Reba McEntire had the honor of announcing Ray Charles, The Judds, Eddie Bayers, and Pete Drake have been voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Country Music Association confirmed Ray Charles will be inducted in the “Veterans Era Artist” category, The Judds in the “Modern Era Artist” category, and both Eddie Bayers and Pete Drake enter in the “Recording and/or Touring Musician” category. (Bayers and Drake tied in the number of votes cast.)
The date of the formal induction ceremony for Bayers, Charles, Drake, and The Judds will be announced soon.
“The works of this year’s inductees span crucial timestamps of Country Music history,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This impressive career landmark is the pinnacle of accomplishment in Country Music and I’m so proud to see Eddie, Ray, Pete, Naomi and Wynonna getting their much-deserved plaques on the wall of the Rotunda. Today’s fans and generations to come will forever be reminded of the distinct impact each made on this genre.”
The CMA provided the following comments from the 2021 class of Country Music Hall of Fame inductees:
“I’d like to thank everyone who voted to induct Ray Charles into the Country Music Hall of Fame,” stated Valerie Ervin, Ray Charles Foundation President. “Needless to say, Ray Charles loved Country Music. As a matter of fact, he risked a lot in 1962 when he decided to record Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. I cannot express enough how happy and honored Ray Charles would be at this moment in time, as I am for him. Congratulations to all the fellow inductees and as Ray Charles would say, ‘That is so nice.’”
“When we moved to Nashville in the late 70s, still struggling to make ends meet and dressing Wy and Ashley in thrift store dresses, I could’ve never imagined the success we achieved as The Judds,” said Naomi Judd. “I am beyond thrilled and humbled for this incredible recognition. There’s no greater pinnacle in Country Music than the Country Music Hall of Fame.”
“This moment takes me back to 1983 when Mom and I first started,” added Wynonna Judd. “We would get in the car and visit multiple radio stations a day. It kind of feels like I’ve hit the lottery. It is so surreal. John Lennon always said that he just wanted to be remembered, and now we’re truly part of history, or I should say HERstory. What an honor.”
“My heartfelt thanks to those who voted for me,” said Eddie Bayers. “I’ve been blessed to be a recording musician for 58 years, and it continues. I’ve been in the Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Band for 18 years, and it continues. I’ve been in the Opry Band for 18 years, and it continues. Now I’m blessed to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, which will be everlasting.”
“I am so happy for Pete to receive this well-deserved honor,” stated Pete Drake’s widow, Rose Drake, on behalf of the family. “We are deeply touched and honored for the great recognition of this unique and talented icon that enriched so many illustrious recordings with his special steel guitar tone and sound that distinguished itself, in hundreds of successful recordings.”
Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig in ‘Heels’ (Photo Courtesy of Starz)
Starz’s new drama Heels is set in the world of small-town wrestling and the first episode begins by explaining the series’ title for those who aren’t into the sport. Heroes in the wrestling world are known as “Faces” while villains are referred to as “Heels.”
Season one episode one introduces the siblings at the heart of the family-owned Duffy Wrestling League and establishes their dysfunctional relationship. Jack Spade (the heel) is the hands-on owner of the family wrestling business who writes the scripts and manages all aspects of the business. Ace Spade (the face) is Jack’s younger brother who’s aching to leave the DWL behind for greener pastures. There’s a deep divide between the brothers that’s only partially due to what goes down in the ring.
Jack (Stephen Amell) pounds away at the keyboard and with the choreographed match plotted out, he and his opponent act out the script in front of a cheering crowd. Jack’s wife, Staci (Alison Luff), roots him on while his young son, Thomas (Roxton Garcia), remains silent. Apparently, Thomas is more into the good guys than he is his dad, a DWL villain.
After some brutal action in the ring, Jack emerges victorious and is rewarded with a chorus of boos. He grabs the mic, slams Duffy and its citizens, and regrets this is his hometown. Jack struts around the ring, taunting the crowd while clutching a championship belt. Suddenly, the crowd roars in approval as Ace (Alexander Ludwig) enters the ring and delivers a kick to his brother’s head before tossing him over the ropes.
Ace soaks up the adulation before lobbing some insults at his brother. He challenges his big bro to a match, and Jack announces they’ll fight for the belt in a week. As Jack walks off, Ace keeps the crowd pumped with a “f*ck you” and a literal mic drop.
