#Tulsa Jazz Music Group

[tulsajazz]

The Cynthia Simmons Quintet at LowDown Jazz Club!

The Cynthia Simmons Quintet at LowDown Jazz Club

[artisticlegshake]

THE DANCE AWARDS ORLANDO RESULTS 2024

HIGH SCORE BY PERFORMANCE DIVISION (TEEN SMALL GROUPS)

BALLET:

1st Moonlight - WESTCHESTER

2nd Egyptian Elegance - DANCE SPECTRUM

CONTEMPORARY:

1st Demonstration Of Duality - DANCE UNLIMITED

2nd In Tandem - G-FORCE

3rd Brûlée - ART & SOUL

4th Seen & Heard - G-FORCE

5th Grey, Dark Grey, Black - VLAD’S

LYRICAL:

1st Quiet Victories & Celebrated Defeats - STARS

2nd Bitter - MATHER

2nd Natalie Don’t - MATHER

3rd We Stand In Silence - WESTCHESTER

4th No Fear - STUDIO 412

5th Dance Me To The End - AVANTI

5th Little Much - FOCAL POINT

JAZZ:

1st You Don’t Love Me - PROJECT 21

2nd Never Gonna Get It - AVANTI

3rd Funkytown - G-FORCE

4th Heads Will Roll - STUDIO 412

4th Secure The Bag - PRODANCE

5th Bad Bad Thing - SOUTH TULSA

TAP:

1st I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song - YOUNG

2nd What’s Going On - FITZSIMMONS

3rd Magic - THE SOUTERN STRUTT

4th Dream On - RHYTHM

4th We Are The Music - TOUCH OF CLASS

5th Coming Back Around - THE DANCER’S EDGE

5th Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing - YOUNG

MUSICAL THEATRE:

1st Annie Get Your Gun - THE STUDIO PROJECT

2nd Nicest Kids In Town - WEST FLORIDA

HIP-HOP:

1st Scrubs - PRODANCE

2nd Identity Crew - THE DANCER’S EDGE

3rd Faaliyah Self - ROCKSTAR

3rd Groove - J2K

4th Lean Back - TOUCH OF CLASS

4th Lose Control - THE STUDIO PROJECT

5th I Look Good - WEST FLORIDA

5th The Lab Mix - ELITE DANCE LAB

BALLROOM:

1st Shaken - D’ANSA JAZZ

SPECIALTY:

1st A Return To Now - EDX

2nd Among My Quietest Fears - VLAD’S

3rd Everything Happens - YOUNG

4th Freak - DANCE UNLIMITED

4th On It - FOCAL POINT

5th A Cat That Really Was Gone - AVANTI

5th Float On - CDC

[mrbopst]

Alto saxophonist Earl Bostic was a technical master of his instrument, yet remained somewhat underappreciated by jazz fans due to the string of simple, popular R&B/jump blues hits he recorded during his heyday in the '50s.

Born Eugene Earl Bostic in Tulsa, OK, on April 25, 1913, Bostic played around the Midwest during the early '30s, studied at Xavier University, and toured with several bands before moving to New York in 1938. There he played for Don Redman, Edgar Hayes, and Lionel Hampton, making his record debut with the latter in 1939. In the early '40s, he worked as an arranger and session musician, and began leading his own regular large group in 1945. Cutting back to a septet the next year, Bostic began recording regularly, scoring his first big hit with 1948's "Temptation." He soon signed with the King label, the home of most of his biggest jukebox hits, which usually featured a driving, heavy, R&B-ish beat and an alto sound that could be smooth and romantic or aggressive and bluesy.

In 1951, Bostic landed a number one R&B hit with "Flamingo," plus another Top Ten in "Sleep." Subsequent hits included "You Go to My Head" and "Cherokee." Bostic's bands became important training grounds for up-and-coming jazzmen like John Coltrane, Blue Mitchell, Stanley Turrentine, Benny Golson, Jaki Byard, and others. Unfortunately, Bostic suffered a heart attack in the late '50s, which kept him away from music for two years. He returned to performing in 1959, but didn't record quite as extensively; when he did record in the '60s, his sessions were more soul-jazz than the proto-R&B of old. On October 28, 1965, Bostic suffered a fatal heart attack while playing a hotel in Rochester, NY.

[lboogie1906]

Wayman Lawrence Tisdale (June 9, 1964 - May 15, 2009) R&B bass guitarist and basketball player was born in Fort Worth, the youngest of six children of Louis Tisdale, a minister, and Deborah “Momma Tiz” Mathias Tisdale. He was reared in Tulsa, where he began playing the guitar in his father’s church.

He graduated from Booker T. Washington, where he was a star player with numerous scholarship offers. He enrolled in the University of Oklahoma, where he was named a first-team All-American three times, averaging 25.6 points and over 10 rebounds per game, thus being the first college player to earn a spot in his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons. While he was a three-time All-American at Oklahoma, he was as gifted and recognized as a musician on the stage. He would take his guitar with him during basketball tours.

He played on the US Olympic team in Los Angeles and helped bring home a gold medal. He was drafted during his junior year, the second pick overall by the Indiana Pacers, and as a rookie, he averaged 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

He played with the Sacramento Kings and he played with the Phoenix Suns. In 1995, however, he began his professional recording as a musician with the debut album, Power Forward. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Jazz chart even while he continued playing professional basketball. He composed the song “Payday” for The Winans gospel group, which peaked at #74 on Billboard’s R&B chart. He retired after a 12-year basketball career. Although he averaged more than 15 points and six rebounds per game, per season, he now turned to developing his music career full-time.

He was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame with the Legacy Tribute Award. The NAACP nominated him as an “Outstanding Jazz Artist” for its Image Awards. He released the album Way Up from Rendezvous Entertainment’s label. It reached #116 on the Billboard 200 album chart. This album allowed him to collaborate with jazz giants. He returned to the studio and released the collection Rebound, which peaked at #121. He recorded nine albums as a bassist and he was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

JAY McSHANN, KANSAS CITY STYLE

"You'd hear some cat play, and somebody would say, 'This cat, he sounds like he's from Kansas City.' It was Kansas City Style. They knew it on the East Coast. They knew it on the West Coast. They knew it up North, and they knew it down South."

- Jay McShann

Né le 12 janvier 1916 à Muskogee, en Oklahoma, James Columbus McShann était le plus jeune fils d’une famille de quatre enfants. Élevé dans une famille très religieuse, McShann avait appris à jouer du piano en assistant aux leçons de sa soeur et en mémorisant les pièces qu’il entendait à la radio. C’est dans le magasin de son père, qui était également vendeur de disques, que McShann avait entendu pour la première fois Bessie Smith et James P. Johnson. McShann avait commencé à jouer du blues malgré la désapprobation de sa famille.

Très influencé par les émissions de fin de soirée du pianiste Fats Waller au Grand Terrace Cafe de Chicago, McShann avait déclaré: "When 'Fatha' (Hines) went off the air, I went to bed". Même s’il avait étudié au Tuskegee Institute, McShann avait surtout appris à jouer du piano en autodidacte.

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Surnommé ‘’Hootie’’, McShann a amorcé sa carrière professionnelle en 1931 à l’âge de seulement quinze ans, en accompagnant le saxophoniste ténor Don Byas dans les environs de Tulsa, en Oklahoma, et en Arkansas. Selon McShann, un de ses amis de Tulsa, le contrebassiste Bill Hadnot, lui avait déclaré lors d’un voyage en autobus en direction d’Omaha, au Nebraska: ‘’Man, this is where you want to stay. This is where the music is. You don’t want to be going to Omaha." McShann aurait alors rebroussé chemin pour se diriger vers Kansas City, au Missouri.

Après s’être installé à Kansas City en 1936, McShann s’était produit avec un trio composé du contrebassiste Oliver Todd et du batteur Elmer Hopkins. Au cours des mois suivants, McShann avait travaillé avec le saxophoniste alto Buster Smith et le trompettiste Dee Stewart. McShann avait  formé son propre sextet en 1937. À la fin de l’année 1939, McShann avait fondé son propre big band qui fut bientôt reconnu comme des groupes les plus progressistes de l’ère swing. L’orchestre s’était produit au Pla-Mor Ballroom, au Century Room et au Fairyland Park de Kansas City.

McShann, qui s’était vite imposé auprès de la communauté musicale de Kansas City (plus particulièrement dans le quartier délimité par les 12e et 18e rues), se produisait régulièrement au Monroe Inn, un club situé sur Independence Avenue. C’est alors que McShann avait découvert Charlie Parker. McShann avait entendu Parker jouer pour la première fois après s’être arrêté par hasard au Bar Lu-Duc situé au coin de la 12e rue et de Charlotte Street. La façon de jouer de Parker avait tellement été une révélation pour McShann qu’il avait décidé de lui donner sa chance. Le groupe, qui se produisait au Plaza de Kansas City, un célèbre club de jazz, avait été une des premières formations à briser la barrière raciale. Comme l’avait expliqué McShann, "At the time the Plaza didn't use black bands. We were the first black band to play the plaza." Bientôt augmenté à une douzaine de membres, le groupe de McShann s’était produit dans certaines des plus importantes salles de danse de Kansas City, comme le Pla-Mor Ballroom.

En 1940, accompagné de sept des membres de son orchestre, McShann avait fait les premiers enregistrements de sa carrière dans le cadre d’une session organisée par une station de radio de Wichita, au Kansas. Cette session, qui ne fut finalement publiée que dans les années 1970, comprenait certains des premiers enregistrements de Parker, dont ‘’Lady Be Good’’ et ‘’Honeysuckle Rose." Participaient également à la session Gene Ramey à la contrebasse et Gus Johnson à la batterie.

Conteur né, McShann adorait raconter comment Charlie Parker s’était mérité son surnom de ‘’Bird.’’ Le groupe se rendait jouer à Lincoln au Nebraska lorsque le conducteur de l’automobile avait heurté un poulet par inadvertance. Aux dires de McShann, après avoir demandé au chauffeur de faire un virage pour qu’il puisse attraper le poulet, Parker s’était assis avec le volatile sur le siège arrière du véhicule. À son arrivée à Lincoln, Parker avait fait cuire le poulet et l’avait servi à dîner...

McShann avait fait ses débuts sur disque en 1941 sur étiquette Decca. La session, qui avait lieu à Dallas, au Texas, devait comprendre à l’origine une composition de Parker intitulée ‘’What Price Is Love’’, qui devint éventuellement connue sous le titre de ‘’Yardbird Suite.’’ Le producteur Dave Kapp s’intéressant davantage au répertoire de blues du groupe, McShann lui avait proposé plusieurs pièces de blues et de boogie woogie. La session avait éventuellement donné naissance au plus grand succès de la carrière de McShann, "Confessin' the Blues", qui mettait en vedette le chanteur Walter Brown. La chanson, qui s’était écoulée à plus de 150 000 copies, avait remporté tellement de succès que Decca avait immédiatement planifié d’autres sessions avec le groupe de McShann. Même si la formation avait enregistré plusieurs pièces qui avaient fait le pont entre le swing et le bebop (y compris le premier témoignage enregistré du génie de Parker, ‘’Hootie’s Blues’’), le succès rencontré par les premières enregistrements du groupe avait eu l’effet pervers de confiner McShann dans une réputation de pianiste de blues. Parmi les autres pièces enregistrées par Parker avec l’orchestre de McShann, on remarquait notamment ‘’Jumpin The Blues,” “Sepian Bounce” et “Swingmatism.”

Associé au style de Kansas City qui avait été popularisé par des musiciens de jazz comme Pete Johnson, Mary Lou Williams, Big Joe Turner, Hot Lips Page, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Walter Page, Andy Kirk, Benny Moten et Count Basie, McShann avait déclaré à l’Associated Press en 2003: "You'd hear some cat play, and somebody would say, 'This cat, he sounds like he's from Kansas City.' It was Kansas City Style. They knew it on the East Coast. They knew it on the West Coast. They knew it up North, and they knew it down South."

McShann s’était produit pour la première fois à New York dans le cadre d’un concert au Savoy Ballroom en février 1942. Retransmis à la radio, le concert avait permis à l’orchestre de McShann d’atteindre une renommée nationale.

Concurrent direct de Count Basie, l’orchestre de McShann mettait en vedette de grands noms du jazz comme les saxophonistes Charlie Parker (1937-42), Ben Webster, Paul Quinichette (1943), Jimmy Coe et Jimmy Forrest, le trompettiste Bernard Anderson, le contrebassiste Gene Ramey (1940-44), les batteurs Gus Johnson (1940–42) et Harold "Doc" West, et les chanteurs Walter Brown, Jimmy Witherspoon,  Al Hibbler et Earl Coleman. Même si McShann faisait énormément de tournées, il était de plus en plus difficile pour les groupes de jazz de se faire connaître, en raison de la grève de l’Union des Musiciens qui limitait les possibilités d’enregistrer avec les grands studios. À l’automne 1942, le pianiste Earl Hines avait encore compliqué la situation en recrutant cinq membres du groupe de McShann, dont Charlie Parker. Le changement de décor n’avait cependant rien amélioré pour Parker, dont les problèmes de dépendance avaient rendu le comportement de plus en plus erratique.

Même si l’orchestre de McShann jouait du swing, du boogie woogie et du blues en spectacle, la plupart de ses disques étaient orientés vers le blues. McShann avait démantelé son groupe après avoir été mobilisé par l’armée en mai 1944. Le groupe avait participé à une dernière session d’enregistrement en décembre 1943, mais sans Charlie Parker, qui avait déjà rejoint l’orchestre de Hines.

Après sa démobilisation, McShann avait formé de petits groupes de Rhythm n’ blues qui s’étaient d’abord produits dans des clubs de New York et qui avaient enregistré des succès comme “Money’s Getting’ Cheaper”, “Shipyard Woman Blues’’ et surtout “Ain’t Nobody’s Business”. À l’époque, avec l’émergence du bebop et des chanteurs de charme, l’ère des big bands tirait à sa fin. Au cours d’une entrevue, McShann avait expliqué à quel point les choses avaient changé durant son séjour dans l’armée: "During that little while I was in the army, everything changed. It was a different thing because a lot of the dance halls were turned into bowling alleys." L’époque des grands orchestres étant révolue, McShann avait décidé de quitter New York pour s’installer à Los Angeles. Il précisait: "By the time I got to California, I decided that I was through with trying to have a big band because it was too expensive, so I formed a small blues combo."

C’est à Los Angeles que McShann avait inauguré une longue collaboration avec le chanteur de blues Jimmy Witherspoon, avec lequel il avait enregistré plusieurs pièces pour les maisons de disques Mercury et Aladdin.

Quatre ans après avoir commencé à enregistrer avec McShann, Witherspoon avait connu un premier grand succès en 1949 avec la chanson "Ain't Nobody's Business". Tout en collaborant à l’écriture de certaines pièces, Witherspoon avait continué d’enregistrer avec le groupe de McShann, qui comprenait à l’époque de grands noms du jazz comme Ben Webster.

Au début des années 1950, McShann  était retourné à Kansas City, où il avait opéré une entreprise de cueillette d’ordures ainsi que service de limousine, tout en poursuivant ses études au Conservatoire.

Tout en s’occupant de sa famille, McShann faisait régulièrement des tournées avec son trio et d’autres petits groupes. Durant les deux décennies suivantes, McShann avait travaillé principalement dans le Midwest.

En 1955, McShann avait remporté un grand succès avec la chanson "Hands Off", interprétée par la chanteuse Priscilla Bowman. En décembre 1957, McShann avait de nouveau fait équipe avec Jimmy Witherspoon dans le cadre d’une session pour les disques RCA Victor.

À la fin des années 1960, McShann se produisait souvent autant comme chanteur que comme pianiste. Sur les conseils de Duke Ellington, il avait fait une tournée en Europe en 1969, où il avait développé une clientèle de fervents admirateurs. Durant les trente années suivantes, McShann faisait régulièrement la navette entre l’Europe et les États-Unis, en plus de se produire dans plusieurs festivals de jazz à travers le monde.

Tombé dans une relative obscurité, McShann avait vécu une sorte de renaissance au cours des années 1970 et 1980. Il avait recommencé à enregistrer régulièrement et à donner de nombreux concerts, notamment avec le violoniste de Kansas City, Claude ‘’Fiddler’’ Williams.

Après avoir fait l’objet d’un documentaire biographique intitulé ‘’Hootie’s Blues’’ en 1978, McShann avait fait une apparition remarquée en 1979 dans le film ‘’The Last of the Blue Devils’’, un documentaire sur le jazz de Kansas City.

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Durant les années 1990, McShann avait continué de se produire sur scène et de faire des tournées. Même à plus de quatre-vingt ans, McShann continuait de donner des concerts à l’occasion, plus particulièrement dans la région de Kansas City. McShann avait donné son dernier concert à Toronto, en Ontario, en février 2001.

Jay McShann est décédé au  St. Luke’s Hospital de Kansas City le 7 décembre 2006 à l’âge de quatre-vingt-dix ans.

Jay McShann  s’est mérité plusieurs prix au cours de sa longue carrière. Élu ‘’Jazz Master’’ par la National Endowment for the Arts en 1986, il fut également intronisé au sein du Kansas City Hall of Fame (1971), du Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame (1998) et du Blues Hall of Fame (1989). En 1982, l’Afro-American Museum de Philadelphie lui a aussi décerné un Jazz Master Award. McShann a également remporté un Pioneer Award décerné par la Rhythm and Blues Foundation en 1996. McShann est aussi lauréat du Kansas City Jazz Heritage Award et du Jazz Era Pioneer Award décerné par la National Association of Jazz Educators. En 1979, le 3 mars a été déclaré la journée officielle Jay McShann par une proclamation du gouverneur du Missouri.

En 2003, McShann avait aussi fait une apparition dans un documentaire de Clint Eastwood, intitulé ‘’Piano Blues.’’

©-2023-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

[lunarfleur]

The Outsider’s music au thoughts

I did this for myself bro

Tagging: @collieflower215 @sophie-i-guess13 @sparklenarniawizard @aint-we-the-hoi-polloi @whyareyouhere66 @juneberrie

Mr. and Mrs. Curtis

The boys’ parents were what sparked their musical inspiration. Their mother played piano and had a lovely voice. Their father played guitar and sung a bit, he had 2 guitars.

Darrel Curtis

Darry uses his musical ability to make money for bills and stuff. He plays guitar and sings, but also knows some basic piano. He goes busking near the town’s busiest areas and plays at bars and restaurants and gets paid that way. Everyone once and a while he makes in some good money and uses it towards making life his brothers a little better.

In case you didn’t know, guitars are expensive. Darry only has one, an old and well loved classical guitar. Because he struggles with money so much, he’s learned the basics of guitar repair. He makes some extra money this way because other musicians with not a lot of money will go to him and get their guitars repaired for a cheap price.

Darry got one of his father’s guitars, the other one unfortunately had to get sold because Darry was having extra problems with money.

Sodapop Curtis

Soda was a mama’s boy. It was common for him to be found next to his mother on the bench of the piano that they have. His mother taught him everything she knew up until her death. Soda still plays. He knows the basics of guitar, a few chords and strumming patterns. But more than anything, he sings. His voice is a bit higher and the way he sings makes it obvious that he’s a theater kid. He sounds like he stars in musicals.

Soda’s a theater kid. Not only does he have a beautiful voice, he’s pretty and a good actor. This, of course, gets him the lead male role in every musical and every play.

The majority of his dreams revolve around theater. He wants to be on broadway. He wants to be famous. He wants his name in lights.

Ponyboy Curtis

Pony is naturally just very talented. He’s great and piano and, even though he doesn’t really want to learn, he’s pretty good at guitar too. His voice, though, is his biggest asset. It’s very beautiful and he has a pretty wide range.

Pony doesn’t really want anything too big for his life. He wants to be a solo musician who’s always heard on the radio. He wants his music to be the music everyone always quiets down for, the music everyone turns up.

Since he’s just a kid, he doesn’t really do anything with his talent except practice alone. He’s got a bit of stage fright, so playing in front of others is hard. But he always plays for his brothers, always. Pony doesn’t see it, but when he sits at that piano, Darry swears he looks like their mother.

Two-Bit Mathews

Some of you might disagree with this, but Two is a jazz musician. Due to his talent in shoplifting, he owns a trumpet and an alto saxophone. Surprisingly, no one knows he stole them.

He can’t sing or dance for shit but is considered the Miles Davis of Tulsa. He’s a huge fan of Louis Armstrong and is always found covering his songs. He also really like Chet Baker, who is my personal favorite jazz musician.

Two plays at a lot of bars. He has some friends back him up while he plays either his trumpet or his sax. He’s a crowd favorite because, not only is he good, he cracks the funniest jokes in between songs. It’s never a dull night when Two-Bit plays.

Steve Randle

Steve’s kind of like the Elvis Presley of the group, if we’re talking about backstory. Before his family found their way to Tulsa, he lived in a small, very poor, predominantly black town. But, despite having little money, it was always thriving with music. All around town you could find women with powerful voices. At least half the houses in every street had someone who could play guitar.

That’s what Steve does, plays guitar. His favorite person in that whole town was this old man who lived a few houses down. He’s always have his guitar and harmonica out and would always play for the kids around. Everyone loved him. They all called him Old Man Robbie, though his real name was Robert Jones. He was a wise man who always told Steve to take his time with life. “You can afford to lose a day or two,” he always said. When Steve asked, Old Man Robbie gladly taught him guitar. The guitar Steve owns belonged to Robbie. It’s what Robbie gave him right before he passed.

Steve doesn’t do much with his talent except do what Old Man Robbie did. He sits around town and plays for kids. Steve swears up and down he doesn’t like children, but no one believes it.

Johnny Cade

Johnny is Pony’s best friend. He spends most of his time helping Pony with his original songs, giving his opinions and helping with alterations.

Johnny wants to play guitar, more than anything. I, personally, headcanon Johnny as black. But despite this, he wasn’t really educated on black musicians. He was also so focused on surviving the night that he never really bothered to learn. But Steve introduced him to some of his favorite musicians and Johnny fell in love.

He wants to be able to play like T-bone Walker. Johnny loves T-bone Walker.

Dallas Winston

Dally grew up in New York. New York, for a long time, has been the home of genres like jazz, rock, soul, R&B, funk, and the blues. Dallas, however, cannot stay away from country. Yeah, you read that right.

Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, he loves it all. Dallas is a good guitarist and he’s got a solid voice, too. He doesn’t wear cowboy hats or boots, but he’s typically the one people think of when they think of country musicians around Tulsa.

Angela Shepard

Angela is a jazz singer. She’s got that beautiful, raw voice. Think of a mix of Amy Winehouse and Ella Fitzgerald. She’s got a kind of control over her voice you don’t find just lying around somewhere.

Angela can play guitar and piano, and that’s what helps her write her songs, but when she performs at bars someone else does it for her. Angela writes the guitar and/or piano parts for her songs.

Tim Shepard

The Shepard brothers are Angela’s backup. Tim plays bass and does back up vocals.

He picked up bass pretty quickly. Tim got inspired by some various jazz bassists like Paul Chambers. He’s nonchalant about his talent, but he’s always playing it.

His playing style with Angela is much different than what he plays by himself. He writes his own bass lines, but makes sure his bass playing fits Angela’s songs. When he plays by himself though, it’s much more complicated. It’s a bit faster and has quicker note changes.

Curly Shepard

Curly plays guitar. He prefers electric, but never complains when Angela makes him play acoustic because Tim will be on his ass.

Curly’s talented. His strive to be the star is what fuels his practicing. He could go places, make wonderful songs like Go Johnny Go. But he doesn’t want to leave his siblings behind, so he stays as Angela’s backup.

