Ty Watches "Love, Death, and Robots"

RD and I were having a conversation the other day and he brought up the Netflix series, "Love, Death and Robots". This was not the first time I had heard about this show. Nick Wiger talks about it quite a bit on his many podcasts. I have heard some friends bring it up. I have read about it before. But, it wasn't until my brother was talking about it, he hasn't seen it to the best of my knowledge, that I finally felt intrigued to actually watch the show. RD has, for the most part, been a good barometer for me when it comes to good tv or movies. I trust his opinion. So, after we talked about it, and I was sitting down folding clothes, that is when most of my tv watching is done, I decided to give "Love, Death and Robots" a try.

I was immediately hooked. From the first episode I saw, episode one of the third volume, I wanted to watch more and more. I couldn't figure out why Netflix decided to start me on the third volume, but then I read some stuff. I guess "LDR" gives you four episodes they think you'll like based on what you have watched before. I also read that they just start you with the most recent stuff. Either way, the first episode of the third volume was all I really needed to get hooked. It was three robots, who looked familiar to me from seeing stuff on the internet, trolling around the remains of humanity. All the people were gone, but buildings and the like were still there. The robots checked it out, made some jokes, poked fun at the human race and the episode was over. I couldn't believe it was over and done within ten minutes. Then I looked up some other episodes and the usual run time is anywhere from six minutes to twenty-two minutes. This was another feather in its cap. I love content that doesn't drag. "LDR" tells a story very quickly. They get you in and out asap. And there is nothing really left to the imagination. They tell a well thought out, full tale.

After the first episode I saw I thought they may all have a funny tilt to them. Some do, but the stories cover a wide variety of genres. There's comedy, sci fi, drama, horror, brutal wars being fought, zombies, AI gone awry, there are so many more that I will not name right now. I love that. "LDR" doesn't have to stay in one lane. They go for it in any genre. And each episode is animated differently. The amount of work that goes into each episode is amazing. And it comes off beautifully. The David Fincher directed episode "Bad Travelling" is a work of art in the horror genre. "Jibaro" is one of the coolest, and most colorful things I've seen. And each episode is different and cool and offers almost everything to any watcher. "LDR" reminds of a Quibi version of "Black Mirror". They tell the horrors and the ills and even some of the good about technology and the future.

I cannot recommend this series enough. It is one of the most inventive things that tv has ever given us. I will most likely finish it all within the next week, which will only make me want to see more. Go check this show out. It is masterful. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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"Swamp Kings" is a Disappointing Waste of Time

I recently just finished the Netflix miniseries "Swamp Kings". For those that do not know, "Swamp Kings" is about the five year run of the Florida Gators football team under Urban Meyer. Everyone knows my feelings on Meyer. He is a scumbag, a cheater and a punk. I have never liked him and I never will. The only upside to my household not getting Fox anymore is that I don't have to listen to him call Big 10 games. So when I decided to tune into this four part docuseries, I thought it would be an eye opening affair. I thought they would point out the good and the bad of this Gators run. Unfortunately they did not do that.

This show was, for all intents and purposes, a mastubatory fascination for Meyer, Tim Tebow and the Florida football team from 2006-2010. This was all about how great of a coach Meyer was for the team. How he molded these young boys into men. How his methods were exactly what this talented but undisciplined team needed. How he made a name for himself and changed the game of college football. Pretty much all the good and none of the bad. They barely mentioned the amount of arrests that happened under his eye. They didn't talk about the recruiting tactics he used. They only mentioned Aaron Hernandez's name once, calling him a "top recruit". They portrayed his barbaric methods as something new college coaches should aspire to. It was, for lack of a better word, gross. I couldn't believe all the stuff that was left out about him.

I have to think he was a producer on this show and would only allow it to air if it made him look great. Urban Meyer definitely had a moment as a top college football coach, but he also had some serious problems that this show just decided to not air. It was so bad that when they talked about his tenure with the Jaguars in the NFL, they said he "stepped down" as head coach. He was fired after 14 games because he was so ill fitted for the NFL. Tim Tebow was looked at as some kind of deity in this thing. They talked about him like he was the greatest college QB of all time. They had their chances to talk about him kind of getting off scot free sense he was a white QB winning titles, but they barely touched on that. A few of his teammates made comments about how they felt slighted, how Tebow got all the love, but the show was quick to get off that topic and move on to something else. Tebow also spoke like he was trained to sound wistful. He had this quiet tone that I found quite annoying. He talked as if he was this person who changed the college game. He would mention a fight between him and a teammate and give it a button along the lines that it helped both him and the teammate. Stuff like this made his teammate a better player. I found it quite odd that he didn't go into any kind of detail about how he felt about the arrests and issues, being that he is so religious. He sat down and openly praised Meyer at every turn. It was frustrating.

They did a decent job of portraying this team as one of the better college units of all time. They won two titles in three years. They had a Heisman winner. They had a bunch of NFL players. And they beat really good teams. But they never talked about the true issues that this team had. They barely touched on the arrests. There was one moment in one episode where they started to talk about it, but it was a three or four minute chunk in a 45 minute long episode. I thought they would do a full 45 minutes just on that topic. They didn't though. They kept it incredibly bland.

This could have been a salacious docuseries. They could have done all the good stuff and peppered in the bad. They could have dedicated entire episodes to the issues. They could have dug deeper. They went the opposite direction. "Untold" is meant to make you angry and disgusted with what you are seeing. This one was a miss though. They didn't dig at all. They let the bad stuff slide. It felt like the people behind "Swamp Kings" figured we knew all the bad stuff so they were just going to show the good. Skip this unless you are a college football fan like me. This is not worth your time. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Muscles and Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators"

Yesterday I finished the Netflix mini series , "Muscles and Mayhem". This five episode series is about the rise and fall of the excellent gameshow, "American Gladiators".

I loved this show as a kid. RD and I have mentioned the show many times on the podcast. I was hooked. I would watch every morning in the summer before heading out to hang with my friends. I craved this show. I loved the competition, the personalities and watching the wild and crazy games they created. "Muscles and Mayhem" goes very in depth about all of this, and so, so much more.

The series starts out introducing the viewer to the very early days of this show and just how out there this idea was. There were injuries, long set changes, crowds getting bored waiting, gladiators coming and going, all kinds of issues. But when they brought on the right people, the show thrived. The behind the scenes stories of the people behind the show, that was fascinating. There were some certified weirdos who made "American Gladiators" one of the top shows on TV in the early 90's. There were a bunch of smart people who knew what they were doing as well.

The show, as expected, spent most of its time talking to the former gladiators. This was very eye opening. This was something I'm glad 40 year old me watched. They talked sex, drugs, alcohol, steroids, HGH, sexuality, it was all there and all done very well I thought. I like hearing all the real stories from the real people behind it all. It is always good to get their side because they lived it. The way they went into steroid use was fascinating and very eye opening. I mean, we all knew they were using steroids, but to hear how they got them, how they hid it, how the network and sponsors dealt with it, that is the stuff I like when I watch docu series like these. I also liked to hear about the dating, or attempts to date, that each gladiator had with one another. I enjoyed seeing what they did when they tried to venture out from the world of "American Gladiators". It was great to see some of the original people fight for what they thought was rightfully theirs when it came to merchandising and the like. It was great to hear how the gladiators were raised, where they came from and how they ended up on that show. I liked seeing some of the gladiators I forgot about and remembering them for some of the wild stuff they did. I totally forgot about the live tour they went on. To see that come to fruition, and to see the behind the scenes stuff on the bus, that was some of the better content this whole series had. It was nice to meet some of the competitors and to hear their stories of how they ended up on the show and what it was like while there. I was also very pleased to see what they are all up to now, both competitors and gladiators.

