It is Time for Carmelo to Retire

The Rockets were finally able to trade Carmelo Anthony. The deal went down yesterday, and when I heard about it, it actually made me a little sad for him. I have been hard on Carmelo lately. I genuinely believe that he is done. I feel like his best days are far, far, far behind him. I think he is a problem in the locker room. I think he still thinks he is a star. He isn't even a starter anymore. This is how I feel, and I think his career is over.

When I saw the team he was traded to, the dreadful Chicago Bulls, I couldn't really believe it. I mean, I said he is done, but the Bulls, yikes. I then heard about 20 minutes later, that they were going to buy his contract out and release him. That is the second time this has happened to him already this season. When he was traded from OKC he went to Atlanta. They bought him out right away, and then he signed with the Rockets. Now the Bulls are doing the same, and, while he may think he has options, I don't agree.

I read an article on Bleacher Report that talked about his best bets, and some teams that may be interested in him. It was insightful. The teams I saw made zero sense. But, there were 2 things that I thought were plausible. The teams they mentioned were the Lakers, 76ers, Trailblazers and Nets.

I do not want the Nets to sign him. They are actually kind of fun, they are in the playoff race and they have a young core that seems to work for them. They also have Caris Levert coming back soonish, and he is a younger, and better defensively, than Carmelo is, and ever was. I feel like if the Nets were to sign him, he would stunt a ton of young guys growth. Guys like Spencer Dinwiddie and D'Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen don't need a washed up vet that would take time from younger and better players. He does not fit in with that team, and the Nets are finally doing decent things. They don't need the headache.

The Trailblazers mention makes zero sense. They already have 2 much, much better scorers that play the same position. I mean, CJ McCollum is a better three point shooter and creator. And Damien Lillard is an amazing NBA player and scorer. Why do they need Anthony? What does he bring this team? How does he make them any better? This one is the most puzzling team to me. They have 2 great guards, they have a solid big, what they need is a stretch 4, and Carmelo is not anywhere near any kind of 4. The Trailblazers are set in stone as a West playoff team and bringing in Carmelo would make them look just like the Thunder when they traded for him 2 years ago. It would be a mess.

The 76ers need to stay far, far away from him. They do not need any parts of Carmelo. He will do nothing but push that team back. They are already dealing with the whole Jimmy Butler thing, why would they want that times 2 with a far worse player? And putting him in that locker room, with Butler, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, that would be a nightmare. They also don't need him. They don't need him at all.

And then we have the Lakers.

This one makes the most sense, but it would be awful. It would make them much worse. If they sign him, they would be very, very hard pressed to stay in the playoff race. I know they have LeBron, but not even he can save Carmelo. And I know he and LeBron are buddies, he has always wanted to play on a team with him, and this is probably their last chance. But whatever you do LeBron stay away. You cannot bring this dude to this young team that you are trying to turn into a perennial playoff contender in the West. You are also coming off a pretty bad, for you at least, injury. LeBron has never been hurt like this before, and the Lakers are struggling without him. The last thing they need is Carmelo. Think about it. They have this young core that is trying to learn how to play with LeBron. Some are doing okay, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball and, especially Kyle Kuzma. But others are struggling. Brandon Ingram comes to mind first and foremost. Also, the Lakers already have a very odd group of veterans on one year deals. Do you really want to add Carmelo to a team that has Javale McGee, Michael Beasley and Rajon Rondo? Why? That would spell doom. And he wouldn't even add anything at all to this team. He isn't the scorer he once was. He isn't the shooter he once was. He plays no defense. He thinks he is a starter and a star. He is done. He is washed. This would be GM LeBron's worst decision ever. The Lakers need to stay away. They shouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. This would not only be bad for GM LeBron, but it would make Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson look like they are letting LeBron run things. It would also be absolutely awful for Luke Walton.

There are no winners here. None of these teams make any sense for Carmelo. What I did see that made sense was his other 2 options. They said he should go to China or retire. These 2 choices make sense. In China he would be king. Look at what Stephon Marbury has done over there. He is a legend. Carmelo is better than Marbury. He would dominate. He also wouldn't have to play any D, and he could just shoot mid range jumper after mid range jumper. Hell, if Marbury and Jimmer Fredette are dominating over there, imagine what Carmelo could do.

The one option that makes most sense is retirement. He should hang it up. He has done all he can do in the NBA. He has gone as far in the regular season and playoffs as he can. He is never going to win a title. He is never going to be an All Star again. He is not a starter. He is not even a 10th man off the bench. He doesn't have it anymore. If he were to walk away right now I think people would forget the last 2 years. I think people would start to talk more about his time with the Nuggets and Knicks. He is also a surefire hall of famer regardless of when he walks away. If he does it now, he would get in much sooner. It makes so much sense for him to just call it quits. That is what I believe he should do. He's done as an NBA player, and I think he feels like he is above playing overseas.

Just let it go Carmelo. Time to retire.

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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The NFL is Idiotic

Happy MLK Day everyone.

I come to you today to talk about the NFC and AFC title games yesterday. First off, both games were exciting. That is not to say that they were good, great or well played. They were both fun. But, both games had some serious issues, that are making me dislike the NFL more and more.

In the first game, Saints and Rams, there were mistakes made by both teams, poor play calling, star players not stepping up,  but most importantly, a horrific missed call that changed the game completely. The mistakes made by the Rams in the first quarter, and pretty much all of the first half, were bad. Goff's interception was horrendous, Todd Gurley couldn't catch the ball and their defense was a sieve. The Saints did their part to keep it close though. They couldn't really capitalize on the turnovers, they only scored 13 points in the quarter, when it could have, or should have, been 21, Drew Brees was awful, Michael Thomas was held in check and Mark Ingram couldn't run. The only Saints player that looked prepared was Alvin Kamara. Sean Payton's game plan was shit too. He couldn't move the ball at will like he did last time they played. Sean McVay wasn't much better. His offense was very blah and bland. For these 2 offenses to only combine for 49 points, that was a shock. With all that said, there is one thing we should be talking about.

That missed pass interference was atrocious.

The defender even admitted that he was interfering, saying he was just trying to stop a TD. For the refs to swallow their whistles in that moment, in New Orleans, when it could have iced the game, that was terrible. If I were a Saints fan today, I would be so irritated. The officials in football have gotten worse every year, and that no call was how bad they have truly become. Officials seem to think the fans are there to watch them and not the players, and when they had a chance to do something right, to make the correct call, they absolutely blew it. There was an official right there, there was one behind the play, both of them had 4 eyes on the play, and none of them blew their whistle or threw their flag. This completely changed the complexion of the game. The Saints had to settle for a field goal, the Rams tied it up, then won in overtime. 

Instead of the narrative being that Drew Brees is going to the Super Bowl at 40, Sean Payton is still a great offensive mind and Alvin Kamara's star is going to continue to shine, we are stuck having to hear about how Sean McVay is an "offensive genius" for 2 weeks now. And he did nothing to prove that. Goff was bad, Gurley was unplayable, the only receiver that showed up was Brandin Cooks, the Rams did not deserve that game. It was one of the worst no calls I've ever seen, and it totally changed this game. This is one of the few times that one single call truly changed the outcome of a game. I feel bad for Saints fans.

As for the AFC title game, it had one good quarter, that was it. The Patriots came out and decided to just run the ball, to keep it out of the Chiefs explosive offense's hands. And it worked. They dominated the ball and the game for a half. Even with Tom Brady looking a bit off, the Patriots were riding a 2 TD lead going into half.

Then things started to open up a bit. The Chiefs got the ball and scored right away. Patrick Mahomes looked more comfortable. The Chiefs were starting to stop the run. The Patriots did tack on a field goal, but the Chiefs went down and scored again to cut it to 3 with a quarter left.

But, and it wasn't as bad as the Saints game, the refs started to get involved. First off, Julian Edelmann touched that football. There is no denying it. Both of his thumbs touched the ball. But since he is on the Patriots, the refs, of course, gave him the benefit and said he didn't touch it. Brady did throw a pick though, and the chiefs turned it into a TD to take the lead. But no worries, the Chiefs defense regressed and couldn't stop the Patriots pass attack. They went right down the field and scored to take the lead. But so did the Chiefs. It was an exercise in defensive futility.

Just when I thought the Chiefs had the game in hand, going up 4 with about three minutes left, the Patriots, and the refs, changed all that. The roughing the passer call on the Chiefs was horrendous. That D tackle did not even touch Brady, maybe grazed his jersey, but since it caused him to overthrow the ball, the refs couldn't get their flags out fast enough. Then, Chris Hogan, who clearly dropped the ball, was given a gift when the review said he did catch it. If he caught that ball, then how did Dez Bryant and Calvin Johnson not catch the ball? Do you think it might be because they don't have Patriots written on their jerseys? I sure do.

Regardless of all this though, even after the Patriots scored, Mahomes and the Chiefs kicked a field goal to tie the game and send it to OT. This is where we get the dumbass NFL version of overtime. The fact that Mahomes and the Chiefs offense didn't even get to touch the ball is a crime. Sure, they should have stopped one of those third down plays, but give the offense a chance. The NFL needs to switch their rules. I do not like the newer rule of, if the team scores a TD the game is over. That is so unfair to the other team's offense. Just think if the NFL adopted the college football overtime rules. It would have been magical. As fun as that fourth quarter was, we could have gotten that times ten, if they played college overtime. Imagine the back and forth. But nope, the NFL is stupid and archaic and just way too stuck in their ways.

After watching these 2 games it was clear to me that the NFL clearly wanted the young hot shot team from LA to play the old, dynasty on the east coast. They really wanted the McVay-Belichek showdown. They want what they suspect to be the next dynasty playing the current dynasty.

I usually enjoy the Super Bowl regardless of who's playing. This year, I couldn't care less. I am so sick of watching the Patriots play, and I don't care about the Rams, and they shouldn't be there. The refs gave them that game. This Super Bowl, and all the stuff leading up to it, will be insufferable and boring. I'm already sick of all the stories that will come. I'm already tired of the "passing of the torch" stories that will be written and told. I'm over it. I'll watch the game because I am a football junkie, but that doesn't mean I won't complain about it, because it is going to be unbearable. I'd rather the Cubs win the World Series, or the Lakers win the NBA championship, than watch this Rams team lose to this Patriots team. It is some rough stuff.

Congratulations NFL, you got the matchup you wanted, and all it took was your terrible overtime rules and a horrendous, atrocious, disgusting and terrible no call. Oof magoof.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He loves hearing all the ESPN guys cover for the league and say that any game does not come down to one play. Here’s the facts, the NFC championship did get decided by one terrible call. Congrats on your continued idiocy NFL.

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The Love for James Harden and the Hate for Russell Westbrook Makes No Damn Sense

Two years ago I felt like I was one of the people driving the Russell Westbrook for MVP debate.

What he did that season, with the roster that was put around him, was astounding. The fact that, a season after losing KD mind you, he averaged a triple double, with his best teammate being Steven Adams, was one of the most MVP worthy things I have ever seen. He was must watch TV that year. I watched more Thunder games than usual that year just to see what Westbrook would do. I have said, to people that will listen to me, I would not enjoy playing with him, but I LOVE watching him play. He is a whirling dervish of athleticism. It's like the most insane ballet that you could ever watch. And while he's not the greatest shooter, he is really bad in fact, the way he created shots for himself and others was awesome. To see a 6 foot guard rebound like that, again, amazing.