Backstage, the wrestlers unwind and celebrate their performances. Willie (Mary McCormack), the DWL’s managing producer, is the voice of reason and asks Jack to remind Ace to stop breaking the mic. Jack’s more upset about the fact Ace cussed on stage, reminding his bro there are kids in the audience.
Even as the chant of “Ace” rings out in the background, Jack tries – unsuccessfully – to rein in his sibling.
In the days that follow, Jack’s morning run takes him past an old, dilapidated billboard promoting the DWL’s glory days, back when his dad, Tom “King” Spade, squared off against “Wild Bill” Hancock in the ring. His own son has a poster of Jack’s dad along with an autographed photo of Ace in his room, while anything promoting Jack is conspicuously absent.
A week’s passed since Ace threw down the gauntlet and tickets for the event are sold out, yet Jack still hasn’t written the script. Staci interrupts his thought process to ask him to attend church and to chide him over the purchase of four fog machines. She could’ve shopped around for a better deal if he’d told her his plans. Jack blames his dad for buying bad equipment in the first place and also admits she’s right.
Staci’s the family’s financial planner and is quite adept at balancing their budget when she’s kept in the loop. She wonders if she should go back to work, but Jack’s against that idea and reminds her his mom never had a job.
Jack’s unsure how the match should end, and Staci assures him it should end with him winning.
After pissing on a tree outside the church, Ace joins the congregation as Staci’s playing the guitar and singing. After the sermon’s over, Jack and Ace’s mom, Carol (Alice Barrett Mitchell), warns Ace to be good to his brother in the ring. “The world needs love right now,” says Carol. Ace reminds her Jack writes the scripts.
The other wrestlers prepare for the upcoming sold-out show by making sure the ring’s in good shape and warming up. Apocalypse (James Harrison) is happy Jack brought Ace in because it’s good for business, but Rooster Robbins (Allen Maldonado) doesn’t think newcomer Ace deserves to be in the main event.
Rooster shows off some of his moves during a practice session in which the new guy, Bobby Pin (Trey Tucker), fails to act hurt. Rooster offers to demonstrate how it’s supposed to be done but Bobby Pin’s in way over his head and has no idea how to fake a hit, causing Rooster to scream in actual pain. (Bobby Pin’s going to need a lot of coaching to make it in the DWL.)
Willie watches a promo of Florida Wrestling Dystopia owner Charlie Gully (Mike O’Malley) announcing the DWL is dead. Charlie thinks it’s time to stick a fork in the DWL; long live Dystopia. (O’Malley is also the season 1 showrunner and serves as an executive producer.)
Jack seeks out Willie’s opinion on who should win and she believes Ace should come out on top, based on the crowd’s embrace of his character. Ace sells out the arena, but Jack doesn’t think it’s in the interest of the overall narrative for him to win the belt. Willie and Jack also discuss FWD, an organization Jack despises. Willie points out FWD’s selling out all over Florida, but Jack believes all they do is stage car crashes. Gully dreams of being Vince McMahon and Jack doesn’t respect him.
Willie’s worried their wrestlers will leave to join FWD which has lots more money to spend than the DWL. She’s also worried fans will stop coming after the Ace vs Jack fight. What’s left to entice them in once that’s done?
Jack’s sure the DWL has heat now and wants to upgrade their equipment to keep up with the times.
Before leaving, Willie asks who Jack’s dad would have won. Jack replies, “Don’t matter. He’s dead.”
The wrestlers offer up some solid advice to Bobby Pin leading up to the night’s fights. Apocalypse explains their job is to make the crowd either love them or love hating them. Diego (Robby Ramos) explains how he got his start, revealing he was initially the Venice Menace. Fans didn’t embrace that so King Spade rebranded him as Mexican luchador Diego Cottonmouth.
Before the crowd arrives, the wrestlers gather in the ring to learn who they’re wrestling that night. Big Jim (Duke Davis Roberts) gets a round of applause when Jack says he’ll be the star that evening. Jack’s come up with an ending for the Main Event and announces Ace will be going down via pinfall.
The news shocks Ace and silences the other wrestlers as well.
