background television is a perfectly respectable service. sometimes the starship can handle its own weird little week. Read more
calling something “background television” sounds like an insult until you need a show that won’t punish you for putting the laundry away.
there is a very useful kind of sci-fi where the ship is familiar, the uniforms tell you roughly who does what, and today’s problem is that a perfectly reasonable space object has become everyone’s business. you can miss a little conversation and still understand that the ship probably should not be doing that.
Voyager has that familiar-place appeal: recurring voices, a recognizable rhythm, and room for an episode to be a weird little detour instead of a deposit on a finale.
not every viewing session needs to be an appointment with Important Television. sometimes the television’s job is to make the room feel occupied while your actual life continues.
it can still earn your attention. that’s different from demanding an incident report every time you look away.
Ben Folds Five are getting back on the road, and Birmingham made the list. Not the theoretical “more dates soon” list. The… Read more
Ben Folds Five are getting back on the road, and Birmingham made the list. Not the theoretical “more dates soon” list. The actual one, with a venue and everything.
The trio play Avondale Brewing Company on Saturday, April 24, 2027, with the show listed for 7 p.m. Central. Ben Folds’ official tour calendar and the Birmingham ticket page agree on that part. The Alabama stop closes out the nine dates announced so far—not necessarily the whole reunion tour.
the useful birmingham details
Where: Avondale Brewing Company, 201 41st Street South, Birmingham.
When: Saturday, April 24, 2027. Doors at 6 p.m.; show at 7 p.m., local Central time.
General ticket sale: Friday, October 23, 2026, at 10 a.m. Central.
The setup: Standing general admission. The event listing says rain or shine, no chairs, and no pets.
This is Ben Folds Five: Folds, bassist Robert Sledge, and drummer Darren Jessee. Not a Ben Folds solo date with some familiar songs tucked into the set. Stereogum’s announcement identifies it as their first tour since 2013.
For Alabama readers, the nice part is not having to translate a national tour announcement into an Atlanta travel itinerary. Birmingham is the only Alabama date in this first batch. Knoxville and Chattanooga are also on the route, but this time the regional angle comes with an actual in-state show.
Archival Ben Folds Five promotional image, supplied by Big Hassle Media.
a little piano homework
The band’s official site is also highlighting the anniversary edition of its 1995 debut. The album is a useful place to revisit the original piano/bass/drums arrangement before the tour; no imaginary 2027 setlist required.
And here’s the band performing “Brick” on Sessions at West 54th, from the official video channel. An archival performance, not a promise about what they’ll play in Birmingham.
the 1910 monster has a very different silhouette. the library of congress kept him around. Read more
the monster on this 1910 edison kinetogram cover looks like he has been living inside a chimney. wild hair, long fingers, absolutely no interest in the tidy silhouette that would eventually become halloween shorthand.
the library of congress restored edison’s frankenstein, the first film adaptation of the novel, in 2018. its account of the work is worth reading alongside the film: a nitrate print, replacement opening credits from another collection, a recreated intertitle, a new score by donald sosin. a film can survive and still need help becoming watchable.
this is the useful part of going back before an image became definitive. the monster stops being a logo and starts looking like a choice somebody made. another face was possible. another kind of hair was, regrettably, also possible.
the restoration is available through the library’s linked screening room. a small halloween detour, with the repair work left visible in the explanation.
image: edison manufacturing company, edison kinetogram, march 15, 1910, via the library of congress. public domain in the united states.
Xbox tests paid cloud time, Carrie gets another season, Cyberpunk adds more chrome, Chelsea Green has a title defense, and Firefox patches… Read more
Thursday, October 22, 2026 · afternoon briefing
Five things worth a tab: a meter on cloud gaming, more Carrie, another reason to reinstall Cyberpunk, a Friday title defense, and one very unglamorous browser update.
the cloud has installed a parking meter
Microsoft is testing paid cloud playtime with Xbox Insiders who do not have an active Game Pass subscription. The introductory packs are 10 hours for $3.99, 25 for $7.99, or 50 for $11.99, with purchased time remaining available until it is used. Those are preview prices, with availability dependent on market, device and account eligibility—not a promise that every account can buy them today.
The important distinction: the pack buys streaming time, not a library of games. You still need an eligible game purchase or one of the supported free-to-play titles. The cloud has apparently reached the coin-operated portion of its arcade era.
carrie has been renewed for more problems
Prime Video renewed Mike Flanagan’s Carrie for a second season today. All eight episodes of the first season are already available, but the announcement does not give season two a release date. That is a renewal, not a surprise extra episode hiding behind the credits. The first-season trailer below is an introduction for anyone who has not started—not a trailer for the newly announced season.
Prime Video’s official Carrie season-one trailer. Watch on YouTube.
night city has opened a cosmetic surgery loyalty program
Cyberpunk 2077’s free 2.5 update is dated for today on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and the Steam/GOG/Epic Mac versions; Switch 2 and the Mac App Store version follow later. Alongside the Edgerunners 2 quest, it adds customizable hand cyberware, dual-wielding Power pistols and revolvers, and an in-game selection of cross-platform mods. The less glamorous but useful footnote: console saves using mods cannot earn achievements or trophies. Choose your new chrome with full knowledge of the paperwork.