So when major journalists, some I like, some I dislike, were saying that he wasn't deserving of the MVP I was floored. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what else he had to do to prove that he was the MVP. A lot of these journalists actually pushed for James Harden that year. LeBron was mentioned a ton as well, but he always is. When I listened to them, or read why they felt this way, it made me even angrier. They called Westbrook a "stat hunter". They said he was bad. They called him selfish. They said he wasn't deserving because he only led the Thunder to a 6 seed and something like 45 wins that year. They said the first round series proved that he wasn't the MVP.

Well, one Mr. James Harden is currently putting up absolutely ridiculous numbers, with his 2 best teammates out injured right now, and these same journalists are praising him. They are talking abut him "carrying" his team. They are saying what he is doing is something they haven't seen since Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. They are calling him the MVP. And while I don't refute that, I do think he has surpassed Giannis as the MVP, why does he get so much love doing almost exactly what Westbrook did 2 years ago, when they were all shaming him?

Here are the facts. James Harden is one of the most boring NBA players to watch. If Westbrook is a "stat hunter", Harden is a "foul hunter". That guy gets so many calls in his favor, calls that are absolutely and utterly insane, that is drives me up the wall. The other night he shot 27 free throws. Not the Rockets, Harden himself took 27 free throws. How is that more fun, or any better than what Westbrook was doing?

Also, lets compare the rosters were they currently are right now with the Rockets to the Thunder from 2 years ago. As I said, Westbrook's best teammate was Adams. He then had guys like Victor Oladipo, before he was a star, Domantas Sabonis, when he was a rookie, Kyle Singler, Nick Collison, Dion Waiters and Terrance Ferguson, among others. Meanwhile, Harden has players like PJ Tucker, Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon and Gerald Green. Oh, and Chris Paul will be back soon, and Clint Capela will miss a couple more weeks before he is back. I'd take that Rockets roster any day.

While Harden is putting up okay assist numbers, he is as selfish a player as there is in the NBA. I saw a stat the other day that said on his last 150 points, he has been assisted on 0 of them. You may read that and say, well no one is passing him the ball, false, he is dribbling the clock down and jacking up threes that somehow are going in. He is a ball stopper and he is a ball hog. The records also, at this same time 2 years ago when Westbrook was the MVP, are almost exactly the same. But where Harden gets credit, Westbrook got blasted. That is so unfair.

The biggest shit talkers are every single basketball writer and podcaster at The Ringer, especially their owner, Bill Simmons. Look, I get it, you guys very much dislike Westbrook. But you have got to stop making excuses for Harden because you like him. These guys and girls have trashed Westbrook since he won the MVP, but when Harden plays the exact same way, they love it. It is clear this company hates the Thunder. I mean, Simmons won't shut up about the Harden trade, which seems like a million years ago. He has KD on his podcast so much, that was one of the reasons I stopped listening to it. Simmons is a star chaser, except when it comes to Westbrook. Other writers at The Ringer always bring up how great Harden has been this past month, then I think they feel like they need to trash Westbrook just because they can.

The biggest indictment of this whole Harden Westbrook debate is something that Simmons and his buddy Joe House kept saying 2 years ago. They said anyone that voted for Westbrook as MVP was "basketball pervert". Well, if you guys thought we who rode the bus for Westbrook are "basketball perverts". what does that make you guys this year with Harden? I think that makes you, in your own words, "basketball perverts". Oh, and I cannot forget that Simmons said on "The Lowe Post" that he is more impressed by guys that average 27 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. I believe he called it "The LeBron". Well dip shit, Westbrook, and for that matter, your boy Harden, are averaging more in all three categories. How dumb are you? How out of touch do you have to be? What happened to you as a credible writer? I'd much rather have the guys that average a triple double, or 40 points per game.

While I think Harden, where we stand right now, is the MVP, I also think these journalists need to lay the hell off of Westbrook. It was 2 years ago. Harden won his MVP. And what Westbrook did hadn't been done since Oscar Robertson was in the league. Journalists are supposed to be unbiased, and a lot of you are being exposed now. Get over it. Westbrook deserved his MVP, and if Harden keeps this up, he will deserve it too. I just want you shills to admit that he is a pain to watch, that he is selfish and that he is a better scoring, but worse passing and rebounding version of Russell Westbrook.

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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Better Late Than Never on "Isle of Dogs"

I'm writing earlier than usual today because I literally just finished watching the movie "Isle of Dogs", and I have some thoughts.

I'm a Wes Anderson fan. I like pretty much all of his movies, save for maybe "Darjeeling Limited", but even that movie has its moments. I was first introduced to Anderson by RD, when he showed me the classic movie "Rushmore". I was immediately in love. The way he shot and directed the movie, that is how I like my independent comedies. A little dark, but usually with a fairly happy ending. After "Rushmore" I dug very deep into the world of Wes Anderson. I watched his first movie "Bottle Rocket" next. That is a great, very underrated movie. Then I saw "Royal Tenenbaums". That is, not only one of his best movies, but one of the best movies ever made. It is nearly perfect. RD and I then saw "Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" on Christams day in 2004. I think that is a very solid movie. It doesn't get the love his other movies do, but I enjoyed it. My wife and I, who at the time was my girlfriend, watched "Fantastic Mr Fox". That movie is an achievement. It was so cool. The stop motion was neat and the story was great. My wife and I, to this day, still walk around the house saying, "I'm more of an athlete" all the time. We then sat down a few years later and watched "Moonrise Kingdom". That is one of the sweetest movies ever. It is also a great story about childhood. I'd take "Moonrise Kingdom" any day over "Boyhood". I then watched "Grand Budapest Hotel" by myself in the theaters. That movie is cool. It is neat to look at, the story is fun and it is very adventurous. I also love the detail that went into it. I liked it so much that I convinced my wife to watch it on a flight we were on to Mexico for our anniversary.

Then I kind of forgot about Anderson. He didn't make anything for a couple years. I remember seeing the preview for "Isle of Dogs", but I never got the chance to see it in the theaters. Luckily I have HBO, and I was up early today and it was on. I watched it before taking my son to school, and I really, really, really liked it a lot.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, because Anderson is a writer and director I have come to really enjoy, I think "Isle of Dogs" is his best movie. And this is not recency bias. While watching "Isle of Dogs" I thought about his other movies, and while some may be better in smaller aspects, I feel like "Isle of Dogs" is the perfect amalgamation of everything that Anderson is, and wants to be, as a director and writer. First of all, he goes back to the stop motion that made "Fantastic Mr Fox" so cool. Except in "Isle of Dogs" I think it looks so much better done. He really honed his skills and the people that worked on this movie with him are really good technicians. The dogs looked real. Their fur, when the wind would blow, looked just like my dog when he rides in the car with me and I have the windows down. The humans in the movie looked real too. They didn't have that Claymation feel that so many stop motion movies have. Sure they had wild hair and wild costumes, but they looked like real people. The voice work in this movie is amazing too. The people Anderson got are all amazing. He has his usual people, like Edward Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Harvey Keitel and F Murray Abraham. But the people he added to the cast are a who's who. Frances McDormand, Liev Schreiber, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Courtney B Vance and Bryan Cranston. And they were great. Cranston is the voice of the main dog and he is tremendous. Vance as the narrator of the story was the perfect person to tell this story. He has a great voice for a role like this. McDormand as a translator was so good too.

That was another thing I loved about this movie. It takes place in the future in Japan, and the Japanese people in the movie are voiced by Japanese people, and then the dialogue is translated via text or people playing translators. And the kid who plays the main human, Atari, voiced by Koyu Rankin, is so easy to root for. Yoko Ono plays a voice of a scientist in the movie. The evil mayor, Kobayashi, voiced by Kunichi Nomura, was so threatening, but does have a heart of gold. The real bad guy, Major Domo, voiced by Akira Takayama, was so scary my kids were afraid to watch when he was onscreen. He was phenomenal.

Which leads me to the story of this movie, and what I interpreted it as. This movie is about classism and judging one without really knowing them. Sure, the main characters are dogs, but that doesn't mean you cannot tell a story like that. And the way Anderson pulls it off is glorious. The mayor sending these dogs to "Trash Island" because he believes them to be "bad dogs", just casting them aside, was so sad. Funny thing about that, I could see our current "government" doing something very similar. Hell, they already are trying to do this, separating families at the border like a bunch of terrorists. Looking at this "fake" government in "Isle of Dogs" was so eerily similar to what the real "government" is trying to do right now. Anderson drew a perfect parallel. Then, to see the dogs side of the story, it was just amazing. To see them trying to survive, to hear their stories, to see some of them thrive, it was great. Also, seeing the opposition's story, which included the mayor's "son", had me wanting to start a revolution myself. I love to see the resistance win, and they certainly win in "Isle of Dogs".

I feel like this movie is the best work that Anderson has done to date. I have zero problems with it. I want to watch it a million more times. I do not think I will ever grow tired of it. I have a newfound respect for my dog after seeing it. I want to treat people better, not that I was treating anyone bad, after seeing this movie. The movie also makes me like Anderson even more. I don't care if that makes me sound pretentious either, the dude makes good to great movies pretty much all the time. I almost wish I had seen it prior to this morning because it definitely would have made my best of 2018.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to make a movie about his dog, but the only compelling drama he could find is when Charlie spent ten minutes going in a circle looking for a place to pee.

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Ty Watches "Those Who Can't" Season 3

I promised I would do three reviews of new seasons of three shows on Tru TV and today I come to you with the third.

I have been on the "Those Who Can't" bandwagon since season 1. I think this show is hilarious, I love the actors, the writing is superb and the show is just super enjoyable. This Monday they had their season three premiere, and it did not disappoint. This show is good. It is also underrated too. It doesn't get talked about nearly as much as it should. The three creators of the show, Adam Cayton-Holland, Ben Roy and Andrew Overdahl, clearly have some spent some kind of time as a teacher in high school, be it as a full time or sub, and on "Those Who Can't", they tell those stories hilariously. Adam Cayton-Holland, as Spanish teacher Loren Payton, is hilarious as the laid back, doesn't give a damn high school teacher we all had. He would rather be battle rapping, proposing to a stripper or pulling pranks than teaching a class. He is great. Ben Roy, as Billy Shoemaker, is the wannabe badass who is really just a wimp at heart. This season he also has a pony tail, which made for a ton of great pun work in the season three premiere. And Andrew Overdahl, as Coach Principal Fairbell, is the dumb dumb. He is gullible, wants to please his friends and loves to coach volleyball. He also was hilarious in the premiere. When he has to fire someone, it is just a wonderful scene. And the other regulars on the show, be it Maria Thayer as Abbey or Sonya Eddy as Tammy or Susie Essman as art teacher Leslie Bronn or Rich Fulcher as Trebin, they are all great. They are all funny. They all play their roles to perfection. Thayer is a total pushover that doesn't know it. She is a great comedic actress. Eddy is so so so good as the principal's assistant. She is the true badass on the show. Essman is conniving and mean, but also just wants to help some people out. Fulcher is hilarious as the teacher that just wants to be part of the gang. They also added Jerry Minor as the guidance counselor this season, and if the premiere is any indication of his role, he is going to be a great addition. I'm curious to see if Kyle Kinane, the Sklar Brothers and Rory Scovel come back this season. I'm sure they will, but time will tell.

