the series premiere of Claws and Will and the season two premiere of Animal Kingdom. Check out and share these four first look promos showcasing the originals coming to TNT in 2017.


- Starting on Wednesday, March 1, Showtime is offering its subscribers the opportunity to catch up on the phenomenon that is Twin Peaks by making the original series’ prequel film FIRE WALK WITH ME available on the Showtime streaming service, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®. Fire Walk with Me will also debut on air on Wednesday, March 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Set before the original Twin Peaks, Fire Walk with Me is directed by David Lynch and chronicles the seven days leading up to the brutal murder of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). With the first two seasons of Twin Peaks already available across all of its platforms, SHOWTIME is offering subscribers the opportunity to binge watch the entirety of the original series ahead of the new Twin Peaks debut on May 21.

- Featuring acclaimed Syrian clarinet player Kinan Azmeh and four-time Grammy nominated Iranian virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor, HBO’s The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, premieres on March 6 at 8:00 on HBO. Sadly, both featured musicians, permanent residents of the United State, are performing abroad right now and affected by the new executive order from the White House, making their return to the United State uncertain. This troubling turn of events is even more acute when you consider that with The Music of Strangers and the Silk Road Ensemble, legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma hopes to bridge geographic and cultural boundaries using the universal power of music.

- Today, Showtime Documentary Films announced a compelling new documentary titled American Jihad (wt), which explores home-grown Jihadism, how young men are radicalized to commit violent acts of terrorism and what can be done to prevent it. Through intimate personal stories, we witness the havoc it creates in the lives of their families and the destruction of their communities. American Jihad will premiere on Showtime on March 11 at 9:00 on-air, online and On Demand, and will serve as the closing night film at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in late February.

- TBS's late-night hit Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is pleased to announce its first annual "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner," which will take place on Saturday, April 29, at The Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. (the Old Post Office being regrettably unavailable due to a Bahraini Press Freedom Consortium). Samantha Bee, noted purveyor of FAKE NEWS™, will host the gala affair, welcoming journalists and non-irritating celebrities from around the world. We suspect some members of the press may find themselves unexpectedly free that night, and we want to feed them and give them hugs.-

- In response to President Trump's disturbing statement this morning that he would work to repeal the Johnson Amendment, the provision in the US tax code that prevents charitable organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates, the Patriotic Millionaires’ Chair released the following official statement:

“President Trump's vow to 'totally destroy' the Johnson Amendment would further damage the foundations of our already fragile democracy. The Johnson Amendment keeps charities and churches nonpartisan, and its repeal would allow dark money and secret donors to manipulate charities for partisan political purposes, tax free. Citizens United - allowing the wealthy to spend whatever they want on politics - is no longer enough for Republicans. Now they want unlimited funds for politics to be tax deductible, making American taxpayers subsidize the politics of the rich while they drag charities and churches down into the political fray,” said Patriotic Millionaires’ Chair Morris Pearl, former Managing Director BlackRock, Inc.

- Leaked recordings of last weekend’s Republican retreat in Philadelphia confirmed what we’ve known all along: the Trump team and Congressional Republicans simply don’t have a plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), even as they rush to dismantle it. After yesterday’s bold delay by Senate Democrats, today the Senate Finance Committee Republicans suspended committee rules and unilaterally advanced Representative Tom Price’s candidacy for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to a full Senate vote. “If Representative Price and GOP leadership in Congress have their way and repeal the ACA they will leave most of my employees and myself without coverage,” said Sri Kumarasingam, the owner of Pastorante Restaurant in Harrisburg, PA and a member of the Main Street Alliance. "Representative Price’s shortsighted plans to repeal the ACA could cause my employees to leave for a larger competitor that can provide insurance--leaving the future of my business in the balance.”

Around the Tubes: 1/28/17

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 CONAN Without Borders: Made in Mexico, Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration, Hacking the Wild, Legacy: Bob Hurley, and The Librarians,

- TBS's CONAN will go international for the sixth time in two years as host Conan O'Brien travels to Mexico City for the brand new primetime special CONAN Without Borders: Made in Mexico. The hour-long special is set to premiere Wednesday, March 1, at 10:00, exclusively on TBS. With all of the negative news about the current state of the U.S.-Mexico relationship, O'Brien has decided to strike a positive note by heading to Mexico City, where he'll outsource his show by shooting his latest CONAN Without Borders special with the help of an all-Mexican staff, crew, guests and studio audience. "Although I'm eager to make a show in Mexico, if the U.S. government meets my demand for $100 million in tax incentives, I will consider relocating production to Akron." said O'Brien.

- To honor the late Mary Tyler Moore, PBS stations will rebroadcast Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration. Please check local listings. The documentary, which first aired in 2015, commemorates the influential TV icon and her 50-plus-year career that spanned award-winning films and Broadway shows, as well as two beloved television series that broke ground and continue to entertain viewers. Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration features interviews with Dick Van Dyke, Betty White, Valerie Harper and many others who recall Moore’s career highlights and underscore the importance of her television characters in shaping today’s society.

- In Science Channel’s all-new series Hacking the Wild, “Digital Survivalist” Andy Quitmeyer goes deep into some of the most remote parts of the world armed with nothing but everyday technology and science to survive the wilderness. Each of the six, hour-long episodes follow Quitmeyer as he hacks his way back to civilization using a hybrid of time-tested outdoor survival skills and a backpack’s worth of wires, laptops and tracking devices. HACKING THE WILD premieres Wednesday, February 15 at 10:00.

- The potential final season for a Hall of Fame coach and a national basketball institution will be chronicled in a Showtime Sports digital documentary titled Legacy: Bob Hurley. Showtime will debut Legacy: Bob Hurley in six weekly installments exclusively on SHO.com and the Showtime Sports YouTube channel (@shosports) beginning Monday, Feb. 20.

- Turner’s TNT has renewed its hit fantasy-adventure series The Librarians for a fourth season. The show’s third season recently aired its finale on January 22, 2017 and is currently available on TNT On Demand and TNT's digital and mobile platforms. The fourth season is slated to begin later this year.

- In the wake of last weekend’s Women’s Marches, activists have announced a major “People’s Climate March” on April 29th in Washington, D.C. and across the country. The effort is being organized by the coalition formed out of 2014’s People’s Climate March, which brought over 400,000 people to the streets of New York City and many more around the world.

- In response to the horrifying news that Republicans in the South Dakota legislature voted yesterday to use a contrived state of emergency to repeal the South Dakota Government Accountability and Anti-Corruption Act, a ballot initiative that was approved by a majority of voters in the 2016 election, the Patriotic Millionaires’ Chair released the following official statement:

“The American people have said time and time again that they want ethical and responsible leaders in government. The South Dakota GOP’s refusal to be accept accountability oversight is deeply troubling, and their willingness to take extraordinary measures to overturn a democratically approved law is appalling. South Dakota lawmakers should not be afraid of higher ethical standards, they should embrace them.

The state government has been wracked by scandals, it consistently ranks as one of the worst in the nation for accountability, and yet the state GOP somehow thinks anti-corruption laws are so bad they require a state of emergency to repeal them. Voters in South Dakota have finally said “enough,” it’s time for lawmakers to accept the will of the people and clean up their act,” said Patriotic Millionaires’ Chair Morris Pearl, former Managing Director BlackRock, Inc.

Around the Tubes: 1/20/2017

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 Atlantis Eising, Uncensored with Michael Ware, The Weapon Hunter, TNT and TBS news, The Great British Baking Show, All Eyez On Me, and The Mindy Project.

- The legend of Atlantis has sparked controversy and debate for thousands of years — is the story fact or fiction? And if Atlantis was a real place, can its ruins be found today?
Atlantis Eising, which premieres on National Geographic on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 9:00, follows executive producer and Oscar-winning legend James Cameron; three-time Emmy-winning filmmaker Simcha] Jacobovici; and a group of archeologists, scientists and historians as they set out to search for the true “Atlantean” civilization and for a possible location for the mother city, the lost city itself. The team draws clues from “Timaeus” and “Critias,” the source of the story of Atlantis, penned by fourth century B.C. Greek philosopher Plato.

- Audacious journalist Michael Ware is best known for his coverage as a war correspondent, spending nearly a decade of his life in some of the most brutal and hostile combat zones on the planet. Famous for his coverage of the Iraq War, Ware was given access that he deemed to be frightening, witnessing the horrors of war and the birth of ISIS. Now, in National Geographic’s new eight-episode series Uncensored with Michael Ware, Ware is leaving the trenches to embark on a new adventure as he investigates some of the most fascinating people, places and cultures on the planet. Ware brings his style of gritty, unapologetic journalism to some of the world’s buzziest areas, ranging from the rough and savage highlands of Papua New Guinea — where women who are thought to be witches are hunted and killed — to the glamorous streets of Los Angeles where celebrities are sought out and snapped by paparazzi. Uncensored with Michael Ware WARE premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 10:00 on National Geographic and globally in 171 countries and in 45 languages on Sunday, March 19.

