Broadcast Spring 2021 TV Review:

 CBS:

Clarice: This is the untold personal story of FBI Agent Clarice Starling as she returns to the field in 1993, one year after the events of "The Silence of the Lambs”. Her job with the Violent Criminal Apprehension program is to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high-stakes political world of DC while dealing with her own personal demons. 

Verdict: Cancelled. I first have to say I have not seen the movie, read the books or seen the show “Hannibal” so I am not here to compare it to any of those. I do like the idea of someone using science as profiler for the FBI like in “Criminal Minds” or current Fox show “Prodigal son” but with the latter the person has their own personal trauma or demons that helped shaped them to understand killers. It also is different because it takes place in the past so it’s interesting to see how the FBI worked back then but also how a smart competent woman is trying to making it in a male dominant world. The issue is her boss played by Michael Cudlitz (of Band of Brothers & The Walking Dead) is way too hard on her with not trusting her, and her therapist is also doing everything to prevent her from going back to what she does best. Then you add the US attorney general (played by Jayne Atkinson of 24 & House of Cards) with her own political gains with putting Clarice on the team, dictating how this unit works, and the fact that her daughter is the girl that was saved from the serial killer Buffalo Bill which wastes time from the show by showing her. One of her co-workers is also not a fan of her even being in the FBI as he is from the old regime whom doesn’t think her antics help but actually hurts the team, but at least two of her coworkers actually support her. They are interesting characters which I hope they continue to develop for the show but also their relationship with her as I am a fan of Kal Penn (of Harold & Kumar & Designated Survivor). I was glad he has a new show after his last show got cancelled and Lucca De Oliveira(of Seal Team) being a former military turned FBI. Her friend who helps out with forensics and other stuff is more helpful than some of the guys on her team hopefully they use more of her. I get the sense CBS really wants this show to do very well with the over the top production, the huge amount of promotions and getting well known TV actors, as they fast tracked it to series without a pilot to be screened first.  But if it is supposed to be a spinoff from a popular movie with this one character but they cannot mention “Hannibal Lecter” I do not get the point of the show and hope the writing improves over the course of the show. I am afraid it will lose its appeal/quirkiness quickly and turn into another typical procedural-crime solving show despite it taking place in the past/female lead which might get CBS to cancel it with their quick trigger finger. 

The Equalizer: Queen Latiah(of Star & Living Single) stars at Robyn McCall a woman with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn. She comes across to most people as a regular single mom raising a teenage daughter but to only a trusted few she is an anonymous guardian angel and defender of the downtrodden.  She is also trying to work on her personal redemption and works with a team to help the people that come to her when in need. Verdict: Cancelled. I am a huge fan of her work as a musician and an actress over the years but this role does not seem to fit her or seem believable plus you can’t save a bad show even if you are talented. It seems very over the top and the production value is way over the top too, it just doesn’t all click together. It is bogged down by her own demons, her raising her teenage daughter that takes up time and the people she works with seem over the top. It is nice to see Adam Goldberg (of the Jim Gaffigan show & Fargo) but his role as a master hacker who happens to be married to her friend from the service is over the top coincidence. The fact she did a favor for him so he owes her, and they overdo it with his nerdy outfit with these nerdy glasses too. He has done this masterhacker role before in NBC’s Taken very well but it wasn’t over the top. His wife (played by Liza Lapira) who as I mentioned worked with McCall in the Air Force does not seem believable with her skills and her demeanor based on her acting credits that include many sitcoms. Then you have to assume her ex husband/father of her kid is not in the picture whatsoever despite her working as an asset for the US government, that’s the reason for Lorriane Toussaint(of Rosewood & Saving Grace) to play her aunt. She then has detractors of two kinds her former boss (played by Chris Noth of Law & Order & Sex in the City) the ex CIA director telling her she can’t do her job since the CIA wants her back/for her to stop, and the hot shot detective who is not keen on her form of justice trying to arrest her. CBS has two “M.O.”s one is they cancel shows very quickly compared to other channels, and are the leaders in remakes, reboots and spinoffs. The fact that a huge amount of their channel lineup is one of those three things like they do with SWAT, Macgyver, Magnum PI, and Hawaii Five-O to name some. Then NCIS is a spinoff with spinoffs and have rebooted “Training Day” & “Rush Hour”, for example, to not much success plus tried revivals but failed. They have heavily promoted this show with countless ads especially during the Super Bowl that they are fully invested in seeing where this goes. They usually do cut bait early but with the huge commitment that has been made with the casting/dynamics/advertising-promoting they will probably wait till a full season’s worth of episodes air before making their verdict, and with Covid19 affecting when it was supposed to be released earlier they can’t afford to cut programming too early as well. The original Equalizer was one of the best crime solving shows from the 80’s there was no need to remake it let alone remake it after it was rebooted as a movie with Denzel Washington less than 6 years ago with two volumes. 

United States of Al: Al (played by Adhir Kaylan of Rules of Engagement) an interpreter from Afghanistan for the US Marine Corps moves to Columbus, Ohio to help his former brother in arms Marine combat veteran Riley (played by Parker Young of Enlisted & Arrow) adjust to home life dealing with PTSD, help him deal with the potential divorce, a potential custody battle and deal with the overbearing father Art played by Dean Norris (of Breaking Bad & Claws). 

Verdict: Cancelled. The forced laughter with the laugh track and the cliché jokes about American and Afghanistan culture- it is hard to know when to laugh. I applaud Chuck Lorre for trying to make a sitcom more diverse with a character from the Middle East but next time maybe use an actor from the actual region because the internet is crucifying you for picking a South-African Indian decent actor for the role with a fake accent. They also are forcing you to like him with the over the top attempt to make him adorable/lovable but he is not a main character for a sitcom- he is better off as a supporting cast member. It is nice Young is given another chance to be a lead in a show but he also is not good enough to be leading a show. His wife doesn’t seem to be well written or thought out besides from him being away in the military which caused them to become estranged, plus she is not old enough to have a high school kid. The two characters who seem to have the most to offer are the sister Lizzie (played by Elizabeth Alderfer of AP Bio & Disjointed) with her antics, and the father Al which Norris does a great job in playing his eccentric character. It is also a coincidence they have you believe she dated someone in the military who is friends with her brother. This the same issue with two other new Lorre sitcoms where the two-three main characters are either not funny or believable as a leading person, while the parts of the supporting cast are the only good ones which isn’t a recipe for success. Maybe it will get better over time but it can only go in so many directions like he gets back with his wife/gets to be around his daughter more or he does not. They should explore more of what Norris’ character’s background is, that would help but I do like the flashback element at the end of each episode. 

NBC:

Mr. Mayor: Ted Danson stars as Neil Bremer a retired wealthy businessman who runs for mayor of Los Angeles for the all the wrong reasons. He sets out to shake up City Hall but he quickly discovers navigating politics is not business as usual. When he wins he has to figure out what he stands for, gain the respect of his staff, and connect with his teenage daughter, all while controlling the coyote population. 