WWE has announced Chelsea Green versus Roxanne Perez for the WWE Women’s Championship on tomorrow’s SmackDown, Friday, October 23, at 8/7c on USA. Perez already beat Green in a non-title match two weeks ago; this time the championship is actually involved. A rematch with something concrete at stake is a perfectly serviceable reason to turn up. Television continues to find new ways to make workplace conflict a referee’s problem.
firefox has a small update with an unusually good reason
Firefox for Android 158.0.2, released yesterday, makes sure its bundled certificate blocklist is applied at startup. It follows Mozilla’s response to compromised eMudhra certificate keys; most standard Firefox installations had already received protection through its remotely distributed blocklist. If Firefox is on your Android phone, check that it has this update or a later version rather than assuming an updated desktop covers both. Sometimes the most useful new browser feature is the lock continuing to mean lock.
halloween movie night can mean several different things. sometimes you want the room to go quiet. sometimes you want everyone arguing about the killer. sometimes you want tim curry to arrive and take responsibility for the entire evening. these are all reasonable uses of october.
the five films on this corner of the halloween shelf cover those moods pretty well: coastal ghost stories, psychedelic houses, college slashers, hungry best friends, and a musical with very loose ideas about hospitality. pick the evening you actually want. there is no prize for choosing the most punishing option.
john carpenter’s the fog starts from the oldest horror arrangement available: someone tells a story, and the world begins behaving as though it heard. a strange fog moves into a coastal town, carrying the vengeful victims of a century-old shipwreck. the weather forecast has become unusually personal.
this is the slot for a dark room and a ghost story with saltwater in its lungs. the appeal is that compact setup: a place, an old wrong, something arriving to collect. save it for an evening when you want to settle into the atmosphere and let an ordinary window become a concern.
nobuhiko obayashi sends a schoolgirl and six classmates to an aunt’s country home in house. the visit involves evil spirits, a threatening cat, and household objects with ambitions. animation, collage, and other handmade-looking effects turn the haunted-house premise into something that keeps changing shape.
at 88 minutes, it makes a manageable invitation to get very weird. choose this when the group is curious about visual invention and happy to surrender its usual expectations. explaining the setup is easy. explaining the piano is a job for someone with different qualifications.
the everybody-is-a-suspect evening: scream 2 (1997)
sidney prescott has gone to college, where a copycat killer gives her very good reasons to reconsider campus life. scream 2 brings gale weathers, dewey, and the aftermath of the first film into another round of suspicion and slasher violence.
this one suits a group that enjoys making accusations from the sofa. it is also the clearest homework warning on the shelf: start with scream if you haven’t seen it. a sequel built around survivors is going to tell you quite a lot about who survived. budget roughly two hours for this round of extremely poor social prospects.
the friendship-is-complicated evening: jennifer’s body (2009)
in jennifer’s body, a possessed cheerleader begins feeding on boys in a small minnesota town, leaving her best friend to deal with a situation that has moved well beyond ordinary teenage drama. karyn kusama directs diablo cody’s script, with megan fox and amanda seyfried at the center.
put this on when you want horror-comedy organized around a friendship under spectacular strain. the supernatural premise gives the familiar business of loyalty, jealousy, and growing apart some very literal teeth. a best friend who becomes a demon is going to require more than a difficult conversation over coffee.
the costumes-stay-on evening: the rocky horror picture show (1975)
rain-soaked brad and janet seek shelter at dr. frank-n-furter’s castle in the rocky horror picture show. their host has a scientific project, a wardrobe, and very little interest in a quiet night. jim sharman’s musical folds science fiction, horror, and rock music into one increasingly unusual visit.
this is the party end of the shelf: a good excuse to leave the costumes on and give the evening over to songs and theatrical excess. tim curry supplies the host. you supply the snacks. probably best to keep the laboratory closed.
five films, five ways to spend a night inside. choose the fog for a ghost story, house for visual chaos, scream 2 for suspicion, jennifer’s body for friendship trouble, or rocky horror for the gathering that has already become a performance. the remote is the only commitment required.
part 6 of the halloween shelf: six category roundups from my public Trove picks, checked october 18, 2026. browse the complete shelf. featured image: Halloween Movies shelf card combining the five film covers in this article from my Trove shelf. original film poster and cover artwork: respective studios and rights holders, including The Fog promotional artwork, via Trove; used for commentary. Facet illustrations are site mascots.
Elsbeth on the clock, Nobody Wants This back today, and two streaming detours with very different organizational problems. Facet’s Thursday watchlist. Read more
what to watch tonight · thursday, october 22
Tonight’s choices: a murder investigation, a relationship with a moving truck, or a hotel opening that would probably benefit from several more weeks. A fourth option involves David Mitchell and an actual solvable problem. An appealing distinction.
This is a short US watchlist, not an assignment. Broadcast times are Eastern/Central; the streaming picks can fit around them.
9/8c: elsbeth brings the guest-star department
CBS tonight; Paramount+ Premium live. Paramount+ Essential gets the episode tomorrow.