- Season two of the Smithsonian Channel original series The Weapon Hunter shines a light on true American heroes as series host, history buff and restoration expert Paul Shull partners with veterans to spotlight iconic moments and artefacts in military history. This is history that leaves a mark. From a Vietnam era gun truck and a World War II B-25 bomber, to a giant 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannon and more, The Weapon Hunter is history up-close and personal. Season two of the six-episode series premieres Sunday, February 12 at 9:00.

- Turner's TNT has picked up a sixth season of the hugely popular crime-drama Major Crimes, from Warner Bros. Television, which has consistently ranked as one of cable's most-watched drama series since its chart-topping debut in 2012. The show's stellar ensemble cast – including two-time Oscar® nominee Mary McDonnell, G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan, Raymond Cruz, Phillip P. Keene, Kearran Giovanni, Jonathan Del Arco and Graham Patrick Martin – will return for the 13-episode sixth season. Major Crimes will close out its fifth season with an eight-episode run that begins on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 9:00.

- TBS's The Guest Book is filling up quickly with notable entries. The new comedy series from Emmy® winner Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl) has locked its first-season cast and guest cast. The Guest Book is slated to premiere on TBS in August. Among the regular and recurring cast members joining The Guest Book are Kellie Martin (Army Wives) as Officer Kimberly Leahy, who serves on the police force in the small mountain town of Mount Trace. Charlie Robinson (Hart of Dixie) is Wilfrid, an easygoing, friendly gentleman who manages a group of mountain rental cottages with his wife, Emma, played by recurring guest star Aloma Wright (Suits), Carly Jibson (Broadway's Hairspray) is Vivian, a tough, strong-willed woman who runs a bikini bar called Chubbys with her stepson Frank, played by Lou Wilson (Tween Fest). Rounding out the first season cast in recurring roles will be Garret Dillahunt (The Mindy Project), Laura Bell Bundy (Scream Queens) and Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl). The Guest Book has also lined up an impressive list of guest stars, reserving the talents of Danny Pudi (Community), Jenna Fischer (The Office), Tommy Dewey (The Mindy Project), Lauren Lapkus (Orange Is the new Black), Michaela Watkins (Casual), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Michael Rapaport (Sully), Kate Micucci (Raising Hope), Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), Stockard Channing (The Good Wife), Andrew J. West (The Walking Dead) John Ortiz (Togetherness), David Zayas (Gotham), Shannon Woodward (Westworld), Margo Martindale (The Good Wife) and Stephnie Weir ( The Comedians) for the anthology-style series.

- Dakota Fanning (American Pastoral) is set to star in TNT's The Alienist, the eagerly anticipated series based on the Anthony Award-winning New York Times bestseller by Caleb Carr. Playing Sara Howard, a headstrong secretary at Police Headquarters, Fanning joins recently cast Daniel Brühl (Rush, Inglorious Bastards, Captain America: Civil War), who stars as forensic psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, and Luke Evans (The Girl on The Train, The Hobbit trilogy), who will play reporter John Moore. The series will follow the three of them as they investigate a series of brutal murders in New York during the Gilded Age.

- Turner's TBS has greenlit ten episodes of the animated series The Cops (working title), starring and co-created by Louis C.K. and Albert Brooks. The two also serve as executive producers on the series with Greg Daniels, Dino Stamatopoulos, Dave Becky and Howard Klein. The Cops is produced by FX Productions, Louis C.K.'s Pig Newton and Turner's Studio T, and is slated to premiere in 2018. The Cops follows Al (Brooks) and Lou (C.K.), two Los Angeles patrolmen trying their best to protect and serve, sometimes failing at both. Ride with them as they patrol one of the biggest cities in the world, then go home with them and be glad you're not married to either.

- Turner's TNT has ordered a second season of its hit drama series Good Behavior, starring award-winning actress Michelle Dockery. Juan Diego Botto, Terry Kinney and Lusia Strus also star in the seductive thriller, which is executive-produced by Chad Hodge and Blake Crouch and based on a series of books by Crouch. The entire first season of Good Behavior is currently available on TNT On Demand and TNT's digital and mobile platforms. The second season is slated to launch in the fall.

- PBS announced this week at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour that The Great British Baking Show will return for a fourth season on June 16, 2017, airing Friday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). This upcoming season is the BBC’s most recent season, which received the highest-ever viewership for the series. PBS also announced it has committed to a fifth season of the series that has previously aired on the BBC.

- Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF.A, LGF.B) and Morgan Creek Entertainment announced today that Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label will distribute All Eyez On Me, the biopic on Tupac Shakur, in the U.S. The film is scheduled to be released in theatres nationwide on June 16, 2017, on what would have been Tupac’s 46th birthday.

- Get a behind-the-scenes look at the amazing costumes and design on The Mindy Project. Season five of The Mindy Project returns Tuesday, Feb. 14.


- This week the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report finding that if the key provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are repealed 32 million Americans will become uninsured over the course of 10 years, and more than half of those people—18 million Americans—will lose their insurance within the first year. A report by Policy Matters Ohio found that 964,000 Ohioans would lose health coverage in 2019 if the ACA were repealed.

Around the Tubes: 1/13/17

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 The New Edition Story, Seven Songs for a Long Life, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, The Obama Years: The Power of Words, and news from Showtime.

- BET Network’s upcoming biopic The New Edition Story is a 6 hour, 3 night star studded mini-series that will air on January 24, 25, and 26, 2017. Check out the trailer below.


- Hospice care is rarely associated with song and dance, unless the songs happen to be dirges or solemn hymns. But a new hospice-centered documentary, Seven Songs for a Long Life, sings a very different tune. Filmmaker Amy Hardie goes inside Strathcarron Hospice in Scotland, where six patients, some stricken with terminal illness, face pain and uncertainty with song and bravery. Three years in the making, Seven Songs for a Long Life captures the often quirky patients’ reflections on life and their own mortality, as well as their heart-tugging renditions of pop music classics by everyone from Sinatra to R.E.M. The film debuts on the PBS POV series on Monday, Jan. 30, 2017.

- This February, home audiences will be whisked deep into the vortex of a culebra underworld on the verge exploding in From Dusk till Dawn: The Series - Season Three. Across 10 new horror-packed episodes, MIRAMAX and El Rey's fan-favorite, supernatural crime saga returns on loaded blu-ray and DVD, available only from Entertainment One. Both sets include hours of specially-produced extras including audio commentary with the cast & crew, featurettes including "Season 3 Catch Up," "Inside the Episodes," "Season 3 Best Kills," "Evolution of a Fight Scenes" and much more!

- From global independent studio Entertainment One (eOne), Sienna Films, Wildcats Productions and Executive Producer Frank Spotnitz's Big Light Productions comes the suspense drama series Ransom, which follows crisis and hostage negotiator Eric Beaumont whose team is brought in to save lives when no one else can. Ransom airs Saturdays at 8:00 on CBS. eOne will release new episodes for purchase on iTunes, Amazon and all other leading digital platforms weekly.

- Over eight years, President Obama delivered more than 3,500 speeches and statements – officially ending his era with a farewell address on Tuesday in Chicago. His speeches ranged from redefining patriotism, candidly addressing race relations, inspiring hope and healing, and turning divisive moments into an opportunity for national unification. But which are the moments that history will remember? A new hour-long Smithsonian Channel special tells the story of Barack Obama, “writer in chief,” and takes viewers inside the defining moments of his political career through the prism of his most memorable speeches. The Obama Years: The Power of Words, narrated by actor and producer Jesse Williams, premieres on Monday, February 27, 2017 at 8:00.

Showtime Sports® announced a powerful new documentary, Prison Fighters: 5 Rounds To Freedom, which examines a controversial practice in Thailand’s criminal justice system whereby inmates can earn their freedom by winning a series of Muay Thai fights. A Showtime Sports original production, the 90-minute film will premiere on Friday, Feb. 24 at 8:30 on Showtime.

- Showtime has announced the airdates for its two highly-anticipated new series GUERRILLA and I’M DYING UP HERE. The new six-part limited event series GUERRILLA will premiere on Sunday, April 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime. The drama will premiere in the U.S. on Showtime and in the U.K. on Sky in the same week. The new one-hour drama series I’M DYING UP HERE will premiere on SHOWTIME on Sunday, June 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, kicking off the network’s summer line-up which will include new seasons of RAY DONOVAN, DICE and EPISODES. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc. at the 2017 Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.

- Showtime has announced the premiere date for the highly anticipated, new TWIN PEAKS. The 18-hour limited event series will debut with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, May 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Immediately following the premiere, Showtime subscribers will have access to the third and fourth hours, exclusively across the Showtime streaming service, Showtime Showtime® and Showtime ON DEMAND®. In its second week, TWIN PEAKS will air the third and fourth hours back-to-back on the linear network, starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT, followed by one-hour episodes in subsequent weeks. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc. at the 2017 Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.

- Days after the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, Showtime Documentary Films presents TRUMPED: INSIDE THE GREATEST POLITICAL UPSET OF ALL TIME at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. This world premiere screening at the prestigious festival will be followed by the Showtime premiere of the film on Friday, February 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on-air, On Demand and the Showtime streaming service. The film was produced by the team behind The Circus on Showtime. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc., at the 2017 Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.

