I Want the Bulls to Be Good

I don't know that I have seen such a mediocre fall off in the past decade when I look at the Chicago Bulls. Let’s discuss.

When I was a kid the Bulls were the best. They had Jordan and Pippen and Phil Jackson and they were winning titles left and right. Jordan is the greatest, Pippen was the perfect Robin and Jackson is one of the best coaches of all time. They were able to bring in great complimentary pieces, like Dennis Rodman and Ron Harper. They drafted properly with guys like Luc Longley and Steve Kerr. They were in on the international players before it was a big thing. But the most important thing, and I will say this until the cows come home, they drafted Michael Jordan and kept him through his prime.

The Bulls were the definition of a dynasty. They had some down years until they drafted Derrick Rose, who made them relevant again. They had some nice runs with Rose, but then his knee exploded and that was when this team became the best at being mediocre. They have gone through any number of players to try and make themselves a viable playoff threat. They traded for Nikola Vucevic when he was still a borderline all star. But he never really lived up to the hype as a stretch big man. He would have one of two good games a month, then revert to being average. They got Zach Lavine when he was angry with Minnesota. This seemed like a good move at the time, but Lavine is just an empty stats guy. He can fill up the scoresheet, but it never amounted to many wins. They went out and signed DeMar DeRozan, who is one of the better midrange offensive players in the game, but he doesn't play a ton of defense, and if we learned anything from his trade from the Raptors to the Spurs, teams seemed to get better when he was not on them. They traded for Alex Caruso, or maybe signed him, I don't remember. Caruso is only good when he is on a contending team and he has to guard multiple guys. He has never been a scoring threat and he never will be. That doesn't suit his skill set. I liked when they drafted Coby White, who had his moments, but he never lived up to the lottery selection he was, and now he is gone. They gave Patrick Williams a big deal when he hadn't really proved much of anything. And they seem to be whiffing on their most recent draft picks. All of this kept this team in the play-in race, but they never made it out, or if they did, they were an easy first round out. Billy Donovan is a solid coach, but he has never been given a real chance to win big in Chicago. Every time he shows some stability, and the Bulls get their head above water, they trade guys or force him to play players he may not want on the floor. They let go of Caruso so they could build a team around Josh Giddey. Giddey is okay, but he is not a number one option that you can win a title with. Plus, he has had some questionable off court issues in his past. They let Ayo Donsunmu go. Matas Buzelis hasn't been able to put together a month's worth of solid play. Jalen Smith is a fine backup center. He starts for the Bulls. They now have three of the exact same player in guards Anfernee Simons, Rob Dillingham and Jaden Ivey, all of whom they traded for. Simons can score and do not much else. Dillingham is wildly unproven and Ivey has been very up and down his whole career. And he tends to be injury prone. They also added Collin Sexton, who I like, but he cannot seem to stick with one team any longer than one or two seasons.

I don't know what game the Bulls are playing, but they, and by they I mean the front office, don't seem to truly know what they are doing. They are taking some of the oddest swings I have seen in a long time. They are too far in to tank, and their record, especially in the Eastern Conference, is on par with being in the play-in once again. The roster construction and team building makes zero sense and the powers that be seem to be more than thrilled to stay in this weird mediocrity they have set for themselves. I like the NBA much more when the Bulls are relevant. At this moment, and for the past decade, the Bulls have been wildly irrelevant. And that bums me out. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Thoughts on a 27 Year Old College Football Player

I'm all for college football players getting paid, and if they can get more in college than in the NFL, go for it. No one knows how long they are going to be able to play, especially a sport like football, so get it while you can. There needs to be some more rules around NIL and the transfer portal, but that is a topic for another day. But I did see some news recently that made me throw my hands up in frustration.

By now we all know about the Miami linebacker who is entering his eighth year of college football. That is wild and kind of odd to me, but Miami is a blueblood, was just in the national title game and they may be even better next season. Yesterday I read about another college football player who was just given his ninth year of eligibility. The player's name is Solomon Tuliaupupu and he plays linebacker for Montana. I read that he started his career at USC, transferred to Montana and has become an all conference player since signing with the Grizzlies. I understand that he got a waiver due to injuries, and add that to the extra year for COVID, and a redshirt season, Tuliaupupu will be a 27 year old fifth year senior when he suits up for Montana next season.

This seems like overkill. I don't get why he would get a waiver for a ninth season, but Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was denied a sixth season. Rod Moore got a sixth season with Michigan due to injury, but Chambliss was denied. I wonder why they are so hard up to not let Chambliss play, but this linebacker at Montana gets a ninth season. Keep in mind that he will be 27 when the season starts. That is an adult. He could be a father at this point. My wife had our first kid when we were 29, only two years older than Tuliaupupu. He is going to have teammates that are 18 when they start practice. How will he engage and talk with them? What are they going to be able to relate to?

That's too old to still be in college. Some people were all up in arms because Indiana had one of the older rosters in college football last year. They averaged 24 years old. This kld is 27. He is older than a ton of professional football players. There are some guys that have come and gone in the NFL before 27. I get it, maybe Tuliaupupu will not be a pro football player, but continually putting it off for so many years will only hurt any shot he has at the NFL. Teams are going to draft much younger guys that they can mold in the team's vision. Tuliaupupu is already the player he is always going to be. He could walk into a few locker rooms currently in the NFL where he is one of the older linebackers, as a rookie. He would be going on 28 his first season in the NFL. That is some players' prime, or even late prime. He would just be entering the league. I just don't see a NFL front office taking a chance on a rookie only two years away from 30. Maybe Tuliaupupu knows this, knows that he will be done after college football, so he is just trying to make as much as he can at Montana. Or maybe he just loves the game and doesn't want to stop playing until he absolutely has to. But this is just overkill. This is where some of the problems lie with waivers and the portal and NIL. Some guys get preferential treatment, and it almost feels like they give it to players who are not in a power 4 conference. There's far fewer players that make the league that are not on a power 4 conference team. And when they do, they are usually older and undrafted. But they are not 28 as a rookie.

Props to this guy for playing the game he loves for as long as possible, but there has to be a point where a player moves on and tries to be a professional. Being a 27 year old fifth year senior is too much and needs to be fixed. I'll be curious to see him play just because he is far too old to be a college athlete, but this is the state of the game at the moment. 

Ty

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

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Remember "The Angry Birds Movie"?

My daughter has been home sick for two days, she has a mild fever and a cough, and today she wanted to watch a movie. I let her pick and she landed on "The Angry Birds Movie".

I have to admit, I had totally forgotten that they even made one of these. It seemed unnecessary at the time of its release, and I had completely let it leave my mind that this even existed. I also remember reading some reviews, and as to be expected, the movie was panned by the major critics. I had very low expectations going into this movie.

That being said, I did find some stuff that made me laugh while watching, I thought the animation was cool, but all in all, this movie doesn't even need to exist. It was not great. My daughter loved it. Let me say that. She was laughing through some sniffles and when the movie ended she told me she had a good time. I watched it from an adult and critics point of view, be that necessary or not. Like I said, there were a few gags that got genuine laughs from me, and the movie looked like a much better version of the game. But all in all this was clearly just a cash grab. I don't know when or why Angry Birds the game became humongous, but the fact of the matter is that it is one of the bigger phone games, and I'm sure movie corporations saw that and jumped at an opportunity to make some more money. They even got a solid voice cast, including people like Jason Sudeikis, Maya Rudolph, Peter Dinklage and Danny McBride among many others. But those people didn't have a whole lot to do in their roles. Sudekis was there to be aloof and make one liner jokes, which he excels at doing. But the jokes here, for the most part, land flat. You can tell this was written for a children's audience. Sometimes these movies are made for kids, but the people involved write jokes for the parents that are watching. That wasn't the case here. These were jokes for kids, maybe even written by kids. Danny McBride felt subdued, Maya Rudolph was only there to act like a hippy and Peter Dinklage, who got the laughs out of me, was barely even in the movie at all.

As for the story, it was simplistic, which can be fine, but they went way too simple here. The game goes that the birds need to protect their homes from the pigs. That was exactly what the movie did, but they added eggs, which I don't even remember if that is in the game or not. The eggs were the crux of what the pigs were doing. And it wasn't until the pigs stole the eggs did we even get to see the birds do what they do in the game. And that was the climax of the movie. This was the point where the animation was at its best, but it felt too little too late. I did enjoy how nefarious the pigs were, and Bill Hader voicing the main pig was great casting. But anyone could tell the pigs were evil the moment they stepped on screen, even if you've never played the game before. When they did finally show up the tricks the birds could do, it came and went so quickly that I had to ask my daughter who did what, and we had to rewind a few times to figure out who was causing what damage. Seeing the birds do destruction to the pigs town was cool because that is what the game is all about. But, again, it was the end of the movie and it was only about a five minute scene. The rest of the movie was filled with corny jokes, for the most part, a story of why birds should and should not be angry, the main bird being picked on as a kid and the town turning and then regarding the main bird. You see, very simple stuff. But, my daughter liked it and the movie made more than enough money to garner a sequel.

