All the latest from Hollywood, tonight’s TV schedule and more, from RogueValleyMagazine.com, the digital magazine of Medford, Ashland, Central Point, Jacksonville, Eagle Point, Grants Pass and beyond.
Friday, October 16, 2020
Weekend TV
FRIDAY NIGHT:
MTV UNPLUGGED PRESENTS MILEY CYRUS BACKYARD SESSIONS (7p ET, MTV) — Miley Cyrus combines her popular, stripped down Backyard Sessions with MTV’s Unplugged for this special. Along with songs by Pearl Jam and The Cardigans, Cyrus will be performing acoustic versions of her own songs, including her new single Midnight Sky.
THE GREATEST #AT HOME VIDEOS (8p ET, CBS) — New.
SEASON PREMIERE: SHARK TANK (8p ET, ABC) — The season 12 premiere features a solution for storing paint efficiently, a product designed to keep garments safe from bacteria and odor and an improved blanket.
WWE SMACKDOWN (8p ET, FOX) — New.
MASTERS OF ILLUSION (8p ET, CW) — New.
DISNEY CHANNEL HALLOWEEN PARTY (8p ET, Disney Channel) — Stars transform themselves and their homes for a party filled with wacky sketches and other surprises.
THE PERFECT WEAPON (8p ET, HBO) — Based on the best-selling book by New York Times national security correspondent David E. Sanger, this documentary explores the rise of cyber conflict as the primary way nations now compete with and sabotage one another. Featuring interviews with top military, intelligence, and political officials on the frontlines of cyberterrorism, the documentary brings to light the combatants and innocent victims caught in the crosshairs of a hidden war that has been going on for decades.
UNDERCOVER BOSS (9p ET, CBS) — New.
20/20 (9p ET, ABC) — A new, 2-hour edition.
WORLD’S FUNNIEST ANIMALS (9p ET, CW) — New.
GRAMMY SALUTE TO MUSIC LEGENDS (9p ET, PBS) — Jimmy Jam hosts this tribute celebration of the Recording Academy’s 2020 Special Merit Awards recipients, including Lifetime Achievement Award honorees Chicago, Roberta Flack, Isaac Hayes, Iggy Pop, John Prine, Public Enemy and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
BAD HOMBRES (9p ET, Showtime) — This new sports documentary follows the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, the world’s only binational pro baseball team, as they cross the border traveling to home games between stadiums in Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
CLOUDS (Disney+) — This new film is based on the true story of Zach Sobiech, a musically gifted 17-year old living with a rare bone cancer (osteosarcoma). The film follows Zach’s journey over the course of his senior year as he navigates love, friendship, family, and leaving behind a musical legacy. Fin Argus (Total Eclipse) stars as Zach, with Sabrina Carpenter (The Hate U Give), Thomas Everett Scott (13 Reasons Why), Neve Campbell (Scream films).
HELSTROM (Hulu) — Based on the Marvel Comics saga, this 10-episode horror series follows Daimon and Ana Helstrom (Tom Austen, Sydney Lemmon), the adult children of a powerful serial killer. The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity.
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME (Amazon Prime) — Heidi Schreck talks about what the Constitution means to her in this filmed version of her stage play.
MEET THE CHIMPS (Disney+) — This new nature series, narrated by Jane Lynch takes viewers behind-the-scenes of one of the largest and most unique wildlife sanctuaries in the world.
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (Netflix) — Aaron Sorkin helms this retelling of the 1968 collective of Vietnam War protesters known as the Chicago 7 who were charged with inciting a riot. Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne and Michael Keaton star.
GRAND ARMY (Netflix) — This new drama series follows five young people from different social circles at a Brooklyn High School. Following a major catastrophe in the city, their lives are sent into disarray as they confront racial and social issues, sexuality and sexual assault.
SATURDAY TV:
DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA (2020) Spike Lee directs this film version of David Byrne’s staged concert, featuring footage that was recorded during its Broadway run. The Talking Heads frontman is joined by 11 musicians, singers and dancers.
THE GENTLEMEN (9p ET, Showtime) — Matthew McConaughey stars in this 2020 crime drama as an American drug dealer in London.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:30p ET, NBC) — New. Issa Rae hosts, with musical guest Justin Bieber.
SUNDAY TV:
SERIES PREMIERE: SUPERMARKET SWEEP (8p ET, ABC) — Leslie Jones hosts this reboot of the ‘90s game show. Three teams of two will play a series of games and answer grocery-focused questions for the chance to make it to the “Super Sweep” round, where they’ll race against the clock to find five items in the mega grocery store to win $100,000.
NFL FOOTBALL (8p ET, NBC) — The Rams visit the 49ers.