Jack’s leaving when Ace confronts him, demanding to know why he has to lose. Jack believes they need to do this in order to keep the fans interested. “If you beat me tonight, then what do we do then?” asks Jack. “If they see their hero lose to the villain and they get to watch their hero fight his way up top, that’s something. That’s an angle.”
Crystal Tyler (Kelli Berglund), Ace’s valet, reads the script out loud and Ace learns he’ll go down after showboating for the crowd. Ace hates Jack’s script and thinks he can come up with something better. Crystal, however, believes losing can be the best way to win over the crowd. That vulnerability from a heartbreaking loss can be an asset.
Ace and Crystal decide a little naked pre-match activity is the way to prepare for the Main Event.
A scene from ‘Heels’ season 1 episode 1 (Photo Courtesy of Starz)
Wild Bill (Chris Bauer) puts in an unexpected appearance in the locker room, reliving his glory days as the heel opposite Tom “King” Spade. Those matches made his career.
Wild Bill and Jack have a one-on-one chat and Wild Bill reveals he’s there to scout Ace. The “suits up north” think Ace has what it takes to succeed, but Jack’s skeptical that Ace is ready. Wild Bill can offer Ace the good life, something the DWL will never be able to do.
Jack firmly believes the stories they tell in the ring will pull in crowds and reminds Wild Bill he’s no better than the folks in Duffy just because he has wealth and fame. Wild Bill slams the DWL as nothing more than community theatre. He thinks the best thing Ace can do is leave the DWL in the rearview mirror.
After Wild Bill leaves to meet with Ace, Jack returns to his laptop and the evening’s script.
Ace has Crystal and Big Jim (Duke Davis Roberts) in his corner as he attempts to get Jack to flip the script and allow him to emerge victorious. Surprisingly, Willie doesn’t hate Ace’s suggestions. But after Ace confirms he’s leaving once he wins, Jack says the match will end as he originally planned.
After Ace storms off, Jack assures Willie they’ll be okay as long as he and Big Jim are around. Willie realizes even Jack isn’t convinced that’s true.
Jack continues to work on the script as Ace meets alone with Wild Bill. Wild Bill explains Ace will need to really work the crowd tonight; that’s what the suits are interested in. Jack will, of course, stick to the script but no one cares about that. Wrestlers have to be adaptable now, according to Wild Bill.
Wild Bill thinks Ace should improvise and land a few real punches.
In the hours leading up to the match, Jack approaches Big Jim with his idea for a twist the audience won’t see coming. He wants Big Jim to enter the match and beat up Ace after Jack goes down. Jack will come to, see what happened, and then defend his brother. It’s a win-win. Jack can become a face, Big Jim will transition to the role of a heel, and Ace can take off for the big leagues.
Sounds perfect…but Big Jim refuses to become a heel. He doesn’t want to be booed. Big Jim throws out his own twist to the night’s plans – he’s going to retire. He wants to be there for the birth of his baby and needs more shifts at work. Big Jim loves wrestling but his wife thinks it’s too dangerous.
Big Jim agrees to turn heel but, given that he’s retiring, Jack decides not to go that route.
Before the match Ace tries once final time to convince Jack to let him win. He promises after he makes it big he’ll come back and help out, but Jack knows that would never happen. They argue over who’s “against” who and Ace finally lays it on the line. He wants the belt and believes he deserves it. Jack points out he’s the one putting in all the work to keep the DWL alive, and Ace fights back by reminding his brother that he refuses to let anyone else handle any of the responsibilities.
Seconds before Jack enters the ring, Staci asks him what he’s decided about the finish. “Don’t matter. It ain’t real,” replies Jack.
Big Jim basks in the love of the crowd for what no one other than Jack knows is his final match. He exits the ring and makes way for the Main Event.
Jack enters first to a round of boos followed by a chant in support of Ace. Ace works the crowd for a minute before facing his brother who’s holding aloft the belt. When Ace turns his back, Jack attacks and takes Ace to the mat. The ref quietly warns Jack to stop hurting Ace, but Jack doesn’t let up. Instead, Ace is forced to tap out less than a minute into the match.
The crowd grows silent as Ace grunts in pain in the ring. He’s finally able to stand up and punches Jack in the face, causing Jack to tumble from the ring. The crowd turns on Ace, tossing popcorn and beers his direction.