Around the Tubes: 1/6/17

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 Sea of Hope: America’s Underwater Treasures, OBAMA: The Price of Hope, Independent Lens, The Detour, Rock'N’Roll Inventions, Let It Fall: LA 1982-1992, Titanic: The New Evidence, Debbie Reynolds, The Handmaid's Tale, and Shameless.

- As the country prepares for Donald Trump to be sworn in as the 45th U.S. president, both critics and supporters believe they’re saying farewell to one of the most memorable presidencies in the nation’s history. On Sunday, Jan. 15, just days before the inauguration, National Geographic commemorates President Obama’s legacy with a night of programming, beginning at 8:00 with the one-hour documentary Sea of Hope: America’s Underwater Treasures, followed by the two-hour special OBAMA: The Price of Hope, premiering at 9:00.

- BS uncovers the awesome and terrifying power of the atom in a three-night marathon of nuclear-themed programming from January 9-11, 2017 (check local listings). Exploring nuclear power and global nuclear arsenal, the programming block will explore the many sides of the nuclear issue by looking to history, examining the present and imagining the future. The following programs will air January 9-11, 2017: Independent Lens’ “Containment”, a disturbing documentary that explores attempts to plan for a radioactive future and the failures in managing millions of gallons of waste left over from the Cold War, premieres Monday, January 9 from 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET.

- Hospice care is rarely associated with song and dance, unless the songs happen to be dirges or solemn hymns. But a new hospice-centered documentary, Seven Songs for a Long Life, sings a very different tune. Filmmaker Amy Hardie goes inside Strathcarron Hospice in Scotland, where six patients, some stricken with terminal illness, face pain and uncertainty with song and bravery. Three years in the making, Seven Songs for a Long Life captures the often quirky patients’ reflections on life and their own mortality, as well as their heart-tugging renditions of pop music classics by everyone from Sinatra to R.E.M. The film debuts on the PBS POV series on Monday, Jan. 30.

- TBS's hit comedy series The Detour is making its way back for its second season, slated to launch with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 10:00. Created, written and executive-produced by Jason Jones and Samantha Bee, The Detour stars Jones, along with Natalie Zea, Ashley Gerasimovich, Liam Carroll and Daniella Pineda.

- A new Smithsonian Channel series is about to make some noise as some of the biggest names from the recording industry break out their drumsticks, synthesizers, and everything in between to explain the technology and innovations that have provided the soundtrack to our lives. The new six-episode series, Rock'N’Roll Inventions premieres Monday, January 16 at 8:00.

- Academy Award-winner John Ridley has teamed up with ABC News’ Lincoln Square Productions to produce a feature-length documentary titled Let It Fall: LA 1982-1992 about the Los Angeles uprising of April 1992. The two-hour documentary is scheduled to air on the ABC television network in the spring of 2017 pegged to the 25th Anniversary of the rioting, looting and gun violence that unfolded after the verdict in the Rodney King case.

- The sinking of the RMS Titanic has been the subject of countless investigations, and the true cause of the tragedy is hotly debated. Now, explosive new photographs have surfaced containing shocking revelations about a series of shortcomings which contributed to the legendary ship’s tragic sinking. The images are unveiled in a new one-hour Smithsonian Channel documentary that tells the story of the unluckiest ship in maritime history. Titanic: The New Evidence (WT) premieres Saturday, January 21 at 8:00.

- Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will celebrate the life and career of legendary actress Debbie Reynolds, the vivacious actress, singer and dancer who entertained audiences in musicals such as Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) with a 24-hour film tribute on Friday, January, 27. Reynolds, who passed away Wednesday, Dec. 28 at the age of 84, became a sensation after starring with legendary hoofers Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in the immortal MGM musical Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and received her only Oscar® nomination for pla ying the title role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). Reynolds recording of “Tammy” spent five weeks at No. 1 in 1957 and was nominated for an Academy Award for best Original Song.

- Last week, Hulu announced Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale will premiere on Wednesday, April 26th, 2017. The drama series, based on the award-winning, best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly part of the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world. In this terrifying society where one wrong word could end her life, Offred navigates between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead – all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.

- On the heels of its seventh season finale last night, Showtime has ordered an eighth season of Shameless. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc. One of the network’s longest-running and most successful series ever, Showtime season seven ranks as its highest-rated season to date. The series stars Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner William H. Macy and Golden Globe® nominee Emmy Rossum. Production on twelve new episodes will begin in 2017.

- ast week, Main Street Alliance member businesses joined a national day of action–urging their Senators and Representatives in Congress to oppose efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The GOP leadership's health plan, to be voted on in early January, would take health coverage away from 30 million people nationwide and collapse the insurance market–leaving small business owners scrambling to find health insurance.

Around the Tubes: 12/16/16

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 The Path, Cream, The Killers, Secret of the Six Wives, Street Light Harmonies, The Real Mad Men of Advertising, The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, Claws, National Treasure, People of Earth, and Search Party.

- This week Hulu released the season two trailer of The Path as well as first look photos. The first two episodes of the 13-episode season will launch on Wednesday, January 25th.


- Showtime has released the teaser for the highly-anticipated second season of its hit drama series Billion. The series, starring Oscar® nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis, will premiere its second season on Sunday, February 19 at 10:00.


- Late January 2017 sees the deluxe edition release of Fresh Cream, the debut album by British, blues boom, power trio, Cream. The 3-CD + 1 Blu-Ray Audio disc come housed in a gatefold sleeve within a rigid slipcase and includes a 64-page hardback book, featuring new sleeve notes by respected Rolling Stone writer, David Fricke. The set comprises various alternate and new stereo mixes plus several, previously unreleased BBC sessions. A special 6LP 180g Vinyl edition of Fresh Cream will also be released in April 2017.

- The Killers – vocalist/keyboardist Brandon Flowers, guitarist Dave Keuning, bassist Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronnie Vannucci -- emerged from Las Vegas, their name a tribute to the logo on the bass drum of the fictitious band seen in their favorite band New Order’s music video for “Crystal.” They released their major label debut album, Hot Fuss, on Island Records, June 15, 2004 in the U.S., peaking at #7 on the Billboard 200, a week after it came out in the U.K., where it quickly went to #1 and went on to spend an astounding 247 weeks, more than four-and-a-half years on the album chart. Hot Fuss has gone on to sell more than seven million copies worldwide, including three million in the U.S., and has also been certified platinum or multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, The United Kingdom and Germany as well as many other International territories. A dozen years after it first catapulted the band to international stardom, The Killers’ Hot Fuss is being reissued on standard weight vinyl as a single LP by UMe on January 13. A limited edition, white vinyl LP will also be available exclusively on uDiscover.

- The 16th century legend of King Henry VIII is turned on its crowned head as the dramatic stories of his six tumultuous marriages are told from the wives’ perspectives in Secret of the Six Wives. The three-part dramatic and historical series, co-produced by the BBC, premieres Sunday, January 22, 2017, at 10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). It joins a full night of head-turning drama that evening that also includes the second season premiere of PBS’ original American drama Mercy Street at 8:00 p.m., followed by the second episode of “Victoria” on Masterpiece at 9:00 p.m.

- An entertaining journey through bands, songs and harmonies that evoke both days gone by as well as current hits, Street Light Harmonies is a new documentary that uncovers the definitive period of doo-wop music and the artists that defined it. Millions know the music but few know the artists and their history that laid the foundation for rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and built a bridge to the civil rights movement. Featuring commentary from Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Lance Bass (NSYNC), Brian McKnight, Jimmy Merchant (The Teenagers), La La Brooks (The Crystals), Charlie Thomas (Drifters), Al Jardine (Beach Boys) and more, Street Light Harmonies will be a combination of present-day interviews and archival footage. View the extended trailer now online.

- A new Smithsonian Channel four-part series provides an inside look into the men and women who re-invented the advertising industry from post-WWII America through the 1980s. Driven by memorable, classic ad campaigns, many of which are in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the series also features clips and interviews with the creators of the groundbreaking series Mad Men. The Real Mad Men of Advertising premieres Sunday, January 8th at 9:00.

- Prophets, spiritual enlightenment and the afterlife — they are mysteries as old as time. National Geographic and Revelations Entertainment seek clarity on some of humanity’s biggest questions in season two of the Emmy-nominated hit series The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, premiering on Monday, Jan. 16, at 9:00. As host of the network’s most-watched series of all time, Freeman will again take viewers around the world on a quest for interfaith understanding and connectivity through the lens of the world’s major religions, science, anthropology and archaeology. The series, hailed as “fascinating” by the Wall Street Journal and “eye-opening” by MediaPost, will also air globally later this spring on National Geographic channels in 171 countries and in 45 languages, and in Spanish on Nat Geo MUNDO.

- It used to appear so simple for many of us: you were a boy or you were a girl. Girls wore pink, and boys wore blue; girls played with dolls, and boys played with trucks. Yet around the globe, these traditional notions of gender are changing rapidly, and labels are no longer so clear cut. National Geographic sets out to explore this evolving concept of gender through the lens of science, society and culture in the groundbreaking new two-hour documentary Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, premiering Monday, Feb. 6, at 9:00. Produced by Katie Couric Media with National Geographic Studios and World of Wonder Productions, the special will also air on National Geographic around the globe in 171 countries and in 45 languages.