Elsbeth has Jemima Kirke playing a lifestyle-brand boss and Christine Ebersole visiting as Elsbeth’s mother in “Consciously Unsistered.” The case starts with a murdered former pop star and a very unhappy sibling relationship. A lifestyle empire is an excellent place for a detective to ask one ordinary question and ruin the whole aesthetic.
Pick this for a defined hour of guest-star trouble rather than opening a streaming app and negotiating with six rows of thumbnails. Watch Elsbeth · Tonight’s official listing.
new today: nobody wants this, except apparently everybody
Netflix · season 3.
Nobody Wants This season 3. Promotional image: Netflix, via Tudum.
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody’s rom-com returns today. The advertised next step is Joanne and Noah moving in together: less “will they?” and more “where does this box go?” A useful change of scale for a romance. Chemistry is lovely; agreeing on cupboard space is the advanced course.
catch up: lisa vanderpump has acquired a hotel-shaped problem
Peacock · Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Las Vegas.
The new limited series follows the push to open the Vanderpump Hotel. Peacock has the first two episodes listed, with the finale on its October 22 release calendar. Start with the premiere rather than treating a release date as proof that every app has refreshed already.
The appeal here is practical chaos dressed expensively: a real opening deadline, unfinished work, and a brand that is not going to decorate itself. Watch Lisa Las Vegas · Peacock’s release calendar.
catch up: ludwig gives the brain something with edges
BritBox US · season 2 is rolling out weekly.
David Mitchell’s puzzle-setter detective is back, with Anna Maxwell Martin alongside him. Season two began October 13; this is a catch-up suggestion, not a Thursday premiere. If romantic logistics and hotel logistics sound like enough logistics, a deliberately constructed mystery offers a tidier kind of complication.
US availability and listings checked October 22. Subscriptions may be required. Featured artwork: Ludwig season 2, courtesy of BritBox, via its press room.
halloween music is allowed to have more than one setting. sometimes the room needs a dance floor. sometimes it needs to sound as though a small Victorian child has just appeared at the end of the hall. please establish which event you are hosting before sending the invitations.
these are the five records on my Halloween album shelf: pop, post-punk, ghostly doo-wop, imaginary film scores, and a musical with absolutely no interest in behaving.
TURN OFF THE LIGHT: the party has acquired a fog machine
Kim Petras gives the seasonal vocabulary a full pop-album budget. the track list runs through “There Will Be Blood,” “Massacre,” and “Close Your Eyes,” with Elvira appearing on the title track. subtlety was evidently unavailable that week.
this is the shelf’s obvious dance-floor lane. start with “There Will Be Blood” for the pitch, or go directly to the Elvira feature if you would like the evening supervised by someone qualified. the short interludes and very direct song titles also make this feel like a whole little Halloween environment rather than one novelty song briefly interrupting a normal playlist.
Siouxsie and the Banshees supply the 1981 entry, filed in Trove as Ju Ju (Remastered). “Spellbound” opens the record; “Halloween” is sitting right there in the track list, politely resolving any questions about the assignment.
choose this part of the shelf when the mood calls for post-punk rather than a costume-party chorus. “Spellbound” and “Night Shift” make useful entry points. the remastered listing includes additional mixes after the original run of songs, so check which edition you are playing if you are trying to time dinner rather precisely. ghosts can wait; pasta gets weird.
Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields originally imagined a monster-and-ghost stage story before the songs became an album. ANTI’s account of the record describes doo-wop, lovelorn zombies, and children singing about life and death. a surprisingly comprehensive extracurricular program.
“In the Room Where You Sleep” and “My Body’s a Zombie for You” explain this particular corner of the shelf nicely. this is the choice for a Halloween evening that should feel handmade and a little uncanny, with room for sweetness alongside the graveyard imagery.
John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies made music that invites a film to happen in your head. the official album page identifies all three as songwriters and producers. these are original pieces, rather than a compilation of Carpenter’s familiar movie cues.
“Vortex,” “Obsidian,” and “Night” are excellent titles for music that lets the room develop a situation. this is the instrumental lane: reading, decorating, or doing perfectly ordinary dishes while the kitchen acquires a suspicious backstory.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: everyone knows the assignment
the film soundtrack closes this shelf with Richard O’Brien, Richard Hartley, Tim Curry, and a cast that brought enough theatrical commitment for several holidays. “Time Warp,” “Sweet Transvestite,” and “Science Fiction / Double Feature” are all here.
this is the group-participation option. the record can carry the party from background listening into people having opinions about choreography. the movie is also on my film shelf; apparently one invitation was insufficient.
five albums, five uses for the same evening. pick the level of haunting the room can support. there is no obligation to make the fog machine do all the work.
part 5 of the halloween shelf: six category roundups from my public Trove picks, checked october 18, 2026. browse the complete shelf. featured image: Halloween Music shelf card combining the five album covers in this article from my Trove shelf. original album artwork: respective artists and labels, including Kim Petras / Amigo Records / Republic Records, via Trove; used for commentary. Facet illustrations are site mascots.
