Carole Baskin just won Joe Exotic’s zoo, and he compared this loss to the Black Lives Matter protests because 2020 is completely broken.

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

It’s is Wednesday, June 3rd and NOT Thursday, June 4th, despite the fact that I thought it was Thursday, June 4th and this morning took my car to the service place for its appointment which is scheduled for Thursday, June 4th because time is meaningless.

Anyway.

Here’s a little joy before we get into all the bullshit:

Things are still bad. People are still protesting, the police are still overreacting and this was not actually a scene from the Handmaid’s Tale but a real picture taken at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday:

lincoln memorial soldiers martha raddatz

And I’ve avoided talking about the ostensible subject of this blog, television and entertainment that is TV-adjacent, because it hasn’t felt exactly IMPORTANT right now. But the truth is, for days now, the entertainment business has been reacting to this moment in history in some remarkable ways (there’s A LOT, and I’m not going to be able to get to it all today, but this is a start):

For instance, a recent survey shows that crime shows distort the viewing public’s perception of criminal justice: “It reported that crime shows, which often enlist police departments and retired officers as consultants, overwhelmingly presents a complimentary depiction of police officers as complex, nuanced, and valorized characters. The result is a dishonest cycle that miseducates the public about the criminal justice system by advancing distorted representations of crime, race, and gender.”

The producers and writers of S.W.A.T. have pledged to DO BETTER:

And Stephanie Beatriz who plays Detective Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine seemed to recognize her role in all of this (despite the fact that her show is actually pretty damn sensitive) and announced that she was making a donation to the #FreeThemAll Emergency Fund:

And I can’t say for certain that Beatriz was the first actor to play a cop to respond to this crisis in this way, but I can say that she inspired others to do too, including her entire cast:

Writers on Law & Order, Castle Rock, and Medical Police have also followed suit.

Speaking of Law & Order, the showrunner for the upcoming Detective Stabler spinoff posted on Facebook a picture of himself with a VERY big gun threatening imagined looters:

And Dick Wolff fired his ass immediately. I’m sure he can find a job at Fox News.

Plenty of celebrities have been putting their bodies on the line and protesting. Keke Palmer went viral in this video in which she passionately and beautifully urged National Guard members to march with the protestors. Watch until the very end:

Nick Cannon marched with protestors in Minneapolis and explained his decision in this essay in Variety.

John Boyega has been VERY vocal on the issue of racism, shutting down Star Wars fans who he has made uncomfortable when speaking his truth. Here he is speaking at a protest in London:

Michael B. Jordan joined the protests:

As did Ellen Page:

Also protesting: Paris Jackson, Halsey, Machine Gun Kelly, and Sophia Bush. Ben Affleck, Kristen Stewart, Fiona Apple, Ariana Grande, and Timothee Chalamet.

John Cusack was attacked by cops in Chicago:

Insecure actor Kendrick Sampson was hit by rubber bullets in a protest in Los Angeles:

And Cole Sprouse was arrested:

View this post on Instagram

A group of peaceful protesters, myself included, were arrested yesterday in Santa Monica. So before the voracious horde of media sensationalism decides to somehow turn it about me, there’s a clear need to speak about the circumstances: Black Lives Matter. Peace, riots, looting, are an absolutely legitimate form of protest. the media is by nature only going to show the most sensational, which only proves a long standing racist agenda. I was detained when standing in solidarity, as were many of the final vanguard within Santa Monica. We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested. When many did turn to leave, we found another line of police officers blocking our route, at which point, they started zip tying us. It needs to be stated that as a straight white man, and a public figure, the institutional consequences of my detainment are nothing in comparison to others within the movement. This is ABSOLUTELY not a narrative about me, and I hope the media doesn’t make it such. This is, and will be, a time about standing ground near others as a situation escalates, providing educated support, demonstrating and doing the right thing. This is precisely the time to contemplate what it means to stand as an ally. I hope others in my position do as well. I noticed that there are cameras that roll within the police cruisers during the entirety of our detainment, hope it helps. I’ll speak no more on the subject, as I’m (1) not well versed enough to do so, (2) not the subject of the movement, and (3) uninterested in drawing attention away from the leaders of the #BLM movement. I will be, again, posting the link in my story to a comprehensive document for donations and support.

A post shared by Cole Sprouse (@colesprouse) on

Jimmy Fallon addressed his blackface issue on The Tonight Show on Monday:

Elsewhere, black actors are using this moment to speak up about abuse and discrimination they have had to deal with in their careers. This started when Lea Michelle of Glee fame tweeted out an innocuous tweet in support of Black Lives Matter:

But her former co-star, Samantha Ware was NOT HAVING IT:

And Ware was backed up by fellow Gleeks:

And her Broadway co-stars also piled on. Michele promptly lost her sponsorship deal with Hello Fresh and put out an insincere apology via Instagram for any behavior that “caused [her] to be perceived as insensitive.”