Herein lies my issue with this movie overall, there's hardly any original ideas anymore. Every other movie seems to be based off a property that gained enough fame to justify the cash grab that is the inevitable feature length movie. Hell, a studio made an "Emoji" movie. That should tell you all you need to know. I will say, if you have a kid who's interested, you should turn it on for them. But for the adults in the room, it won't do all that much for you. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on Super Bowl LX

Super Bowl 60 happened last night and I have some takes. I'll start with the game.

The game was very dull for the first three quarters. I love a defensive battle, but this was more akin to the offenses playing poorly. Neither team could move the ball after their first drive. The Seahawks got a field goal out of it and the Patriots had something happening, but a sack stalled any momentum they had. After that it was a bunch of punts. The Seahawks were able to move the ball a little here and there. The Patriots could not do a damn thing. They were a three and out machine. I will say, part of it was the Seahawks defense. They were all over the Patriots offense. They were attacking the left side of their o line, which is their weak spot, and they ravaged the QB and run game. Devion Witherspoon was constantly in the backfield. The d line was getting pressure on almost every play. If I was a Patriots fan, it would have been abhorrent to watch. Lucky for me I'm not a fan, so this was a delight to watch. The Seahawks were able to get a few more field goals and head into halftime with a 9-0 lead. The second half was much better. The Seahawks finally got the first td of the game. Sam Darnold threw a nice pass to AJ Barner, who was wide open. This was the point where I figured the Seahawks were in control. That was most definitely the case. Sure, the Patriots scored a td early on in the fourth to make it a 12 point game, but it was never going to get closer than that. The Seahawks added a field goal, then they swarmed the Patriots on a pass rush that resulted in a pick 6. At that point, with the score 29-7, it was all over but the shouting. The Patriots scored a meaningless td with about 2 minutes left to cut it to a 16 point lead, but it was all done.

My final thoughts on the actual game, it was boring and dull. But it was cool to see these two defenses show up ready to play. Both the D's were fast and furious. They wanted to hit everything in sight. The Patriots were close to multiple interceptions. The Seahawks capitalized on turnovers, causing a fumble and the aforementioned pick 6. They also got a late interception that all but sealed the game. Both teams got tons of pressure all night as well. It was nice to see some modern teams playing ferocious defense for once. But both QB's had subpar games. The Patriots couldn't run the ball either. The Seahawks were able to run, and that was what separated them. They were able to sustain drives for longer periods of game time. Kenneth Walker had a massive game, leading to him winning Super Bowl MVP. Barner had a solid game, as did Cooper Kupp, which they needed due to JSN being held in check and missing time due to a concussion. The Seahawks o line, while not great, played better than the Patriots, and they opened up more running holes for their backs. The Seahawks were the better team on paper and on the field and they earned their rings. Mike MacDonald had a great gameplan, his coaches and players ran it to perfection and they dominated this game pretty much from start to finish. Congrats to the Seahawks on their championship.

As for the stuff outside the game, let's talk about it. Bad Bunny put on one hell of a halftime show. He is quite the showman and he had an energized and fun show. I liked that he brought out Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. I saw that Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba and Cardi B, among others, were on stage dancing during the halftime show. I also loved that his whole show was about love being stronger than hate. I liked that he brought out what looked like the 5 year old that was detained by monsters to present him with the Grammy he just won. The show was lively and easy to dance along with and just a good time. I liked it quite a bit.

As for the commercials, nothing really stuck out to me. I don't like that celebs are doing most of these commercials. Commercials should be for actors trying to break into the business. That was how it used to be, but now we have superstars doing commercials. I feel it takes away from the fun of older ads. I wasn't as stoked for the Dunkin commercial as years past. I will say I did like the one with Chris Hemsworth and the other one Matthew McCoungehey and Bradley Cooper. But that was about it.

All in all it was like most other Super Bowls. The game was off until it was on, the halftime was fun and the commercials were just fine. 

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 "Opus"

Last week I watched the movie "Opus". Let’s discuss.

Once I saw that Ayo Edebiri was going to be in a horror/comedy from A24 I was all in. I enjoy her work on "The Bear". She is the heart and soul of that show for me. I didn't finish "I Love LA", but I did see her small role as a European pop icon and I thought she played it perfectly over the top. I like her voice work on "Big Mouth", and now i'm stoked that she is getting more and more work.

As I found out more about "Opus", I got even more on board. John Malkovich was cast as a superstar pop icon. He was going to be playing one of the best singer/songwriters in the world. He also seemed to have a creepy aura about him, and you could see that from the trailers. From what I read, "Opus" was about Malkovich's popstar inviting people from the world of pop culture to hear his new record and then some flagrant stuff was going to go down. The two people I knew cast, and the premise were more than enough for me to want to watch.

Then some reviews came out and "Opus" kind of got panned. That bummed me out. That was when I decided to wait for it to come to streaming. It took me a bit, but I finally saw it and I have some thoughts. I do want to say, this review will have spoilers in it. Just a heads up.

So, this movie was not great. I want to start with that. It goes kind of nuts and off the rails in the final act. The stuff leading up to the climax was good and scary and thrilling, but you could tell what was going to happen from the jump. The rest of the cast was really great though. Besides Malkovich and Edebiri, we have Murray Bartlett, Juliette Lewis, Tony Hale and Amber Midthunder, among others. Whoever cast this movie did a wonderful job, and I don't necessarily blame the actors for the movie kind of unraveling the whole way through. Malkovich is good and creepy. I also appreciate that he actually sang the songs in the movie. Edebiri is great as the young and hungry journalist. She is a great actor and she did such a wonderful job in a co-starring role. Bartlett is funny, Lewis brings a solid veteran to the cast and Midthunder is downright terrifying. Tony Hale is barely in it, but he brings it for his two scenes in the whole thing.

For people who may not know, "Opus" is about a former pop star making a new album and inviting some people to his compound to be the first to listen. The compound is creepy. The people working and living there are clearly up to no good. The place is too pristine and too well manicured and taken care of. The invited guests, besides Edebiri, don't seem to see what is going on, and when they do, it is far too late. Look, while the movie is not great, it did keep my attention. Sure, it was easy to figure out what was going to happen beat by beat, but that did not take away from my viewing experience. Malkovich really brought it and he is scary to begin with. I didn't like the way they had him reveal his plan so quickly and abruptly, but again that is not his fault. And even in the end, when Edebiri finally gets to interview him, I could not take my eyes off his performance. Malkovitch is a good and dependable actor and you know he is going to bring it when he is cast in a movie. My biggest nitpick with the movie is the turn after the puppet show. This is when the whole plan is revealed and this is when they go way, way too gory. The kills were merciless and brutal. I felt like they took it a bit too far for my taste. The getaway was easy to spot. The wrap up from Malkovich in prison talking about how the survivors of his cult were still out there was way too easy to see coming. But I was still locked in the whole time. I think the better idea would have been to just keep the movie within the compound and slowly reveal the plan. That was the best part of the movie. When they let tension sit there and made the viewer think about what might happen, that was when the movie worked. They didn't let us sit in that long enough in my opinion.

I say one more time, the movie was watchable. So while not very good, I do think it is worth a viewing. Just go in knowing that the end product isn't great, but you will see some solid performances. 

Ty

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

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A "Blade Runner" Experience Like No Other

Last night I had a movie going experience for the first time in my life. I have seen the original "Blade Runner" dozens of times. It is one of the best movies ever made and it happens to be one of my favorites. I find new things to enjoy with each new watch. I grow to like it even more as I get older. It is truly a masterpiece. And I have seen every version of the movie that has been made available. But last night it was a totally new, totally different viewing.

A while back I saw that a local venue was going to show the movie on a humongous screen in 4k Ultra. That would have been enough for me to go, but this showing also had a live band playing the score of the movie as it was playing. I've heard of this before, but I've never been privy to a screening. My wife a few years back saw "The Muppet Christmas Carol" with a choir and orchestra, which she loved. But this was different. This was not a choir or an orchestra. This was a band playing along with the movie. They had three keyboard players. There was a person who played guitar and bass. They had two electric violin players. There was a person playing an electric harp. They had one singer and a person playing a humongous drum. And they played the score of "Blade Runner", which is more of an electronic, new wave type score. It was akin to something that Daft Punk would do nowadays. It was kind of like their score to the second "Tron" movie Disney did years ago.