Verdict: Renewed. When you can laugh multiple times during an episode and it isn’t childish humor it is definitely a show that should stay on the air for awhile. I can trust Tina Fey who created the show, produces and writes for it to stay clean for the most part and have well written episodes over the course of the season. Danson is always great on camera especially with the physical humor that he has done in this show. He is giving off the vibes of someone you can really get behind even though he was a rich spoiled guy. We all want to see how far he can go in changing the city along with all the hijinks that ensues. It is also nice that Bobby Monihan of SNL who had his own sitcom wrongfully cancelled too early get a chance to be a regular on a show and he plays the loveable goofball amazingly as Danson’s communications director. His character makes me laugh more than the mayor and Danson’s relationship with his teen daughter (played by Kyla Kenedy) isn’t just filler it has a clever dynamic, plus she is from ABC’s Speechless so she has played the daughter role well before. His chief of staff and chief strategist are typical “straight men” in a comedy as they have to play off Danson and Moniyhan in every episode while trying to do their jobs but are there also for diversity. They are often background characters so they aren’t that important, the real issue is Holly Hunter playing a former councilwoman who becomes his chief of staff.  She looks like a crazy-homeless person that is trying to sabotage the mayor but maybe there is some genius to hire a person who is your enemy because it can be an interesting dynamic where she might grow on you. The biggest concern is NBC has cancelled every new sitcom over the past two television years and ended two of their longer running shows as well. They also have limited the amount of episodes of another sitcom so I don’t think NBC cares about having sitcoms let alone good ones, as they vacated one hour of sitcoms on Thursday night for another Law & Order spinoff show as well. The only saving grace is NBC loves Fey and Danson so they might leave it alone and let it run its course. 

Young Rock: A comedic look back at Dwayne the Rock Johnson’s life through the outrageous stories of about his family and youth that shaped him into the man he is today. It explores his childhood years living amid influential wrestling icons while his dad rose to fame in the business, his rebellious teenage years attending high school in Pennsylvania, and his football years teamed up with powerhouse players at the University of Miami. 

Verdict: Cancelled. It looked like it was setting up to be like “Everybody hates Chris” where it would go in chronological order episode to episode where we would grow along with the character. It would teach us lessons and educate about his childhood from a little kid to his life as a professional wrestler. It does have Johnson in every episode but it’s a mixture of him narrating and actually being in the show. The issue is they think we care he is running for President and wants to relate to the average person so he is telling stories about his childhood/upbringing. I also do not get the whole Randal Park former actor turned journalist interviewing him that is stupid. Just do it like Chris Rock and Jim Parsons and just narrate and not show him whatsoever. It seems to skip through three different time periods just to fit the specific questions asked by Park which isn’t as seamless as they think. If you’re not a fan or familiar with the professional wresting world you are not going to know these people Johnson grew up around/his father as only “Andre the Giant” will be easy to recognize. It is nice nostalgia to see recreated wrestling scenes with “Ric Flair” and “Randy Macho Man Savage” but it will always be a niche sport. Also is this a comedy or a drama? I have not laughed once no matter when the show takes place. Plus with the way NBC has been cancelling every new sitcom to debut the last few TV seasons I do not see this being renewed even with Covid19 giving them sparse programming. 

Kenan: Kenan Thompson(of SNL & Kenan & Kel) stars in his own sitcom playing a widower father raising two grade school girls while trying to balance his work and personal life. He is a local Atlanta TV personality hosting “Waking up with Kenan” a popular morning show. He has to deal with his overbearing producer (played by Kimrie Lewis of Single Parents & Scandal), his father in law (played by Don Johnson of Miami Vice & Nash Bridges) and his brother (played by Chris Redd of SNL & Popstar) who is also his manager plus everyone else trying to help make his life easier despite it really making it harder on him. 

Verdict: Renewed. It is a good sign when you are watching a sitcom and can laugh multiple times during the episode plus it has no silly laugh track to tell you when to laugh- just natural laughter. Whoever is writing this show is doing a good job with the jokes, how clever it is, how it does not have to make crude/inappropriate jokes to get a laugh, and the chemistry between the characters. I think many people are happy it finally happened that he got his own sitcom as an adult since it has been rumored for a few a years now, and of course he does a great job. He uses his acting, comedy and musical skills throughout.  Plus he does a good a job playing the straight man as other personalities can come out during the show. Johnson and Redd do a good job in their roles as mostly clueless relatives trying to do their best to help but do it in a great way comedically. The actresses playing the girls do a good job in their roles being adorable and it is nice to see Lewis on TV after they cancelled her show. It is also nice to see Fortune Feimster in another sitcom as she is a really funny person and it will be funny to keep seeing what Johnson/Redd can get into comedy wise all season long. The writing, the chemistry between the cast, the acting and Kenan himself make it good on all levels for a successful sitcom. With NBC cancelling all the sitcoms the last few TV seasons plus the two most popular ones ending, there is definitely room in the lineup for this show. 

Debris: Two agents from two different continents (one from England and one from the United States) and two different mindsets must work together to investigate when wreckage starts falling from the sky which is from a destroyed alien spacecraft that has mysterious effects on humankind. They have no choice but to trust each other as they track down the hundreds of pieces of debris scattered across the Western Hemisphere. Every discovery is also a race against time, because shadowy outside forces want these powerful objects for their own nefarious purposes. 

Verdict: Cancelled. We have been here, done that with sci-fi events with mysterious things happening to people or the world itself. This time it is this “debris” that these agents are looking into that has scattered all around globe. Each episode they investigate different spots on in the US that are having scientific anomalies as they try to collect more of the “debris”  before other mysterious groups take them for their own purposes. I will say this I like watching sci-fi shows where they investigate the same thing all season or a different thing each week but so far there is no emotional attachment to the mystery or the main characters. It feels dry, bland, an ”ehh” feeling when watching every episode. They do make it full of sci-fi stuff to keep you interested in watching with the mystery of figuring it all out but nothing so far is keeping me gripped to the scenes unfolding. I am unsure if it is because the main cast is mostly unknown (theater, British TV or musicians) or they assume we already care about the two leads where we want them to succeed personally and professionally, that isn’t clicking for me. The bigger issue is the pilot/other episodes seems to be like a few episodes into the story telling of the show where we have to accept these two as partners from different agencies that it is months into the investigation not the at the start like most sci-fi shows. It would have been better to be from the starting point of when the “debris” first came to earth and how these two partnered up. It also takes away from the show with the drama going on behind the scene with their respective bosses from MI6 & the CIA on how they are a joint adventure, but are keeping things from each other in the episodes which some of the scenes are mostly a waste of time. Agent Finola Jones’s own personal drama (played by Riann Steele of Magicians & Lovesick) takes away from show and her acting along with her partner agent Bryan Beneventi (played by Jonathan Tucker of Kingdom & Justified) seems stale and dry where they are not believable as leads too. With all the negatives outweighing the positives and with how very major network has pulled the plug on all of these over the top sci-fi event/investigative programs I would be surprised if this show gets renewed as it will get a full season to unpack everything though. 

ABC:

Call Your Mom:  Kyra Sedgwick plays Jean an empty nester widow mom who wonders how she ended up all alone while her children live their lives thousands miles away. She sets out to reinsert herself into their lives by moving closer to them. 