This series felt like it was made for someone like me. I am very happy my dad told me about this and showed me some of the show when I was hanging out with him the other day. I cannot recommend this series enough, especially for people who watched this show when they were younger. It is an excellent watch. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Outlaws"

Since my daughter had her sleepover on Friday night we pushed our date night to Saturday. It was my wife's turn to pick the movie and she chose "The Outlaws".

This is a newer movie on Netflix. I had heard of it because I am a big "Workaholics" fan and I listen to "This Is Important" every week. Adam Devine, as expected, was promoting the hell out of the movie. I read some reviews that weren't too kind, but that stuff doesn't really push me either way. If I want to watch a movie, or my wife wants to watch a movie, we usually watch it together. We will decide for ourselves if it is a good movie or not, but more importantly, if we like it or not.

On the surface "The Outlaws" wasn't the best movie I have ever seen, nor was it the worst. I felt the critics' reviews that I read were a little too harsh. This wasn't a movie trying to send a message or give you hope or optimism or make a statement. The movie was clearly made to have fun and hopefully make a little money. Adam Devine is the lead and I feel like critics simply like to slam him. He seems like an easy mark for critics. But the guy is clearly having a great time making this movie and this role is in his wheelhouse. He is really good at playing these put upon dudes that just want to have fun in life. He really embraces that part and that is not different here. Nina Dobrev, while not the best actor, does a fine job in this movie. She doesn't get to do much, but she does just fine with the little bit she is given. Blake Anderson is in here for a minute and he is very funny. Richard Kind and Julie Hagerty play Devine's parents and they are both hilarious. They made me laugh more than anyone in this movie. Lil Rel Howery and Laci Mosley are Devine's co workers and they both play very well off one another and they are making jokes seemingly every second. Some land some don't, but you never know what works if you don't take the chance. Dean Winters has a bit part and is okay. Lauren Lapkus would have been better served with a bigger role, but she nails the comedy in her few scenes.

The best part of this okay movie was Ellen Barkin and Pierce Brosnan. They are Dobrev's folks. They don't come around much. But they want to be at the wedding. Or so they say. They are really big deal bank robbers and they rob the bank that Devine is the manager for. They do this to help their daughter, but they also owe a debt to the villain, very well played by Poorna Jagannathan. She was probably the best part of the movie if I sit and think about it. Brosnan and Barkin really nail the comedy, the action and the puts and falls of being lifetime criminals. Brosnan is a pro. I expect nothing less from him. I haven't seen Barkin in a while, but she was more than up to task for this role.

"The Outlaws" isn't going to win any awards. I don't think that was the goal. But this is an entertaining enough 90 minutes. I was never bored. I laughed. Sure there were some clear issues, but I was never taken out of the moment by said issues. It is a fine movie that is kind of perfect to have on in the background. It did the job. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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"Love is Blind" Is No Longer Worth Your Time

My wife is very much into the show "Love is Blind". I used to be into it as well, but the last season was boring, dull and filled with all the cliche things that dating shows now have. I barely watched any of this new season. My wife would put it on and I'd sink into my phone or the Switch or would just read. I would pop in and out to give a rude remark, but I stopped doing that after a while because it was no good for anyone.

This newest season came and went without much of any impact on, or even my wife honestly. She seemed into the season, but not like she was before. But she was ready for the reunion. A lot of people were. She set up her whole night so we could watch this live event at 7pm our time. We ate dinner early. She got cleaned up early. I got the kids cleaned up and sent them downstairs to watch tv together so they wouldn't bother my wife. She sat down, started to do her nails and went to turn on the livestream a little before 7pm.

There was a problem. I'm sure most of you know about the problem that occured. Netflix's live stream crashed. People couldn't get on the stream. Twitter was ablaze, so was Facebook. People were angry. For real angry. My wife was annoyed, but not so angry. But it kept stopping right at 25 percent. We saw the number on the screen and the spinning red circle and it never got past 25 percent. After a while my wife gave up. She waited about an hour and called it. I respect that about her. She wasn't going nuts, yelling about it, going online to complain. She waited as long as she deemed necessary and then watched other shows. She was content to wait until Monday. I didn't care either way. I got to watch the NBA playoffs, so I was pumped about that. But I did promise I'd watch the reunion with her on Monday.

And we did.

We watched for about an hour. The reunion special, this supposed massive live event that was riddled with problems, was 90 minutes long. That is far, far too long for any reality dating show reunion. None of these people are that important and the advice that they give out is god awful. I mean, why would any reasonable person take advice from these numbskulls is beyond me. But the people on the internet promised this reunion was "the most explosive one yet" and "incredibly revealing" and "endlessly watchable". It was none of that. And this is not just cynical old me talking. My wife kept stating how bored she felt. She kept asking for more. She wanted the tea to be spilled. She likes that stuff when it comes to reality shows. None of that happened. There was nothing shocking or explosive or revealing. It was dummies talking to other dummies about nonsense. I also find it disgusting that the people who go on these shows always complain about being filmed constantly and that things are taken out of proportion. They agreed to be on this show. Hell, they auditioned for it. They wanted the screen time, the supposed fame that comes with reality tv. They did not have to do this at all. Millions of people a day do not go on reality dating shows. So I have zero sympathy when they complain about how they look on tv. I have zero time for that.

I think what was most annoying about this whole "reunion event" was how boring and simple it was. There was no levity to it. There was nothing shocking or explosive. I cannot believe this is what crashed Netflix. Reality dating shows are a waste of time. I am getting to a point where most reality shows are of no consequence at all. They don't hold the weight they once did. I guess all of us are a bit more cynical now. But this "live" reunion was an absolute waste of time.

I want that 90 minutes back. It is my fault for watching I suppose. But, if you haven't watched, don't waste your time. It is nothing. Nothing but a bore.  

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "That 90's Show"

When it was announced that they were rebooting "That 70's Show" I was skeptical. I loved that show. It was appointment viewing when I was younger. I fell in love with the characters, the setting and the story. I followed that show all the way until the bitter end, which was not great. So, as I said, a reboot taking place in the 90's had me on edge a bit. I watched the promos, read interviews with the cast and crew and they all assured fans that it was going to pay homage, but not be the same. I was still on the fence.

Recently my best friend said he binged it in a night. That is high praise coming from him. He doesn't binge a lot, and for him to watch all ten episodes in a day is a feat. Then my folks binged it. It took them two days, but still, that is a good sign coming from them. Last week I decided it was my turn to watch.

I was still reticent going into it but coming out, this show works on every level. Obviously I'm speaking of "That 90's Show". I am all in on this new series. It is a reboot, but things have changed in a good way here. There are cameos, of course. Eric and Donna are in an episode together and Donna shows up a few more times. Kelso and Jackie are here but only for the briefest of cameos. And Fez is, it looks like, going to be around, but that is cool with me because I enjoy Fez. But the people they kept from the original series, the true stars, are Red and Kitty.

For me I always gravitated towards Red when the show first aired. He was funny and reminded me of my dad just a little bit. I liked his curmudgeonly attitude, but they always cut it with sweet moments here and there. And Kitty is a delight. She is so bouncy and happy and wants to make everyone around her happy. She opens her home to everyone and everyone is her best friend, even if it is just for a moment. That is exactly how they are in the new series. They are older but they still have fun. They still let their grandkid and her friends hang out in the basement. They still have a tremendous amount of love for one another. They both still have their moments and it comes off as excellent as it did in the original series. I couldn't be happier with the way these actors reprised these classic characters. The writers and producers did a bang up job to keep Red and Kitty essentially the same, just aged a bit.

