Jason Aldean’s cynical song’s cynical video just got banned by CMT. Time to fire up the outrage machine.

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

LET HIM LIVE HIS LIFE.

Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News

Netflix is killing their cheapest $9.99-a-month ad-free plan for new or returning subscribers — so if you have it, and want to keep it, DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING. DON’T MOVE. DON’T BREATHE.

So, Jason Aldean, he wrote a country song called, “Try That in a Small Town,” which is just a dumb collection of right-wing fantasies about what big cities are like — acts of violence, disrespecting of cops, flag burnings, gun confiscations: you know, all the things that Fox News is constantly shrieking about — and how small town folks won’t put up with it because they are morally superior to people who live in big cities. It’s very anti-BLM, it’s very anti-protestors, it’s borderline violent, it’s very pandering to a certain type of brain worm. And I understand why people are offended by it, but the only thing I find offensive is how obvious and obtuse it is. It’s just red meat for red voters.

BUT THEN! Then, this asshole, he films a music video for this vaugely-threatening song in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, TN, a location where in 1927 an eighteen-year-old Henry Choate was dragged behind a car before being lynched, having been accused of attacking a white girl. Is Jason Aldean from Columbia, Tennessee? No. Is Aldean from Tennessee? NO. Is Jason Aldean even from a small town? In fact, he’s from Macon, Georgia which has a population of about 150,000 people, the 4th largest city in the state.

This is all to say that after the video came out, Aldean had to release a statement denying that the song is “pro-lynching” — because people had questions — and then CMT pulled the video altogether.

So of course you know what this means: the song is climbing the charts. And all I have to say about any of this is: congratulations, Jason Aldean’s team, for pulling off one of the most cynical stunts I’ve seen in a while. I suppose there is a chance you didn’t know that this courthouse had this dark past. But considering how quickly the internet figured it out suggests that you knew EXACTLY what you were doing: blowing a dog whistle, both for the virulent racists and the anti-racist activists, thereby manufacturing a controversy that the mainstream media, like CMT, would have to acknowledge in some way. And by acknowledging the racist subtext within the song that the video makes explicit, the right-wing infosphere is able to create a narrative that is deeply offensive to the average Jason Aldean fan: “The mainstream media thinks you’re racist if you like this Jason Aldean song. Prove to them that your small-town morals can’t be canceled by downloading it!” Well played, assholes. Well played. Fox News will be chewing on this for weeks.

Speaking of: Fox News has been sued, again, this time by a man, Ray Epps, who Tucker Carlson claimed was an undercover FBI agent who launched the January 6 attacks. HMM. WHY’D TUCKER GET FIRED AGAIN?

And did Fox News learn anything from being sued by Dominion over false election claims? APPARENTLY NOT, because just last night in the pre-taped Sean Hannity-hosted town hall with Former President Twice-Impeached Twice-Indicted, they kept in comments he made about “phony ballots.” Are there no lawyers at Fox News? Did they all quit in 2020?

The fifth annual African American Film Critics Association TV award winners have been announced, and I’m happy with all of them, but especially happy for Mo and Jessica Williams who is a goddamned delight in Shrinking.

Y’all need to leave Jeopardy! contestant Anji Nyquist alone. That said, you gotta love Ken Jennings:

Hey, at least they’re getting your name right, Anji:

The fact that there are any Too Hot to Handle contestants who are even speaking to one another, much less still dating, is a small miracle.

Rob McElhenney opened up about learning that he had a “host” of neurodevelopmental disorders at 46 and will discuss it more on his It’s Always Sunny Podcast next week.

Get better soon, Dick Vitale!

Renewals

  • Elite has been renewed for an eighth season on Netflix.
  • Quarterback has been renewed for a second season on Netflix.

Cancellations

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

  • The Wheel of Time returns on Prime Video on September 1
  • Killing It returns on Peacock on August 17.
  • Physical returns on Apple TV on September 25.
  • The Hardy Boys returns on Hulu on July 26.
  • After the Bite will premiere on HBO on July 26.
  • Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine will debut on Netflix on July 24.
  • Kings of BBQ debuts on A&E on August 12.
  • The Love Experiment will debut on MTV on August 15.
  • All Up in the Biz will premiere on Showtime on August 11.
  • Untold returns on Netflix on August 1.
  • Dream debuts on Netflix on July 25.
  • Zombieverse will debut on Netflix on August 8.
  • Head to Head will debut on Netflix on August 3.
  • Kengan Ashura will premiere on Netflix on September 21.

R.I.P.

Dakota Fred Hurt, Star of Gold Rush: White Water, along with the other Gold Rush series

Daniel Goldberg, Producer on all three Hangover movies, Space Jam, Old School, and co-writer on Stripes, and Meatballs among many others

Annabelle Ham, Social media star

WATCH THIS

Mayans MC: Series finale. 9 p.m., FX

CMA Fest: Dierks Bentley, Elle King, and Lainey Wilson host this collection of performances from CMA Fest. 7 p.m., ABC

WEDS. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC CMA Fest
(new)
CBS The Price Is Right At Night
(repeat)		 Let’s Make a Deal Primetime
(repeat)		 CSI: Vegas
(repeat)
CW Nancy Drew
(new)		 Riverdale
(new)		 Local
FOX MasterChef
(new)		 Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars
(new)		 News/Local
NBC LA Fire & Rescue
(new)		 Chicago Fire
(repeat)		 Chicago P.D.
(repeat)

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