It’s Thursday, and I’m still nursing a Bachelorette hangover, be kind.
This is my new favorite Twitter hashtag: #unflatteringdogphotochallenge
#unflatteringdogphotochallenge
— Tilllda (@Tilda24416) October 15, 2020
Might be a dog, might be a seal, not sure. pic.twitter.com/Pwukx63NU6
And this is Alan. #unflatteringdogphotochallenge pic.twitter.com/9gYsXfK4jU
— Johanna Handley (@struttosphere) October 11, 2020
#unflatteringdogphotochallenge Now I know who ate my peanut butter sandwich . pic.twitter.com/XCzrW4kY9W
— Beans Oregano (@RayAgua1031) October 15, 2020
do i win? #unflatteringdogphotochallenge pic.twitter.com/YOtXHD4S8Q
— Ember✌🏼️😗 (@urmomssidewhore) October 14, 2020
Lola for your consideration #unflatteringdogphotochallenge pic.twitter.com/hAoO8evsHb
— um god isn’t real (@TheDailyGray) October 14, 2020
Going Viral
The White House is embracing herd immunity, which, if actually followed, will leave millions dead. And not just from COVID-19, but other illnesses and conditions that will go untreated if our hospitals are overwhelmed. COOL PLAN, BROS.
Meanwhile, some college kids have been accused of deliberately contracting the virus in some plasma-selling scheme. This is why we can’t have nice things.
They played “In The Air Tonight” at President Droplet’s rally yesterday because irony is dead. It died of COVID.
Tomas J. Philipson, a senior economic adviser to the president, told the group he could not yet estimate the effects of the virus on the American economy. To some in the group, the implication was that an outbreak could prove worse than Mr. Philipson and other Trump administration advisers were signaling in public at the time.
The next day, board members — many of them Republican donors — got another taste of government uncertainty from Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council. Hours after he had boasted on CNBC that the virus was contained in the United States and “it’s pretty close to airtight,” Mr. Kudlow delivered a more ambiguous private message. He asserted that the virus was “contained in the U.S., to date, but now we just don’t know,” according to a document describing the sessions obtained by The New York Times.
The document, written by a hedge fund consultant who attended the three-day gathering of Hoover’s board, was stark. “What struck me,” the consultant wrote, was that nearly every official he heard from raised the virus “as a point of concern, totally unprovoked.”
YouTube is having to ban videos spreading fake information on vaccines. Lord.
Halloween Kills, which was supposed to open this month, has been moved back to 2021, and Blumhouse insists it WILL open then, vaccine or no vaccine.
University of Alabama’s head coach Nick Saban has tested positive.
The NFL is canceling the 2021 Pro Bowl.
Americanah is no longer moving forward at HBO Max after production was pushed back because of COVID-19. Lupita Nyong’o, who was going to produce and star had to drop out when the filming schedule conflicted with other projects.
The President Is Missing is, ironically enough, not moving forward at Showtime because of COVID-19.
Over in the U.K., Little Mix the Search had to shut down production after an outbreak on set.
black-ish and A Million Little Things are both going to tackle the pandemic this season.
This is just a bunch of photos of people watching TV in their homes, something we’re all doing these days.
Disney announced they would be focusing more on streaming to help deal with the financial losses they’ve taken during the pandemic thanks to the theme parks being closed. This was good news for Wall Street, but internally, people don’t know what this will ultimately mean.
Meanwhile, Universal has let 2,200 employees go since July.
Political Crap
Today’s insanity is just part two of yesterday’s insanity: basically, people are so pissed at NBC for hosting President Disinformation tonight in his own town hall counterprogrammed against Joe Biden’s town hall, essentially rewarding him for refusing to participate in a virtual town hall scheduled for tonight.
To Brian Roberts, Jeff Shell and Cesar Conde:
We are a group of writers, actors, directors and producers. Many of us have been lucky enough to work for NBCUniversal at some point in our careers. Some of us are currently employed at your studio. We have always thought of NBC Universal as both a terrific creative home and a brand that stands for the best in entertainment and broadcast journalism.
This is why we have been devastated to learn that you have chosen to air President Trump’s town hall this Thursday night at 8pm, directly opposite Vice President Biden’s town hall.