The new kids are fantastic. That is what this show is supposed to be about anyway. It is the way these kids grew up in this little town in Wisconsin in the 90's, just like the original, only that took place in the 70's. That is what makes this show so much fun to watch. I am a child of the 90's. I was younger than the kids in the show at the time, but not by much. I was 13 in 95, they are all either 15 or 16. It is easy to relate. I remember doing things that they did on the show. My friends and I hung out in my basement when I was in high school. I lifted too much like the jock. I was kind of aloof like the young Kelso. I wanted to party with my friends. It is all there and it all works so well. One aspect from the original series I was afraid they were going to screw up was when they all get high and sit in the circle. Not only did they not mess it up, it brought back nice memories of me cracking up while watching it the first time. This all works. They hit a homerun here. Putting it on Netflix was a genius choice because they can be a little more crass with the humor. The "live studio audience" doesn't bug me one bit.

I am all in on "That 90's Show". It has already been picked up for a second season and they added 6 more episodes. Go watch this show, especially if you were a fan of the original. This is how reboots should be done. What a great show. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Operation Flagrant Foul"

Yesterday I watched "Operation Flagrant Foul". This is one of the new Untold documentaries on Netflix. I am a big fan of the Untold series on Netflix. They do cool, interesting sports stories that I may not have been aware of, or even heard of before. That being said, I am well aware of the Tim Donaghy fiasco.

For people who may not know, Donaghy was arrested and sentenced to prison for gambling on professional basketball. To make matters worse, he was a professional referee. To make matters even more worse, he bet on games he was personally reffing. It was all bad when you really think about it.

What I enjoyed about this doc was the backstory we got. Donaghy has a very interesting past, one that I was unaware of when this story first popped. He was married, had kids, had good friends, was a highly rated ref, he lived a relatively normal life as a pro ref. He made some questionable calls as a ref, but he did pretty much everything by the book. He even called stuff on Michael Jordan when that was very much frowned upon. There is a great part in the doc when Donaghy recalls calling traveling on MJ. He called it, and after calling it, while walking down the court Phil Jackson approached him. He yelled at Donaghy and Donaghy told him that he got the same memo that everyone got. Jackson said he gets it, but pointed to Jordan and said, "you don't call it on that guy". That was a fascinating look into the NBA at that time. The NBA has always favored stars, and this was when it seemed to be at its highest. From there Donaghy went about his job. Then a few of his childhood friends, who considered themselves professional gamblers, contacted Donaghy about certain NBA games.

From there on out it got nuts. Donaghy would call other refs to see when they were working. He would look at the schedules and check out the crews for each game. He would contact ref friends and try to get info on certain games they were calling. He started out with his childhood friends, but from there it grew. He was making big money. He was able to buy things for his wife and kids that he was never able to do before. He was living life being rich. He was getting a taste of the supposed good life, and he liked it. He gambled on 47 games and won 37 times. That is too close of a coincidence. It is too fishy. I knew he gambled on games but I did not know it went this deep. It was getting bad enough that he started to get scared. He was afraid that he was going to get caught. But he didn’t stop. Then one of his buddy's said the FBI contacted him. The FBI had contacted him a few times actually. This was when Donaghy knew he was in trouble. He decided he had to confess. When he did he got majorly screwed over by some people, maybe some people named David Stern, RIP. The whole Stern situation was revealing. I did not realize how much of a boss he actually was when he was the commissioner of the league. It was as close to the mob as anything I have seen in a movie. I also found it pretty eye opening that the three main guys of this movie seem to still be lying constantly. They cannot stop themselves. They just vomit words out of their mouths until they believe what they are saying. It is crazy.

All in all this was a solid doc. I knew some of the stuff, but some other stuff was news to me. I like when I can learn something new about a story I thought I knew everything about. I recommend this to fans of basketball, especially fans my age. It was pretty cool.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist"

I recently finished the Netflix two part documentary on Manti Teo called "The Girlfriend who Didn't Exist". It was fascinating.

I remember living through all of this. I am an avid college football fan as you all know. This story was everywhere in 2012. but I knew of Teo before all of this. He was a major recruit. Every big team wanted him. When it was down to USC and Notre Dame I just assumed he'd pick USC. Hell, I thought he would go to BYU, since he is Mormon, before he'd go to Notre Dame. But in the end, he picked the Fighting Irish. I was stunned and so were many other people. But he kept getting better and better every year. He could have left after his junior year and been a high first round draft pick. But he came back. Then he played very well. Then Notre Dame kept winning games. Then his grandma died. Then, on the same day, so did his online girlfriend. It was all a lot. But he kept playing and playing well, and his team was winning.

Right before the Heisman ceremony, he was a finalist, the whole online girlfriend thing exploded. According to the doc, Teo knew about the news before the Heisman trophy was given out. I did not know this. This was all news to me. But after the ceremony, before the BCS title game, the story broke everywhere. Deadspin was the first to report it and then everyone jumped on board. Teo was giving interviews to Katie Couric with his folks. The person that catfished Teo was going on Dr Phil's show to show him how he did it all. Then it was on every news report everywhere. This was not just sports broadcasts, it was national news. CNN, MSNBC, local news stations, I mean it was EVERYWHERE.

This is where the doc became truly fascinating to me. All the stuff beforehand, the football and the girlfriend and his family life, it was all out in the open. But after the fact, after he found out he was being catfished, that was when it became truly nuts. Teo started to suffer from panic attacks and true anxiety. He said that football used to be his outlet, that he could let it all go when he walked out there. But after all the shit hit the fan he was not the same. He tried too hard. He had to prove he wasn't just the guy that got catfished. He wanted to show he could still be an elite level linebacker. But he was too in his head. He was thinking too much. He wasn't just playing the game. It became a problem. And seeing him interviewed, hearing him talk about that time in his life, I felt for him. That had to be absolutely brutal for him to live through. I found myself thinking, as gross as it may sound, about how much money he lost by falling to the second round. He had to reprove how good he was. He had to start all over again. That is not fair. Teo was one of the best defensive college football players to ever step on the field. He had all the tools coaches craved. He was a great locker room guy. His teammates and coaches all like him. There was hardly anything to dislike about Teo. I am a lifelong Michigan fan, and I even found myself rooting for Teo. Let me make this clear, I rooted for Teo, not Notre Dame. And to see the lady who catfished him, she was a man at the time, but she is now transgender, to show a little remorse, but not much, kind of made me flinch a bit. This person was taking advantage of someone who was listening and helping them out with their issues. She could have stopped at any time, but she kept going. I get that she was confused at the time and trying to find out who she really is, but she took this way, way too far. I get that Teo forgave her and he has moved on and is living as normal a life as he can. But she could have been a bit more remorseful or showed some kind of regret. I don't know, I expected more I guess.

All of that being said, this two part doc was incredible. Again, I remember this whole thing so vividly, but this doc gave me so much more info, and new info at that. I cannot recommend it enough. It is a fascinating watch, and not just for sports fans. There are tons of real life stories in this and it is great. Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Trainwreck: Woodstock '99"

Recently I watched the three part documentary series on Netflix about Woodstock 99. I have watched other stuff on this very same topic, but this felt a bit more in depth. This was more involved. They had interviews with festival goers, security workers, background workers and the two main producers. I was fascinated by everything I watched.

The three episodes were built around each day of the festival. And it was awesome. I very much enjoyed hearing about this horrific time from the perspective of the people involved. I liked the interviews with the artists, but it was the people involved in the background and the fans that made this a fascinating watch. It was harrowing to listen to them talk about those three fateful days in 1999.