Verdict: Cancelled. I do not know why a critically acclaimed actress like Sedgwick (The Closer & Brooklyn 99) would do a show like this show where they make fun of an older woman who feels alone without her kids, has issues with technology and meddles in their lives even if they are adults. I can’t stand the laugh track, the horrible transitions on the screen and how there is no redeeming qualities in her two kids. The daughter is rude and uptight while the son seems dumb and clueless where he still needs help from his mother. The only good thing is they actually look like siblings when they did casting. The son’s girlfriend has an annoying voice and is so ditsy that it’s hard to stand her in the scenes where her job is a social media influencer, while the daughter’s roommate is gay but he actually seems to get the funny lines. The whole foreign landlord who is married but not married thing is not needed if you’re going to keep hinting will they won’t they, but his dog is the best character in the show which is saying something. It is nice to see Sherri Shepherd in the show but they cop out by having her over video chat in most episodes that it’s barely in the show. ABC cancelled two quality shows last year while two long running shows ended, plus they cancelled a spinoff so you would think they would want to fill the open holes with quality programs. Instead they are doing a boatload of game shows and if this is the one sitcom they can come up with this spring, I don’t have confidence in the future for them at making shows going forward. The show is so bad that even with covid19 restrictions on upcoming shows potentially being on the air down the line this show will not make it pass the standard of 8-10 episodes that most shows that get picked up receive.  

Home Economics: Inspired by the life of co-creator Michael Colton it takes a look at the relationship among three adult siblings in different wealth classes, the one percent, middle class and the one barely hanging on. Topher Grace (of That 70’s Show & Spiderman 3) plays Tom the oldest sibling married with kids and is a struggling writer in the middle class. Caitlin McGee (of Bluff City Law & and Grey’s Anatomy) is the middle sibling a child therapist who is barely making ends meet and is also married with kids. Jimmy Tatro(of The Mighty ones & Modern Family) is the youngest sibling who runs his own equity firm, is divorced and has a daughter. 

Verdict: Renewed. I do like the fresh take on a family sitcom with the children as adults who are married with kids and how they all have different lives/economic backgrounds that intersect into a delightful comedy. It has also made me laugh a few times as well. I do like that Grace is one of the leads of a sitcom since it has been years since his last show and that McGee is getting another attempt to be a lead in a show after her show got only 10 episodes. I also think the PC police will be happy with the mixed race couples in the show, that there will be no outcry of diversity because they write it so smoothly that you do not even care or notice. It also has a good supporting cast of two SNL alums in Nora Dunn as the mom and Sasheer Zamata who make you laugh too. We should want to see how one sibling deals with his divorce, one deals with trying to finish his novel, and the other deals with unemployment throughout the course of the show. It is also interesting that Grace is narrating the show since he is playing an author and how he gets the brunt of the jokes/bad luck, and that the younger sibling is the most successful but seems like the idiot. When it comes to sitcoms on ABC two of their longer running shows and three others were cancelled in the last two TV seasons so there is room for a quality show that isn’t inappropriate as well. 

 

Rebel: Inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich, Annie "Rebel" Bello (played by Katy Segal of Married with Children & Futurama) is a blue-collar legal advocate without a law degree. She is someone who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves. When Rebel applies herself to a fight she believes in, she will win at almost any cost. 

Verdict: Cancelled. They have done this kind of premise (also a movie with Julia Roberts) before like this year with CBS’s remake of Equalizer, CW’s remake of Kung Fu and last year’s Stumptown on this network. When a non lawyer/person not in law enforcement is there to help the people who have nowhere to turn/can’t go to the cops/afford a lawyer they turn to this person. It is only different because it is based off a real person’s life which is nice they can come up with an original idea but the premise is still been there done that. This is more of a soap-opera with too many coincidences like all three of her ex husbands are still around with the first one helping her since he is a cop which doesn’t seem to be plausible for him to use his job to help her. Her second ex being a corporate lawyer who seems to  be an important part to the show as he will take on cases just to spite her, and their daughter was working for Rebel’s boss but now works for her father. She then uses her son from her first marriage who is a doctor to help with medical inquires as well. Plus her youngest daughter is interning at her job as well, which are too many coincidences. You also have her ex-sister in law being her closest friend and confidant who also works for Rebel’s boss as an investigator. Lastly her boss is her former best friend’s husband played by Andy Garcia(of The Godfather Part II & The Ocean’s Franchise) who is an esteemed actor but he is playing an uptight and thick headed lawyer who runs the firm Rebel that her daughters and ex-sister in law work for. The only actors with any upside is Mo McRae (of Pitch & Empire) who is playing one of the lawyers working for Garcia and this doctor who works with Rebel’s son Abigail Spencer(of Timeless & Suits). I only think ABC might renew this show is because it comes from the creators of Grey’s Anatomy, so they can have one night all the shows join together along with Station 19, since other shows have either ended or been cancelled from that creator.

CW:

Walker: A remake of the original Walker, Texas Ranger that stared Chuck Norris. This one stars Jared Padalecki playing the same character named Cordell Walker, a Texas Ranger. A widower and father of two with his own moral code he returns home to Austin after being under cover for a while, only to discover there's harder work to be done at home. He has to attempt to reconnect with both of his kids, his brother who is the ADA and his parents, while trying to connect with a new partner. He also is struggling with the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death. 

Verdict: Renewed: It gives you a nice wholesome feeling when watching it as they are making it a family-centric show with the grandparents, the uncle and his former partner all looking out for him and his kids, plus the town as a whole all know him well. Now the original show was a reboot/spinoff of a Chuck Norris character from a movie he was in and they made a movie afterwards. In that show he did not have kids to worry about and it was more wholesome that no one actually died/did hard drugs in it as they arrested all the bad guys. He also used his martial arts training to take down bad guys. It is nice that Coby Bell (of Third Watch & the Gifted) is on a show after his show was cancelled too early but instead of him being Walker’s partner he is his boss when he returns. In the original his partner is black but this time his actual partner is a rookie Ranger who is a Latina woman but so far she has proven to be that she can handle the job and taken down bad guys just as well as him. I do also like seeing Mitchell Pileggi (of X-Files & Stargate Atlantis) as a series regular again in a show as his father who owns a ranch and seems to be the person he goes to for real advice, and his mother (played by Molly Hagan of Herman’s Head & Code of Silence) is also a nice addition for support as they have been raising his kids while he has been gone. I could do without the background hints that is ADA brother is gay but his character is good for Walker to have as well since he helped watched the kids. The kids are not bad characters as the oldest daughter is a typical teenager rebelling since her parents haven’t been around and the son is more of a quiet recluse keeping him to himself for the same reasons. The issue is they are detractors from the point of the show which is him taking down bad guys as a Ranger he has to worry about their problems and split time between his job and kids.  The flashbacks/PTSD he seems to be suffering from are not from his time in the military as they are him dealing with the death of his wife (played by his real wife) years ago where things don’t add up. He can’t move forward so he is wrestling with that mentally besides from his kids aspect which again takes away from the job.  The hope is the writers find balance between raising his kids, his family, his own demons and the job since I think the kids/family are here to stay in the premise. I know it’s going to be renewed since the CW renews everything(expect one show in the last five years), but also they bypassed a pilot to make a direct to series which means they really wanted to put the show on the air and to make it work. They also added an additional five episodes as well which is always a good sign for a show to be renewed in TV history trends. The reason they did that is because they are trying to capitalize on the success of their longest running show Supernatural which Padalecki co-starred in which ended last year, by having him on a new project for them hence the good rating so far. People will tune in just to see him regardless of the show’s quality which is why this show is going to get renewed quickly. 