Maybe it’s fear, maybe it’s paranoia. Nonetheless, Curly knows he can’t handle himself without Tim. He has what would happen to him planned out, he’s overthought about it so much. He’d start out good, getting popular and eventually famous, but then it would become too much for him to handle and he’d start doing drugs, most likely shooting up, then die from an overdose young, depressed, and alone.

But Curly likes playing for Angela. Actually, he loves it. Because she loves it. Watching her run to him with a new guitar part she’s written, hearing her sing, it’s a grounding experience for him. No matter what he says or does, Curly loves his sister. Singing makes Angela happy, so it makes Curly happy, too.

[myownjadedpieceofmind]

Think about how people lived 100 years ago.

In the majority of the US, There was more space between neighbors.

People didn't go to the grocery store every day.

They didn't eat out at restaurants often.

There weren't huge music festivals, no spring break in Tampa or cruise ships to the Bahamas. There weren't planes filled with a hundred people flying across the world. People didn't gather in large groups unless it was a church social or a town meeting, or war.

There weren't thousands of unpronounceable chemicals and preservatives in the food being eaten. The water wasn't being contaminated with chemicals sprayed on crops and waste from factories and refineries. One could actually live a fairly clean life, and remain socially distant from others.

The radio was the closest thing to breaking news, with the majority of programming being gospel and scripture, and jazz music.

The early 20s marked the return of soldiers from fighting during WW1 in Europe.

1921 ... 108.5 million people inhabit the united states.... the Tulsa Race riots took place. A vaccine for tuberculosis was made. The first Birth Control clinic opened.

Now... fast forward 100 years.

2021... 331,449,281 people inhabit the United States. That's considerably less space for each person living in this country, let alone the entire world. Talk about need for social distance.

You eat out at least twice a week, or at the very least stand in line for coffee. You go to Walmart or Dillons to get your groceries, but probably take more than one trip a week. And you eat foods that contain things you've never even heard pronounced. We breathe more chemicals every day because we have less ground to grow plants on. The technology we depend on is causing a disruption of the natural flow of energy. Each radio tower emits a low amount of nonionic radiation, which on its own is nearly harmless. Consider how many towers have gone up around your city...town... out on the highways. Imagine the radiation happening from the cumulative emissions.

In 100 years, we tripled our population, which means we've depleted 3 times the amount of resources. We've poisoned the planet in attempt to make our lives more "convenient", poisoned ourselves in the attempt to kill others, poisoned our food supply and water supply with even more chemicals to kill off pests and yield the highest yield...we went entirely against every single Golden rule. We've wasted more than we used and in our gluttony, destroyed more than we ever created. At some point, nature strikes back. Which brings us to where we are now.

Natural selection.

Just like everything else in nature, the selection will be at random. Chaotic.

Less people, less pollution, less disease, less waste, less destruction.

There are too many of us depleting our mother Earth. She, herself, cannot breathe. Our reservoirs are drying up while hundreds of acres of forests burn.

If this event doesn't teach humanity how to survive..it will end it. Whatever your health situation is, please, be safe. Take care of yourselves.

[alexazbofficial]

[ARTICLE] “韓·美·러 피가 흐르는 나, 음악으로 국경 허물래요”

“음악으로 국경을 허무는 아티스트가 되고 싶어요. 제겐 한국·미국·러시아인의 피가 모두 있으니깐 더 잘할 수 있지 않을까요?”

지난 19일 서울 강남구에 있는 소속사 ‘지비레이블’에서 만난 가수 알렉사(25·한국명 김세리)의 눈이 반짝였다. 그는 21일 세계 최대 음악 스트리밍 플랫폼 ‘스포티파이’의 신예 아티스트 지원 프로그램에 K팝 가수 최초로 선정돼 중동 지역 인기 가수 바데르 알슈아이비와 신곡 ‘이즈 잇 온’을 발표했다. 앤디 슬론-빈센트 스포티파이 글로벌 뮤직 프로그램 총괄은 “K팝 영향력이 갈수록 높아지고, 특히 중동·북아프리카지역에서 지난해 K팝 청취율이 전년 대비 140% 증가해 이번 프로젝트를 기획했다”며 “알렉사는 모든 장르의 춤과 노래가 가능한 아티스트”라고 말했다.

알렉사는 1996년 미국 오클라호마주 털사에서 태어났다. 그의 어머니는 다섯 살 때 미국으로 입양된 한국인, 아버지는 러시아계 미국인이다.

“엄마는 남동생과 함께 일산 보육원에 버려졌대요. 미국으로 입양 오면서 헤어진 남동생을 계속 찾고 싶어했어요. 제가 K팝 가수가 된 이유 중 하나도 유명해져서 엄마의 한국 가족들을 찾고 싶어서예요.”

그의 어머니는 텍사스 애머릴로에 사는 목사 부부에게 입양됐다. 그는 “한국인이 거의 없는 동네라 엄마가 인종차별을 많이 받았다”며 “학교 갈 때 침을 뱉는 친구들도 있었다고 했다”고 말했다. 그로부터 40년이나 지났지만, 알렉사의 어린 시절도 크게 다르진 않았다. 털사도 동양인이 거의 없는 도시다.

“제가 지금은 머리를 염색했지만, 원래는 검은색이에요. 어릴 때 아빠와 마트를 갔는데, 한 백인 할머니가 절 보고 아빠에게 ‘네 딸이니? 혼혈을 낳는 건 죄라는 걸 모르니?’라고 했어요.”

그런 그에게 춤과 노래는 안식처였다. 어릴 때부터 발레, 재즈, 힙합, 탭댄스 등 다양한 춤을 배웠다. 초등학교 때부터 합창단을 하며 노래도 불렀다. 그러다 고등학교 때 K팝 그룹 ‘���퍼주니어’를 보고 가수의 꿈을 키웠다. 그때만 해도 K팝을 듣는 친구들은 거의 없었다. K팝을 듣고 있으면 친구들은 “너 왜 그런 음악 듣니?”라고 물었다.

이내 털사에도 K팝 바람은 불었다. 2017년 미국 K팝 사이트 ‘숨피’에서 개최한 현지 오디션에서 1등에 올라 탄 상으로 엄마와 함께 한국 여행을 왔다. 알렉사는 태어나서 처음, 엄마는 다섯 살 이후 처음이었다.

“엄마가 인천공항에 도착하더니 ‘우와 나 같은 사람 많구나’라고 하시더라고요.(웃음) 강남도 가고, 홍대도 가고, 남산타워 가서 자물쇠도 달고 왔어요.”

2018년 5월 한국에서 열린 오디션 프로그램 ‘프로듀스 48’에 참가했을 때는 지역 신문 ‘털사 피플’에 기사가 크게 실리기도 했다. 제목은 ‘미국 작은 시골에 사는 소녀, K팝 스타에 도전하다’였다. “털사 출신 가수가 거의 없어서인지 동네 사람들 기대가 컸어요.”

그때부터 1년간 연습생 생활을 거쳐 2019년 ‘밤(Bomb)’으로 데뷔했다. 연습생 생활은 힘들었다. 매주 노래와 안무 평가를 준비해야 했다. 잠도 거의 안 자고, 하루에 15~16시간씩 연습했다. “그래도 연습생 시스템 덕분에 성장할 수 있었던 거 같아요. 미국은 정말 타고난 사람 아니면 가수가 되기 힘들어요. 한국은 잠재된 재능을 갈고 닦아 훌륭한 가수로 만들어줘요. 선배들에게 배우는 것도 많고요.”

혼혈이라는 점도 한국에선 별문제가 아니었다. “털사는 동양인뿐 아니라 혼혈도 거의 없거든요. 그런데 여기엔 전소미 선배, 세븐틴의 버논, 김사무엘 등 아이돌 중에도 혼혈이 많은 거예요. 프로듀서 48 때도 저와 비슷한 사람이 많아 친하게 지냈어요.” 지난 20일 빌보드 싱글차트 ‘핫100’ 1위를 차지한 실크소닉의 앤더슨 팩의 어머니도 미국으로 입양된 한국인이다. “실크소닉 노래 너무 좋아해요. 앤더슨 팩 아들도 꿈이 K팝 가수지 않나요? 연습생 생활을 추천합니다. 제 후배로 온다면 잘 가르칠 수 있어요. 하하.”

TRANSLATION:

"I want to be an artist who breaks through borders with music. Wouldn't I be able to do better because I have the blood of Korean, American, and Russian?” Singer AleXa (24 years old, Korean name Kim Se-ri), who met us at her agency "ZB Label" in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 19th, was selected as the first K-pop singer to be apart of the new artists support program on the world's largest music streaming platform "Spotify" on the 21st, and released a new song "Is It On" with popular Middle Eastern singer Bader Al-Shoebi. Andy Sloan-Vincent, director of Spotify's global music program, said, "K-pop's influence is increasing, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, K-pop's listening rate increased by 140% compared to the previous year. AleXa is an artist who can dance and sing all genres." AleXa was born in 1996 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. Her mother was adopted from Korea to the United States at the age of five, and her father is Russian-American. "My mom and her brother were abandoned at the Ilsan nursery. She kept wanting to find her brother who was separated from her when she came to America for adoption. One of the reasons I became a K-pop singer is because I want to become famous and find my mom's Korean family." Her mother was adopted by a pastor couple in Amarillo, Texas. "My mom was discriminated against a lot because there were few Koreans in the neighborhood," she said. Forty years later, AleXa's childhood was not much different. Tulsa is a city with few Asians. "I dyed my hair now, but it was originally black. When I was a kid, I went to the mart with my dad, and a white old lady saw me and said, "Is that your daughter? Don't you know it's a sin to have mixed blood?'” For me, dancing and singing were a haven. Since childhood, I have learned ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap dance, etc. Since elementary school, I have been in choir and singing. When I was in high school, I watched K-pop group 'Super Junior' and dreamed of becoming a singer. Back then, few people listened to K-pop. When I was listening to K-pop, my friends asked, "Why do you listen to such music?" In 2017, she won the first prize at a local audition held by the U.S. K-pop site "Soompi," and came on a trip to Korea with her mother. "My mom arrived at Incheon Airport and said, 'Wow, there are many people like me.' When I participated in the audition program "Produce 48" held in Korea in May 2018, there was a big article in the local newspaper. The title was "Challenge to become a K-pop star, a girl who lives in a small countryside in the U.S." "There were very few singers from Tulsa, so the expectations were high." After a almost two years as a trainee, she made her debut with "Bomb" in 2019. “The trainee life was hard. I had to prepare for a weekly song and choreography evaluation. I hardly slept and practiced 15 to 16 hours a day. But I think I was able to grow thanks to the trainee system. It's hard to be a singer in America unless you're a natural. Korea grinds your potential and makes you a great singer. I learn a lot from my seniors." Being of mixed race was not a big problem in Korea. "Tulsa not only has little Asians, but has almost no mixed race as well. But here there are a lot of idols like me, including Jeon So-mi, Vernon, and Kim Samuel.”

© 조선일보

[doubleattitude]

JUMP Dance Convention, Dallas, TX: RESULTS

High Scores by Age:

JUMPstart Solo

1st: Mikaela Florez-’Stop Go’

2nd: Mackenzie Glover-’Suddenly’

3rd: Audrina Mossembekker-’Fields of Gold’

4th: Arianna Claxton-’Ride’

5th: Avery Redus-’Lost Boy’

6th: Zephira Duran-’Little Weaver Bird’

7th: Nora Davis-’Broadway Banana’

8th: Symone Armijo-’Rotten To the Core’

Mini Solo

1st: Braylynn Grizzaffi-’Path5′

2nd: Sophia Gil-’Film Credits’

2nd: Anna Holley-’Reminisce’

3rd: Landry Silas-’Cheek to Cheek’

3rd: Allie Plott-’The Path’

4th: Lexus Natalie-’Alternate World’

4th: Winter Eberts-’Dreamlike’

5th: Harper Ducale-’Change Is Everything’

5th: Ashley Otano-’Dark Matter’

5th: Kinsley Oykhman-’Life Could Be A Dream’

5th: Carolina Sterkel-’Thoroughfare’

5th: Kalista Greer-’Yesterday’

6th: Zoey Claxton-’Moonlight Sonata’

6th: Noah Johnson-’Scanner’

6th: Channing Embry-’Whatever Lola Wants’

7th: Denise Torres-’Drag Shift’

7th: Presley Nava-’Pure Imagination’

8th: Cora Woodhouse-’Pulling On A Thread’

9th: Avery LeSaicherre-’Hide and Seek’

9th: Patience Hughes-’Weird People’

10th: Dennis Paul Haggerty-’Beautiful Dream’

Junior Solo

1st: Laci Stoico-’Mibiso’

2nd: Graham Johnson-’New Shoes’

3rd: Lilly Allen-’Femme Fatale’

3rd: Ciana Ciulla-’Nana’

4th: Zoe McDonald-’U Can’t Touch This’

5th: Kortlynn Rosenbaugh-’Concentration’

5th: Colby Rich-’I Lie’

5th: Jazlyn Quintero-’The Deep End’

5th: Lincoln Blakely-’What I Came To Do’

6th: Kanon Greer-’To The Sky’

7th: Caroline McGowan-’Everything Evaporates’

7th: Makaia Roux-’Everything I Wanted’

7th: Kenlie Winsett-’Patterns of The Tides’

7th: Carolyne Knutson-’Peace’

7th: Campbell Thurow-’You Can’t Touch This’

8th: Jade Bontron-’A Night In Paris’

8th: Jocelyn Nguyen-’I’m Not Myself’

8th: Ava Mogote-’Somewhere Over The Rainbow’

8th: London Campayno-’Valis’

9th: McKenna Markham-’Shrine Tooth’

9th: Nyah Jackson-’Slow Meadows’

9th: Stella Eberts-’Valley’

10th: Addison Haggerty-’Ghost In The Wind’

10th: Scarlett Petty-’Stars’

10th: Kylie Carter-’The LOOK’

Teen Solo

1st: Garris Munoz-’Enlightenment’

1st: Avery Lau-’Fear of the Unknown and The Blazing Sun’

1st: Hudson Pletcher-’Forged Imitation’

2nd: Sarah Kate Kurzius-’Charmed’

2nd: Ava Miller-’Tarnished’

3rd: Carmen Beiner-’Dyonisis’

3rd: Braylon Browner-’Run From Me’

3rd: Sabine Nehls-’Shout’

4th: Beth Anne McGowan-’Heart Is As Black At Night’

4th: Ella Williams-’The Garden’

5th: Macie Krause-’Menace’

5th: Dasha Vishnyakova-’Partita’

5th: Caroline Belknap-’Sonata De Le Muerte’

5th: Kali Knewitz-’Wake Up Your Eardrums’

6th: Kathryn Martinez-’Another Brick In The Wall’

6th: Gianna Garwacki-’Epiphany’

6th: Sophie Bishop-’La Mamma Morta’

6th: Isabel Reese-’Spectral Density’

7th: Ella Hendricks-’Ella and Ella’

7th: Faith Stoner-’Solids’

8th: Brielle McCoy-’My Brightest Diamond’

8th: Trinity Kelly-’Sorrow’

9th: Sofia Ramirez-’Long Train Running’

9th: Peyton Koepke-’On The Horizon’

9th: Natalya Toirac-’See how they run’

9th: Jillian Sims-’Shadow Journal’

10th: Dru Neal-’Bringing Back A Past’

10th: Caitlyn Herrin-’Hour After Hour’

10th: Macy Orvis-’Look At Me’

10th: Mia Miller-’Only The Voices’

Senior Solo

1st: Jackson Roloff-Hafenbreadl-’FOUR’

2nd: Ruby Castro-’For You’

2nd: Paige Mcmanaman-’Vienna’

3rd: Jordan Apodaca-’Standing Over The Horizon’

4th: Chloe Lopina-’In Love In Vein’

4th: Lainey Myers-’You Are The Reason’

5th: Raegan Davidson-’After That’

5th: Raegan Stafford-’With All My Love’

6th: Peyton Winsett-’Distortion’

6th: Emily Fluker-’I Will Follow’

6th: Clara Gough-’Snow Queen’

6th: Haley Beck-’Upside’

7th: Karsyn Kelly-’Don’t Make Me Over’

7th: Gracie Lee-’Love of My Life’

7th: Cahntal Le-’Tear Jerker’

7th: Jonah Tran-’Unburdened and Becoming’

8th: Elise Knecht-’Corps’

8th: Emma Sucato-’Memories’

8th: Haley Bogdon-’The Mourning’

8th: Kylie Sicillan-’Time & I’

9th: Emmalyn Mackaron-’San TOI’

10th: Ella Berner-’Grief Point’

Mini Duo/Trio

1st: HYPE Dance Studio-’American Boy’

2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’G.I.R.L’

3rd: Centre for Dance-’Faith’

Junior Duo/Trio

1st: Artistry In Motion Performing Arts Center-’Cringe’

2nd: Dance Company of Wylie-’Machine’

Teen Duo/Trio

1st: Next Step Dance-’Georgia’

2nd: The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’Listen’

3rd: South Tulsa Dance Co-’Strangers In The Night’

Senior Duo/Trio

1st: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Tea For Two’

2nd: Texas Academy of Dance-’Do The Sacred Mass’

JUMPstart Group

1st: Next Step Dance-’Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’

2nd: Next Step Dance-’Boy From New York City’

3rd: Next Step Dance-’Milly Rock’

Mini Group

1st: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’We Love to Bebop’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Strings’

3rd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Ain’t Your Mama’

Junior Group

1st: Kim Massay Dance Productions-’Dance With You’

1st: The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’Send In The Clowns’

2nd: Kim Massay Dance Productions-’Image Deconstructed’

3rd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Letters To’

3rd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Threads That Bind’

Teen Group

1st: Next Step Dance-’Maria Bonita’

2nd: Next Step Dance-’A Women Left Lonely’

2nd: Kim Massay Dance Productions-’Herd of Defense’

3rd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Wish We Could Turn Back Time’

Senior Group

1st: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Embraceable You’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’A Human, A Light’

3rd: Kim Massay Dance Productions-’Can You Hear That?’

Mini Line

1st: Next Step Dance-’The Chain’

2nd: Next Step Dance-’Spring’

2nd: Next Step Dance-’Sweet Dreams’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’We’ve Got a Ways to Go’

3rd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’The Ladies of the Wild West’

Junior Line

1st: Next Step Dance-’Mi Mujer’

2nd: Next Step Dance-’Opening’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-‘Salute’

3rd: Next Step Dance-’Vogue’

3rd: The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’We Are The Ones’

Teen Line

1st: Next Step Dance-’Tarantella’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Dead Hearts’

3rd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Where Is My Body’

Senior Line

1st: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Devour’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Invocation of Lust’

JUMPstart Extended Line

1st: Next Step Dance-’Ridin Dirty’

2nd: Next Step Dance-’Hey Diddle Diddle’

3rd: Next Step Dance-’Rock Star’

Mini Extended Line

1st: Next Step Dance-’Runaway Baby’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Footloose’

Junior Extended Line

1st: Next Step Dance-’Bridge Over Troubled Water’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Flatline’

3rd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Don’t Stop’

Teen Extended Line

1st: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’American Pie’

1st: Next Step Dance-’Snowing’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Overture In A’

3rd: Next Step Dance-’Technologic’

3rd: Kim Massay Dance Productions-’You Know Me’

Senior Extended Line

1st: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Hotel California’

2nd: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Sexy Crazy’

Mini Production

1st: Next Step Dance-’42nd Street’

2nd: Next Step Dance-’Game On’

Junior Production

1st: Next Step Dance-’Let It Cook’

2nd: Next Step Dance-’Everlasting Love’

3rd: The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’Wanna Rock’

Teen Production

1st: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Goodnight’

2nd: Next Step Dance-’All That Jazz’

3rd: The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’RELAX’

Senior Production

1st: Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’CRUNK’

High Scores by Performance Division:

JUMPstart Tap

Next Step Dance-’Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’

JUMPstart Hip-Hop

Next Step Dance-’Milly Rock’

JUMPstart Jazz

Next Step Dance-’Boy From New York City’

JUMPstart Lyrical

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Gypsy’

Mini Jazz

Next Step Dance-’Knock On Wood’

Mini Tap

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’We Love to Bebop’

Mini Contemporary

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Strings’

Mini Ballroom

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Ain’t Your Mama’

Mini Ballet

Next Step Dance-’Spring’

Mini Lyrical

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’We’ve Got a Ways to Go’

Next Step Dance-’Sweet Dreams’

Mini Hip-Hop

Next Step Dance-’Game On’

Junior Jazz

Kim Massay Dance Productions-’Dance With You’

Junior Lyrical

The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’Send In The Clowns’

Junior Ballet

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-‘Salute’

Next Step Dance-’Opening’

Junior Contemporary

Next Step Dance-’Mi Mujer’

Junior Tap

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Letters To’

Junior Specialty

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Marquises’

Junior Hip-Hop

Next Step Dance-’Let It Cook’

Junior Ballroom

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Don’t Stop’

Teen Contemporary

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Goodnight’

Teen Specialty

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Dead Hearts’

Teen Jazz

Next Step Dance-’Technologic’

Kim Massay Dance Productions-’You Know Me’

Teen Lyrical

Next Step Dance-’Snowing’

Teen Tap

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’American Pie’

Teen Hip-Hop

Next Step Dance-’#FreeBritney’

Kim Massay Dance Productions-’Roses’

Teen Ballet

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Overture In A’

Teen Ballroom

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Distortion’

Teen Musical Theatre

Next Step Dance-’All That Jazz’

Senior Contemporary

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Hotel California’

Senior Specialty

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Evermore’

Senior Tap

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Embraceable You’

Senior Lyrical

High Attitude Dance Academy-’Because You Loved Me’

Senior Ballet

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Completely Gone’

Senior Jazz

Eminence Dance Complex-’Cold Hearted Snake’

Senior Ballroom

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Sexy Crazy’

Senior Hip-Hop

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’CRUNK’

Best of JUMP:

JUMPstart

Next Step Dance-’Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Gypsy’

Mini

The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’Where The Light Gets In’

Next Step Dance-’42nd Street’

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’We Love to Bebop’

Junior

Next Step Dance-’Mi Mujer’

Kim Massay Dance Productions-’Dance With You’

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Threads That Bind’

The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’Send In The Clowns’

Teen

Kim Massay Dance Productions-’You Know Me’

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’American Pie’

The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’A Destination’

Next Step Dance-’Snowing’

Senior

Kim Massay Dance Productions-’Can You Hear That?’

Next Step Dance-’Half the Man’

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Hotel California’

Best In Studio:

Next Step Dance-’Snowing’

Kim Massay Dance Productions-’Can You Hear That?’

The Pointe Performing Arts Center-’A Destination’

Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre-’Hotel California’

[aion-rsa]

Streaming on Plex: Best Movies and TV Shows You Can Watch for FREE in September

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Plex is a globally available one-stop-shop streaming media service offering thousands of free movies and TV shows and hundreds of free-to-stream live TV channels, from the biggest names in entertainment, including Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Lionsgate, Legendary, AMC, A+E, Crackle, and Reuters. Plex is the only streaming service that lets users manage their personal media alongside a continuously growing library of free third-party entertainment spanning all genres, interests, and mediums including podcasts, music, and more. With a highly customizable interface and smart recommendations based on the media you enjoy, Plex brings its users the best media experience on the planet from any device, anywhere.

Plex releases brand new and beloved titles to its platform monthly and we’ll be here to help you identify the cream of the crop. View Plex TV now for the best free entertainment streaming and check back each month for Den of Geek Critics’ picks!