LOL, OK. The days of performative social justice are over — or they should be.

Over on Riverdale, Vanessa Morgan had some criticisms for how people of color are treated on her show:

https://twitter.com/VanessaMorgan/status/1267086887535153152/

Late Night with Seth Meyers opened Monday’s show by allowing Amber Ruffin to tell her own story of an encounter with the police:

Not Fun Fact: Ruffin was the FIRST African-American female staff writer on a late-night show. EVER. She was hired six years ago. Six Years Ago.

And The Late Late Show’s James Corden spoke to his bandleader Reggie Watts about his experience. He broke down discussing the discrimination he’s faced in a heart-breaking moment:

And Jimmy Kimmel did a public service by explaining to white people what white privilege is:

 

The Michael B. Jordan film, Just Mercy, will be free to stream this month in response to these protests.

Finally, like the headline hinted at, Carole Baskin just won the G.W. Exotic Zoo from Joe Exotic in a 7-year-long trademark case. It is unclear what, exactly, will happen to the animals currently at the zoo, however.

And somehow, Joe Exotic managed to compare his loss to the losses black people suffer under systemic racism and tied it to #blackouttuesday?

YEAH, THAT’S NOT IT, MY DUDE. MAYBE JUST SIT THIS ONE OUT, FRIEND.

And in other Carole Baskin news: Hillsborough County, Florida, sheriff Chad Chronister is now saying that two handwriting experts have determined that her husband’s will was forged. You know, the husband she ALLEGEDLY fed to tigers. However, the statute of limitations for the forgery have already expired, so there is nothing the police can do about it, so Carole Baskin can breathe easy. FOR NOW.

Going Viral

The Industry-Wide Safety Committee, comprised of various Hollywood studios and guilds, has submitted a white paper of recommendations of safety procedures for productions to New York and California’s governors. The various guilds will make their own guidelines specific to their members’ areas.

The Good Lord Bird will have a sneak preview at the ATX Festival … From the Couch.

John McCormack, an off-Broadway artistic director, has passed away from COVID-19.

Steven Avery, the subject of Making a Murderer, has tested positive for the virus.

Mission Impossible: 7 is going to resume filming in September.

Oh cool, some movie theaters won’t require masks when they reopen.

Universal Studios would like to reopen in California, please.

Wait, suicides are DOWN during the quarantine? That can’t be right. President FAKE NEWS and Meghan McCain assured me that they were up!

President Virus is moving the Republican National Convention to another city because North Carolina is demanding a scaled-down event, social distancing, and face masks because they don’t want their citizens to die of a deadly virus. So, GOOD LUCK, NASHVILLE!

IS 2020 OVER YET?

All Other TV News

It sounds like Batwoman is not going to recast Kate Kane, but rather bring in a whole different character to be Batwoman. Here are some potential problems with this plan.

Speaking of Batwoman, here are 30 great LGBTQ moments from the past television year.

If you’re an AT&T customer, watching HBO Max won’t make you hit your data cap, but Netflix and Disney+ and Hulu and whatever else will.

Renewals

  • The Capture has been renewed for a second season on BBC.

Cancellations

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

R.I.P.

Patricia Reed Scott, Director of New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting; Emmy-award winning TV host, singer, agent, and first wife of George C. Scott

Peggy Pope, Actress in many TV series, including Soap and movies including 9 to 5 and on Broadway

WATCH THIS

CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: A two-hour tribute to our frontline workers during this crisis. 7 p.m., CMT, Paramount, Pop and TV Land

Spelling the Dream: This documentary looks at the success of Indian-Americans in the country’s top spelling contest. Netflix

Free Solo: To celebrate the third anniversary of Alex Honnold’s record-breaking three-hour and 56-minute ascent of the daunting face of El Capitan Peak without rope or safety gear. 2 p.m., Nat Geo

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Rachel McAdams, Rob Gronkowski, Sia
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers: Amanda Peet, Ramy Youssef
  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Kristen Bell, TV on the Radio
  • The Late Late Show with James Corden: Dakota Johnson, Eric Garcetti
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live: Regina King
  • The Daily Show: The Daily Social Distancing Show
  • Conan: Tracee Ellis Ross

 

WEDS. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC Up Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
(new)
CBS Game On!
(new)		 SEAL Team
(repeat)		 S.W.A.T.
(repeat)
CW The 100
(new)		 Bulletproof
(repeat)		 Local
FOX MasterChef/b>
(repeat)		 Ultimate Tag
(new)		 News/Local
NBC Chicago Med
(repeat)		 Chicago Fire
(repeat)		 Chicago P.D.
(repeat)

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