One Fox News contributor, retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel Ralph Peters — a man who was once suspended from Fox Business News for calling President Obama a “pussy,” so hardly a liberal snowflake — has HAD IT with Fox News, and in an email to his colleagues BURNED THE MOTHERFUCKER DOWN:
Four decades ago, I took an oath as a newly commissioned officer. I swore to “support and defend the Constitution,” and that oath did not expire when I took off my uniform. Today, I feel that Fox News is assaulting our constitutional order and the rule of law, while fostering corrosive and unjustified paranoia among viewers. Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association. Now I am ashamed.
In my view, Fox has degenerated from providing a legitimate and much-needed outlet for conservative voices to a mere propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration. When prime-time hosts–who have never served our country in any capacity–dismiss facts and empirical reality to launch profoundly dishonest assaults on the FBI, the Justice Department, the courts, the intelligence community (in which I served) and, not least, a model public servant and genuine war hero such as Robert Mueller–all the while scaremongering with lurid warnings of “deep-state” machinations– I cannot be part of the same organization, even at a remove. To me, Fox News is now wittingly harming our system of government for profit.
As a Russia analyst for many years, it also has appalled me that hosts who made their reputations as super-patriots and who, justifiably, savaged President Obama for his duplicitous folly with Putin, now advance Putin’s agenda by making light of Russian penetration of our elections and the Trump campaign. Despite increasingly pathetic denials, it turns out that the “nothing-burger” has been covered with Russian dressing all along. And by the way: As an intelligence professional, I can tell you that the Steele dossier rings true–that’s how the Russians do things.. The result is that we have an American president who is terrified of his counterpart in Moscow.
“The ‘nothing-burger’ has been covered with Russian dressing all along.”
KILL IT WITH FIRE, LIEUTENANT COLONEL. You can read the entire email on Buzzfeed.
Fox News replied with the following statement: “Ralph Peters is entitled to his opinion despite the fact that he’s choosing to use it as a weapon in order to gain attention. We are extremely proud of our top-rated primetime hosts and all of our opinion programming.”
Fox News’ contributor Tonka Linguini is a fucking monster who kicks her dog.
On the heels of yesterday’s post about Trump hiring people from the teevees, former Fox News executive Bill Shine (former, because he was ousted when all those sexual harassment claims came out about Bill O’Reilly) is no longer in contention for White House Communications Director.
The defamation lawsuit filed against Donald Trump by a former Apprentice contestant is moving forward. This in addition to a former Playmate who is suing to get out of her deal with the National Enquirer who paid her $150,000 for her story about her affair with Trump only to not publish it, and the ongoing — and hilarious — Stormy Daniels mess, and it looks like it might just be women who take Trump down before Mueller. AS LONG AS SOMEONE DOES.
By the way, tomorrow Anderson Cooper will be interviewing Karen McDougal, the Playmate mentioned above. This, on the heels of last night’s insane interviews with Stormy Daniels’ and Michael Cohen’s lawyers:
And Bret Baier is going to interview James Comey on April 26.
Teresa Giudice just got dragged into the Dummy Jr. — Aubrey O’Day affair story, just in case you didn’t think any of this could become any more absurd:
True fact: Trump once presented the future governor of New York her first Emmy.
Everything you want to know about season 2 of Westworld is right here.
Sherlock and Watson are not lovers because love is dead.
The Getty family is threatening to sue FX over the upcoming series Trust.
Sooooo … was that How to Get Away with Murder finale a season finale or a series finale? Apparently, it was written to serve as both.
Wait, Rick & Morty hasn’t been renewed?
iHeartRadio has filed for bankruptcy, and I don’t wish bad luck on anyone but maybe this will save me from having to type their dumb name into my TV guides in the future. Because ugh.
Oh no! Get well soon, Chris March!
I mean, what do you expect from someone who stars on a show called Gypsy Sisters if not coupon scams?
Some Game of Thrones junk:
“None of the cast had received the scripts prior,” Orsi said, “and one by one they started falling down to their deaths.”
By the end of the read, Orsi said, the whole cast was crying and afterward gave a lengthy ovation.
YIKES.
Ser Mormont warns us to expect the unexpected in the final season. He also suggests that Mormont won’t be sent out on any more suicide missions, but will stick close to Daenerys’ side. Hmm.
The cast, in general, seems to have learned the lesson of the Lost finale: that you aren’t going to please all of the people all of the time.
Here is some set news that is really, really specific.
As if it weren’t perfectly clear: Jon Snow will not be in the spinoffs.
Rose Leslie doesn’t want to be spoiled any more than you do.
#MeToo
BREAKING: Quentin Tarantino sounds like a real asshole.
Eric Weinberger, the president of the media company The Ringer, is out for being gross.
BBC and Sky have taken a look at their gender pay gaps and found that they pay men 18.9% and 11.5% more respectively. Hey, at least they are looking at the problem and trying to fix it. American broadcasters? Where ya at?
In Development
- Clarissa Explains it All is maybe coming back to Nickelodeon.
- There’s Someone Inside Your House, a coming-of-age slasher film from a Stranger Things producer and James Wan is coming to Netflix.
- Alexander Payne is in talks with Amazon for The Burial.
- Half-Empty, a comedy series from Cazzie David, daughter of Larry, is coming to Amazon.
- Juicy Stories has been given a pilot order at E!
- The Capture, Thirteen, Dark Mon£y and Elizabeth Is Missing have been set at BBC.
