I hope this isn’t the end of TikTok, because where will I get seal videos without giving money to Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk?
@mysticaquariumct Shout it for the ones in the back
Before we begin, a few more David Lynch tributes:
Kyle MacLachlan’s tribute is beautiful and deserves to be read in its entirety:
“David was in tune with the universe and his own imagination on a level that seemed to be the best version of human. He was not interested in answers because he understood that questions are the drive that make us who we are. They are our breath.
While the world has lost a remarkable artist, I’ve lost a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel in worlds I could never have conceived on my own.”
Thanks to all for your kind remembrances on this awful day. Words will come later. Only feelings at the moment. Mourn and remember him but don’t forget to celebrate too. We won’t see his like again. The man from another place has gone home. #DavidLynch #TwinPeaks
— Mark Frost (@markfrost.bsky.social) 2025-01-16T21:56:59.584Z
“There goes the true Willy Wonka of filmmaking. I feel like I got the golden ticket getting a chance to work with him. He will be greatly missed.” — Lara Flynn Boyle
I got to be friends with David Lynch when we were both at Universal years ago. A very kind man, he was a fan of Bob's Big Boy. So was I. I'm going to miss him. R.I.P. David.
— John Carpenter (@thehorrormaster.bsky.social) 2025-01-17T03:20:07.429Z
David Lynch – A huge and sad loss. A remarkably unique and very talented filmmaker. It was such a truly great pleasure to work with him. If his name was in the credits, you knew the film was really worth seeing. I will miss him.
— Mel Brooks (@MelBrooks) January 16, 2025
Again, I can’t overstress my love for Lynch’s work — I grew up with him. In fact, in my mind, he’s forever paired with my father.
I watched The Elephant Man and Dune on HBO when I was young, around 10, 11 years old. Sometime around the same time, my father saw a revival of Eraserhead in a pseudo-arthouse theater in Mississippi, where we lived at the time (and yes, they had arthouse movie theaters [or at least one] in Mississippi — they even served food and beer in the theater, long before Alamo Drafthouse came up with the idea). My father’s mind was blown — he couldn’t stop talking about the little surreal horror film. And when Blue Velvet was released soon after, my Dad was one of the first people in the theaters.
I had to wait a couple of years to see Blue Velvet myself, but by the time Twin Peaks debuted on ABC in 1990, my family were all David Lynch fans. The show originally aired on Sunday nights following America’s Funniest Home Videos (which was quite the juxtaposition), and we were all rapt. And when the show’s declining ratings precipitated its move to Friday nights, my family moved along with it. We never missed an episode.
Obviously, I’ve seen and loved all the other big Lynch films, particularly Mulholland Drive. But for me, Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks will be the definitive David Lynch works, those dreamy swirls of evil and innocence, horror and beauty, because they etched a place in my developing subconscious and heart.
My father died last year after a long illness, and my grief has been a strange thing. It’s felt muted for me, it’s felt quiet and stretched. David Lynch’s death has opened back up those emotions — losing this man I never met feels like losing another little bit of my father. Lynch’s imagination — as terrible and terrific as it was — was something my father shared with me, and it changed me, it made me who I am now. Being given Lynch and his art at a young age opened me up to really seeing and appreciating the surreal, the dark, the terrifying and weird, the inexplicable, and the beautiful. David Lynch and my father helped me see the beauty of it all.
Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News
But let me blow your minds and reveal that TV has always done this, long before cell phones and social media. Since the beginning of the genre — since before television itself — soap operas’ dialogue was written with the understanding that its audience, traditionally homemakers, were probably going to be busy doing something else — ironing, vacuuming, washing dishes, cooking — while the show was on, so the dialogue was designed to be both descriptive, informative and repetitive, so the audience didn’t miss anything. I think the only reason this phenomenon is getting attention now is that we’re talking about a broad swath of entertainment (that men also watch) instead of one genre that has largely and traditionally been dismissed because its audience (women) was largely and traditionally dismissed.
CNN has been found liable for defamation against a U.S. Navy veteran the network claimed profited over helping Afghans flee the country.
My heart has been breaking for Kelly Ripa all week as she has discussed end-of-life care for her 17-year-old dog, Chewie. As someone who has been through this process several times, and as someone who just recently lost a beloved dog, I know this pain all too well.
Some California fire updates:
The premiere event for XO, Kitty was canceled.
Bruce Willis made his first appearance in public since 2022 to thank first responders.
Stephen King suggested the Oscars should be canceled in the wake of the fires and people got big mad at him.
LA Wildfire Relief LIVE, a live-streamed telethon event featuring a number of stars including Josh Brolin, Ben Schwartz, Jean Smart and Ke Huy Quan, will stream on YouTube and Twitch on January 24.
The FireAid benefit concert, featuring performances from Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Stevie Nicks, and many others, will be held in Inglewood on January 30.
Will these wildfires exacerbate the exodus of projects out of Hollywood?
PolUGHtics
The big news is that the Supreme Court ruled that TikTok can, in fact, be shut down on Sunday. But … both the Biden administration and the incoming administration are looking for ways around it, so who even knows what is going to happen.
CNN plans to move Jim Acosta from his morning slot to “the Siberia of television news” — a timeslot between midnight and 2 a.m. — as Former President Ketchup on the Walls-Elect returns to office, because Acosta hurts his fee-fees. It should be noted that Acosta’s morning ratings are better than CNN’s primetime ratings, so this is entirely about appeasing the Monster-in-Chief-Elect.
And over at The Washington Post, while they are still sticking with “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” they also are committing to “Riveting Storytelling for All of America,” and providing “an A.I.-fueled platform for news.” We’re fucked.