"Those Who Can't" is a great comedic representation of life in high school for the teachers. The show might be the best representation of how teachers really feel about their jobs and their lives. It is a great show, and I want more people to watch it so it gets another season. I'm glad it is back, and I'm stoked to see how season three unfolds. Tru TV has done it again.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is happy the “noble” profession of teaching is getting the take down it deserves. Can we do doctors and lawyers next?

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Ty Watches "Jon Glaser Loves Gear" Season 2

Another day, another review of a Tru TV show.

I'm a big time Jon Glaser fan. I pretty much adore everything he is in. He has this very odd sense of humor that's just my style. He is, hot take here, the best thing about one of my all time favorite shows, "Parks and Rec". So, when I heard that Tru TV was giving his show, "Jon Glaser Loves Gear" a second season, needless to say I was stoked.

The first season of the show, which I have written about, was weird, funny, informative and so perfectly Jon Glaser. I did not think they would do a second season due to many different reasons. The first season kind of put a pin on everything. I knew no one else that watched the show. My wife watched one episode with me and thought it was bizarre. I even had the thought of, how could they do more.

Well, they figured it out. The season 2 premiere, which was on right after "I'm Sorry", Wednesday night is fast becoming one of my favorite nights for TV, was incredible. And it brought all the oddity and weirdness and hilarity from season one. The premiere started like most episodes, where Glaser says he is going to talk about volleyball equipment. We never hear about volleyball equipment again after the very first scene. Instead, the show decides to go in a different direction, taking more of a darker comedic tone. The executives behind the show decide they want Glaser's sidekick, Steve, to be the host. They tell Glaser that viewers like him more, he is more informative, personable and just seems a better fit. Glaser does not take this news well at all. He wants to be the star. They tell him he can still be in the show, but he is now the sidekick. We then cut to Glaser talking to Steve in his office, and he tells him a complete lie. He says that the people don't want him on the show, but he fought for him. All he has to do is take on a seemingly undoable outdoor task in the frigid cold. Glaser makes it all up, but Steve, being the perfect sidekick, says he will do it because Jon fought so hard for him. From here on out, we get scenes of Glaser hanging out with his hired family, that are paid to only give him compliments. We see Glaser try to take on Steve's persona, including wearing a bald cap, fake tattoos and joining a cross fit gym. We also get Glaser saying his final good bye to Steve when they trudge out to the forest.

Here we meet Steve's answer to Geari, for those that may not know, Geari is Glaser's gear version of Siri, Droney. Droney is a female drone that will document Steve's journey. Geari immediately falls in love. Some things happen from here on out that spell doom for Steve. I will not go into too much, but there is a funeral for someone who may not be dead. Glaser also goes on a mission to find a newer, seemingly weaker sidekick. He picks his real life son's camp counselor, who clearly wants no part of it. All the while he is still wearing the bald cap and trying to be like Steve.

This premiere is what I love about this show, and the fact that Tru TV gave Glaser this second season. The show is nonsensical in all the right ways. Every time he yells "GEEEEAAAARRRRR!" into the megaphone, I laugh. I know it's coming, and I still laugh. All the little side notes, saying what kind of coat, or knife or tattooing device or hair clippers that get used in the show were so unimportant, yet I found myself thinking, man I'd like to get some of that stuff. And it is all helmed by the genius that is Glaser. While "JGLG" may not be as good as "Delocated" or "Neon Joe Werewolf Hunter", I still really find myself enjoying this show. It is fun and weird and a great way to spend a half an hour. I'm excited to see where they go with the new Steve story line, and I know there will be some new, even funnier stuff in the second season. Tru TV,

I said it yesterday, and I will say it again today, is picking some great, under the radar people to helm their shows, and for people like me, it is working. This is another homerun from the network. Keep it up Tru TV.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has just recently gotten into volleyball, and really could have used some pointers on good volleyball gear. Oh well, maybe next time

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Cloves and Fedoras: Seriously, Go Check Out the Awesome Comedy "I'm Sorry"

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

The next three days I am going to be talking about the new seasons of three shows on Tru TV. Tru TV is starting to put out shows helmed by comedians and writers that I really enjoy. It is pretty cool that they are giving these people a shot, and I have loved the material so far. The first show I want to talk about is the absolute best of the bunch.

"I'm Sorry" might be my new favorite show on TV. Sure, "Atlanta" is a better overall show, but in watchability and enjoyment, "I'm Sorry" is second to none. My wife and I rammed through season one after I heard creator Andrea Savage talk about the show on a podcast. I have always been a fan of hers, and my wife is just the same. She thinks Savage is hilarious and relatable. I agree. Season one of the show, I have written about it before, was excellent. My wife and I watched the full season three times. Everything about season one was just perfect. So when we heard that it was picked up for a second season, we were stoked. We would watch all the trailers that started to come out about a month ago. I would tell my wife about certain things, pertaining to the show, that Savage was tweeting about. We were very anxious for the second season to come out because we love this show so very much. And last Wednesday we finally got the second season premiere.

“I’m Sorry” crushed it once again. The show is just as funny, if not funnier, than season one. What I love, as I said before, the show is relatable, especially for a married couple with kids. That was a main through line for season one, and their daughter going to kindergarten was the main plot line of the season 2 premiere. We just went through that same thing one year ago. Our son is now in first grade, so seeing Savage interact with her friends who have kids going to the same school, it was like looking in a mirror. And the whole interaction about the teachers, my god was that hilarious because it is what all parents do.

Savage makes it so much more funny because she is a brilliant comedic writer. The cast around her is dynamite. Tom Everett Scott, who you all might remember from "That Thing You Do", is so great as her husband. The scene where he wears a tank top is comedy gold. Also, when he sees Andrea's mom's nipple, just so, so funny. Andrea's mom, played by Kathy Baker, is the perfect and typical grand parent. She lets Amelia, played by Olive Petrucci, get away with everything. And the aforementioned nipple scene, she does some great things with that. Also, the back and forth between Andrea and her daughter, after her parents tell her to make friends and hang out with older kids, about periods and pubic hair was amazing. It is a conversation I know is coming to me, so to see it portrayed on a great show like "I'm Sorry" almost makes me feel prepared. Almost. And then there is one of my favorites, Jason Mantzoukas. He plays Andrea's writing partner on the show, and he is a delight. He is essentially playing himself, and he, of course, crushes it. When Andrea asks him how much he thinks she could make as a prostitute, which is another excellent minor story point in the premiere, the back and forth between them rivals the conversation she had with her daughter earlier. Mantzoukas is a treasure.

The only bad thing I have to say is, I wish I could watch the whole season right now. I don't want to wait week to week. Being able to consume all of season one in 2 days was almost the wrong thing to do. I love this show so much that I want to devour it all as soon as possible. Other than that, this show is perfect. I'm very excited to see where season 2 takes us. But I know, wherever it goes, it is going to be great because Savage is awesome.

Everyone should be watching this show. "I'm Sorry" is one of the best things on TV right now. It is a gem.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. We said it last time and we will say it again. Ty is a big supporter of shows married couples can watch together. Shows like "The Red Shoe Diaries", "Coed Confidential", and "The Erotic Traveler".

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Ty Watches "Bandersnatch"

Okay, I have now watched “Bandersnatch” 3 times. I’ve seen, at least I think I have, all 5 endings and I have some thoughts. First things first, just like my “Bird Box” review, this is going to be as spoiler free as possible. Okay, let’s get into it.

I need to say right off the bat, I LOVED “Bandersnatch”. I am a “Black Mirror” apologist, and I will never say a bad thing about the show. That being said, the show is amazing, so that will never be a problem for me. With “Bandersnatch”, I was completely fascinated, and totally engaged every time I’ve watched it. I really think the writing was exceptional. The acting was tremendous. The “choose your own adventure” aspect of it, for someone that has never experienced that, was awesome. Sure it could be a bit overwhelming at times, but that never took me out of it. The story that is the basis of this, I don’t know if I should call it a movie or an episode, maybe a “moviesode” we will go with I guess, was dark and bleak and everything I want from “Black Mirror”. The idea of creating a computer game in the 80’s is fascinating to me. I like to see the old tech compared to the new age stuff. I like to see how it used to be done. I also like, and appreciate, how the writers of the show are able to show us the bad side of technology in all decades. I feel like that is one of “Black Mirror”s main objectives, and they nailed it again in “Bandersnatch”.

As for the performances, man where they excellent. Will Poulter, as Colin Ritman, the genius game maker, was outstanding. I don’t get the hate that he is getting online. He was outstanding. I really loved his performance, especially his monologue when he and the main kid were tripping on acid. Craig Parkinson, who is the main character’s dad, was so good. He had this subtle way in his performance that almost made me feel bad for him, even though he may be a monster. Alice Lowe as the therapist was totally believable. I completely bought her as a psychiatrist. She pulled it off.

But the star, and rightfully so, was Fionn Whitehead as Stefan. He’s the main character and he was outstanding. The way he showed his character’s slip onto insanity was so good. I mean, it felt real, no matter what path you chose for him. To think that he had to act it out in so many different ways, to do all this different stuff, it is truly remarkable. That is a big time credit to his ability as an actor. And he was amazing. To see him go through all that was, it was just, WOW. To watch him deteriorate as a person, Whitehead really crushed the performance.

As far as the story goes, I liked the basic through line in all the various ways the story could go. It was essentially about our free will as people, and while free will may or may not be a thing, “Bandersnatch” did a great job of showing how we use, and let others, control it. Giving the viewer the choices, and having Stefan yell at the viewer from time to time was so cool and new and interesting. I continue to be blown away that “Black Mirror” can still surprise me. How they can still make me think. How they can still make me pore over episodes for days. How they can make me want to go back and watch episodes multiple times, it’s amazing.

I love “Black Mirror”, and in turn, I love “Bandersnatch”. I’m also definitely not done watching the “moviesode”, not by a long shot. I still have a whole lot to unpack in my mind. I feel like I will watch it a ton leading up to the new season, whenever that comes. For the time being though, “Bandersnatch” is a work of art. It needs to be seen by everyone. The choose your own adventure aspect is worth it alone. It’s tremendous, like everything else “Black Mirror” does.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He sometimes writes his articles as a choose your own adventure. Being a stay at home dad gives him a captive audience to help craft his masterpieces of blogging.

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What are the Jets and Cardinals Thinking?

artist depiction of Ty trying to make sense of the new NFL coaches

I need to watch "Bandersnatch" one more time before I write about it, there is a ton to unpack. But I promise that will be coming to you guys tomorrow. With that being said, I do need to talk about some more NFL coaching news. I said what I had to say about Matt LaFleur and the Packers yesterday. But, there are 2 more hires that have me even more startled and flabbergasted than LaFluer to Green Bay. The 2 in question you ask, Adam Gase to the Jets and, even worse, Kliff Kingsbury to Arizona.