This showing was cool as hell though. I didn't really know what to expect when I went into the venue. It was playing at The Factory here in Saint Louis, which is a decent sized spot. I got second row seats, and when I walked in, there were probably about 200 to 300 people. That is definitely the biggest crowd I have been with to watch a movie. I do wish I got seats a few rows back, I had to tilt my head up to watch the movie, but that's neither here nor there. I was also surprised to see the diversity in age at this movie. Most people were my age, or just a little bit older. But there were some younger kids, it was an 18 and over show. There were some people in their 20's, but there were also people who are my folks' age, and that made me happy. That means this movie has continued to gain fans year after year. The greatness of "Blade Runner" knows no age limits. That's dope. I love the movie, so that was no surprise to me that it still holds up incredibly well. It is a classic. But having that band added such a nice extra incentive to watching this movie. From the opening credits to the end credits, the band was on it. They hit every beat. When the drums needed to come in, they came in with a literal bang. The keyboards, probably the most essential part of the score, were banging. The players were on it, they had the right tone and effects and it was amazing to listen to. The violins added to the eeriness of the movie and the score. The electric harp was one of the cooler live instruments I have ever heard. The lady who sang the parts that needed singing had a beautiful voice and hit all the right notes. And the bassist/guitar player added the little extra that those instruments add to this movie's score. There were times when I knew that drums were coming, but they were so much louder that it made me jump in my seat. I made my way out of the venue in the middle of the rolling of the end credits and I could clearly hear the music outside while walking to my car.

This was a very wonderful way to see this movie. It was new and unique and interesting. I will for sure be going to more and more of these type showings, as long as they aren't wildly expensive. I highly recommend seeing a movie you love in this fashion. It adds a whole lot that I didn't even know was possible. This is a memory I will hold for the longest time. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on James Harden Going to The Cavaliers

Yesterday I wrote about a big trade involving the NBA team I root for. Well, the NBA decided they had to pull off an even bigger trade a few hours after JJJ was moved to Utah. Let’s discuss.

James Harden is on the move yet again. He started his career with the Thunder, and wasn't happy with the fact that he wasn't the focal point of the offense. They traded him to the Rockets and he had his best years with them. But he grew tired of each new star player they brought in to play with him so he decided he wanted to team up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant and forced his way to Brooklyn. When Kyrie wouldn't get vaccinated and KD couldn't stay on the floor, he decided he wanted to play with Joel Embiid and edged his way to the 76ers. When that blew up in his face he decided he wanted to go home and play for the Clippers. And that actually seemed to be working out just fine. He didn't have to be the focal point, he was back home and he was playing pretty well. But he didn't get the contract he wanted, and even though he may have made some claims today saying he did not request a trade, he has found his way to Cleveland, being traded for Darius Garland and a second round pick.

I want to believe Harden when he says he didn't request a trade and that he wants a chance to play in the finals and that that is easier in the Eastern Conference and he wanted to leave the Clippers in a better space to rebuild quicker, but I just don't buy it. James Harden is a good enough offensive basketball player. He is a willing and very good passer. He is a tremendous three point shooter. He can still get to his spots on the floor. He shoots a ton of free throws. He is a ball stopper and constantly needs it in his hands, but he usually ends up doing good things with it in the long run. He can just come out and admit he wanted out of LA because he thought that it was going to be next to impossible to get to the Finals in the West. He is a mercenary. That has come to be his thing in the NBA, and I don't mind it from his perspective. He wants to get paid, he likes going to new and different cities and he usually helps that team win. And he is getting close to the end of his career, and maybe he truly does want a shot at a ring. I don't know if I fully believe that, but maybe this move is his last, and best shot at a Finals appearance.

The East is not close to the level of the West, the Cavs are getting better everyday and they can make a strong push to close the season out and make a deep run in the playoffs. Now, will the usual Harden show up in the playoffs? The guy that disappears in crucial moments? History points to yes. But maybe Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley can help him overcome that stigma. That's the best part for the Cavs too. They did have to trade a key piece in Garland, but they got to keep everyone else. Donovan Mitchell is still their top player. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen will protect the rim and rebound the ball. Jaylen Tyson has been a total revelation. They have a solid bench, especially for the East. This is a good team that will be even better on offense with the addition of Harden. Harden is going to take some pressure off Mitchell, get three point shooters wide open looks and have Allen and Mobley rolling to the rim for lob dunks. This will only help the Cavs, unless playoff James Harden shows up, which is very likely.

The Clippers got a point guard that is 10 years younger than Harden. He is twitchier and faster than Harden. He isn't a great defender, but he is much better on that end than Harden. He doesn't have the ego Harden has either. But Garland is almost always hurt. The past two seasons have been filled with random, weird injuries that seem to pop up out of nowhere. Garland just cannot seem to stay on the court. Harden always plays. He barely misses games. Garland misses a ton. But I think, if they keep this group together, the Clippers did get wildly younger at point guard. They just need Garland to play. Kawhi Leonard is having a great season. Brook Lopez has started to look more like himself. Kris Dunn is an elite defender. And Ivica Zubac is looking more and more like himself with every passing game. I think the Cavs "won" the deal with Harden coming over. But the Clippers got younger and faster, as long as Garland plays 20 to 25 of the last 30 plus games.

I'm very curious to see how this all plays out for the rest of the season. But what I do know, the Cavs are going to push their way to a three or four seed and get home court because James Harden brings wins with him wherever he is traded to. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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What are the Grizzlies Doing?

I truly have zero idea what the Memphis Grizzlies are attempting to do, but they are clearly up to something. I wrote while back that I was fully ready for them to trade Ja Morant. I wanted them to move on and preferably start building the team around a rookie, or even better, Jaren Jackson Jr (JJJ). Well, while out exercising this afternoon I got an alert on my phone that the Grizzlies had made a trade. I naturally assumed they had traded Ja, but I was wrong. Apparently they have traded JJJ to the Utah Jazz for a bunch of other players and draft picks. The Grizzlies, along with JJJ, traded a few other rotational players. But the big name here is Jaren Jackson Jr.

I just don't get it. The Grizzlies have been wildly inconsistent all season long. They will go on a little run, win five of eight games here and there, and then fall off a cliff. They are currently on the cliff as we speak. They cannot seem to close out games. They will carry a lead into halftime and find a way to get beat by double figures by the end of the game. They have been wildly frustrating to watch all season long.

Part of their inability to put together a long winning streak is the health of key players. Ja Morant has barely played this season. And when he does play you never know which version of him you're going to get. Zach Edey has been out most of the season. Kentavious Caldwell Pope hasn't brought it since the trade. He has only been 1/4 the player he was on his former teams. Ty Jerome, one of the better offseason additions, has not played a second yet. They have had no real continuity all season long. But, the one consistent player, the one guy I could count on to be on the floor most nights, was Jaren Jackson Jr. He may not be having as good a season as he has in the past, his defense and rebounding have regressed a bit, but he was almost always on the court. I knew he would be in the starting five and he would play 25 plus minutes a night. That's gone now. He is off to Utah.

Jackson is going to pair up quite nicely with Lauri Markkanen, if the Jazz ever let him play real minutes. JJJ is also going to help the Jazz defense. He will be another big body to clog up the paint. He can also take the ball outside and shoot the three. He has always had a solid low post game, but he has turned himself into a solid three point shooter. If I were Markkanen I'd be happy about this move. This would give me the feeling that they may not be going into the tank after this season. The rest of the Jazz roster is unproven and young, but some of these dudes have upside. Ace Bailey is a pure scorer. He just needs to get stronger. Isaiah Collier reeks of a microwave bench scorer. Keyonte George can hoop. Cody Williams hasn't lived up to the lottery pick he was in his draft, but he has shown minor flashes here and there.

The Grizzlies, I don't really know what they are planning on doing with this current roster. They let their most dependable guy go and apparently they're still shopping Ja Morant. The rest of the roster is odd to me. As mentioned before, Edey and Jerome have barely played or not played at all. GG Jackson can't seem to get real minutes. Santi Aldama had a few moments earlier this season, but that has died off as of late. Cedric Coward has been a bright spot, and maybe they will build around him if they eventually trade Morant. Brandon Clarke never sees the floor due to injuries, Cam Spencer is a one week wonder who has wildly cooled off as of late, Scotty Pipen Jr hasn't made much of a leap and Olivier-Maxence Prosper has not figured out the NBA. The Grizzlies roster is a total mishmash now that they have traded JJJ.

