Pose, Dietland, Safe, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Colossal Clusterfest

My Top 5 Obsessions This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. I have some new highlights  this week that I am enjoying and a shout out to some live comedy I just saw.

1) Pose - The new Ryan Murphy mini series on FX is about Balls, Shade and Trump. It is Not  2018! It is the coke and greed and massive consumption of the 80s mixed with the Aids Crisis and music and fashion that inspired Vogueing. Featuring James Van Der Beek. Kate Mara and Evan Peters. But they are just the window dressing for the real stars- Billy Porter,Mj Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson and Indya Moore. It is the story of "Ball Culture" and the group of Trans women and their story and struggle to belong and what a family means. I think this is his best effort yet. I am riveted.

2) Dietland on AMC is a new venture from the channel that brought us The Walking Dead and Mad Men. It is the perfect response in the #me too movement. Based on the best selling novel by the same name, this is the story of Plum Kettle  played by the fabulous Joy Nash who is a ghost writer for a columnist Kitty Montgomery ( the delightfully self absorbed Julianna Marguiles). Dealing with body image, rude people and a low calorie diet , she is suddenly shaken by the appearance of a young goth girl with a secret. She is about to get woke and enter into a world she never even knew existed. I want to take the journey with her. Special nods to actress Tamara Tunie who elevates every role she ever plays.

3) Harlan Coben's Safe now streaming on Netflix, is the story of a missing daughter, a gated community full of family secrets and no one is exactly what they seem. Quick paced and action packed, this is the perfect summer watch. Featuring Michael C. Hall as a widower frantically searching for his missing daughter.

4) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is back for a new season before it soon goes away. Zany and wonderful. All of our favorites are back and an unlikely pairing has occurred Titus (Tituss Burgess) and Jacqueline ( Jane Krakowski) and the results are dynamite. Sad to see this is going away just as it is really getting started but a movie could wrap it all up. Please put Tituss in something new right away.

5) Colossal Clusterfest in San Francisco started out a little rough this year but that did not stop the comedy and music and the fans. Some of the standouts were the hilarious Maria Bamford, John Early and Kate Berlant ( get them a show together quick) , Amy Shumer and the charming and hilarious Jon Stewart. One of my favs was  John Mulvaney  A fan favorite was a reading of the infamous Spice World featuring Alaska Thunderfuck, Bianca Del Rio,Jinx Monsoon, Honey Mahogany ,Manila Luzon and D'arcy Drollinger as the Spice Girls and they were hilarious. Another favorite was a performance from The Lonely Island featuring Andy Samburg, Chris Parnell and a special vocal performance of Michael Bolton. Salt n Pepa rocked out the main stage old school style. 3 days of fun, music, food and comedy .

BREAK A HIP - Season 2 is on the ballot for the 2018 Prime Time EMMY AWARDS!

Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series

&

Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series - Christina Pickles.

If you are in the Television Academy, you can vote for the Outstanding Short Form Category. It is open to everyone.

(Note: For the Short Form Actress category, only members of the Performer and Casting Peer groups can vote. That might be you!). Since the Outstanding Short Form categories are fairly new, and not that many people know about them, we need you and as many of your Television Academy colleagues to scroll all the way down on the ballot and VOTE for BREAK A HIP. If you haven't seen our series, you can watch all episodes for free at

www.breakahip.com/season-2

Voting opens June 11th - We would really appreciate it if you would help spread the word and forward the voting request to your television industry friends and family. Every vote will make a big difference for our little show. "If you haven't been watching the new hit web series BREAK A HIP, then you've been missing out!" Entertainment Tonight

Hereditary, Shudder TV, Salem’s Lot, Castlerock and the Outsider novel

My Top 5 Obsessions This Week

Hello all my semi constant readers. I have been compiling a list of my favorite Sci-Fi/Horror films, series and books and a few stand out and stand the test of time.

1)  Hereditary opening this weekend is a slow burn. Starring Toni Collette as a daughter who is dealing with the loss of an estranged mother and a disconnected family. As the suspense builds we find out that there is something odd about the legacy her mother has left behind  and it is searching for a way in. There are some good jump scares but it is the building horror and creepiness that takes us to the final reveal. Reminiscent of  Rosemary's Baby and The Witch, the dread builds and to me it is much more disturbing than a traditional horror film we have seen in more recent years. The magnificent Ann Dowd (The Handmaid's Tale) is perfect in her role and Toni Collette is always bringing her A game . Alex Wolff is very intense as Peter the son and Milly Shapiro is perfectly creepy as Charlie the daughter. The disturbing miniatures that Collette makes as an artist seem to cast a narration of the film. I need to see this again to see all little details I missed. This will stand the test of time in the horror genre.