Ace has never felt hatred from the crowd before and cries in pain and frustration as he continues to hold his injured arm.
Trash rains down on Ace and Jack leaves him in the ring, alone.
Heels Season 1 Review:
I’ve never watched a professional wrestling match in my life. It’s just not my thing. I couldn’t tell you what a backbreaker, chokeslam, or brainbuster is and, honestly, I don’t care about learning. Fortunately, Starz’s Heels requires no previous knowledge of the sport to follow the plot. Heels entices those of us who’ve managed to avoid the sport by weaving an incredibly complex, entertaining story that involves wrestling but could slide into any sport/occupation and be just as effective.
Michael Waldron (Loki) created the Starz series and promises Heels will take viewers inside the world of wrestling in a way that’s never been done before. The actors portraying wrestlers went through extensive training to prepare for their roles, and their commitment to Heels pays off with on screen matches that look savage and real.
The decision to include the sibling grudge match as part of the series’ first episode instead of being teased out over the first season is a bold choice. Jack questions what’s left if Ace wins the match, and audiences might be asking a version of that question. What remains to be told if the showdown occurs in the first episode? I’ve seen the first few episodes and can happily confirm there are plenty of compelling storylines still to unfold.
Episode one reveals the hero and villain labels from the ring don’t necessarily carry over to life outside the ring. The series is full of flawed characters who make the right decisions for the wrong reasons and vice-versa. The talented ensemble, led by Amell and Ludwig, bring depth and unexpected layers to each of these characters who refuse to be defined by one label.
Heels lays out a tale of betrayal, loyalty, love, and loss – all in just the first episode. The payoff for the first season may be that each episode is building up to make season one a redemption story. Even if that’s not the case, the first hour of Heels provides enough juicy meat to sink our teeth into while leaving plenty on the plate for upcoming episodes.
FX’s critically acclaimed, award-winning mockumentary series What We Do in the Shadows will return for a fourth season. The renewal announcement comes in advance of the series’ third season which will kick off with the release of its first two episodes on September 2, 2021 at 10pm ET/PT.
“Fans can’t seem to get enough of What We Do in the Shadows and FX is ready to feed that appetite by setting up the series for a fourth season,” said Nick Grad, President, Original Programming, FX Entertainment. “Our thanks to the extraordinary job by the creative team, cast and crew who keep making a great show better each season.”
Over its first two seasons What We Do in the Shadows has earned 10 Emmy Awards nominations as well as five Critics Choice Awards nominations and two Writers Guild of America Awards nominations. Natasia Demetriou won Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series at the inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards.
In addition to Demetriou, the cast includes Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Mark Proksch, and Harvey Guillén. The series is based on Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s feature film of the same name, and has Clement, Waititi, Paul Simms, Stefani Robinson, Sam Johnson, Garrett Basch, and Eli Bush as executive producers.
Matt Berry as Laszlo, Natasia Demetriou as Nadja, Mark Proksch as Colin Robinson, and Kayvan Novak as Nandor in ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (Photo Credit: Russ Martin/FX)
FX released a new trailer and description for the upcoming third season:
“After the shocking season two finale, we find the housemates in a panic about what to do with Guillermo after discovering that he is a vampire killer. This season, the vampires are elevated to a new level of power and will encounter the vampire from which all vampires have descended, a tempting Siren, gargoyles, werewolf kickball, Atlantic City casinos, wellness cults, ex-girlfriends, gyms, and supernatural curiosities galore. Plus, Colin Robinson is turning 100. And Nandor, faced with his own eternal-life crisis, tries to inject his life with more meaning. Will he find love or is he destined to be an immortal bachelor with 37 ex-wives?”
FX also announced the renewal of the American Horror Stories anthology series for a second season. Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, American Horror Stories‘ first episode was FX on Hulu’s most successful series premiere to date.
Season one will wrap up on Thursday, August 19th with the release of its seventh and final episode, “Game Over.” The seventh episode was directed by Liz Friedlander from a script by Murphy and Falchuk and features a couple who dare to spend the night in a haunted house.
The CW’s The Outpost season four episode six finds Imogen Waterhouse returning to direct her third episode of the series. Written by Rebecca Rosenberg, episode six – “All We Do is Say Goodbye” – will air on August 19, 2021.