Superman & Lois: After years of facing supervillains, monsters and alien invaders Superman aka Clark Kent and famed journalist Lois Lane are in the midst of living their lives in Metropolis raising their two sons Jonathan and Jordan. They have to deal with being working parents in today's society as their kids could inherit their father's Kryptonian superpowers as they grow older. Despite being in the midst of his living his life in Metropolis he has to go back to Smallville to the Kent farm to take care of things and has to deal with Lois' father, Gen. Samuel Lane who always comes looking for him to vanquish a villain or save the day at a moment's notice as there is never a dull moment in the life of Superman. 

Verdict: Renewed. Pretty much every show about Superman is the start of his career or in the midst of it while this is well into the future. He is happily married with two teenage kids who could potentially have powers so it is interesting to see him balance his newspaper job, superhero job, marriage and raising teens. He could pass on the all the lessons he learned from his parents and to help guide the kids with their emerging powers. I also like the idea of him getting thrown a curveball with his life that has to bring him back home to Smallville and deal with all of his past coming forward when there. Lois is actually important to the show and stays in her lane unlike Iris on Flash she actually serves a purpose hence her name in the show. Since we have seen both Superman (played by Tyler Hoechlin of Teen Wolf & 7^th heaven) and Lois (played by Elizabeth Tulloch of Grimm & Quaterlife) in previous episodes of the Arrowverse we already are comfortable with them in their roles which they do a good job at. It will be interesting to see how the child actors who play the Kent kids do through the season. I understand with Supergirl ending this year this is the perfect replacement as this show has hope and is very uplifting to watch that it makes you feel good/happy when watching it. I also understand why it takes place when the kids are teenagers and not when they are born as the CW is trying to avoid crossovers/having Supergirl appear. We have to wonder when Lex Luthor and other villains will appear but how they deal with them as it’s later into the future plus which allies they will have besides Lois’s father. CW also has the MO of renewing every show so it was no surprise they already renewed it. 

Kung Fu: Nicky Shen is a Chinese-American young woman who has a quarter-life crisis where she drops out of college and goes on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. She then returns to her hometown in San Francisco three years later to find its overrun with crime and corruption, and her own parents are at the mercy of the triad. She has to deal with her estranged family, her ex-boyfriend, the assassin who killed her mentor and who is after her. She decides to fight crime and corruption to protect her community with her martial arts skills, with the help of her tech-savvy sister, her ex-boyfriend who is a detective, her new friend and pre-med brother. 

Verdict: Renewed. The first thing that has to be said is the CW essentially is at a 99% rate of renewing every show on their network even before the season starts or if the new show has only had a few episodes. They are on the wave of remakes like Roswell, New Mexico, Walker and Dynasty (has been on for five years) so with all the effort they are putting into promoting it and hyping it up there is no way they cancel it after one season. Plus it has Greg Berlanti producing it (the man behind the Arrowverse) as CW likes him so they will want the show to grow over time. With him running it he will put his best effort into it since this is the third time he tried to get the show going. It is also a very forward thinking idea to make a show very Asian-centric with every main character including the bad guy be Chinese with their speaking Chinese in the episodes. It also has a relatively unknown cast which can be good so you do not have to separate them from their previous works and can judge them solely on this, as the lead is done a great job so far. It also is very different from the original version with them having a female lead and it is taking place in present times while the original is about a half Chinese man who flees China after killing the emperor’s nephew who killed his lover. They both have been trained in Kung Fu but it takes place in the 1880’s where he is looking for his half brother and dealing with Chinese bigotry, while he fights of the bounty hunters trying to kill him. It has the same feel of every show on the CW- a teenage-soap opera feel making some parts boring but the target audience is mostly teens/young adults. The positives are that there is Kung Fu fighting in each episode as she takes down bad guys and her goal is to help those in need who need help but can’t get it. I also like the search for the killer of her master and her commitment into stopping her if that is the theme of the season, sprinkled in with her helping people every episode. The things that make it get bogged down are her ex being a detective she goes to for info/help when she is helping people/searching for the killer, and this new guy who is helping her for the killer search but could be her new boyfriend. They also have to add the sister’s upcoming wedding, the parents’ tension with their daughter finally coming home, being a failure in their eyes, and her brother’s dating life. I do like the father (played by Tzi Ma of Rush Hour & 24) as he has the most credits as a character actor and he is the most likable character in the show. 

FOX: 

Call Me Kat: Based on a British show Miyiam Bialik (of Blossom & the Big Bang Theory) stars as a 39 year-old single woman named Kat who sets out to prove her mother wrong that you cannot have everything you want yet still be happy. She leaves her job as a professor at the University of Louisville and spends her mother’s money that was set aside for a wedding on a Cat Café in her town of Louisville. 

Verdict: Cancelled. It is nice that she has her own show as an adult post TBBT but this show is too odd/quirky for broadcast TV. It feels more like a cable or streaming show and I don’t mean in terms of how appropriate the show is because it hasn’t gone down the crude humor/childish humor, it’s just too far out there for the average person watching broadcast TV to get behind. She constantly breaks the 4^th wall and is talking to us which would be fine if she was narrating, but she does it mid scene and everyone else pauses. She also goes on tangents and imagines things that aren’t there as well which might be part of the character’s issues, but I haven’t laughed much except for when Phil her baker played by Leslie Jordan does something funny but he isn’t the main character. Fox was nice to bring him back since they wrongfully cancelled his previous show “The Cool Kids” after one season, and are giving Swoosie Kurtz work after the show she was on got cancelled as well last year(Man with a Plan). Kurtz plays the overbearing mom role well but feels more like a distraction then a key element to the show. It is also nice to see Kyla Pratt in another TV show after her biggest role was lending her voice in the Proud Family. Despite the good supporting cast who play her employees, best friend, mom and her former college crush (played by Cheyenne Jackson of 30 Rock & American Horror story) it just doesn’t flow in storytelling. It’s also too convenient her college crush is back home and working across the street from her, as its too cliché that they keep hinting they could be together but you have to wait all season to find out. I also do not trust Fox to renew a half hour sitcom since they have cancelled every new half hour sitcom the past few TV seasons, after they cancelled all of them in order to show football on Thursday nights and wrestling on Friday nights. It doesn’t lead much room for sitcoms to be on the air if it’s only a few months during the year.

The Great North: It follows the adventures of the Tobin family in Alaska with a single dad named Beef (voiced by Nick Offerman of Parks & Rec & Fargo) who has to juggle his job as a fisherman and raise four unique kids name Judy (voiced by Jenny Slate of SNL & Big Mouth), Ham, Wolf (voiced by Will Forte of SNL & Last man on earth) and Moon. Oldest son Wolf has a fiancée and Judy has an imaginary friend voiced by Alanis Morrissette. 

