The Oscar nominations came out this morning and since this is a TV blog, we’re not going to spend a whole lot of time on them other than to point out a few things:
Netflix made Oscar history with 14 nominations, including one for best picture for Roma.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor was snubbed for Best Documentary Feature which is SOME BULLSHIT.
And on a personal note, I finally got around to watching Hereditary this weekend on Amazon Prime. I am still traumatized and I can not wait to watch it again. Toni Collette was shattering in this movie and robbed of a nomination simply because it was a horror film and horror films are rarely properly recognized by the Academy as legitimate dramas.
The story of the delayed success of You is absolutely fascinating. I watched the stalker series when it originally aired on Lifetime this fall, and apparently I was the only one. But now that it is on Netflix it’s a huge hit. It’s not entirely surprising: this was a series designed for a younger audience and that audience watches more Netflix than cable. The mistake here is Lifetime’s who canceled the series before they could see the Netflix “bounce.” When Riverdale premiered on Netflix, for instance, viewership for the series on The CW rose by 42%. The lesson for networks and cable is that if Netflix invests in a series you’ve greenlit, you need to not cancel the series before Netflix premieres it, and allow the streamer to build an audience for you. This can be a win-win for everyone.
Meet Scott, the Walking Dead character who you don’t know, but who has been in more episodes than The Governor (and who in real life is married to Sasha).
Charlie Cox reveals what a fourth season of Daredevil would have been about. Ah, what could have been — and could still be if Disney is smart and brings it over to their platform.
A marijuana company’s ad was denied a 60-second spot during the Super Bowl, but honestly it was just all a publicity stunt as federal law would prohibit advertising for an illegal product.
Jameela Jamil is on a tear. Her most recent target was Avon for a marketing campaign that tries to body shame us for having cellulite, stretch marks, and other imperfections. On the one hand, if you’re selling a cellulite cream, you have to convince people that cellulite is a thing they want to get rid of; on the other hand, don’t try to tell consumers that you support women being “confident” in their own skin and then make them ashamed of their skin:
And it worked: Avon pulled the marketing.
And in conclusion, Jameela Jamil continues to be a badass.
Happy anniversary, Lifetime! You’ve given us 35 solid years of movies about stalking boyfriends, stalking nannies, stalking husbands, and invisible children in the unforgettable original, Invisible Child (Look it up. It is literally amazing.) and you’re finally bringing that asshole R. Kelly to justice. All in all, not bad!
LOL, back in 2015, Michael Cohen threatened to sue CNBC for not including Donald Trump in their list of 25 top businessmen as based on a poll that he tried to rig, but then he didn’t sue because NO DUH HE DIDN’T SUE.
Fox News’ Bret Baier and his entire family were involved in a terrible car accident over the weekend. It looks like they are all OK, but it was a scary incident nevertheless.
Time’s Up
Chris Brown has been arrested in Paris on rape and drug possession charges. What a shock. How surprising.
Renewals
- Our Girl has been renewed for a fourth season at BBC.
In Development
- Miseducation of Cameron Post has been acquired by HBO.
- American Son has been picked up by Netflix for a film adaptation.
Casting News
- Jamie Sives and Mark Bonnar are going to star in BBC’s crime drama Guilt.
- Hosea Chanchez will recur on Black Lightning.
Mark Your Calendars
- Folklore, an anthology horror series from Asia, will come to HBO Go, HBO Now and on demand on February 1. AND IT LOOKS TERRIFYING.
WATCH THIS
The Conners: Dan delivers alarming news in the season finale. 7 p.m., ABC
Many Sides of Jane: This new docu-series follows Jane, a single mother who has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Series premiere. 9 p.m., A&E
This is Us: Looks like Kevin tells everyone that Uncle Nicky is still alive. 8 p.m., NBC
Late Night:
- Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Gina Rodriguez, Lil Rel Howery, Brothers Osborne
- Late Night with Seth Meyers: Connie Britton, Dave Franco, Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, Venzella Joy
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Drew Barrymore, Bret Baier, Maggie Rogers
- The Late Late Show with James Corden: Stephen Curry, Regina King, Ron Funches, Lauren Jauregui
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: Nathan Fillion, 6lack
- The Daily Show: Amanda Seales
- Conan: Gina Rodriguez
- Busy Tonight: Jonathan Van Ness
- Watch What Happens Live: Judd Apatow, Jay Leno
| TUES. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | The Conners (new) |
The Kids Are Alright (new) |
black-ish (new) |
Splitting Up Together (new) |
The Rookie (new) |
| CBS | Big Brother: Celebrity Edition (new) |
FBI (new) |
NCIS: New Orleans (new) |
| CW | The Flash (new) |
Roswell, New Mexico (new) |
Local |
| FOX | Lethal Weapon (repeat) |
The Gifted (new) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Ellen’s Game of Games (new) |
This is Us (new) |
New Amsterdam (new) |
On the Oscar noms:
Following a year when one political party’s message seemed to be BE AFRAID OF THE FOREIGNERS, it’s fantastic to see two directors and three cinematographers nominated for foreign language films.
But my sentimental favorite is someone who wonderfully (and occasionally cringingly) represents America, Mr. Spike Lee. (Yes, even a native Texan like me can root for a Brooklynite. U!S!A!) You can do this, Academy.