foolish watcher

Annnnd … we’re back! (But Fox News’ Ivory Hecker won’t be.)

Therese Odell
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Hi! I am finally back! What did I miss? A local Fox news reporter made the national media when she lost her damn mind and accused her station of “muzzling” her and that she was giving the evidence over to conservative nitwit and prankster James O’Keefe to prove it? Oh. OK.

So yeah, Ivory Hecker interrupted a story on the oppressive fucking heat down here to announce to the world that she was going to be revealing the EXPLOSIVE footage of her station suppressing her to Project Vertias the next day.

So what was her big story? Basically that the local Fox News station sometimes makes editorial choices based on demographics and sometimes nixes stories if they are not well-sourced or based in science and reality. SHOCKING, I KNOW.

I watched the Project Veritas video so you don’t have to, and it seems Hecker is mad that 1. her News Directors didn’t want her to do a story on Bitcoin because it wasn’t a story their key demographic — which happens to be Black viewers — are particularly interested in (and honestly, who is?) and 2. she wanted to do a story on Hydroxychloroquine and its treatments for COVID-19. Hecker thinks that the first story shows that the station is “racist” and gives more import to “corporate values” just because they need to sell ad time as a broadcast news program and that the second story was some sort of “silencing” of the “truth” even though Hydroxychloroquine has been proven time and again to be ineffective in treating COVID-19.

Anyway, she’s since been fired.

 

Former Thin-Skinned Idiot wanted the Department of Justice, the Federal Election Commission, and the Federal Communications Commission to make Saturday Night Live and the late-night hosts stop making fun of him because he’s a giant fucking toddler. Apparently, his aides had to explain to him that’s not what the DOJ does, and then promised to look into what the FCC and FEC could do about it. They did not look into what the FCC and the FEC could do about it. LOL.

The Former Diaper-Filler-in-Chief has denied this story, but of course he would, it’s super embarrassing. Also, my condolences to Darrell Hammond.

Wondering where The Daily Show is? Yeah, they’re taking a break until September 13, when they will return with “a brand new look and feel.” So no more closet?

R.I.P., The Mac and Me bit on Conan.

Rick Scott is using the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in China as a political platform.

Jeopardy!, come on. Do better.

We have Girls5Eva and Tina Fey to thank for Busy Philipps staying in the acting game. (I mean this sincerely, Busy is a treasure.)

If you were hoping for a less expensive way to watch Disney+, you’re going to be waiting for a while.

It’s been a week since that wild Cruel Summer finale. What did you think? And where do you think it goes from here next season (yes, it’s been renewed — see below)?

Sexy Bridgerton news:

Sarah Paulson has revealed her least favorite season of American Horror Story, and frankly, this wouldn’t have been my first guess. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense, at least from her perspective as an actress.

Carole Baskin is still real mad about Tiger King, guys. Of course, it could be argued it’s a double-edged sword and gave her more publicity for her own tiger refuge than she could have ever dreamed of.

Americans are getting more into soccer apparently. Speaking of, you don’t need to make it more exciting, Christian Eriksen. PLEASE GET BETTER SOON.

Going Viral

We are less than two weeks out from President Biden’s goal date of July 4 to get 70% of eligible Americans vaccinated, and friends, I’m sorry to report we are unlikely to get there. We are at 63%, and we might be able to hit 68% by July 4, but that’s probably it because of vaccine-hesitant ding-dongs mostly in red states.

I just traveled through the Deep South this past week, and looking at these vaccination rates in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, combined with the number of people I saw wearing masks in those states … I’m deeply concerned that these states are going to be particularly vulnerable to this Delta strain that is spreading rapidly here in the States.

Our case count continues to go down, but since I checked in here last time, we’re starting to plateau. Two weeks ago, the 7-day average of new cases was 14,031; today that number is 11,370. And while I was gone, we crossed the terrible mark of having lost over 600,000 American lives to this terrible virus. Please encourage those you love and care about to get the vaccine: a death from COVID is completely unnecessary at this point.

And you don’t want you and yours to be associated with that madman Alex Jones, right?

Or these goons who think requiring vaccinations is the new segregation, along with girlfriend-beater, Ricky Schroder?

Or with these dumb, sweaty morons?

Or Former President Shit-fer-Brains who is out here telling people to not get their kids vaccinated? By the way, it also recently came out that he wanted to put the cruise folks who had COVID in Gitmo, because of course he did.