This is not a partisan issue. This is about the political health of our democracy.
President Trump refused to participate in the virtual debate scheduled for Thursday night by the Presidential Debate Commission. By agreeing to air his town hall as counterprogramming opposite Vice President Biden’s town hall on ABC, you are enabling the President’s bad behavior while undercutting the Presidential Debate Commission and doing a disservice to the American public.
We believe this kind of indifference to the norms and rules of our democracy are what have brought our country to this perilous state.
We are simply asking that NBC air the President’s town hall either before or after Vice President Biden’s so that American voters can have the opportunity to watch both.
We understand the necessities of business, especially in this difficult time. But we believe there are larger issues of civic responsibility at stake here.
Signed:
Aaron Sorkin
Abbi Jacobson
Adam McKay
Adam Scott
Alex Baldwin
Alex Barnow
Allison Janney
Allison Tolman
Amy Lippman
Amy Schumer
Aubrey Plaza
Ava DuVernay
Ayelet Waldman
Ben Stiller
Billy Eichner
Billy Porter
Brendan Gall
Chelsea Handler
Chris Bishop
Chris Meloni
Chris Miller
Chris Misiano
Chris Sullivan
Chrissy Metz
Courtney Kemp
Dahvi Waller
Damon Lindelof
Dan Fogelman
Dan Levy
Daniel Hageman
David A. Goodman
David Goyer
David Guggenheim
David Kohan
Debra Messing
Donald Faison
Dule Hill
Ely Henry
Emily Gordon
Eric Guggeheim
Greg Berlanti
JJ Abrams
Jason Moore
Jennifer Yale
Jill Knox
Jim Parriott
Joe Mantello
Jon Cryer
Jon Hamm
Jon Huertas
Josh Gad
Josh Singer
Joshua Malina
Joss Whedon
Julianne Moore
Julie Martin
Julie Plec
Justin Hartley
Keith Powell
Ken Olin
Kenya Barris
Kevin Hageman
Kumail Nanjiani
Laeta Kalogridis
Latoya Morgan
Mandy Moore
Marc Guggenheim
Marjorie David
Mariska Hargitay
Marti Noxon
Martin Gero
Mary McCormack
Matthew Lopez
Max Mutchnick
Michael Chabon
Michael Green
Malcolm Spellman
Michele Fazekas
Milo Ventimiglia
Neal Baer
Nicholas Stoller
Nicole Yorkin
Otmara Marrero
Parvesh Cheena
Patton Oswalt
Phil Lord
Preacher Lawson
Richard Schiff
Robert King
Robert Kirkman
Ryan Murphy
Samuel Baum
Sarah Schechter
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Treem
Seth Grahame-Smith
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Rogen
Shakina Nayfack
Sophia Bush
Sterling K. Brown
Sunil Nayir
Susan Kelechi Watson
Tara Butters
Terry Matalas
Thor Freudenthal
Tom McCarthy
Tony Kushner
Travis Beacham
Vanessa Taylor
Zoe Lister-Jones
Additionally, MSNBC talent, like Rachel Maddow have criticized the decision ON-AIR:
“Are you as mad as everybody else is that NBC is doing a town hall with President Trump tomorrow, instead of the debate, at the same time that Vice President Biden is going to be on ABC?” Maddow asked.
“I’m not touching that,” Harris said, after chuckling a bit at the question. Maddow then laughed.
Maddow then asked, “Should the networks refuse to give the president other opportunities for airtime, if he’s the one who refuses the chance to debate?”
“I’m not going to tell the networks what to do, but I’ll tell you I know who I’m going to be watching, so there you go,” Harris answered.