- Turner's TNT has given a series greenlight to Claws, a midnight-dark, wickedly funny meditation on female badness set in a South Florida nail salon. Niecy Nash (Getting On, The Soul Man), Carrie Preston (True Blood), Harold Perrineau (Lost, OZ), Jenn Lyon (Justified), Judy Reyes (Scrubs), Jack Kesy (The Strain), Karrueche Tran (The Nice Guys), Kevin Rankin (Dallas Buyers Club, Friday Night Lights) and Jason Antoon (Famous in Love) star in the hour-long dramedy from executive producers Rashida Jones (Angie Tribeca, Toy Story 4, Celeste and Jesse Forever, A to Z,), Will McCormack (Toy Story 4, Celeste and Jesse Forever, A to Z) and < strong>J anine Sherman Barrois (ER, Criminal Minds), who also serves as showrunner. The pilot was written by series co-executive producer Eliot Laurence (Welcome to Me) and directed by Nicole Kassell (The Americans, The Leftovers). Claws is produced by Jones and McCormack's Le Train Train, in association with Warner Horizon Television and Turner's Studio T.

- In a deal with All3Media International, Hulu has acquired the U.S. rights to all episodes of hit series National Treasure, the ratings-winning drama produced by The Forge Entertainment for Channel 4. The first season of the series from Jack Thorne will debut in the U.S. as a Hulu Original on March 1, 2017.

After debuting on UK’s Channel 4 to strong ratings, National Treasure quickly became a must-see television event. Hulu’s audience will soon be able to experience the series in its entirety when all episodes land on the service under the Hulu Original slate.

- Turner's TBS ends an impressive and transformative year with renewals of all six of its 2016 scripted comedies. The network today announced 10-episode season 2 renewals of its two most recent critically acclaimed comedies, People of Earth and Search Party, which join the network’s previous 2016 renewals of Angie Tribeca, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Detour and Wrecked, in addition to comedy mainstays Conan and American Dad!

- An online petition at https://www.change.org/p/hillary-ms-clinton-release-your-electors-in-favor-of-mr-romney is calling for Ms. Clinton to release her electors in favor of Mr. Romney. “The only way Democrats stand any chance of persuading Republican electors to abandon Trump is with a dramatic gesture of true bipartisanship. If all 232 Democratic electors pledge to reach across the aisle and vote for a Republican alternative to Trump, it would take just 38 GOP electors to make that person the next president” wrote Michael F. Cannon of the CATO Institute in the Washington post.

Around the Tubes: 12/9/16

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 SURPRISE! Instant Xmas Carol, MVP: Sports Stars and Their Most Valuable Pets, Final Space, Bringing Up Bates, Growing Up McGhee, and Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour.

- This holiday season, Turner's TBS & TNT are going to turn the Christmas spirit on full blast with SURPRISE! Instant Xmas Carol, an all-new music special that puts a unique twist on the caroling tradition. The one-hour special – featuring such celebrity carolers as Conan O'Brien, Rashida Jones, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Jane Lynch, Ludacris, Kenny G, Tony Sirico, Vincent Curatola, Joseph Gannascoli, A$AP Ferg, Three Loco, Samantha Ronson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Fred Willard, T-Pain and many surprise appearances – is set to premiere on TBS on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 10:00. And the night before Christmas, Saturday, Dec. 24, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT), TBS & TNT will join forces for a simulcast of SURPRISE! Instant Xmas Carol. It will be followed by TBS & TNT's simulcast of the annual 24 Hours of A Christmas Story marathon, celebrating its 20th year as one of television's most enduring holiday traditions.


- Devoted sports fans can readily recall their favorite athlete’s bio and stats. They know that Serena Williams is a 22-time Grand Slam Champion and Olympic Gold medalist, and that Tim Tebow was the first college football sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy. But fewer people know about a MVP in their favorite athletes’ lives – their pets. In the fur-st ever MVP: Sports Stars and Their Most Valuable Pets, viewers will get to know the canine companions that brighten the lives of sports biggest stars, hear athletes discuss how their relationship with their dogs keep them in the game, and learn how these pups got their creative names. CBS Sports NFL Today Analyst Boomer Esiason hosts MVP: Sports Stars and Their Most Valuable Pets, CBS Special Airing Christmas Day at 4:00.

- Turner's TBS has greenlit the new animated series Final Space, an interstellar comedy created by independent filmmaker, actor, comedian and entrepreneur Olan Rogers. Slated to launch in 2018, Final Space is being produced by Conan O'Brien's Conaco and New Form, in association with Turner's Studio T. Rogers and creative partner David Sacks will write the episodes, executive-producing them along with O'Brien, David Kissinger, Larry Sullivan and Jeff Ross of Conaco and Kathleen Grace, Melissa Schneider and Matt Hoklotubbe of New Form. Part of TBS's continued push into animation, Final Space is a serialized intergalactic space saga about an astronaut named Gary and his adorable, planet-destroying friend, Mooncake. The series will follow their adventures as they embark on a quest to unlock the mystery of "Final Space," the place where the entire universe ends.


- UP TV, the entertainment destination that showcases stories about modern American families and the relationships that define them, announced this week that Bringing Up Bates season five will premiere Thursday, January 5 at 9:00 Joining the Thursday night lineup on UP will be the second season of Growing Up McGhee, premiering Thursday, January 12 at 9:30, following an all-new episode of Bringing Up Bates. UP has ordered 15 original episodes of Bringing Up Bates and ten original episodes of Growing Up McGhee.

- Madonna’s highly-anticipated concert film, Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour will premiere this Friday, December 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME, on-air, on demand and over the internet. For the official trailer, go to: https://youtu.be/9bNbvu0A8WI. MADONNA: REBEL HEART TOUR was shot around the world and features a collection of live and behind these scenes footage culminating in performances at the Sydney Olympic Park in March of this year. The film is co-directed by Danny B. Tull and Nathan Rissman, both of whom have worked extensively with Madonna on her feature films and tour movies.

- President-Elect Trump announced his nomination of Linda McMahon to head the Small Business Administration (SBA), immediately raising eyebrows in the small business community. With a personal net worth of more than $500 million, Ms. McMahon is out of touch with the real small business owners she is tasked with assisting at the SBA. Having contributed at least $6.5 million to the President-Elect’s campaign and associated super PACS, and $5 million to the Trump Foundation, the selection of Ms. McMahon raises conflict of interest concerns that have become synonymous with Mr. Trump and his Cabinet nominations. It begs the question, how much does a Trump Cabinet position cost? For Linda McMahon, the position carries a $11.5 million price tag.

- You’ve probably heard: President-elect Donald Trump has a strong opinion about Boeing’s contract with the US government for an upgraded Air Force One. Here’s Boeing’s official statement regarding Air Force One.

Around the Tubes:12/2/16

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 Nashville, Fitz and The Tantrums, Joshua Bell's Seasons of Cuba, Gutxi Bibang, L.E.J., Risky Drinking, A-Bombs over Nevada, Running for His Life: The Lawrence Phillips Story, FilmStruck, and The Alienist.

- Hulu is excited to announce that Nashville fans will get an early glimpse into the new season just in time for the holidays! The highly-anticipated season five of Nashville may officially launch on Hulu January 6th, but the first hour of the two-hour premiere will now be available to stream early on December 16th. Need a refresh? Hulu is also the exclusive destination for fans to catch up on all episodes of Nashville and relive their favorite moments of the series anytime, anywhere. Simply head to Hulu to stream seasons 1 - 4 of Nashville now.

- une in to the AUDIENCE Network concert special Fitz and The Tantrums airing Friday, December 2 at 9:00 (DIRECTV Ch 239/U-verse Ch 1114). On this episode, Fitz and The Tantrums' Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs sit down withhost Ted Stryker in Los Angeles foran in-depth interview spanning their musical history as well as the inspiration for group's latest self-titled studio album, out now via Elektra Records.

- The PBS ARTS Fall Festival continues with Joshua Bell's Seasons of Cuba, an event featuring renowned musicians from America and Cuba connecting cultures and artistry with beautiful music. The national air date for Joshua Bell's Seasons of Cuba​ is Friday, December 16 at 9:00, but we encourage you to check local listings as stations may be airing other special programming over the next several weeks.

- Gutxi Bibang is an unlikely candidate to carry the rock n’ roll torch, a second-generation African from the Basque region of northern Spain. He begins that journey today sharing the single "System Of A Gun" via French indie label OSKAR Recordings. His family emigrated to the tiny coast town of Algorta outside of Bilbao, but native son Gutxi Bibang has more in common with larger-than-life musical icons than he does his Basque countrymen. Even his unique moniker speaks of his cultural clash heritage – Gutxi, a common nickname in his Basque homeland, and Bibang, from his roots in Africa. With his distinctive manner and impeccable style, Gutxi Bibang exudes charisma - not just a reminder of when rock was a socio-cultural force for change in the ‘60s and ‘70s, but a glimpse into the music’s global future. System of a Gun has an attitude straight out of Gutxi’s primal influences, with lyrics wrenched from watching the evening news. “We deal with violence, poverty, unrest, racism and sexism in our music. We believe in the spirit of the ‘peace and love revolution.’”