The cast is led by Jessica Green as Talon and includes Jake Stormoen as Captain Garret Spears, Anand Desai-Barochia as Janzo, and Reece Ritchie as Zed. Izuka Hoyle is Wren, Jaye Griffiths is Yavalla, Aaron Fontaine is Tobin, Georgia May Foote is Falista, Maeve Courtier-Lilly is Luna, Nikki Leigh Scott is Vorta, and Adam Johnson is Munt.
“All We Do is Say Goodbye” Plot: WHAT LIES BENEATH – Garret (Stormoen) and Luna (Courtier-Lilly) set out on a rescue mission. Meanwhile, Tobin (Fontaine) proves his loyalty and Wren (Hoyle) and Janzo (Desai-Barochia) discover what lies beneath the Outpost. A quest begins to uncover Luna’s past.
The Season 4 Plot:
After Gwynn (Imogen Waterhouse) sacrificed herself to destroy Yavalla, the Outpost needs a new ruler. But while Talon and Garret try to establish new leadership, a sinister threat awakens, revealing the true origin of the mysterious kinjes. Talon and her kinj-bearing friends all share dark visions from god-like beings who are hell-bent on reclaiming the kinjes for themselves. A would-be assassin named Luna hunts Talon down to get vengeance for crimes of the past, but soon discovers that her own heritage is wrapped up in Talon’s fate.
Mourning the recent loss of her beloved Tobin (Aaron Fontaine), Falista is mentored by Two to dedicate herself to the new “gods” in exchange for a costly favor. But when the Lu Qiri go missing, Talon and Zed track them down to discover the greatest threat the Realm has ever faced… a new race of beings that will ultimately explain Talon’s own dark origins.
When Janzo and Wren are forced to unlock an ancient city beneath the Outpost, they struggle to uncover who their real allies and enemies will be, while a secret they share gives them new motivation to save the world.
As she and her friends are hunted down one by one, while diabolic forces are tearing her world apart, Talon endures the darkest challenge she has ever faced, as she struggles to embrace the heroes of her past and somehow survive the villains that only she has the power to destroy.
Jessica Green as Talon and Maeve Courtier-Lilly as Luna in ‘The Outpost’ season 4 episode 6 (Photo: Aleksandar Letic/NBCU International — 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment)Anand Desai-Barochia as Janzo in season 4 episode 6 (Photo: Aleksandar Letic/NBCU International — 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment)Anand Desai-Barochia as Janzo, Adam Johnson as Munt, and Izuka Hoyle as Wren in season 4 episode 6 (Photo: Aleksandar Letic/NBCU International — 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment)Georgia May Foote as Falista in season 4 episode 6 (Photo: Aleksandar Letic/NBCU International — 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment)Izuka Hoyle as Wren in season 4 episode 6 (Photo: Aleksandar Letic/NBCU International — 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment)Jessica Green as Talon in season 4 episode 6 (Photo: Aleksandar Letic/NBCU International — 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment)
Emily Alyn Lind, Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, Savannah Lee Smith, and Zion Moreno in season 1 of ‘Gossip Girl’ (Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Max)
HBO Max is targeting a November return of the 2021 reboot of the angsty teen drama Gossip Girl. Part one of the 12 episode first season premiered on July 8th and wrapped up on August 12th. Part two of the first season will consist of six new episodes.
2021’s Gossip Girl is based on Cecily von Ziegesar’s bestselling novels as well as the original series developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. The original show aired for six seasons and starred Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Kelly Rutherford, and Matthew Settle.
The reboot stars Jordan Alexander as Julien Calloway, Eli Brown as Obie, Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe, Tavi Gevinson as Kate Keller, Emily Alyn Lind as Audrey Hope, and Evan Mock as Aki. The series also stars Zion Moreno as Luna La, Whitney Peak as Zoya Lott, Savannah Lee Smith as Monet de Haan, Todd Almond as Gideon, Adam Chanler-Berat as Jordan Glassberg, Johnathan Fernandez as Nick Lott, and Jason Gotay as Rafa Caparros.