This really bums me out. I have had the pleasure of seeing JJJ play live and he was fun to watch. I, as mentioned before, relied on him to constantly be in the lineup. I knew he was going to do what he does and play a significant amount of minutes. That's all gone now. My hope for the rest of the year and into the summer for the Grizzlies is a full rebuild. Tear it down and try to build back up through the draft. Now that they have traded JJJ, they need to move Ja and some other vets. They should give the keys to Coward and see what they have in some other, younger and unproven players. Let this coaching staff start anew and give them two or three years to build the Grizz back up into a perennial playoff team. As for now, they have left me annoyed and confused. And there's still a few days left in the trade deadline to further frustrate me. Time will tell. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty Watches "The Smashing Machine"

A few months back I saw a trailer for the movie "The Smashing Machine". It piqued my interest at the time, but I never got around to seeing it in the theaters. It is now streaming on HBO Max and I had some time last weekend to watch it.

I recently wrote about my affinity for sports movies and "The Smashing Machine" is most definitely a sports movie. The sport is not one I watch or know much about, MMA fighting, but I've watched plenty of sports movies that feature sports I'm not a fan of.  I was most intrigued by what I saw Dwayne Johnson doing in the trailer. Johnson usually only plays roles in action movies where he can be the hero. That's all well and good and he seems to excel at such roles. He has done some different stuff, like "Southland Tales" for example. But he is usually the nondescript hero. This role in "The Smashing Machine" seemed much different. This is a more dramatic take. He had to go to darker places I felt. He had to do some real "acting" if you will. And I felt like he was up to the task here.

My quick initial review of the movie was okay. It was a bit melodramatic and overlong. I usually love Emily Blunt in her movies, but here it felt like she was directed to be an emotional over the top mess. She did that just fine but it was a cliched take on a girlfriend who felt scorned and not relied upon. There is an entire scene where she threatens to kill herself and I just didn't buy it. It felt very after school special. And as the Safdie's like to do, Benny Safdie had some real people and very green actors perform roles in the movie. It was fine, but it did not come close to the work that his brother Josh Safdie got from the same people in "Marty Supreme". you could tell the non actors in "The Smashing Machine" were not actors. I do want to point out the guy that played Johnson's buddy, Ryan Bader, did a fine job. This is his world, I read he is a former MMA fighter, and all he had to do was play a version of himself with a different name. The fighting sequences were cool and solidly acted and directed. But I just kind of got a hollow feeling after watching it because it was too sad and sappy for my taste when it comes to sports movies.

But, Dwayne Johnson was pretty great. He was the lone standout of this movie. He brought his A game. This was a role that had me realizing that he can be a solid actor when called upon to do something new and different. He was the titular Smashing Machine, Mark Kerr. I had no idea who he was prior to this movie, but I learned a lot about him from Johnson's portrayal. I guess Kerr was a pioneer of the sport and a pretty big reason why it has become as popular as it is today. Johnson also transformed his body for this role. He has always been a big dude, he was a college football player turned professional wrestler. But he had to build up his muscles even more for this movie. I read that Kerr was a pretty devout weight lifter and took his lifting very seriously. There is a part when Johnson turns his back to the camera and he had so many muscles on his back. I had no idea that one could have that many muscles and have them on one's back. Dwayne Johnson got absolutely ripped for this and he more than looked the part. Back to his acting for a moment. As I said, this movie was melodramatic, and in a melodramatic sports movie, the main character always seems to have a drug problem. Kerr was no different. He was addicted to opioids, namely pain relief drugs. But the way Johnson portrayed his addiction, he did it very well. You could see he was an addict, but he was able to hide it for a bit. And when he couldn't hide it, it reared its ugly head and Johnson did this very well. I especially liked the scene where he was in Japan at a fighting tournament and the strongest pain reliever he could get was Advil. Johson portrayed Kerr's addiction perfectly here. You could tell he was angry, but he didn't go over the top. But you could see him seething deep down which only furthered his addiction. And when he needs to get clean, him trying to stay sober with an enabling girlfriend was also very well acted by Johnson. The fight scenes were done very well by Johnson. It had to help that he was a professional wrestler and he has been doing stage fighting most of his adult life. I also enjoyed his arc throughout the movie and the ending was done very well.

Dwayne Johnson is the reason to watch this movie if you are thinking about checking it out. His performance is dynamic and it was the reason I was able to get through the more melodramatic stuff. So if you're on the fence, watch it for Johnson. His performance is worth the two hour runtime. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Catherine O'Hara

I was going to write about a movie I recently watched, but a very unfortunate thing happened as I was driving home this afternoon. I got a new update on my phone and checked when I got to a stoplight. I read that Catherine O'Hara had passed away at 71.

I was shocked. I didn't want to believe it at first. I thought that it may have been some misinformation that got wrongly released. I truly did not want this news to be true. Unfortunately it is true. Catherine O'Hara has died at 71 years old. She was too young and still had so much more work left to do. No reason for death has been made public, but the stuff I have read said that she had a brief illness. I am stunned.

O'Hara has literally been on my tv and movie screens since I was a kid. "Home Alone" was the first movie I can remember watching dozens of times. It was my favorite movie for a long, long time. "Home Alone" came out in 1990. I was 8. That was the start of my love for movies. O'Hara was the second lead, at least in my opinion, of that movie. She is the mom hell bent on getting back to her son. As a kid I sided with Kevin, as an adult and parent, O'Hara's foible and persistence to get back home hits so much harder. And again, I was 8 when I first saw that movie. She was in the next two "Home Alone" movies, which I obviously watched. But it wasn't until I was about 15 or 16 when my brother, RD, showed me the movie "Waiting For Guffman". Again, O'Hara has a memorable and major role in this movie, but this was also my first Christopher Guest movie. I began to heavily follow Guest's work after "Waiting For Guffman". This also meant that I was going to see a ton more Catherine O'Hara. Guest and O'Hara worked a bunch together after "Guffman". In "Guffman" she and Fred Willard are a hilarious couple who think they are the biggest actors in a small town in Missouri. It's a shame that both of them have now passed. After "Guffman" she did "Best In Show" with Guest. This is probably my favorite role of hers. She is so funny and gets to do her thing in this movie. I loved her limp, her backstory and the relationship she had with Eugene Levy in this movie. She is the star of this movie. She carried it, and this is a great movie with a wonderful cast. O'Hara steals the show and every time I go back and watch I find something new she does that cracks me up. In a break from Guest's work, she was in the very underrated comedy "Orange County", playing Colin Hanks' mom. She's great as the absent minded divorcee that is just trying to keep her youngest son home with her. In 2003 she returned to work with Guest in "A Mighty Wind". I mean, right next to "Best In Show", this is a powerhouse performance. She gets paired up with Levy again, but this time it is a totally different dynamic and O'Hara is more than up to the task. Her voice is also beautiful and I love when she sings in the movie. For three years she did a whole bunch of voice work before teaming up with Guest again in "For Your Consideration". I like this movie, regardless of what the critics said about it. The work she did with Guest was my favorite work of hers and she was always up for each and every job. I would be remiss if I didn't mention her work in "Beetlejuice". This is a great performance that was a joy to watch. I loved her work in a comedy/horror type movie. Her style was rad as well. And when they sang "Day-O", her mannerisms and facial acting was simply divine. She nailed it yet again in the sequel, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" She and Winona Ryder were such a great mother daughter duo in those movies. She was tremendous in her one episode of "Curb your Enthusiasm". She is the crazy Funkhouser and boy oh boy does she put on an absolute show. She is great as the "mom" in "Where the Wild Things Are".

Then, as a full fledged adult with a wife, kid and a house, I found "Schitt's Creek". I mean come on, Moira Rose is an all time character. This is one of those roles that will go down in history. The voice she used was perfect. Her performance was perfect. She was paired up with Eugene Levy again and the two of them continued to make magic. "Schitt's Creek" is a show that everyone needs to watch and O'Hara's performance is one for the ages. Since then she has continued to do voiceover stuff and, from what I have read, I have not seen either yet, she was tremendous in season two of "The Last of Us" and in the first season of "The Studio". This should show everyone how beloved and what a joy she was to work with.

Catherine O'Hara is one of a kind. She had her own comedy dynamic and she was unique. I'm still kind of in shock that she is gone. Like I said up top, I have been watching her content since I was 8 years old. That is 35 plus years now. I'm going to miss her and anything new she may have been working on. At least I have "Home Alone", her movies with Christopher Guest and "Schitt's Creek" to look back on.

Rest In Peace Catherine O'Hara. I hope you are making people laugh wherever you may be right now. I'm going to miss you. 

Ty

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

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Do You Want Your MTV?

mtv.com

On August 1st, 1981, American pop culture was forever changed. At 12:01 am people with cable tuned in to a new channel, saw a rocket launch and then heard the words "Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock and Roll", this was followed by the now iconic Buggles music video "Video Killed The Radio Star". Music Television, later branded MTV, was born.