THE SIMPSONS (8p ET, FOX) — The annual Treehouse of Horror episode talks a frightening look at the 2020 election, plus parodies of Pixar and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and a ninth birthday Lisa just can’t get over.
THE TROUBLE WITH MAGGIE COLE (8p ET, PBS) — This British comedy-drama focuses on a coastal village’s local historian (Dawn French) who shares too much detail about the locals and their private lives during a radio show, changing life in the village forever.
SEASON PREMIERE: WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (9p ET, ABC) — In the season 2 premiere, Tiffany Haddish plays for charity.
FEAR THE WALKING DEAD (9p ET, AMC) — New. Virginia forces Alicia and Strand to clear an unusual walker threat.
SEASON FINALE: LOVECRAFT COUNTRY (9p ET, HBO) — Season 1 wraps up.
SEASON PREMIERE: CARD SHARKS (10p ET, ABC) — Season 2 begins.
THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND (10p ET, AMC) — New.
FIRST LADIES (10p ET, CNN) — New. This episode explores the life and legacy of Nancy Reagan.
SHOWBIZ NEWS & GOSSIP
IN THEATERS THIS WEEKEND
Liam Neeson’s Honest Thief is in theaters this weekend.
…So is 2 Hearts.
… New on video-on-demand is Love and Monsters.
LADY GAGA WROTE A CHEESY SONG ABOUT REGISTERING TO VOTE
With under three weeks until election day, Lady Gaga is reminding Americans it’s not too late to register to vote. To do this she shared a video of her at her piano singing what she describes as a “cheesy” song. • VIDEO
THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 3 IS ON SCHEDULE TO FILM THIS YEAR
While Disney+ hasn’t officially given a go-ahead for The Mandalorian season 3, it’s basically a formality. Series creator and producer Jon Favreau began working on the season 3 scripts earlier this year. More recently, Favreau told Variety said that The Mandalorian season 3 is “on schedule [to begin filming] before the end of the year. … We’re in very small situations and oftentimes we have a lot of characters in masks. And we also have a lot of digital work that augments things. So we’re a show that’s probably well-equipped to be flexible based on the protocols that are emerging surrounding work restarting.”
RYAN REYNOLDS WILL REPORTEDLY HAVE A BIGGER ROLE IN HOBBS & SHAW 2
If any studio had the opportunity to add Ryan Reynolds into their franchise, then you can guarantee that they’d take it, especially when free time on the actor’s schedule is more limited than ever. While Reynolds had just a cameo in Hobbs & Shaw as CIA agent Victor Locke, a source says Universal wants an expanded role for the actor in the upcoming sequel. The script for the film is currently being hammered out.
HILLBILLY ELEGY COMES TO NETFLIX AT THANKSGIVING
Ron Howard’s adaptation of J.D. Vance’s No. 1 New York Times Bestseller Hillbilly Elegy will be released November 24.
The movie, which features Amy Adams and Glenn Close, is already getting a ton of Oscar buzz. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, here’s more from Netflix: “J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso), a former Marine from southern Ohio and current Yale Law student, is on the verge of landing his dream job when a family crisis forces him to return to the home he’s tried to forget. J.D. must navigate the complex dynamics of his Appalachian family, including his volatile relationship with his mother Bev (Amy Adams), who’s struggling with addiction. Fueled by memories of his grandmother Mamaw (Glenn Close), the resilient and whip-smart woman who raised him, J.D. comes to embrace his family’s indelible imprint on his own personal journey.” • VIDEO
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER SERIES ORDERED AT AMAZON
Amazon has ordered to series I Know What You Did Last Summer, a young adult adaptation of the 1997 horror film. Much like the movie, which was loosely based on Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel, I Know What You Did Last Summer will follow a group of teenagers who are stalked by a mysterious killer one year after a fatal accident on their graduation night.
… The original I Know What You Did Last Summer film was led by Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It also spawned the sequels I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (in 1998) and I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (in 2006), the latter of which featured a completely different cast from the first two movies.
LUCASFILM REPORTEDLY EYEING DAVE BAUTISTA TO PLAY DARTH BANE
There are currently multiple Star Wars movies in development at Lucasfilm. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is still working on his trilogy; Taika Waititi has his own film coming; and Kevin Feige’s got some kind of project under development. The exact details of what any of these will be about remains a mystery.
… Now, however, we might have a clue as to when one of them will be set. And that’s because an insider is claiming that the studio is considering Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista for the role of Darth Bane in a future project. For those who don’t know, Darth Bane is a Sith Lord who lived a thousand years before the events of the Skywalker Saga and is primarily known for creating “the rule of two.” This commands that there should only be a master and apprentice Sith at any one time, with the apprentice inevitably betraying the master and continuing the cycle.
