We’ve made it through another sad, scary weekend in Trump’s America. We only have to survive 9 more until it’s Election Day.

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

Well, that was a particularly shitty weekend, between the death of Chadwick Boseman, another murder at a protest, and the President of the United States cheering on the violence …

So here’s a baby rhino with the zoomies. Let’s try to make this week better, together.

Let’s begin with some actual TV news for a change!

Netflix has launched a new streaming site, netflix.com/watch-free, where you can do just that: watch some of their pilot episodes for free, in an attempt to convince you to become a member. For those six of you out there who don’t have a Netflix subscription yet. (Seriously, who are you?) Bird Box, Stranger Things, Love is Blind, Grace And Frankie, Elite, Our Planet, When They See Us, Murder Mystery, The Boss Baby: Back In Business, and The Two Popes are all available.

R.I.P. New York Times TV grid. (Mine isn’t going anywhere, by the way.)

Manifest wants SO HARD to be Lost. It is not Lost. (But here are 8 clues about season 3.)

Like Cobra Kai? Because some spinoffs could be in the works.

American Horror Story goes back into production in October and this is what we know:

FBI: Most Wanted has changed showrunners.

The second season of High Fidelity was going to be focused on Cherise, and now fans are even more pissed it was canceled.

The VMAs were last night. Here’s what you missed if you are an old fart like me.

A reminder: when she filmed The Graduate, Ann Bancroft was three years younger than Clare Crawley is now.

Going Viral

Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the El Capitan theater on September 21.

CBS is announcing the return to production:

  • NCIS begins production on September 9
  • NCIS: Los Angeles will begin on September 3
  • NCIS: New Orleans will begin production on September 21
  • The Unicorn will begin October 12
  • The Neighborhood will have a table read on September 16
  • Magnum P.I. returns September 14
  • Bull on September 25

The VERY dry British comedy, Breeders, returned to production today in the U.K.

And the Netflix/ BBC drama, The Serpent has begun filming in the U.K.

The virus denied the world a pop-up “spite store” for Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, the unions and guilds are nearing deals and formalizing plans for productions to start back up again. (Of course, a bunch already have … so …)

 

The A’s and Astros had to postpone a game because some A’s players tested positive. Saturday was only the third day since the MLB came back when all 30 teams played.

Oh! Huh! The bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease has been found in multiple schools reopening in the middle of a pandemic! COoooOOooool

University of Alabama has well over 1,000 positive cases now, and reportedly told their employees to keep quiet about the outbreak. GREAT JOB, EVERYONE!

And Florida tried to hide a report that showed 900 cases in the schools as they opened or prepared to open.

In fact, there are some 26,000 positive cases in our colleges and universities.

James Corden is worried about Broadway being able to bounce back from this.

The ghost of Herman Cain is tweeting about how COVID-19 is less deadly than everyone is saying in the most amazing bit of irony I have ever seen.

The White House has a new pandemic advisor, Scott Atlas, and he’s pushing for a herd immunity approach to the virus. What could go wrong?

“With a population of 328 million in the United States, it may require 2.13 million deaths to reach a 65 percent threshold of herd immunity, assuming the virus has a 1 percent fatality rate, according to an analysis by The Washington Post.”

the office jim oh no

Political Crap

Oy. I really wanted to take a day or two off after two weeks of conventions, but there is no taking a day off with President Flamethrower in office, I’m afraid.

After last week’s police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and then the protests, and then the counter-protestors including a 17-year-old kid with an itchy trigger finger who killed two protestors and injured another, the action moved back to Portland this weekend. There, a bunch of Trumplings threw their own truck rally before driving into downtown where they drove through crowds, shot protestors with paintballs, and maced them. President Chaos called them “great patriots,” obviously.

Horrifically, one of these great patriots was shot and killed that night in downtown Portland, inflaming passions on both sides even further. It’s a terrifying, dangerous time for everyone. But instead of trying to calm his supporters, President Race War is convinced that the unrest and tension in this country is his best opportunity to distract the American people from his failure to protect them from COVID-19 and will be his path to reelection. And it might just work if enough people in the swing states buy his lies. He’s planning on going to Kenosha tomorrow to “thank” the National Guard and police (he has not reached out to Jacob Blake’s family, obvs), even though Wisconsin is BEGGING him to stay the fuck away.

Vice President Biden delivered a powerful speech today, rebutting the bullshit the Liar-in-Chief has been spewing about him for weeks now.

It’s all very depressing and hard and I woke up in the middle of a panic attack two mornings ago, just wanting to be able to see into the future and know how this all ends. I need to be prepared because I wasn’t prepared last time.