The early days of MTV are now iconic. Music videos, cool hip Video Jockeys (VJs) guiding us through the day and night, and news just about the music of the day. As the years gave way to decades MTV changed. First a game show called "Remote Control" broke up the non-stop music videos, then more shows followed. The rise of reality television started on MTV with "The Real World" and the network executives at MTV pivoted hard towards unscripted shows and the music videos lost their time on the station. As cable expanded to more channels, MTV expanded to bring music videos back on other stations, but again those stations would bring on more unscripted television and the videos had to be sacrificed. On December 31st, 2025, MTV shut down all their music channels and retained just the original MTV for the showing of reality television. "The Real World" killed the Video Star.

Thanks to a coder that goes by the name FlexasaurusRex, you can have your classic MTV. MTV Rewind provides an easy-to-use archive of music videos. The site connects to YouTube playlists, giving users access to more than 40,000 music videos from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and today. Ads do appear periodically, yet they are ads from the time of MTV's music video dominance such as ads for Ginsu Knives, the Flowbee haircut system, and the California Raisins to name a few. There is an option to donate to the site to keep it truly ad free.

MTV Rewind will appease to all music tastes The site is broken up into several collections, including “MTV 1st Day,” Decades starting in the 70's and going all the way to modern day. It even has genre playlists that harken back to the channel’s signature shows, 120 Minutes, Yo! MTV Raps, and Headbangers Balls. There's a channel of MTV's live broadcast of Live Aid in 1985, a VH1 Pop Up Video Channel, and one that hosts all the "MTV Unplugged" performances. If you can't decide, there’s a shuffle feature that will truly make it Your MTV.

While many of us who grew up with MTV lament it's downfall, there are still people like FlexasaurusRex out there that answer the call of "I Want My MTV". If you need to answer that call, and you have some Aqua Net on hand, then give MTV Rewind a look. At the very least it will help you answer the trivia question "What was the second video ever shown on MTV?".

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing.

The Space Shuttle Challenger and Confronting My Mortality

We will return

Ed Note: Today is the 40th Anniversary of the Shuttle Challenger disaster. This article originally appeared on January 28th, 2016. It has been updated.

Forty years ago today was the first time I had to confront my own eventual death. I was only ten at the time, and I was on my way to the hospital. There was something going on with my health, and not a single doctor had been able to figure out the problem. My legs were feeling heavy and tired, there was blood in my urine, and in addition to the physical symptoms there were visible red dots showing up on my legs. Every day I would get a few new red dots, and my parents would take me to see a new specialist. Having doctors not know what was happening to my body started me on path to thinking I was going to die, soon. On January 28th, 1986, I was visiting a dermatologist to see if the red dots had any explanation. The doctor quickly diagnosed me with having a little known, at the time, illness called Henoch-Schonlein Purpura. I was immediately sent to the hospital and spent the next few months being released and readmitted as they treated the illness. I was going to be ok, I did not die.

January 28th, 1986, marked the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. This launch was going to be extra special because a civilian, a school teacher, was going to be on the ship. The Challenger was the work horse of the U.S. space program, and this launch was going to reignite the public excitement for manned space missions. Christa McAuliffe's journey to being an astronaut was presented to the entire nation. Many school aged children, me included, were given lesson plans revolving around the civilian school teacher turned astronaut. McAuliffe's journey into space was going to be the first step to regular civilian space travel. I was convinced that getting off planet earth was going to be as routine and safe as it was to get from my house to school. Seventy-three seconds after the launch of mission STS-51-L the entire planet was reminded of the extreme danger space exploration holds.

The Challenger disaster was the harsh beginning to the end of serious US space exploration. We would not send another person into space for nearly two years. Politicians would use the disaster to dry up most of NASA's federal funding. The public quickly lost interest in all things related to exploration beyond our planet. The country was relating to Christa McAuliffe because she was going to be the first non-astronaut to go into space. The truth is that Christa McAuliffe was put through an immense training and safety program to make her competent to go on the shuttle, she was not like one of us. When the Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, the regular persons dream of going into space ended. The thought of death was greater than our willingness to take the risk.

What happened off the coast of Florida on that chilly January morning was not a mere random accident.  Politicians, news people, and businessmen demanded the launch of the Challenger, although many people in the scientific community warned of a looming catastrophe.  NASA administrators were being pressured by people in Washington DC to make the launch date. Many of the engineers at NASA, and around the world, knew that the cold weather could cause issues with vital parts of the shuttle. A failure would lead to disaster. Anti-science hubris caused the death of those seven astronauts and crippled the US Space program. Many in the scientific community tried to speak out. Mechanical engineer Roger Boisjoly tried to get the launch scrapped in the days leading up to the disaster. Mr. Boisjoly was not listened to, was not commended for his ethics, he was shunned by people in his own company and had to resign. Speaking out for astronaut safety was damaging to his career. By letting people who are good at politics make safety judgement calls over the advice of the scientific community was going to eventual lead to disaster. January 28th, 1986, saw that disaster.

When I got settled into my hospital room that night, my mother turned on the news so she could see what had happened in Florida that morning. We had heard from people in the emergency room about the disaster. It was heartbreaking to watch. I felt personally guilty because I was so worried about my own mortality, and just that very morning seven of our best citizens were killed by political hubris. I was still very afraid for my own well-being, but I was sad for the families of the Challenger astronauts. They had to deal with unexpected death that day. In the weeks that followed, my ten year old mind was consumed with all the news surrounding the Challenger disaster. I was a child surrounded by sick people, and I was constantly thinking about those seven astronauts. I was constantly thinking about death.

The last forty years have not quenched my thirst for knowledge concerning the Challenger disaster. As an adult I visit the Challenger memorial every time I make it out to Arlington National Cemetery. I am married to a mechanical engineer who learned scientific ethics from Roger Boisjoly. I work every single day to expose the arrogance and folly of those in the government who care more about fundraising than they do for the safety of their own constituents. January 28th, 1986, was the first day I had to deal with death. It was also the first day that I decided to do something about it.

One day I hope to go into outer space.

Rest in piece Gregory Jarvis, Judith A. Resnik, Francis (Dick) Scobee, Ronald McNair, Mike Smith, Ellison Onizuka, and Christa McAuliffe.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing.

Some Praise for Chase Infiniti and Jesse Plemons

I know that the Oscar nominations came out about a week ago and a bunch of people and publications have done their own writeups on them. I know some have their "snubs and surprises", and others have their own way of saying the same thing. I don't really pour over whom or who did not get nominated. There's only a certain number of nominations that go out and only those people are who the voting committee gets to pick the nominees. That's just the way it is. But I do want to point out two people who, regardless of getting no nominations, I think people should seek out the movies they are in to watch some incredible work.

The first one I will focus on today is Chase Infiniti and the work she did in "One Battle After Another". It's no secret to anyone who reads my stuff that "OBAA" was my favorite movie of last year. It is one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time. The performances make the movie what it is in the long run, but Infiniti may have stolen the show for me. She was amazing. She shows up about halfway through the movie and when she is onscreen she is the best part of every scene. She goes toe to toe with each and every scene she's in with Leonardo DiCaprio. He plays her dad and she is so, so good as a brooding teenager having to deal with an overprotective and all the frustrations that come with all of that. The scene where her friends come to pick her up and DiCaprio has to deal with all of that is funny and relevant. That is how I imagine I will react when my daughter inevitably starts hanging out with kids I don't know. And as much as I relate to DiCaprio in this scene, Infiniti steals the show from him. And the whole thing between her and Sean Penn is simply wonderful. She is the most powerful one onscreen at that time and she owns the scene. And the whole finale with her and the car chase is one of the most amazingly shot scenes I've ever seen, and Infiniti does such good work and she barely has to say anything. Chase Infiniti stood above the crowd in a movie filled with stone cold stars and up and comers who did get Oscar nominations. She was so awesome and when the movie ended my first thought was how great the work she did in this movie and that I want to see what she does next more than anyone else in this superb movie.