How is that NBC News has allowed itself to get conned by Donald Trump and (as of 11 pm Wednesday) continues to abrogate the public trust by not re-scheduling or taping-and-delaying broadcast, or canceling if Trump continues to demand the network’s obeisance? (1/7)
— Carl Bernstein (@carlbernstein) October 15, 2020
But inexcusably, NBC schedules its Town Hall with Trump at exact time Biden is on ABC (reportedly at Trump’s insistence), cutting Biden’s audience and setting up a ratings war tailored for Trump to win and crow about. Esp. bc ABC has no cable outlets, like MSNBC + CNBC. (3/7)
— Carl Bernstein (@carlbernstein) October 15, 2020
Not bifurcate the audience to the obvious advantage of one candidate and capitulate to that candidate’s demands. If that candidate threatens to walk away over something like this, he should be shown the door. (5/7)
— Carl Bernstein (@carlbernstein) October 15, 2020
Point being that our networks would not let even the President dictate how and when we covered him: and we resisted being manipulated. Forty years after we established the principle, NBC has been manipulated and conned. (7/7)
— Carl Bernstein (@carlbernstein) October 15, 2020
It’s all falling on deaf ears, though. NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell thinks it’s “fair.” LOL, OK.
“So you know I’m being set up tonight,” Trump just told a reelection campaign rally in North Carolina. “I’m doing this town hall with Concast, C-O-N, con, cause it’s a con job,” the former reality TV frontman joked with supporters as NBC and its news division are being heavily criticized for running the incumbent’s event at the same time as ABC has a previously announced event with Biden.
“It’s NBC, the worst,” Trump went on to declare. “Home of Sleepy-Eyed Chuck Todd and some others,” he added to the Greenville audience.
“I figured, what the hell, we get a free hour on television,” Trump arrogantly said, mocking moderator and Today co-host Savannah Guthrie (“she’s always lovely, isn’t she?”), NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt (“he’s a beauty”) and the town hall NBC had with Biden last week. “It was a joke,” the incumbent added of the October 5 event with the ex-VP, figuratively biting the hand that is feeding him tonight.
I mean, they should cancel it just for this alone.
Meanwhile, C-SPAN’s Steve Scully, who was supposed to moderate tonight’s town hall which is now not happening, has been placed on “indefinite leave” after he lied about a tweet. He claimed he was hacked after he tweeted Anthony Scaramucci instead of DMing him. What’s kind of amazing is that President TwatsALot had been attacking Scully on Twitter ahead of the town hall, and the tweet was just Scully asking Scaramucci how he should respond. That’s it. That was the tweet.
In other news, Barron Trump also had COVID-19. And Kamala Harris had to cancel some travel plans after two staffers tested positive.
All Other TV News
House of Dragons, the Game of Thrones prequel, will indeed film in England, not Northern Ireland, just as I feared. It’s a shame.
A Boston news anchor was fired after she appeared in the Adam Sandler Netflix movie Hubie Halloween, which seems extreme:
Hi Friends! I have some news to share…
— Alaina Pinto (@alainapinto) October 15, 2020
Earlier this week I was let go from 7 News. I am posting this because I want to be open and honest with all of you. Last year, I participated in a cameo in the recently released Netflix movie by Adam Sandler, "Hubie Halloween". (1/3)
Thanks to all my wonderful 7 News viewers and my supportive and great colleagues at the station. Reporting the news to you every morning was an honor and a privilege. I promise to stay in touch and keep you updated on the next chapter – the future is bright! (3/3)
— Alaina Pinto (@alainapinto) October 15, 2020
GHOST GUIDE.
The Charmed ladies, new and old, are still fighting, which … just … come on. Enough.
The other day, my husband wandered through the living room where I had General Hospital playing in the background while I wrote, and there was a scene in which a woman with a large bandage on her throat was lip-syncing a song about “ruins, ruins, ruins” while another woman hid in a nearby hallway and actually performed the song, and he was like, “The Hell?” and I had to tell him not to worry about it because it was too hard and too stupid to explain and what I’m saying is that this scene, as weird as it was, was nowhere near as weird as half of the things on any soap opera on any given day.
WATCH: Brook Lynn and Amy's lip sync performance worked perfectly… and then Chase came along. #GH pic.twitter.com/SMFGFyoAne
— General Hospital (@GeneralHospital) October 15, 2020
LOVE IS DEAD.
Renewals
- The Last O.G. has been renewed for a fourth season at TBS.
- Black Monday has been renewed for a third season on Showtime.
Cancellations
- Last Man Standing will end on Fox after this season. It aired for nine seasons.
- L.A.’s Finest has been cancelled at Spectrum after two seasons.
In Development
- They’re rebooting Dexter at Showtime because everyone definitely wanted more of that.
- I Know What You Did Last Summer is being turned into a TV series at Amazon.