- Today, classically-driven French pop trio L.E.J. [Elijay] release their very first holiday EP, Christmas Hors D’oeuvre [Republic Records], at all digital retailers. Get it HERE.

- Nearly one-third of adults in the U.S. engage in problem drinking at some point in their lives. Health professionals assess drinkers at risk on a spectrum ranging from low-risk to an alcohol use disorder that can range from mild to severe. This holiday season, HBO and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism present Risky Drinking, which challenges viewers to recognize when their drinking may be putting them at risk and offers information that could help millions of Americans lead healthier lives. The cautionary documentary debuts Monday, DEC. 19 (8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

- In post-WWII America, the nuclear bomb was a national obsession. But in one corner of Nevada, it was a cottage industry, a daily entertainment and cultural phenomenon like no other. A new Smithsonian Channel hour-long special, A-Bombs over Nevada, uses remarkable contemporary footage to capture the extraordinary period in the 1950s and 60s when hundreds of atomic bombs were dropped over the Nevada Test Site. The race to create bigger and better bombs led scientists to push the limits and turned a sleepy desert town into a theater of the absurd. A-Bombs over Nevada premieres Monday, December 5th at 9:00 on Smithsonian Channel.

- Running for His Life: The Lawrence Phillips Story, a powerful documentary examining the cycle of domestic violence that plagued two-time NCAA Division I college football champion Lawrence Phillips and the personal demons that led to his death in January, will premiere on Friday, Dec. 16 at 9:00 on Showtime.

- Iggy Pop, in collaboration with Brian Burton (Danger Mouse), GOLD director Stephen Gaghan, and GOLD composer Daniel Pemberton, created an original song for the film GOLD — the adventure drama starring Matthew McConaughey. The song, also titled “Gold,” is director Stephen Gaghan’s songwriting debut. GOLD, inspired by actual events, is the epic tale of one man’s pursuit of the American dream and everything he’ll do to keep it from falling apart. Oscar© winner Matthew McConaughey stars as Kenny Wells, a man raised in the mining business and desperate for a lucky break. He teams up with a mythic geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. When they make the largest gold find in history, Kenny realizes his dream was only the beginning of the adventure, battling corrupt politicians, Wall Street tycoons and law enforcement, all of whom want to take it from him. Directed by Oscar© winner Stephen Gaghan, the film stars Oscar© winner Matthew McConaughey and Golden Globe© nominees Edgar Ramirez and Bryce Dallas Howard.

- FilmStruck, a new streaming movie service for film aficionados, is now available on Apple TV. FilmStruck offers the largest streaming library of contemporary and classic arthouse, indie, foreign and cult films and is the exclusive streaming home to the Criterion Collection. Film fans can now stream on Apple TV 4th generation devices as well as Amazon Fire TV, web, iOS and Android devices. FilmStruck can be accessed in the Apple App store, as well as online at FilmStruck.com and via Google Play for Android users.

- Daniel Brühl (Rush, Inglorious Bastards, Captain America: Civil War) and Luke Evans (The Girl on The Train, The Hobbit trilogy, Dracula Untold) have been cast in TNT's The Alienist, the eagerly anticipated series based on the Anthony Award-winning New York Times bestseller by Caleb Carr. Brühl will play forensic psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, while Evans will play reporter John Moore, who are both called upon to investigate a series of brutal murders in New York during the Gilded Age.

- Main Street business owners brace for the impact of President-Elect Trump’s latest cabinet nominee Steven Mnuchin, a Wall Street insider whose success has been built at the expense of small business owners and their communities. As one of the architects of the financial crisis, Mnuchin engaged in extractive business tactics that crippled the economy and forced countless small businesses to close their doors. After amassing a small fortune during his tenure with Goldman Sachs, Mnuchin led OneWest Financial, a predatory financial institution that had no significant branch presence in communities of color, rarely lent to small businesses, and has been accused of discriminatory lending practices. Given the very real challenges small business owners of color face in accessing and securing loans, it is profoundly disheartening that someone with Mnuchin’s track record would be offered this appointment. Mnuchin even managed to pocket more than $3 million from the Madoff-led Ponzi scheme that cost investors more than $65 billion.

Around the Tubes: 11/25/16

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 Snowpiercer, Lang Lang’s New York Rhapsody, Wild New Zealand, Twin Peaks, How the Universe Works, Anna of the North, Stephen Kijak's We Are X.

- TNT, a division of Turner, has ordered a pilot for Snowpiercer, a futuristic thriller based on the award-winning film by Bong Joon Ho. A co-production of Tomorrow Studios and Turner's Studio T, the hour-long drama pilot is being executive-produced by writer-showrunner Josh Friedman (Avatar 4, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Tomorrow Studios' Marty Adelstein (Aquarius, Prison Break, Teen Wolf) and Becky Clements (Good Behavior, Aquarius, Last Man Standing), and the original film’s Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun and Dooho Choi, along with CJ Entertainment. Snowpiercer is set seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, and the remnants of humanity inhabit a gigantic, perpetually moving train that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival are questioned in this riveting television adaptation.

- The PBS ARTS Fall Festival continues next Friday, November 25th at 9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) with Lang Lang’s New York Rhapsody, the internationally acclaimed pianist’s love letter to New York City, which he considers his adoptive home. Embracing a wide range of styles and voices to capture New York’s magic, this episode features music that helped make New York famous from Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Danny Elfman to Lou Reed, Alicia Keys, and Don Henley. Also included is a rare performance of the original 1924 jazz band arrangement of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

- Hidden away on the far side of the world is a spectacular wilderness. A place of fabled landscapes, bizarre creatures and unpredictable climates. New Zealand is the land that time forgot. Produced by BBC Earth. Wild New Zealand takes you on an adventure though this breathtaking land of searing mountainscapes, mysterious lakes and rivers, dramatic volcanic plateaus and vast open plains to discover some of the most incredible animals on the planet. See the wilds of New Zealand like you've never seen them before. Wild New Zealand is a three part special event that premieres Sunday, November 27, at 8, 9, and 10:00 as party as Destination Wild.

= Showtime is kicking off the holiday season by offering a new collection of over twenty-five Twin Peaks items, available for purchase online exclusively on SHO.com. The merchandise includes printed sweatshirts, blankets, tees, mugs, scarves, tote bags and more. A portion of the items will feature original artwork by TWIN PEAKS creator David Lynch. The Twin Peaks collection is available for purchase on store.sho.com/twinpeaks, with additional items to be added in the coming weeks. The new Twin Peaks will premiere in 2017 on Showtime.

- Science Channel continues to provide the most wide ranging and in-depth space programming available and announces today the return of the network’s blue-chip series HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS. The all-new season returns to ask all-new questions about how our universe was put together while revealing the inner workings of our planet, the solar system, the galaxies and the universe itself. How the Universe Works premieres Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 10:00.

- Coming December 26th during the holiday season, when many reflect on what they are most grateful for, HBO’s Every Brilliant Thing strikes a delicate balance between sobering loss and cathartic laughter. Adapting the hit off-Broadway one-character show of the same name written by Duncan Macmillan and starring British comedian Jonny Donahoe, this deeply affecting film recounts a life lived in the shadow of suicide. Emmy® winners Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (HBO’s “Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures,” “Wishful Drinking”) produce and direct the heart-wrenching yet humorous presentation.

- Oslo based duo Anna of the North unveil the video for their single "Us" - a delicate and ethereal visual accompaniment to the song, which has been streamed over 3 million times on Spotify.


- Magnolia Home Entertainment announced this week that they have acquired home entertainment rights (physical and digital) to Stephen Kijak's We Are X. From the production team behind the Academy Award© winning Searching for Sugar Man, We Are X is a transcendent and beautifully shot rock 'n' roll story about the Japanese band X JAPAN, one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Celebrated as "a fascinating and assured documentary" (The New York Times) that "tells the greatest rock 'n' roll story America has never heard" (Pitchfork), We Are X is directed by acclaimed documentarian Stephen Kijak (Stones In Exile, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man). The critically acclaimed music documentary premiered theatrically starting October 21 via Drafthouse Films and is continuing to expand in theaters in over 40 markets nationwide. We Are X will arrive on Digital EST February 21, 2017 and on Blu-ray™, DVD and VOD March 7, 2017. Territories include U.S, Bermuda and Bahamas.

Around the Tubes 11/18/16

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 Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, Homeland, Bon Jovi, Every Brilliant Thing, 50 Years With Peter Paul and Mary, Hockney, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and Rate My Media.

- This is a reminder that the PBS ARTS Fall Festival continues this Friday, November 18th at 9:00 (check local listings) with Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, the Tony Award-winning star’s critically acclaimed cabaret show dubbed “an emotional firestorm” by The New York Times. In a special that gives PBS audiences a front row seat at “Club Cumming”, the cabaret setting for the star’s personal and intimate performance, Cumming performs songs that mark poignant moments in his life that were originally written or made famous by artists like Annie Lennox (“Why”), Rufus Wainwright (“Dinner at Eight”), Keane (“Somewhere Only We Know”), Billy Joel (“Goodnight Saigon”), a medley of hits by Adele, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry title “Someone like the Edge of Firework” and more.


