TV Review: Somebody Somewhere (HBO)

Comedian Bridget Everett takes us to her Kansas roots in HBO's "Somebody Somewhere."by Christopher James

Bridget Everett is a one of a kind performer. The comedian and cabaret star first gained notoriety on Inside Amy Schumer. Her routine is brazen not just because of the sexually forward conduct, but moreso because of the sheer force of her confidence. 

There’s a cognitive dissonance between Everett’s on-screen persona and her starring role as Sam in Somebody Somewhere. So many of the details about Sam’s life mirror that of Everett’s own life. She’s from a farming family in Kansas and possesses an incredible voice. The main difference - there’s something sullen, almost introverted, about Sam. This bravado that has marked Everett’s whole career is purposefully gone. It’s a bold move that sets the stage for a really special performance...

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Links: Yellowjackets, Ariana DeBose, Black Panther 2, etc...

• Advocate SNL leaned queer this weekend, pairing Ariana DeBose and Kate McKinnon multiple times during the show. We enjoyed that Sappho skit!
• Vulture reviewing Ariana's episode
• TFE in case you missed it we looked into SNL's history of Oscar-hopeful Hosts
• Cinema Seen yours truly guest starred on Eric Marchen's Canadian movie review tv show
• /Film if you haven't heard, Netflix is raising subscription prices in October

More after jump including New York Times Oscar-like ballots, Yellowjackets mania,  Arnauld Desplechin's next picture, and Carole Lombard's final film...

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SAG Nominations – TV

By Abe Friedtanzer

While there are surely more impactful surprises to discuss on the film side of things today, it’s great to see an interesting list of television options honored too. Once again, however, so few series are actually included on the slate. There are only five drama series and six comedy series honored in any category (aside from stunts), while the limited series races managed to get seven with just two categories. That’s pretty much on par with last year. There are a number of snubs and a few unexpected inclusions, but more of the former. Let’s dive in…

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Betty White (1922-2021)

by Nathaniel R

One of the most beloved actors, no... make that one of the most beloved people, period, has died. We must unfortunately say goodbye to the Emmy-winning legend Betty White. The longest lived of The Golden Girls was just three weeks shy of her Centennial when she passed away. 

Betty White was more than just The Golden Girls though that sitcom rightfully leads any discussion of her career. That's what happens when you spend eight years of your life perfecting the same character, the dim but utterly loveable/hilarious Rose Nylund, and the show housing her morphs from risky bet (a sitcom about sexually active lively old ladies in youth-obsessed prudish America?) to surprise smash (the Golden Girls spent six of its seven seasons among the 10 most-watched programs on air) to immortal favourite within your life time. People talk about The Golden Girls so often nearly 30 years after it went off the air that it truly feels as if it never did. It did. But, in a very real way Betty White did not... 

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TV Review – ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’

By Abe Friedtanzer

Paramount Network, formerly known as TNN and Spike TV, has found its flagship series in Yellowstone, the Montana-set drama starring Kevin Costner currently airing its fourth season. It’s no surprise that the show’s immense popularity would create the desire for a spinoff, and instead, sister streaming service Paramount+ has opted for a prequel. Set more than a century before the original, 1883 is a pretty straightforward Western tracking the establishment of the Yellowstone Ranch that serves as the center property of the franchise…

These two shows come from Taylor Sheridan, writer of the underrated Hell or High Water and also director of Wind River and Those Who Wish Me Dead. After I sampled the pilot, I didn’t stick with Yellowstone, even though I did enjoy Longmire, which had a similar vibe, and I continue watching the Montana-set Big Sky for unknown reasons since it’s really not good at all. Objectively, 1883 probably appeals more since it has to do with the trek west during lawless times and the official establishment of an American presence in a rural region already populated by indigenous people...

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