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#TheRoundUp By Enzer - No. 63

HOT ON TV 

The U.S.’s version of Ex On The Beach on MTV is a television franchise adaptation success. Joining the adapted hit television shows club featuring Shameless (Showtime), The Voice USA, Mistresses USA, American Idol, Love Island USA, to name a few, which are all American adaptations whose producers’ work ‘neatly ironed-out production creases’, Ex On The Beach stands out (a little) by continuously reinventing the on-screen dating genre. 

The show which casts reality television stars as main cast members recently had an LGBTI+ season with a Queer main cast (Are You The One on MTV also had a Queer season in 2019), and the current season which is set at a ski resort features a few British reality television stars! 

Now that’s unmissable television. 

Ex On The Beach is the 7th #EWRecognitions’ Outstanding Dating Reality Series 2019. 

One dating show whose return/reboot I was excited about was Temptation Island on USA Network. Sadly, the show has not lived up to expectations, but I am pleased with a few of the other aspects of the production mainly the cast, the set and the challenges set out for the couples (though it sounds kinda silly to think that 'separated' partners would not cheat on each other if they were stuck on a romantic island with people they are most probably sexually attracted to). 

Netflix’s The Circle is a hit!

If you haven’t streamed the show yet, please do, because it’s like nothing you have ever seen before on television; 100% fact! 

The series which is also an adaption of the U.K.’s The Circle on Channel 4, is a challenge series about a group of everyday people who are accommodated in an apartment building but can only communicate with each other via a voice-controlled app. 

Many reviewers are calling it a clever mashup of Big Brother and Catfish (MTV) because it possesses all of those elements. It's a great start to a new and promising decade on Television. 

HOTTER:

The 2020 Golden Globes were hosted by Ricky Gervais for the fifth time this past couple of weeks. 

I enjoyed watching Ricky, mainly because of his good jokes. Sadly, he may not be returning to host the event again. 

However, I recently read somewhere that Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are returning as hosts in 2021. I am looking forward to that. 

The highlight was when Ellen DeGeneres received a high honor for her work in television and thanked the Globes with a humorous but inspiring speech. #SheIsALegendIndeed

Who failed to notice how seriously uncomfortable Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston looked? #Awkward

Oh, and can umm Trevor Noah host the show in 2022, please? 

I think he’d be great. #JustPuttingItOutThere

The 25th SAG Awards 2020, hosted by Taye Diggs look well-produced this time. That’s one ceremony I’d love to attend during Hollywood’s awards season. 

The 2020 Critics’ Choice Awards were not bad, and the judges did a great job at critiquing. 

The 7th E.W. Recognitions’ Outstanding Fictional Television Series 2019, You’s second season was released by Netflix on Boxing Day 2019 to much global fanfare. The producers and writers of the series knocked it out of the park and deserve all the media attention - and a third season. Yes, I am as excited as you are about finding out who the mysterious lady on the other side of the picket fence is. 

I also got to live-tweet whilst watching the first episode of the second season where I predicted that the character Love (played by Victoria Pedretti) was also a cold-blooded killer like Joe/Will (played by Penn Badgley). 

Type in #EWLiveTweet #YouNetflix into your twitter search bar, click search, and all of the tweets will appear on your screen.

Other shows to catch: This Is Us, Riverdale, Dynasty, How to Get Away with Murder, Empire, Love Island (ITV2), The Haves and the Have Nots (OWN), The Bachelor USA, Will & Grace, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy. 

WEB TV: 

The 2019 Streamy Awards took place in Hollywood last December and featured some of the internet’s popular personalities plus a lackluster performance by Normani. 

This is the second time that Normani has performed sub-optimally; her VMAs performance was lousy. But I guess her 2018 Billboard Music Awards performance with Khalid will forever be her saving grace. 

I enjoyed watching the show mainly because it brings a little bit of pizzazz to the web-entertainment sphere even if it’s just for a single day. I mean, hosting an event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel says a lot about the status of the parties concerned, right?

Don’t miss out on E.W.’s T.V. Moments on Twitter and Facebook! Use the hashtag #EWTVMoments to find all of the selected videos. 

A.I. UPDATE:

David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Nick Fradiani, Trent Harmon, Laine Hardy. 

What do the aforementioned have in common? 

Well, they are all A.I. winners who are also known as ‘White Boys with Guitars.’

To be frank, none of them have achieved extreme success unlike some of the female winners but they’re popular records are timeless classics that get me into any type of mood, according to the track of course. 