- Highly Gifted, an animated series will be Snapchat’s first series.
- Oh my God, Zac Bagans, the “genius” behind Ghost Adventures, is making a documentary about Charles Manson.
Casting News
- Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters are all back for American Horror Story.
- Amy Poehler is directing and starring in Wine Country for Netflix, and she’s bringing her coolest friends along: Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Paula Pell, Maya Rudolph, Emily Spivey and Tina Fey. !!!!!!!!!!!
- Anna Paquin will star in Flak for Pop.
- Shep Smith ain’t going nowhere, Fox News fans.
- Julie Klausner is going to star in NBC’s comedy pilot So Close.
- Allison Williams will appear in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
- Ione Skye is joining HBO’s Camping.
- Zachary Knighton is your new Rick Knight.
- Jake McDorman and Nik Dodani have been added to the Murphy Brown cast.
- Nathan Fillion is going to guest star on American Housewife — while paying tribute to Firefly.
- Sinbad has been cast in the Fox comedy pilot Rel. Jessica “Jess Hilarious” Moore is also joining the cast.
- Ashley Williams, James Earl and Daniel Stern are joining the cast of Fox’s Dan the Weatherman.
- Julie Hagerty and Cameron Boyce are joining the ABC comedy Steps.
- Bernard David Jones will star in the Fox comedy pilot Our People.
- Aubrey Dollar will co-star in Main Justice, a CBS pilot.
- Jonny Coyne, Adam Croasdell, and Prema Cruz are joining Preacher.
- Christian Borle is joining Younger.
- Charlie Gillespie and Ellen Tamaki are joining the Charmed reboot.
- Lesli Margherita is going to star in ABC’s comedy pilot Most Likely To.
- Jason Michael Snow will star in ABC’s comedy pilot from Justin Noble. Nicole Byer and Derek Richardson are also joining the cast.
- Nikki M. James is joining an untitled Fox legal drama.
- Christine Woods is going to co-star in Fox’s Erin Foster comedy pilot.
- Aisling Bea has been cast in an NBC comedy pilot.
- Raul Castillo is joining the Fox pilot Mixtape.
- Katia Winter, Michael James Shaw, and James Callis have joined CBS pilot Blood & Treasure.
- Eric Balfour, Dorian Missick, Gerard Celasco and Zoe Robins are joining ABC drama pilot The Finest.
- Kelli Garner is joining the pilot The Enemy Within at NBC.
- Lincoln Younes has been added to the cast of ABC’s The Grand Hotel. Feliz Rameriz has also joined the cast.
- Lizzy Greene has joined the ABC pilot A Million Little Things.
- Stephanie Styles has joined the cast of ABC’s Three Rivers pilot. Andrew Keenan-Bolger has also joined the cast.
- Demetrius Grosse is joining the cast of CBS’ pilot Chiefs.
- Sarah Wright Olsen will star in The CW’s pilot Skinny Dip. Richard Esteras is also joining the cast.
- Monet Mazur and Michael Evans Behling have been cast in The CW’s football pilot.
- Cody Christian has been cast in a CW pilot.
- Sadie Calvano has joined the cast of Suspicion, an NBC pilot.
Mark Your Calendars
- Nightflyers will debut on Syfy sometime in the fall.
- Fastest Car, Netflix’s first motor series, will debut on April 6.
- The Wine Show will premiere on Ovation on April 18.
- Long Lost Family returns on TLC on April 8.
- Saints and Sinners returns on Bounce on April 8.
- Beat Shazam and Love Connection return on Fox on May 29; So You Think You Can Dance will return on June 4; MasterChef will return on May 30 and Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back will debut on June 13.
- Here are a bunch of dates of Bravo premieres. I’ve got to catch up with RHONY, dammit.
- And here are The CW’s finale dates.
R.I.P.
Greg Sill, Music supervisor
WATCH THIS
Krypton: Superman’s grandfather learns his planet is going to be destroyed in the series premiere. 9 p.m., Syfy
The X-Files: Cigarette Man pushes forward with his plan in the season (series?) finale. 7 p.m., Fox
Speechless: J.J. goes to a film festival where he’s been nominated for an award. Season finale. 7:30 p.m., ABC
9-1-1: Buck is confronted about his past actions in the season finale. 8 p.m., Fox
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: Season finale. 9 p.m., FX
Late Night: Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: James McAvoy, Zoey Deutch Late Night with Seth Meyers: Tyler Perry, Ben Mendelsohn, McKay Coppins, Lil’ John Roberts The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys The Late Late Show with James Corden: Drew Barrymore, John Boyega Jimmy Kimmel Live: Charlie Day, Henry Winkler, Sabrina Carpenter featuring Jonas Blue Conan: Judd Apatow, Krysten Ritter, Rozes with Nicky Romero The Daily Show: Matt Damon, Gary White The Opposition with Jordan Klepper: Kate Folmar Watch What Happens Live: Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper
| WEDS. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | The Goldbergs (new) |
Speechless (new) |
Modern Family (new) |
American Housewife (new) |
Designated Survivor (new) |
| CBS | Survivor (new) |
SEAL Team (new) |
Criminal Minds (new) |
| CW | Riverdale (new) |
Life Sentence (new) |
Local |
| FOX | The X-Files (new) |
9-1-1 (new) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Law & Order: SVU (repeat) |
Law & Order: SVU (new) |
Chicago P.D. (new) |
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