- Showtime has released the new poster art and a behind the scenes look at season six of its Emmy and Golden Globe-winning hit drama series Homeland, which will premiere on Sunday, January 15 at 9:00. Season six returns to U.S. soil after spending the last two seasons shooting abroad in South Africa and Berlin. This season focuses on the aftermath of a U.S. presidential election and the transition between election day and the inauguration for a female president-elect, played by acclaimed stage and screen actress Elizabeth Marvel.  Currently in production in New York, HOMELAND stars Emmy, Screen Actors Guild® and Golden Globe Award winner Claire Danes, Emmy nominee Rupert Friend, Elizabeth Marvel, Oscar® winner and Emmy nominee F. Murray Abraham, and Emmy and Tony® Award winner Mandy Patinkin.


- With over 130 million albums sold, an extensive catalog of hit anthems, and nearly 3000 concerts performed in 50 countries for over 35 million fans, Bon Jovi is simply one of the world’s most successful bands, ever. As their new album, This House Is Not For Sale, debuts at #1 in the US, Australia and Japan and in the Top 5 in 54 other countries, Island/UMe announces that a comprehensive vinyl box set of 25-LPs, entitled Bon Jovi: The Albums, will be released in February 2017. It will include all Bon Jovi albums and additional titles (as outlined below) for premium collectors. The box set release will coincide with the kick-off of the band’s This House Is Not For Sale Tour in North America.

- Coming December 26th during the holiday season, when many reflect on what they are most grateful for, HBO’s Every Brilliant Thing strikes a delicate balance between sobering loss and cathartic laughter. Adapting the hit off-Broadway one-character show of the same name written by Duncan Macmillan and starring British comedian Jonny Donahoe, this deeply affecting film recounts a life lived in the shadow of suicide. Emmy® winners Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (HBO’s “Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures,” “Wishful Drinking”) produce and direct the heart-wrenching yet humorous presentation.

- 50 Years With Peter Paul and Mary is a new documentary by four-time Emmy Award-winning producer/ director Jim Brown that focuses on portions of the trio's career not included in previously aired PBS specials. This program features rare and previously unseen television footage including a BBC program from the early 1960s that embodies many of the trio's best performances and most popular songs. This is Peter Paul and Mary at the peak of their artistry, a time when this popular and influential trio dominated the Billboard music charts. 50 Years With Peter Paul and Mary will be available on DVD and select video on-demand platforms on December 9th.

- Hockney, the definitive two-hour documentary on one of the most significant artists of our time, gets its world television premiere on Smithsonian Channel, Monday, December 12 at 8:00. For the first time David Hockney has given access to his personal archive of photographs and films, and the result is an unparalleled visual diary of an unconventional artist who is now reaching new peaks of popularity worldwide.  

- TBS's Emmy®-nominated, award-winning late-night show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee has been renewed for a second season starting in 2017. Hailed by The New Yorker as "America’s new Comedian-in-Chief," Samantha Bee will continue her weekly series for another year following her bare-knuckled coverage of the 2016 Presidential election. The show, which is executive-produced by Bee, Jason Jones, Jo Miller, Miles Kahn and Tony Hernandez, currently airs Mondays at 10:30. In 2017, it will move to a new timeslot, Wednesdays at 10:30, starting Jan. 11.

- Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, president-elect Donald J. Trump utilized fear-inducing rhetoric to forge a platform for his candidacy. While it ultimately led him to victory, these tactics left the nation, especially children, emotionally distressed over fears of terrorism, crime, sexism, racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and mass deportations. Now, as thousands of Americans take to the streets in protest of Trump and over 200 reported incidents of related harassment and intimidation occurring since the election concluded, few can argue against the existence of the “Trump Effect.” For disenfranchised Americans seeking a voice and a platform to combat the Trump Effect – as well as fake news, a first-of-its-kind web app, Rate My Media, is providing empowerment.

Around the Tubes: 11/12/16

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 The Affair, The Breakthrough Prize, Underfire: The Untold Story of PFC. Tont Vaccaro, and Vice News Tonight.

Showtime is giving viewers nationwide the opportunity to sample the season three premiere of the network’s Golden Globe-winning drama series The Affair for free, ahead of its linear debut on Sunday, November 20 at 10:00. In addition, immediately following the third season premiere on-air, Showtime will make the second episode available early only to subscribers starting at 11 p.m. ET on SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and to subscribers of its stand-alone streaming service Showtime, and at midnight on Showtime On Demand®. With the premiere episode being told from the perspective of Noah (Golden Globe nominee Dominic West), the second episode will offer viewers a more comprehensive picture of the season ahead, providing additional perspectives from Alison (Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson) and Helen (Emmy Award® nominee Maura Tierney). This season, BAFTA and César Award-nominated Irène Jacob joins the cast, providing the series’ new fifth perspective. THE AFFAIR also stars Screen Actors Guild® nominee Joshua Jackson. Consumers who do not subscribe to Showtime can watch the TV-14 rated version of the season three premiere for free now on YouTube and SHO.com. The episode is also available for download as a free video podcast on iTunes. Consumers can also sample the premiere of THE AFFAIR for free across multiple television and streaming providers’ devices, websites and applications and free On Demand channels.

- The Breakthrough Prize will mark its fifth anniversary celebrating top achievements in the fields of physics, life sciences and mathematics, with a star-studded ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 4, at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. The ceremony, to be broadcast live on NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, will be hosted by Academy Award®-winning actor Morgan Freeman and will feature a special performance by 15-time Grammy®-winning singer, songwriter and producer Alicia Keys. The ceremony will be directed and produced, for the fourth time, by Don Mischer, alongside executive producers Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare of Don Mischer Productions.

- In World War II, Tony Vaccaro played two risky roles, serving as a combat infantryman on the front lines, as well as a photographer who shot 8,000 photographs. Though he began as a young GI eager to record the war, he vowed never to take another war photo on the day the conflict ended, horrified by what he had seen. Directed by Max Lewkowicz (the New York Emmy®-winning “Morgenthau”), Underfire: The Untold Story of PFC. Tont Vaccaro chronicles the life and vision of this remarkable man, exploring how photography defines the way the public perceives armed conflict, and revealing the sheer difficulty of survival while taking photos in a war zone. The poignant documentary debuts MONDAY, NOV. 14 (8:00-9:15 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

- For some Americans, abstaining from voting this year was a statement. Vice News Tonight's Dexter Thomas spent election day with 22-year-old Ohio resident Danielle Anderson, who made a point of staying home instead of heading to the polls. Thomas' full interview with Danielle is available on HBO Go and HBO Now. Watch VICE News Tonight weeknights on HBO at 7:30pm.

Around the Tubes: 11/5/16

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 Homeland, Kid Cudi, The Human League, Bob Marley & the Wailers, UB40, Assignment Explorer, Underfire: The Untold Story of PFC. Tony Vaccaro, The Lost Tapes: Pearl Harbor, and The Circus.

- Showtime has released the first teaser for season six of its Emmy and Golden Globe-winning hit drama series Homeland, which will premiere on Sunday, January 15 at 9:00. Season six is currently in production in New York, after spending the last two seasons shooting abroad in South Africa and Berlin. Homeland stars Emmy, Screen Actors Guild® and Golden Globe Award winner Claire Danes, Emmy nominee Rupert Friend, acclaimed stage and screen actress Elizabeth Marvel, Oscar® winner and Emmy nominee F. Murray Abraham, and Emmy and Tony® Award winner Mandy Patinkin.


- Grammy Award®-winning multiplatinum artist and trendsetter KID CUDI premieres the music video for his new single “Surfin’” [feat. Pharrell Williams]. The song is available at all digital retailers via Republic Records/Wicked Awesome Records.


- A Very British Synthesizer Group is a sound and vision anthology featuring all the hits of The Human League. The 2CD Deluxe Edition and the Deluxe 3LP box set versions cover the entire history of the group in 30 songs including 7 previously unreleased DJ edits from the earliest incarnation to the phenomenon that was Dare and all that happened in its wake. The incredibly successful left turn of working with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the return to being a glorious live act and the glamorous robotic pop of 2011’s Credo album. Both packages include a 20-page booklet featuring a new essay by David Buckley plus rare memorabilia and photographs. The 3LP box set includes special vinyl discs that were mastered at half-speed at Abbey Road Studios.

Bob Marley & the Wailers were at the peak of their artistic powers when they arrived at the Lyceum London for two shows on July 17 and 18, 1975, having just released Natty Dread the year before and about to unleash Rastaman Vibration on the world. The Rolling Stones mobile studio was on hand to record both shows, with seven songs from the second released as Live!, in December of that same year. The recording was subsequently broadcast as part of the syndicated radio program King Biscuit Flower Hour in 1976. The Marley Family will now release for the first time the complete sets from both shows, Bob Marley & the Wailers - Live!, as a three-LP set in 180-gram black vinyl and as a digital package on December 16 in a tri-gatefold package that also includes a reproduction of the tour program from the band’s historic ’75 U.K. tour. In addition, on the same day, a seven-inch live vinyl disc will also be made available as an exclusive at UDiscover and the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, JA.