Showrunner Joshua Safran developed the series and serves as writer and executive producer. (Safran was a writer and executive producer on the original series.) Fake Empire’s Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage also executive produce along with Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo of Alloy Entertainment.
The Plot, Courtesy of HBO Max:
This extension of the pop culture classic takes us back to the Upper East Side finding a new generation of New York private school teens being introduced to social surveillance nine years after the original blogger’s website went dark.
Gossip Girl explores just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed in the intervening years.
Former President Bill Clinton’s sex scandal gets the limited series treatment with Ryan Murphy’s Impeachment: American Crime Story. FX just released the official trailer for the upcoming series which focuses on the events leading up to Clinton’s impeachment as revealed by the three women at the center of the story: Monica Lewinsky, Linda Tripp, and Paula Jones.
The official trailer offers our first real look at Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky, Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp, and Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones. An unrecognizable Clive Owen stars as William Jefferson Clinton, Edie Falco is Hillary Clinton, Cobie Smulders is Ann Coulter, and Billy Eichner is Matt Drudge.
Season one of the critically acclaimed, award-winning American Crime Story franchise debuted in February 2016 and explored the behind the scene maneuverings of the OJ Simpson murder trial. Season two followed in January 2018 and focused on the murder spree of serial killer Andrew Cunanan, the man who stalked and took the life of iconic designer Gianni Versace.
Impeachment: American Crime Story is set to premiere on FX on Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 10pm ET/PT.
The series was created by Ryan Murphy and is executive produced by Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Sarah Burgess, Sarah Paulson, Brad Falchuk, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski, and Michael Uppendahl. Monica Lewinsky was involved as a producer.
Sarah Burgess adapted Jeffrey Toobin’s bestselling book, A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President, for the series.
Poster for ‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’ (Photo Credit: FX Networks)
The Plot, Courtesy of FX:
“Impeachment: American Crime Story examines the national crisis that led to the first impeachment of a U.S. President in over a century. It tells this story through the eyes of the women at the center of the events: Monica Lewinsky (Feldstein), Linda Tripp (Paulson) and Paula Jones (Ashford). All three were thrust into the public spotlight during a time of corrosive partisan rancor, shifting sexual politics and a changing media landscape. The series shows how power lifts some and disposes of others in the halls of our most sacred institutions.”
The cast of Disney+’s ‘Home Sweet Home Alone’ (Photo Courtesy of Disney+)
Jojo Rabbit scene-stealer Archie Yates stars as the kid accidentally left behind while his family jets off on vacation in Home Sweet Home Alone, 20th Century Studios’ remake of the classic comedy Home Alone. The family-friendly holiday comedy, based on John Hughes’ screenplay and written by SNL‘s Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell, will air on Disney+ on November 12, 2021.
In addition to Archie Yates, the cast includes Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2), Aisling Bea (Living with Yourself), Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live), and Tim Simons (Veep). Pete Holmes (The Secret Life of Pets 2), Devin Ratray (Home Alone), Ally Maki (Toy Story 4), and Chris Parnell (Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues) also star.
Directed by Dan Mazer (Dirty Grandpa), Home Sweet Home Alone is a remake of screenwriter John Hughes and director Chris Columbus’ classic 1990 comedy starring Macaulay Culkin. The filmmaking team of Hughes and Columbus reunited for 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Home Alone 3 followed in 1997 without Culkin but with Hughes writing and Raja Gosnell (Scooby-Doo, Big Momma’s House) directing.
Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House arrived on TV as part of The Wonderful World of Disney, and the forgettable TV movie Home Alone: The Holiday Heist aired in 2012.
The Home Sweet Home Alone Plot, Courtesy of Disney+:
“Max Mercer is a mischievous and resourceful young boy who has been left behind while his family is in Japan for the holidays. So when a married couple attempting to retrieve a priceless heirloom set their sights on the Mercer family’s home, it is up to Max to protect it from the trespassers…and he will do whatever it takes to keep them out. Hilarious hijinks of epic proportions ensue, but despite the absolute chaos, Max comes to realize that there really is no place like home sweet home.”
Netflix just released the first batch of photos from the upcoming limited series Colin in Black & White. The six episode drama focuses on Colin Kaepernick’s formative years, with Jaden Michael playing the young Colin and Kaepernick narrating. Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker co-star as Colin’s parents, Rick and Teresa.