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DEN OF GEEK CRITICS’ PICKS

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

They’re the world’s most fearsome fightin’ team. They’re heroes in a half-shell and they’re green. I mean, what more do we need to say? 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is no Citizen Kane, but comic book movie fans flock to it like the four titular turtles to pizza. The film knows exactly what it is, providing cheesy one-liners, silly action, and unpretentious fun. Throwing in Will Arnett as a sidekick for April O’Neil was an inspired choice that paid dividends in laughs and whoever tapped Tony Shaloub to voice Splinter should get a pay raise. Produced by Nickelodeon Pictures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wasn’t only the highest grossing film in the series, but also the highest grossing Nickelodeon film of all-time. This reboot of the classic ninja team helped spawn further films, new TV series, and a renewed interest in one of the most beloved comic book properties ever. Cowabunga, dude!

Noah

This isn’t your Sunday School’s Noah. Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation of the story of the biblical figure Noah is an awe-inspiring epic that takes the bones of the famous story and infuses themes about environmentalism, self-doubt, and yes, faith. Pulling liberally from texts like the Book of Enoch, the film has far more action than just leading animals onto a boat and a storm. Shot by Matthew Libatique, the movie looks absolutely gorgeous and at times can be genuinely breath-taking, but it’s not just about the visuals. Russell Crowe stuns in the title role, but the entire ensemble is great, including a post-Potter Emma Watson and a ferocious Ray Winstone. No one expected Noah to be more akin to a thought-provoking art house film than a straight-forward epic, but that’s the sort of genius you get from Aronofsky, one of the most exciting and inventive filmmakers working today. 

Shine a Light

Even if we hadn’t just lost the immortal, suave Charlie Watts, the heartbeat of rock and roll’s longest institution, The Rolling Stones, we’d still be recommending Martin Scorsese’s Shine a Light. Capturing the legendary band during their A Bigger Bang Tour in 2006, Scorsese spends a lot of the time rightfully focusing on Watts. With the camera fixated on Watts, you witness his unflappability; the way that he can make such raucous playing look so effortless. You also catch the man’s unique, jazz-influenced technique, like how he rarely hits the center of his snare, or how he changes his grip whenever he hits a cymbal. Even in their old age, the Stones are still one of the tightest, most electrifying live acts, and Shine a Light puts you right on stage with them as they barrel through one of the deepest catalogs in recorded music. It’s simply a masterful concert film.

The Virgin Suicides

Sofia Coppola likely has to deal with accusations about nepotism to this day, but anyone who saw her directorial debut The Virgin Suicides knows that Francis’ daughter would have made it as a filmmaker even without her famous last name. This haunting adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel of the same name taps into the melancholy of childhood, the dreamlike haze of memory, and the mystery that lurks inside suburban homes. Coppola expertly captures the pull that an ethereal group of sisters have on the imaginative group of boys that pine for them in a way that is relatable for anyone that had an unrequited crush in high school. As a coming-of-age movie, it is one of a kind. As an exploration of trauma and grief, it is crushingly effective. The original score by the band Air only adds to its hypnagogic vibe. 

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School

Punk rock music and Roger Corman pictures are some of the core tenants that Den of Geek was founded on, so of course we’re going to recommend 1979’s Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, which features possibly the coolest band of all-time, The Ramones. Let our resident punk rock movie expert Jim Knipfel break it down for you:

“After producing so many dozens of teen rebellion films over the years, Corman finally hit the pinnacle, the ultimate teen rebellion picture, with the cartoon antics ratcheted up more than a few notches. There are so many bad jokes flying around, so many visual gags and film references packed into every scene, so many overwrought teen film clichés pushed way past absurd, it’s a film that demands multiple viewings. Even if “Riff Randall, rock ’n’ roller” (P.J. Soles) doesn’t look much like any punk chick I ever knew, I’m perfectly willing to accept it. And in historical terms, it really was this film more than the 4 albums they had out at the time that spread the word about The Ramones to mainstream America, and that’s worth something. Old as I am I still get a thrill every time the students and the Ramones blow up Vince Lombardi High, and anyone who doesn’t must be wrong in the head somehow.”

New on Plex in September:  

1000 Times Good Night 

13 

13 Assassins 

The Accidental Husband 

All Good Things 

Assassination of a High School President 

Awake 

Bent 

Bordertown 

Brain Dead 

Cold Mountain  

The Descent 

The Descent Part 2  

Even Money 

Fear City 

First Snow 

Freedom Writers  

Gray Matters  

The Jesus Rolls 

Johnny Was  

Keys to Tulsa  

The Legend of Bagger Vance  

Mad Money 

Marrowbone 

Murder on the Orient Express 

The Ninth Gate 

Nothing but the Truth  

Ordinary People 

Rememory  

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School  

Sanctuary  

Shine a Light  

Soul Survivors  

Taboo  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles  

The TV Set  

The Virgin Suicides  

What Doesn’t Kill You  

Winter Passing  

World Trade Center  

Catch before it leaves in September: 

31 

Absolution  

Accident Man  

Aeon Flux 

After.Life 

Angel of Death 

Answer Man 

The Bang Bang Club 

Battle Royale 

Blood and Bone 

The Broken 

Cashmere Mafia  

Child 44 

Cleaner 

Cold Comes the Night 

Coming Soon 

The Connection 

Conspiracy  

The Cookout  

Critical Condition  

Dark Crimes  

The Death and Life of Bobby Z 

Death Proof 

Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star 

Downhill Racer 

Dragged Across Concrete  

The Dresser  

The Duel 

Dummy 

Flight of Fury 

Flirting with Disaster  

The Foreigner  

Goat  

Gutshot Straight  

Halloween III: Season of the Witch  

The Hard Corps  

Hesher  

High Right 

Honeymoon  

The Hunt 

I Saw the Devil 

In the Mix 

Jason and the Argonauts 

Jeff, Who Lives at Home 

Jiri Dreams of Sushi  

Joe 

Journey to the West  

Kill ‘Em All 

A Kind of Murder 

The Kite Runner 

Lake Placid 2 

Lake Placid 3 

Last Resort 

The Lazarus Project 

Misconduct 

Mr. Church 

Mutant Chronicles 

Mythica: The Godslayer 

Mythica: The Iron Clown  

Never Back Down: No Surrender 

News Radio  

Noah 

Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior  

Ong Bak: The Beginning  

The Order 

Out for a Kill 

The Outcasts  

Phantoms 

Pistol Whipped 

The Protector 

Pulse (2001) 

Reprisal  

Return to the Blue Lagoon 

The River Murders  

The Romantics 

Second in Command 

Shadow Man 

Shattered  

The Shepherd 

Southside with You 

Space Station 76 

Square Pegs 

Standoff 

Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation  

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder 

Steel Dawn 

Substitute  

The Super  

SWAT: Under Siege 

The Terminal  

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada  

Touchy Feely  

Trollhunter 

UFO 

Universal Solider: Day of Reckoning  

Vamps  

Vicky Cristina Barcelona  

Walking Tall: Lone Justice 

Warlock 

What Planet are You From?  

World’s Fastest Indian 

World’s Greatest Dad  

The Yellow Handkerchief  

Still streaming on Plex: 

2:22 

2 Days in New York 

21 Jump Street  

22 Bullets  

24 Hours to Live  

3rd Rock from the Sun 

6 Bullets  

99 Homes 

A Little Bit of Heaven 

A Walk in the Woods 

The Air I Breathe  

Alan Partridge 

ALF  

Alone in the Dark 

Amelie 

American Pastoral  

And Soon the Darkness 

Andromeda  

Are You Here 

Arthur and the Invisibles  

Awake 

Battle in Seattle 

Bernie 

Better Watch Out 

Black Death  

Blade of the Immortal 

Blitz 

The Brass Teapot 

Bronson 

The Brothers Bloom 

The Burning Plain 

But I’m a Cheerleader 

Cake  

Candy  

Catch .44 

Cell  

The Choice 

Clerks II 

Coherence  

The Collector  

Colonia  

Congo  

Cooties 

The Core 

The Cotton Club 

Crossing Lines  

Croupier  

Cube  

Cube 2 

Cube Zero 

Cyrano de Bergerac  

Death and the Maiden 

The Deep Blue Sea 

Deep Red 

Derailed 

Detachment 

The Devil’s Rejects  

Diary of the Dead 

District B13 

DOA: Dead or Alive 

Dr. T and the Women  

Eden Lake 

The Edge of Love  

The post Streaming on Plex: Best Movies and TV Shows You Can Watch for FREE in September appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[blackkudos]

Count Basie

William James "Count" Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, Basie formed his own jazz orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others. Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams.

Biography

Early life and education

William Basie was born to Lillian and Harvey Lee Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several wealthy families in the area. Both of his parents had some type of musical background. His father played the mellophone, and his mother played the piano; in fact, she gave Basie his first piano lessons. She took in laundry and baked cakes for sale for a living. She paid 25 cents a lesson for Count Basie's piano instruction.

The best student in school, Basie dreamed of a traveling life, inspired by touring carnivals which came to town. He finished junior high school but spent much of his time at the Palace Theater in Red Bank, where doing occasional chores gained him free admission to performances. He quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to the acts and the silent movies.

Though a natural at the piano, Basie preferred drums. Discouraged by the obvious talents of Sonny Greer, who also lived in Red Bank and became Duke Ellington's drummer in 1919, Basie switched to piano exclusively at age 15. Greer and Basie played together in venues until Greer set out on his professional career. By then, Basie was playing with pick-up groups for dances, resorts, and amateur shows, including Harry Richardson's "Kings of Syncopation". When not playing a gig, he hung out at the local pool hall with other musicians, where he picked up on upcoming play dates and gossip. He got some jobs in Asbury Park at the Jersey Shore, and played at the Hong Kong Inn until a better player took his place.

Early career

Around 1920, Basie went to Harlem, a hotbed of jazz, where he lived down the block from the Alhambra Theater. Early after his arrival, he bumped into Sonny Greer, who was by then the drummer for the Washingtonians, Duke Ellington's early band. Soon, Basie met many of the Harlem musicians who were "making the scene," including Willie "the Lion" Smith and James P. Johnson.

Basie toured in several acts between 1925 and 1927, including Katie Krippen and Her Kiddies (featuring singer Katie Crippen) as part of the Hippity Hop show; on the Keith, the Columbia Burlesque, and the Theater Owners Bookers Association (T.O.B.A.) vaudeville circuits; and as a soloist and accompanist to blues singer Gonzelle White as well as Crippen. His touring took him to Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Chicago. Throughout his tours, Basie met many jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong. Before he was 20 years old, he toured extensively on the Keith and TOBA vaudeville circuits as a solo pianist, accompanist, and music director for blues singers, dancers, and comedians. This provided an early training that was to prove significant in his later career.

Back in Harlem in 1925, Basie gained his first steady job at Leroy's, a place known for its piano players and its "cutting contests." The place catered to "uptown celebrities," and typically the band winged every number without sheet music using "head arrangements." He met Fats Waller, who was playing organ at the Lincoln Theater accompanying silent movies, and Waller taught him how to play that instrument. (Basie later played organ at the Eblon Theater in Kansas City). As he did with Duke Ellington, Willie "the Lion" Smith helped Basie out during the lean times by arranging gigs at "house-rent parties," introducing him to other leading musicians, and teaching him some piano technique.

In 1928, Basie was in Tulsa and heard Walter Page and his Famous Blue Devils, one of the first big bands, which featured Jimmy Rushing on vocals. A few months later, he was invited to join the band, which played mostly in Texas and Oklahoma. It was at this time that he began to be known as "Count" Basie (see Jazz royalty).

Kansas City years

The following year, in 1929, Basie became the pianist with the Bennie Moten band based in Kansas City, inspired by Moten's ambition to raise his band to the level of Duke Ellington's or Fletcher Henderson's. Where the Blue Devils were "snappier" and more "bluesy," the Moten band was more refined and respected, playing in the "Kansas City stomp" style. In addition to playing piano, Basie was co-arranger with Eddie Durham, who notated the music.Their "Moten Swing", which Basie claimed credit for, was widely acclaimed and was an invaluable contribution to the development of swing music, and at one performance at the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia in December 1932, the theatre opened its door to allow anybody in who wanted to hear the band perform. During a stay in Chicago, Basie recorded with the band. He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted. The band improved with several personnel changes, including the addition of tenor saxophonist Ben Webster.

When the band voted Moten out, Basie took over for several months, calling the group "Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms. "When his own band folded, he rejoined Moten with a newly re-organized band. A year later, Basie joined Bennie Moten's band, and played with them until Moten's death in 1935 from a failed tonsillectomy. When Moten died, the band tried to stay together but couldn't make a go of it. Basie then formed his own nine-piece band, Barons of Rhythm, with many former Moten members including Walter Page (bass), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), Lester Young (tenor saxophone) and Jimmy Rushing (vocals).

The Barons of Rhythm were regulars at the Reno Club and often performed for a live radio broadcast. During a broadcast the announcer wanted to give Basie's name some style, so he called him "Count." Little did Basie know this touch of royalty would give him proper status and position him with the likes of Duke Ellington and Earl Hines.

Basie's new band which included many Moten alumni, with the important addition of tenor player Lester Young. They played at the Reno Club and sometimes were broadcast on local radio. Late one night with time to fill, the band started improvising. Basie liked the results and named the piece "One O'Clock Jump." According to Basie, "we hit it with the rhythm section and went into the riffs, and the riffs just stuck. We set the thing up front in D-flat, and then we just went on playing in F." It became his signature tune.

John Hammond and first recordings

At the end of 1936, Basie and his band, now billed as "Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm," moved from Kansas City to Chicago, where they honed their repertoire at a long engagement at the Grand Terrace Ballroom. Right from the start, Basie's band was noted for its rhythm section. Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. When Young complained of Herschel Evans' vibrato, Basie placed them on either side of the alto players, and soon had the tenor players engaged in "duels". Many other bands later adapted the split tenor arrangement.

In that city in October 1936, the band had a recording session which the producer John Hammond later described as "the only perfect, completely perfect recording session I've ever had anything to do with". Hammond had heard Basie's band by radio and went to Kansas City to check them out. He invited them to record, in performances which were Lester Young's earliest recordings. Those four sides were released on Vocalion Records under the band name of Jones-Smith Incorporated; the sides were "Shoe Shine Boy", "Evening", "Boogie Woogie", and "Lady Be Good". After Vocalion became a subsidiary of Columbia Records in 1938, "Boogie Woogie" was released in 1941 as part of a four-record compilation album entitled Boogie Woogie (Columbia album C44). When he made the Vocalion recordings, Basie had already signed with Decca Records, but did not have his first recording session with them until January 1937.

By then, Basie's sound was characterized by a "jumping" beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. His personnel around 1937 included: Lester Young and Herschel Evans (tenor sax), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), Walter Page (bass), Earle Warren (alto sax), Buck Clayton and Harry Edison (trumpet), Benny Morton and Dickie Wells (trombone). Lester Young, known as "Prez" by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. He called Basie "Holy Man", "Holy Main", and just plain "Holy".

Basie favored blues, and he would showcase some of the most notable blues singers of the era after he went to New York: Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Helen Humes, and Joe Williams. He also hired arrangers who knew how to maximize the band's abilities, such as Eddie Durham and Jimmy Mundy.

New York City and the swing years

When Basie took his orchestra to New York in 1937, they made the Woodside Hotel in Harlem their base (they often rehearsed in its basement). Soon, they were booked at the Roseland Ballroom for the Christmas show. Basie recalled a review, which said something like, "We caught the great Count Basie band which is supposed to be so hot he was going to come in here and set the Roseland on fire. Well, the Roseland is still standing". Compared to the reigning band of Fletcher Henderson, Basie's band lacked polish and presentation.

The producer John Hammond continued to advise and encourage the band, and they soon came up with some adjustments, including softer playing, more solos, and more standards. They paced themselves to save their hottest numbers for later in the show, to give the audience a chance to warm up. His first official recordings for Decca followed, under contract to agent MCA, including "Pennies from Heaven" and "Honeysuckle Rose".

Hammond introduced Basie to Billie Holiday, whom he invited to sing with the band. (Holiday did not record with Basie, as she had her own record contract and preferred working with small combos). The band's first appearance at the Apollo Theater followed, with the vocalists Holiday and Jimmy Rushing getting the most attention. Durham returned to help with arranging and composing, but for the most part, the orchestra worked out its numbers in rehearsal, with Basie guiding the proceedings. There were often no musical notations made. Once the musicians found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their "head arrangements" and collective memory.

Next, Basie played at the Savoy, which was noted more for lindy-hopping, while the Roseland was a place for fox-trots and congas. In early 1938, the Savoy was the meeting ground for a "battle of the bands" with Chick Webb's group. Basie had Holiday, and Webb countered with the singer Ella Fitzgerald. As Metronome magazine proclaimed, "Basie's Brilliant Band Conquers Chick's"; the article described the evening:

Throughout the fight, which never let down in its intensity during the whole fray, Chick took the aggressive, with the Count playing along easily and, on the whole, more musically scientifically. Undismayed by Chick's forceful drum beating, which sent the audience into shouts of encouragement and appreciation and casual beads of perspiration to drop from Chick's brow onto the brass cymbals, the Count maintained an attitude of poise and self-assurance. He constantly parried Chick's thundering haymakers with tantalizing runs and arpeggios which teased more and more force from his adversary.

The publicity over the big band battle, before and after, gave the Basie band a boost and wider recognition. Soon after, Benny Goodman recorded their signature "One O'Clock Jump" with his band.

A few months later, Holiday left for Artie Shaw's band. Hammond introduced Helen Humes, whom Basie hired; she stayed with Basie for four years. When Eddie Durham left for Glenn Miller's orchestra, he was replaced by Dicky Wells. Basie's 14-man band began playing at the Famous Door, a mid-town nightspot with a CBS network feed and air conditioning, which Hammond was said to have bought the club in return for their booking Basie steadily throughout the summer of 1938. Their fame took a huge leap. Adding to their play book, Basie received arrangements from Jimmy Mundy (who had also worked with Benny Goodman and Earl Hines), particularly for "Cherokee", "Easy Does It", and "Super Chief". In 1939, Basie and his band made a major cross-country tour, including their first West Coast dates. A few months later, Basie quit MCA and signed with the William Morris Agency, who got them better fees.

On February 19, 1940, Count Basie and his Orchestra opened a four-week engagement at Southland in Boston, and they broadcast over the radio on 20 February.On the West Coast, in 1942 the band did a spot in Reveille With Beverly, a musical film starring Ann Miller, and a "Command Performance" for Armed Forces Radio, with Hollywood stars Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Carmen Miranda, Jerry Colonna, and the singer Dinah Shore. Other minor movie spots followed, including Choo Choo Swing, Crazy House, Top Man, Stage Door Canteen, and Hit Parade of 1943. They also continued to record for OKeh Records and Columbia Records. The war years caused a lot of members turn over, and the band worked many play dates with lower pay. Dance hall bookings were down sharply as swing began to fade, the effects of the musicians' strikes of 1942–44 and 1948 began to be felt, and the public's taste grew for singers.

Basie occasionally lost some key soloists. However, throughout the 1940s, he maintained a big band that possessed an infectious rhythmic beat, an enthusiastic team spirit, and a long list of inspired and talented jazz soloists.

Los Angeles and the Cavalcade of Jazz concerts

Count Basie was the featured artist at the very first Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field on September 23, 1945 which was produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. Al Jarvis was the Emcee and other artists to appear on stage were Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers, The Peters Sisters, Slim and Bam, Valaida Snow, and Big Joe Turner. They played to a crowd of 15,000. Count Basie and his Orchestra played at the tenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert also at Wrigley Field on June 20, 1954. He played along with The Flairs, Christine Kittrell, Lamp Lighters, Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, Ruth Brown, and Perez Prado and his Orchestra.

Post-war and later years

The big band era appeared to have ended after the war, and Basie disbanded the group. For a while, he performed in combos, sometimes stretched to an orchestra. In 1950, he headlined the Universal-International short film "Sugar Chile" Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet. He reformed his group as a 16-piece orchestra in 1952. This group was eventually called the New Testament band. Basie credited Billy Eckstine, a top male vocalist of the time, for prompting his return to Big Band. He said that Norman Granz got them into the Birdland club and promoted the new band through recordings on the Mercury, Clef, and Verve labels. The jukebox era had begun, and Basie shared the exposure along with early rock'n'roll and rhythm and blues artists. Basie's new band was more of an ensemble group, with fewer solo turns, and relying less on "head" and more on written arrangements.

Basie added touches of bebop "so long as it made sense", and he required that "it all had to have feeling". Basie's band was sharing Birdland with such bebop greats as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. Behind the occasional bebop solos, he always kept his strict rhythmic pulse, "so it doesn't matter what they do up front; the audience gets the beat". Basie also added flute to some numbers, a novelty at the time that became widely copied. Soon, his band was touring and recording again. The new band included: Paul Campbell, Tommy Turrentine, Johnny Letman, Idrees Sulieman, and Joe Newman (trumpet); Jimmy Wilkins, Benny Powell, Matthew Gee (trombone); Paul Quinichette and Floyd "Candy" Johnson (tenor sax); Marshal Royal and Ernie Wilkins (alto sax); and Charlie Fowlkes (baritone sax). Down Beat magazine reported, "(Basie) has managed to assemble an ensemble that can thrill both the listener who remembers 1938 and the youngster who has never before heard a big band like this." In 1957, Basie sued the jazz venue Ball and Chain in Miami over outstanding fees, causing the closure of the venue.

In 1958, the band made its first European tour. Jazz was especially appreciated in France, The Netherlands, and Germany in the 1950s; these countries were the stomping grounds for many expatriate American jazz stars who were either resurrecting their careers or sitting out the years of racial divide in the United States. Neal Hefti began to provide arrangements, notably "Lil Darlin'". By the mid-1950s, Basie's band had become one of the preeminent backing big bands for some of the most prominent jazz vocalists of the time. They also toured with the "Birdland Stars of 1955", whose lineup included Sarah Vaughan, Erroll Garner, Lester Young, George Shearing, and Stan Getz.

In 1957, Basie released the live album Count Basie at Newport. "April in Paris" (arrangement by Wild Bill Davis) was a best-selling instrumental and the title song for the hit album. The Basie band made two tours in the British Isles and on the second, they put on a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II, along with Judy Garland, Vera Lynn, and Mario Lanza. He was a guest on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, a venue also opened to several other black entertainers. In 1959, Basie's band recorded a "greatest hits" double album The Count Basie Story (Frank Foster, arranger), and Basie/Eckstine Incorporated, an album featuring Billy Eckstine, Quincy Jones (as arranger) and the Count Basie Orchestra. It was released by Roulette Records, then later reissued by Capitol Records.

Later that year, Basie appeared on a television special with Fred Astaire, featuring a dance solo to "Sweet Georgia Brown", followed in January 1961 by Basie performing at one of the five John F. Kennedy Inaugural Balls. That summer, Basie and Duke Ellington combined forces for the recording First Time! The Count Meets the Duke, each providing four numbers from their play books.

During the balance of the 1960s, the band kept busy with tours, recordings, television appearances, festivals, Las Vegas shows, and travel abroad, including cruises. Some time around 1964, Basie adopted his trademark yachting cap.

Through steady changes in personnel, Basie led the band into the 1980s. Basie made a few more movie appearances, such as the Jerry Lewis film Cinderfella (1960) and the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles (1974), playing a revised arrangement of "April in Paris".

During its heyday, The Gong Show (1976–80) used Basie's "Jumpin' at the Woodside" during some episodes, while an NBC stagehand named Eugene Patton would dance on stage; Patton became known as "Gene Gene, the Dancing Machine".