As I watched, and got more and more into the doc, I started to wonder about how I would have reacted. I think this is why this worked so much for me. I am endlessly fascinated by the mentality that goes into these people deciding when and why to go over the edge. What is the limit that someone will go past? When is enough enough? When do you decide to loot and riot and burn stuff down? All of this has had me thinking since I finished the show. These people were clearly taken advantage of by the people who ran the festival. They price gouged, they had them in an open air force base in the dead of summer, they didn't give them adequate cleaning facilities, it was all bad. The festival goers deserved better. But the festival goers also deserve a good amount of the blame as well. They got angry and acted on their most animal of impulses. They took advantage of women. They did awful things to unsuspecting people. They drank until they couldn't see or think straight. They did copious amounts of drugs. They did the actual tearing apart of the festival grounds. They started the fires. They lost it and took it out on everyone else. They were, mostly, rich, privileged white kids who were not getting their way so they acted on it. And they took it way, way too far.

There is blame to be thrown everywhere. But back to my train of thought from before. What would I have done had I been at Woodstock 99. I most likely would not have gone because the acts were not my cup of tea. I like Rage Against the Machine. I enjoy the idea of a band like Bush. I enjoy some Red Hot Chili Peppers songs. But the rest of the bill was rough. Bands like Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Korn, that is not my cup of tea. But let's just say I went. I like to imagine that, after day one, I would have left. In the best of conditions I usually like to leave a show early to beat traffic. From what I watched and heard, this would have been an utter nightmare for me being at Woodstock 99. I have OCD and like to stay clean. I have sanitizer always at the ready and enjoy cleaning and washing things. That was not viable at Woodstock 99. It was also brutally hot. I love being outside, but the air condition is so, so, so much better. I mean, I can stand the heat for a run or going for a walk or hike. But if I were in a crowd of 250,000 people in that heat, no thank you. I am also straight edge. I do not drink or do drugs. I have never, and at this point, most likely will never do those things. I also get pretty aggravated when I'm surrounded by a big group of stoned or drunk people. That is another mark in the cons column for me. I also do not enjoy being in large crowds for longer than an hour or two. A football game is fun, or even one concert. But three days worth of shows with that many people would have been a disaster. And finally we have the whole idea of camping. I am not a camper. I do not like it at all. I am a city kid through and through. I love the luxuries of not having to camp. The whole idea of camping would have been a big stopping point for me. So, in looking back at all this and thinking about how I would have reacted, I do not think I would have even gone. I think I would have skipped the whole thing. I would not have been involved in any of the horrific events that took place at Woodstock 99. It would have been terrible.

I do recommend watching this three part series. It was very informative and very interesting.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches “The Tinder Swindler”

Recently I finished the Netflix documentary "The Tinder Swindler".

I have been in a doc mood lately, and this one spoke to me when I was searching the other day. I have been married for almost 13 years, and been with my wife for 15 years, so online dating has never been a thing for me. I never used it. I did have an eHarmony account at one point, but then I met my wife, and deleted it very soon after because I knew I was going to marry her. I was lucky enough to meet her in real life when a friend set us up. And for that, I am forever grateful. It is so much better that way, in my opinion. I know plenty of people who have met and married someone through the internet. But for me, it is way easier, and way better, to meet in person. The online dating life seems very hard and very easy to scam someone. That is what "The Tinder Swindler" is all about.

The movie focuses on three ladies that were scammed by the same man. But it is not like "Catfish" or movies and shows like that. This was a real person who found a way to scam these very real women. When the movie opens we meet a young lady from Sweden. She is very adept at using Tinder. She breaks it all down. She is very smart and very beautiful. She mentions that she "swiped right" on this gentleman named Simon, and soon after a relationship started. He took her on private planes. They went on exotic vacations. They ate all the best food. They exchanged very expensive gifts. It was all a fairytale, until one day, when he simply seemed to vanish. No contact, nothing. Just gone. He would return, but only to ask for money. We then meet another woman, also from Sweden, and she seems like she knows what she is doing on Tinder. Again, just like the first lady, knows how to game the system to get a guy she likes. She too, eventually, matches with the same guy, Simon. And while it is not a romantic type relationship, she seems to like him very much as a friend. She likes to hang out with him and go clubbing and go to parties. Nothing romantic happens, but they do make a deep, friendly connection. But then, just like the first lady, Simon falls off. And, just like the first lady again, Simon comes back online and asks for money. These ladies give him the money because they have made these connections, but it all seems rather fishy. It is all very weird. Through some deep digging, and after talking to journalists in Sweden, the ladies come to realize that Simon has been scamming them, and many, many other women, for many years. He uses their credit cards to buy all the things he wants. He uses the money they have given him to fly out other women and buy them whatever they want. It turns out he is a very prolific con artist. At this point we meet yet another woman who claims to be Simon's girlfriend. She says they have been together for 15 months. She found out, only after the investigative journalists released a tell all story, that Simon was galavanting with these other women during their "relationship". She is rightfully furious. She decides she is going to swindle him. She pretends to still be in love with him, to tell him what he wants to hear. But, instead of giving him money, she makes mention that she could sell his designer clothing to help him pay for his lavish lifestyle. He agrees, and she starts to sell. But she never tells him that she is making any money. Anytime he asks, she says she hasn't sold anything. It gets so bad that Simon claims to be homeless. All the while, this lady has made over 10,000 dollars selling his clothing. I loved it. She was beating this jerk at his own game.

Eventually Simon gets caught and arrested by Interpol. All three of the women featured feel like they have finally caught him. That Simon is going to pay for what he has done. His picture and story was everywhere. He did get sentenced to 15 months in prison for fraud. I was stoked. So were the ladies in the movie. It felt like a good punishment for what he had done. I assumed the movie was going to end right there. It needed a happy ending after all the wild shit I had watched for 90 minutes.

But then, before the credits rolled, they updated the viewer on the situation. Simon did go to jail, but only for 5 months. He was released and let back into the world. He started an online business for a nominal fee. He had all the fancy things again. He was dating an Israeli model. They were on private jets again. He was back in designer clothes and buying and doing whatever he wanted. He was even back on Tinder. As for the women featured in the movie, they were doing better, but still had pretty big debts they were paying off. The three women look to have become friends, and they have been back on Tinder as well. But I was kind of frustrated when I saw Simon doing all his nonsense again. He clearly hadn't learned his lesson, and the police let him go after serving only a third of his sentence. And when the people making the movie tried to contact him, he sent a very threatening message to them. He is still an asshole. He is still selfish. He is still doing what he wants when he wants to whomever will bite on his scam. He learned nothing and was going about his everyday life like he didn't perform multiple criminal acts. It goes to show that some scum can get away with what they want with minimal consequence. It is a frustrating world that we live in. It makes me sick that people can scam other people, and because they just happen to be rich, they can get away with it.

I do recommend this movie because it is fascinating, but know going into it that you will be angry at the end. Or, at least you should be.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "This is Pop"

Recently I found a new show on Netflix that I have really enjoyed. The show is called "This is Pop". The pure nuts and bolts of the show is how pop music has changed, mixed with genres, tells stories and made its way into our lives for good. There are eight episodes that each focus on a different topic.

I was skeptical of the show at first because I have always said I am not a fan of modern pop music. There are a few bands and singers I like, but for the most part, it is not for me. I was not a fan of boy bands. I did not buy into the bubble gum aspect of Brittany Spears. Pop music was not for me. I like hip hop, rock, blues and folk. Those are my preferred genres, with hip hop being my favorite. But I have got to say, this show has changed my mind on pop music in general.