Lets unpack the Gase hiring first. I know that he has somewhat of a background in offense, but you are going to go with a guy that has an overall losing record in his career as a head coach and struggled mightily in Miami the past 2 years? Why? How is this any different than what they have done the past 3 years with Todd Bowles? Hell, I think Bowles is a better head coach, who was put in a horrible situation. I assumed, much like a lot of other people, that the Jets would go with one of these young offensive gurus. Hell, I even read all the stuff about them willing to give Jim Harbaugh a "offer he couldn't refuse", like they're the god damn mafia or something. But no, they went with a guy with a career record of 23-25. A guy that couldn't develop Ryan Tannehill, although I don't think anyone really can. A guy that way overused a future hall of fame running back in Frank Gore. And a guy that couldn't get his defense to stop anyone. This is odd. As I said, I figured they'd go with a young offensive guy, or even a veteran coach with a slight background in offense. I thought they were primed to hire someone that has worked with Sean McVay, like his QB coach. Or I thought they would try and lure Josh McDaniels. I thought maybe they would go after a college coach with a high octane offense. Or, which if they had done this I would have cracked up, Mike McCarthy. But they chose Gase. I feel like anyone of the people I mentioned would have been a better hire, especially for Sam Darnold. He is young, but I feel like he has a bright future that will now be stunted. Gase is going to want to do the whole ball control thing and win ugly. That is not what the Jets need. They need to let Darnold fling it, take some lumps on the way and turn into the type of QB you can build an offense around. Hiring Gase is more likely to push Darnold's emergence back for awhile. I don't think it is too much to say that it may even ruin him. This is a head scratcher.

But what the Cardinals did may be the worst hire of the entire offseason. I usually don't agree with Stephen A Smith, pretty much never, but I do think he is right that this is a bad hire. He took it a bit too far, but his main idea behind his insane rant, I agree with. What has Kingsbury done in his entire coaching career to merit a job as an NFL head coach? He went 35-40 in his career at Texas Tech. He has had 3 straight losing seasons. And it's not like he is playing in the SEC. Texas Tech is a Big 12 team. Sure, they would start the year strong, but that would be against far inferior opponents. When they had to play the Oklahoma's and Texas' and even the Kansas State's of the world, his "explosive" offense was shut down. They couldn't do a thing against a semi competent defense. But he somehow turned that into a NFL head coaching job. What makes this hire even odder, he had to resign from USC as their OC just to get an interview. It wasn't a given that he would get the job, but he quit anyway just to interview. But, to make it more and more weird, it seems Arizona was just waiting for him to quit to interview him and give him the job. I mean, what the hell?! I know he coached Patrick Mahomes in college, but that was college. I know he pushed Baker Mayfield out of Tech for a different QB, but so what. I know he has ties to Sean McVay. But a NFL head coach he is not.

Also, I do not think his offense will translate to the NFL. I know that the NFL has become obsessed with the college game, and the wide open spread passing attacks, but what team in the NFL truly plays that way that is any good? Sure, the Browns started to play the spread a bit more after Hue Jackson got fired, but they finished with a losing record. The Ravens added some spread elements when Lamar Jackson took over, but they got bounced in the first round, and as much as I like Jackson, and think he will be a star, he fumbled far, far too much. Some may say the Rams run it, they do not. The Rams like to run the ball with Gurley to open the pass game. Everything goes through their running back. The only team left in the playoffs that run some form of spread is the Chiefs. But, they have a multitude of weapons. They have the right speed guys. They run the ball and they use the tight end. Who does Arizona have besides Josh Rosen, who I have already read that they may be willing to trade so they can take Kyler Murray? They have David Johnson, but he is not the same guy after his injury. He just doesn't have that explosiveness that he did 3 years ago. I love love love Larry Fitzgerald, but I think he might be older than me, and in NFL years he may as well be 100. Outside of those guys, I cannot think of one solid offensive NFL player. Their defense, especially if they trade Patrick Peterson, and I hope they do for his sake, is bad. And Kingsbury doesn't care about defense anyway.

This hire reminds me a ton of when Washington hired Steve Spurrier, except Spurrier actually won double digit games year after year and he won national titles. Kingsbury never did that. But Spurrier was supposed to revolutionize the game. And when they exploded in his preseason debut, everyone thought the game was going to change. I don't remember, did that happen? Did Spurrier win a bunch of games and super bowl's? Did he coach a ton of MVP's? Did he even last three years? No, no and no. And Kingsbury is a far inferior coach compared to Spurrier. This is bizarre. I cannot believe a team that I kind of like would hire such a poor coach to run their team. This is going to blow up in their face for sure. I'm certain he won't make it through his entire contract. Kliff Kingsbury is the new Lane Kiffin. He is failing upwards and it is puzzling. I'm shocked by this. It will never, ever make sense to me. What a weird thing to do.

The Packers made a strange hire, and then the Jets made a stranger one, and then the Cardinals upped them all and made the strangest of head coaching hires. To quote the great Vince Lombardi, “What the hell is going on out here”.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is waiting for the Cincinnati Bengals to make all these hires look good when they bring in the top Madden player to run their squad.

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What are the Packers Thinking?

Artist depiction of Ty watching Packer’s games the next few years

The Packers hired a new head coach. I thought the search would go on a bit longer, but they "jumped" at the chance to hire Tennessee offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur.

I don't really know how I feel about this hire. I have gone back and forth since it was made official on Monday. Even last night when my wife asked me how I felt about it, I couldn't give her a real answer. I talked to my dad about it over coffee today, he is the reason I am a Packers fan, and I feel like we both came to a consensus.

We are not a fan of this hire.

Don't get me wrong, I like that they are trying to get a younger, offensive minded coach, but Matt LaFleur was the best they could do? I mean, what about Mike Munchak or someone from the Rams offensive staff or even a college coach? Why LaFleur? I made it clear a few weeks back, when they fired McCarthy, I wanted them to go after John Harbaugh or Bruce Arians. The Harbaugh thing was a pipe dream. I'm pretty sure he is going to stay in Baltimore, especially with the late choice to start Lamar Jackson. They have something real going on there. And Arians said he was only open to Cleveland, and then, all of the sudden the Buccaneers come from nowhere and he takes that job. It is mind boggling. I will say, I am glad that they stayed off the Josh McDaniels train. He would be just as certain to bail on that job just like he did to the Colts last year. I did not want them to even interview him. And after his comments yesterday, saying that he was staying in New England, it made me even happier that they didn't hire him.

With all that being said, and thought about for 2 days, I am still not on board with LaFleur. Sure, he was the QB coach when Matt Ryan won his MVP award. And yes, he was on the same staff as Sean McVay, and, by all reports, was just as smart as every other coach in the room. But when he was on his own as the OC in Tennessee, he did not do great. It actually looked like the Titans regressed. Marcus Mariota did not get much better. In fact, he was either hurt, or was throwing 6 yard passes. The run game was better, Derrick Henry had a pretty good season, but Green Bay doesn't have a running back on Henry's level. I like Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones, but they aren't even in the top 20 of backs in the league.

Then we have the whole Aaron Rodgers conundrum. He is one of the best QB's in the league, that is not debatable. He can throw anyone open. He makes the pinpoint throws. He has turned marginal guys into production guys. Davante Adams and Donald Driver and Jordy Nelson, while solid receivers, they are not Julio Jones or Calvin Johnson or even Juju Smith Schuster. That is my biggest area of concern with this hire. I feel like the Packers are fine on offense. They had a rougher year than usual, but they are fine, as long as they have Rodgers.

The biggest problem with this team is the defense. That is why I wanted Harbaugh or Arians. They have good offensive minds, but they are defense first. So with the 2 of them out of the picture, why not a guy like Brian Flores or Vic Fangio? I wanted them to go defense with the head coach, and then let that guy hire a solid, young offensive coordinator. They could do the opposite of what the Rams did. They hired a young offensive guru, and then let him hire a great D coordinator to run that unit. The Packers should have done that, but hired a defensive minded head coach and let him go out and hire a young offensive guru. Hell, I would have been happy if they hired Fangio, and he went out and nabbed LaFleur as his OC for the team. But the Packers wanted to do the modernized offense thing, and I feel like this is going to go badly for them. I don't feel like a guy like LaFleur will be able to enter the facility and be taken seriously as a head coach. I feel like Rodgers is going to be that guy, and that is no good. I don't like when a player has to be the leader on the field and in the locker room and the film room. It's too much.

I hope I am wrong and LaFleur is the next Sean McVay, but I don't think that will happen. We will see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is looking forward to see who the other head coachless teams get. There is no way the Cincinnati Bengals will get a better name than Green Bay. Right?

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Clemson is the New Alabama

Last night was an absolute bloodbath in the College Football Playoff title game. And the team I thought would be putting on that beating, I was very, very wrong. I made no secrets about my thoughts on this Alabama team. I thought they were unbeatable. I wasn't one of those idiots that thought they could beat an NFL team, but I thought no one, including Clemson, would beat them in college. They appeared invincible. They ran rough shed through their regular season schedule. The only game they really struggled with was Georgia in the SEC title game, but they still won that one fairly easily in the end.

What I failed to realize was the fact that Clemson was doing the exact same thing all year. They also had one tough game, Syracuse, but they pulled away from that one late as well. As far as the rest of the their schedule, it was a cakewalk. Even when they played ranked teams, they crushed them. I was also a little skeptical of them starting Trevor Lawrence when they did, I am a Kelly Bryant fan. Well, I was completely, and absolutely wrong. Starting Trevor Lawrence was the exact right thing to do. Clearly the coaches knew something that not many other writers and bloggers did. Sure, Lawrence was a 5 star, top QB recruit in the country, but Bryant led this same team to the playoff last year, and he started out the year just fine. I was a bit stunned, and didn't question Bryant's decision to transfer at all.

But man oh man did this Lawrence kid look phenomenal in the 2 playoff games, the only 2 I saw him play in this year. He carved up what was supposed to be a top defense in Notre Dame in the semi final game. He had all kinds of time in the pocket, found the open receiver every time and shredded them. He did this, and so, so much more last night against a much, much better Alabama team. I mean, he looked like he was a fifth year senior out there. He was hitting all the open receivers. He was making pinpoint throws. He ran the read option perfectly. I have not seen a kid this good in my lifetime. Sure, Peyton Manning and Brian Griese and Tom Brady and Cam Newton and Deshaun Watson and so on and so forth were all great. At this very moment, Lawrence is already better, and he isn't even 20 yet. I can't believe he has to play 2 more years of college football. That would be like forcing this Zion Williamson kid to play three years at Duke. Lawrence is as ready for the pros, probably more so, than any of the underclassmen this year that declared for the draft. He is astounding.