Marriage, family and death

Basie was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. On July 21, 1930, Basie married Vivian Lee Winn, in Kansas City, Missouri. They were divorced sometime before 1935. Some time in or before 1935, the now single Basie returned to New York City, renting a house at 111 West 138th Street, Manhattan, as evidenced by the 1940 census. He married Catherine Morgan on July 13, 1940 in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. In 1942, they moved to Queens. Their only child, Diane, was born February 6 1944. She was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors claimed she would never walk. The couple kept her and cared deeply for her, and especially through her mother's tutelage Diane learned not only to walk but to swim. The Basies bought a home in the new whites-only neighborhood of Addisleigh Park in 1946 on Adelaide Road and 175th Street, St. Albans, Queens.

On April 11, 1983, Catherine Basie died of heart disease at the couple's home in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. She was 67 years old.

Count Basie died of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida on April 26, 1984 at the age of 79.

Singers

Basie hitched his star to some of the most famous vocalists of the 1950s and 1960s, which helped keep the Big Band sound alive and added greatly to his recording catalog. Jimmy Rushing sang with Basie in the late 1930s. Joe Williams toured with the band and was featured on the 1957 album One O'Clock Jump, and 1956's Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings, with "Every Day (I Have the Blues)" becoming a huge hit. With Billy Eckstine on the album Basie/Eckstine Incorporated, in 1959. Ella Fitzgerald made some memorable recordings with Basie, including the 1963 album Ella and Basie!. With the New Testament Basie band in full swing, and arrangements written by a youthful Quincy Jones, this album proved a swinging respite from her Songbook recordings and constant touring she did during this period. She even toured with the Basie Orchestra in the mid-1970s, and Fitzgerald and Basie also met on the 1979 albums A Classy Pair, Digital III at Montreux, and A Perfect Match, the last two also recorded live at Montreux. In addition to Quincy Jones, Basie was using arrangers such as Benny Carter (Kansas City Suite), Neal Hefti (The Atomic Mr Basie), and Sammy Nestico (Basie-Straight Ahead).

Frank Sinatra recorded for the first time with Basie on 1962's Sinatra-Basie and for a second studio album on 1964's It Might as Well Be Swing, which was arranged by Quincy Jones. Jones also arranged and conducted 1966's live Sinatra at the Sands which featured Sinatra with Count Basie and his orchestra at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. In May 1970, Sinatra performed in London's Royal Festival Hall with the Basie orchestra, in a charity benefit for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Sinatra later said of this concert "I have a funny feeling that those two nights could have been my finest hour, really. It went so well; it was so thrilling and exciting".

Basie also recorded with Tony Bennett in the late 1950s. Their albums together included In Person and Strike Up the Band. Basie also toured with Bennett, including a date at Carnegie Hall. Other notable recordings were with Sammy Davis Jr., Bing Crosby, and Sarah Vaughan. One of Basie's biggest regrets was never recording with Louis Armstrong, though they shared the same bill several times. In 1968 Basie and his Band recorded an album with Jackie Wilson titled Manufacturers of Soul.

Legacy and honors

Count Basie introduced several generations of listeners to the Big Band sound and left an influential catalog. Basie is remembered by many who worked for him as being considerate of musicians and their opinions, modest, relaxed, fun-loving, dryly witty, and always enthusiastic about his music. In his autobiography, he wrote, "I think the band can really swing when it swings easy, when it can just play along like you are cutting butter."

In Red Bank, New Jersey, the Count Basie Theatre, a property on Monmouth Street redeveloped for live performances, and Count Basie Field were named in his honor.

Received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 1974.

Mechanic Street, where he grew up with his family, has the honorary title of Count Basie Way.

In 2009, Edgecombe Avenue and 160th Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan, were renamed as Paul Robeson Boulevard and Count Basie Place. The corner is the location of 555 Edgecombe Avenue, also known as the Paul Robeson Home, a National Historic Landmark where Count Basie had also lived.

In 2010, Basie was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

In October 2013, version 3.7 of WordPress was code-named Count Basie.

In 2019, Basie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Count Basie among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Asteroid 35394 Countbasie, discovered by astronomers at Caussols in 1997, was named after him. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 8 November 2019 (M.P.C. 118220).

Representation in other media

Jerry Lewis used "Blues in Hoss' Flat" from Basie's Chairman of the Board album, as the basis for his own "Chairman of the Board" routine in the movie The Errand Boy.

"Blues in Hoss' Flat," composed by Basie band member Frank Foster, was used by the radio DJ Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins as his theme song in San Francisco and New York.

In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Brenda Fricker's "Pigeon Lady" character claims to have heard Basie in Carnegie Hall.

Drummer Neil Peart of the Canadian rock band Rush recorded a version of "One O'Clock Jump" with the Buddy Rich Big Band, and has used it at the end of his drum solos on the 2002 Vapor Trails Tour and Rush's 30th Anniversary Tour.

Since 1963 "The Kid From the Red Bank" has been the theme and signature music for the most popular Norwegian radio show, Reiseradioen, aired at NRK P1 every day during the summer.

In the 2016 movie The Matchbreaker, Emily Atkins (Christina Grimmie) recounts the story of how Count Basie met his wife 3 times without speaking to her, telling her he'd marry her someday in their first conversation, and then marrying her 7 years later.

The post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance have a song titled "Count Bassy" that is included on their 2018 album Artificial Selection.

Discography

Count Basie made most of his albums with his big band. See the Count Basie Orchestra Discography.

From 1929–1932, Basie was part of Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra:

Count Basie in Kansas City: Bennie Moten's Great Band of 1930-1932 (RCA Victor, 1965)

Basie Beginnings: Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra (1929–1932) (Bluebird/RCA, 1989)

The Swinging Count!, (Clef, 1952)

Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman (Roulette, 1958)

The Atomic Mr. Basie (Roulette, 1958)

Memories Ad-Lib with Joe Williams (Roulette, 1958)

Basie/Eckstine Incorporated with Billy Eckstine ( Roulette 1959)

String Along with Basie (Roulette, 1960)

Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 (Impulse!, 1962)

Basie Swingin' Voices Singin' with the Alan Copeland Singers (ABC-Paramount, 1966)

Basie Meets Bond (United Artists, 1966)

Loose Walk with Roy Eldridge (Pablo, 1972)

Basie Jam (Pablo, 1973)

The Bosses with Big Joe Turner (1973)

For the First Time (Pablo, 1974)

Satch and Josh with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1974)

Basie & Zoot with Zoot Sims (Pablo, 1975)

Count Basie Jam Session at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1975 (Pablo, 1975)

For the Second Time (Pablo, 1975)

Basie Jam 2 (Pablo, 1976)

Basie Jam 3 (Pablo, 1976)

Kansas City 5 (Pablo, 1977)

The Gifted Ones with Dizzy Gillespie (Pablo, 1977)

Montreux '77 (Pablo, 1977)

Basie Jam: Montreux '77 (Pablo, 1977)

Satch and Josh...Again with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1977)

Night Rider with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1978)

Count Basie Meets Oscar Peterson – The Timekeepers (Pablo, 1978)

Yessir, That's My Baby with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1978)

Kansas City 8: Get Together (Pablo, 1979)

Kansas City 7 (Pablo, 1980)

On the Road (Pablo, 1980)

Kansas City 6 (Pablo, 1981)

Mostly Blues...and Some Others (Pablo, 1983)

As sideman

With Harry Edison

Edison's Lights (Pablo, 1976)

Filmography

Hit Parade of 1943 (1943) – as himself

Top Man (1943) – as himself

Sugar Chile Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet (1950) – as himself

Jamboree (1957)

Cinderfella (1960) – as himself

Sex and the Single Girl (1964) – as himself with his orchestra

Blazing Saddles (1974) – as himself with his orchestra

Last of the Blue Devils (1979) – interview and concert by the orchestra in documentary on Kansas City music

Awards

Grammy Awards

In 1958, Basie became the first African-American to win a Grammy Award.

Grammy Hall of Fame

By 2011, four recordings of Count Basie had been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."

Honors and inductions

On May 23, 1985, William "Count" Basie was presented, posthumously, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. The award was received by his son, Aaron Woodward.

On September 11, 1996 the U.S. Post Office issued a Count Basie 32 cents postage stamp. Basie is a part of the Big Band Leaders issue, which, is in turn, part of the Legends of American Music series.

In 2009, Basie was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

In May 2019, Basie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Memphis, TN, presented by The Blues Foundation.

National Recording Registry

In 2005, Count Basie's song "One O'Clock Jump" (1937) was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

[tulsajazz]

Annie Ellicott Duo Live at the Tulsa Club Hotel Curio Collection by Hilton!

🎷🎼TONIGHT is the Night! Join us for an unforgettable evening of smooth melodies and vibrant rhythms at The Tulsa Club Hotel’s Jazz Night! Immerse yourself in the soulful sounds of live jazz as you sip on expertly crafted cocktails and savor delectable bites in our elegant, historic setting. 📅 Date: October 17th🕒 Time: Bites and Drinks begin at 5:30 CST📍 Location: The Tulsa Club Hotel, 115 E 5th…

[artisticlegshake]

THE DANCE AWARDS ORLANDO RESULTS 2024

HIGH SCORE BY PERFORMANCE DIVISION (TEEN LARGE GROUPS)

BALLET:

1st The White Crow - ART & SOUL

1st Toreadores - STARS

2nd Serenade For Strings - EDX

3rd Coda - DWDE

4th Begin Again - RHYTHM

5th Lost Song - YOUNG

CONTEMPORARY:

1st Sempiterno - STARS

2nd Stand Down - EDX

3rd We Always Come Up Swinging - EDX

4th Validate Me - VLAD’S

5th Something You Should Know - STARS

LYRICAL:

1st Bones - VLAD’S

2nd Twilight - MATHER

3rd Over You - CCJ

4th Always, Forever - DWDE

4th Resilience - WESTCHESTER

5th Leave Me Slowly - CDC

JAZZ:

1st OMG - STARS

2nd What Are You Looking At? - EDX

3rd Let Me Think About It - VLAD’S

3rd Scat - ART & SOUL

4th Beggin’ - CDC

4th Fame - THE SOUTHERN STRUTT

4th Tokyo Drift - STARS

5th On The Floor - MATHER

TAP:

1st On The Other Side Of The (Blue Moon) - DWDE

2nd Luck Be A Lady - ART & SOUL

3rd Perpetuum Mobile - YOUNG

4th From The Bass - CDC

5th House Of The Rising Sun - RHTYHM

5th Piano Man - RHTYHM

MUSICAL THEATRE:

1st Moulin Rouge - VLAD’S

2nd Sing - IMPACT

3rd Wonka - THE SOUTHERN STRUTT

4th Big Bus Of Dreams - ART & SOUL

5th Mein Herr - SOUTH TULSA

HIP-HOP:

1st East Coast Remix - VLAD’S

1st The Usher Experience - VLAD’S

2nd Luda - DANCE UNLIMITED

3rd Throw It Up - SPOTLITE

4th Drumline - ART & SOUL

5th Virtualis - EDX

BALLROOM:

1st Get Over It - STARS

2nd Mi Gente - THE SOUTHERN STRUTT

3rd La Copa De La Vida - DANCE STREAM

ACRO:

1st Ghosts That We Knew - ART & SOUL

2nd Eight - EDX

SPECIALTY:

1st Memoria - EDX

2nd The Gravity Of Expectation - VLAD’S

3rd Lead With Your Chin - ART & SOUL

4th Beyonce - SPOTLITE

4th Rhythm Nation Barbie Dream Vacation - RHTYHM

4th Where Did You Fall? - AVANTI

5th A Mess Of Iguanas On Vacation - RHYTHM

5th Magnifique - THE SOUTHERN STRUTT

[cherryvalances]

November 25, 1964

“I hear Timmy Shepard’s coming home today,” Carla said the moment Mina set a chocolate milkshake on the tabletop.

Had it been just anyone, they would have missed the effects that name roused: the dose of vitality that shot up Mina’s spine, warming each vertebra on its way up; the squeak of the red vinyl booth as she shifted her legs over and under and back again, her cherry red lips spreading into a smile, then captured between her teeth, until smoothing into their usual pursed state – an evolution so quick Darwin wouldn’t have noticed. But Aunt Carla wasn’t just anyone.

“Angela called me the other night. Said he’s being released early on ‘good behavior.’ But I know it’s the overcrowding.” She retrieved a napkin from the pocket of her apron and placed it by her aunt’s hands, her eyes everywhere but where they should be. It was still cloudy outside, she noticed.

A hybrid expression encompassed Carla’s face, a thoughtless, knowing smile and something else Mina couldn’t name and didn’t particularly want to. “And, I hear,” the woman began, carefully stirring the milkshake into a frothy soup, “that there’s a party in his and Nicco’s honor tonight.”

Mina wondered who her contacts were for a brief moment, before annoying herself with her own stupidity. “Mhm, I’m heading over after my shift.” It wasn’t missing a shift at the restaurant that Carla was worried about, but Mina had been playing this game for a while, she knew how it went.

“Well, good. You’re always working, Mina. It’s time you dedicate some time to yourself and have fun.” But not too much, was always implied.

The older woman sipped happily on her milkshake, nearing its end, then paused and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Your grandfather invited some acquaintances to tomorrow’s dinner.” Her words were careful and deliberate. “Your cousin Damiano among them.” She folded the used napkin once, twice, then three times, her dark gaze drawn to her working hands.

Mina raised a brow at her aunt’s employment of the word ‘acquaintances.’ It wasn’t rare for her grandfather to invite outsiders to dinner sometimes, but he rarely provided a warning. “He believes them to be an excellent group of men, hopes you’ll think so, too.”

Recognition flashed in Mina’s blurry eyes and she nodded, tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear, a small smile tugging at her lips and cheeks. “I hope so, too, zia.”

Aunt Carla mirrored her smile and drained her glass with a noisy slurp. “Thank you for the milkshake, topolina. I’ll see you later.” Carla slid out of the booth, the bench squeaking from the friction of her weight, and the fabric of her skirt, and the fact that that booth was notoriously noisy. The older woman began to gather her belongings, scooping up her scarf and her handbag from where she fished out a crisp five-dollar bill and laid it on the tabletop. Mina assisted her aunt with her coat, holding it up to provide easy access and kissed her goodbye.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, somewhere deep in the heart of Tulsa. She hummed as she wiped away the condensation that had dripped off the milkshake glass. The bill was stiff and heavy in her hand like it was fresh from the teller, Mina pocketed it, and thought about the untouched cherry in Aunt Carla’s glass.  The man was still standing on the corner of Pickett and Sutton when Mina Santini left the diner. She had passed him on her walk to work for a week, each day growing more unsettled.

A group of women formed a half-circle around him, their eyes shining, eyebrows arched with intrigue. No one seemed particularly affected by his words, it was his presence that grounded them to the cement. Street preachers didn’t simply pop up on street corners on the North side. She spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd, matriarchs from her neighborhood cradling groceries or work uniforms, due to start the night shift when the clock struck seven or the preacher finally abandoned his post, whichever came first. “And where is God in all of this?” His clear voice rang, the first signs of sundown filtering through the dark clouds. A few in the crowd chuckled darkly. They knew the answer. Mina did too. God didn’t reside in the North side of Tulsa, he hadn’t in a while. She was halfway down the adjacent street before he could finish his monologue. She wrapped her coat tighter around her small form, each muffled bump of her bag against her thigh urging her to walk faster. Her cheeks were saturated pink as the wind rolled, ruffling the dark auburn locks that escaped the loosening grip of her ponytail. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was about the man that bothered her so. It wasn’t his ill-fitting suit or his scuffed shoes – poverty wasn’t exactly a rarity around these parts. Maybe it was the way he spoke, his voice heavy and jagged, like bolded text personified, too intrusive to bare for longer than a second. (Maybe it was his presence in general.) Mina had been to a Christian service in junior high once, the pastor had spoken in that same voice. It was a tactic employed to encourage visceral reactions from a passionate congregation, but on the corner of Pickett and Sutton, it highlighted his audience’s silence.
November had brought its usual chill and she knew that if she didn’t hurry, the night would soon turn as dark as it was cold. It wasn’t the temperature she was worried about, every Tulsan knew better than to wander around the Northside lonesome, especially after sundown. The moon, with all her beauty, was only ever a witness and never a savior. The sun was settling with blues and purples on the horizon when she entered the alley behind the restaurant. The backdoor was ajar, and a sliver of warmth and light beckoned her, the muted sounds of the jazz band tuning up teasing her ears. Mina tugged on the thick handle, another world fabricating before her. The heart of Tierra Nostra was its bustling, lively kitchen. Waiters clad in black and white filtered in and out, balancing trays of drinks, entrees, and empty plates on their hands or shoulders. The numerous light fixtures provided a distinct contrast from the greying sky and dim alley and a flurry of scents greeted her. She closed the steel door behind her and wandered toward the line of hooks where employees kept their coats and hats and scarves, the heat from the ovens instantly relieving her chilled body. “Good to see ya, Mina!” Rafe called, his greeting instantaneous, he’d always had sharp eyes, they hopped from the tray he was nurturing to her wiggling figure. She was trying to remove her coat. It was her favorite for the same reason it needed replacing, it was snug on her arms, providing her with extra warmth when necessary, it was only a hassle now. “You say that every day, Rafe,” she laughed, amusement playing in her tone. She finally got the coat off and draped it over a lonely hook. She retrieved her apron, tossing the soft, white cloth over her shoulder. Her feet led her to the sink, the routine long since ingrained within her. Rafe placed the dark tray over his shoulder, “Coz every day it’s true,” he winked and disappeared behind the double doors before she could reply. A scoff escaped her upturned lips, she shook her head, turning the faucet on and pumping the soap dispenser until a generous amount resided on her palms. Dispersing it diligently for a few seconds, she contemplated the remainder of her day. Even if she wanted to skip the party, Angela wouldn’t stand for it, knowing her, she’d stomp over to her house – or annoy one of Tim’s boys to the point that they’d give her a ride – and push her off the bed and pout at her for being so boring. Aunt Carla was right, it’d been a while since she had fun and done something entirely for her own amusement. Angela said she worked too much. The smile that had been lingering over her lips since her interaction with Rafe rejuvenated, Angela always had that effect on her, it’d been that way for as long as Mina could remember and she reckoned it would stay that way ‘til the end of her days. She rinsed the suds off, drying her hands with her apron and tying it at her waist. The energy streaming in from the main room began to revitalize the kitchen, the stove burners blaring a little louder, the chefs’ words looping and rolling along to the jazz tunes. The atmosphere was coming together seamlessly, every employees’ heart seemed to thump in harmony. Mina tugged at the restrictive ribbon, her mass of dark hair settling against her back, and for a brief moment, she wondered if the preacher made it home safe. It’s her last thought before her dainty hands push the swinging doors, the jazz melodies cutting the rest of the world off. For the next few hours, only the souls at Tierra Nostra exist.  Angela was standing on the crumbling sidewalk at the end of the block when Mina approached. The youngest Shepard had a cigarette between her plump, rosy lips and was tapping her right foot shamelessly. Angela’s eyes brightened when they spotted Mina’s figure under the flickering streetlight, she took another puff before hopping off the rounded corner and meeting her friend halfway. She wrapped her thin arms around the older girl, bending her wrist away so the cigarette didn’t sear her coat. “Minaaa,” Angela cooed, giving a small squeeze before pulling away. “I was boutta go lookin’ for you,” She frowned. Mina chuckled softly, “I would never miss this party.” “Yeah, but you would show up late for it,” she pouted, yanking lightly at a lock of Mina’s freshly washed hair with two fingers. Their eyes met and a smile blossomed on Angela’s mouth. “Okay,” she let up. Mina bumped their hips and the two giggled, making their way down the sidewalk to the Shepard house. Groups of teenagers stood around the lawn drinking from beer and pop bottles, a few greeted the pair but the music flowing from the backyard muffled most of the chatter. Angela pushed her way to the front door and opened it easily. The knob was loose and tended to refuse locking entirely. Mina allowed the younger girl to guide her inside, where a few familiar Northsiders lounged around the living room. “Mina!” Curly greeted from the kitchen, a big grin on his features as he strode over. He was a whole head taller than her and still growing. “Hi, Curly,” he brought her into a tight hug before Angela smacked his shoulder and he pulled away. “Nicco’s outside with Darry Curtis and his guys if you wanna see ‘im,” Curly informed as she removed her coat. Angela took it from her, shoving it into Curly’s arms. “He and Ponyboy were being pimples on the ass of humanity again,” Angela sneered, her big Bambi eyes staring daggers at her brother who simply cracked up with laughter. “It was funny as fuck, Mina, shoulda been there.” “Where’s Tim?” Angela snapped, peering up at her brother, voice sharp and impatient. “In the kitchen,” Curly threw a thumb in that direction with no real reaction to his sister’s childlike fury and walked down the hallway to deposit her coat. Angela gave her a look and rolled her blue eyes. Mina made a soft noise and grabbed Angela’s hand, pulling her towards the kitchen. Tim Shepard and a couple of his guys were talking loudly, animatedly. The Shepards are real lookers, she’s reminded when her eyes found Tim. Tim was a lean, muscled eighteen-year-old (he’d only been eighteen for twenty days then, no one talked about the fact that he’d come of age inside) who looked like the model JD in movies and magazines. He was tall – taller than Curly and that was saying something – and had wavy black hair, smoldering dark eyes, and a long scar from temple to chin where a vagrant had slugged him with a broken pop bottle a few years ago. There was something about Tim, there always had been. He was magnetic, electric. You couldn’t ignore him even if you tried, and Mina tried. He exuded character, he demanded attention. He wasn’t beautiful like Darry Curtis’s brother Soda, but he was attractive, nobody could deny it. Mina focused her eyes anywhere else as they passed through the kitchen towards the backdoor. Angela’s hand in hers like an anchor. The chilly night air greeted her skin, refreshing against the long sleeves of her blouse. The backyard was teeming with people bopping to an Elvis track. Inside, Tim Shepard’s lips were pursed together. He wasn’t a praying man but Jesus Christ, Mina sure had grown up while he was gone. “Happy Birthday, Nicco.” She murmured into her brother’s ear, her arms loosely looping around his neck. He was sitting on an old lawn chair, surrounded by Darry’s gang and a few others. She felt his strong chest rumble with laughter, “It ain’t midnight yet.” She planted a kiss on his cheek and stroked a few stray locks of dark hair off his forehead, “Well, yeah, but I wanted to be the first one to congratulate you.” Nicco smiled their mother’s smile, all nice teeth, and sincere, shining eyes. She caught the hand he placed on her elbow and gave it a light squeeze before disappearing into the crowd. 

The night was winding down and Two-Bit Mathews, who she had always liked despite herself, had spun her around one too many times than her childhood dance classes had prepared her for. Steadying herself on the guardrail of the backdoor steps, she let out a small giggle, “I’ll be back!” She called out to Darry Curtis and he pouted his lips, glancing down at his empty beer bottle. She rolled her eyes, giggles still flowing from her lips, “I’ll get you some water too!” She carefully climbed the three steps and went over the threshold. She wasn’t drunk, but she did have a nice buzz going. She blamed Two-Bit for her haphazard balance. She closed the door behind, immediately encroached by the quiet. Tim Shepard, the other man of the hour, was leaned against the kitchen counter like he had hadn’t moved once tonight. He held a beer bottle in his large hand and she tried not to notice the new marks on his knuckles. At the door’s soft click, he glanced upward, and their gazes met. The buzz in Mina’s chest calmed and nearly dissipated entirely. “Ademina Santini.” He breathed out, his dark blue eyes scanning her up and down. He detected her state, recognizing the flush in her cheeks and the look in her eyes, though he’d only seen her like this a few times. He took another swig from the bottle in his hands. “Tim Shepard,” she acknowledged lowly. He said nothing as she opened the fridge and removed the jug of cold water. She served herself a glass, drinking slowly. Tim watched her intently, occasionally taking more swigs of his beer. Snores emanated from the living room, coloring the silence between them. Later, she’d discover Ponyboy and Curly, who’d knocked out on the living room floor. She refilled the glass and put the jug back, almost forgetting to get another beer for Darry. As nice as Mrs. Curtis was, her boys drinking was something she wouldn’t put up with. It made Darry a careful drinker, always sipping water in-between beers and making sure his stomach was full. “Thanks for lookin’ after Angel.” She turned to him and nodded slightly, avoiding his eyes. “I hope you had a nice time because I’m not doing it again.” They both knew that was a lie. Mina didn’t need an excuse to watch over Angela, she’d been doing that since she was thirteen. But things had been different then, before the Shepard gang, she had taken Angela under her wing because she wanted to, not because her big brother was away. “I’ve learned my lesson.” He hid his smirk; Mina’s intensity never bothered him. She was simply trying to make a point now, he knew they understood each other.