The photos were accompanied by the announcement of an October 29, 2021 premiere date.
Executive producers Colin Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay created the series, with DuVernay, Sheldon Candis, Robert Townsend, Angel Kristi Williams, and Kenny Leon directing. Michael Starrbury also serves as an executive producer.
“I’m excited to share this first peek into a project I co-created with the incomparable Ava DuVernay over the past couple of years. I look forward to the world meeting the incredible Jaden Michael, a young actor who plays me during my high school years, just a kid growing up in Turlock, California who wanted to play ball,” stated Colin Kaepernick.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Colin in Black & White is a bold new limited series that chronicles Kaepernick’s coming of age story, tackling the obstacles of race, class and culture as the Black adopted child of a white family. Colin in Black & White stars Jaden Michael as Young Colin before reaching the highest levels of American football as an NFL quarterback and becoming a cultural icon and activist; Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker as his well-meaning parents Rick and Teresa; and Colin Kaepernick himself, who appears as the present-day narrator of his own story, guiding viewers through a robust and colorfully presented array of historical and contemporary contextual moments.
The CW’s Riverdale finally returned from an extended hiatus with season five episode 11, “Strange Bedfellows,” and I’ll admit I’ve lost track of what’s going on. Episode 11 had singing, swinging fists, escaped convicts, a stolen opal, and magic mushrooms. Plus, Archie moved Veronica to the friendzone until she gets a divorce.
Up next, season five episode 12 – “Citizen Lodge” – airing on August 18, 2021. Episode 12 was directed by James DeWille from a script by Brian E. Paterson.
The cast of season five includes KJ Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, and Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones. Madelaine Petsch is Cheryl Blossom, Marisol Nichols is Hermione Lodge, Mӓdchen Amick is Alice Cooper, Casey Cott is Kevin Keller, Mark Consuelos is Hiram Lodge, Skeet Ulrich is FP Jones, Charles Melton is Reggie Mantle, Drew Ray Tanner is Fangs Fogarty, and Vanessa Morgan plays Toni Topaz.
“Chapter Eighty-Eight: Citizen Lodge” Plot: MICHAEL CONSUELOS GUEST STARS AS YOUNG HIRAM LODGE — Hiram (Consuelos) shares with Reggie (Melton) his origin story and how he went from a young Jaime Luna (guest star Michael Consuelos) to the powerful kingpin of Riverdale. Elsewhere, Reggie reflects on his relationship with his father.
Season 5 Description, Courtesy of The CW:
The fourth season of Riverdale began with a funeral and tribute to Archie’s late father, the beloved Fred Andrews (Luke Perry). Throughout the season, Archie (KJ Apa) tried to live up to his father’s memory by mentoring youths at his Community Center with the help of his pals Reggie and Munroe Moore. But the shadow of that tragedy loomed over Archie—and only darkened when Fred’s brother Frank arrived, bringing unforeseen complications with him, much to the chagrin of Archie’s mother (Molly Ringwald).
Meanwhile, after Betty saved her mom and sister from the Farm cult, she joined her brother Charles’s Junior F.B.I. Training Program. Veronica found herself locked in a season-long battle with her father Hiram and half-sister Hermosa over her burgeoning maple rum business. And, at the urging on FP, Jughead enrolled in a new school, Stonewall Prep, only to be caught up in a mystery that involved his grandfather, the secret author of a series of teen detective novels called “The Baxter Brothers.” His classmates turned out to be killers—and it was up to Betty and Jughead (pretending to be dead) to solve the murder of…Jughead Jones!
At Thistlehouse, Cheryl was trapped in a gothic nightmare, fighting her demons, literal and metaphoric, with the loving support of her girlfriend Toni. She finally put her brother Jason to rest while maintaining her control over the Vixens as resident HBIC against Principal Honey (Kerr Smith). Kevin got dragged into an illicit tickle scheme, but still found time to put on a Variety Show with hit songs from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
And throughout the season, disturbing unmarked videotapes kept appearing on our characters’ doorsteps, ensuring that there would be one more mystery to solve.