The first episode was all about Boys 2 Men. I knew of them of course. They were super popular when I was a younger kid. I loved their first single when I was little. But then they went away. What this episode did was show me their process. It showed me how hard they worked and how great a group of singers they were and still are. It also showed me that they were the first true boy band that existed. I also liked learning about them being able to crossover to many different fans. It was fascinating.

The second episode was all about auto tune. This has been my favorite episode. It was so interesting to hear about the auto tune phenomenon and why it is so hated by fans but beloved but some musicians. T-Pain comes off wonderful. I am a fan of his personality for sure. I also really liked how they showed the comedic use of auto tune. It was great.

The third episode is all about how some of the most famous pop songs ever written and recorded come from Stockholm, Sweden. I had no idea that pretty much all of Brittany Spears, The Backstreet Boys and N'Sync's songs were written and produced in Sweden. I also had no idea how hard the Swedes work, and how humble they are about their fame. The people involved in this episode, the people we never see or hear from, have been a part of some of the biggest pop songs ever. "Hit Me Baby", "I Want it That Way", "Bye Bye Bye", all of those songs were written and produced by the Swedes. We also got Roxette and Ace of Base from Sweden. Some of Pink's biggest songs were written by Swedes. It was incredibly informative.

Episode four talks about country music shifting to pop. For a person that is not a country music fan at all, this ep was really cool. I did not realize all the crossover and how stodgy old school country musicians are. Also, Dolly Parton rules. She is the best.

Episode five dove into Britpop. This one was cool because they mostly focused on the "fight" between Oasis and Blur. I am personally a Blur fan, but it was cool to see all the different people talking about why they liked each band. I found it very interesting that Oasis was more the working class band. The episode also made me appreciate Damon Albarn all the more. He is truly a musical genius. This was a good one.

Episode six was all about festivals. This one gave me the heebie jeebies. There were too many people. Too much stuff going on. Festivals were never my thing. This was probably the one ep I would skip if I were to watch this series again.

Episode seven was the most powerful. It was called "What Can a Song Do", and it was all about the power of music. They went from Woody Guthire to Billy Bragg, to Public Enemy to music in the Me Too movement and Riot Grrl stuff. I found this episode to be incredibly important. It was truly wonderful and powerful to see the strength that music has, to see the change that music can create. Hozier was a wonderful narrator for this episode. I am still thinking about everything they said today. It was moving and tremendous.

The final episode is all about the Brill Building in New York and how some of the most famous pop songs were made in this one building. Again, a fascinating event that I have never thought about before. Also, Neil Sedaka seems like a delightful human being. I have not fully finished the episode yet, but I will today.

I think this show is very well done. It tells very good stories about people and events that music fans may take for granted. Each episode is about 40 minutes long, so it is not a total grabber of your time. You can do what I did and watch 2 episodes before bed. Check this show out. It is very good and very informative.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Bad Sport"

Yesterday I finished up a very cool and interesting show on Netflix. The show is called "Bad Sport". I was scrolling through Netflix the other day and it popped up as something I might have been interested in. They were right. I do like sports and I am interested in the seedy underworld that no one ever really talks about. This show has both.

Now, I was hyped because the first episode was all about a point shaving incident that I know of that occurred in the 90's involving Arizona State. I remember this story as a kid. They made a made for TV movie about this incident in the early 2000's. I was aware. What this first episode did though was go very, very deep in the whole scandal. I was learning a ton of new things. I was also kind of frightened at the people who got involved. I was also fascinated at how high this went. It was very informative and a very good. watch. The first episode was a great starting point for my sports fandom. Then I took a few days off because the other episodes featured sports I have never been too interested in. But I was still kind of looking for other shows, but my mind kept wandering back to "Bad Sport". So the next few days I devoured the rest of the series.

I am not a race car fan, but the second episode was all about a race car driver that brought in and sold millions of pounds of marijuana. It was incredible to hear this guy's story. I loved hearing what the people around him thought. I actually ended up kind of siding with the main guy in the end. He got put away for a long time just for some weed. And the race car stuff was kind of interesting. It was minimal, but I still found myself following it all.

The third episode was about a humongous bombshell involving Juventus soccer. I guess their owner back in the day had some serious pull over officials and was able to get things to go for his team when he needed it to. There were never any fixed games, or so they say, but the refs did some shady stuff. And the refs who didn’t do the shady stuff, they got stiff penalties. One of them was kidnapped for a few days. It was also wild to see the actual guy they were talking about come on and be interviewed near the end. And he still claims he did nothing wrong. It was wild.

The fourth episode featured a figure skating controversy. I never really watch figure skating, but I have friends and family that like to watch. I was also vaguely familiar with the people involved in this story because it became so big. There was a Canadian team and a Russian team, they were pairs, and there was a whole problem involving a French judge and how she may or may not have fixed an Olympic event in favor of the Russian team. The story was so wild too. I was totally invested in this one.

The fifth episode featured the biggest monster on the show. This one was about show horses and the owners. The guy they focused on was a guy that ended up falling into this world, and he became known as the Sandman, a guy that would get rid of horses if the owners wanted him to for a 5,000 dollar fee. And by get rid I mean he would execute these poor horses. This episode was frightening. It made me sick to my stomach at times. There were people that made me so angry while I watched. It also made me furious with the legal system. This episode has really stuck with me.

The final episode focuses on a South African cricket star that took money to try and fix games. He was a mega star in the cricket world. He had a big come up and achieved greatness pretty young. He was beloved by everyone. But all along he was accused of finding teammates and telling them to fix games here and there to get big chunks of money. It wasn't until a few of his younger teammates didn't do what he asked him to that he got caught. It was a big time scandal and the guy was banned from cricket. And that wasn't even the worst thing to happen to him. You'll have to watch to see what happens next.

I really liked this show. I hope it comes back for more seasons. I was endlessly fascinated by what I saw. It was very well done and very informative. I definitely recommend people check out this show. It is great.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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"Squid Game" is Tops in the Design Department

Like most of the rest of the country I am watching the Netflix show "Squid Game". My dad told me about it a week ago, he has since finished and I am five episodes deep as of this writing. I talked to RD today and he has watched the first episode as well. This show has made it to number one in America on Netflix for a reason. People are talking about it.

I am not going to spoil a thing in the blog today. Seriously people, you need to watch this show ASAP. It is one of the most interesting and cool and unique and innovative shows that I have ever seen. It will blow your mind. I also suggest that you watch it with the English dub if you do not speak or know Korean. I tried to watch with subtitles, but the show is so involved, there is a ton of dialogue and since I am a dumb American it is easier for me to follow along watching the dubbed version. Other than that, the only other recommendation I would give is to avoid any and all spoilers and just watch the show without knowing anything going in.

I do want to point out one thing I think this show does better than almost any other show out there, and it has no spoilers at all. "Squid Game" has, I believe, the best set design in television. I have been blown away as much by the design as the plot. I see all these humongous set pieces and I am awed. Seeing all the colors, it is like the greatest set of crayons you could ever get. Seeing the playground equipment, how big and menacing it is, it is a sight to behold. The bed rooms the contestants have is so grimy and absolutely perfect. The places where the games take place are brightly lit and beautifully shot. I feel like that has a ton to do with how they designed the set.