Verdict: Renewed. This is what people want from an animated sitcom thank you Fox’s Animation Domination. We all want to laugh a bunch during a show and watch something that isn’t hateful, disgusting or inappropriate but something that is good natured. It also helps that Forte, Slate and Offerman supply the main voices and have all done comedy/voiced cartoons before. Forte makes you laugh all the time in everything including this character of how innocent he is- a dumb adult. It is also nice Fox gave him a new show after they cancelled his last show on a cliffhanger. If the rest of the characters did not exist it wouldn’t be missed like the second oldest and the fiancé. The youngest Moon is so adorable in that outfit he wears and is so interesting as a character I want more adventures of him, which reminds me of Louise from Bob’s Burgers as this is from the same creators. I notice the good chemistry between the voice actors which is good and that they have a theme song that all the characters sing which is a dying art in TV. It has been awhile since Fox actually churned out good animated shows until last TV year (2019-2020) with “Bless the Harts” & “Duncanville”, so hopefully it will be two years straight they can keep the trend by letting this show grow over a season and renew it. There was a reason they did not renew anything for a decade- there wasn’t anything new that was good until those two and now this. In a perfect world Fox goes back to two and half hours of programming on Sunday nights all year round. 

Song Machine-Gorillaz Album Review:

 

Gorillaz is back with a new album “Song Machine, Season one Strange Timez” their 7^th studio album (their 20^th anniversary) which is a part of a web series consisting of a collection of singles and music videos, dubbed "episodes" each featuring different guest artists. For those who do not know about this band they are an animated band created by British musician Damon Albarn who is the lead singer and songwriter of the band. It consists of four animated members: 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs. They blend many genres from punk/alternative rock, R&B, Hip Hop and electronica music into a unique style of music that also is famous for having many guest artists on their tracks. This album has fifteen of them like Sir Elton John, Beck and Robert Smith of the Cure to name some. You get the feeling the various artists are there for what they can bring to the song, rather than who they are, which means they meld into a fluent whole.

This album has two main themes: getting over a long-term relationship since the last album (with drugs and alcohol), and the current state the world is in politically and socially. The opening track “Strange Timez” has an eerie sound to it talking about the economic and political world is in 2020 with the lead singer of the “Cure” singing the lead. In “Valley of the Pagans” which is a catchy-funky song that Beck is on touches on how the world hides behind the fakeness of Hollywood while ignoring the real problems we face, and how everything is shallow or plastic in that world. “The Last Cord” is about feeling lost in the times we are facing that we need something or someone but the song actually makes you feel safe when listening to it. While “Pac-man” has sounds from the iconic game it is about feeling stuck in a place during these times and wanting to “Level up”, where he is trying to fill a void with the wrong things which could be destructive. 

The song “Chalk Tablet Towers” he is escaping from stress which could be due to the pandemic or about getting over that ex. While “Friday the 13^th” is how he is dealing with getting over the ex with drugs or alcohol or the strip scene in Vegas. The song that is really beautiful is “Pink Phantom” which features two artists including Sir Elton John, which is about getting over an ex during the summer. The other two songs have artists singing in French and Spanish in “Dead Butterflies” and “Desloe” (Sorry). The first one is about a failed relationship and how he was left alone in a time of need, and believes he is now a “dead butterfly”. The latter is about moving on from a bad relationship.

The final two songs “Aries” and “Momentary Bliss” aren’t part of the two main themes, just good songs maybe about the astrological sign and maybe hoping to have some bliss when the pandemic is over. They have many times taken inspiration from the Beatles and this song mentions a girl name Rita which is an interesting choice.

Overall Gorillaz never makes bad music. It might make music far out there in the confines of what people think Rock or Pop should be, but they also do a good job blending many genres and guests artist to many hits. They aren’t a band that makes great albums as a whole but they are ones that make great songs as they are just a song machine.

Power Up-AC/DC Album Review:

 

AC/DC is back with their first album in six years with “Power Up” their 17^th album and their first officially without Malcolm Young, rhythm guitarist/co-writer and brother of Angus Young, lead guitarist and the man behind all of their songs. Besides from losing Malcolm they had to overcome drummer Phil Rudd’s legal battles that got him placed on house arrest after threatening to kill a man amongst a few things, bass player Cliff Williams being in retirement due to health reasons, and lead singer Brian Johnson dealing with deafness that he needed a special hearing aid so he could continue to sing (he missed of the last tour due to that with Axel Rose replacing him for some shows).

Angus Young decided instead of wallowing in the loss of his brother he wanted pay tribute to what they've lost by focusing on what they still have by rocking out like they usually do on every album. They dedicated his album to him like they did “Back in Black” for Bon Scott. In place of Malcolm is Young’s oldest brother’s son Stevie Young so it can stay within in the family going further. This is not a band that are past their prime as Angus raided the AC/DC vaults of songs he co-wrote with is his late brother Malcolm and a good amount sound like old school songs of theirs. With one being where he is thinking about Malcolm in “Through the Mists of time” where it gives him the shivers.

Their two singles are some of the songs that sound like their old songs in “Shot in the Dark” as it reminds me of “Back in Black” and “Realize” (the opening track) has similar sounds to “Thunderstruck”. “Rejection” reminded Angus of the song “Problem Child” and “Witch’s Spell” also sounds like an older track in “Who Made Who”. Some say “Code Red” has a similar sound to “Back in Black” too but I am not sure what they are referring to in the song. While the track “Demon’s Fire” has the feel of “Whole Lotta Rosie” but also I get elements of “Cheap Trick” or “Thin Lizzy” as it would be perfect in a video game. The guitar riffs in “Wild Reputation” have the vibes of an older song in “Stiff Upper Lip”.

The other songs are all catchy especially “No Man’s Land” a personal favorite of mine, “Systems Down” that rocks out, “Kick you when you’re down” which we all can feel and “Money Shot” where Angus is looking for the perfect track.

The Young brothers are always going to be legendary guitar players and song writers and this album even without (Malcolm on it) is one of their best albums in years as there aren’t any bad songs as there are a good amount of great ones. Scott or Johnson it doesn’t matter who is singing/shouting the words as even though the words are an important part to the track. All we want to do is rock out and forget about our problems, which is what you can do with “Power Up”.

2020-2021 NBA Preview:

 

The Bucks need to finally make the finals or win it all for F Giannis Antetokounmpo as they keep coming up short every year especially when he is winning back to back MVPS the last two years. He is about to enter his final season under contract and they are trying to keep him happy by trading for help in PG Jrue Holiday(out goes PGs Eric Bledsoe & George Hill) who can facilitate for others/hit clutch shots late and he is a All-NBA defender.

This move makes SF Khris Middleton the third option and makes it easier for him and they still have shooters to space the floor in C Brook Lopez,  guards, Donte DiVincnezo, Pat Connaughton and added Nik Stausksas, PF Bobby Portis and PG DJ Augustin. The Pacers have had two years where their best player has missed the start or the end of their season so they hope G Victor Oladipo can be healthy to pair with G Malcolm Brogdon to form a good starting lineup that still has C Myles Turner, PF Domantas Sabonis and SF TJ Warren.

If those five stay healthy they have a chance to compete for a top five seed again the only issue was why fire a successful-former player in head coach Nate McMillian for an unknown? Will this new coach know how to make those five gel together and work in this deep bench that has two Holiday brothers(Justin & Aaron), guards Jeremy Lamb, TJ McConnell and Doug McDermott? The Pistons still have PF Blake Griffin and PG Derrick Rose but the question will always be health for those two and if they are healthy they can always elevate a team.