All the praise doesn't belong solely to Lawrence. His receivers, his big time guy, are mostly underclassmen. The dude he hit for the 74 yarder to blow open the game is a true freshman as well. He has to play 2 more years of college football before he goes pro. Their running back, Travis Etienne, is only a sophomore. He struggled at first, but when he needed to pull off big gainers, he did. He ended the game with solid stats. He is also an excellent pass catcher. They also have a stable of guys behind him ready to go. Their O line was amazing. They protected the QB and opened up holes in the later stages of the game for the running backs to ice this game away. And that defense, which I have loved all year, made play after plays last night. Sure, they gave up nearly 400 yards of offense, but they held Alabama to 16 points, and zero in the second half. They had multiple goal line stands. They picked off the Alabama QB twice. They pressured him all night. And they were missing their star D lineman, and they didn't play the perfect game. And they still dominated what was supposed to be one of college football's most explosive offenses.

I have watched a good amount of Alabama this year, and that was the worst I have seen them play ever. They looked confused, slow, out manned and like the inferior team. It was astounding. Every time they cut to Saban's face, I was cracking up at how upset and outcoached he was. He is not used to this. He is like a human cheat code due to his dominance. That all shifted last night. Dabo Swinney and staff made him look like a third or fourth year coach. Saban is the greatest coach in college football history, but Swinney is now starting to join that conversation as well. I mean, he destroyed what many thought was one of Alabama's best offenses ever. He also exploited their suspect defense, with a true freshman QB. As much as I may dislike Swinney's fake "good old boy" shtick, I loved watching him never, ever take his foot off the gas. He wanted to shove it in Alabama and Nick Saban's face that he was the better coach with the better team last night. And he proved it.

This is the shift in college football. This is now the time that Clemson takes over as the dominant program in college football. As I said, they get the majority of this team back for the next three years. They are going to dominate the game for the time being. They are the Warriors of college football. They are the new Alabama. They are the best team, and will continue to be as long as Lawrence and Swinney and Brent Venables and Etienne and their deep, deep crop of super talented and very tall receivers are still there. And they have a top recruiting class year after year after year. They will continue to pull in top tier guys. Clemson is the new dynasty. They are the new rulers of college football. They are the force to be reckoned with, and they made that statement very loud and clear with the way they dominated Alabama last night.

That was as eye opening a beating as I have ever seen. Clemson put on a show last night, and the college football watching public needs to get used to them being the best of the best. That is where they are now, if they weren't already. Clemson is amazing.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is looking forward to the day when he can tell his kids about a time before only Alabama and Clemson being the National Champion every year.

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Ty Watches "Bird Box"

So my wife and I sat down and finally watched "Bird Box". We wanted to see what all the fuss was about. She said people were talking about it at work, and she felt a bit left out. I have heard some of my buddies talk about it, so I also felt a bit left out. I have also seen all the memes and gifs and stuff on social media mentioning this movie. A lot of the social media stuff had to do with sports, so I was getting even more frustrated because I just didn't get it. So we put the kids to bed on Saturday night a little early, and we put the movie on.

First things first, this review will be spoiler free. It is going to be spoiler free because I feel like people should really check this movie out. But even before I get into it, I do need to yell at everyone on social media for not informing me how sad this movie is. I expected it to be scary, which it is. But, this movie is depressing as hell. I mean, my wife was sobbing at points. I was holding back all of my tears. I had to cover my face several times because I do not like to cry in front of her. We were both emotionally drained at the end of the movie. So this is my way of letting anyone know that hasn't seen the movie yet, and only expect it to be a horror movie, and they want to watch it, it is also super sad and super depressing. You will cry, and you will be upset. Just a warning.

Getting to the review now. "Bird Box" is excellent. I didn't really know what to expect, stayed away from all the stuff, with the exception of the memes and what not. But what I saw, I really, really liked. It was suspenseful and scary and well told and greatly acted and brilliantly directed. I have no real problems with the movie at all. Sandra Bullock is wonderful in this movie. She acted the hell out of this role. I totally bought pretty much everything about her role. She was awesome. The other people in the movies, Sarah Paulson, John Malkovich, Trevante Rhodes, Jackie Weaver and Lil Rel Howery, among others, were great as well. Paulson as Bullock's sister was perfect in her minimal role. Malkovich is a total dickhead, and he has every right to be. Rhodes, who was so awesome in "Moonlight" as well, was great as the love interest/badass with a heart of gold. Weaver is good as the house mom after the apocalyptic event takes place. And Lil Rel, in a not so comedic role, just keeps winning me over with performances like this and his character in "Get Out".

What I really loved about "Bird Box" was how the people all reacted to the event. Something crazy happens, again I do not want to spoil anything and it causes people to do unthinkable stuff against their will. The people who end up in the house, not yet effected, each have different ways of dealing with it. It was pretty well done to see how each one dealt. Some were strong, others were scared, others were mad, others were ready to let it go. It was great. It also made me think of how I would react in a similar scenario.(I would not last long, which my wife and dad agreed with) Aside from that, pretty much anything else I tell you would be a spoiler.

This movie needs to be seen. I have now, and I will never, ever watch it again, but I am glad I did. This is a cultural phenomena, and I wanted to be part of it. I wanted to be able to talk about it. Also, Sandra Bullock, like I said before, was outstanding. The only person, and my wife disagrees with me here, that I thought did a better job in a similar movie was Emily Blunt in "A Quiet Place". But, they both crushed it. I would hope that Bullock would get some kind of awards consideration for this role. She is that good.

"Bird Box" is great, you should see it, you should be prepared to be scared and sad, and prepare yourself to be thinking about it for days. It is the type of movie that stays with you for days, in a good way. "Bird Box" is a must see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is back on the Netflix bandwagon now that he has seen a good movie. The last one he saw did not make him hopeful for future films from the streaming giant.

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The Best Podcasts of 2018

Wrapping up my best of 2018 lists I am going to do my top 5 podcasts/moments. This has been a great year for podcasts. They are booming. This is the new thing for the younger generation. Podcast are the new talk radio. I love them myself. They are great. Anyway, lets do this.

At number 5 I have the day that I decided to stop listening to "The Bill Simmons Podcast". His "style" just got on my nerves far too much, and I was fed up. I don't remember exactly what he was talking about, I'm sure it was Boston related, and I just said aloud, "I'm done". After that I immediately removed his podcast from my library, and I haven't looked back. Ever since he started his own company, he has tried to act younger, hipper, cooler. It doesn't work. He is an old man. He still lives in the 80's when it comes to sports. His writing has completely regressed. His podcasting has gotten even worse. Also, he does the same thing over and over and over again. I cannot do another podcast with him totally sucking up to KD. We get it, you hate the Thunder, and now that KD is gone, you feel like he is your buddy. He's not. Also, all the Patriots shit is tired and loathsome. He is a shill. He may as well work for the Celtics and Patriots. I still listen to some Ringer shows, they have a few good ones, but I am totally done with "The Bill Simmons Podcast", and it feels great.

At number 4 I have the introduction of Gimlet Media to my life. My wife has a friend that works for Gimlet, she knows I like podcasts, and she recommend some she thought I would like that Gimlet produces. She was absolutely right. She first told us about "The Habitat". That was a homerun. Seriously people, go check that one out. I then started to listen to "Heavyweight", which makes me laugh, cry and feel for the people that the excellent host Johnathan Goldstein talks to each week of each season. This show is so perfect. It is like a nice warm shower after being out in the cold. Like a great cup of coffee after a long night. Like a perfectly cooked medium rare London broil steak for dinner. It is tremendous. And they just put out "Without Fail", hosted by Gimlet co founder Alex Bloomberg. He talks to people that have made it in the business/sports/computer/any big business type world. He also talks to some people that made it, then lost it, then made it again. It is so cool to hear these people's stories, and the way Bloomberg puts his spin on it makes the stories that much better. It is a great new show. Gimlet Media is awesome, and I love that I now know about it thanks to my wife's longtime friend.

At number 3 I have my own personal introduction to "Unspooled". I am a big Paul Scheer fan. I think he is a solid actor, and "How Did This Get Made" is one of the best podcasts ever. So when I heard him mention a new show when he was doing plugs on "HDGTM", where he would talk about good movies with film critic Amy Nicholson, I was intrigued. I downloaded the podcast, listened to the "2001: A Space Odyssey" episode first, and I have been hooked ever since. It is nice to hear Scheer talk about solid movies. It is even better to hear a person who gets paid to write and talk about movies, talk about these "classics". Amy Nicholson is a great, great critic. Her explanations of why she likes and dislikes these movies are excellent. I really enjoy this show, and I am now in the process of catching up on every episode, and it has made me watch certain movies I would have never thought to before. It's great.

At number 2 I have the "Comedy Bang! Bang!" Christmas episode. It is on here for one reason too. I love this episode. I love all the guests. I love that Jason Mantzoukas is always the co host because he always brings it. I also love that people like Jon Gabrus, Lauren Lapkus, Mary Holland and Paul F Thompkins, among others, always show up. But what made this specific episode so great was something I mentioned in my worst of 2018. If you remember, "CBB" did not do a Halloween episode, which meant no Leo Carpatzi. Well, he showed up, at the very end, of the Christmas episode. This was an almost 2 and a half hour long episode, and the last 14 minutes of it where the best. Carpatzi, played by Nick Wiger, showed up and said he had a new song. He always does that, and he always does his very NSFW version of "The Monster Mash". This time around he said the song was called "Happy Hauntedkah", which was his Hannukah/holiday song. Well, he got into the song, and it was just him doing, sorry mom and dad, "The Monster Fuck". It was as gross as ever. He made up some new lines, which were foul. And I loved every single second of it. It was hilarious. I was crying with laughter. It totally made up for the fact that there was no Halloween episode, because I got to hear Leo Carpatzi sing his famous song. It was amazing.

At number one I have a very personal reason for this being on top of the list. So, my wife's cousin introduced me to this new podcast "The Flagrant Ones". I have written about this podcast before, and that very blog is the reason this is my number one podcast moment of 2018. As I said, I wrote a review for this show about a month back, praising it. Well, on Thanksgiving, I was at lunch with my wife's family. Her cousin approached me and asked if I had heard the new episode yet. I told him no, but I was driving to Columbia later that day, and I was going to listen to it later. He told me to text him when I got to a very important part. He told me I would know what he was talking about. Well, I listened to the show, and about 20 minutes in, they read my review. They said my name. They said the website's name. They mocked me, which is what they do, but they also said very, very nice things. It was amazing. It is like when a band hears their song on the radio for the first time. This was my first single. The fact that three dudes that I admire in the world of comedy were reading my words and saying my name and saying the website's name was incredible. I will never forget this. It was the best. It was easily the best podcast moment of 2018 for me, and it wasn't even close.

There you have it, my best of 2018 lists. I hope you all had a great 2018, and an even better 2019. I'll be back to my regular schedule next week. Thanks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgets that the greatest podcast in all the world mentions Ty’s name and writing every week. I wonder what that podcast is called?

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

The Best in Sports of 2018

Day 4 of my best of 2018 lists brings on one of my favorite subjects, sports. I love sports. It is one of my most favorite things to do, watch and enjoy. There was a decent amount of sports stuff that happened this year, some good, some bad. I already got the bad out of the way, although I could spend an entire day talking about Michigan's horrific bowl appearance last Saturday, but that is another topic for another day. Today is all about the good I personally experienced in sports in 2018. Lets get to it.