But the crème de la crème is the humongous piggy bank they have in the warehouse where they live. This is not a spoiler because it shows up midway through the first episode, and it is a mainstay. The piggy bank plays a big role in the show. The piggy bank is clear, but it has ears, a nose and eyes, it is a perfect looking piggy bank. It is like the childhood banks people in my generation had in their rooms. I had a few piggy banks that looked exactly like the one they use in the show, just not clear. Making it clear was a presumptive idea, and it has totally paid off. To see what is inside, the amount of cash after that first episode makes it all the better. The fact that it is the only light in the warehouse at nighttime, when they shut the lights off, makes the piggy bank almost inviting and menacing. It is so perfect and so cool. I love seeing it. I would 100 percent wear a t-shirt with this exact piggy bank on it. I think they should use the piggy bank as the symbol for the show. When you turn on Netflix and go to find "Squid Game", I want it to be this enormous bank. That would make the show even more enticing in my opinion.

"Squid Game" does everything perfectly. The show is amazing. It is wild, it is crazy, it is a mind f. And the set design, particularly this piggy bank, make this one of the best shows on TV, streaming or otherwise. These sets are a treasure for the viewer. Watch this show for so many reasons. But if you need an entry, check it out to see the amazing set pieces they have. They are incredible.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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"Too Hot to Handle" is Increasing the Dumbening of America

20th Century Fox

A week or so ago I wrote about one of the worst shows I had ever seen called "You, Me and My Ex". I believe it has been cancelled, but full disclosure, I have not returned to it since I wrote that piece.

Well that blog was a bit premature. My wife and I found another show that may very well be the worst thing that I have ever witnessed. And I do not know what is wrong with me because I finished the entire season of this show. I watched all ten episodes, all the while saying how dumb it was and how dumb it was making me.

The show is called "Too Hot To Handle". We came across it one night while scrolling through Netflix. I like to see what their top rated shows are for the week, and "Too Hot To Handle" was number one. The first episode did hit in all the right ways too. I had such high hopes for this show. We started on season two, but when they got to the point of the show, I was reeled in.

For those that do not know, "Too Hot To Handle" invites ten young single people to an island retreat and tells them that they are on a dating/party show. They all get to the spot and they are free to let loose. They are given free alcohol, they are invited to party and get to know one another and just to have a good time. But there is a countdown clock in the lower part of the TV screen and when that clock strikes the contestants can not have sex, they cannot kiss, they cannot self gratify, basically they cannot do any physical stuff except cuddle. When they revealed this news the shock was great. It is like watching the trainwrecks on "American Idol". It is akin to any person that is floored by some very unexpected news. I found it quite hilarious actually. That was why I got hooked. And for two or three episodes they kept up the stupidness. These people were breaking rules left and right. They were doing stupid stuff on the regular. Even when they thought they did nothing wrong, the cameras would show them what they did, and the shock on their faces was so goddamn funny. But then the show turned into this schmaltzy, ridiculous self discovery show. All the while those people who were finding out new things about themselves are the dumbest, most egotistical, self involved morons. I was stunned at how so many people could be that into themselves. They would constantly look at themselves in the mirror. They spoke as if they were the most important people in the world. They acted almost offended if one of the other people wasn't into them. They complained endlessly about how horny or how blue their balls were. It was so dumb. Then it all got serious and self introspective and even more absurd. The dudes talked to their penises. The women had these inane meetings where they let out all their anger. The show brought on "experts", and these scenes were so unnecessary. The shows just got more and more boring when the people on it stopped being lame. I did not care at all about the relationships they built. I don't even care to know if any of them are still together. I thought when they would have "deep conversations" that it was the dumbest people talking that I have ever heard. My kids are nine and five and they have way, way, way more common sense than the people on this show.

This show is the epitome of what is wrong with our country. I will never ever understand how this show was number one on Netflix for a short amount of time. "Too Hot To Handle" is the stupidest thing I have ever watched. I do not recommend it to anyone ever. This is quite possibly the worst show that is on TV. The fact that it is coming back for a third season is laughable. There is much better content to watch, so avoid this show with all of your might. You will thank me in the long run. What a terrible show.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Rewatches "Chappelle's Show"

Another day and we are still awaiting election results. This seems like it will go well into the weekend, and maybe even next week. We all need to be patient and make sure that every single vote is counted. We are a democracy, and the millions upon millions of people that voted should have it count. Whether you voted in person, or mailed in your ballot, it should count.

On that note, I am going to talk about a great, great show, a classic, that was just put up on Netflix. Looking for something to watch on Tuesday afternoon after I voted and my kids were hanging in their rooms, their "quiet time" I call it, I popped on some Netflix looking for anything to keep my mind off the election results. In the trending category I spotted "Chappelle's Show", and I was stoked. I was such a big fan of his show when it was first on Comedy Central. I kind of came to Dave Chappelle in a roundabout way, first seeing him in "Half Baked", then watching his show and then getting into his standup. But "Chappelle's Show", that was my jam. And since it had been such a longtime, I haven't sat down and watched a full episode in well over a decade, I had forgotten how funny it was, even in its infancy.

This show started off with a bang. The very first episode gave us a very memorable character, in Clayton Bigsby, the Black White Supremacist. This was a little bit harder to watch, given what our country has become over the last four years. But it proved how far ahead of its time this show was. The sketches, I have watched the first four episodes so far, are so well made and written and acted. Along with Bigsby, we also get Tyrone Biggums in the first four, Mos Def is his first musical guest, they do the photocopy place sketch that I consider a classic, we get the Wrap it Up commercial, they have the sketch with black people getting reparations, it is a murderers row of stuff my friends and I still quote via text to this day. That is only four episodes too. I haven't gotten to any Charlie Murphy stuff yet. There hasn't been a player haters ball yet. Rashida Jones hasn't shown up yet. The spoof of MTV's "Making the Band" hasn't come up yet. I could go on and on and on.

"Chappelle's Show" is filled with so many memorable sketches, that people my age remember fondly. This was an absolute homerun find for myself, and I am sure so many others. The only bummer is, there is only, I believe, two full seasons. Dave Chappelle left, I understand why now, and the show went out while it was one of the biggest things on TV. But I am happy that Netflix has put it back up. I'm happy that Dave Chappelle said it was okay. And I am happy that I have this little distraction to keep my mind off things and to just sit back and laugh. I will definitely be watching more this afternoon, and until, and after, we have some resolution to this election. I suggest you do the same. Damn is it a funny show.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "The Umbrella Academy" Season 2

The past week my wife and I have been watching "Umbrella Academy" season 2. We watched the first season last year on a whim of hers and I thought it was fine. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad. The fight scenes were awesome, the story was cool, the animation and CGI work was top notch and the ending was rad. The acting was hit and miss though, it got a little too melodramatic and it felt kind of slow at times. Like I said, it was okay. But, the ending to season one definitely made me want to come back to the show. I was curious to see where they would go with this story in a second season.

The second season came out at the end of July, and we have watched the first five episodes, with plans on finishing it by the weekend, and I have to say, the second season, so far, has been totally awesome. I liked the first season enough, but this second season has totally blown season 1 out of the water. The acting has been shored up. Everyone is good, not just Ellen Page and the kid who plays Number 5. The story, which has shifted to the 60's, and the assassination of JFK was the absolute right move. Each episode has told the backstory of the main characters so far, and what they have done in the two to three years they have traveled back in time to Dallas in the early 60's. The music has been so cool. They play old hits and set them to some of the most kick ass fight scenes I have seen on TV or in a movie. There was a fight scene last night that we saw that was almost, almost as good as anything I have seen in any of the three "John Wick" movies. The bad guys this season are so much more fleshed out, and frankly better, than what they had last season. No offense to Mary J Blige, she is a wonderful singer, but her acting cannot hold a card to the people they got this season as the villains. The Swedes are right up there with the Salamanca brothers from "Breaking Bad" for me. Kate Walsh is back, and she is the ultimate villain. She is so good in this role, her clothes are wild and dope and she is as bad as they come.