“Have a nice Thanksgiving, Tim,” she said, nearing the backdoor again.

You too, Mina.”  ____

AUTHORS NOTE: I have been working and planning and nurturing this fic and character since June of 2017. Mina Santini and her story is something I hold really close to my heart. So I hope you all enjoy it! Feel free to comment all your thoughts and opinions below! (I desperately need the feedback.)

Mina and her family are Italian, so this story will feature plenty of Italian dialogue, below are some translations.

Zia - Aunt/Auntie Topolina - Little Mouse

[lboogie1906]

William James “Count” Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was a jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. He formed his jazz orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two “split” tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others. Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry “Sweets” Edison, and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams.

He was born to Lillian and Harvey Lee Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several wealthy families in the area. Both of his parents had some type of musical background. His father played the mellophone, and his mother played the piano; in fact, she gave him his first piano lessons. She took in laundry and baked cakes for sale for a living. She paid 25 cents a lesson for his piano instruction.

He went to Harlem, a hotbed of jazz. He bumped into Sonny Greer, who was by then the drummer for the Washingtonians, Duke Ellington’s early band. He met many of the Harlem musicians who were “making the scene,” including Willie “the Lion” Smith and James P. Johnson.

He was in Tulsa and heard Walter Page and his Famous Blue Devils, one of the first big bands, which featured Jimmy Rushing on vocals. He was invited to join the band, which played mostly in Texas and Oklahoma. It was at this time that he began to be known as “Count” Basie.

He married Vivian Lee Winn. He married Catherine Morgan, they had one daughter. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #omegapsiphi

[ghaw2007]

Proposed TV Series

Proposed TV Series

To air on: HBO/HBO Canada, Encore, TV One, Flix, Starz, Cinemax, TNT, CBS, TBS, BET, TVGN, FX/FX Canada, USA, ABC, Showtime, DirectTV, IFC, AMC, Epix, MTV, MuchMusic, SundanceTV, Bravo (Canada), Netflix, ReelzChannel, Hallmark Channel, Hulu, Showcase, E!, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Cloo, Ion, WE tv, Oxygen, Chiller, Universal HD, WGN America, VH1, ABC Family, TV Land, Lifetime/Lifetime Canada, MTV, Centric, Bounce TV, Comedy Central, Antenna TV, CMT/CMT (Canada), City, This TV, BBC America, Nickelodeon|Nick At Nite, Me-TV, ASPiRE, Retro TV, Pivot, Esquire Network, Cozi TV, Up, My Family TV, Tuff TV, AXS TV, Logo TV, Up, and TruTV.

NOTE: NBC, A&E, Spike, Bravo (America), The CW, Syfy, Amazon Studios, and FOX are not included in the list of networks/VOD services