- Released December 2nd by UMe, Unplugged + Greatest Hits is a 2CD package containing a brand new Unplugged album plus UB40’s Greatest Hits. As founding members of Britain’s biggest reggae band UB40, singer Ali Campbell, second vocalist Astro and keyboardist Mickey Virtue topped the UK singles chart on three occasions and sold 70 million records as they took their smooth yet rootsy musical blend to all corners of the globe. But, in all their years of stellar success, the trio never transferred the spirit of UB40 into an acoustic setting. Now with ‘Unplugged’ they breathe new life into an intoxicating mix of timeless covers and classic UB40 originals.

- For anyone who has ever been inspired by the great storytellers of National Geographic, the opportunity to join their ranks has arrived. National Geographic today launches Assignment Explorer, its first-ever nationwide casting call for a digital correspondent to serve National Geographic’s online audience. The role will complement the team of on-air reporters on the network’s long-running, critically acclaimed series Explorer, which relaunches Monday, Nov. 14, at 10:00 as a one-hour weekly magazine-talk hybrid, hosted in studio by broadcaster, journalist and author Richard Bacon (@richardpbacon).

- In World War II, Tony Vaccaro played two risky roles, serving as a combat infantryman on the front lines, as well as a photographer who shot 8,000 photographs. Though he began as a young GI eager to record the war, he vowed never to take another war photo on the day the conflict ended, horrified by what he had seen. Directed by Max Lewkowicz (the New York Emmy®-winning “Morgenthau”), Underfire: The Untold Story of PFC. Tony Vaccaro chronicles the life and vision of this remarkable man, exploring how photography defines the way the public perceives armed conflict, and revealing the sheer difficulty of survival while taking photos in a war zone. The poignant documentary debuts Monday, November 14 (8:00-9:15 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

- They were all major events that would leave a lasting imprint on America, and their narratives were shaped by the news coverage they received. With no narration or interviews, relying entirely on radio reports, television footage, rarely seen photographs, and other media, a new Smithsonian Channel series, THE LOST TAPES, will dive deeper into these gripping events, recapturing moments as they happened, raw and unfiltered. The first installment, The Lost Tapes: Pearl Harbor, will premiere Sunday, December 4 at 9:00. ET/PT, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the attacks that brought the U.S. into World War II.

- In the final week of the campaign, more breaking bad news for Hillary Clinton and tightening of the polls creates confusion and uncertainty about the outcome of the election. In a race where lots of people say they know what’s happening, nobody really f***ing knows. This Sunday at 8:00 on Showtime, The Circus team fans out across the country, going to battleground states – including Utah, Iowa, Arizona, New Hampshire and Wisconsin – in an effort to understand what’s going on in this volatile race.

- A petition calling on CNN and MSNBC to host a presidential debate among independent candidates Gary Johnson, Jill Stein and Evan McMullin, and signed by over 1,500 individuals representing 50 states who stated they were “gravely concerned about the shortcomings of our political process” was submitted to the news organizations today. The petition was circulated by IndependentVoting.org, the country’s largest association of independent voters.

Around the Tubes: 10/28/16

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 Stephen Colbert’s Live Election Night Democracy’s Series Finale: Who’s Going To Clean Up This Sh*t?, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Your Brain on Video Games, The Race Card, Zero Days, Conan, The 50th Annual CMA Awards, the National Geographic Channel, and Major League Baseball.

- Showtime has released a new “presidential” teaser for its live election special, Stephen Colbert’s Live Election Night Democracy’s Series Finale: Who’s Going To Clean Up This Sh*t? The special is a partnership between The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and SHOWTIME, featuring Emmy® and Peabody® Award-winning late night host Stephen Colbert. Colbert will bring his unique comedic perspective, political satire and social commentary to Showtime live on Tuesday, November 8 at 11:00 on air, on demand and over the internet.


- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will commemorate the 40th anniversary of their self-titled debut album by releasing two companion vinyl box sets featuring their entire studio album repertoire via UMe and Reprise/Warner Bros. Records. Several of these albums have been out of print on vinyl for years and all albums have been remastered for this release except where noted. All LPs in each of the limited-edition box sets will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl with replica artwork.

- Next week on TBS, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will feature a thought-provoking interview with President Barack Obama. A legal scholar and former junior Senator from Illinois, Mr. Obama has served the past eight years as the President of the United States of America. Samantha Bee's interview of President Obama will air on TBS Monday, Oct. 31, at 10:30.

- Often scrutinized for crude violence, many have accused video games of increasing aggressive behavior, especially among impressionable youths. Violent video games remain a controversial subject and as the demographic for gaming widens, researchers are diving deeper into the mainstream perception that video games have hidden negative effects on otherwise peaceful people. Science Channel explores the effects of video games on the human psyche in Your Brain on Video Games which premieres ‪Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 9:00.

- The first promo spot for TNT's provocative new series The Race Card, starring Charles Barkley, can be seen below.


- With global attention on cyber warfare intensifying in recent weeks thanks to the latest WikiLeaks email releases, Russian hack attacks, and with less than two weeks until the U.S. presidential election, SHOWTIME today announced it has accelerated the world television premiere date of Zero Days to Saturday, Nov. 5 at 9:00. As the subject continues to make headlines across the U.S and world, this film becomes more relevant and powerful documentary as viewers are being confronted by these issues in their daily lives.

- TBS's late-night show Conan will be heading back to New York City for the first time since 2011 for a week of shows airing Oct. 31 – Nov. 3. Joining host Conan O'Brien during the week will be special guests Louis C.K., Ryan Reynolds and Tracy Morgan, along with comedian Rory Scovel, the band The Sugar Hill Gang and more. Taped at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater, the week of episodes will kick off the beginning of CONAN's eighth year on TBS, a division of Turner. It will also continue O'Brien's string of innovative road show broadcasts from cities across the United States and around the globe. The preliminary schedule for Conan in NYC is included below, with additional guests and musical performances to be announced soon:

CONAN in NYC
Monday, Oct. 31: Musical guest The Sugar Hill Gang
Tuesday, Nov. 1: Louis C.K.
Wednesday, Nov. 2: Ryan Reynolds and comedian Rory Scovel
Thursday, Nov. 3: Tracy Morgan

- AT&T* is giving Country Music fans a front row seat at The 50th Annual CMA Awards red carpet. AUDIENCE® Network presents an exclusive look at the "AT&T CMA Awards Red Carpet" show hosted by Bobby Bones, host of iHeartRadio's nationally syndicated radio program "The Bobby Bones Show," and a performance by Country Music star Chris Janson. Janson's "Buy Me A Boat" was named Country Song of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in May.

- From the top of One World Trade Center, National Geographic announced today an extensive global rebrand across the company’s world-class media platforms, experiences and nonprofit organization. This evolution further builds on last year’s expanded joint venture with 21st Century Fox and cements National Geographic’s position as a leader in premium content with an unparalleled global reach. The rebrand will touch every aspect of National Geographic (at both the for-profit National Geographic Partners and the nonprofit National Geographic Society), including the visual presentation of the global channels in 171 countries, the iconic magazine, nationalgeographic.com, all of the company’s social and digital platforms and the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C.

- Major League Baseball and Shout! Factory, a multi-platform media company, announced a new entertainment distribution alliance for the annual World Series film and World Series Collector’s Edition box set. The announcement was made today by Chris Tully, Executive Vice President, Media for Major League Baseball and Shout! Factory’s founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos.

- Today Main Street Alliance (MSA) released its first political web ad, featuring MSA Executive Committee member and small business owner Kelly Conklin. A poll conducted in September found nearly 60 percent of small business owners siding with Donald Trump. With less than two weeks until Election Day, Conklin, owner of Foley-Waite LLC, a woodworking company in Kenilworth, New Jersey, makes his case against a Trump presidency. “Donald Trump is a recession waiting to happen,” Kelly says. “And on November 8th you have a choice, whether we are going to go ahead on a steady course or whether we are going to plunge the country into one of its darkest eras ever. The master of disaster or a proven entity who can do the job."

Around the Tubes: 10/21/16

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 Twin Peaks, POV (Point of View), Years of Living Dangerously, Stephen Colbert’s Live Election Night Democracy’s Series Finale: Who’s Going To Clean Up This Shi*t?, Green Day iHeartRadio Album Release Party on AT&T, Wheel of Fortune, Bob Hope: Home for the Holidays, Trolls: Crazy Party Forest, and Don the Con.

- Showtime has released the first behind-the-scenes look at the new Twin Peaks, which will premiere in 2017 on Showtime, on-air, on demand and over the internet. This first glimpse on set features original cast members Kyle MacLachlan, Miguel Ferrer, Kimmy Robertson, Harry Goaz, Dana Ashbrook and James Marshall sharing their thoughts on returning to the television phenomenon, as well as insight from new cast members Jim Belushi, Amy Shiels, Robert Knepper and Chrysta Bell into what fans can expect from the new Twin Peaks.