So, I’m going to conclude on a positive note: across the board, in every demographic and on every night, the Democratic National Convention beat the Republican National Convention in the ratings — you know, where it really hurts President Neilsen.

Cancellations

  • NOS4A2 has been canceled after two seasons on AMC.

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendar

  • The Haunting of Bly Manor will debut on Netflix on October 9.
  • The Stand will premiere on CBS All Access on December 17.
  • We Are Who We Are will premiere on HBO on September 14.
  • News Nation, a three-hour primetime news block, will debut on WGN tomorrow.
  • 50 States of Fright will return on Quibi on October 26.
  • Singled Out will return on Quibi on September 7.
  • Hosts will debut on digital and VOD on October 2.
  • Dr. 90210 will return on E! on September 28.

R.I.P.

Chadwick Boseman, Actor known for portraying Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown, and, of course, he was the star of Black Panther, King T’Challa. Boseman was only 43 and succumbed to colon cancer, which he had battling for the past four years. It’s such a terrible, shocking loss.

Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther wrote a beautiful tribute to Boseman. You can read the whole thing here.

In African cultures we often refer to loved ones that have passed on as ancestors. Sometimes you are genetically related. Sometimes you are not. I had the privilege of directing scenes of Chad’s character, T’Challa, communicating with the ancestors of Wakanda. We were in Atlanta, in an abandoned warehouse, with bluescreens, and massive movie lights, but Chad’s performance made it feel real. I think it was because from the time that I met him, the ancestors spoke through him. It’s no secret to me now how he was able to skillfully portray some of our most notable ones. I had no doubt that he would live on and continue to bless us with more. But it is with a heavy heart and a sense of deep gratitude to have ever been in his presence, that I have to reckon with the fact that Chad is an ancestor now. And I know that he will watch over us, until we meet again.

And ABC aired Black Panther commercial-free last night as a tribute. It won the night in the ratings.

Netflix canceled a preview event for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, in which Boseman co-starred, that was scheduled to take place today.

View this post on Instagram

“It was meant to be for Chadwick and me to be connected, for us to be family. But what many don’t know is our story began long before his historic turn as Black Panther. During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. He whispered that when I received my honorary degree from Howard University, his alma mater, he was the student assigned to escort me that day. And here we were, years later as friends and colleagues, enjoying the most glorious night ever! We’d spent weeks prepping, working, sitting next to each other every morning in makeup chairs, preparing for the day together as mother and son. I am honored that we enjoyed that full circle experience. This young man’s dedication was awe-inspiring, his smile contagious, his talent unreal. So I pay tribute to a beautiful spirit, a consummate artist, a soulful brother…”thou aren’t not dead but flown afar…”. All you possessed, Chadwick, you freely gave. Rest now, sweet prince.” #WakandaForever

A post shared by Angela Bassett (@im.angelabassett) on

And if you have a moment, scroll through this thread of young kids dressed as T’Challa, a superhero who looked like them:

Cliff Robinson, NBA All-Star and Survivor contestant

Caesar Cordova, Character actor in Scarface and Carlito’s Way

Bob “Bullet” Armstrong, WWE Hall of Fame wrestler

John Thompson Jr., Former Georgetown basketball coach

Leslie H. Freas, Twin sister of Linda Hamilton and her stunt double

WATCH THIS

Planet Earth: A Celebration: Eight of the most spectacular segments from Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II are highlighted in this new special featuring new narration from David Attenborough. Premiere. 7 p.m., BBC, AMC, IFC, Sundance

All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspurs: Tom Hardy narrates this documentary about the Premier League Spurs team, the soccer team my husband is completely obsessed with for reasons I do not understand. Premiere. Amazon

Back to the Future marathon: What I would give for a time-traveling Delorean these days … 6 p.m., WGN

Late Night:

  • Conan: Jason Sudeikis

 

MON. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons Ever!
(repeat)
CBS The Neighbor-hood
(repeat)		 Young Sheldon
(repeat)		 Love Island
(repeat)		 Bull
(repeat)
CW Whose Line is it Anyway?
(new)		 Whose Line is it Anyway?
(repeat)		 Penn & Teller: Try This At Home Too
(new)		 Local
FOX Love the Coopers News/Local
NBC American Ninja Warrior
(new)		 Dateline NBC
(repeat)

One thought on “We’ve made it through another sad, scary weekend in Trump’s America. We only have to survive 9 more until it’s Election Day.”

  1. Every generation seems to have their touchstone tragic celebrity death.
    For the Greatest Generation, it was James Dean and Buddy Holly.
    For Boomers it was John Lennon.
    Gen X was Michael Jackson and perhaps Selena.
    Will Chadwick Boseman be considered the Millennial touchstone?

    Reply

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