What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T10 WHATS UP! September 11 - 17, 2022 began mid-September last year in Atlanta. Since the announcements were made — and certainly since the official trailer was released in December 2021 — country music and TV fans have been excited to see what "Monarch" has in store. Saran- don's first series-regular ap- pearance since her arc on "Ray Donovan" ended in 2019 (she also narrated "Dark Air With Terry Carnation" last year but was never seen), the actress returns to the small screen in a very big way. Insight from the trailer shows Sarandon's character, Dottie, struggling to leave the spotlight behind and retire, even going so far as to dimin- ish her own daughters' goals in order to continue her claim on the Queen of Country title. She'll need the help of her hus- band to let go as the empire they built passes on to their own very talented kids, now all adults themselves. The Roman children, howev- er, appear to have some battles of their own ahead, as sisters Nicky and Gigi (Ditto) go head-to-head to see who will follow in their mother's foot- steps, and brother Luke (Sasse) manages Monarch Entertain- ment under the title of CEO. With each of their futures hanging in the balance of their parents' shadows and lies, the Roman siblings will need to band together to forge ahead. Sadly, that doesn't appear to be much of an option starting out. Also central to a series about country music is, well, the mu- sic. "Monarch" features a mix- ture of original songs and cov- ers throughout the series, some as the diegetic music per- formed by the characters in concert or at home (such as Adkins' cover of Hank Wil- liams Jr.'s "A Country Boy Can Survive"), and others as non- diegetic music used to set the tone of the scene for the show's viewers. One new song that is getting a lot of traction already is the "Monarch" theme, "The Card You Gamble." Written by Love Junkies — the trio comprising singer/ songwriters Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose — "The Card You Gamble" is per- formed by American singer Caitlyn Smith and tells the sto- ry of uncertainty associated with following one's passion, whether it's love, music or something else entirely: a re- curring theme throughout the series. With live performances still sometimes on hold or limited in today's pandemic-recover- ing society, this new series of- fers a way to escape reality while enjoying some "Texas- sized" country flair. "Monarch" premieres Sun- day, Sept. 11, on Fox, following an action-packed afternoon of football. continued from page T2 A little bit country: Sarandon dons boots for long-awaited series 'Monarch' TV FEATURE 5 x 5 Joshua Sasse, Trace Adkins, Susan Sarandon and Anna Friel star in "Monarch"