2) Shudder TV - a streaming service for horror fans offers many classic horror films and tv series , some I missed an some I watched again. One I watched I had never seen was Fear Itself a 2008 compilation series. Featuring one hour stand alone episodes featuring some really good actors and decent story lines. Elizabeth Moss, Ethan Embry, Anna Kendrick, Colin Ferguson and more. Available here and streaming now. I enjoyed it.

3) Salem's Lot - scared me back in the day and for the most part holds up really well. I am talking about the famous Stephen King made for TV series from 1979 starring David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin and Bonnie Bedalia. Some real scares and chilling scenes still resonate about a small new england town that is being slowly overtaken by vampires. The floating Danny Glick still scares the crap out of me just like the little kid I was when I first saw this. 

4) Castle Rock is coming as a Hulu original on July 25th and I have super high expectations. Based on the Stephen King stories and a collaborative effort of J.J. Abrams , these tales and characters such as Pennywise, Rose Red and Cujo and the folks from Shawshank are intertwined to form original content and featuring some famous King film alumni such as Bill Skarsgard, Melanie Lynskey and Scott Glenn.

5) So I guess I will round out the fab five here with a book I am reading by none other than Stephen King called The Outsider. Only in the first half and I am hooked. The story of a small town (not in Maine) where a young boy is savagely murdered in horrific circumstances and the main suspect is a very beloved coach who has an airtight alibi. Evidence is piling against him but he seems not guilty. There is a supernatural element to this and the clues are also slowly coming together in true King style . i want to savor this and will not put any spoilers out about it except a character from Mr. Mercedes makes an appearance  but this is my kind of summer read.

Splitting Up Together, Trust, When Pigs Fly, Kim Novak Tribute and Madonna Tribute

My Top 5 Obsessions This Week

Greetings to all my semi  constant readers, it is for you I compile this list . Some of my favs the past week are below . I have been watching and waiting to see how the first two were going to measure up and I was pleasantly surprised.

1) Splitting  Up Together is easily one of the best sitcoms on the air currently. Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson  have got a kind of onscreen chemistry that cannot be manufactured . The premise of a couple having gotten divorced , continue to live together under the same roof and share custody of the children in the state of the economy is a snapshot of our our times. Engaging kids and supporting  sidekicks are a bonus but the real treat is the affection that Fischer and Hudson bring to their roles. Emmys here is your best new comedy- take notice.

2) Trust on FX is worthwhile watching. The incredible Donald Sutherland (83 and still chewing up the screen) Hilary Swank  and Brendan Fraser star in this too crazy to be true but TRUE epic tale of a kidnapping gone horribly wrong. Set in Rome in 1973 the story of John Paul Getty III kidnapped by the Italian Mafia and held for a ransom that the elder Getty Grandfather refuses to negotiate. This is a true story of excess, greed and hate and a terrible family legacy. It is too much of a train wreck not to watch on a weekend binge.

3) When Pigs Fly the current musical revival of Howard Crabtree's hilarious campy sendup of Broadway is showing at the New Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Featuring the talented J. Conrad Frank (aka The Countess Katya Smirnoff-Skyy) as Howard  and the hunky Philippe Gosselin and a delightful group putting on a show that will still delight and resonate . Remember "We Wear Our Vanity With Pride" and my all time favorite all song "Laughing Matters"

4) Tribute to a Living Legend- Kim Novak was another Marc Huestis production and it was a pretty magical evening in the Castro Theatre A showing of the classic Hitchcock film Vertigo filmed primarily in the Bay Area , an interview by TCM's Eddie Muller and a great performance from our very own Paula West and to top it off a meet and greet with Ms Novak ( who looked amazing) and some bubbly and treats.

5) Madonna Tribute at Oasis the yearly event at Club Oasis was a hilarious night filled with Madonna drag performances and deep cuts. The crowd adored the various takes on hits we love with a special shout out to the DJ MC2 who kept the folks on their feet all night. Heklina you were missed this year again, hopefully we will be seeing you next year because I know what a Madge fan you are.