Latest news with #PrivateInvestigations
IOL News
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Reality TV gone rogue: unpacking the crime and corruption of 'Trainwreck: P. I. Moms'
Ami Wilt is one of the private investigators featured on 'Trainwreck: P.I. Moms'. Image: X The phrase "truth is stranger than fiction" forms the premise of the new documentary, 'Trainwreck: P.I. Moms', where real-life events were so dramatic that they could easily pass as a telenovela. The Netflix series, which premiered in July, is one of the latest in the streaming giant's 'Trainwreck' franchise. But this offering stands out for its shock value as it centres around working moms whose noble desire to inspire women across the globe, as the show notes, was 'to undo the deeds of a few men.' This explosive doccie has also been captivating viewers with its harrowing tale of rampant criminal activities, internal sabotage and police corruption as it delivers a neatly compressed but highly entertaining rollercoaster ride. Directed by Phil Bowman, 'Trainwreck: P.I. Moms' takes viewers back to the early 2010s. Amid the reality television boom following the monumental success of 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' and 'The Real Housewives' franchise, the Lifetime network greenlit a reality TV series about San Francisco mothers, Michelle Allen, Charmagne Peters, Denise Antoon, and Ami Wilt, who were working as private investigators. A scene from 'Trainwreck: P.I. Moms'. Image: X The soccer moms were all likeable characters, and they each had heartfelt and inspiring personal reasons for getting into the industry. The network, which hired acclaimed showrunner Lucas Platt, also believed that the manner in which the ladies balanced motherhood could empower other women. Their dangerous work at Private Investigations, Inc., which included undercover operations and busting criminals, also saw them featured in 'People' as well as 'The Today Show' and 'Dr. Phil.' With the attention from Lifetime, which saw the series having massive viral potential as well as possible franchise options, the moms agreed to be in the show. They only had one condition - that the reality series would focus on inspiring storytelling, instead of pitting women against each other. Lifetime agreed with this perspective and hired a crew to start shooting. The moms were thrilled to get started, with filming for the pilot getting off to an emotional start as one of the women detailed the harrowing death of her son while she was getting a tattoo in his honour. But that's basically where any positivity ended, and what followed was chaos and mayhem. The cracks at the firm began to show with the first problem being Carl Marino, the agency's director of operations, whose desire to be a star resulted in him pleading with producers for him to be a main character. Marino was so enraged when they refused that he tipped off a suspect that the moms were about to bust while the crew were filming. Even more sinister was that Marino had a secret operation going with the firm's founder, Chris Butler, who was also a main character in the Lifetime series. With a law enforcement background, he was celebrated for hiring women and giving them such a platform. He initially presented himself as a passionate professional, but soon into filming, producers noted his awkward nature but didn't think much of it. But unbeknownst to them, the firm's clients, the moms working there, and the world at large, Butler and Marino had a shady side hustle which saw them working with a crooked cop to resell drugs that had been seized as evidence by the police. To make matters worse, this scandal was brought to light by a reporter, who, after doing some investigative work on the firm following a tip-off. These explosive revelations, which went on to make international headlines at the time, resulted in the reality show being canned before it even aired.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Dire Straits Manage A Surprising Comeback With Several Big Albums
Dire Straits haven't released a new album in years, and the band is no longer together. Still, the act's music continues to resonate with a massive audience, especially in the U.K., where the group got its start. This week, the classic rock outfit returns to the Official Albums chart with two different collections – an impressive feat considering neither of the sets appeared on the tally last week, and that neither one is new. Now, both sit side-by-side on the competitive ranking. Sultans of Swing – The Very Best of returns to the Official Albums chart at No. 99, landing in second-to-last place on the 100-spot roster. Just below that, Private Investigations – The Best Of reenters at No. 100. This week marks a relatively rare occurrence in which two compilations from the same band appear on the list of the most-consumed full-lengths in the country, despite some serious overlap in track listings. The two collections have followed different paths on the Official Albums tally. Sultans of Swing has peaked as high as No. 6, but has only remained on the ranking for 37 weeks. Private Investigations, on the other hand, reached a high of No. 20 – yet it has charted for a far longer span, with 143 weeks on the tally. As both titles perform well on the main albums ranking, they also appear on the Official Albums Streaming chart, which measures the top-performing full-lengths on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Private Investigations climbs from No. 100 to No. 87, while Sultans of Swing lifts from No. 96 to a new peak of No. 85. That's a new all-time peak for the latter set on this streaming-only roster. While Dire Straits has claimed many hit singles throughout the years the band was together, 'Sultans of Swing' continues to perform especially well to this day. The tune, which lends its name to one of the group's compilations, surges nearly 20 spaces on the Official Singles chart. This frame, it lands at No. 65. The track originally peaked at No. 8 decades ago, and it introduced the outfit to the general public. It has now spent 15 weeks on the tally, though those appearances span many years.
Forbes
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Dire Straits Shoot Up The Charts Decades After The Band Split
Dire Straits returns to U.K. charts as Private Investigations climbs again, boosted by renewed ... More interest in Mark Knopfler's 'Going Home' and Sam Fender's tribute. Dire Straits, group portrait, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1978. Mark Knopfler, David Knopfler, Pick Withers, John Illsley. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns) It's been decades since Dire Straits released new music. Still, that hasn't stopped the British rock group from earning a surprise return to the charts this week in that country. The recent success of a song by frontman Mark Knopfler has sparked new interest in the group's catalog, and one compilation is reaping the rewards of all that attention. Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler is on the rise once again, showing that even without a reunion, a major hit can reignite excitement in an act's work. This week, Private Investigations moves north on two separate tallies in the United Kingdom. The compilation nearly returns to the top 40 on the Official Album Downloads chart, jumping from No. 67 to No. 45. The project also makes major moves on the Official Albums Streaming chart. It climbs a few spaces to reach No. 91, which is a much more modest gain, but growth is growth – especially when it comes to decades-old collections. While Private Investigations is improving on both rankings, its performance on the downloads list is, historically, much stronger. The retrospective has now spent 167 weeks on the Official Album Downloads chart, peaking as high as No. 16. By comparison, the set only reached No. 64 on the Official Albums Streaming roster, and it only fairly recently crossed the 100-week mark on that roster. What's driving this renewed interest? A song featured on Private Investigations, Knopfler's solo cut 'Going Home,' is suddenly enjoying a moment in the spotlight. This week, the tune debuts on a pair of lists in the U.K., opening on the Official Singles Downloads and Official Singles Sales charts. It launches at No. 62 on the former and No. 64 on the latter. 'Going Home' was recorded as a charity single and credited to Mark Knopfler's Guitar Heroes last year, and that version is also doing well. The newer rendition rises from No. 51 to No. 25 on the Official Physical Singles chart this frame. It features an extraordinary lineup of rock legends, including Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Bruce Springsteen, and dozens of others. Proceeds from the track benefit cancer-related nonprofits, and it seems that the British public is in love with every take of the tune. The recent spike in popularity is seemingly linked to Sam Fender, who performed 'Going Home' in tribute to a U.K. soccer team following a major victory. The song already served as the walkout anthem for the team, but Fender's version brought it to a much wider audience, especially considering his celebrity.