They lost F Christian Wood and G Luke Kennard but were aggressive in free agency in getting F Jerami Grant who can guard multiple positions/shoot the three, centers Mason Plumlee and Jahlil Okafor. They also drafted G Killian Hayes who some think might be the steal of the draft for his playmaking ability and signed veteran guards Wayne Ellington and Delon Wright. If the two main players stay healthy plus with these additions they can compete for a bottom spot in the eastern conference playoffs.  The Bulls finally cleaned house by firing GM/President Gar Forman/John Paxon and HC Jim Boylen and they replaced them with Artūras Karnišovas/Marc Eversley and former NBA/NCCA HC Billy Donovan. They also finally had a top 5 draft pick for the first time in years outside of the Rose/Aldridge years, but even with a new regime and everything falling in place for them to draft an impact player they reached for a backup in college who no one had on their draft boards for top 10 let alone top 20 in F Patrick Williams.

They now have seven power forwards which made the draft selection odd when they needed a SF, C or PG. G Zach Levine has reached his ceiling so he would best to be traded to a contender who wants guys who can help right away and give the Bulls draft picks/young players in return, so G Coby White can play SG. It will be a year to evaluate the talent to see who should stay or who should be traded, but the issue is whether the frontcourt can stay healthy in F Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter (who isn’t a real center) and SF Otto Porter Jr to get a clear evaluation. The Cavaliers have been a mess both times Lebron James left as they drafted small PGs in back to back drafts in Darius Garland and Collin Sexton plus last season their HC John Belin resigned midseason in his first season. They are still paying lots of money for PF Kevin Love who would be best on a contender and they did lose Tristian Thompson in free agency but they knew that might happen so they traded for C Andre Drummond mid season who opted in this season so they are set up front.

This year’s draft they actually drafted well in SF Isaac Okoro who has the ability to become a 3&D player if he improves his shot. Their bench is deep with G Matthew Dellavedova, F Cedi Osman, big men JaVale McGee, Thon Maker and Larry Nance Jr but with a full season of a new coach plus more big men it’s going to be a long season and rebuild. 

Atlantic Division: The Celtics made the ECF which they can do again but got worse this year by trading away C Enes Kanter and not retaining F Gordon Hayward with the only major moves were bringing F Tristian Thompson and G Jeff Teague.

They still have a great core of F Jason Tatum, PG Kemba Walker, guards Jaylin Brown and Marcus Smart with one of the best coaches in basketball in Brad Stevens that they will still be a top four seed this season. They also drafted two guards who will fill in as depth for this team if any of their core players miss time as Walker as missed time last year, plus they still have Daniel Theis and Tacko Fall in the front court. The 76ers hired Darryl Morrey as their president and hired Doc Rivers to replace Brett Brown. First thing they did was trade away C Al Hordford’s huge contract/non shooter G Josh Richardson and got shooters in this move/others in Seth Curry, Danny Green, Terrance Ferguson and 1^st round pick Tyrese Maxey to space the floor.

That will help the two All-Stars in C Joel Embiid and PG Ben Simmons who last had success in the playoffs when they had shooters around them and brought in C Dwight Howard to backup Embiid if he misses time. It will be up to Rivers/Morrey to see if the two stars can co-exist with a new system/shooters and if not which one will they trade if they don’t have any playoff success. The Nets will get a full season of health from SF Kevin Durant and PG Kyrie Irving as the world will see how they co-exist on the court and how far this team can go with them as the two leads as their potential is ECF.

They also kept their core intact by resigning shooter Joe Harris, they still have guards Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and C Jarrett Allen, plus they brought in G Landry Shamet and F Jeff Green. The other interesting thing besides from the All-Star duo will be HC Steve Nash in his first ever attempt at coaching and having his former HC Mike D’Antoni on his staff to help him through this experience. They have a huge bust potential of Irving not getting along with Nash/he might quit before his contract is up or the duo not staying healthy, and if they struggle early do they trade some of their core for another All-Star which would help in the immediate but might hurt down the road. The Raptors surprised many with a second place finish and getting to the second round of the players when Kawi Leonard/Danny Green left but its credit to the culture/system HC Nick Nurse has established. They lost two former All-Stars in Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol and replaced them with centers Aron Baynes and Alex Lenn who are downgrades to pair with PF Pascal Siakam.

Siakam can lead his team to in the East to the playoffs with the core of PG Fred VanFleet who they resigned, G OG Anunoby and PG Kyle Lowry who is his last season with the team. I wouldn’t be surprised if they traded Lowry before he becomes a free agent to recoup the lost assets they haven’t got for the players who have left as they build around the three young ones and the upcoming free agency class. The Knicks didn’t actually have a bad offseason but will still be a lottery team but F Obi Toppin was available to them with the 8^th pick and they cut the glut of PFs they had last year plus signed good role players to one year deals so they have cap space for the 2021 offseason.

They still don’t know who their PG is as they have Dennis Smith Jr, Frank Ntilikina and Elfrid Payton or who their starting PF will be in either Julius Randle or Toppin. Their young core of C Mitchell Robinson, SF Kevin Knox and SG RJ Barrett will be better another year into their careers plus have a good head coach in Tom Thibodeau who they just hired to push them to their limits. The veterans will help this young core as well in development as their good complimentary players in guards Austin Rivers, Alec Burks, Michael Kidd Gilchrist and center Nerlens Noel if not they will be trade pieces. 

Southeast: The Heat surprised everyone by upsetting the Bucks and eventually going on to the NBA finals and they still have the same core intact that has Jimmy Butler, C Bam Adebayo and their stable of young shooters( Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson).

They also retained PG Goran Dragic and added another good veteran guard in Avery Bradley to add to their good veteran bench of SF Andre Iguodala, big men Meyers Leonard and Kelly Olynyk. With another year of growth for the young shooters and Adebayo they can definitely get back to the NBA finals plus Butler showed he is a superstar even if some don’t think. They also added to their depth with their first round pick in PF Precious Achiuwa who was a conference player of the year who averaged a double-double and if there is any team that can get the most out of late 1^st/2^nd round/undrafted players it’s the HC Erik Spoelstra. The Magic are always that team that makes the bottom of the east playoffs because they are just good enough (hovering around .500) because they do have two All-Star caliber players in big men Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic.

They still have the same issue they’ve had for years too many big men that cause Gordon to play some SF when he’s not a good shooter with them having Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac to name some. They did do one good thing which was trading for G Markelle Fultz last year to solve the black hole they had at PG he is steadily showing how good he can be and they drafted G Cole Anthony who was considered a top prospect before the NCAA season who also can help that black hole. Veterans Al-Farouq Aminu, Michael Carter Williams, Terrence Ross, James Ennis, Gary Clark and Evan Fournier all would help out other contenders if the Magic look to unload them if they are out of contention. The Wizards were the only bad team to be invited to the bubble mainly to see SG Bradley Beal play because he is a top SG and now he has another star to play alongside him in PG Russell Westbrook with them trading John Wall for him.

That combo along with them resigning F Davis Bertans makes them a good trio of scorers as the more shooters the better around Westbrook to drive to the basket since he is statistically the worst 3-pt receiver in NBA history. By signing C Robin Lopez it gives them a starting center and they got the steal of the draft in point-forward Deni Avdija 9^th overall from Israel which also pushes F Rui Hachimura to the bench too making them deeper where that might help them make the playoffs this year. The Hawks still have one of best young players in PG Trae Young with a nice young core of forwards John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish, plus get a full season of C Clint Capela who is one of those centers who can guard inside and out.