I have been so much more into this season of the show. I find myself thinking about what I think will happen next each day. I put my phone down when we watch and the show gets my 100 percent attention. I do not want to miss a thing. I don't want to miss any possible plot points that I am sure will come back in the last five episodes. The show has just been so much better. The writers seem to have really bought into this season's premise, and they have nearly perfectly fleshed out the characters arcs to this point. The way they start each episode, with a very important cold open has been so good in letting me know what to look forward to. The emotional changes from the first season are so much better. Luther, the big ape man, has become this sad sack of a person, and the actor is totally nailing the emotions. He is funny, but you also feel for him. Adding in the JFK stuff has also given us cool characters, including a guy that plays Jack Ruby. It has been so cool.

I'm very excited to see where they go with the ending. My wife has read spoilers, but I have asked her to not tell me anything, I want to be surprised. This might be one of the best sophomore seasons of TV I've seen in quite some time. I have really enjoyed season 2 of "Umbrella Academy", and I am almost certain they will end it with a bang, and it will totally hit. This show is very good, and I definitely recommend it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Space Force" Season One

The other night my wife and I finished season one of "Space Force".

When I first heard about this show I was excited. It was Steve Carrell and Greg Daniels pairing up to make fun of the current "government", and their "plan" to get the US back in space. It sounded like an absolute home run to me. I was stoked. Then it came out, and it seemed to be getting poor reviews. I saw online publications saying it wasn't that funny, Steve Carrell was not very good, it seemed disjointed, all kinds of problems seemed to be had. Then my wife talked to some people she works with, people who have similar taste in TV shows, and they echoed what the critics were saying. They seemed to simply say that it wasn't funny, and that was the biggest problem. So going against my better judgement, I decided to listen to the critics. I decided I wasn't going to watch it. Then one night my wife suggested we give it a try. We are home, we have caught up on other shows, we have watched far worse things, so why not?

One night we watched the first episode and we both liked it. The next night we watched a few more, and found ourselves liking it more. We would find ourselves watching two episodes every other night until we finished it late last week. When we were all done I stated, " this is why I don't listen to critics!". I mean, the show isn't great, it is definitely no "Office", but it is not as bad as most were saying. I found Carrell funny. Sure, his voice was weird, but other than that, he was good. He played his role as the guy lumped into a job he didn't even want, or is qualified for, very well. Carrell has become one of the more reliable actors in Hollywood. And working with Daniels, they remind me of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, they put out solid stuff. John Malkovich played a scientist, a super genius, and he was the best one on the show by a million miles. He was arrogant and smug and mean, but he was also damn funny. He also showed a very soft side at times that I found incredibly sweet. Whenever Malkovich was on screen I did not take my eyes off him. I knew his performance was going to be great. I'd nominate him for an Emmy. Seriously. I thought Lisa Kudrow was great. She is Carrell's wife, and even though she has a very small role, it is damn memorable. When they move to Colorado, and she is in jail, I was shocked, in a good way. She has some great moments in season one. Diana Silvers plays their daughter, and she is good as the oft forgotten wild child in the family. She has good intentions, but she lets her emotions get the best of her too often. Jimmy O Yang is so god damn great as Malkovich's right hand man. He is funny, smart, obsessed, and involved in a very sweet love story. His love interest, Tawny Newsome, was simply perfect. She is a pilot who winds up going to space out of nowhere, but she just rolls with the punches. When she says her statement when she first walks on the moon, it was so great, so perfect and so well written and performed. Ben Schwartz is the media guy for Space Force, and while he could have pigeonholed himself as a Jean Ralphio esque character, he doesn't. He is kind of dumb, but also cocky, and when an actor like Schwartz, who is really willing to go for it, gets a role like this, it hits. And everyone else involved, they did a very solid job.

That is the best way I can describe this show. It is solid. It is not the best thing you will ever watch, but it is not the worst. It's not quotable, but you don't forget about it either. I highly recommend bypassing the critics and checking out this show if you are on the fence. I know I was, and I am glad that I was pushed into watching it. I recommend "Space Force". It is well done TV. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"

On a whim the other night my wife asked if I wanted to watch the new Will Ferrell movie on Netflix, “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”.

I was taken aback for a few reasons. I didn’t know he had a new movie for one. I didn’t know both Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens were in it. I didn’t know that Pierce Brosnan played Ferrell’s father. And I had zero idea it was about a singing contest called Eurovision, which is a singing contest that invites bands and singers from all over the world, and it’s a real thing. I guess, according to some research, Ferrell became obsessed with this singing contest when his wife showed it to them on a trip. I think she’s of Swedish decent, and she thought he’d enjoy it. Well, it turned into an obsession, and he made a whole movie about it. And he sings and dances and acts and produces the whole damn thing.

While “Eurovision Song Contest” is a bit overlong, it is funny and sweet. Ferrell is hilarious as usual. He plays the lead character Lars. Lars is a dreamer ever since he saw ABBA on Eurovision as a young kid after his mother passed away. He got up and danced at the wake afterward at his home, and while all the adults laughed at him, he swore he’d win Eurovision one day. While at said wake, Sigrit, Rachel McAdams, got up and danced and sang with him. She was mute up to that point in her life. From that point we see them as grownups working in a new song for their band Fire Saga. It’s as European as it gets too. The song, the attached video, the costumes, it all screams European, and I loved it. It was silly, but fun. And while Ferrell is his usual funny self, McAdams matches him, and dare I say, surpasses him. She is so funny in this movie. She’s so quiet, yet naive. She loves Lars, but he loves Eurovision more. She sticks by his side no matter what, even if it’s to her detriment. McAdams really goes for it, and she absolutely crushes it. She is the star of this movie by far. I adored her performance. Dan Stevens plays Russian singer Alexander Lemtov. His performance is so over the top, but it’s supposed to be. He’s so full of himself and his music. He’s also hiding who he truly is. He may be the “bad guy”, but he’s really not. He just wants what’s best for his career and Sigrit’s. She has real talent that he sees, and Lars doesn’t. Also, the fight scene between Alexander and Lars near the end is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in awhile. Brosnan is great as the gruff dad. He doesn’t like the career path his son has chosen, and he lets him know it. Even when he eases up on him, he’s still kind of a jerk, as he’s supposed to be.

While the performances are great, I like that Ferrell is into this world, he invites real contestants to perform full on song and dance performances a few times in the movie. He really lets the singers shine, really gives them their moment, and it’s so cool and so much fun. Like I says before, the only thing I’d change is the length. It’s a hair over two hours, and that’s a little too long for a comedy like this. Other than that it’s a great, funny movie. Ferrell is good, but McAdams shines. I’d recommend it simply for her performance. But, it’s pretty great for everything else it does. Check it out if you haven’t, and if you enjoy Ferrell’s sense of humor. It’s uniquely him. I like that, and I think you will too.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Let's Talk About the Average "The Tiger King and I"

For those of us that wanted more "Tiger King", we got it yesterday. They had a reunion show, of sorts, and it was interesting. Joel McHale hosted the show from his home, as we are on quarantine right now, and he had, I believe, seven guests. They included Exotic's former workers, Saff, the drunk dude and the guy with two fake legs. There was also Jeff Lowe and his wife, one of Joe's ex husbands, John, Exotic's campaign manager and Rick Kirkham, the "Inside Edition" guy.