In a bit of good news: the anti-vaxxer idiots here in Houston who thought they had a right to WORK IN A HOSPITAL WITHOUT BEING VACCINATED had their lawsuit against the Houston Methodist Hospital system dismissed by a federal judge, and as of Monday, they were all fired after having been given a two-week period to go get the damn shot.

Also being required to be vaccinated: all cast and crew on touring productions of Broadway shows.

Disneyland and Disney World are dropping mask requirements for vaccinated guests.

And in New York State, COVID-19 restrictions were lifted as the state reached the 70% vaccinated level. Good for them.

As a result, while I was gone, Stephen Colbert bid farewell to “A Late Show” (“All good things must come to an end. Also this.”) and returned to The Late Show, complete with a vaxed and masked audience.

However, the triumphant return was not without controversy. Colbert’s first guest was his old friend and Daily Show host, Jon Stewart, who spent a great deal of his time suggesting that COVID-19 was the result of a lab leak — a controversial position embraced by Former President Conspiracy Theory and the QAnons. The lab leak theory hasn’t been disproven and certainly needs to be thoroughly investigated, but it hasn’t been proven either, and the vast majority of scientists think is unlikely the cause.

Stewart’s rant was not well received by some, including Houston’s own vaccine expert, Dr. Peter Hotez, and Houston’s own journalism icon, Dan Rather:

Also returning to the studio and an audience for his final episodes, albeit with a lot less controversy, was Conan O’Brien.

And Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned this week with a quarter of the audience of a normal show, but hey! That’s something:

As for Seth Meyers, he is unlikely to bring audiences back until September at the earliest, though I’m not the only one who thinks that maybe an audience is not necessary?

The upcoming July 4th PBS celebration, A Capitol Fourth, will feature live fireworks, but a pre-taped concert.

David Byrne’s American Utopia will return to Broadway on September 17. And Springsteen on Broadway returns this weekend, but only if you’re vaccinated (good for them) and the AstraZeneca vaccine ain’t gonna cut it.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will return in person in 2022.

But Con of Thrones is not returning this year. Maybe 2022?

And maybe hold off on booking that cruise just yet.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul had to be sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19, and yes, he did get the vaccine. This is exactly why everyone needs to get vaccinated: we can still be carriers of the virus, putting the people who physically incapable of being vaccinated at high risk.

Meanwhile, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley is out here declaring that he won’t get vaccinated. The NFL should sideline him.

Former Dawson’s Creek writer, Heidi Ferrer, died by suicide after suffering from long-haul COVID for 13 months.

Makes ya think:

Renewals

Cancellations

Here’s a nice rant about NBC’s cowardly decision to cancel the series without giving Jeff Rake, the showrunner, a chance to land the series, and why it’s bad for broadcast TV in general, written by a fellow recapper who didn’t care for the show.

And here are eight questions to which we’ll just have to live without ever knowing the answers.

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

The CW has announced its fall premiere dates:

Dinsey+ is moving all of its release dates to Wednesdays:

 

R.I.P.

Faith Kleppinger, Longtime writer on AC 360

David Lightfoot, Australian producer

WATCH THIS

In the Dark: Murphy, Jess, Felix, and Max are forced to make some life-changing decisions in the season premiere. 8 p.m., The CW

Good on Paper: Iliza Shlesinger and Ryan Hanson star in this rom-com that also, mysteriously, co-stars Tyler Cameron — as in Tyler Cameron from Hannah’s season of The Bachelorette? OK SURE WHY NOT. Premiere. Netflix

Too Hot to Handle: I don’t judge what trash you choose to watch. Premiere. Netflix

The Blacklist: Reddington seeks the truth about his identity in the season finale. 9 p.m., NBC

Card Sharks: Season premiere. 9 p.m., ABC

Late Night:

WEDS. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC Press Your Luck
(new)		 The $100,000 Pyramid
(new)		 Card Sharks
(new)
CBS Kids Say the Darndest Things
(new)		 S.W.A.T.
(repeat)		 S.W.A.T.
(repeat)
CW Kung Fu
(new)		 In the Dark
(new)		 Local
FOX MasterChef
(new)		 Crime Scene Kitchen
(new)		 News/Local
NBC The Boss Baby The Blacklist
(new)

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