It’s Wednesday, and everything is still real weird.

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but it is Wednesday. It is Wednesday, April 22. 

I begin today’s post with this Very Important Experiment:

SOMEONE PLEASE FETCH ME A KOOKABURRA AND SOME PASTA IMMEDIATELY.

Pilot season is really weird this year. Deadline.com reports that there are network 55 pilots hanging in the balance, and that many of them may just go straight to pickup without being filmed. Things are looking particularly good for B Positive and The Lincoln Lawyer at CBS; Rebel at ABC; and This Country on Fox. Meanwhile, other pilots are trying to improve their chances of being ordered by using lockdown time by creating elaborate show bibles, and story and character arcs. Good luck, everyone!

This is another long piece about what it is going to take to get TV and movie productions up and running again. Basically, a shitload of testing — which we still aren’t doing — and a lot more understanding from unions and insurers. Budgets are going to balloon as productions take longer to film with fewer crew, and on-location shoots may be out altogether for a long while.

Sweden and Denmark are going to resume filming on productions soon … which, great? Except that Sweden, which had one of the softest responses to the pandemic might not be the best place to fling the doors open just yet? What are y’all doing over there?

Fox Corps is cutting senior executive salaries through the end of September.

Scoob is the latest movie to move from a theater release to PVOD. In the Heights has been pushed back to 2021.

In fact, WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey has said that COVID-19 is making the company rethink their entire theatrical model. So, sure, you can open the movie theaters back up, dumb GOP governors, but they’re only going to open up in theory until it is clear that this thing is over.

Three more residents of the New Jersey Actors’ Fund nursing home have passed away.

Upright Citizens Brigade has closed its New York theater and school.

The Life is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas has been canceled.

Mayor DeBlasio promises that the first thing New York is going to do when this is over is to throw a ticker-tape parade for the first responders, but, y’all. Who’s going to want to go to a parade after this?

Hey, here’s a thing that happened:

A part of me rejects this and is pretty sure that it had to be ironic or someone trying to point out the real message of these anti-lockdown protests. But then I remember that in 2016 we elected a cruel, dumb, racist, sexually-assaulting, reality TV show host THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, and I have to remind myself that there literally is no bottom with some of my fellow Americans.

Anyway, this is just another reminder that most Americans continue to think things won’t be safe until at least June and that these anti-lockdown protests are small and organized by groups that want President No Tests to be re-elected, so feel free to ignore them.

DO YOU HEAR ME, SOUTH DAKOTA? YOU CAN IGNORE THE PROTESTORS AND SHUT SHIT DOWN AND NOT EXPOSE 1,000 PEOPLE JUST SO THEY CAN GO TO A COUPLE OF CAR RACES, YOU DUMMIES.

Good News:

The May Queen dress from Midsommar, the doormats from Hereditary, and a hoodie from Euphoria are among the items A24 is auctioning off to raise money for relief efforts.

Gary Cole, Julie Bowen, Alan Tudyk, Vella Lovell, Brenda Strong, and Chris Williams will do a table read of Half-Assed, an unproduced comedy pilot to raise money for COVID relief for first responders.

The Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah has raised some $500,000 for a number of different charities.

Baby Driver posted a nude of himself to raise money for restaurant relief.

The first three seasons of Sailor Moon will be available for free on YouTube.

From BoingBoing: just watch this clip. I don’t want to tell you any more about it lest I spoil it, but it is a REAL ROLLERCOASTER:

All Other News

Netflix added nearly 16 million new subscribers last quarter. Huh. Wonder why. Shockingly, however, Tiger King was NOT the most popular series on Netflix.

People were more interested in the Prince tribute than Empire‘s series finale (and I have to admit, I was one of them, because … Prince, y’all). Also, the Empire finale was not the original one planned, and Taraji P. Henson wants to somehow make sure the proper ending is made, “or this will haunt me for the rest of my life and career.” As for what would have happened, and how they cobbled the finale together, this is a long piece with showrunner Brett Mahoney who gives lots of good details, EXCEPT who shot Lucious, who blew up Cookie’s car and what happened to both of them. Maybe we’ll find out one day.

Apparently, it’s a big deal that Ryan Seacrest has the original American Idol desk — the one used by Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul — and will be utilizing it on Sunday’s episode because I’ve seen this story everywhere. I mean, ok.

The New York Times rewatched Groundhog Day — NO REASON — and had some interesting thoughts about the movie in this weird time we’re all stuck in.

A former Simpsons‘ writer tweeted out a page of the show’s style guide and it’s fascinating:

Last night, Judge Jeanine accidentally called Tucker Carlson, “Gretchen…”

And Gretchen Carlson had some thoughts about that:

Renewals

  • Westworld has been renewed for a fourth season on HBO.
  • The Mandalorian is working on season three, so it sounds like it’s been renewed at Disney+.
  • Selling Sunset has been renewed for a second season at Netflix.

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

  • The Bold Type will return on Freeform on June 11.
  • Control Z will debut on Netflix on May 22.

R.I.P.

Shirley Knight, Actress

WATCH THIS

Ghost Nation: The two-hour premiere focuses on a haunted tree. 7 p.m., Travel

Little Fires Everywhere: Season finale. Hulu

Circus of Books: This documentary follows the story of a mom-and-pop gay adult book store in Santa Monica, California. Netflix

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: LL Cool J, Dr. Jane Goodall, Kate Tempest
  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Nathan Lane, José Andrés
  • The Late Late Show with James Corden: Ray Romano, Mike D & Ad-Rock, Alec Benjamin
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live: Chris Hemsworth
  • The Daily Show: The Daily Social Distancing Show
  • Conan: Shaquille O’Neal
  • Watch What Happens Live: Meghan McCain, Erika Jayne

 

 

WEDS. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC The Goldbergs
(new)		 Schooled
(new)		 Modern Family
(new)		 American Housewife
(new)		 Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
(new)
CBS Survivor
(new)		 SEAL Team
(new)		 S.W.A.T.
(new)
CW People Presents Harry & Meghan: A Royal Rebellion Local
FOX The Masked Singer
(new)		 Last Man Standing
(repeat)		 Last Man Standing
(repeat)		 News/Local
NBC Chicago Med
(repeat)		 Chicago Fire
(repeat)		 Chicago P.D.
(repeat)

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