The Filtered Excellence: May 22, 2020

Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you this week’s picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks to read, our favorite things to listen to and more.


WATCH THIS

Basketball County: In The Water. New York and Los Angeles are considered basketball meccas, but since 2000, over 30 NBA players – including Kevin Durant – have come from Prince George County, Maryland. This new Showtime documentary from Jimmy Jenkins and Amani Martin traces its roots in the nation’s capital, starting with Edwin Henderson, a pioneering black coach who took what he learned from basketball founder Jim Naismith and applied it to the 12th Street YMCA in DC; DeMatta High School coach Morgan Wooten whose team made the school a national power; to how PG County countered the 1980s crack epidemic by investing heavily in recreation centers and AAU programs that kept Black youth on the court, off the streets, and attracted some of the top college recruiters in the nation. It also gives significant time to the rise and fall of PG County’s most promising talents: Len Bias, who died of a cocaine related heart attack the night he was drafted by the Boston Celtics; and DC Assault founder Curtis Malone, a highly esteemed mentor and supporter to many of his AAU players, currently serving time on a variety of drug related charges. But at the heart of this documentary is the players, their families and the community that has been able to build and sustain avibrant community that extends well beyond the court. Jenkins and Martin have put together a entertaining, well balanced doc that gives Prince George County a much deserved victory lap. Basketball County: In The Water is available now on Showtime.

Run. This critically acclaimed HBO series wraps up the season run this weekend. Merritt Wever stars as Ruby Richardson, who puts her uneventful life in the suburbs on hold after receiving a text from her former college boyfriend Billy Johnson (Domhnall Gleeson) that simply says ‘RUN’. Re-connecting at Grand Central Station, they embark on an emotional journey in which they rekindle their romance, secrets will be revealed and the realities of the lives they left behind quickly close in. The chemistry between Wever and Gleeson is undeniable and the creative team of Vicky Jones and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) keep the dialogue – along with the sexual tension and unexpected suspense – moving at a crisp, brisk pace. A smart and sexy show from start to finish. The season finale of Run airs this Sunday at 10:30 on HBO. w.hbo.com.

A Trip To Greece. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are back for their fourth – and reportedly last – trek around the globe. This time, they head to Greece hoping to make the same journey that Odysseus made from Troy To Ithaca, with stops that include The Ancient Agora of Athens, the island of Hydra, all with fine dining along the way. There’s a lot of good natured verbal sparring along with the way, with Coogan and Brydon arguing about tragedy and comedy, myth versus history, astronomy and biology, history, democracy and the meaning of life. Of course, the film would not be complete without their dueling impressions with Dustin Hoffman and Laurel & Hardy – Tom instead of Oliver Hardy – on full blast. With director Michael Winterbottom once again beautifully captures the locale in all of its glory, this is a delightful farewell to a great series. A Trip To Greece is available now on demand.

LISTEN TO THIS

Ghosts Of West Virginia by Steve Earle & The Dukes. Steve Earle had originally written the material as part of Coal Country, an off-Broadway play about the 29 West Virginia miners who were killed in the explosion of the Upper Big Branch mine in 2010. Earle was part of the production, performing as he said was ‘a Greek chorus with a guitar’, but the project got shut down due to the pandemic. Serving as a companion piece for the play, Earle & The Dukes deliver a 10 song set that covers everything from country-rock & blues romps (‘Fastest Man Alive’, ‘The Devil Put The Coal In The Ground’), roots music (‘John Henry Was A Steel Drivin’ Man’, ‘Union, God And Country’) and gospel (‘Heaven Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere). ‘Black Lung’, ‘Time Is Never On Our Side’, and ‘If I Could See Your Face Again’ (sung beautifully by Eleanor Whitmore), features Earle’s best songwriting, tapping into the West Virginian mining community – most of whom don’t share his leftist views – with vivid detail, clarity and without judgement. No wrath is spared on ‘It’s About Blood’ which channels the anger over the revelations that there was an attempted cover-up of the many safety violations that made the mining disaster all but inevitable. Earle’s minute plus reading of those who were lost – with his anger building with each name – reminds us all of the sacrifices that are made by the workers. This is Steve Earle hitting a new artistic peak, letting those who were lost a chance to live again through the power of music. One of the year’s best. Ghosts Of West Virginia by Steve Earle & The Dukes is available now through Amazon, Apple Music, and all major streaming services.

READ THIS

We Want Our Bodies Back by Jessica Care Moore. The latest work from this critically acclaimed writer, performer, activist and musician speaks about the relentless pain, suffering, and scrutiny that Black women strictly because of their race and gender. While it deals with the mental barriers that Black women have to built to deal with sexual assault, stereotypes, objectification and patriarchy, Moore also celebrates their emotional strength and resiliency that has kept them. It’s a defiant and powerful exploration of Black culture and of the human spirit. We Want Our Bodies by Jessica Care Moore is available now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and major book retailers.

DO THIS

Wear a mask when you are outdoors. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Practice social distancing. Check in on older family, friends, and neighbors. Stay safe!

 

Want more excellence? Read last week’s the filtered excellence.

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Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.