The other performance I wanted to single out was Jesse Plemons in "Bugonia". Emma Stone was rightfully nominated, and if she were to win, that wouldn't shock me one bit. She is the driving force and lead actor of the movie and she is so reliable that I expect her to shine. Plemons is right there with her in this movie though. Stone and Plemons were in Yorgos Lanthimos' previous movie, "Kinds of Kindness". They did some good stuff in that movie, but that was also a very odd and disjointed movie. I liked it, but it was a tough watch and there was almost too much going on in it. "Bugonia" is a much more focused movie and Stone and Plemons only had to play one character. And they both nailed it. Plemons is so good at playing a quiet psychopath. My buddy I saw the movie with said to me that he may be a little too good at playing these types of characters and then we had a full on conversation about Plemons and if he really is like the people he plays in real life. In "Bugonia" he is your typical internet obsessed crazy person who "does their own research". He claims to know who and who is not an alien amongst humans. He drags his cousin along on his wild fantasy. He drags everyone down to his level. He is the main one behind the whole kidnapping and questioning of Stone's character. The way he talks and deals with Donny frustrated me to no end. He was manipulative and acted like what he was doing was for all of humanity, when it really it was all about him. But, in the end, maybe he was right. Plemons was so pathetic and destructive that you are meant to think he is nuts. And while he is, he did kind of know what was going down, he just went about it in the absolute wrong way. As for being psychotic, Plemons nailed that as well. The way he could just switch his crazy on and off was wild. He was truly all the way gone and Plemons showed that tenfold in this performance. I think he was up to Stone's level in this movie and they both did some incredible work.

That was all I wanted to say about these two performances. While they may have not been nominated for any Oscars, go seek out these movies for these performances if you haven't yet. It is some of the better work you will see and the performances will stay with you for a long, long while. 

Ty

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

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A Fourteen Year Old is in My House

My son turns 14 today. Let’s discuss

This is wild to me. I feel like, just the other day, he was still a toddler asking me to help him with every little thing. He still asks, and from time to time, needs help, but not for everything. I do have to remind him to brush his teeth, make his bed and clean his room. Otherwise though, he gets more and more independent every single day. He has taken to walking or riding his scooter to and from school. Some days he walks with his buddies to some local fast food spot. I used to do the very same thing when I was his age, but this feels different. He is in his last year of middle school. The fact that he will be in high school in less than a year still blows my mind. Like I said, sometimes I still think of that toddler or baby that he used to be. But as he has gotten, the maturity has been great to watch. He used to be very hyper and bounce off the walls. All the way up until about 7th grade that was his way. But something must have clicked in his brain halfway through 7th grade because he has shown a massive amount of maturity and growth in less than two years. He still has mood swings and instances where he acts immature, but they are few and far between, and he is a teenager after all. Mood swings are part of that time in one's life. But he has been doing so much better with his school work. I used to have to keep tabs on him daily to make sure he was doing all of his work. I don't have to do that anymore. He is pretty much up to the task and he has, at last check, turned in all of his work. He has also become a better athlete and a more coachable athlete. I used to coach him in basketball, but this year he made it on a higher ranked team within the feeder program he plays in and I coach. He has a new set of coaches and they have done a wonderful job teaching him how to play and use his body the right way against better competition. He has even been asked a few times to play with the highest ranked team and he has held his own when he plays for the blue team. He is doing all the things I envisioned him doing when he played for me. I know part of that is the sheer fact that I don't coach him anymore, but also a part of it is his willingness and want to become a better player. He is going to have to beat out a bunch of other kids if he wants to play high school basketball next year, and I think that finally sunk in for him this season. He is having a very solid year playing up and that is because he is more willing to be coached. He finished off junior football this year as well, and while they didn't have the season they hoped for, he improved his game there as well. And the team he was on was more of a one for all, not all for one type team. I would pick him up from practice and he would complain about it to me. But he never complained to his coaches or called out any of his teammates. He didn't let his frustration boil over onto the field, and that is another massive sign of growth to me. He went to practice and games ready to get better everyday. And if a coach would ride him or chastise for something he felt was unjust, he would do as the coaches asked and try to make himself a better player. He has continued to workout for next season, his freshman year of football, and that can only help. He also asks me to take him to the workouts and tells me all about them afterwards. He wants to be better and he is taking some of the necessary steps to improve. This wouldn't have happened when he was 11 or 12. He is growing up. He also has a job, which was never on my radar at 14. He umpires baseball and, even though he was terrified during his first day, he improved every game after that and has become a reliable and dependable ump. He even did a few games last year where he had to call live balls and strikes, which is pretty tough for everyone involved in first year player pitch little league baseball.  The fact that he has to understand and deal with a schedule at 14 years old is pretty damn impressive if you ask me. He has grown in his taste of music and movies as well this past year. He still mostly listens to hip hop, which I did at his age and do to this day, but he has also been a little more forgiving of my music tastes. Instead of just dismissing my music he will say he gets why it's popular, it is just not for him. That is a good thing. I also have started taking him to see movies that I want to see. He and I saw "The Running Man" together and he loved it. My dad and I took him with us to see "Marty Supreme". He has asked me multiple times to take him to see "The Odyssey" when it comes out. He is starting to like the movies I like, and to me that means he will be my indie movie companion for years to come, which makes me happy.

It is great to see my son grow and become this teenager that he is blossoming into. He still has his little kid tendencies, but he also is more outgoing and more willing to try different stuff. He has always been a great student, but now he is taking accountability. He's becoming a better athlete. He is expanding his mind outside of his bubble he lives in. He is exploring new and different things. I want time to slow down, but I'm also very interested to see the adult he becomes.

Happy birthday buddy. I love you, can't wait to have the burgers you make tonight and can't wait to watch you grow into an adult. Enjoy it my dude. 

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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Better Never Than Late on "Beer League"

I am currently in a movie watching mood, and to be more specific, I have been trying to watch sports comedies. I like most sports movies. And if I don't like them, I can usually find something enjoyable during a bad one. I played sports growing up, I'm a runner now and I coach feeder basketball. I like to be involved and around sports in general. So, when scrolling on Prime the other day I happened to notice a movie that I have never heard of before called "Beer League".

I had pretty recently watched the movie "Dirty Work". I adore that movie. I always liked Norm MacDonald and his style of comedy. "Dirty Work" felt like his magnum opus and it will always hold a special place for me. Artie Lange happens to play his best friend in that movie. I mention Lange because he is the lead of "Beer League". I have always been kind of leery of Lange. I know he has, or had, drug issues and he always tended to fall off the wagon every few years. He also does pretty blue humor that I determine to be very problematic. In "Dirty Work" he was fine, but that was because he was doing MacDonald's style of humor. In "Beer League" they let him loose and let him do his own thing. I'm not much for the argument that certain movies could or could not be made from the past in current time. "Beer League" came out in 2006, but I'm glad that movies like this are a thing of the past.

This movie is bad and offensive and crude and very poorly made. I played softball up until about four years ago. It was fine. Some people took it a little too seriously while others were just there to have a good time. I don't drink or smoke, so that aspect never appealed to me. But I always loved to play baseball as a kid, and softball let me hang on to that a little bit longer. The softball they portray in this movie is crass and stupid. There's an entire montage where the team has practice. We never practiced or even thought about practicing. The shit talk in this movie was offensive. I'm not saying that people didn't talk in the leagues I played in, but we never used problematic language or said offensive stuff every other word. It was more in jest or playful. Some of the words they use in this movie made me cringe when I heard them say it. And it happened way too often for my taste. I would hope that some of the stuff they said , when they wrote it down, would have double checked it and decided to try and find a different way to get the joke off. They didn't though. They took the lazy route and just said some foul stuff. And I'm not trying to be the language police, but some words just need to disappear forever. Other than the language, the movie was just bad. It wasn't funny. It was poorly written, obviously. The actors seemed uninterested in their dialogue. The comedians they got to play random characters are bad comedians. Artie Lange is not a leading man. Not in the least. I felt bad for the actresses in this movie. I understand that a job is a job, but their roles were so underwritten and, quite frankly, demeaning. The bachelor party scene was tough to watch and pretty disgusting. This is just a bad, bad movie. And like I said before, even in bad sports movies I can find something to enjoy. That was not the case here. I have pretty bad OCD, so I decided that I had to finish this movie, but there was nothing redeeming about it. Sure, I got to see a young Jerry Minor, Joe Lo Truglio and Tina Fey, but they were underutilized. Hell, Tina Fey was in one scene and had one line and she was gone.

"Beer League" is a bad, bad movie. I am writing this today to implore anyone that may want to watch this movie to tell them, don't. Don't waste your time. It is truly repugnant and just a bad movie. 

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 "M3GAN 2.0"

In my quest to see a bunch of movies I wanted to see last year, I finally saw "Megan 2.0".