At number 5 I have my first purchase of one of the greatest channels/sports packages that has ever existed, NBA League Pass. I love basketball, and in the past 5 years I have become obsessed again with the NBA. What makes League Pass so great is, I can watch every single game that I want. I can also record games that I want to watch the next day. I can also watch this super deep, super explosive group of rookies. I also get to see teams play that I haven't watched in years. I have seen more Sacramento Kings games so far this season than I have in the past decade. And they're fun to watch now too. Now that I am a Suns fan, with League Pass, I have been able to watch the majority of their games. They are not good, but they are my new team, and I want to get very acquainted with them, and so far, I have. I love it. I also love that I can watch any team, as I said before. With ESPN, NBA TV and TNT, we get the same teams. It's always the Warriors, Thunder, Celtics, Lakers and Rockets. I don't like any of those teams, save for the Thunder. But now, with League Pass, I can watch the previously mentioned Suns, the Bucks, the Trailblazers, the Magic and, if I really want a bad game, the Knicks or Hawks. It rules. I have also been able to see the great rookies. I've gotten to watch Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous Alexander and so on and so forth. It's awesome. I love League Pass. This channel will now be in my life forever.

At number 4 I have the past Super Bowl that featured the Eagles and Patriots. This game was devoid of defense, but it is always fun to see the Patriots get beat. And the way they lost the game was very gratifying for me. They could not stop Nick Foles. They made him look like a top 3 QB. The whole "Philly Special" play was awesome. But what made it even better was the fact that the Patriots tried a similar play, and it blew up in their face. And for those of you saying, "what about Tom Brady? He went to Michigan. Don't you love him?". No. When guys leave Michigan, yes I follow their careers, but I am a Packers fans. I loathe the Patriots. So to see them get beat, in agonizing fashion, was great. And do you know who strip sacked Brady to win the game? For those of you now possibly questioning my love for Michigan, it was a former Wolverine, Brandon Graham. Whenever the Patriots lose, 99 percent of the football watching public wins. That was definitely the case this past year. Congrats to the Eagles, and thanks for beating the Patriots en route to your first title in a long, long time.

At number 3 I have the College Football Playoff Final last year, when Alabama won in overtime over Georgia. Again, I don't like either of these teams, but this game was tremendous. It seemed like Georgia was really going to pull it off, leading by 2 scores for awhile. Then Jalen Hurts got hurt, and the legend of Tua Tiagaviola was born. I don't agree with how this kid was raised to play football, but he is a damn good football player, and he proved that in the title game last year. He was amazing. He made some incredible throws. He found open receivers where there were seemingly no open receivers. Georgia kept fighting, and when they pushed the game to OT, I thought they had a chance. When they kicked the field goal, then sacked Tiagaviola for a big loss, I thought they really had it. But then the long pass to Calvin Ridley happened. It was a beautiful throw, a great catch and sealed the win. It was a finish for the ages. I love college football, and even though the teams playing in the game are not my teams, I enjoy a good game. This title game was a great game. It was so much fun to watch. Hopefully the game this year will live up to the last title game.

At number 2 I have Michigan football's run through what was supposed to be their tough three game stretch this year. They had a "gauntlet" of games in early November. They had to travel to Michigan State, then play Wisconsin and Penn State at home in three consecutive weeks. Granted these teams weren't that good this year, but at the time, they were all top 20 teams. They struggled with MSU for a bit, but blew the game open in the second half. They only won by 2 scores, but they dominated that game. They held MSU to under 100 yards of offense. MSU had to put their backup QB in, and Michigan punished them. And it was in East Lansing. It was very satisfying. They then had a night game with Wisconsin. This game was close for a half, just like the MSU game, then Michigan really blew it open. The shut down Johnathan Taylor, and Shea Patterson and Karan Higdon completely took over. They owned that game. The defense also stepped up in a big way and made the Wisconsin QB's night awful. When Lavert Hill had that pick 6, I was able to relax because Michigan put the bow on a 38-13 win. Then there was the Penn State game. Penn State embarrassed Michigan last year, and they let them know it. Well, Michigan put it on them this year. They stopped anything and everything that punk ass Penn State QB tried to do. Michigan got in his head early and shut down any chance at a Heisman for that kid. Again, like the MSU game, PSU had to put in their backup. They said it was due to injury, but lets be honest, he was scared to get hit again. I loved that the defense was doing his celebration every time they sacked that QB. It made me happy. This was the one game where Michigan, from the start, stepped on a team's throat and refused to take their foot off. It was great. while the year didn't end like I hoped, I do have this three game stretch, and it was awesome.

But, at number one, I have the entire 2018 year for Michigan's basketball team. This has honestly been a very, very good year for Michigan basketball. First they won the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight year. They then pushed their way all the way to the title game in the NCAA tournament. I was shocked. They did get blown out in the title game. But, the fact they made the Final Four and the title game, for a team that I thought would only win 20 games, that was amazing for me to see. They really made the tournament fun for me to watch. Then they started out this season the way they have, and it has been awesome. I am worried every week that they will get beat, and they will, but for the time being, they are the number 2 team in the country, and they are undefeated. They have also beaten 3 top 20 teams in the process. They went to Villanova and hammered them. They really crushed them. They then had UNC at home in the ACC-Big Ten tournament. I thought this was going to be bad. It wasn't. They clamped down on D and they finally started to hit shots. It was awesome to see them shut down the team that I picked to be in the championship this season. Then, to open Big Ten play, they destroyed Purdue. They stopped the preseason Big Ten player of the year, Carsen Edwards. He couldn't do a thing. It was great. Since then they have continued to win, but it hasn't been pretty. I hope they continue this for a long time. I saw a stat somewhere that said they finished the year, 2018, with a record of 35-4. That is really impressive. Now it is time to see how they close out 2019. For the time being, I have 2018 to look back on.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for my final top 5 list, my top podcast moments of the year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to put something from the Winter Olympics on his list, but then he remembered that the Olympics are pointless. He also completely forgot when or where the Olympics were held last year. I guess he really wasn’t thinking about the Olympics after all.

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

The Best Movies of 2018

I waited until today to do my top 5 movies of 2018 because I went to the movies today and I thought the one I was seeing would be on the list. By the way, it made it. My movies are fairly mainstream this year. As I’ve said before, it’s harder for my wife and I to go to the movies. Sometimes it’s even harder to watch them at home because we are so tired. But, I still see enough movies to make this list. I still go to the movies by myself, or bring my dad to some of the odder movies I see. I see more kids movies because I have 2 of my own that enjoy them. So my list is odd, with 3 big time movies on it this year. Maybe this will make RD stop calling me Pierre. We shall see.

At number 5 I have “Teen Titans Go! To The Movies”. I took my kids to see this because my son loves the show. I’ve watched a few episodes with him, found them kind of funny and agreed to take him. I had super low expectations, and this movie far surpassed them. This movie is great. It’s fast, funny, well written, animated like the show and has several good stories. I love the joke of how many super hero movies there are now. There’s far too many. Hell, counting “TTGTTM”, I technically have 3 on my list. But how they make a joke about it is great. The underlying stories of friendship, camaraderie, stardom and teamwork make this movie even better. Add the fact that is basically a musical makes it that much more fun. I had a blast watching this movie. And since seeing it this summer in the theater, I’ve enjoyed the 2-3 dozen more times I’ve watched it. I can also sing every lyric to every song. “Teen Titans Go! To The Movies” was one of the best times I’ve ever had in a theater.

At number 4 is the movie I saw this afternoon, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse”. This is one of the coolest looking movies I’ve ever seen. The way it was filmed is like a comic book. It’s like “Sin City” for kids. This movie was simply incredible. The way the story is told was masterful. Seeing young Miles Morales go through his journey with all the different versions of Spider heroes was remarkable. The bad guys were bad too. I loved Doc Ock as a woman. She was evil. Kingpin was just as bad as any bad guy in a gangster movie. And the heroes were awesome. The second Peter Parker, who has B as his middle initial was hilarious. Spider Gwen was a total badass. Penni Parker, Spider Noir and Spider Ham all had their own personal charm, which I liked. The story was tremendous. The lessons were amazing. This is the type of movie that pulls me back into the super hero and comic book genre. It’s a work of art. I’m still totally blown away at how cool that movie looked. It’s awesome.

At number 3 I am getting away from hero movies and dipping into horror/suspense with “A Quiet Place”. This movie had me at the edge of my seat the whole run time. I kept apologizing to my wife for squeezing her hand so much throughout the movie. This movie made me not want to eat my movie snacks because it needed to be silent in the theater. What John Krasinki and crew did with this movie was usher in a new era of suspense. They made it hip to make a new age silent movie. And with this being, technically a silent movie, I was never, ever bored. As I said I was on razors edge. And Emily Blunt was phenomenal in this movie. Watch it alone for the birth scene. You may get anxiety after seeing it, if you don’t already suffer from it. “A Quiet Place” has renewed my love for the horror/suspense genre. I’m very excited/curious to see what they do with the sequel. But for the time being, this movie is right up there with “Get Out”, at least for me. 

At number 2 I have “Black Panther”. This is the best super hero movie ever. Nothing will top it. As good as some of the early Marvel stuff was, they all pale in comparison to “Black Panther”. This is the type of movie that has it all. A tremendous villain, maybe the best one yet. Strong, powerful female leads. African Americans as the stars. A great story about family and how important home is. Doing what’s best for the people you love. Great fight scenes. Funny moments. Touching moments. All of this in a comic book movie. “Black Panther” was overdue for its spotlight. But when it got it, they smacked it out of the park. Also, the soundtrack is amazing. The movie has it all, and it has zero flaws. “Black Panther” is the perfect movie. But there was one better, at least for me.

My number one movie of 2018 is “Sorry to Bother You”. There is no other movie like “STBY”. It’s an original, one of a kind. It’s science fiction with a story about race and culture and selling out and what all that means to multiple groups of people. I was blown away by this movie. I have watched it a dozen times since I saw it on its opening weekend, and with each new viewing I find something I missed or something new I like. And the performances, my goodness are they wonderful. This movie will make LaKeith Stanfield a star. Tessa Thompson is remarkable. Stanfield’s buddy, the guy from “Superior Donuts”, is hilarious. Steven Yeun is perfect. Even bigger actors, like Terry Crews and Danny Glover, shine in their minimal screen time. We need more movies like this. I’m done with remakes and sequels. Please give me new and fresh stuff. And nothing is newer or fresher or more I treating or cooler or crazier than “Sorry to Bother You”. I will watch this movie for the rest of my life. It’s a remarkable achievement. And it’s so unique. I love this movie. There was no question this movie was going to be number one the moment I left the theater. It’s amazing.

That’s it fit today. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 podcast moments of 2018.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may not go to as many independent films like he did as a younger man, but the Head Editor will always call him Pierre. Old habits die hard.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Best Television of 2018

Happy New Year everyone. And I cannot think of a better way to ring in 209 than by continuing my best of 2018 lists. Today we are going to do TV. I know last week I was very hard on "Westworld" and "Legion", but today it is all love. The only problem, this was the hardest list for me to pair down. There is so much TV to watch now. Be it national shows, premium cable or streaming, we have more options than ever to watch millions of shows. Also, I still haven't seen a lot of what major critics have on their list, but I will probably never see "Marvelous Ms. Maisel" or "Succession" or "Counterpart". Those shows aren't for me. I'm more of a goofy comedy guy, or serious drama type stuff. That fills my best of 2018 TV list today. Now lets get started.

