Finally! ABC Casts the First African American Bachelor
Yes, I admit that watching Bachelor Nation shows is one of my guilty pleasures, and it was becoming guiltier by the season because of the lack of diversity. But at last there’s something to celebrate — Matt James, who was originally cast as a contestant on the upcoming Clare Crawley season of The Bachelorette, has been named as the first black Bachelor.
“Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare’s season. When filming couldn’t move forward as planned, we were given the benefit of time to get to know Matt and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor,” said ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke. Get more info on this ideal guy at HollywoodReporter.com.
Thank Your Starz for MEN IN KILTS With Sam Heughan
Starz has just picked up a unscripted travel docu-series called Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham created by and starring Sam Heughan (Outlander’s Jamie Fraser) and Graham McTavish (Outlander’s Dougal Mackenzie). The half-hour, eight-episode series is described as “a celebration of Scottish history and culture as Heughan and McTavish take viewers along on their adventures, discovering the rich, complex heritage of their native country, meeting various local artisans and experts, and experiencing genuine moments of awe and fascination as the duo share their travels.” Get all the juicy details here.
Which Streamer Do Folks Like Best? (Hint: the Happiest One)
Disney+ came out on top of a new survey on telecommunications companies from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The happiest digital place on earth was followed by last year’s winner, Netflix, which came in second, followed by Hulu and Apple TV (tied), then Amazon Prime Video and Microsoft Store, which also tied. Do you agree?
Check Out the 2020 Real TV Nominations
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) (of which I am a humble member) and nonfiction producers’ organization NPACT just unveiled the nominees for the second annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms.
Sneak peek: Netflix’s Cheer and VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race lead this year’s field with five nominations each. For the rest of the nominees, click here. And please let us know if you think we got them right.
For Your Father’s Day Viewing Pleasure
It’s highly unlikely that Dad will be able to watch live broadcasts of his favorite sports this Father’s Day, so leave it to HGTV to come up with an alternative the whole family can enjoy (and some of us would prefer). It’s an all-day, binge-worthy marathon featuring the network’s superstar dads as they knock down walls, rip out old cabinets and pull up rotted floors to create dream homes for families.
On Sunday, June 21, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT, HGTV’s Dad-A-Thon offers an ideal family-friendly lineup, spotlighting specially selected episodes of popular series Holmes and Holmes, Flipping 101 w/ Tarek El Moussa, Fixer to Fabulous and Home Town, followed by premiere episodes of Home Town: Watch Party with Ben and Erin at 7 p.m. ET/PT, Renovation Island at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Boise Boys: Outgrown at 9 p.m. ET/PT. We’re totally in at Chez Mandell.
Some Good News on CBS
John Krasinski’s freewheeling from home good news cast has been picked up by CBS for its All Access streaming channel. The show, entitled Some Good News, launched March 30 on YouTube at the beginning of the international quarantine, and ran for eight episodes. Episode seven, which featured Krasinski’s former cast mates from The Office, had 11 million views! Krasinski says he’ll executive produce the show, but will not host it.
Watch Country Crooner Kelley Swindall’s Newly Released Video
She’s been described as “a little bit Lucinda, perhaps a bit of Patsy, and a dash of Dolly,” but country music’s Kelley Swindall is also an original, giving new country songs a classic twist. Her new album title track (below) will blow you away. Find out about the classic songs that inspired her (some of your favorites too, for sure) and learn more about her here.
Carole Baskin Gets the Tiger King’s Animal Park
Hey all you cool cats and kittens! Carole Baskin, who was continuously vilified in by Joe Exotic in the Netflix super hit Tiger King, has been awarded ownership of of Exotic’s zoo as payment in a trademark lawsuit. A Federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that Exotic’s effort to evade creditors by transferring ownership of the property to his mother was fraudulent. Meanwhile, Exotic pleads “Please keep my story alive and please keep asking our dear President to make this right and pardon me,” via Twitter.
The Good Fight to Be Less Cushy
First it was announced that Delroy Lindo is leaving The Good Fight, and now Cush Jumbo is out the door. Those are some major Manolos to fill! Neither one of them got to end their story arcs this season, as it was cut short by several episodes due to Covid-19. Rumor has it they’ll both be back for at least a piece of the upcoming Season 5, so that they can get a proper send-off. We’ll definitely miss them!
The Amount of Ca$h Contestants on THE BACHELOR Make Will Blow You Away!
I’d always thought how much Bachelor contestants make depends on the number of episodes they manage to hang in there. But AT&T’s All Home Connections reveals that I’ve been so wrong! The real bucks come from social media influencer earnings. And I was overwhelmed by the vast amounts! For example, Hannah Brown now has 2.6 million followers, and gets a whopping $5,260–$8,767… per post! Holy crap! Find out who makes the most and who makes the least from the past two seasons here.
Wonder Woman Meets Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr was a bit of a Wonder Woman herself — not only did the Austrian born actress appear in more than 30 films, but she also co-invented an early version of frequency-hopping spread spectrum! So it makes sense that Wonder Woman Gal Gadot would play her in a new limited TV series, which had been in development at Showtime but has now landed at Apple TV. No word yet on when it might be ready, but I’ll be sure to keep you posted on its progress.
For Your Guilty Pleasure — A New Season of Selling Sunset
If you like gorgeous, Hollywood (hills) real estate, and gorgeous, Hollywood realtors, check out the recently premiered second season of Selling Sunset on Netflix. Jason Oppenhiem and his glamorous crew are back for even bigger and more luxurious wheelings and dealings. I love to spot the homes I’ve been in and written about, and you will love to see the fascinating ways people chose to spend, or not spend, their money.