- The Grease spinoff series is moving from HBO Max to Paramount+.
- Caste is being adapted as a film for Netflix by Ava DuVernay.
- Ms. Pat, a sitcom based on the memoir of Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams, has been ordered at BET+.
- Two different series based on the Detroit Youth Choir are being developed.
- Boys From County Hell has been picked up at Shudder.
- Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors has signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. TV.
- BBC One has ordered a drama about notorious sexual predator Jimmy Savile.
Casting News
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Himesh Patel, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Matthew Perry, and Tomer Sisley are joining Don’t Look Up on Netflix.
- Kathleen Turner is joining The Kominsky Method on Netflix.
- Kelly Marie Tran, Billy Dee Williams, and Anthony Daniels will be voice cast in the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special on Disney+.
- Yasha Jackson has joined the cast of The Flight Attendant on HBO Max.
- Rhea Seehorn, Jason Lee, Tatiana Maslany, Ryan Flynn, VyVy Nguyen, Lance Krall, Roberta Colindrez, Tessa Skara, John “Spud” McConnell, Chris Diamantopoulos, Joanna Hausmann, Gabourey Sidibe, Nyima Funk, and Gary Anthony Williams have been cast in the CBS All Access animated series, The Harper House.
- Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp, and Alyah Chanelle Scott will star in HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls.
- Darren Barnet, Harry Shum Jr., James Saito, Mikaela Hoover, and Heather McMahan have been cast in Love Hard on Netflix.
Mark Your Calendars
- The Soul of America will debut on HBO on October 27.
- For Life returns on ABC on November 18.
- Uncle Frank will premiere on Amazon on November 26.
- Jersey Shore Family Vacation will return on MTV on November 19.
- Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb will debut on Netflix on October 28.
- Texas 6 will debut on CBS All Access on November 26.
- Bridgerton will premiere on Netflix on December 25.
- No Man’s Land will premiere on Hulu on November 18.
- Race in America: Our Vote Counts will air on Bravo on November 1.
- Yellowstone‘s season three will hit Peacock on November 22.
- PBS has announced its 50th anniversary programming. Or some of it.
R.I.P.
Donald Douglas, Emmy-nominated editor known for his work on Murder, She Wrote
Kent Wakeford, Cinematographer
Saint Dog, Rapper
WATCH THIS
THURSDAY
NOT! The Presidential Debate: So. This was supposed to be the date of the second Presidential debate but then President Contagious got the Rona and so the Commission of Presidential Debates announced this debate would be virtual but then President SCREAMY said he wouldn’t attend a virtual debate so then Joe Biden said “Fine, I’ll use the time to do a townhall all by myself,” and that’s where we are. 8 p.m., ABC
The West Wing: The cast of the most unrealistic show to ever air on television reunite to do a staged reading of a previous episode to benefit the When We All Vote organization. Premiere. HBO Max
Social Distance: This new anthology series explores the ways people try to remain connected in socially distanced times. Series premiere. Netflix
Freedia Got a Gun: Bounce superstar Big Freedia takes on the gun violence epidemic that took the lives of her younger brother and cousin in this new documentary. Peacock
The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special: The muppets of Sesame Street tackle racism and teach young people how to stand up for equality in this new special. HBO Max
The Mortuary Collection: Five terrifying tales are shared by an eccentric mortician in this new horror film. Shudder
A Babysitter’s Guide to Fighting Monsters: A team of babysitters set out to rescue one of their charges who has been kidnapped by the Boogeyman in this new kids’ horror movie. Netflix
Star Trek: Discovery: Season premiere. CBS All Access
Late Night:
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: Josh Gad, John Kasich, Foo Fighters
- The Daily Show: The Daily Social Distancing Show
- Watch What Happens Live: Sam Smith, Joey King
THUR | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
ABC | The Vice President and the People (live) |
Emergency Call (repeat) |
CBS | Big Brother (new) |
Young Sheldon (repeat) |
Mom (repeat) |
Star Trek: Discovery (new) |
CW | Supernatural (new) |
The Outpost (new) |
News/Local |
FOX | NFL Football (live) |
News/Local |
NBC | Trump Town Hall (new) |
Connecting … | Connecting … | Dateline |