I loved the first "Megan". I thought it was a great idea for a movie and they executed it pretty well. I liked how eerie it was. I appreciated how, with a limited budget, they were able to do suspense and horror and even a little comedy. The concept of the movie was solid too, especially in this day and age. I am a little fearful of AI and the firm grip it has on some people already. I think there are good uses for AI, but most people use it for not so good things. That's the scary part to me. "Megan" does a good job telling that story. The main kid's parents die in a horrific car accident and she is sent to live with her aunt, who's a big wig in the world of computers. She has created a robot companion and she decides to see if it works by pairing it with her niece. Things go awry, as they do in movies like these, and the companion is overprotective of the child. The robot companion, Megan, decides that anyone who does so much as raise their voice at her is deemed a threat and the robot needs to take them out. This is where the first "Megan" movie really achieves its goal. It is violent and sinister and they even manage to sneak a few jokes in here and there. I thought about the movie a lot after seeing it. I really enjoyed my viewing experience. So when a sequel was announced,  I was pumped. It felt like the first movie was the little engine that could type movies, and it more than earned its sequel. I'm not always a fan of sequels, but when a movie surprises me as much as this one did, I'm all here for a sequel. And when it was announced that they would have most of the same people back, that made me even more excited. I never had the chance to see it in theaters. It felt like it kind of came and went pretty quickly, which should have been a sign to me. But it is streaming on Peacock, which we subscribe to at my home, and I had some free time to watch.

Right off the bat I got a bad feeling. First off, the sequel is rated PG13. I know the first one is also PG13, but the sequel felt much more like an actual PG13 movie. It felt subdued and like a bunch of stuff got cut, stuff that may have been deemed too violent. The kills in this one just didn't bring the same oomph. I felt like they showed much more in the first movie than they did here. "Megan 2.0" seemed to cut away from every kill right before it happened. I'm not a violent person by any means, but movies are where we all escape. I love the "John Wick" franchise. I'm all in on the "Alien" movies. I loved "Weapons" and "Sinners" from last year. Those are violent movies that show you pretty much everything. "Megan 2.0" showed almost nothing. I also felt like they tried to make the Megan doll too quippy in the sequel. It felt like they wanted to make the robot like Deadpool, but without looking directly into the camera when making a joke. Megan seemed to have a one liner for every single thing that was said. I don't care for that unless I know that is what is coming, like the "Deadpool" movies. I also wasn't crazy about the new robot they introduced in this movie. This robot could have been so much more badass, but they subdued this one as much as they did with Megan. And when they have their big fight in the end, that whole scene felt kind of hollow and unfinished. And as much as I don't want to rag on children actors, the kid in this one was too preachy and too much of a teenager. I'm raising a teenager who has big feelings and lets us know about them. I don't want to watch that when I turn on a movie. I thought the kid did an okay job, she was just very moody and very much a teenager, which was frustrating to watch. I do want to point out Allison Williams, who returns as the aunt. She was all in and did her best to make this a solid movie. My favorite part was when she and Megan were paired via Williams' brain and she had to fight some bad guys. That part reminded me of the first movie.

All in all this sequel did not deliver for me. It didn't have the same juice as the first one and they tried to do too much here. This is the problem when a bunch of money is thrown at a movie that should feel more like a low budget project. I'd say just watch the original and skip this sequel. You'll thank me in the long run. 

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 "Him"

I finally saw "HIM" yesterday. I wanted to see this movie when it was in the theaters, but the timing never worked out. I saw that it was a Monkeypaw produced movie, which is Jordan Peele's company, and that was almost all I needed to check this movie out. The sheer fact that it was about football was just an added incentive for me. I also saw that Tyriq Withers was co-starring in the movie, and his one episode of "Atlanta" was one of the better episodes I've ever seen. It is really good and I highly recommend checking that one out.

Withers is very, very good in this movie. He commands the screen. Seeing him work, opposite Marlon Wayans, was an absolute delight. He played this highly touted draft pick that suffers a horrendous injury and has to come back from all of that. He also has to go workout with the greatest player to ever play the game. When Withers gets to the remote desert to work out with Wayans, this is where the movie gets nuts.

Wayans plays the aforementioned GOAT. I have always liked Wayans, but I have only ever seen him do comedic work. He is not doing comedy in "HIM". Not by a long shot. He plays a deranged lunatic who is obsessed with being the best there ever will be. He does not want to be usurped by Withers. He wants to continue to play the game. He will literally do whatever it takes to stay on top. He is nuts and is willing to do some horrific things to stay on top. Withers and Wayans are so good and so watchable in their roles. They were, by far, the best thing about this movie.

As for the movie, it had loads and loads of potential. But it felt like they didn't know how to really end the movie, and it truly goes off the rails in the last act. The whole idea of an up and coming draft prospect trying to take over for the greatest of all time is an interesting concept. This happens all the time in professional sports. And since these guys are pros, they may not want their job taken by a younger, more intriguing person. Withers plays that intriguing prospect very well. Everyone likes him and wants what is best for him. He loves his family. He constantly says that family is the most important thing. He is the true vision of a future GOAT. Wayans is on his way out. He has done it all. He has eight titles. He has multiple MVP awards. He is considered the best ever. But he is also old and he is on the verge of retirement. This dynamic is great between the two of them, and when the movie explores that, it works. The whole idea of Wayans inviting Withers out to his house in the desert to work out with him and see if he can take over the franchise is solid. I like that they break it down into six different days. Each day is a different, specific work out for a future pro. Like most horror movies, it starts out fine. But after the first day Withers' world gets turned inside out. First he has to strip down to nothing for a physical. Then he starts to see odd things while staying at the place. He is pushed to his limits. He starts to go kind of nuts. He sees the lengths and craziness Wayans is willing to go to to play this game at the highest level. He starts to get freaked out by what he is seeing, but he is also intent on being the best. He gets advice from people there to leave. He doesn't. He gets pushed and pulled every which way. He starts to see some horrific things, but finds it easier to move on the longer he stays. This all works. I was fascinated by watching how each day escalated. I loved seeing Wayans get deeper and deeper into the darkness of his character. It cannot be stated enough how good Wayans was in this role. But as we get closer to the end, this movie unravels and my interest starts to wane. After the party where Withers is selected to be the next franchise QB, the movie goes too big and gets too kooky. The violence and gore is all of the sudden the centerpiece of the movie. What made the first half of the movie so good was the mood and the vibe. It was dark and seedy, but I had no clue what was going to happen next. After the party it became a typical gross out horror/gore movie. It was gore porn in the very last scene. That kind of turned me off from what I had seen before. I get that they were trying to tell a specific story, but they went too far with the gore in my opinion.

I would say check “Him” out for Withers and especially Wayans' performances. But just know going in that it takes a deep dive in the final act and that was frustrating for me. 

Ty

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

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Indiana is Now a Football Power

Indiana did it last night. They won the whole thing. They beat every team on their schedule. They have the most wins in a season since some Yale team back in the early 1900's. Let’s discuss.

Indiana is on top of the college football world and they turned their entire program around in two short years. Curt Cignetti proved his worth and then some. I may not personally like him, but he is one hell of a college football coach and he knows how to win in this new era. I read some people griping about his roster being old. Who cares? He did nothing illegal in recruiting fifth and sixth year seniors. These guys wanted to come play for him through the portal, he picked the players that fit his system and he has won big with them at Indiana. He used the portal to perfection.

I made comments a week or so back about Fernando Mendoza being a game manager. I was wrong. He won that game last night. He was the reason that Indiana was able to sustain a few drives and get points. His run on fourth and long that scored the winning TD for Indiana was one of the best runs I have seen in a college football game in quite a long time. He secured the number one pick in the upcoming draft. Mendoza was no game manager last night. He was awesome.

As I said in my previous post about Indiana and Mendoza, this Indiana defense is elite. They are one of the better defenses I have seen on a college football field in a few years. The corners were all over the wideouts. The run defense, save for one long run, stuffed Miami at the line most of the night. And the linebackers cleaned up any messes that came their way. They also provided nice pressure on Carson Beck all night. And the secondary came up with the game sealing interception with less than a minute.

Even IU's special teams came up with a humongous punt block for a TD that helped get the momentum back in the third quarter.

Indiana was the most sound, most serious and best college football team by a wide margin for the 2025-26 season. Miami put up a fight and made it interesting for a while, but Indiana's run seemed destined to end this way. Miami made the title game by upsetting higher seeded teams. Indiana looked every bit the overall number 1 seed, dominating Alabama and Oregon on their way to the title. Miami may have more "pro" ready players, but Indiana was a much more complete and better team. Sure, Mendoza is the QB and Heisman winner, but he has guys all around him loaded with talent. They have two very good running backs. The receivers seemingly never drop a pass. The o line is dominant. The defense is amazing. Indiana is the definition of a team in modern college football. They play for one another, not draft positioning. They won because they bought into the new culture and coaching that came with the new coaching staff. They used the portal the best way possible. They made all the right moves and turned that into a championship team. Now they will have the joy and frustration of playing as the hunted rather than the hunter. They are not going to be taken lightly ever again. This is going to be a perennial contender, and the other teams on their schedule will be looking for new ways to beat them. It seems weird for me to say that about Indiana, but it shouldn't be. They are national champs and national champs play with a target on their back.