And it doesn’t hurt that they are cute. Yep, they should have called them ‘The Cute White Boys with Guitars.'

Who’s my favorite? 

Well, I’m forced to pick Nick Fradiani because he follows E.W. on Twitter. Yes guys, follow E.W. on Twitter next time, LOL. 

A.I. returns soon. Hopefully, the show keeps me glued to my screen all season long. 

E.W. GLOBAL:

Channel 4’s The Circle is like a new version of Big Brother (Channel 5). The show which is also hosted by Big Brother’s Emma Willis, adds interesting elements to the game (voice-controlled app, the seclusion of participants, catfishing, instant elimination, and evictions) but fails to truly differentiate itself from Big Brother. 

However, I am glad that Big Brother is slowly becoming a distant memory because of the show. 

Hopefully, it keeps viewers engaged just like shows such as Love Island.

THROWBACK:

Greek, a dramedy about college students who are obsessed with their school’s Greek system initially aired back in 2009 to 2011. I wish I could binge-watch the show back then instead of waiting a week and sometimes half a year for a new episode. #Totally Binge-worthy. 

SPEAK OUT

#Quotes

“Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.” – MELBA COLGROVE

“Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands – and then eat just one of those pieces.” – JUDITH VIORST

“Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.” – HENRY DAVID THOREAU

“The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear.” – MAYA ANGELOU

“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart, head and hands.” – ROBERT M. PIRSIG

“The size of the future you actually experience will largely be determined by one factor: the people you choose to connect with. When you invite people who are truly committed to growth into every aspect of your life, your own potential for growth becomes truly unlimited.” – DAN SULLIVAN

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” – ARISTOTLE

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.” – HENRY DAVID THOREAU

“Don’t live for the sake of living, live for the livings’ sake. Live to make a positive impact.” – KENNETH NNABO

“It is not falling into the water, but lying in it that drowns.” – UNKNOWN

MUSIC SPOT

THESE ALBUMS ROCK!:

Romance (Camila Cabello)

Songs We Like: Shameless; Living Proof; Senorita (with Shawn Mendes); Liar; Easy; My Oh My (ft. DaBaby). 

Album Name: I love the album title! #Romance

Rare (Selena Gomez)

Songs We Like: Rare; Look at Her Now; Lose You to Love Me; Bad Liar; Fetish (ft. Gucci Mane); It Ain’t Me (with Kygo); Back to You; Wolves (with Marshmello). 

Album Name: I guess she is. 

Christmas in the City (Lea Michele)

Songs We Like: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year; Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; Christmas in New York; I’ll Be Home for Christmas (ft. Jonathan Groff); O Holy Night. 

Album Name: Perfect!

Hurts 2B Human (P!nk)

Songs We Like: Walk Me Home; Hurts 2B Human (ft. Khalid); Can We Pretend (ft. Cash Cash). 

Album Name: Well, sometimes. 

Manic (Halsey)

Songs We Like: Graveyard; Without Me; 929; You Should Be Sad. 

Album Name: Best album title!

Cuz I Love You (Lizzo)

Songs We Like: Juice; Jerome; Tempo (ft. Missy Elliott); Truth Hurts; Good as Hell; Good as Hell Remix (ft. Ariana Grande).

Album Name: Who? Us?

BUZZING MUSIC VIDEOS OF NOW:

1. MuGarden (Winky D ft. Gemma Griffiths)

View all of E.W.’s top music videos right now by simply typing in: 

‘MUSIC SPOT #SongOfTheDay’

…into your Twitter Search Bar (and then click ‘Search’) and all of the tweets will appear on your screen.

For new music videos, cover versions, classics, lyric videos, acoustic versions or live performances type in:

‘MUSIC SPOT #FreshVideo’

Or

‘MUSIC SPOT #CoverSongOfTheDay’ 

Or

‘MUSIC SPOT #Classic’

Or

‘MUSIC SPOT #LyricVideo’ 

Or

‘MUSIC SPOT #Live’

FLICK PICK

Jexi is a film about an average dude who purchases a smartphone from a tech store tended by Wanda Sykes (well, her character in the movie) which has the capability of taking over and ruining his life, which it does. 

It’s a well-written comedy, starring Adam Devine as the lead which humorously perpetuates the notion that tech gadgets could one day take over the world.

I swear you’ll want more when the ending credits begin rolling. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

WHO'S TAGGING E.W.?: - 

‘til Next Time

>>> Totally Unbiased <<<