What they did this offseason was getting help to make the push to being a  playoff contender with their signings in PG Rajon Rondo to help mentor Young, shooters Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic and young defenders in guards Tony Snell and Kris Dunn. They also drafted Onyeka Okongwu a young big man with the 6^th pick which again just makes them such a deep team with him playing behind Capela to start his career. The Hornets were a team that would hover around the playoffs or be an 8^th seed solely because of PG Kemba Walker’s will but this is year two without him and they started over again with a new starting PG this time drafting LaMelo Ball 3^rd overall. They have a horrible history of over paying players in free agency who aren’t that good and then being saddled with their contracts like PG Terry Rozier(from last year), cutting F Nicolas Batum in his last year(spread over three years of dead cap space) or signing too many big men(resigned Bismack Biyombo again) instead of letting C Cody Zeller get a chance to develop properly over the years.

This time they overpaid for SF Gordon Hayward who is clearly injury prone at this point in his career/good for playoff teams for four years and $20 Mil. They still have two nice young players in G Devonte Graham and SF Miles Bridges who will benefit from Ball’s elite playmaking and they drafted three other players this year signaling this rebuild will take awhile. 

Pacific: The reigning NBA champion Lakers got even better this offseason by adding PG Dennis Schroder, reigning 6^th man of the year Montrezl Harrell, C Marc Gasol, G Wesley Matthews, retained F Markieff Morris, guards Jared Dudley,  Kentavious Caldwell Pope and shipped out centers Dwight Howard and Javelle McGee.

C Anthony Davis resigned with them it was just a matter of how much/how long and F Lebron James signed a two year extension. All of the moves this team make this the deepest team James has ever had making them likely to repeat again. The Clippers imploded in the semifinals which led to them firing HC Doc Rivers, Harrell leaving them for the champion Lakers and they perplexedly traded G Landry Shamet for injured Luke Kennard. They did retain PG Reggie Jackson, F Marcus Morris which helps the depth and brought in F/C Serge Ibaka and G/F Nicolas Batum but it doesn’t make up for loss of Harrell/Shamet.

They will turn over the coaching reins to Tyron Lue who did win a championship with James but he really hasn’t been a head coach long enough, but the players got what they wanted with him taking over the role but will it work out? It all centers on the relationship with their big two in SFs Kawhi Leonard/Paul George and the rest of the team all fitting together. So can Lue make it gel if not look for another early exit/maybe Leonard leaving them next year. The Warriors were hoping to be fully healthy this season where they get a full season of guards Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and G Draymond Green where they can be a top 5 seed in the West with a full season of G Andrew Wiggins, but then Thompson tore his Achilles tendon ending his season before it started.

They traded for G Kelly Oubre Jr, brought back Kent Bazemore and signed Brad Wannamaker which they hope can fill the void it leaves but also add to their depth. With the 2^nd overall pick they drafted the best player in the draft/at a position of need which was center in James Wiseman who is 7’1/can also be a big men in today’s game with his versatility, plus he gets to be around/play with the trio that won multiple championships which will help his development going forward. With Thompson’s injury and a deep West it will be hard for them to make the playoffs as top seed but they have a good chance for a lower seed now that this team is back to having some sort of depth with their offseason moves. F Eric Paschall,  Big men Marquese Chriss and Kevin Looney potentially will be on the bench. The Suns were the team of the bubble with how well they played and now they added future Hall of Famer PG Chris Paul who helped another young team to the playoffs in OKC last year, so imagine him with this young core.

They have superstar SG Devin Booker, young big man Deandre Ayton, forwards Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and sharpshooter Dario Saric who they resigned, who all get better with Paul in town. They also brought in F Jae Crowder in for toughness/defense/three point shooting, guards E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway for scoring off the bench and a young rotation piece in F Abdel Nader. They did lose C Aron Baynes a low post defender/rebounder but they used their 1^st round pick on a big man who has a chance to succeed as Ayton’s backup. Paul reunites with his former HC Monty Williams where they can guide this team’s depth and young talent to a lower seed in the West. The Kings almost made the playoffs two seasons ago, last year they took a step back but this year their division just got better(healthy Warriors-LA teams good and CP3 in Phoenix) so it will be another long season for them plus they got worse.

They lost Bogdan Bogdanovic for nothing in free agency, Kent Bazemore and Alex Lin but all they did was just play musical chairs with their moves in bring C Hassan Whiteside, Frank Kaminsky and Glenn Robinson II. This team will only go as far their two best players take them in PG De'Aaron Fox and C Marvin Bagley III(whom health is an issue)but they did get a steal in G Tyrese Haliburton who some thought was top 5 pick where he could develop into a 3 & D wing player. They still are stuck with SF Harrison Barnes huge contract look for them to unload him and other veterans this year. 

Northwest: The Nuggets went to the WCF  last year where they weren’t as good the champion Lakers but showed they are getting closer every year by beating the Clippers, but also with the breakout of PG Jamal Murray and how good C Nikola Jokic continues to be. SF Michael Porter Jr also had a breakout in the bubble so their big 3 will keep getting better which keeps them as top 5 seed, plus they drafted RJ Hampton who is a big guard that scores/faculties which helps Murray and drafted a big men in Zeke Nnaji to help Jokic.

They did lose Jerami Grant, Miles Plumlee and Torrey Craig but with those two draft picks, signing JaMychal Green and retaining PF Paul Millsap will help overcome those losses. Their depth is one of their strengths since they still have guards Will Barton, Gary Harris and the potential of C Bol Bol too. The Jazz still have SG Donovan Mitchell who signed a max contract, C Rudy Gobert, PG Mike Conley, F Joe Ingles, G Bojan Bogdanovic and they resigned G Jordan Clarkson as their core which makes them a contender for a top seed in the West.

They essentially swapped out backup big men for each other in letting Ed Davis go and brought back their former starting PF Derrick Favors to backup Gobert but for too much money. They also drafted a big man who has a similar offensive game to Gobert which the NBA is getting away from but with a late 1^st round pick you can gamble there, but the main issue will be their depth as they really don’t have a bench outside Clarkson. The Trailblazers had a bad season until the bubble where they beat out the Grizzlies for the final playoff spot to lose to the champion Lakers but were a team better than their record they just weren’t healthy. There were missing all three of their big men for big stretches, their second best player SG CJ McCollum also missed time plus they had a hole at SF until they brought in Carmelo Anthony.

What they did in the offseason to help out PG Damian Lillard so he doesn’t have to will his team by itself by bringing back Enes Kanter, signing Harry Giles in case big men Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic miss time, signed forwards Derrick Jones, Robert Covington, resigned Rodney Hood, Anthony to provide depth at the wing/PF position as well. They also now have more flexibility besides depth because Anthony/Covington can play PF and Kanter can as well so look for a better record this year. The Timberwolves now have a good solid core of three players with C Karl Anthony Towns, DeAngelo Russell for a full season and their 1^st overall pick in SF Anthony Edwards who fits their hole at SG as a potential 3 & D guy on the wing to complement them.