I also want to point out that the Big Ten has now won three straight national titles. For years and years the Big Ten always struggled during bowl season. They just couldn't seem to get to the title game, or if they did they would get trounced. But now, in the modern NIL and transfer portal era, the Big Ten seems to be the best conference in all of college football. I don't think it's hyperbolic to say that they have usurped the SEC as the dominant conference. With Indiana last night, the university of Ohio State last year and Michigan two seasons ago, the Big Ten has won them all. And they didn't play a SEC team in any of those title games. Sure, the SEC has a few teams here and there that make the playoff, but so does the Big Ten. Oregon made it to the final four this year. Last season the Big Ten had five playoff teams. The SEC only had three. In the 23-24 playoff, the last with four teams, there was one SEC, one Pac 12, one Big 12 and one Big Ten, and the title game was Pac 12 versus Big Ten. We are in a new era of college football, and for the first part of this era, the Big Ten is the best conference, and it is not even close. And before people say, well they have 16 teams from all over the country, it is not fair, the last three champs from the Big 10 are all traditional Big Ten teams. So, as a fan of a Big Ten team, this makes me happy.

Anyway, congrats to Indiana. They are the no questions asked champs of the 2025-26 college football season. Enjoy it. 

Ty

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

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Ty Predicts the NFC and AFC Games

The NFC and AFC championship games are set. Let’s discuss.

It's nice to have some new blood, no Chiefs, Eagles or Bills. But it also feels like it is teams who used to dominate climbing their way back to the top. I think this is a good thing. This shows parity is still a thing in the NFL. Teams can go from worst to first every season. Look at teams like Chicago and Houston. Houston used to be an also ran, but they are a perennial playoff team, and look to be right on the doorstep of the Super Bowl. Chicago really struggled for the past decade or so, but now they have a viable QB, a ball hawking defense and have made some much needed changes on the o line and in management, and they were a play or two away from the NFC title game. It is refreshing to see some of these teams back at the top.

Where we stand now we have the Patriots playing the Broncos in the AFC title game, and the Seahawks playing the Rams, an inter division matchup to go to the Super Bowl. The NFC title game has some stand-ins playing for the chance at a Super Bowl, and the QBs are both journeymen that have made a solid career for themselves. The Rams have Matthew  Stafford, who is the most likely MVP winner. He has a ring already, but that was on a team that was built to win right away. This Rams team is different. They are more built from the draft. Their star players, outside of Stafford, are pretty much all in house guys. Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams and Blake Corum were all draft picks. They traded for Davante Adams, and he is very important to this team. But outside him and Stafford, this team is all in house products. They do happen to have the best coach in all of football in Sean McVay, and he is churning out future head coaches left and right. The Rams are a legit threat to win it all, and they may be the favorites at this very moment. The Seahawks are a bit more of a mystery and unproven. But damn are they good, especially at defense. They have built that unit through the draft, with a few dudes coming from other teams. Their head coach, Mike MacDonald, is a defense guy and he is showing that he knows what he is doing. The offense is a mishmash of draft picks and free agents. The offense gets the job done. It may not always be pretty, but they know what they are doing and they do it well. They steamrolled a pretty hot 49ers team in last week's matchup. The offense that night was pretty much the run game, led by Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet is now hurt and out for the rest of the playoffs, but Walker is more than capable of handling a bigger workload. The o line is mean and nasty and they have a solid group of wideouts that know their roles. This game is going to be interesting, but I'm sticking with my Seahawks pick from a week ago. They have home field advantage, they have a better defense and they are riding high right now.

The AFC title game is a pure look at the future of this conference and this sport. I get it, Bo Nix has a broken ankle and is done for the playoffs. He was the main component of their comeback win last week and him being out will hurt them quite a bit. But Nix is a future perennial all pro QB. I was very wrong about him in his draft class. I thought he was going to be a bust. He is not. He is legit. They have a very good run game and o line that compliments Nix. Courtland Sutton has become a dependable number one wideout. Evan Engram has worked out as a viable tight end. And they have more than one running back they can count on. The defense is solid and dependable. Nik Bonitto and Dre Greenlaw are good linebackers. Pat Surtain II is one of the better secondary players in the league. They have some studs on the d line. The Broncos are a legit threat, even without Bo Nix. Jarret Stidham is not the answer and may be their undoing in this upcoming game. The Patriots lived up to the offseason expectations. I feel like Jerrod Mayo got a raw deal, but this team has had a major turnaround, and beating the Chargers the way they did last week was eye opening to me. This Patriots defense is for real. The d line gets after the QB and the run game. The linebackers are all over the field. And the secondary gets after the ball. They're a legit top unit in the league. The offense was even better than I expected them to be this year. Drake Maye is for real. I think him sitting a year was the best thing that could have ever happened for him. It humbled him and now the team, and Maye himself, are reaping the rewards. TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson are a great 1-2 punch in the backfield. Stefon Diggs, who has major off field issues, is productive. Kayshon Boutte has been a revelation. He is awesome. Hunter Henry is a solid tight end, and the o line, by drafting Will Campbell last season, got infinitely better. The Patriots are young, but they play with a tenacity that a ton of other NFL teams do not. There's a few reasons to pick the Patriots in this game, but the main one is the absence of Bo Nix. That should be more than enough for the Patriots to win. I'm sure the run game and defense and home field advantage will help, but all of that is moot with no Nix playing for Denver.

That means I have the Seahawks and Patriots in the Super Bowl. This is a throwback to the early to mid 2010's NFL. In this game I think the Seahawks defense will win the day and they will be the champs. Time will tell. 

Ty

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

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Willem DaFoe was Next Level in "The Lighthouse"

I like to rewatch movies from time to time. I believe I have mentioned this before. I find things I may have missed while doing this, or sometimes I just want to watch a performance that was so good once again. That was my reasoning for rewatching "The Lighthouse" recently.

I love this movie. The first time I saw it it confused and frustrated me. That was because they speak in old timey sailor talk, so I had no idea what they were saying to one another for most of the movie. When I watched it the second time I put the subtitles on and this made all the difference in the world. I felt like I understood so much more of what was happening and going on in the movie. I could parse together the stuff that made no sense and that was the moment it became a movie I knew I would revisit. While watching it this most recent time I was taken aback at the performance that Willem Dafoe gives. Robert Pattison is great in this movie. This was one of his performances, much like his work in "Good Time", where I found myself amazed by his acting and it washed all the "Twilight" nonsense from my brain. But Dafoe is a true powerhouse and the star of this wild movie.

For people that may not know much about "The Lighthouse", the movie takes place in 1890, two men travel to work on a lighthouse and live there for four weeks and they both go insane. It is pretty much a story of two dudes losing their minds and growing to hate one another. Dafoe got the juiciest of the two roles. He is the older guy that works there. He is the veteran and leader. He knows what needs to be done and how it should be done, in his vision. He is rude, crude and kind of gross. Our first glimpse into his portrayal of this character is him getting up from a bed, snorting and then farting. And not to be outdone, as he is walking out of the room, he rips another fart and leaves it in the room for Pattison to deal with. At dinner he gives the same toast every single night. He says the same thing over and over again. That alone would drive me nuts if I was living there with him. He constantly chides the work that Pattison is doing. Nothing is ever good enough for him. The work doesn't mean his ridiculous standards. He forces Pattison's character to do extra work, and when he is done with the hard work, Dafoe's character will tell him to do it the easier way next time, giving him the proper tools after he has already done the grueling work. He swings the swing so hard that Pattison is painting from that it rips. He drinks constantly. He snores and farts when he sleeps. He likes to get nude while he is up in the lighthouse. His laugh is loud and obnoxious and almost done at the wrong time every time. He refuses, only for a few minutes, to call Pattison by his name after he asks him politely to do so. He degrades and demeans Pattison any chance he gets. He is grumpy and old and taking it out on this poor young kid just trying to make some money. And Dafoe nails it. I grew to despise his character during this most recent watch. I wanted Pattinson to beat the hell out of him. I just knew that if he went at him with full force that he could really mess him up, and I found myself rooting for that. The constant passing of gas was akin to something a frat boy would do to a young pledge. He was supposed to guide this young man and maybe usher him into taking over when he was too old. But he refused. He would lock Pattinson out of the lighthouse, forbidding him from going up there. And if he saw him getting close, he would shut him out immediately.

I am kind of surprised more people didn't talk about award consideration for this role. Dafoe was so up to the task and so good playing this vile person. I believe this was when the partnership really blossomed between him and Robert Eggers. They both continue to do wonderful work together to this day. But this may be my favorite performance of Dafoe's to this point, and he has put on some excellent performances before and since this movie. But he is doing the best work, in my opinion, in "The Lighthouse". I highly recommend watching for his performance alone. 

Ty

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

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