Season five of Riverdale will begin with our characters’ final days as students at Riverdale High. From an epic Senior Prom to a bittersweet Graduation, there are a lot of emotional moments and goodbyes yet to come — with some couples breaking up, as everyone goes their separate ways to college — or elsewhere. Then, we will redock with our gang as young adults, all returning to Riverdale to escape their troubled pasts. And life — and romance — will only be more complicated now that they’re in their twenties…
Emilia Jones and Marlee Matlin in ‘CODA,’ premiering globally on Apple TV+ on August 13, 2021.
How do you tell a compelling coming-of-age story that marches to a different drummer and takes a fresh approach to the genre? Writer/director Sian Heder’s CODA provides the answer to that question, delivering a unique coming-of-age tale featuring a marginalized community not commonly seen in films. CODA, which stands for “Child of Deaf Adults,” forges a new path by telling an engrossing story of a teen attempting to make it through high school while also addressing complex issues.
High school senior Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones), the only Rossi who can hear, is her family’s lifeline to the world. In addition to translating for mom Jackie (Marlee Matlin), dad Frank (Troy Kotsur), and brother Leo (Daniel Durant), Ruby dutifully rises each morning at the ungodly hour of 3am to work alongside her dad and older brother on the family’s fishing boat.
Rules dictate the boat must have a hearing person on board due to safety issues, and Ruby’s spent her formative years handling her fishing duties – including haggling over fish prices – before heading to school. It’s a living, but the family barely makes ends meet.
With such an exhausting schedule, Ruby doesn’t always have a chance to shower before class which does nothing to help combat her status as an outcast. Bullied as a child because of her family’s deafness and their lower-class status, Ruby’s just counting down the days until she can leave school behind. She gets by but doesn’t care about school or her peers, other than her ride-or-die BFF, Gertie (Amy Forsyth).
Although she’s indifferent to school and rarely contributes in class, she loves to sing and makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to join the school’s choir. She needs the credits and overhears hunky classmate Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) signing up so she does so, too.
After a rocky start that finds Ruby fleeing the choir room in a fit of nerves, choirmaster Bernardo Villalobos (Eugenio Derbez) selects Ruby to be Miles’ duet partner. It turns out Ruby’s got a beautiful voice but lacks self-confidence. Fortunately, Mr. Villalobos knows when he’s in the presence of a diamond in the rough, a student with raw talent who needs extra encouragement and training.
Joining the choir and attending late afternoon one-on-one sessions with Mr. Villalobos means Ruby needs to limit the time she spends on the boat. It also means she’s no longer at her family’s beck and call when they need her translating skills. Jackie feels Ruby’s desire to sing is an affront to the family, an overt act of rebellion because they can’t hear.
As the prospect of attending a prestigious music college looms, Ruby’s forced into the difficult position of having to choose between her parents’ expectations for her future and striking out on her own to follow her dreams.
Writer/director Sian Heder’s CODA is alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking. Heder’s decision to hire actors who are deaf – Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, and Daniel Durant – in three of the lead roles was absolutely the right choice, not only because representation matters but also because they’re first-class actors. The audience needs to embrace the family at the heart of the story, and the chemistry’s incredibly strong between Matlin, Kotsur, Durant, and Emilia Jones, which makes it easy to believe their bond’s real.
The Rossis aren’t a dysfunctional family struggling to connect with each other. In a refreshing twist, Heder’s written the parents as deeply in love after dozens of years of marriage and still unable to keep their hands off each other. The parents obviously love and support their kids, and the siblings may fight but are also fiercely protective of each other. It’s a breath of fresh air to not have to sit through another film loaded with characters who can’t stand to be in each other’s presence.
Heder’s script incorporates a variety of important issues, including disability awareness and bullying, but does so with a light touch. There’s an authenticity and realness to these characters brought about by a combination of terrific acting and an outstanding script.
In an absolutely stunning scene – quite possibly one of the best scenes in a 2021 release – Ruby is asked by choirmaster Mr. Villalobos to describe how she feels when she sings. Emilia Jones as Ruby delivers a passionate, emotionally heart-wrenching answer in ASL (American Sign Language). Not a word is spoken yet the vulnerability and honesty on display is breathtaking. That level of brilliance in both acting and writing is present throughout the two-hour drama.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for drug use, strong sexual content, and language
Running Time: 1 hour 51 minutes
Release Date: August 13, 2021 in theaters and on Apple TV+