They did bring back PG Ricky Rubio to be a nice compliment as a backup to Russell and acquired big men Ed Davis to backup Towns but they would be best suited for a playoff team. They somehow decided to overpay for G Malik Beasley (who they traded for 1^st round pick last year) with 60 million where he is an undersized SG and some guy name Juancho Hernangomez for 21 million as well. They might have two All-Stars, the 1^st overall pick but they are still not going to make the playoffs with this team and might still be in a rebuild. They as also drafted two more guys in the 1^st round with one being an overseas player who probably will not come here for years. The Thunder were a surprise team last year not because they made the playoffs but were tied for the 4^th best record in the West due to PG Chris Paul and HC Billy Donovan mentoring and getting the most of out of all their young talent. Both of them are gone along with C Steven Adams, PF Danilo Gallinari, PG Dennis Schroder, C Nerlens Noel, F Abdel Nader and G Terrance Ferguson.

It looks like a full-scale rebuild as they have at least 18 1^st round picks the next six years and could trade even more of their veterans in SF Trevor Ariza, G George Hill and big man Al Horford who could help playoff teams but will still keep them competitive in games. They are handing the keys to the franchise to G Shai Gilgeous Alexander to lead this team that still has young players guards Hamidou Diallo, Lou Dort, acquired youngsters Ty Jerome and Justin Jackson but it’s going to be a long season/rebuild.

Southwest: The Mavericks finished as 6^th seed in the west with G Luka Doncic in his 2^nd season and he hasn’t even scratched the surface on how good he can be imagine what he will look in season three and how this team will look with its improvements.

They can’t rely on F Kristaps Porzingis but as long as he is healthy for the playoffs to be the second option it will turn out well plus they drafted two guards who will help fill their holes in G Josh Green as a 3 & D guy and G Tyrell Terry. They did lose guards Seth Curry, Delon Wright in trades but it was to clear cap space for upcoming free agency, but got G Josh Richardson to just be a complement player not a key player which didn’t work out for him in Philly. They also resigned G Trey Burke to the core of G Tim Hardaway Jr, big men Dwight Powell, Boban Marjanovic, Maxi Kleber and getting F James Johnson to be an enforcer/protect Doncic was smart too. The Rockets again got superstar G James Harden a running mate in PG John Wall who hasn’t played in two years due to knee, heel, and an Achilles surgery.

It will help Harden more than Westbrook since Wall can shoot the three which Westbrook didn’t as they will make the playoffs just not as a top seed but they also have a new GM promoted from within and a new HC in Stephen Silas a career assistant. They are now back into investing in big men by signing DeMarcus Cousins and getting a steal in Christian Wood which helps out PJ Tucker who got the short end of the stick in small ball lineups. They still have the stable of shooters around Harden in guards Eric Gordon, Daniel House Jr and forwards Gerald Green plus they drafted Kenyon Martin Jr. The Spurs streak of making the playoffs for 22 straight years ended last year where it will continue this year as they are not bad enough to be a bottom feeder and not good enough to make the playoffs since they have G DeMar DeRozan(who opted in), SF Rudy Gay and PF LaMarcus Aldridge.

They did lose guards Marco Belinelli and Bryan Forbes but they only spent money on retaining big men Jakob Poeltl and Drew Eubanks despite having three big men already plus drafted two players with one being a 3 & D guy in Devin Vassell where he lands with a good system. They again have too many guards in Patty Mills, Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker, Keldon Johnson and Derrick White look for them to trade one or two of them. The Pelicans were added to the bubble for one person only which was F Zion Williamson who we all hope he can stay healthy over the course of a season/career as it will be his 2^nd season where players continue to take steps in their career.

They signed F Brandon Ingram to a max contract to keep him next to Zion and traded away G Jrue Holiday for picks as they are team of the future, plus get PG Eric Bledsoe to backup Lonzo Ball but also he can be swapped for picks too. The head scratcher was to trade some of those picks from Milwaukee to OKC for C Steven Adams then signed him to an extension as he doesn’t fit well with Zion/Ingram’s game but at least they know what you get from defense/rebounding/toughness, but I see Jaxson Hayes getting more playing time. They have a nice core of guards in Josh Hart, JJ Redick, and Nickeil Alexander Walker but they drafted another PG potentially when they have Ball and Bledsoe is a head scratcher too. Losing Holiday and some of their depth will push them a step back even with new HC Stan Van Gundy running things no playoffs yet for Zion. The Grizzlies had the 8^th seed most of the season until the bubble-play in game that they lost but the West is too stacked this year for them to be in that position again even with the reigning rookie of the year in PG Ja Morant and big men Jaren Jackson Jr.

Their biggest moves were made last season at the deadline in acquiring F Justise Winslow from Miami and backup C Gorgui Dieng and drafted a 3 & D guy in Desmond Bane plus he can handle the ball. They have a nice core of forwards Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke, Dillon Brooks, guards De'Anthony Melton whom they resigned, Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones and big men Jonas Valanciunas but nice isn’t good enough in the West but they will be fun to watch. 

Translation-Black Eyed Peas Album Review:

 

The Black Eyed Peas or no “the” in the title is back with their eighth album two years after their last album which was their first album in almost a decade. Most fans of the band like myself had zero idea they had a new album two years ago let alone they replaced the lead singer in the band Fergie with someone who sounds almost like her(J Rey Soul). They had made an announcement over social media they were no longer a band a few years back or even longer so everyone forgot about them, hence no idea that a new album was out plus no official word she left the band. Supposedly that album is their going back to their straight up hip-hop-rap roots when they were a trio as a sequel to their second album “Bridging the gap” pre Fergie-pop. This album “Translation” either shouldn’t have been made or been made as an EP with 8-10 song max.

            They decided to jump on the “Reggaeton” craze that has been happening recently and there is much “Spanglish” or saying random Spanish words that seem spoken just to make it Spanish. It has also been described as “Afrobeat, Latin vibe and dance music which it is as you can listen to it at a night club and dance the night away without knowing who was performing or if it all was one long song or songs that all sound the same. It also has ten featured artists out of the fifteen songs, which is way too many for them as they would have one maybe three per album in the past.

            There a few catchy songs like their singles “Ritmo( Bad Boys for life)" which was in the latest “Bad Boys Movie”, “Feel the Beat”, “Mamacita” plus other songs like “Girl Like me”, “No Manana” and “I Woke up”. Then there are two crap songs that should have never been made where one says the F word all the time. The two tracks that do stand out are “Celebrate” as it is reminiscent of their old sound like (“I gotta a feeling” or “Let’s get it started’)  and the one that speaks to how the world is hurting now with what’s going on in current times in “News today” as it reminds you of “Where is the love”.

            It is not like this is album is horrible but if you’re a fan of them you know how good they are blending many genres into one sound over an entire album. This is all the same thing throughout it doesn’t blend Pop, Rock, Rap and Hip-Hop together whatsoever which is makes them so good. It only has the electronica-dance-fake music that they are famous for but that doesn’t mean it should be the only thing on the album.Will.I.AM is a professional songwriter-music maker for many artists not just him, the band or Fergie so you can trust to put a whole album together but once he gets committed to something he finishes all the way through. This time thought he went in the wrong direction here as this is album is lost in “Translation”.