Good thing his supporters already know how to get inside https://t.co/88Jmqw1Ihe
— Dan’s Cafe (@DansCafeDC) January 17, 2025
Cancellations
- Extraordinary has been canceled at Hulu after two seasons which is a bummer because that show is a DELIGHT. Go watch it.
- Shardlake has been canceled after one season on Hulu.
In Development
- 11817, starring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura, has been acquired by Netflix.
- A spinoff of The Neighborhood is in the works at CBS.
Casting News
- Ashley Zukerman and Jessica Henwick have joined Silo on Apple TV+.
- Julia Lester has joined The Four Seasons on Netflix.
- Dulcé Sloan is leaving The Daily Show on Comedy Central.
Mark Your Calendar
- American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson premieres on Netflix on January 29.
- Love After Lockup: Crime Story debuts on We TV on February 7.
- Teen Mom: The Next Chapter returns on MTV on January 30.
- Envious returns on Netflix on February 5.
- Blue Box is now streaming on Netflix.
- Gladiator II will stream on Paramount+ beginning on January 21.
- Farmer Wants a Wife will return on Fox on March 20.
- Invincible will return on Prime Video on March 13.
- Great American Rescue Bowl will air on Great American Family on February 9.
- Muslim Matchmaker debuts on Hulu on February 11.
- NCIS: Sydney is now returning on CBS on February 7.
- C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart premieres on HBO on January 23.
R.I.P.
Dame Joan Plowright, Celebrated British actress, Golden Globe and Tony winner, and widow of Sir Laurence Olivier
Nathalie Dupree, Southern cookbook author and television personality
Everett “Kenny” Law, Star of Discovery’s Moonshiners
Jeannot Szwarc, French director of Jaws 2, Supergirl and The Rockford Files among others
Eric Weissmann, Entertainment attorney who represented Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Robert Altman and many others
Merle Louise, Broadway star
Leni, TikTok star of Puppy Songs
@puppysongs Extended version now available on Spotify + Apple Music ❤️🤘 #fyp #puppysongs #followingmom #dogs
WATCH THIS
FRIDAY
Severance: The LOOOOOONG-awaited second season is upon us and all of the reviews have been tripping over themselves to say how wonderful it is. CAN’T WAIT. Apple TV+
Outlander: William asks for help in saving Jane in the season finale. 7 p.m., Starz
The Couple Next Door: But if you need your Sam Heughan fix while Outlander is on hiatus, check out this new psychosexual thriller series. 8 p.m., Starz
Shark Tank: Winter premiere. 7 p.m., ABC
Silo: Season two finale. Apple TV+
SATURDAY
Saturday Night Live: Dave Chappell and GloRilla 10:30 p.m., NBC
A Different Man: Sebastian Stan won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for this performance as an actor who changes his appearance and his life, only to have what he expected to be a dream turn into a nightmare. 7 p.m., HBO
SUNDAY
It Comes at Night: A family takes shelter in a remote location during a mysterious plague only to be threatened when a young couple takes shelter with them. This small little horror thriller that didn’t get much attention when it was released, but was well-received by critics, was directed by Houston-area native, Trey Edward Shults. 7:28 p.m., Action Max
Jack Reacher: Before Prime Video turned the Jack Reacher books into a TV series starring Alan Ritchson, they tried to make it a film series starring Tom Cruise. Who is, you know, a very different type than Alan Ritchson. 7 p.m., Showtime
Indiana Jones marathon: Because, you know, sometimes you need to punch some Nazis. 12:55 p.m., Showtime Showcase
| FRI. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Shark Tank (repeat) |
20/20 |
| CBS | NCIS: Sydney (new) |
Fire Country (new) |
S.W.A.T. (new) |
| CW | Penn & Teller: Fool Us (repeat) |
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (repeat) |
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (repeat) |
Local |
| FOX | Men’s College Basketball | Local |
| NBC | Happy’s Place (new) |
Lopez vs. Lopez (new) |
Dateline |
—
| SAT. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 | 11:30 |
| ABC | Shifting Gears (repeat) |
Shifting Gears (repeat) |
High Potential (repeat) |
High Potential (repeat) |
News/Local |
| CBS | Tracker (repeat) |
48 Hours | 48 Hours | News/Local |
| FOX | Men’s College Basketball (live) |
News/Local |
| NBC | The Wall (repeat) |
The Wall (repeat) |
Saturday Night Live (repeat) |
News/ Local |
Saturday Night Live (DAve Chappelle & GloRilla) |
—
| SUN. | 6:00 | 6:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | America’s Funniest Home Videos (new) |
America’s Funniest Home Videos (new) |
Beauty and the Beast |
| CBS | NFL Playoff (live) |
Hollywood Squares (new) |
| The CW | Bring It On | Whose Line Is It Anyway? (repeat) |
| FOX | Bob’s Burgers (repeat) |
Krap-opolis (repeat) |
The Simpsons (repeat) |
Universal Basic Guys (repeat) |
Bob’s Burgers (repeat) |
Krap-opolis (repeat) |
Local/News |
| NBC | The Hunting Party (new) |
Deal or No Deal Island (repeat) |
Dateline |
True story:
While in ROTC I was on a competition trip along with the school’s Sergeant Major. We had some time the night before the event and the group of us went to a local mall to relax.
He along with a good friend of mine and I went to see “Blue Velvet”. Keep in mind that this was a man who had been in Vietnam as a Special Forces Team Member working with the Montagnards. He was as high-speed/low drag an individual you would ever meet. This is to say he was someone who had, “been there and done that.”
Now, back to the point of this post.
After we left the theater he said (paraphrasing, but pretty d@mn close), “Gentlemen, I have seen some strange sh!t in my life, but that was the weirdest thing I have ever witnessed.”
Not saying “Blue Velvet” is a bad movie. But, it is definitely a David Lynch one.