The "reunion" was kind of a let down, at least for me. I was expecting something as wild as the show, and maybe that is on me. The show was so wild and bizarre and intriguing and insane, I just naturally assumed the reunion would have some of that flair. It did not. It was really more of a, "lets all shit on Joe Exotic for 40 minutes", and skirt around some of the problems that some of the other guests may have had, or still have. Now, that could be on Netflix. Maybe they wouldn't have been able to get the guests unless they were portrayed as fine people. As for the dumping all over Exotic, well, I should have expected that as well. In fact, the only people that didn't take this time to dunk on him were Saff and his former campaign manager. Now, they didn't really side with him either, but they didn't crush him either. They agreed that what he did was wrong, because it was super wrong, but they also acknowledged that almost everyone was doing something wrong. They knew the bad things that Exotic did to some of the animals, but they also knew that Lowe is a bad dude, and people will feed into anything as long as it is put out the way Netflix did with "Tiger King".

I also want to point out how disappointed I was that McHale didn't really bring up any of Lowe's legal troubles while interviewing him and his wife. He decided to mock his clothing, which was funny, but he really let Lowe destroy Exotic and blame every little thing on everyone else. I felt that McHale could have went in hard on him, but he, or Netflix maybe, kind of handcuffed any real questions that could have, or should have, been asked. I was stunned at how much the former alcoholic guy went in on Exotic. He seems to really hate him, and while he was pretty quiet on the show, until the trial, he let loose in this special. He said good riddance and said he is sure Exotic will die in jail. He also went on some wild rant about how he has never done meth, how he loves Jesus and that his teeth are haggard because he is old and a former alcoholic. It was the weirdest thing in this. The guy with two fake legs seems to just want to live as regular a life as he can. He has a girlfriend, got his teeth fixed and is doing stuff with cars. He wants to move on. The former husband feels the same for me. He has stopped with the drugs, he has a kid, he has dentures and he looks to be on the path of clean living. As for Kirkham, that dude is just full of shit all over the place. I don't get what he is after and what he expects. He lives in Norway now, and man did he dunk all over Exotic whenever he got the chance. It felt like he was saying a whole bunch of stuff so the attention would be off him and on anyone else.

Which brings me to a few final points. One, I don't know who to believe in any of this. I don't know if Exotic is telling the truth, or parts of the truth, or if the people interviewed, minus Lowe, are telling whole truths. They all seem like they are skirting around the main issue. As for Exotic, he is in jail, where he belongs right now, and he will never really know his "fame" at this moment. But, I don't think people should be wishing death on him or anything. He is a dude that dug himself a pretty big hole, and unfortunately for him, it kept getting deeper with no way out. And I also get why he couldn't be on to defend himself. As for Carol Baskin, I knew she wouldn't show up because she is a coward who knows she did something very wrong. She could have tried to defend herself, but her silence spoke volumes to me.

This special was fine, but it could have been much, much better in my opinion. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Let's Talk About the Awesome "Tiger King"

My wife and I finished "Tiger King" in three days.

This is a show that I would have never watched unless I was quarantined by my local government to stay in my home. But still, I watched it, and I have to say, it was incredibly enjoyable. It was also hilarious. It was also insane. It was also a total train wreck that I simply couldn't take my eyes off. In fact, I want to thank "Tiger King" because it has kept me off my phone, and let my mind wander elsewhere for awhile.

All that being said, I do want to talk about this show though. I have found, as I have gotten older, I enjoy this style of a mystery, or murder, or crime type story. I was, still am, a big fan of "Making a Murderer". I thought the Aaron Hernandez three part mini docu series was very informative and watchable. I, of course, love the parody of all of these, "American Vandal". I feel like "Tiger King" is a great blend of these two different style shows. There is the true crime element, which I will get to, but there is also humor, albeit unintentional.

For those that don't know, and I think it is a small group of people, the long and short synopsis of "Tiger King" involves two people, one a redneck who owns an exotic animal farm, and a lady who owns an exotic animal rescue. Now, there are many, many, many other people involved, but Joe Exotic, the redneck, and Carole Baskins, the rescuer, are the two main people. Before I get into this, and I won't spoil everything, there are no good people in this story. There is really no one to root for. When we finished last night, the only people I said I felt bad for, or thought weren't that bad, were people who originally worked at Joe Exotic's zoo. They seemed to be down on their luck, they found a job they could do, and do well, and they never got a fair shake. They were put in horrible situations, and thankfully they got it. Hell, there is one lady that lost half an arm, and only five days later she returned to work at the zoo. I did feel for her after all this, and she was, by about a million miles, the smartest person in the whole series.

Anyway, the story follows Exotic's quest to get Baskins. These two were rivals. These two hated one another. These two wanted the other one to suffer, be it through legal fees or via injury. They are also both horrendous people. Exotic cares about no one but himself. He may have started this zoo with good intentions, of getting these animals back to their native lands, but he didn't end up that way. He let the "fame" get to his head. He called himself the Tiger King. He bred cubs and sold them. He euthanized tigers that seemed to old to him, tigers that couldn't help him make money. He hung out with other awful, felonious people. He never paid anyone anything near what they worked for. He was always in debt. He took advantage of young men. He is terrible. But, I actually think Baskins might be worse. She comes off all decent and honorable, but as the series went on, there is some stuff about her that is very bad. She is not the saint she makes herself out to be. She says she "rescues" these animals, but she has them all caged up, and makes millions on people visiting her zoo, which she calls a "rescue". She doesn't pay her workers anything. She calls them all "volunteers", of which she makes go through levels, and even when they get to the highest level, they still see zero dollars netted. At least Exotic paid his people something. Baskins also had an awful childhood, which led to her breaking up a marriage, and then marrying that man, who was a millionaire. There is an entire episode dedicated to when her former husband disappeared, and lets just say, people bring up whether or not she may or may not have fed him to their tigers(I fully believe she did). She also took everything from him, and gave next to nothing to his first family. She changed everything on the living will right before he "disappeared". She also fights baseless legal battles until she bleeds people dry. She is not a good person, no matter how she may portray herself.

Outside of Joe and Caroline, there is a plethora of other people that are just nasty and conniving and despicable and just flat out gross. The guy that came in and took over Joe Exotic's zoo, he is a total scumbag. He should be in jail for a long, long time. The guys he worked with, and then screwed over, they aren't very good people either. The poor kid that was Exotic's campaign manager, yes, Joe Exotic ran for president in 2016, and then governor of Oklahoma, he has lived a life in short, short time. From dealing with Exotic as a candidate, to seeing one of his husband's kill himself right in front of him, to everything else, he has seen some stuff. Baskins new husband seems like he is a brainwashed lunatic that is creepy as hell, especially when he sings to her. All of this is straight up crazy.

This show is wild. Like I told my wife after we finished, in other series like this, I always find someone to root for, or someone I feel bad for. In "Tiger King", there is no one, no one major at least, that I have any feelings for. Look, like I said at the top, this is a show I would have probably skipped if we weren't in our current situation. But, a silver lining perhaps, we are told to stay home, to self quarantine, restaurants and night clubs are closed, and that means we decided to watch this after hearing from nearly everyone we know, via text or Facetime, telling us that we would love it, and I loved it. I will probably watch it again to find even more things I may have missed, or just to listen to Joe Exotic's grating voice, or awful country music, of which he doesn't sing, he lip synch's it all. Or, I want to find out more about this Baskins lady because I think she is as guilty as the day is long.

“Tiger King” is an intriguing show that is humorous while also being crazy. I cannot recommend it enough. Check it out please, and lets have an open conversation about it. I haven't stopped thinking about it since we finished it last night, and I am sure I will continue to think about it for weeks. Watch it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.