AmeriAfri: A mix of Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives & The Wire. Written by Rick Famuyiwa & Gina Prince-Bythewood. P.C.S.A.: The life of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. Written by Ron Hutchinson, Robert Schenkkan & Shem Bitterman. White People: Loosely based on J.T. Rogers' play of the same name about the lives of three ordinary Americans placed under the spotlight: Martin, a high powered attorney for a white-shoe law firm in St. Louis, MO; Mara Lynn, a housewife and former homecoming queen in Fayetteville, NC; and Alan, a professor struggling to find his way in New York City. Through heart-wrenching confessions, they wrestle with guilt, prejudice, and the price they and their children must pay for their actions. White People is a candid, brutally honest meditation on race and language in our culture. Written by J.T. Rogers. Pittsburgh Cycle: Based on August Wilson's The Pittsburgh Cycle. Written by Vaun Monroe. Da Brick: Contemporary exploration of what it means to be an African man in supposedly post-racial America and is loosely inspired by aspects of Mike Tyson’s youth. Written by John Ridley. Consultant: M. K. Asante. All Signs of Death: Based on Charlie Huston's The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death. Written by Charlie Huston. Wars And Battles: Loosely based on the Weather Underground and Symbionese Liberation Army in 1964. Written by Terry Green & Sibyl Gardner. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Sylvester Magee, the last American legal slave to die. Written by Joshua Allen & Sterling Norman Anderson. [[]]: About a Malcolm X type Christian and human rights activist in 1967. Written by Daniel Beaty & Anthony Grooms. Consultant: Jared A. Ball. Luke Cage: Based on the comic book character of the same name who obtained his powers in an accident that left him with near-impervious skin and superhuman strength. Written by Philip Levens & Matt Pyken. HOMO: An unflinching examination of homosexuality in America and Canada. Loosely based on the lives of Fred Phelps, Steve Drain and K. Ryan Jones' Fall From Grace. Set in Greensboro, NC. Written by Bruce Norris. Centrality: An unflinching examination of America's racial animus loosely based on the 1989 Central Park Jogger case. Written by Barbara Hall & Kevin Arkadie. [[]]: Loosely based on Before They Die and The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story about the Tulsa race riot and its aftermath. Written by Daniel Omotosho Black & Marcus Gardley. Consultant: David Bradley. Concealed Destruction: Loosely based on the mystery surrounding Johnny Gosch, Eugene Wade Martin, Paul Bonacci, Jesse Dirkhising, Boys Town, NE, Nancy Schaefer, and Noreen Gosch's Why Johnny Can't Come Home. Inspired by Alternative Views' groundbreaking Boys For Sale. Written by John Zinman & Patrick Massett. [[]]: Loosely based on the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Written by Eric Jerome Dickey & Nathan McCall. Consultant: Dr. L'Heureux Lewis. Burke: Based on Andrew Vachss' book series about a man named Burke and his battle against child abusers. Written by Dave Andron & Taylor Elmore. Parable of The Sower: Based on Octavia E. Butler's book series of the same name. It centers on a woman who possesses what Butler dubbed hyperempathy – the ability to feel the perceived pain and other sensations of others – who develops a benign philosophical and religious system during her childhood in the remnants of a gated community in Los Angeles. Written by Stephen Belber & Richard Levine & Thomas L. Moran. Shades of Black: Exploring the lives of the teachers, students, and administrators at an African centered Charter high school. Written by Robert Alexander & Kia Corthron. Consultant: Dr. David Stephens. The Jagged Orbit: Based on John Brunner's book of the same name. Set in the United States of America in 2014, when interracial tensions have passed the breaking point. Written by Ted Humphrey. Without Kings (aka American Cunts): The lives of black women living in St. Louis, MO. Set in 2006 and inspired by YouTube's 5723michael, Tommy Sotomayor, TheAdviseShowTV, Zo Williams, and Amos N. Wilson. Written by . The Syndicate: Loosely based on the Cerrito, Genna, Smaldone, Lanza, and Giordana crime families. Set in 1952. Based in Houston, TX. Written by David Goldschmid & Nathan Fissell. [[]]: Loosely based on Samuel R. Delany memoirs' Heavenly Breakfast, The Motion of Light in Water, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue. A mix of Knots Landing, All In The Family & Twin Peaks. Written by Samuel R. Delany & Harley Peyton. Tales of Hannah: Loosely based on the life of Hannah Elias, the first black female millionaire in America. Written by Ntozake Shange & Kia Corthron. Thurgood: Loosely based on the life of Thurgood Marshall. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Madam C.J. Walker: Building a Business Empire and The Black Rose: The Dramatic Story of Madam C.J. Walker about the life of Madam C. J. Walker. Written by Dominique Morisseau & Y York. Black Jaguar: Loosely based on the Black Panther Party in 1968. Inspired by All Power To The People. Set in Newark, NJ. Written by Robert Alexander. Consultant: Daryl T. Hinmon. ABORTION: Loosely based on the lives of David Gunn, John Britton, Barnett Slepian, and George Tiller. Written by Sarah Ruhl & Richard Greenberg. Burning Water: Loosely based on the life of Judith Reisman, founder of the modern anti-Kinsey movement. Written by . Oryx and Crake: Based on Margaret Atwood's book of the same name including The Year of The Flood. Written by Albert Kim & Christine Boylan. Sun Days: The personal and professional lives of a fictional professional football team in Columbus, OH. Think: Any Given Sunday meets Desperate Housewives. Written by Josh Senter & Eric Haywood. The Terrible Girls: Loosely based on Jacqueline Goldfinger's play of the same name about friendship, obsession, and Southern sensibilities. Written by Jacqueline Goldfinger. [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Danny Casolaro, Chauncey W. Bailey Jr., Gary Webb, Alan Berg, Don Bolles, Walter Liggett, and Manuel de Dios Unanue. Written by Rafael Alvarez, William F. Zorzi & George Pelecanos. New World: 1728: About the Atlantic slave trade in 1728. Written by David Barr III & Derrell G. Owens. Consultant: Edward P. Jones. 21st Century Triad: A fictionalized exploration of Sam Sheppard's life, narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy in modern day San Diego, CA. A mix of Revenge, The Fugitive, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Eyes Wide Shut. Written by Dan LeFranc & Chris Collins. The Eight Wonder: Based on Bill Cosgriff's book of the same name about a working–class family in upstate New York dealing with divorce, poverty, adultery, and the trials of raising a developmentally-delayed child. A dramedy that moves from the hardscrabble world of lawn maintenance to the high precincts of the Parisian art world and back again. Written by Bill Cosgriff. Humanland: Depicting daily life in a San Diego mental institution, from the perspectives of staff members and patients. Written by Thomas Gibson & Daniel Reitz. Moms.Single: An ethnically divorced family deals with issues of race, divorce, relationships, and parenting through humor and honesty. Written by M. Esther Sherman. Hammon: The life of an African college professor, Hammon Aiken, in 1949. Written by Michele Val Jean & Mat Johnson. Consultant: Richard Wesley. Words of Warner: The life of an African novelist and playwright in 1953. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Louis E. Lomax. Written by Rebecca Gilman. [[]]: Loosely based on Oscar Micheaux's The Forged Note: A Romance of The Darker Races. Written by . Zinzi: Based on Phyllis MacBryde's musical and novel of the same name. Ripped from her tribal roots in South Africa and cast into the fertile jazz world of post World War II Harlem, a young girl struggles to find her way amid the challenges of a racially divided America. Written by Phyllis MacBryde. [[]]: Loosely based on Metropia; a group of multicultural, multi-ethnic, hip and happening, twenty-somethings living in Philadelphia, PA. The series reflects the diverse cultural make up of Philadelphia and deals with adult contemporary themes - education, employment, social/cultural issues and sexual themes. Written by Jill Golick. Birds of A Feather: Based on the British comedy of the same name about two sisters whose lives had taken very different routes. Written by Sheila Callaghan. The Shockwave Rider: Loosely based on John Brunner's book of the same name about a survivor in a hypothetical world of quickly changing identities, fashions and lifestyles, where individuals are still controlled and oppressed by a powerful and secretive state apparatus. His highly developed computer skills enable him to use any public telephone to punch in a new identity, thus reinventing himself, within hours. As a fugitive, he must do this from time to time in order to escape capture. Written by . Absalom, Absalom!: Loosely based on William Faulkner's book of the same name. Written by Michele Val Jean & Judy Tate. Where The Blood Mixes: Based on Kevin Loring's book of the same name about family, loss, redemption and healing. Floyd and Mooch, raised in residential schools, must confront their past when Floyd’s daughter Christine returns to Kumsheen after twenty years, to discover her past and her family. Written by Kevin Loring, Richard Wagamese & George Elliott Clarke. Dry: Based on Augusten Burroughs' book of the same name about an advertising executive trying to get sober. Written by Augusten Burroughs. Three Days Before The Shooting: Based on Ralph Ellison's book of the same name about man of indeterminate race who assumes a white identity and eventually becomes a race-baiting U.S. senator named Adam Sunraider. Written by . Some Girls: My Life In A Harem: Loosely based on Jillian Lauren's book of the same name. Written by Christina Anderson & Sharon Bridgforth. Sold: Loosely based on Zana Muhsen's book of the same name. Written by Tanya Barfield. Amos Fortune, Free Man: Loosely based on Elizabeth Yates' book of the same name. Written by Robert Alexander. (900): Loosely based on Zakiyyah Alexander's play of the same name. A young woman applies for a job in the phone sex industry and finds herself caught up in a twisted, comedic oral-sex romp. While navigating a dark world of golden showers, dominatrixes, and overly imaginative callers who demand more than sex, we find that identity is fluid and nothing is more ominous than the sound of a dial tone. Written by Zakiyyah Alexander. Fiona Range: Based on Mary McGarry Morris' book of the same name about Fiona's attempts to clean her life up, find love in the midst of loneliness and confusion, and find balance in the midst of seemingly insurmountable emotional chaos. Written by Julia Jordan. Rolling Heads: Loosely based on Frontline's The Education of Michelle Rhee. Think: Boston Public meets The Wire. Written by Jed Seidel, George Pelecanos & Henry Robles. Wonder of The World: Based on David Lindsay-Abaire's book of the same name about a wife named Cass who suddenly leaves her husband (after discovering his sexual fetish involving Barbie heads), and hops a bus to Niagara Falls in search of freedom, enlightenment and the meaning of life. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire. Matadors: Centers on two feuding families who battle each other as one populates the Chicago district attorney's office and the other manages an influential private law firm. Written by Jack Orman. Marion: Loosely based on the life of Marion S. Barry Jr. Written by . Two Hands: Loosely based on the lives of Muhammad Ali, Rahman Ali, Laila Ali, George Foreman, Freeda Foreman, Joe Frazier, Jackie Frazier-Lyde, Marvis Frazier, Roger Leonard, and Sugar Ray Leonard. Written by . The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman: Loosely based on Ernest J. Gaines' book of the same name. Written by Lydia R. Diamond. Dress Your Family in Corduroy And Denim: Based on David Sedaris' book of the same name. Written by Kristoffer Diaz. Half A Heart: Based on Rosellen Brown's book of the same name which traces the lives of several people who participated in the civil rights movement and continue to live in its shadow. Written by Tina Mabry & Regina Taylor. Pure Poetry: Based on Binnie Kirshenbaum's book of the same name. Written by Kirsten Greenidge & Eugenie Chan. Checks & Balances: Explores the lives, loves & machinations of workers at Ambrose/Craner/Ellison, a fictional independent Wall Street investment house. Set in New York City. Written by David Adjmi & Reggie Rock Bythewood. Mich Max: The ongoings of a fictional maximum-security prison in Michigan. Think: Oz in 2008. Written by . Manchild In The Promised Land: Loosely based on Claude Brown's book of the same name. Written by . Fauxfer: The examination of cultural clashes between a transplanted philosophical Chicago disc jockey and the townspeople of fictional of Fauxfer, South Dakota. Think: Northern Exposure meets American Beauty. Written by Melanie Marnich, Lydia Millet & Jim Vallely. Fork It Over: Loosely based on Alan Richman's book of the same name as his inexhaustible hunger & unquenchable curiosity lead him into the world of professional eaters & culinary journalism. Written by Chiori Miyagawa. The Darkness of Days: The events leading up to the Rwandan Genocide in August 1993 and its aftermath. Written by . My Day, Your Day: A post Vietnam War drama set in Charlotte, North Carolina. Written by Karen Harris & Susan Wald. Brooke III: Loosely based on the life of Edward William Brooke III. Written by Kathryn Grant. I'll Have A...: Based on Debra Ginsberg's Waiting: The True Confessions Of A Waitress. Think: a scripted version of The Restaurant. Written by Robert Kauzlaric. Double Billing: An expose of the legal profession. Loosely based on Cameron Stracher's Double Billing & William R. Keates' Proceed With Caution. A mix of Ally McBeal, The Practice, Suits, and Damages. Written by Carlos Murillo & Gina Gionfriddo. Me Talk Pretty One Day: Based on David Sedaris' life & book of the same name. Written by Samuel D. Hunter. The Subject Steve: Based on Sam Lipsyte's book of the same name. A dark satire in which the protagonist, Steve, is diagnosed with a vague but deadly disease called Prexis that sounds suspiciously like terminal boredom with modern life. Written by Dan LeFranc. Easy Steps: Satirical look at the self-help industry. Written by Steven Dietz. Faces: Multiple storylines dealing with issues like depression, poverty, addiction (drug, food, sex, alchohol), abuse (physical, mental, sexual), suicide, homophobia, violence (gangs, rape), eating disorders, and learning/physical disabilities. Based in Indianapolis, IN. Written by Joshua Allen, Djanet Sears & Daniel Beaty. Consultants: Dr. Umar Abdullah Johnson, John Potash & Raymond Winbush. Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow: It's about the moments which defined yesterday, the trials & tribulations facing us today, and the outcomes which will lead into tomorrow. Blending social & political issues, love & romance, action & adventure, spirituality & mystery themes. Based in San Antonio, TX. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Bobby Smith Jr. & James Christy. Dr. Kenan, Medicine Man: The life of an African doctor in 1937. Based in Raleigh, NC. Written by . Present Minds: The ongoings of an historically black college in 1973. Written by Marcus Gardley & Shay Youngblood. This Side of Paradise: Loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's book of the same name which examines the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. Written by Michael Werwie. Raindrops And Sunshine: Coming of age drama about the lives of college students and recent graduates in South Carolina. Written by Cynthia Whitcomb & Jasmine Love. Topdog/Underdog: Loosely based on Suzan-Lori Parks' play of the same name chronicles the adult lives of two brothers as they cope with women, work, poverty, gambling, white supremacy, and their troubled upbringings. Written by Suzan-Lori Parks. Zubat & Clark: Best friends who host an afternoon drive home radio talk show in Washington, D.C. Dayvide Zubat is a moderate and Jon E. Clark is a libertarian. A mix of Politically Incorrect, WKRP In Cincinnati and NewsRadio. Written by Skander Halim. The Twenty-Seventh City: Loosely based on Jonathan Franzen's book of the same name. A partly satirical thriller that studies a family unravelling under intense pressure, the novel is set amidst intricate political conspiracy and financial upheaval in St. Louis, MO in 1984. Written by Jonathan Franzen. Origin/Terminus: Government agents investigating paranormal activity, unexplained phenomena & conspiracies as they encounter secret societies who are in search of the truth of the planet. Think: The X Files meets Alias. Written by Ryan Farley & Tammy Ryan. Following The Yellow Brick Road Down The Rabbit Hole: Loosely based on the play of the same name about Cissy, a young Catholic girl who challenges the church as she grapples with her own developing body and consciousness. Along the way, in her quest to crack the mysteries of religion and sexuality, she encounters older siblings, friends, mothers, teachers and clergy all brought to life in an invigorating performance by the playwright, who seamlessly transforms from one character to another. Written by Terri Campion. Silicon Follies: Based on Thomas Scoville's book of the same name - a satire of Silicon Valley and its technological trappings; portraying a world as rich with youth and enthusiasm as it is with hypocrisy and loneliness. Written by Peter DeLaurier. The Council: Loosely based on The Council, a black crime syndicate. Written by . The Town: Based on Bentley Little's book of the same name in which bizarre events begin to occure shortly after a man returns to his old hometown of McGuane, AZ with his wife and three children. Written by Nicole Burdette. Where The Sun Never Sets: A dark comedy of ideas, a married couple finds itself trapped in a perilously perfect world. Written by Bob Clyman. Outer Banks: Spoiled heiress turned hotel manager makes the best of a bad situation - learning to live with quirky beach locals and tourists. Written by Mary Carroll-Hackett. Kick Me: Based on Paul Feig's book of the same name. Think: Freaks & Geeks: Part 2. Written by Paul Feig & Bob Nickman. Who's Sorry Now: Based on Joe Pantoliano's book of the same name. Written by Joe Pantoliano & Travis Milloy. Times of Ordinary Men: An unflinching examination of the human condition in modern day America. A group of angels are tasked with bringing guidance and messages from God to various people who are at a crossroads in their lives. Think: Touched By An Angel meets Six Feet Under. Theme song: Wendy Lands' Angels & Ordinary Men. Written by Nancy Miller. A Brief History of The Flood: Based in Jean Harfenist's book of the same name which chronicles the lives of a Minnesota family as narrated by the main character, Lillian Anderson. Written by Jane Ann Crum. The Wanting Seed: Loosely based on Anthony Burgess' book of the same name. Written by Jacquelyn Reingold. Mundy's Town: The rise and fall of an African mayor of a predominately white American town in March 1978. Written by Stephen Godchaux & Jeni Mahoney. I Am Woman: Based on Andrea Lee's Interested Women. Written by Jackie Sibblies Drury. Ray Who?: Loosely based on the disappearance of Ray Gricar, District Attorney for Centre County, PA. Written by Doug Wright. Consultant: C.J. Box. Innocents: Loosely based on Cathy Coote's book of the same name about a twisted love affair between a college student and teacher from the student's point of view. Written by Morris Panych & Keira Loughran. Plainsong: Based on Kent Haruf's book of the same name about eight compassionately imagined characters whose lives undergo radical change during the course of one year. Written by Eisa Davis & Lee Blessing. The Chronicles of Amber: Based on Roger Zelazny's book series of the same name. Written by . Cornelius aka Robert: Loosely based on the life of Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr., the longest-serving member of the U.S. Congress, in 1939. Written by . ...And I: The relationships people have with their work, friends, family & the world around them in Lexington, KY. Written by Christine Conradt & Ramin Bahrani. Strong Motion: Loosely based on Jonathan Franzen's book of the same name about a dysfunctional family, and uses seismic events on the American East Coast as a metaphor for the quakes that occur in family life. It explores themes such as abortion, feminism, corporate malfeasance, and exploitative capitalism. Written by Michael Conforti & Hal Corley. The Rulers of The Ages: Lives of those between the ages of 50 and 70. Written by Richard Russo. Welcome To Temptation: Based on Jennifer Crusie's book of the same name about two slightly twisted sisters and a town chock full of hunks, coots, and petty politics. Written by Madi Distefano. Life of The Party: Set to the backdrop of a dysfunctional DJ/Entertainment Company. Think: Arrested Development meets Party Down. Written by Robert N. King. Heart of America: Kansas City, 1961 - Former high school buddies watch their teenage marriages crumble as they face the changing times from the sanctuary of their neighborhood tavern. Written by Rogers Turrentine. Why Girls Are Weird: Based on Pamela Ribon's book of the same name. Written by Meg Bennett. The Secret Lives of Married Men: Based on David Leddick's book of the same name about homosexual men who were married - and those who still are - to women. Written by Cheryl Dunye. Sons of The Prophet: Loosely based on Stephen Karam's play of the same name. Written by Stephen Karam. Speech And Debate: Loosely based on Stephen Karam's play of the same name about three misfit teenagers who live in Salem, Oregon. Written by Stephen Karam. Sellevision: Based on Augusten Burroughs' book of the same name- A relentless spoof of cable's home-shopping mania. Written by D.W. Gregory. Tuffy: Based on Paul Beatty's book, Tuff, about the unusual coming-of-age of 19-year-old, obese african Winston "Tuffy" Foshay, who tries to rise above his rough-and-tumble life on the vicious streets of Spanish Harlem. Written by . The Camel Club: Based on David Baldacci's book series of the same name. Written by David Baldacci. Hiram: Free Man: Loosely based on the life of Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first African elected to either chamber of the US Congress. Written by . Shaw: Loosely based on David Baldacci's The Whole Truth and Deliver Us From Evil about Shaw, an operative for a secret global intelligence agency, and Katie James, a disgraced investigative journalist. Written by . Multiple Pieces: Based on David Baldacci's Sean King and Michelle Maxwell book series about two discredited agents who enter a maze of lies, secrets, and deadly coincidences, they uncover a violence that shattered their lives were really a long time in the making - and are a long way from over. Written by . Joe College: Based on Tom Perrotta's book of the same name about an English major at Yale who's stuck with the peculiarities of his roommates, a horrendous crush on a fellow student, while struggling to complete his junior year. Written by Michael Golamco. JAX: About the personal and professional lives of a fictional professional basketball team in Jacksonville, FL. Written by Andrew Case. Life As A Loser: Based on Will Leitch's book of the same name. Written by Christina Calvit. [[]]: Loosely based on Maurice Jackson's Let This Voice Be Heard about the life Anthony Benezet, an abolitionist and educator, in 1750s Philadelphia. Written by . A Dangerous Woman: Based on Mary McGarry Morris' book of the same name about a Vermont woman who is most dangerous to herself. Written by Elisabeth Karlin. The White Boy Shuffle: Based on Paul Beatty's book of the same name about a gleefully satiric gloss on black American history and culture. Written by Paul Beatty & Lynn Nottage. The Rebel Wife: Based on the novel of the same name about young widow trying to survive in the violent world of Reconstruction Alabama, where the old gentility masks a continuing war fueled by hatred, treachery, and still-powerful secrets. Written by Taylor M. Polites. His Children: Based on the British comedy, Bread, about a staunchly Catholic family. In this case, it will be a staunchly Christian family. Written by . [[]]: Slavery in Georgia during the 1850s. Written by . Consultant: Charles R. Johnson. G.L.B.: Loosely based on the life of Glenn Burke and Billy Beans' Going The Other Way: Lessons From A Life In And Out of Major League Baseball. Written by C. Jay Cox & Ira Sachs. Some Dark Places of The Earth: Loosely based on Claire Kiechel's play of the same name. In an ex-pat community in Brussels, ten-year-old Bee imagines herself inside the nightly newscasts of her radio journalist father. When her mother begins an affair with the diplomat next door, Bee recruits the man’s son to help realize her fantasies. As their make-believe escalates, a new reality threatens the fragile world the two families have constructed. Written by Claire Kiechel. Midnight At Noon: On the run after robbing a bank during the great depression, two brothers find themselves trapped in the harsh region known as the Dust Bowl where a ruthless killer hunts them down. Written by Nathaniel Halpern. Hi-De-Hi!: Based on the British comedy of the same name which was set in a holiday camp during the 1950s and 1960s. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Frederick Douglass. Written by . Last of The Summer Wine: Based on the British comedy of the same name about the adventures of three elderly, unmarried friends. Think: The male version of The Golden Girls. Written by . San Soccer: The personal and professional lives of a fictional professional soccer team in San Antonio, TX. Written by Neil Landau & Victor Lodato. Call Time: Written by Josh Woodle. American Frontier: A tale of conquest, survival, persistence, and the merging of peoples and cultures that gave birth and continuing life to America in 1817. Written by . Never The Twain: Based on the British comedy of the same name about two male next-door neighbours and rival antique dealers engaged in continuous one-upmanship. Written by . New York Day: About the lives of people working at a fictional newspaper in 1951. Written by Rebecca Gilman, David Ehrman & Travis Donnelly. The King of America: Based on Samantha Gillison's book of the same name about Stephen Hesse—loosely modeled on Michael Rockefeller, who disappeared 40 years ago in then Dutch New Guinea while collecting primitive art for his father's collection—is an excruciatingly lonely, earnest kid struggling to develop an identity under the crushing weight of his father's millions. Written by . Detroit 365: A gritty drama based in Detroit, MI dealing with social, cultural, sexual and political issues. Written by Joe R. Lansdale. Consultants: Dr. Boyce Watkins & Demetrius Darnell Walker. Recalling What Lies: Loosely based on Alice Pencavel's play of the same name about the nature of boundaries - the crossing and violation of boundaries - in different relationships and on many different levels. It also addresses the concept of memory: how accurate it is, how it defines us, and ultimately how valuable it is. Written by Alice Pencavel. North/South/East/West: A post Korean War drama set in South Bend, IN. Think: Homefront in 1953. Written by Lynn Marie Latham & Bernard Lechowick. Consultant: Russell Banks The Thin Red Line: The ongoings of a firehouse in a small city in 1998. Written by Scott Teems. Americana: Satire on American culture, media & politics. A small town businessman becomes the mayor of a metropolis. Written by Qui Nguyen & Stephen Axelrod. Forty Days At Kamas: Based on Preston Fleming's book series of the same name. Written by Preston Fleming. Some Kind of Fairy Tale: Based on the book of the same name. Written by Graham Joyce. A Long Way From Home: Based on Connie Briscoe's book of the same name about an enslaved mother, daughter, and grandmother of President James Madison. Written by Connie Briscoe. Anti-Anything: Revolving around the life of a working class bigot and his family. Think: All In The Family meets The Office. Written by . Two Trains Running: Loosely based on Andrew Vachss' book of the name name. Written by Robert Nathan. A Modern Feeling: Loosely based on Jason Kim's play of the same name about two homosexual men struggling to find meaning and direction. Written by Jason Kim. Women of The Otherworld: Based on Kelly Armstrong's book series. Written by Julian Sampson & Kelley Armstrong. Margin of Error: Centers on a workaholic campaign strategist who launches a new political campaign every season. Written by D.V. DeVincentis. [[]]: Loosely based on lives of the Scottsboro Boys. Written by . Table 21: Loosely based on T. Rafael Cimino's book of the same name. New York City in December 1999: As one millennium ends and another begins, an erratic chain of events unfold that could change the face of the Italian Mafia forever. In the turmoil, a vacuum is created when one family falls, creating an unprecedented void of power and a subsequent struggle for control of the underworld.Think: The Godfather meets Crash. Written by T. Rafael Cimino. Walls of Stone: A post-Stonewall drama in NYC. Written by Christopher Shinn & Laura Maria Censabella. Alongside Night: Based on J. Neil Schulman's book of the same name. Written by . Mr. Peters' Connections: Based on Arthur Miller's play of the same name. The title character is a former pilot who worked for the airline in its glory days. He recalls flying into a thousand sunsets and bedding eighteen Rockettes in a month, eventually marrying one of them. Now he is an aging, befuddled man lost in a world he no longer understands. Written by Jessica Queller & Thomas Bezucha. Mara Dyer: Based on Michelle Hodkin's book series. Written by Michelle Hodkin. columbinus: Loosely based on Stephen Karam's play of the same name about alienation, hostility and social pressure in high schools. Written by Stephen Karam. Tilda: Satire about the entertainment industry centering on a powerful and reclusive Hollywood blogger. Written by Bill Condon and Cynthia Mort. Juvy: The ongoings of a juvenile detention facility in St. Louis, MO. Written by James DeMonaco & Tom Reilly. When The Bough Breaks: Based on Johnathan Kellerman's book series about Alex Delaware, a forensic psychologist. Written by Nick Santora & Scott Kaufer. One Fifth Avenue: Based on Candace Bushnell's book of the same name about the residents of the prestigious building. Written by Candace Bushnell. Lambs of Men: Loosely based on Charles Dodd White's book of the same name. When a gruesome act of violence stuns the insular mountain community, father and son must journey together to see justice carried out while coming to terms with a deeply troubled family history. Written by Charles Dodd White. Man In The Blue Moon: Based on Michael Morris' book of the same name. While the world is embroiled in World War I, Ella fights her own personal battle to keep the mystical Florida land that has been in her family for generations from the hands of an unscrupulous banker. Written by Michael Morris & Angelina Burnett. Rocco Perri: Loosely based on the life of Rocco Perri. Written by Tobin Addington. Wonders of The Invisible World: Based on Patricia A. McKillip's book of the same name. Written by . American Rock: Based on the life of Nelson Rockefeller in 1957. Written by . Print Men: The personal and professional lives of workers at a men's magazine in 1953. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the disapperance of Hale Boggs and Nick Begich. Written by Nancy Noever. Gonzo: About war journalists in the 1980s searching for a missing comrade in a 24/7-on-edge Central American country rattled by corruption, greed, and political intrigue. Written by Michael Oates Palmer. Unreal Estate: Based on Michael Gross’ book of the same name Unreal Estate: Money, Ambition and the Lust for Land in Los Angeles. Written by Steve Atkinson. The Master Butchers Singing Club: Based on Louise Erdich's book of the same name. Having survived World War I, Fidelis Waldvogel returns to his quiet German village and marries the pregnant widow of his best friend, killed in action. They soon relocate to Argus, ND. When the Old World meets the New--in the person of Delphine Watzka--the great adventure of Fidelis's life begins. Written by . A Curse of Angels: Based on Janyce Lapore's play of the same name about a steelworker Salvador Vinta, an opera lover who rules his family with forbidden love and an iron hand. Written by Janyce Lapore. Canary: The residents of a small West Virginia coal mining town intersect and affect one another in surprising, often humorous ways, as their lives are inextricably shaped by their surroundings. Written by Craig Zobel. Confessions of Georgia Nicholson: Based on Louise Rennison's book series. Written by . The Corrections: Based on Jonathan Franzen's book of the same name. Written by Noah Baumbach. Wocke & Woll: The personal and professional lives of a sports agent, and his group of associates. Think: Sports Night meets The Office. Written by . Crossing The River: Loosely based on Caryl Phillips' book of the same name about about three black people during different time periods and in different continents as they struggle with the separation from their native Africa. Written by . Tree of Smoke: Based on Denis Johnson's book of the same name about a man who joins the CIA in 1965, and begins working in Vietnam during the American involvement there. Written by Jorge Zamacona & Jeff York. Nathaniel of Virginia: Based on the life of Nat Turner. Written by . Brotherhood of War: Based on W. E. B. Griffin's book series about the United States Army from World War II through the Vietnam War. The story centers around the careers of four U.S. Army officers who were lieutenants in the early 1940s. Written by . 3,600 Seconds: Behind the scenes of a TV newsmagazine in 1972. Think: The Eleventh Hour meets 60 Minutes. Written by . Common Prayer: Loosely based on Joan Didion's A Book of Common Prayer. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The White Album. Written by . Night Fighter: Based on David Sherman's book series of the same name about the kind of activities experienced by the US Marines and Vietnamese Popular Forces units of the combat-outpost type of the Combined Action Program of the United States Marine Corps. Written by . Spring/Fall: Set in New York City against the backdrop of the fashion world, the project centered on the dysfunctional partnership between two women with different approaches to career, family and friendship. Written by Kate Robin. Lawless: Written by Tom S. Parker & Jim Jennewein. Black Orchid: Based on the comic book character. Written by . Cuomo: Loosely based on the Cuomo family in 1972. Written by Carla Robinson. [[]]: Based on the life of Sigmund Freud beginning in 1885. Written by . Queen & Country: Based on the comic book series of the same name about a female operative of the Special Operations Section of SIS, colloquially known as the Minders. Written by . Couples: Loosely based on John Updike's book of the same name. Written by . X: Loosely based on David Henry Sterry's Chicken: Self-Portrait of A Young Man For Rent, Confessions of A Sex Maniac, Unzipped: A True Story of Sex, Drugs, Rollerskates and Murder, Master of Ceremonies: A True Story of Love, Murder, Roller Skates and Chippendales and Hos, Hookers, Call Girls and Rant Boys: Professionals Writing On Life, Love, Money and Sex. About people leaving behind their former lives [ex-stripper; ex-white supremacist; ex-escort; ex-homosexual; ex-gambler]. Written by . The Poisonwood Bible: Loosely based on Barbara Kingsolver's book of the same name and the Congo Crisis. Written by . James Lanza: Loosely based on the life of James Lanza, an American mobster and boss of the San Francisco crime family. Written by Nilo Cruz. What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day: Loosely based on Pearl Cleage's book of the same name about a black woman who has moved back to her hometown following a positive diagnosis for HIV. Written by . The Last Thing He Wanted: Loosely based on Joan Didion's book of the same name about a woman who inherits her father's position as an arms dealer for the U.S. Government. Written by . Let It Blurt: Based on Jim DeRogatis' book of the same name. Written by . 100 Bullets: Based on the comic book of the same name. Written by David S. Goyer. Full Tilt Boogie: About a middle-aged pot pilot who juggles his life as a smuggler busting the USA/Mexican border with his responsibilities as a father and ex-husband. Written by Amber Crawford-Idell. American Vampire: Based on the comic book series of the same name. Written by Scott Snyder. The Stand: Based on Stephen King's The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition book of the same name. Written by . The Sandman: Based on Neil Gaiman's comic book series of the same name. Written by Neil Gaiman. The Catcher Was A Spy: Loosely based on Nicholas Dawidoff's book of the same name. Written by . Amnesia Moon: Loosely based on Jonathan Lethem's book of the same name. The protagonist is a survivalist named Chaos, who lives in an abandoned megaplex after an apparent nuclear strike. The residents of his town of Hatfork are reliant on a sinister messianic figure named Kellogg for food. Kellogg also has powerful dreams, which he transfers into the minds of others. Chaos's mind is especially receptive, making him reluctant to sleep. Written by . Of Lights and Flowers: About those trying to rebuild their lives in Anchorage, AK after the most powerful recorded earthquake in American history. Written by Janet Allard. 11/22/63: Based on Stephen King's book of the same name about a time traveler who attempts to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Written by . 60 Minute Man: A suburban dad suspects he's involved in a government conspiracy after he discovers his memory is erased during one hour of each day. Written by Graham Yost. The Catcher In The Rye: Loosely based on J. D. Salinger's book of the same name. Written by . All 'Bout Leguizamo: Loosely based on John Leguizamo's Freak, Sexaholix... A Love Story, Ghetto Klown & Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, And All The Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life. Written by John Leguizamo. Cane River: Loosely based on Lalita Tademy's book of the same name about four generations of slave-born females from 1830s to 1930s. Written by Lalita Tademy, Karen Hall & Misan Sagay. Hi School: Parody of high school life. Written by Peter Saji & Tami Sagher. Music for Torching: Loosely based on the book of the same name about a dysfunctional suburban family in modern-day America dealing with various issues, including sex, social consciousness, infidelity and school violence. Written by A. M. Homes. A Marriage: The anatomy of a couple’s marriage. Written by Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick. Rabbit, Run: Based on John Updike's six books about Harry Angstrom. Written by . 20 Questions: There's nothing that fascinates people quite like a government conspiracy. Unless you're an innocent man caught up in the middle of one and running for your life. Written by Thomas Hines. Retribution: Based on John Fulton's book of the same name about struggle with and against the demands of family loyalty, love, loss, and sexual desire. Written by Lydia Woodward & Marsha Norman. American Man: Delving into the complex, troubling, and humorous contradictions, illusions, and realities of contemporary manhood. Written by David Brind & Merritt Johnson. A View of The Ocean: Loosely based on Jan de Hartog's memoir of the same name - unflinching look at death and the process of dying. Written by Elizabeth Savage Sullivan. William's Law: Loosely based on the life of William O. Douglas, who served 13,358 days on the United States Supreme Court. Written by . Dark Horse: Conspiracy thriller about an undergraduate who's struck by lightning the exact moment his estranged father, a respected neurosurgeon, is killed during an attempt to assassinate a politician likely to have become the next President. Written by Harald Kloser & Roland Emmerich. Downwardly Mobile: The proprietor of a mobile home park serves as a surrogate mother to all the unique people who live there in a challenging economy. Written by Eric Gilliland. Awesometown: A peek behind the curtain of modern 20-something relationships. Written by Adam Sztykiel. One Drop: Loosely based on Bliss Broyard's memoir of the same name. Written by . All Fall Down: A successful female attorney who ends up joining her father's family law practice when she leaves her high-powered big city law firm and moves home to Savannah, GA, where her crazy relatives live. Think: Family Law meets Northern Exposure. Written by Rina Mimoun. Service Included: Loosely based on Phoebe Damrosch's memoir of the same name. Written by . The Center Cannot Hold: Loosely based on Elyn Saks' memoir of the same name. Written by . Snopes of Mississippi: Based on William Faulkner's The Hamlet, The Town, and The Mansion. Written by . Of The Farm: Loosely based on John Updike's book of the same name. Written by . Counter Culture: Three aging sisters who run their family diner together in West Texas find that sibling dynamics are always getting in the way of getting the job done. Written by Stephnie Weir. The Florist's Daughter: Loosely based on Patricia Hampl's memoir of the same name. An elliptical account of family and loss. Written by Lisa Melamed & Alison Tatlock. County: Revolves around the lives of staff members in a frenetic underfunded and morally compromising L.A. County hospital. Think: ER in 2013. Written by Jason Katims. 18 & Beyond: The ongoings of a college campus and its rivalry with a local university. A mix of Felicity, Blue Mountain State and Veronica Mars. Written by Becky Hartman Edwards & Terrence Coli. Scruples: Based on the 1978 bestselling book about a rich and powerful clothes designer in a world of sex, revenge and scandal. Written by Bob Brush & Mel Harris. Laws of Burger: Based on the life of Warren E. Burger. Written by . Empire State: A sprawling drama about two battling families (one rich, one not) in New York. Written by Jeffrey Reiner & Michael Seitzman. Sold!: Exposing the hilarious underbelly of the high-stakes real estate world and finds enough sex, greed, deceit and betrayal to last a lifetime. Written by Silvio Horta. In The Beauty of The Lilies: Loosely based on John Updike's book of the same name. Written by . Bare David: Loosely based on David Sedaris' Naked, Holidays On Ice and Barrel Fever. Written by David Sedaris. The Revelation: Loosely based on Bentley Little's book of the same name. A tale of horror set in a small northern Arizona town, this first novel begins with the desecration of an Episcopal church and the disappearance of the priest and his family. Written by . Possible Side Effects: Loosely based on Augusten Burroughs' Possible Side Effects, A Wolf At The Table, You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas, and Magical Thinking. Written by Augusten Burroughs. The Falcon: Based on the comic book character of the same name. Written by . Black Lightning: Based on the comic book character of the same name. Written by . After Innocence: Loosely based on the documentary of the same name and the Innocence Project about men who were exonerated from death row by DNA evidence. Written by . The Invisible College: Based on the comic book series of the same name about a secret organization battling against physical and psychic oppression using time travel, magic, meditation, and physical violence. Their enemies are the Archons of Outer Church, interdimensional alien gods who have already enslaved most of the human race without their knowledge. Written by . Jupiter Fences: An examination of American popular culture, the underclass, subcultures and alternative lifestyles. Think: Veronica Mars meets Picket Fences. Written by Jeff Melvoin, Tammy Ader & Cathy Belben. [[]]: The lives of social workers in Charlotte, N.C. A mix of East Side/West Side, Judging Amy and The Wire. Written by Robert Gately & Naomi Lamont. [[]]: A mix of Once and Again, thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Sisters, and Henry James' The Golden Bowl. Written by Barbara Marshall & Geetika Lizardi. The Basic Eight: Loosely based on the book of the same name about Flannery Culp's high school experiences. Written by Daniel Handler. Diary: Loosely baed on Chuck Palahniuk's book of the same name. Misty Wilmot, a once-promising young artist currently working as a waitress in a hotel. Once her husband is in a coma after a suicide attempt, Misty soon finds herself a pawn in a larger conspiracy that threatens to cost hundreds of lives. Written by Chuck Palahniuk. The Crusades: Based on the comic book series. set in a fictionalised San Francisco and featured a large cast of characters whose lives are thrown into disarray by the sudden appearance of a murderous 11th Century Knight in the city. Main Characters included Anton Marx, a leftwing political radio "shock jock", his fact checker girlfriend Venus Kostopikas, her friend Detective Addas Petronas and the rival gangsters Tony Quetone and "the Pope". Written by Steven T. Seagle. Advise and Consent: Based on Allen Drury's Advise and Consent book series. Written by . Black: Loosely based on the life of Hugo Lafayette Black who served as a senator and an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court for three decades. Written by . Vice Town: Loosely based on the life of Hiram C. Gill in 1892 as he deals with "open town" and "closed town" factions while being a lawyer and politician. Written by . The Gospel According to Larry: Based on Janet Tashjian's book series of the same name revolving around seventeen-year-old Josh Swensen, an articulate teen whose dream is to change the world. He creates his own website which he calls "The Gospel According to Larry" because Larry was the most un-biblical name he could think of. He writes articles on this site "preaching" his feelings and ideas about making the world a better place. Written by Janet Tashjian. Royal House: Loosely based on the Biblical story of King David, but set in a kingdom that culturally and technologically resembles the present-day America. Think: Kings in 2013. Written by Michael Green. Brew City: Written by Wendy Calhoun. Paradise Palms: Written by Shelley Meals & Darin Goldberg. 2197 AD: Written by Marina Alburger. Bad Apple: Written by John Francis Whelpley. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Strom Thurmond in 1946. Con: Written by Dawn Comer Jefferson. The Bullring: A Mexican American businessman investigates the murder of a farm labor union organizer and uncovers a conspiracy between the union, a drug cartel and the company where the businessman works. The businessman must risk his career and his life to bring the murderers to justice. Written by Luke Garza. Cities in Flight: Based on James Blish's book series of the same name. Written by . Say Something Funny: His family's Lower East Side deli is both a job and a refuge from reality for a jokester with a broken heart. 10 years ago, his father committed suicide in the next room. Now, he must reconcile himself with loss or go down the same path his father did. Written by James Francis Nevins. "Fuck Your Parliament": Satirical look at American political relations with Canada, South Africa, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Think: The West Wing meets Veep. Written by . Chasing Alice: After a series of mysterious child abductions, a young FBI agent's obsession with the supernatural leads him on a wild adventure into a magical fairy tale land, where he befriends famous characters, outwits villains, rescues children, and rediscovers his long-lost sister. Written by Keiko Tamura & Tasha Hardy. BLITZKRIEG: A wannabe crime lord dreams of building an empire in Toronto, but he never counted on the array of thieves, killers and cops who are out to stop him. Written by Schuyler Willson. Thesis: A grad student's thesis research unintentionally gets him caught up with the mob. Written by Richard Averill. Red Rover: A teenager from an abusive background is drawn into the violent world of a charismatic stranger who promises he will never be a victim again. Written by Philip Landa. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Hilmar Moore, the longest-serving elected official in America, and Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Written by . Stockholm, Pennsylvania: 19 years after her kidnapping, Leia is returned home to her parents where she discovers her name is Leanne and her birthday isn't in March. As Leia longs for the life she remembers and the man who made her who she is, Leia's mother works harder than ever to get her daughter back by any means necessary. Written by Nikole Beckwith. Victoria of Homer: Loosely based on the life of Victoria Woodhull. Written by Liz Tigelaar. Living Life: Based on David Soleil's experience as a motivational speaker who has lost his motivation to live. Theme song: Kate Bush's Part Heart. Written by David Soleil. Our Brothers: Inspired by Why I Hate Abercrombie and Fitch: Essays On Race And Sexuality. Written by . Consultant: Cleo Manago. Tubman: Based on the life of William Vacanarat S. Tubman, President of Liberia from 1944-1971. Written by . Moodyology: Loosely based on the life of Raymond Moody and his involvement in parapsychology. Think: Medium meets The X-Files. Written by . [[]]: Based on the United States Army Intelligence Support Activity, a unit tasked to collect actionable intelligence in advance of missions by other US special operations forces in counter-terrorist operations. Think: The Unit meets Army Wives. Written by Paul Redford, Sharon Lee Watson & Carol Flint. Mister J.J.: Based on the life of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States. Written by . Steele's Land: How civilization comes together from chaos by organizing itself around symbols in 1890s Oklahoma Territory. A mix of Deadwood, Cimarron Strip, and The Lazarus Man. Written by . Doktor Sleepless: Loosely based on Warren Ellis's comic book series of the same name about a trust-fund baby and boy genius who is shunned by the counter-culture he helped found. After disappearing from the city of Heavenside three years ago, he suddenly returns having undergone some changes during the interim. Upon his return, he's transformed himself from a relatively mundane man into what he describes as a cartoon mad scientist. Written by . JEG: Loosely based on the life of James E. McGreevey. Think: The West Wing meets Citizen Baines. Written by Karyn Usher & Paula Yoo. Humanial: A mix of Moonlighting, Seeing Things, Remington Steele, and Medium. Written by Glenn Gordon Caron. Think, You Are: A mix of Now and Again, Alias and The Prisoner. Written by Daniel Arkin & Rick Eid. [[]]: The personal and professional life of Isaac Wint, pastor of a non-denominational megachurch in Austin, TX. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Gianni Versace, and Calvin Klein. Written by Sally Sussman Morina. More Than Kin: An adaptation of Less Than Kind about a family struggling to operate a driving school out of their home in Omaha, NE. Written by . American Century: Harry Block, a World War II veteran, fakes his own death and makes his way to Central America to create a new identity for himself as Harry Kraft, a hard-drinking smuggler. During a war in Guatemala, a CIA operative blackmails Block into assassinating Rosa de Santiis, a popular leader in opposition to the CIA puppet dictator General Zavala. Afterward, he heads back to the United States, taking a road trip from Hollywood to Chicago to New York, exploring myriad avenues of 1950s American culture. Written by Howard Chaykin. Transmetropolitan: Based on the comic book of the same name. Spider Jerusalem dedicates himself to fighting the corruption and abuse of power of two successive American presidents; he and his assistants strive to keep their world from turning more dystopian than it already is while dealing with the struggles of fame and power, brought about due to the popularity of Spider via his articles. Written by . Deadenders: Loosely based on the comic book series of the same name about a post-apocalyptic future in New Bethleham. Written by Ed Brubaker. [[]]: The ongoings of a Motown-esque record company in the 1970s. Written by Trey Ellis & Travis Donnelly. Southern Ranch: Loosely based on the Dumas Brothel and Chicken Ranch in 1952. Written by . Oh! Calcutta!: Loosely based on the musical of the same name. Written by . Rule of The Bone: Loosely based on Russell Banks' book of the same name about a teenage drug dealer living with his mother and his abusive stepfather. He runs away from home to live with his best friend and a biker gang. Bone, although a hardened drug dealer on the outside, is revealed to be quite compassionate, wanting to free an abused girl named Froggy from her captor and to return his mentor I-Man back to his home. In the end he gives up on family. Written by . The Motion of Water: Loosely based on the Galveston and Florida Keys hurricanes. Written by . Breath & Blood: Loosely based on the life of Herman Webster Mudgett, The Torture Doctor, and H. H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer in 1917. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Mike Resnick's Distant Replay about a man who sees a woman that looks exactly like his deceased wife. As he gets to know her, he discovers that she has too many things in common for this to be a coincidence. Think Dollhouse meets Now and Again. Written by . The Fortress of Solitude: Loosely based on Jonathan Lethem's book of the same name about two teenage friends, one European and one African, who discover a magic ring. It explores the issues of race and culture, gentrification, self-discovery, and music. Written by . Chip Off The Old Bloch: An examination of father/son relationships loosely based on Michael Chabon's Manhood For Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son. Written by . You Don't Love Me Yet: About alternative music in modern day Los Angeles. Written by Jonathan Lethem. Chronic City: Based on Jonathan Lethem's book of the same name about a circle of friends including a faded child-star actor, a cultural critic, a hack ghost-writer of autobiographies, and a city official. Written by . Thicker Than Blackwater: Loosely based on Brian Azzarello's comic book series, Loveless, about the dynamic relationship between Wes Cutter, a sheriff, and the townspeople (most of whom hate him), the fate of Cutter's wife, and the lingering feelings of animosity between North and South after the end of the US Civil War. Written by Brian Azzarello. Tenth of December: Based on George Saunders' book of the same name. Written by . Werewolves In Their Youth: Loosely based on Michael Chabon's book of the same name about problems arising in marriages. Written by . Husband & Wife: A fictionalized version of Married in America set in Louisville, KY. Written by Linda Gase, Anthony Sparks & Jeffrey Stepakoff. Philyations: A mix of Babyfather, Sex & The City and Manchild in 2002. Set in Philadelphia, PA. Written by Thomas Bradshaw & Alexa Junge. Faces of January: Loosely based on Patricia Highsmith's The Two Faces of January, The Glass Cell, Those Who Walk Away, and the life of Joseph Weil. Written by . The Sense of The Past: Loosely based on Henry James book of the same name about an American who trades places with a remote ancestor in early 19th century England, and encounters many complications in his new surroundings. Written by . Black Fury: Loosely based on the comic book series of the same name about Miss Fury. Her alter ego is wealthy socialite Marla Drake. Written by . Thomas/Tommy/Tom: Loosely based on Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley book series. Written by . The King of America: Loosely based on Rod Glenn book of the same name. Set in an America where the future merges with the past, the king is betrayed by his closest friend, plunging the nation into a civil war.As the two sides collide, the king is cast into a desperate chase across America as Lexus dedicates every resource to the hunt. Written by . Women of Manhattan: Loosely based on John Patrick Shanley's play of the same name about the lives of three NYC women: one has recently split up with her boyfriend, one is married, and one is considered a fag hag by the other two. Written by . The Authority: Based on Warren Ellis's comic book series of the same name about a team of superheroes who get the job done by any means necessary. Written by . Shock & Awe: Loosely based on Keith Harmon Snow, a former genocide investigator who is considered persona non grata in Rwanda and Ethiopia. Written by . Crooked Little Vein: Loosely based on Warren Ellis's book of the same name about Michael McGill, a burned-out private investigator, who is hired by a corrupt White House Chief of Staff to find a second "secret" U.S. Constitution, which had been lost in a whorehouse by Richard Nixon. What follows is a scavenger hunt across America, exposing its seedier side along the way. McGill is joined by surreal college student side-kick, Trix, who is writing a thesis on sexual fetishes. Written by . Black Summer: Loosely based on Warren Ellis's comic book series of the same name about The Seven Guns, an association of politically-aware scientist-inventors, who create their own superhuman enhancements through extreme body modifications experiments. Written by . Global Frequency: Loosely based on Warren Ellis's comic book series of the same name about an independent, covert intelligence organization headed by a former intelligence agent. The purpose of the organization is to protect and rescue the world from the consequences of the various secret projects that the governments of the world have established, which are unknown to the public at large. The people on the Global Frequency are chosen and called on for their specialized skills in a variety of areas, from military personnel, intelligence agents, police detectives to scientific researchers, academics, athletes, former criminals and assassins. These threats that the organization deals with are equally varied and usually world-threatening, ranging from rogue military operations and paranormal phenomena to terrorist attacks and religious cults. Written by Scott Nimerfro & John Rogers. Dangerous Bill: Loosely based on the life of Bill Hicks, a stand-up comedian, satirist, and social critic. Written by . 13th Grade: A slacker 18 year old as he navigates the world of community college after just being dumped by his girlfriend. Written by Derek Waters. Cripro: A spoof on crime procedurals about a washed-up TV action hero - who at the peak of his career was ceremonially deputized by local law enforcement - falsely believes he can solve crimes in real life. His student, Jason, becomes his sidekick. Think: Lookwell meets Reno 911!. Written by Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel & Andy Richter. Consultant: Peter Blauner Tear A Bull (aka Double T): A satirical look at the personal and professional lives of a low-level member of the Texas Legislature and his staff. Written by Larry Wilmore. Consultant: Lee Blessing. Infinite Jest: Based on David Foster Wallace's book of the same name about the missing master copy of a film cartridge, titled Infinite Jest and referred to in the novel as "the Entertainment" or "the samizdat". The film, so entertaining to its viewers that they lose all interest in anything other than viewing it and thus eventually die, was the final work of James O. Incandenza before his suicide by microwave. He completed it during a stint of sobriety requested by its lead actress, Joelle Van Dyne. Quebecois separatists are interested in acquiring a master, redistributable copy of the work to aid in acts of terrorism against the United States. The United States Office of Unspecified Services is seeking to intercept the master copy of the film to prevent mass dissemination and the destabilization of the Organization of North American Nations. Joelle and later Hal seek treatment for substance abuse problems at The Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House, and Marathe visits the rehabilitation center to pursue a lead on the master copy of the Entertainment, tying the characters and plots together. Written by . I Am Monica Saunders: A fictionalized version of Martha Stewart in 1996. Written by Bob Bartlett. Addicks: A pair of recovering addicts: one's an ex-drug dealer/gigolo, the other's an heir to a fortune he can't collect until he's sober. Written by Jason Dean Hall & Justin Spitzer. American Darkness: A man relocates his family to a town run by a powerful, but mysterious tycoon. They soon realize that not everything in the town is as it seems. A mix of Picket Fences, American Gothic, The Dead Zone, The X-Files, and A Clockwork Orange. Written by . Beat Generation: A group of American post-World War II writers who come to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena they document and inspire. Central elements of the beat culture include rejection of received standards, innovations in style, experimentation with drugs, alternative sexualities, an interest in Eastern religion, a rejection of materialism, and explicit portrayals of the human condition. Written by . American Post: The personal and professional lives of staff at a Huffington Post-type website. A mix of The Eleventh Hour, and The Newsroom. Written by Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld. Consultant: Gerald Early The Marriage Plot: Loosely based on Jeffrey Eugenides's book of the same name about three female college friends beginning in their senior year in 1982. Written by . I Do, Sometimes: Exploring mixed-orientation marriages. A mix of Far From Heaven, Once & Again, Mulligans, A Single Man, and Shortbus. Written by Todd Haynes & Eileen Myers. Big Machine: Based on Victor LaValle's book of the same name. Ricky Rice is an ex-junkie African bus station porter survivor of a suicide cult whose life is changed when a mysterious letter arrives summoning him to a remote compound in Vermont. Written by Victor LaValle. The Broom of The System: Loosely based on David Foster Wallace's book of the same name about an emotionally challenged woman questions her own reality as she navigates three separate crises: her great-grandmother's escape from a nursing home, a neurotic boyfriend, and a suddenly vocal pet cockatiel. Written by . Scalped: Based on the comic book series of the same name about the residents of an Indian reservation in modern-day South Dakota as they grapple with organized crime, poverty, alcoholism, local politics and the preservation of their cultural identity. Written by . All That Is: Loosely based on James Slater’s book of the same name about a naval officer who returns to America and finds a position as a book editor. In this world of dinners, deals, and literary careers, Bowman finds that he fits in perfectly. But despite his success, what eludes him is love. His first marriage goes bad, another fails to happen, and finally he meets a woman who enthralls him—before setting him on a course he could never have imagined for himself. Romantic and haunting as it explores a life unfolding in a world on the brink of change. It is a dazzling, sometimes devastating labyrinth of love and ambition, a fiercely intimate account of the great shocks and grand pleasures of being alive. Written by . With or Without You: Loosely based on Domenica Ruta’s book of the same name. Domenica grew up in a working-class, unforgiving town north of Boston, in a trash-filled house on a dead-end road surrounded by a river and a salt marsh. Her mother, Kathi, a notorious local figure, was a drug addict and sometimes dealer whose life swung between welfare and riches, and whose highbrow taste was at odds with her hardscrabble life. And yet she managed, despite the chaos she created, to instill in her daughter a love of stories. Written by . The Glass Castle: Loosely based on Jeannette Walls’ book of the same name. Written by . Where'd You Go, Bernadette: Based on Maria Semple's book of the same name. Once a revered architect, Bernadette has become such a neurotic mess that she outsources her simplest errands to a virtual assistant in India. When Bernadette suddenly disappears, Bee follows her mother's unusual paper trail to track her down. Written by Maria Semple. Triburbia: Based on Karl Taro Greenfeld's book of the same name about a group of families in a fashionable Manhattan neighborhood wrestling with the dark realities of their lives. A hip group of fathers meet every morning for breakfast and banter while glossing over the dysfunction festering in the privacy of their airy lofts: affairs, bad marriages, bad kids, accusations of fabricating a memoir, etc. These one-percenters appear to have everything, but they're ruined by too many options; as a result, their lives end up looking like those of dissatisfied suburbanites, only a bit uglier. Written by . We Only Know So Much: Loosely based on Elizabeth Crane's book of the same name about a dysfunctional family: Jean, the people-pleasing mother who's having an affair; her husband, Gordon, an insufferable know-it-all who's losing his memory; Priscilla, a text-a-minute brat who dreams of becoming a reality TV star; and Otis, an offbeat loner longing for love. Our narrator is an omniscient We who reports the goings-on of the family with the breathless glee of an incurable gossip. Written by Elle Triedman & Nikki Toscano. Inside: Based on Alix Ohlin's book of the same name. A therapist rescues a man from an attempted suicide only to fall in love with him; a deeply troubled aspiring actress takes in the homeless runaway sleeping on her doorstep; a divorcée starved for connection leaves one hopeless situation for another. Written by . The Expats: Loosely based on Chris Pavone's book of the same name. When her husband, Dexter, lands a high-paying job in Luxembourg, Kate Moore gladly quits her secret life as a CIA agent to reinvent herself as an expat housewife. But she has to put her espionage skills to use again when another American couple arrives in town and tells her that Dexter might have a secret life of his own. Written by . Ten Thousand Saints: Based on Eleanor Henderson's book of the same name about a group of friends, lovers, parents and children through the straight-edge music scene and the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Written by . Drop City: Loosely based on T. Coraghessan Boyle's book of the same name. It is 1970, and a California commune has decided to relocate to the last frontier—the unforgiving landscape of interior Alaska—in the ultimate expression of going back to the land. Armed with the spirit of adventure and naïve optimism, the inhabitants arrive in the wilderness of Alaska only to find their utopia already populated by other young homesteaders. When the two communities collide, unexpected friendships and dangerous enmities are born as everyone struggles with the bare essentials of life: love, nourishment, and a roof over one’s head. Written by . Wonderland: Loosely based on Joyce Carol Oates's book of the same name. Written by . [[]]: The exploits of a record label. Written by Dan Ahearn & David Caudle. [[]]: A mysterious institute which studies the human mind. A mix of Dollhouse, The Second Lady, The Manchurian Candidate, The Pretender, and Now and Again. Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Juan Carlos Coto & Dean Widenmann. [[]]: Loosely based on the Atlanta Child Murders and Charles Sanders. Written by Geoffrey S. Fletcher. [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Alfred Kinsey, Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Havelock Ellis, Magnus Hirschfeld, Kurt Freund & Vern Bullough. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Ralph David Abernathy Sr.. Written by . [[]]: The exploits of the sex industry in 1973. A mix of Boogie Nights and The Fluffer. Written by . [[]]: The personal and professional lives of the Kentucky Supreme Court justices. Think: First Monday meets The West Wing. Written by Evan Katz, Ellen Herman & Christopher Ambrose. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Harry Belafonte. Written by . [[]]: A former football player, Redde Wycel, is charged with the murder of his ex wife, and tries to uncover the truth about her death. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the Breckinridge family in 1797. Written by . The Man: Loosely based on Irving Wallace's book of the same name about the socio-political consequences in U.S. society when a black man becomes President of America. Written by . Ooh! Ah!: The lives of sex therapists and their clients. Written by Jim Leonard & Kate Robin. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of George Edwin Taylor. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Sam Cooke. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on The Jackson 5 in 1975. Written by . Pause: The ongoings of a Rolling Stone type magazine in 1977. Written by Jon Harmon Feldman & Dana Baratta. [[]]: Comedic look at married life. A mix of Mad About You, Married People, and The King of Queens. Written by Michael J. Weithorn, David Litt & Rob Ulin. News Rock: The ongoings of a fictional TV news station. Think: Cop Rock with journalists. Written by Bob Lowry, Michael Hollinger & Adam Gwon. [[]]: The lives of hospice care workers. Theme song: Audra Mae's My Lonely Worry. Written by Dahvi Waller & Joan Binder Weiss. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Brad Blanton, the man who developed radical honesty. Written by . [[]]: The lives of a Spice Girls type group. Written by Mike Herro & David Strauss. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Stokely Carmichael. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Bevel. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Arthur Baldwin, a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. Written by . [[]]: The life of a Marilyn Monroe type woman in 1964. Written by Josh Reims & Bruce Miller. [[]]: A fictionalized version of The Phil Donahue Show. Written by . [[]]: A spoof on court shows about two judges. A mix of Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown. Written by Jennifer Celotta & Anthony Q. Farrell. [[]]: The complexities of open relationships. A mix of Swingtown and Once and Again. Theme by Melissa McClelland. Written by Mike Kelley & David Schulner. [[]]: Loosely based on Lisa Arends's Lessons From the End of A Marriage. Written by Victoria Morrow, Coleman Herbert & Scott Teems. Private Nature: The ongoings of an escort agency in San Francisco. Written by Gina Fattore & Tom Kapinos. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of David Vitter. Written by . [[]]: The life of a Vince McMahon type man. Written by Daniel Chun & Phil Johnston. [[]]: The life of an Estée Lauder type woman. Written by Katherine Fugate. American District: The ongoings of a Washington, D.C. based public relations firm. A mix of The Good Wife and The West Wing. Written by Barry M. Schkolnick, Steve Lichtman & Alexandra Cunningham. [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Ted Haggard and Paul Barnes. Written by . American Politricks (aka American Complex): Satire on American politics and the mainstream media. A mix of That's My Bush! and Veep. Theme song: Morrissey's Let Me Kiss You. Written by David Bickel, Halsted Sullivan & Ken Urban. [[]]: The lives of members of a Ku Klux Klan type of group in 1924. Written by Keith Josef Adkins. Seasons of Life: Coming of age 1965 drama in San Francisco, CA. Written by Toni Graphia & Jill Gordon. Flycatcher: The life of an Anita Bryant type woman in 1979. Written by . American Tabloid: Loosely based on James Ellroy's Underworld USA Trilogy about political and legal corruption. Written by . Fill In The Blanks: An espionage team of former members of the FBI, DIA, DEA, and CIA. A mix of Counterstrike, The Equalizer, La Femme Nikita, Alias, and The Unit. Written by David Mamet & Lynn Mamet. Consultant: Stephen L. Carter. American Tycoon: Loosely based on Harold Robbins' Tycoon about an entrepreneur who builds an empire in broadcasting. Written by Anne Kenney & Daniel Steck. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard, a civil rights/fraternal organization leader, entrepreneur and surgeon. Written by . American Blaks (aka So Blak!): A no holds barred satire on black life in America. Loosely based on the lives of Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory, Patrice O'Neal, and Steve "The Dean" Williams. Written by Warren Hutcherson, Malcolm D. Lee & Lamont Ferrell. Cookbrity: The life of a Bobby Flay type celebrity cook. Written by Peter Ocko, Allison Silverman & Vijal Patel. [[]]: The life of a Rush Limbaugh/Glenn Beck/Mark Levin type radio talk show host. Written by Angus MacLachlan. American Peaks: Loosely based on the Thurston County ritual abuse case, Dissociative identity disorder, File 18, and the lives of John DeCamp, Elizabeth Loftus and Valerie Sinason. Written by . International Cunts (aka i-Cunts): A blistering look at humanity. Written by . K Is For Killing: Loosely based on Daniel Easterman's book of the same name in which America is ruled by a coalition of the America First Committee and Ku Klux Klan. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Jim Jones. Written by . [[]]: A mix of Nowhere Man, The Prisoner, The Pretender, North by Northwest, and Three Days of the Condor. Written by Laurence Andries & Sam Humphrey. To Live & Die In Tucson: An unflinching look at mental health issues in America. Set in Tucson, AZ. Written by Davey Holmes. [[]]: Based on the Black Arts Movement. Written by . 21st Century Matches: The life of a Patti Stanger type woman. Written by Melanie Marnich & Barry O'Brien. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Ralph Waldo Greene Jr.. Written by . [[]]: The lives of a White Panther Party type political collective in 1968. Written by . The Broken Hearts Club: A coming of age drama loosely based on The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy. Written by . [[]]: The life of an Ann Coulter type woman. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of the Allegheny County council. A mix of The West Wing and Boss. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Eddie Noel. Written by . [[]]: The life of a JFK Jr. type socialite. Written by Roger Wolfson. [[]]: The ongoings of a non-denominational Christian college in Bakersfield, CA. Written by . [[]]: The life of the governor of Ohio and his staff. Think: The West Wing meets House of Cards. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Christian Voice type political advocacy group. Written by . Peachtree Lines: The personal and professional life of Lincoln Rylan, mayor of Atlanta, and his staff. A mix of The West Wing, Boss, and House of Cards. Written by . The Fake & The Fakest: A fictionalized version of The Real Housewives. Written by Linwood Boomer & Matt Hubbard. [[]]: The life of a George Wallace type politician. Written by . Polialk: Satire on American political talk shows. A mix of Crossfire, Firing Line, The McLaughlin Group, and The Chris Matthews Show. Theme song: Lydia Taylor's Love A Little Harder. Written by Robert Carlock, Bob Brush & Norma Safford Vela. [[]]: The life of a Daniel Keenan Savage type man. Written by . Phantom Stranger: Based on the comic book character of the same name with unspecified paranormal origins who battles mysterious and occult forces. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Ella Fitzgerald. Written by Darnell Martin & Michael Elliot. [[]]: The ongoings of a public-access television station. Think: Public Access meets Alternative Views in 1999. Written by . [[]]: The life of a Steve Forbes type publishing executive. Written by Taylor Elmore. [[]]: The life of a David Geffen type record executive, screen/theatrical producer, and philanthropist in 1982. Written by R. Scott Gemmill. [[]]: The life of a Matthew Nathan Drudge type man in 2003. Written by . [[]]: A mix of Regarding Henry, Marvin's Room, Bringing Out the Dead, Wit, Closer, The Squid and the Whale, and Margot at the Wedding. Written by Noah Baumbach, Rick Moody & Ann Patchett. [[]]: A mix of White Sands, The Man Who Knew Too Much, North by Northwest, and Freedomland. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Upton Sinclair's The Jungle about poverty, the absence of social programs, unpleasant living and working conditions, and the hopelessness prevalent among the working class, which is contrasted with the deeply rooted corruption of people in power. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a National Review type magazine. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Orval Faubus. Written by Gregory Poirier & Paul Redford. Atomic Knight: Loosely based on the comic book character of the same name. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of an interior design firm in Minneapolis, MN. A mix of Designing Women, Will & Grace, and The Office. Written by Carrie Kemper, Graham Wagner & David M. Matthews. [[]]: The ongoings of a venture capital firm. A mix of Profit, Revenge, and Chinatown. Written by . The Royal Tenenbaums: Loosely based on the film of the same name. Written by Anthony Q. Farrell & Derek Ahonen. Sidney's Window: Loosely based on Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window about a man named Sidney, his pitfalls within his personal life, and struggles in Bohemian culture. Written by . The Good Widow: A mix of The Good Wife, The Brethren, The Confession, and the D.C. Madam scandal of 2006. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the events leading up to Ruby Ridge. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Bank of America type bank in 2005. Inspired by The International. Written by . Drof Men: The ongoings of a multinational automaker in 1987. Think: Mad Men with cars. Written by Will Rokos. [[]]: The ongoings of a pharmaceutical corporation. Written by Melinda Hsu Taylor & Robert L. Rovner. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Joe Francis, creator of Girls Gone Wild. Written by . [[]]: The rise and fall of a pop music group in 1966. Inspired by Paul McCartney Died In 1966 urban legend. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a male revue in 2008. Written by Rob Fresco, Jill E. Blotevogel & Jason Ning. Undisclosed: Loosely based on Michal Milstein & Marlin Marynick's Undisclosed: Secrets of The AIDS Epidemic. Written by . American Krime (aka Krime In The USA): A mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows and crime procedurals. A mix of Reno 911!, Miami Vice, Law & Order, NYPD Blue, and the CSI franchise. Written by Sean Abley, Liz Duffy Adams & Jeffrey Adams. It's Just Sex: Satire on the American sexual revolution. Written by Thomas McCarthy. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Andy Warhol. Written by Michael Dahlie & Allison Lynn. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Walter Washington, the first mayor of the District of Columbia. Written by . American Fluff: The life of a male fluffer. Written by Steve Hely. [[]]: Set against the backdrop of the Holy Week Uprising. A mix of I'll Fly Away, Homefront, Any Day Now, and Crash. Written by Gregory Allen Howard, Gary Hardwick, Rob Hardy & Brian Bird. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a cosmetics company in 1992. Think: Mad Men with makeup. Written by Amy Herzog & Lisa Joy. [[]]: The personal and professional lives of clinical psychologists. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a modeling agency in 2006. Written by Annie Weisman & Natalie Krinsky. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Tina Turner in 1987. Written by Janine Sherman Barrois & Elizabeth Hunter. [[]]: The ongoings of an upscale lifestyle company and fashion retailer. Written by Wendy Mericle & Sara Parriott. [[]]: The ongoings of a real estate firm. Written by Adele Lim & William H. Brown. [[]]: The life of a cultural critic. Written by Thomas McCarthy. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Brown. Written by Reggie Rock Bythewood & Gina Prince-Bythewood. Empire: Based on Orson Scott Card's book series of the same name about a possible second American Civil War, this time between the Right Wing and Left Wing in the near future. Written by . [[]]: A spoof on primetime serials centering around a wealthy clan. A mix of Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, The Colbys, Titans, and Pasadena. Written by Matt Whitney, Jeanne Leitenberg & Annemarie Navar-Gill. [[]]: Based on David Wellington's werewolf series Frostbite and Overwinter. Written by . [[]]: A mix of The Parallax View, The Domino Principle, Blow Out, No Way Out and Enemy of The State. Written by David Ayer & John Sayles. Animal Man: Based on the comic book character of the same name. Bernhard Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals. Using these powers, he fights crime as the costumed superhero. Written by . Philly Blues (aka Bluesidelphia): The lives of the Philadelphia Police Department's officers. A mix of The Chicago Code, Southland, Miami Vice, and Robbery Homicide Division. Written by David Graziano, Angela Amato Velez & Todd A. Kessler. Etta Jenks: Loosely based on the play of the same name about a young woman who chases her dreams to sun-soaked LA to become a movie star, but soon the shadows of this city rear up to claim her. Etta aspires to succeed but is sucked down into the porn industry, a world which seduces and abuses, and can illuminate your name in dirty neon. A dark comic thriller about sex and survival. Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer. [[]]: The life of Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States, in 1837. Written by . Jack: Loosely based on the life of John Arthur Johnson in 1933. Written by . Dayworld: Loosely based on Philip José Farmer's book series of the same name about a dystopian future in which an overpopulated world solves the problem by allocating people only one day per week. For the rest of the six days they are 'stoned,' a kind of suspended animation. Written by Rand Ravich, Far Shariat & Hans Tobeason. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Joseph Nicolosi, founder of the NARTH. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Peoples Temple type religious organization in 1991. Written by . [[]]: A satirical look at suburban life with an examination of the Christian left, Christian right, social conservatism, and libertarian conservatism ideologies. A mix of Polyester, Celebrity, American Beauty & Desperate Housewives. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Richard Wayne Penniman aka Little Richard. Written by . [[]]: The lives of U.S. armed forces members returning home from the Afghanistan and Iraq War. Written by Lydia Woodward, Moira Walley-Beckett & Nancy Hult Ganis. [[]]: The lives of political consultants, campaign managers, lobbyists, and advocacy journalists. A mix of Lou Grant, The West Wing, Breaking News, and The Eleventh Hour. Written by Adam Johnson. [[]]: The ongoings of a Minor League Baseball team in Ohio. Written by Jamie Gorenberg & David Schladweiler. The Tales of Alvin Maker: Based on Orson Scott Card's book series about a man who discovers he has incredible powers for creating and shaping things around him. It takes place in an alternate history of the American frontier in the early 19th century, to some extent based on early American folklore and superstition. Written by Orson Scott Card. Congorilla: Based on the comic book character of the same name. Written by . The Rule of Fate: Loosely based on the play of the same name about a Hollywood film family. Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer. Mister Harding: The life of Warren G. Harding in 1920. Written by . [[]]: A fictionalized version of The Day the Music Died in 1999. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a casual dining restaurant chain. Written by John A. Norris & Terrence Coli. [[]]: The life of a federal judge in Texas. Written by Carol Flint, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich & Peter Noah. Sharp Teeth: Based on Toby Barlow's book of the same name about packs of werewolves struggling for power in the underbelly of Los Angeles. Written by Angelina Burnett & Sarah Thorp. Teendom: A parody of teen television series and films. A mix of Election, Heathers, Varsity Blues, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Bring It On, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Never Been Kissed, Cruel Intentions, Mean Girls, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Clueless, Dead Poets Society, Lean On Me, Juno, Veronica Mars, Dawson's Creek, My So-Called Life, Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl, Ready or Not, Popular, and But I'm a Cheerleader. Written by David B. Harris, Austin Winsberg & Emily Whitesell. [[]]: The life of a Helen Kendrick Johnson type writer and prominent activist opposing the women's suffrage movement in 1911. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, pioneer of the modern homosexual rights movement, in 1935. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Leonard Matlovich in 1991. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Philadelphia private club in 1962. Loosely based on the Yale Club of New York City. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of an alternative medical practice in Omaha, NE. Written by Yahlin Chang, Tom Garrigus & Patrick Harbinson. Polymerican: The lives of polyamorous people. Written by Tracy Letts. [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Kenneth Bancroft Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark. Written by Diane Ademu-John. [[]]: A man runs for elected office after a 20 year break. A mix of Citizen Baines, The Wire, and Boss. Written by James Yoshimura, Robert Schenkkan & Jesse Stern. The Geography of Luck: Loosely based on the play of the same name about a former rockabilly star who is released from prison on parole. He was serving a sentence for murdering his wife. Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer. Little, Big: Loosely based on John Crowley's book of the same name about the intertwined family trees of the Drinkwaters and their relations—from the turn of the twentieth century to a sparsely-described dystopian future America ruled by a sinister despot. Written by John Crowley. Four Freedoms: Loosely based on John Crowley's book of the same name centering around a fictional aircraft manufacturing plant during the 1940s. Written by . The Story Sisters: Loosely based on Alice Hoffman's book of the same name: a dark family saga of three sisters plagued by uncommon sadness. Written by Alice Hoffman. Women and Men: Loosely based on Joseph McElroy's book of the same name about the life, the partly mythic ancestry, and the partly science fictional future of James Mayn, a business and technology journalist. Written by . Mister Roosevelt: The life of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1911. Written by . [[]]: Mystery surrounding the death of a deputy mayor in 1989. Upon his death, shoeboxes and briefcases with more than $900,000 in cash are found in his home along with 19 cases of whiskey, 8 transistor radios, and 102 packs of cigarettes. Inspired by Paul Taylor Powell. Written by Salvatore Stabile. The Wicked Years: Based on the book series of the same name which are a revisionist take on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and related books. Written by Gregory Maguire & Chris Provenzano. [[]]: The life of a Washington, D.C. socialite and philanthropist. Written by Tristine Skyler & Kath Lingenfelter. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of John Nance Garner IV in 1979. Written by . [[]]: The life of Abigail Adams. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Cordell Hull, the longest serving U.S. Secretary of State. Written by . The Color of Water: Loosely based on the memoir The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. Written by James McBride & Craig Brewer. [[]]: Life in the Confederate States of America in 1861. Written by Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Michael C. Martin & Tanya Hamilton. [[]]: Life in the Roman Empire. Written by Scott Buck & John Milius. [[]]: Loosely based on Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Henry Gerber, a homosexual rights activist, in 1931. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Idi Amin. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Robert Mugabe in 1973. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Don Mellett in 1929, a journalist who was assassinated after confronting local organized crime. Written by Steve Lichtman, Rob Ackerman & John Mankiewicz. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Patrice Lumumba. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Walter Liggett in 1946 who exposed a criminal syndicate between organized crime and the Minnesota political establishment. Written by Shelley Meals & Darin Goldberg. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Dulcie September. Written by Becky Mode & Karyn Usher. Outline of My Lover: Loosely based on Douglas A. Martin's book of the same name in which the central character has a long term romantic relationship with the lead singer of a successful southern alternative band. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Louis Botha, the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Philip José Farmer's A Barnstormer in Oz in which the Hank Stover, a pilot and the son of Dorothy Gale, finds himself in Oz when his plane gets lost in a green cloud over Kansas. The Oz he discovers is on the brink of civil war; he encounters Erakna, the new Wicked Witch. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Leslie Lynch King, Jr., the first unelected President of America. Written by . [[]]: A journalist with close ties to the Mafia in the 80s. Written by Brian Burns & Edward Fitzgerald Burns. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Jan Smuts who served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Elijah Parish Lovejoy in 1849. Written by Lewis Colick & John Pielmeier. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Hendrik Verwoerd, the man behind the conception and implementation of apartheid. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th President of America. Written by . Fade: Loosely based on Robert Cormier's book of the same name about a teenage boy who discovers he can "fade". "Fading" is the term used for becoming invisible. Written by James Stoteraux, Chad Fiveash & Abby Gewanter. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of F. W. de Klerk, the last State President of apartheid-era South Africa. Written by . In The Middle of The Night: Loosely based on Robert Cormier's book of the same name about a teenage boy whose father was involved in a tragic accident that killed several children. He's not allowed to drive or answer the phone and his family moves so often he's always the new kid in school. But one afternoon, Denny disobeys his parents and answers a phone call, after which he finds himself drawn into a relationship with the mystery caller...someone who wants revenge. Written by David Fury & Frank Renzulli. [[]]: Based on Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves and The Whalestoe Letters. Written by Mark Z. Danielewski. [[]]: Based on the actions of the African National Congress in 1912. Written by . Here On Earth: Loosely based on Alice Hoffman's book of the same name about a woman who returns with her teenage daughter to the Massachusetts town where she grew up. After returning to the town that she grew up in, she finds herself reunited with a lost love. This dark and twisted tale tells of the capabilities of love and how far one is willing to go for it. Written by . [[]]: Based on the actions of the National Party, the governing party of South Africa from June 1948 until May 1994. Written by Ann Peacock, Troy Blacklaws, Mark Behr & Shawn Slovo. [[]]: Loosely based on the British series Absolutely Fabulous. Written by . [[]]: The life of a Jesse Woodson James type man in 1897. Written by Kater Gordon. [[]]: Loosely based on the American Indian Movement, a Native American organization in 1968. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the British series The Vicar of Dibley. Written by . Are You Served?: Loosely based on the British series Are You Being Served?. Written by . [[]]: Based on William Edward Burghardt Du Bois's Black Flame trilogy. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Mark R. M. Wahlberg in 1993. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the British series Only Fools and Horses. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Charles Lindbergh. Written by Rolin Jones & Robin Veith. 191: Based on the Southern Victory Series by Harry Turtledove which depicts a world in which the Confederacy won the American Civil War. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Robert George Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party. Written by . Resurrection Day: Loosely based on the book of the same name where the Cuban missile crisis escalated to a full-scale war, the Soviet Union is devastated, and the USA has been reduced to a third-rate power, relying on Britain for aid. Written by Brendan DuBois. [[]]: Based on Philip José Farmer's trilogy A Feast Unknown, Lord of the Trees and The Mad Goblin. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. in 1982. Written by Andre Jacquemetton & Maria Jacquemetton. [[]]: Based on the Civil War book series by Newt Gingrich, William R. Forstchen, and Albert S. Hanser. Written by . The World Next Door: Loosely based on the book of the same name. It takes place in the mid-1990s, at two interlinked alternate realities. In one of them, the Cuban Missile Crisis had escalated into a major nuclear exchange. What was left of the United States disintegrated into numerous virtually-independent enclaves, though President John F. Kennedy is still alive in a bunker somewhere. Written by Brad Ferguson. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Pocahontas in 1829. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Replay. A radio journalist dies and awakens back in 1963 in his 18-year-old body. He then begins to relive his life with intact memories of the previous 25 years. This happens repeatedly with different events in each cycle. Written by George Mastras. 1—9—9—0: An examination of life in the 1990s. Set in Austin, TX. Written by Patrick Sheane Duncan & Paul J. Levine & Gennifer Hutchinson. Codex Alera: Based on Jim Butcher's book series of the same name. It chronicles the coming-of-age of Tavi in the realm of Alera, an empire similar to Rome, on the world of Carna. Every Aleran has some degree of command over elemental forces or spirits called furies, save for Tavi, who is considered unusual for his lack of one. As the aging First Lord struggles to maintain his hold on a realm on the brink of civil war, Tavi must use all of his intelligence to save Alera. Written by Jim Butcher. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Rajmund Roman T. Polański. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Lena Horne. Written by Kasi Lemmons & Vondie Curtis-Hall. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Lucille Ball. Written by . [[]]: A time travel comedy/drama/musical reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 2000. Written by . [[]]: A parallel universe inhabited by humans, werewolves, ghosts, legendary creatures, and genetically engineered animals with human characteristics. Written by Scott Nimerfro & Sebastian Gutierrez. [[]]: Based on the life of Heracles, his consorts and children. Written by John Shiban & Sam Catlin. The Spellman Files: Based on Lisa Lutz's book series of the same name about a family of private investigators, who, while very close knit, are also intensely suspicious and spend much time investigating each other. Written by . [[]]: Based on George Pelecanos's Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, private investigators in Washington D.C. Written by . In The Garden: Loosely based on Norman Allen's play of the same name. The lives of four urban sophisticates are rocked by the arrival of a young man who is everything but what he seems. With unworldly charisma, the man constructs a web of seduction and theology grounded in the lessons of the New Testament. With high comedy and thought-provoking drama, it blends sexual conventions, high fashion, Nietzsche, and Christ in an uber-theatrical rollercoaster ride. Written by Norman Allen. The Good Spouse: A satire on American political scandals and how marriages are dealt in the midst of controversy. Inspired by The Good Wife. Written by . The Good Council: A satire on American politics in a small sized city. Written by . The Good State: A satire on state politics. Written by . The Bad Wife: A controversial female mayor deals with her personal and professional life amdist a sex scandal. Inspired by Linda Lusk. Written by . The Blue Code: A spoof on law enforcement shows. Think: Reno 911! meets The Chicago Code. Written by . American Special: The personal and professional lives of a top secret special forces team. A mix of The Unit, Last Resort, Strike Back, and Homeland. Written by . The Good Ambassador: A satire on American international relations. Think: The Office meets The West Wing. Written by . [[]]: The life of a polygamist family in Utah. Written by . Passing Seasons: A contemporary western about American social issues with drugs being the central focus. A mix of American Beauty, Far From Heaven, American History X, Six Feet Under, and Breaking Bad. Written by . American Dysfunction: Exploring the dynamics of dysfunction among American families. Written by . A.B.U.S.E.: The impact various forms of abuse (drug, sexual, physical, psychological) has on the lives of Americans. Written by . [[]]: A mysterious man's quest to join high society in 1983. Explores themes of reinvention, social upheaval, decadence, and personal, sexual and racial politics. Written by . Good Families: A satire on primetime serials such as Dallas, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, and Desperate Housewives. Written by . The Good Couple: A satire on modern relationships. Written by . American Circuit: The ongoings of an American private military company. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a publishing company in 1977. Written by . [[]]: Homosexuality from 1949 to present day. Written by . Crime, She Wrote: A spoof on Murder, She Wrote. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the Hatfield–McCoy feud in 1974. Written by . Good Health: A satire on the American health industry. Written by . The Good Company: A satire on corporate America. Written by . [[]]: The personal and professional lives of lawyers in the field of family law. A mix of Family Law, Judging Amy, and The Good Wife. Written by . [[]]: A deep exploration of sociopolitical themes and African American culture in Detroit. Written by . [[]]: The adult entertainment industry in 1973. Written by . [[]]: The life of an addiction counselor and recovering drug addict. Written by Jeffrey Lieber & Scott Erik Sommer. [[]]: The personal and professional life of a sports writer. Written by . Tales of The City: Based on Armistead Maupin's book series of the same name. Written by . American Collar: An examination of social classes. Written by . [[]]: An examination of dissociative identity disorder. Written by . Insatiable: Set in a small town where everyone has some sort of addiction. Written by Liz Brixius. [[]]: An examination of male prostitution. Written by . Blue In The USA: A mix of Sex & The City. Written by . Diary of A Manhattan Call Girl: Based on Tracy Quan's book series of the same name. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Xaviera Hollander, a former call girl and madam. Written by . [[]]: An examination of intergenerational warfare through the lens of the 2007 financial crisis after a Michigan mayor files a Chapter 9 bankruptcy petition. Written by . [[]]: An examination of international criminal law. Written by . [[]]: An in depth look at personality disorders. Written by . [[]]: An examination of Christianity in America. Written by . T.H.R.I.L.L.E.R.: A legal, medical, political, and erotic thriller. Written by . U.N.D.E.R.G.R.O.U.N.D.: An examination of the underground life revolving around a team of rogue individuals: a journalist, a doctor, a lawyer, and a police detective. Written by . [[]]: An examination of the Reconstruction Era. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a fictional American airline set in 1970 and headquartered in Philadelphia. Written by Mike Daniels & Nick Thiel. [[]]: An examination of the impact of various political, sports, racial, sexual, and educational scandals in St. Louis, MO. Inspired by the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. Written by . [[]]: The life of a travelling salesman in the Birmingham, AL area. Revolving around the ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice in 1974. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Columbus, OH team in a fictional Canadian football league expansion in 2004. Written by . [[]]: Based on Karen Marie Moning's Fever book series. Written by . [[]]: An examination of anthropology and sociology in modern America. Written by . [[]]: The events leading up to Arizona Territory becoming the 48th state in 1910. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a multinational retail corporation based in Missouri. Written by . [[]]: The events leading up to the California Gold Rush and statehood in 1847. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a mysterious boomtown in 1988. Written by Ted Mann, Kem Nunn & James D. Parriott. [[]]: The ongoings of a multinational mass media and entertainment company. Think: Profit meets Mad Men. Written by . [[]]: The exploits of the judge advocates in the Department of the Army’s Office of the Judge Advocate General. Written by . [[]]: An examination of the Iraq War. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of an academic health science centre in San Antonio, TX. Written by Regina Corrado & Nichole Beattie. [[]]: The ongoings of a sundown town in Texas during the 1940s. Written by . [[]]: The life of a professional golfer. Written by . [[]]: The world of professional and amateur handball. Written by . [[]]: The life of a freelance security consultant and trainer. Written by . [[]]: Based on Gregory Benford's Galactic Center Saga book series. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division. Written by . [[]]: A suburban gothic about the ongoings of a picturesque city with themes of naturalism. A mix of Twin Peaks and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Written by . [[]]: An examination of hip hop culture in 1980. Written by . [[]]: An examination of African-American culture in Philadelphia during the 1990s. Written by Charles Murray, Ryan Coogler, Nelson George & Dee Rees. [[]]: The ongoings of a Los Angeles full-service talent and literary agency in 2004. Written by . [[]]: Based on Jack Womack's Dryco book series. Written by . [[]]: An examination of masculism in America. Written by . [[]]: The life of a business magnate in 1977. Written by Mitch Glazer & Eduardo Machado.