- Ryan and Amy Green faced every parent’s worst nightmare when their infant son Joel was diagnosed with brain cancer. But Ryan, an independent video game developer, imagined that something larger and brighter could come out of his family’s struggle: a poetic video game that would help him share an experience so rarely discussed—raising a child with cancer. Their heroic and life-affirming story is documented in Thank You for Playing, an Official Selection of the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, which will premiere during the 29th season of the PBS series POV (Point of View) on Monday, Oct. 24, 2016 at 10:00 (check local listings). American television’s longest-running independent documentary series, POV is the recipient of a 2013 MacArthur Foundation Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.

- National Geographic Channel (NGC) will premiere the second season of the Emmy award-winning documentary series Years of Living Dangerously— Sunday, Oct. 30, at 8:00. Years of Living Dangerously will move to its regularly scheduled time, Wednesdays at 10:00, beginning Nov. 2. The full list of season two correspondents includes Jack Black, Gisele Bündchen, Ty Burrell, Don Cheadle, America Ferrera, Thomas Friedman, Joshua Jackson, David Letterman, Aasif Mandvi, Nikki Reed, executive producer Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ian Somerhalder, Cecily Strong, Sigourney Weaver and Bradley Whitford. They give first-person accounts from locations — some shockingly close to home, others in far-flung corners of the globe — where the effects of climate change are most prevalent. They cover crucial issues, like severe hurricanes, deforestation, the solar energy crisis, climate migrants, historic droughts and the rapidly increasing extinction rate of our planet’s wildlife. The result is a gritty and raw look at not only how our species has impacted our planet but also how we can save it for future generations.

- In an unprecedented partnership between The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Showtime, the Emmy® and Peabody® Award-winning late night host Stephen Colbert will bring his special brand of political satire and social commentary to a live Showtime election special. Stephen Colbert’s Live Election Night Democracy’s Series Finale: Who’s Going To Clean Up This Shi*t? will air on Tuesday, November 8 at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT.

- Tune in to watch Green Day iHeartRadio Album Release Party on AT&T, airing exclusively via nationwide broadcast Friday, October 21 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on the AUDIENCE Network, DIRECTV Ch 239/U-verse Ch 1114. Green Day's new album Revolution Radio is out now on Reprise Records.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today that it has secured the telecast rights to season 31 of the iconic game show Wheel of Fortune, debuting Monday, October 24 and airing weekdays at 11:00 and 11:30am.

- There's no place like home for the holidays. And there really was no place like Bob Hope's home for the holidays with Bob, Dolores and the Hope family. Bob Hope's TV Christmas connection began on December 24, 1950 with The Comedy Hour and from then on, each and every holiday season, Bob invited friends from the world of entertainment and sports to celebrate the season in hilarious and heartwarming fashion. America's greatest entertainer hands out laughs galore in Bob Hope: Home for the Holidays! Street date, November 1.

- Ubisoft, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment, today announced that the extraordinary world of DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls is coming to life in an all new mobile game, Trolls: Crazy Party Forest! Based on DreamWorks’ Trolls, the upcoming animated feature film transporting audiences into a fresh and irreverent broad comedy filled with music, heart and hair-raising adventures, Trolls: Crazy Party Forest! is a free-to-play game where players can build their own Troll village and interact with their favorite characters including Poppy, Branch and their friends from the movie. The new game, developed by Ubisoft’s mobile team, is now available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android devices worldwide.

- DontheCons.com, the world’s leading website dedicated to the honoring the legacy of the world-leading con jobs promulgated by Donald Trump (a/k/a Don the Con), today announced the winner of greatest Don the Con Con Job contest. With over 20 million votes recorded in multiple rounds, The “Make Trump Rich Again” Con narrowly defeated Trump U as the greatest con of all time.

Around the Tubes: 10/14/16

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 Great Performances, The Affair, Kid Cudi, The Circus, Years of Living Dangerously, Mighty Planes, Punkin Chunkin, Untamed With Filipe DeAndrade, Garth Brooks/Yankee Stadium/Live, and #ChooseKindness.

- PBS announced today the broadcast premiere dates for the diverse slate of performing arts specials that will air as part of the 2016 PBS Arts Fall Festival. Compelling specials from Great Performances and Live from Lincoln Center, as well as Bill Murray: The Mark Twain Prize and Alan Cumming Sings Happy Songs, will join Hamilton’S America as a part of this year’s festival. “PBS is thrilled to unveil the full lineup and airdates for the 2016 PBS Arts Fall Festival,” says Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming for PBS. “The quality and variety of programs that compose this year’s festival, from Broadway performances to comedic tributes and cabaret acts, will keep viewers coming back to PBS every Friday night this fall.” As previously announced, Hamilton’S America, from Great Performances, launches the PBS Arts Fall Festival on Friday, October 21 at 9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings).


- This week, Showtime released the first look video for season three of its critically-acclaimed series The Affair, premiering on Sunday, November 20 at 10:00. THE AFFAIR stars Golden Globe nominee Dominic West, Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson, Emmy Award® nominee Maura Tierney and Screen Actors Guild® nominee Joshua Jackson.


- Grammy Award®-winning multiplatinum artist and trendsetter KID CUDI debuts the visual for his latest song “Frequency” via Republic Records/Wicked Awesome Records this week.


- The SHowtime campaign documentary series The Circus is making an early return this week to cover the fallout from the dramatic new developments in the presidential race. The Circus is cutting its two-week break in half and will air all new episodes on Sundays at 8:00 on Showtime through the election.

- National Geographic Channel (NGC) will premiere the second season of the Emmy award-winning documentary series Years of Living Dangerously— Sunday, Oct. 30, at 8:00. Years of Living Dangerously will move to its regularly scheduled time, Wednesdays at 10/9c, beginning Nov. 2. Produced in collaboration with The Years Project and from executive producers James Cameron, Jerry Weintraub and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Years of Living Dangerously once again features some of Hollywood’s biggest influencers who are passionate about environmental issues, and it reveals emotional and hard-hitting accounts of the effects of climate change from across the planet. The full list of season two correspondents includes Jack Black, Gisele Bündchen, Ty Burrell, Don Cheadle, America Ferrera, Thomas Friedman, Joshua Jackson, David Letterman, Aasif Mandvi, Nikki Reed, executive producer Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ian Somerhalder, Cecily Strong, Sigourney Weaver and Bradley Whitford. They give first-person accounts from locations — some shockingly close to home, others in far-flung corners of the globe — where the effects of climate change are most prevalent. They cover crucial issues, like severe hurricanes, deforestation, the solar energy crisis, climate migrants, historic droughts and the rapidly increasing extinction rate of our planet’s wildlife. The result is a gritty and raw look at not only how our species has impacted our planet but also how we can save it for future generations.

- Season three of the popular Smithsonian Channel series Mighty Planes soars to new heights with some of the world’s most incredible aircraft. From one of the most legendary spy planes to NASA’s cargo-hauling giant, there is no shortage of extraordinary planes carrying out massive undertakings. MIGHTY PLANES tells the stories of the pilots, engineers, avionics specialists, load masters and ground operators behind the machines, and of course, the airplanes that bring it all home. The six-episode season premieres Sunday, November 6 at 8:00.

- Projectile pumpkins take over the sky as Punkin Chunkin returns to Science Channel with a three hour simulcast with Discovery Channel – that’s more primetime gourd-chunkin hours than ever before! Punkin Chunkin is the epic gathering of unconventional engineering teams and builders who compete using a variety of technologies - air cannons, catapults, trebuchets and other homemade contraptions - to see who can propel a pumpkin the farthest. This signature Science Channel television event celebrates the science and engineering skills of all those who compete, as well as their creativity, ingenuity, teamwork, and passion. Punkin Chunkin returns in all its glory after a two-year absence as a simulcast on Science Channel and Discovery Channel Saturday, Nov. 26 at 8:00.

- When filmmaker Filipe DeAndrade won Nat Geo WILD’s Wild to Inspire short film compeititon in 2014, he never dreamed that the opportunity would lead to his own wildlife series. However, his winning short film, “Adapt,” left audiences and judges moved and inspired, proving to Nat Geo WILD just how much experience and unmistakable talent the aspiring filmmaker possessed. Two years later, DeAndrade’s dream of using his passion for filmmaking to showcase his love for wildlife has become a reality — today at Wildscreen, Nat Geo WILD announced its new digital series, Untamed With Filipe DeAndrade, premiering on the network’s YouTube Channel in March 2017.

- AT&T's AUDIENCE® Network will present the exclusive concert event Garth Brooks/Yankee Stadium/Live. Filmed in 4K this past summer, the spectacular concert event will broadcast nationwide on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 8:00 across all AT&T platforms.

- Radio Disney Country Artist Jessie Chris announced today she is a proud supporter of Disney's new national #ChooseKindness Anti-Bullying Campaign. Jessie, who was the victim of extreme bullying in school herself, has filmed an Anti-Bullying PSA, and is joining several other artists and celebrities hoping to drive awareness to this growing epidemic.