THE WAIT IS OVER!
A CHERRY COLA WAR IS UNDER WAY
Have you been addicted to, or at least in the know, about cherry cola?
I used to periodically drink Coca-Cola’s cherry Coke, till it disappeared years ago.
It’s now back, in a new cola war with Pepsi-Cola.
So I bought a bottle each of Coke’s cherry soda and Pepsi’s wild cherry soda.
Disclosure: I’ve favored Coke over Pepsi over the decades. My fave now is Coke Zero (and Pepsi has its version, too).
In an unofficial and unscientific taste test, I can reveal that I liked the Pepsi over the Coke cherry-flavored soda. Was it because of the “wild” adjective? Hmmm. The flavor was “wilder,” so maybe.
Let me know if you agree, or disagree, or even care…
JOHNSON’S ‘YOUNG ROCK’ EXTENDED
Dwayne Johnson’s “Young Rock,” the sorta doc-sitcom on NBC, has been renewed for a second season.
Johnson, a Hawaii native, is up there in popularity; “Young Rock” is rated the No. 2 comedy in the valuable 18 to 49 demographics, and surely, his stature as a Hollywood Big Name is the key to the success of this giddy venture.
The series explores the youthful years of the dude who would become The Rock and then the centrifugal force of cinematic action dramas laced with a bit of comedy.
Doesn’t hurt, of course, that he appears on “Young Rock” and also is part of the producing team with tongue firmly in cheek.
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Name game
Laprete, formerly known as Aidan James and also Aidan James Powell, continues to Wemerge as an actor, musician, composer, instrumentalist, recording artist and TV star. With quite an expanding list of credits, it’s amazing that he’s only 19, though he’s been strumming ukulele since he was a toddler.
Named after his mom, TV producer Angie Laprete, he will be seen in Amazon Prime’s “The Wilds,” Season 2 of the YA survival series, filmed in Australia, previously with females, soon to be focusing on males. Laprete will appear as Henry Tanaka.
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All in the ‘ohana
Horace Dudoit III and his Ho’okena group will be heard harmonizing and lending vocal support to country music star Josh Turner’s holiday album this winter.
Turner enlised Dudoit and his buddies to guest-sing on “Mele Kalikimaka, My ‘Ohana,” one of the tracks on Turner’s album.
The connection began when Turner asked Dudoit for kokua, to assist with some of the Hawaiiana in the holiday song.
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And that’s “Show Biz.” …
WHERE WILL ‘NCIS: HAWAI’I’ LAND ON TV GRID?
So “NCIS: Hawai’i” is formally on the radar, with its Mainland principle cast named.
Next questions: What time slot, on which night, will the series land, and how many episodes will be filmed?
The logical spot might be Friday night at 7 p.m. Hawaii time, in the slot vacated by the canceled “MacGyver.”
If it lands here, “NCIS: Hawai’i” would give CBS a solid Friday lineup, since “Magnum P.I.” airs at 8 p.m., followed by “Blue Bloods” at 9 p.m.
Or “Hawai’i” could co-mingle before or after “NCIS: Los Angeles” on Sunday night. Maybe even piggyback with the mothership show on Tuesdays.
The final grid of programming has not yet been announced, so it’s even possible that “NCIS: Hawai’i” will set up its tentpole on new turf, on a night not yet decided. Nor has the number of episodes has not yet been disclosed. Since no pilot was filmed, it’s possible that the studio wants to see an actual show before deciding if “Hawai’i” merits a full 22-episode order. (FYI, CBS is sensitive to the proper way to spell ‘Hawai’i,” with the ‘okina between the two i’s, though its online promo logos do not reflect the update).
It also is possible that instead of a fall launch, CBS may wait till mid-season to slip the latest spin-off into action.
This much is certain: After “NCIS: New Orleans” vanishes after its current season — it hasn’t been renewed — the New Orleans behind-the-scenes production team will relocate to Hawai’i for the island spin-off.
Larry Teng, who has options with CBS Studio, has been tapped to direct and exec-produce the initial episode. His CBS credits include “Hawaii Five-0,” “Elementary,” “Criminal Minds,” “SEAL Team,” “S.W.A.T.” and “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
Vanessa Lachey will play Jane Tennant, the special agent in charge of the NCIS unit based at Pearl Harbor; she is the first woman to head an NCIS investigative team. The two other lead roles will be portrayed by Yasmine Al-Bustami as junior team member Lucy and Jason Antoon as Ernie, the cyber intelligence specialist.
Crossover shows happen frequently these days, which could logically link “Hawai’i” with “Los Angeles,” for a seamless crossover. A major crossover this year involved two “Law and Order” NBC series, the veteran “SVU” headed by Mariska Hagerty as Olivia Benson, with the newbie “Organized Crime” led by Christopher Meloni as Eliot Stabler.
WHY CHARMIN BEARS ARE BROWN, RED, BLUE
Ever wonder why are the Charmin bathroom tissue bears are brown, red, and blue?
The company offers these distinctions, based on the type/quality of the toilet paper:
- Brown Bears – standard quality.
- Red Bears – Ultra strong.
- Blue Bears – Ultra soft.
There are variations in the bundles, too: Mega and Extra Wide, for instance. (So guess who’s been comparing the types).
I didn’t know the bear family members have names: Molly is mama bear, Leonard is papa bear, Bill is the eldest son, Amy is the middle sister, and Dylan is the baby bear.
Now you know…grin and bear it!