Will This Make You Laugh?: Stand-up comedians performing. A modern version of One Night Stand, ComicView, Premium Blend, Def Comedy Jam, and Comedy Central Presents. Hosted by Alonzo Bodden. Mysteries of The World: Profiling mysteries and featuring reenactments of unsolved crimes, missing persons, conspiracy theories and unexplained paranormal phenomena. A mix of Unsolved Mysteries, History's Mysteries, Encounters With The Unexplained, Conspiracies, Conspiracy?, Unsolved History, Ancient Mysteries, and Final Witness. Hosted by . ********************************************** Cinnamon Girl: About the lives of four women at the crossroads of the late 1960s political, artistic, social and sexual rebellions. Written by Anthony Tambakis & Renee Zellweger. The Return of Daniel Shepherd: A family thrown into disarray when their son returns home after thirteen years missing. When his abductors turn up murdered, he is the prime suspect. That further shrouds the mystery surrounding this family: the boy’s father, a former FBI operative-turned-college criminology teacher; his mother, a stay-at-home-mom-turned-congresswoman; and his fraternal twin brother. Written by David Hubbard. The Viagra Diaries: Based on Barbara Rose Brooker's book of the same name about Claire who, after her husband has a mid-life crisis and leaves her, struggles with being single for the first time in three decades. Written by Darren Star. The Escape Artist: Siblings who help people disappear. Written by Rina Mimoun & Scott Foley. Stuck In Reverse: A father who has a near-death experience attempts to reconnect with his estranged children. Written by Scott King. Generation Ex: Explores second marriages and co-parenting. Written by Moe Jelline. Taxi 22: American adaptation of Taxi 0-22 about a politically incorrect taxi driver in NYC struggling to keep his life together. Written by Brett C. Leonard. Just Say No: A family dealing with co-dependence and addiction. Written by David Seltzer. Blanco County: Based on Ben Rehder's book series of the same name about a baseball player who becomes sheriff of his small Texas hometown. Written by Rob Thomas. Shadow Counsel: Ethan, a former JAG attorney now working as a criminal lawyer in NYC, is recruited by the FBI to crack an ongoing investigation. He serves as a shadow counsel – a secret lawyer who operates behind the scenes and completely off the record to circumvent existing roadblocks in classified cases. His life rapidly descends into chaos as he finds himself on the run, unsure of who his friends are or who he can trust. Written by Barry Schindel. Powers: Based on Brian Michael Bendis's comic book series of the same name that combines the genres of superhero fantasy, crime noir and the police procedural. It follows the lives of two homicide detectives assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, who are referred to colloquially as "powers". Written by Brian Michael Bendis & Charlie Huston.

TV Revivals *[[Quantum Leap]]; Written by [[Donald P. Bellisario]] & [[John C. Kelley]] *[[Picket Fences]]; Written by [[David E. Kelley]] & [[Christopher Ambrose]] *[[Homefront|Homefront (U.S. TV series)]] ; Written by [[Lynn Marie Latham]], [[Bernard Lechowick]] & [[Jeff Gottesfeld]] *[[Freaks and Geeks]]; Written by [[Judd Apatow]], [[J. Elvis Weinstein]] & [[Mike White|Mike White (filmmaker)]] *[[Traders|Traders (TV series)]]; Written by [[Hart Hanson]], [[David Shore]] & [[Peter Blake|Peter Blake (writer)]] *[[The Eleventh Hour|The Eleventh Hour (CTV series)]] ; Written by [[Semi Chellas]], [[Ilana Frank]] & [[Jonathan Igla]] *[[Touched By An Angel]]; Written by [[Luke Schelhaas]], [[Ken LaZebnik]] & [[Brian Bird]] *[[Falcon Crest]]; Written by [[Scott Hamner]], [[Christian McLaughlin]] & [[Valerie Ahern]]