RUDOLPH AND SANTA WILL BE UP FOR AUCTION
The Rudolph and Santa Claus figures who starred in in the stop-motion animation Christmas special Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer are going up for auction. Auction house Profiles in History announced Thursday that a 6-inch-tall Rudolph and 11-inch-tall Santa used to animate the 1964 TV special are being sold together in the auction that starts November 13 and are expected to fetch between $150,000 and $250,000.
… Collector Peter Lutrario of Staten Island, New York, currently owns them. The figures were made by Japanese puppet maker Ichiro Komuro and used for the filming of the show in Tokyo. They’re made of wood, wire, cloth and leather. Rudolph’s nose, after some minimal maintenance through the years, still lights up. The realistic bristles of Santa’s beard are made from yak hair.
… Lutrario, who bought them about 15 years ago after seeing them appraised on Antiques Roadshow on PBS, says that even after well over five decades you can manipulate them as the original animators did.
THE LAST O.G. RENEWED FOR SEASON 4
The Tracy Morgan comedy The Last O.G. will have a season 4 — without Tiffany Haddish, according to The Hollywood Reporter. TBS says the “in-demand actress does not currently have a contract for season four and is not expected to return.”
HIS DARK MATERIALS UNVEILS ITS SEASON 2 TRAILER
The HBO fantasy series based on Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials novel trilogy returns November 16. The premium channel delivered a trailer on Thursday. • VIDEO
STAR-STUDDED CAST FOR NETFLIX FILM
Writer-producer-director Adam McKay is bringing his comedy to Netflix. Don’t Look Up will star Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Jonah Hill, Himesh Patel, Kid Cudi, and Matthew Perry to its cast. The group will be joining the previously announced Jennifer Lawrence and Cate Blanchett in the Netflix feature. Don’t Look Up will center on two low-level astronomers who have to embark on a media tour to warn mankind of an approaching asteroid that is going to destroy Earth. According to Variety, Lawrence and DiCaprio are expected to play the two astronomers.
KEVIN FEIGE REPORTEDLY BLOCKING BLACK WIDOW ON STREAMING
Last month, the news broke that we were all expecting but still dreading: Black Widow is delayed again to next May, meaning it’s been pushed back an entire year since it was originally meant to hit theaters. At this point, countless Marvel fans just want the film to be released via streaming, something that’s seemed more and more plausible as Disney has become more open to dropping major productions on Disney+.
… A source claims that the one person standing in the way of the Marvel flick hitting Disney+ is Kevin Feige. Supposedly, if it were up to Disney, Black Widow would be headed for streaming, but Feige is intent on keeping the Scarlett Johansson superhero film in cinemas as was always intended.
OFFICIAL TITLE FOR ROGUE ONE PREQUEL SHOW REPORTEDLY REVEALED
There are currently nine Star Wars shows in various stages of development for Disney+, and one of them acts as a prequel to a prequel. It was recently announced that Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor would be getting his own small screen spinoff that takes place before the events of Rogue One.
… Shooting was originally supposed to kick off in June, but the pandemic had other plans. Production is tentatively scheduled to finally begin next month, and the title of the Disney+ streaming show has been listed as Star Wars: Andor.
MONOPOLY GAME FOR HALLMARK CHANNEL FANS
If you’re a Hallmark Channel fan and you like board games, we have the perfect Christmas gift for yourself: a Hallmark-themed Monopoly game. Every single detail in the seasonal board game has a Hallmark twist. Even the collectible tokens and the design of the board just ooze with holiday fun. You won’t be heading to the Boardwalk — instead, you’ll visit places prone to showing up in a Hallmark Christmas movie: Christmas tree farm “Mistletoe Mountain,” “Reindeer Ranch” and the “Tinsel Toy Shop” to name a few. • LINK
DEXTER REVIVAL ORDERED AT SHOWTIME
Showtime has ordered a 10-episode Dexter revival, with Michael C. Hall on board to reprise his role as the killer vigilante. This ninth season is set to begin production this winter ahead of a Fall 2021 launch.
… Dexter made its Showtime debut in Fall 2006 and ran for eight successful seasons. In the much-maligned series finale — which aired on September 22, 2013 — Dexter faked his death and assumed a new identity as a lumberjack.
FULL MONSTER HUNTER TRAILER
After several years of trying to take down zombies in Resident Evil, Milla Jovovich is teaming up with an army of soldiers to take on a mega monster invasion in Monster Hunter. The full trailer was released Wednesday. Based on the popular game franchise, Monster Hunter follows Jovovich’s Captain Artemis and her team as they’re transported to an alternate universe where monsters reign supreme. Monster Hunter is scheduled to hit theaters this December, but just like nearly every movie this year, the film could be delayed. • VIDEO