At number 5 I have season 3 of "Better Call Saul". This show has only gotten stronger since it started airing. Bob Oedenkirk is making me feel for Jimmy McGill, but this season you can really see him turning into Saul Goodman. He even goes by the name a few times this season. But what made season three so great, aside from everything thing that went on with Johnathan Banks and Giancarlo Epsosito, was Rhea Seahorn's portrayal of her character, Kim Wexler. She is the only person who still believes in Jimmy, but by the end, we all see that she is even duped and ready to give up on him. Seahorn was amazing this season. In a show filled with standouts, she stood out by a wide margin. I'm curious to see where they go with season 4 because of how season 3 ended. Season 4 may be the last, which is a minor spoiler alert. For the time being though, "Better Call Saul" is proving to be another great show from Vince Gilligan and company. I'm excited to see how they wrap it all up.

At number 4 I have what I consider to be the most accurate, and best representation of puberty, season 2 of "Big Mouth". Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg have done with this show is nothing short of amazing, and gross. Don't get it twisted, this show is gross and touches on the horribleness that is puberty in no way like I have ever seen before. There was a whole section this year where one of the young teens goes to a spa with her mom and her mom's new girlfriend, and the song is amazing, but there is so much nudity. There is a great scene about losing a pubic hair. I loved when Coach Jeff hooked up with Jay's mom. That was also super gross. But the best thing all season was when the kids took over for Coach Jeff in health class and told horror stories about what they assumed having a STD would be like. It was a great way to talk about how awesome Planned Parenthood is, and the writers totally nailed that. Also, the episode where Nick and Jess eat some of Jess's dad's edibles was really good too. This show nails puberty to perfection. I love it, and when my kids are going through that time, you better believe "Big Mouth" will be on my TV.

At number 3 I have season 3 of "The Good Place". "The Good Place" is the best network sitcom on TV right now. It is just an absolutely wonderful show that somehow finds a way to surprise me every season. Their season one finale was the best finale of a show I have ever seen. They followed it up excellently in season 2, and the way they just closed out this season was amazing. Everyone on this show is amazing too. I'm not a big Kristin Bell fan, but she is awesome. Jameela Jamil is so good as the silver spoon name dropper. William Jackson Harper is terrific as the anxiety riddled Chidi, The episode where he realizes what is going on, and makes chili in his classroom with Peeps was one of the best things I saw on TV this year. Ted Danson is a total delight. But the 2 standouts are Manny Jacinto as Jason, and more importantly, D'Arcy Carden as Janet. Jason is the idiot dirt bag in all of us but he has a heart of gold. He is also hilarious. But Carden as Janet, the all knowing being, kind of like a real life Alexa, she is  just phenomenal. She is the standout of the show. She is the best part of season 3, and she ran with her chance to shine this season. You need to look no further than the season 3 finale where she gets to play every main character on the show. She absolutely nailed every single person's ticks, voices and how they dress and carry themselves. It is a true masterpiece of an actor going for it, and nailing it. It was truly amazing, much like everything else that is on "The Good Place".

At number 2 I have season 2 of "American Vandal". I adore this show. I think it is a perfect sendup of all the true crime stuff we are all enamored with now. It is so funny, but also totally believable. They take something so ridiculous and childish and I am hanging on every word trying to find out who did the crime the 2 kids are investigating. Season one, I needed to know who "drew the dicks". This second season, I had to know who the "turd burglar" was. This is such a well made show using what many would describe as "potty humor". This show has also won a Peabody Award. That is simply amazing for what this show is about. I didn't know how well they would be able to follow up the first season, which seemed like lightening in a bottle. But, they did it, and they nailed it. Going to a new city to solve a similarly childish crime was the correct way to go about it. Besides the 2 filmmakers, all the characters were new, and they all had great stories. From the basketball star to the weird fruit ninja to the many other suspects, they nailed it again. I am so bummed that the show got cancelled. I'm still holding out hope that some other network or streaming device will pick it up because I feel like this show could go on for another couple seasons. "American Vandal" is the best show I have seen that makes me truly care about fake crimes that dumbass teenagers commit. It is a work of art. 

There is one show that is better than "American Vandal", and that is "Atlanta". Did you all think I would have something else here? Donald Glover is a genius, and "Atlanta" is his best way of putting it out there. This season was filled with amazing episodes. The premiere, with Katt Williams and the gator, was tremendous. When Earn and his baby's mother go to her hometown for a weird party, that was odd but effective. And the episode had big time ramifications for the rest of the season. When Earn is trying to spend a 100 dollar bill but no one will take it from him because they believe it is fake, that was a great take on how people look at other races and cultures. When Paper Boi gets lost in the woods and gets jumped and chased by a crazy forest guy, that was incredible. When Paper Boi just wants a haircut, we have all been in a wild situation like that. But the best thing about this season, and definitely one of the best things I have ever seen on TV in my life, was the episode "Teddy Perkins". This one 45 minute block would have gotten the show on the list if it was the only episode they released all season. It was horrifying, funny, a tale of a horrific childhood, possibly a fever dream, I don't know. What I do know though, it was the most original piece of TV I have seen in quite some time. It is so perfect. I watched it multiple times since trying to find things I may have missed, or to see if Teddy Perkins was real, or a figment of Stanfield's imagination. It is a masterpiece, as is "Atlanta". As long as Glover keeps making this show, I'm pretty sure it will always be on my best of lists, and it will most likely be number one. "Atlanta" is a truly remarkable show. It will go down as one of the greatest shows ever. It is definitely the best show of 2018.

Come back tomorrow for my best movies of 2018.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to put “Black Miirror: Bandersnatch” on his list, but he is still lost in an endless loop because of the interactive nature of the show. Or maybe he needs to upgrade his WiFi because what he is really caught in us a buffering loop.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Best Music of 2018

As promised last Friday I am going to come to you all this week with my top 5 things in sports, movies, music, tv and podcasts. These lists were a bit more difficult than usual because I am very set in my ways now. I also don't get out to the movies as much, but I have seen enough to make a list. I like doing this every year though, and that has not changed at all. I'm also ready to hear why I am wrong for the top 5 things that I have picked.

Today I am going to start with my top 5 albums/music that happened in 2018. I will count down from 5 to one. It also needs to be said that my list is different from others. You will see what I am talking about as I get into my top 5 music of the year. Lets get started.

At number 5 I have the three song EP released on Spotify this year by the band Heartbones. I heard about Heartbones since I am a fan of Har Mar Superstar. I follow pretty much all the music stuff he does, and when I heard he was going to team up with Sabrina Ellis, and do the songs of "Dirty Dancing" live, I was intrigued. Unfortunately for me I did not get to see them live, but I was blessed with the three songs they put out. The songs are also originals, they are not covers from "Dirty Dancing". I love these songs. They have that 80's synth sound, but made to sound more modern. Har Mar is perfect for this type music. He is a pop singer. His voice is perfect for that style music. And he shines on these 3 tracks. I had never heard of Sabrina Ellis until now, but she rules. Her voice is also great for this style pop music. These 3 songs I can listen to in the car with the kids, and they sing and dance along with them. I love these 3 tracks. I cannot wait to see what they come up with when they do eventually put out a full album. If the rest of the tracks are 1/3 as good as "Little Dancer", "Disappearer" and "This Time it's Different", it will most likely end up on my top 5 albums of 2019. If you are a fan of either Har Mar or Sabrina Ellis, or well made pop music in general, check out this 3 song EP. It rules.

At number 4 I do have a full album, and it is a soundtrack. That album is "Sorry to Bother You" by the Coup. First things first, this is not the same record with the same name that came out in 2012. I like that record to, but this is the soundtrack to a movie that you will definitely hear more about on Wednesday. But, the soundtrack to the movie is all new material from one of our greatest hip hop groups. Boots Riley and the Coup come just as hard on this record as they do on every other one they have released. The opener, "OYAHYTT" comes at you hard. It gets you ready for the rest of the record. Boots Riley crushes the vocals, and the guitar in the song is perfect. LaKeith Stanfield also crushes his verse on the song. It is a great table setter. From there on out we get great songs featuring people like tUnE yArDs, Janelle Monae, Killer Mike and E-40. It's a relative who's who of hip hop and R&B. This soundtrack comes hard, it makes me want to watch the movie and is a good, 9 song rap record. The Coup always do good stuff, and this record is no different. It's awesome.

At number 3 I have Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats "Tearing at the Seams". This record is amazing. I loved his first record, but I was hesitant on the second. I am always hesitant on second records from people who's first record I cherish. But a friend of mine, who's musical taste I very much trust, texted me and told me it was one of the best records he had listened to in quite some time. That night I downloaded the record and listened to it three times. It was, and still is, amazing. Rateliff and his band totally crush this record. It is so good. It is a shift in the alt rock genre of music. Rateliff has that gruff voice that I love in rock music. His band is amazing. The addition of the horn section was phenomenal. The way the record is sequenced is perfect. The fact that he has a song called "Intro" that comes in the middle of the record is one of my favorite things about it. This is a record I go back to every month or so and remember why I like it so much. It is such a good modern rock record. Rateliff and his band are on a big time upward trajectory. Now I cannot wait to see what they do next. I will have no trepidations when they put out their third record. I will listen to it the day it comes out. For the time being though, I have "Tearing at the Seams", and that makes me very, very happy.

At number 2 I have more of moment than an entire record or EP. But, "This is America" is a seminal moment in music, and out current culture, and it fully deserves to be on my top 5 music list for 2018. When Donald Glover, AKA Childish Gambino, released this song and video, you could feel a shift in political hip hop music. It is such an important song, but the video puts it over the top. That video is astonishing. It is haunting. It is terrifying and it is all true. Glover and director Hiro Murai knew exactly what they were doing this when they released it. I still, many months later, go back and watch this video from time to time. I listen to the song almost daily, especially when I exercise. It is such an important piece of music and art. It will be remembered for years to come. I would bet a good amount of money that my kids will study this song and video when they are in high school and college. Everything about "This is America" will be historically acclaimed and remembered. It is the most important piece of pop culture to come out in 2018.

And my number one record, and it is only ahead of "This is America" is because it is a full record, I have Pusha T's "Daytona". This record is the perfect hip hop record. Pusha T, from the start, crushes all the songs. He puts himself at, or near, the top of current emcee's. The opener, "If You Know You Know" has one of the best beats I have ever heard on a rap song. And Pusha crushes with his rhyming. And in a short 25-30 minutes he touches on so many important things and he nails it all. What stands out most is his "diss" track of the highly overrated Drake, and he doesn't even have to mention his name. We all know exactly who he is talking about, and like only he can do, he pulls it off without even mentioning him. I grew up listening to Clipse, they were one of the first real hip hop groups I devoured, and to see where Pusha T is now makes me so happy. "Daytona" is wonderful. I listen to this record all the way through once a week. Usually when I run. It is a perfect hip hop record. It has anything and everything a hip hop fan could want, and it is short and to the point. I love this record. I have not heard anything nearly as good as "Daytona". It is number one, and it is number one with a bullet. This record rules. It is, by far, the best record of 2018.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 TV shows of the year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to wait on his best music list to see if Run the Jewels did another surprise album drop just before the new year. Only a few hours left guys.

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The Worst Things of 2018

Next week I will spend the 5 days of the week doing my best of 2018 in movies, music, tv, podcasts and sports. I will do a top 5 of each category. Today though I want to do a similar list, but I want to do the one thing I consider the worst of 2018. I'll pick the worst tv show, movie, album/musician, podcast moment and sports moment. Before I get into it, I do have to say that this is just my opinion. I know that I will have a few things on here that will be odd and make people mad, but that is what year end lists are for, are they not? This will also be much quicker since I am just picking one thing from each category. My best of lists next week will be a bit longer. Okay enough preamble, lets get to it.

I'm going to start with sports because this was quite possibly the worst thing for me, as a sports fan, that has not only happened this year, but has happened in a long time. I am of course talking about Michigan getting absolutely crushed by the University of Ohio State in football. I have written about this game already, so I won't go as deep into detail as I did the Monday after the game. But this was awful. Michigan's vaunted defense got torched and refused to adjust all game long. This was their best chance in a long time, they were the better team on paper, and they laid a total egg. I mean, their offense scored 39 points, but it was all garbage time, and it was all for naught. They gave up 62 points, over 500 yards of offense, and it could have been much, much worse. Michigan blew it on the biggest stage for them in quite some time, and it was painful to watch. They had their best chance to beat their hated rival for the first time in 7 years, and a possible playoff berth at stake if they won the Big Ten title. They got none of that. They choked. They got crushed and it was, by far, my worst sports moment of 2018. Nothing else was even close.

When it comes to podcast/podcast moments, I have to go with "Comedy Bang! Bang!" not doing their usual Halloween episode. I look forward to this every year, and Halloween came and went with no visit to Boogie Woogie Avenue. I didn't get to hear Bret Gelman and Jon Daly do their thing. There was no Comedy Fang Fang this year. No weirdo ghosts for me to cackle with laughter at. It was a real bummer. The biggest disappointment with no "CBB" Halloween episode was the absence of Leo Carpatzi and his daughter Scaroline to sing their version of "The Monster Mash", which is always my favorite part. Although, as you will see next week, they do make up for it a bit in their Christmas episode. But, no 1122 Boogie Woogie Avenue, no Scaroline, no Mesmor, it all bummed me out. This episode is one of the few things I look forward to for a "holiday" that I am not the biggest fan of. Hopefully they remedy this next year because their Halloween episodes are some of their best.

My worst music of 2018 is kind of weird, but it struck me as odd, and kind of stupid to be completely honest. So, you all know how I feel about Drake. He is a wannabe, a front runner, a HORRIBLE rapper, he is just trash all around. So, for him to think he could even touch Pusha T was a joke and made that my most disliked music moment of the year. There is no beef, Pusha T is a far superior rapper, and always will be, when compared to Drake. He has lived that life. He has earned and grinded hard for everything he has accomplished. He isn't a fake, a phony or a frontrunner. Pusha goes about his business and makes incredible rap music. He literally started from the bottom. Drake was on a teenage high school drama in Canada when he was a kid. He is from the suburbs. He's never had a hard day in his life. He is a fake, a phony and a wannabe like I said before. He's a poseur. Pusha T will always, always be a much, much better rapper. So will thousands upon thousands of other rappers that a lot of people may not know about just yet. Drake is a rapper for white tweens. Pusha T is for a true hip hop fan. This whole beef was pointless and dull. Find something better to do with your time Drake because you are not even a top 500 rapper of all time. You are trash.

With TV I was very conflicted because the 2 shows that I think are the worst were 2 I LOVED last year. With that being said, what in the hell happened to "Westworld" and "Legion"? Am I not smart enough? Do I not get it? Am I not hip enough anymore? I don't know, and that was my biggest problem with both these shows. I feel like they decided to really just make some weird stuff and see if major critics would bite, and boy did they ever. I have read a lot of best of lists, and most have both shows on their lists. I totally disagree. Now, it needs to be said that I didn't finish either season. But I didn't finish because I was too tired of sitting there in utter confusion for hours after watching an episode. I made it through 3 of "Legion" and 2 of "Westworld" and just gave up. These shows are already confusing enough, but like I said, I felt like the writers were just messing with me now. They were intentionally trying to confuse me. I like my intelligence to be tested time to time when watching a show, but in watch these 2 shows this year, I felt like I was being made to look like a fool. Like I was stupid because I didn't get it. That is not how I should feel when watching a show. TV shows and movies should let you escape and have fun. I got none of that from "Westworld" or "Legion" this year. That was a bummer for me.

Finally, my worst movie of 2018. I have to admit that I don't get to the movies as much as I would like, but I still watch a fair amount On Demand and on streaming services. With all that being said, the worst movie I saw in 2018 has to be "Avengers: Infinity War". Now, I kind of liked the movie, but compared to everything else, it just doesn't stand up. I found parts of it dull and dragging. I don't like that Thanos wipes out half the population, but we just have to accept that most of those people are still alive because it's a "comic book movie". It would have been so much cooler if they really did kill off all the characters that Thanos killed. I found Thanos kind of dull and, while an okay bad guy, he was no Heath Ledger Joker or Tom Hardy Bane or Alfred Molina's Dr. Octopus or Ultron or even a marginal bad guy like The Mandarin. I think my biggest problem lied within my expectations for the movie. They were through the roof, and that is unfair. But still, my wife and I saw this movie on opening weekend, with a packed theater that had a 10 month old there, and we both left kind of shrugging our shoulders. It wasn't like when we saw "Black Panther" or the first "Ironman" or the "X-Men" movies. We left those exhilarated. With "Infinity War". we left unfulfilled. That is why I have it as my worst movie of the year.

Okay, I got the bad stuff out of the way. Come back next week where I will dedicate one day with a top 5 of 2018 for each category. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty is lucky to have survived the Thanos snap so he can dump on the movie. Others in the SeedSing virtual cube farm were not so lucky. We forward to seeing Tina S when the next movie “fixes” all the important deaths.

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"Bandersnatch" Should Help the Itch for Some New "Black Mirror"

Much like yesterday's blog, I come to you today with another preview of something that looks super interesting to me.

Today, while hanging at my folks house, I saw on Facebook that "Black Mirror" has a movie length episode coming out this Friday called "Bandersnatch". I am a big, big fan of the TV series, so I was intrigued immediately by the preview. I watched this one with as much gumption as I did with the trailer to the "Us".

Basically "Bandersnatch" looks like an amalgamation of older episodes stuffed into a throwback 80's period piece, but as I watched more, I found out that "Bandersnatch" is also a choose your own adventure type episode. This is awesome. I cannot wait to watch the episode now. Just when I thought that "Black Mirror" couldn't surprise me, or come up with something that I wasn't expecting, they drop "Bandersnatch". This is almost exactly like "White Christmas" when "Black Mirror" released that episode. Also, when they put out the last season right after Christmas. They always do this and it always gets me. Anyway, back to "Bandersnatch".

What I can gather from the preview, the main guy works for a computer tech company, and they make games that combine stuff that happened in older "Black Mirror" episodes. For example, I saw a poster for one of my favorite episodes, "Metal Hedd" on the wall of the company. But, as with all "Black Mirror" episodes, there is something hidden deeper into this computer/tech/video game company. There is something strange about the guy who originally wrote the book for the title of the episode. Apparently he may or may not have done some awful things to his family. There are also some pills that the other workers are trying to get the main guy to take. He decides not to, instead flushing them down the toilet. This seems to cause the main guy to start to hallucinate, or is he, voices and other things, like pop ups on TV shows. He starts to freak out and the people he works with may have something to do with it.

The preview is all very colluded and devious on purpose. That is what they do. They want to bring in the viewer with little hints of their usual terror, but then leave you wanting more. I definitely will be watching this episode this weekend. I cannot wait to devour it. The problem though, it will leave me wanting so much more, and I know that I will have to wait. A long time. But, for the time being, at least I get "Bandersnatch" this weekend. That is another holiday gift in and of itself.

I am pumped, and you should be too. "Black Mirror" rules, and "Bandersnatch" looks like it will definitely scratch that itch. Bring it on.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. In today’s choose your own adventure, Ty had to choose between a low grade college bowl game, or an afternoon low major college basketball game. What would you choose.

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Ty Watches the Trailer for "Us"

Yesterday Jordan Peele released the trailer for his follow up to "Get Out", "Us". I have been on pins and needles waiting to see how he would follow up his Oscar winning movie. "Get Out" was so unique and new and funny and scary and violent and fresh. I had never seen anything like "Get Out" before. I was pleased to see something new and different in this current climate or remakes and sequels. So when Peele announced that he was going to make a new movie I was stoked. I was hoping it was going to be another horror movie too. I like that he is doing these types of movies, given his comedic background. He could have done trite, typical comedic movies and been very, very successful. But, he went with what he liked, horror, and crushed it right out of the gate.

I was very excited to watch the trailer for "Us" yesterday. I had to wait awhile, what with going to see multiple family members for the holiday, but when I got home, put the kids to bed and showered, the first thing I did was watch the trailer. The only stuff I had seen or read prior to watching this last night was the poster, which is awesome, and some of the cast, which features Lupita N'yong’o and the guy who played the vegetarian troupe leader in "Black Panther". So, after all the dad stuff I had to do, I sat, in silence and watched. I try to stay away from trailers, I don't want movies ruined for me, but this one was a must watch. And it did not disappoint.

The trailer opened with the excellent song, "I Got 5 on It", and it has a family of 4 driving to a beach for a family vacation. It starts out all nice and happy. They meet up with another couple and are seemingly having a great day at the beach. Then the son of the main family starts to walk off to see this odd figure just standing out on the beach with scissors and blood dripping from them. The mom, N'oyongo runs up to him and tells the son he cannot run off like that. Then we get to see the entire creepy family in the very next scene of the trailer. The dad goes outside to confront them, and even has an aluminum bat and says he is ready to get physical. This is when the trailer starts to reveal some crazy stuff. We come to find out that this other family is out to get the main family. They are fast, scary, will talk to the main people, and they oddly look exactly like them. It is as if they are fighting evil versions of themselves. The daughter is terrified of her counterpart. The mirror scene is horrifying. The dad continues to get brutally beaten up by the evil version of himself. The mom fights and fights and fights back with her counterpart. But the son is oddly accepting of his evil half, especially when he takes off his mask and sees a scarred face. This trailer scared me, legitimately. I loved that about it.

The movie looks absolutely amazing. It seems like an excellent follow up to "Get Out". I cannot wait to see this movie. I'm so full yon board with "us", and pretty much anything Peele will do from here on out. He is easily on pace to be this generation's horror master. He is the dude. He is the shocking guy now. And he deserves all the accolades. I cant wait to see the movie. But first, I need to go watch the trailer about 10 more times. I suggest you all do the same.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. For Christmas he got a bad cold, out of control children, and some Michigan gear. How was your holiday?

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