Better Late Than Never on "I'm a Virgo"

After seeing "I Love Boosters", I decided I was going to watch the seven episode series "I'm A Virgo". You all know I'm a Boots Riley fan, and this is the show he did in between his two excellent movies. I remember when the show was announced, but why I never got to it then, I don't remember. But I'm glad that I remedied that over the past couple of weeks.

"I'm Virgo" is a coming of age tale about a giant that lives with his aunt and uncle in San Francisco. I know, it sounds weird. But I am pretty much on board with whatever Boots Riley is doing creatively at this point, and this show was a blind spot that I wanted to correct. The start of the first episode is great too. It really hooks you and makes you want to watch more. We see this mom holding this gigantic baby. I mean this baby is a newborn, but it is bigger than anyone else. And then we see the newborn grow into a 19 year old in this small home where he lives with his aunt and uncle. Cootie, played by Jharrel Jerome, is the giant. He is naive to the world, but he wants to know more. He wants to explore. He wants to make friends and see what is outside his own little world, His aunt and uncle, played by Mike Epps and Carmen Ejogo, are doing their best to raise him and shelter him. He is so big though, they have to build him a separate area in their yard that is more suitable for his size. He breaks everything around him in his original home, so they all feel this is best for him. While living back in his own place, he sees things through a pipe that they installed for him. He sees kids hanging out. A local person comes by to chat with him. He reads comic books all the time and wants to see this world that "The Hero" has talked about in the books. One day he travels outside of his domicile disguised as a tree. One kid at a keg party goes to use the restroom in the woods and stumbles upon this moving tree. He tells everyone it's called the Thwamp Monster. This is how Cootie is introduced to the world. But he gains friends and fame and a girlfriend out of it. Flora, played by Olivia Washington, is his girlfriend. She works at Bing Bang Burgers. She is instantly into him and he likes her too. They do a solo episode explaining her past and it is heartbreaking and one of the best of the whole season. Flora rules. Cootie's main group of friends, Felix, Jones and Scat, played by Brett Gray, Kara Young and Allius Barnes, take to Cootie really quickly and they show him how to navigate the real world. They talk about making money, hooking up and fighting for a bigger cause. Jones was my favorite of the friends. She has a plan, she takes action, she basically saves the day and her "power" in the show is pretty neat. Scat plays a massive role as the season wears on. It's unfortunate why his role gets bigger, but I really enjoyed Barnes portrayal of this character, especially when he's denied entrance into a hospital. Felix is the coolest of the crew and he just wants to have a good time. But he is also willing to fight the fight and bang the drum for the cause. Walton Goggins plays The Hero, and he is a massive asshole, on purpose. The penultimate episode showing his story is important and Goggins brings it like he always does. The show starts off funny and like your basic coming of age story. But it morphs into so much more. We have capitalism, racism, brutality, standing up for what is right, getting people to help fight the powers that be, all of this is rolled up nicely into seven 30 minute episodes. I found myself very interested in what was going to happen next. It had that nice, odd Boots Riley feel to it. It was cool to see what he did with more time than he has on a movie set. I thought the actors and writers brought it as well.

"I'm A Virgo" is a cool, off the beaten path show. I feel it may be underrated at this point, but maybe more people will check it out now with the success that "I Love Boosters" is having. I'm glad I watched it and I think you should check it out too. I believe many people will find this to be a good time. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches “The Boys” Final Season

My wife and I finished the final season of "The Boys" yesterday. Let’s discuss.

We put it off for longer than we expected due to how depressing and real the show was becoming. I fully understand why the show went into that direction and why they were telling the stories they were, but it was exhausting. We live in a crazy and messed up world already, and tv was one way for me to unplug and move on. But I do appreciate that they were telling the stories because people need to know how messed up and awful things can get if we continue to trend the way we currently are in this country. Artists need to speak up and speak out and the team behind this show were doing just that. I like that. But we decided to finally start watching the final season about a month ago, and we wrapped it up yesterday.

All in all I thought the final season was solid and fitting. Sure, and this is going to be as spoiler free as possible moving forward, some people died that I didn't want to see go, but that is the nature of the show and the story they told to wrap it all up. I got emotional at one of the people that they killed off. Other people, it was almost euphoric to see them get their comeuppance. Some of the people turned into truly volatile and putrid people, and to see them get theirs in the end, that was a solid touch. Some of the episodes, they had eight in the final season, felt dragging at times but it was all for a purpose. The slower moments meant something to the overall ending in my opinion. It felt that they needed to let some people go and tell some more drawn out stories to get to the conclusion they landed on in the end.

I also like that they brought some people back and let them do their thing. The guestlist for this season was top notch as well. There's an episode with Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kumail Nanjiani, Seth Rogen and Will Forte all playing themselves. And it was my favorite episode of the whole season. My wife mentioned that they had some people from "Supernatural" on the show, and being that she was a fan of that show, this made me very happy. Jensen Ackles, who plays Soldier Boy, is the rudest, crudest and one of the more disgusting superheroes on the show, yet he was my favorite "villain" in the final season. He was funny, knew his messed up kid was up to no good and got out before it all got too crazy.

Homelander, played by Anthony Starr, was and always will be a despicable person. Starr nailed his role, especially this season, because I grew to hate him so very much by the end. Karl Urban, Butcher, had a solid final arc. Hughie and Starlight's story was fine and had what I deem to be a proper ending. I liked Sister Sage in the final two episodes of the season. Deep got his just desserts. And I feel like all the side characters had proper endings for their characters.

After we watched the finale I told my wife I didn't get all the hate it was receiving online. Granted, I never read the books the show is based on, but the finale felt fitting and satisfying for me. I watched all five seasons of the show and this felt like the best conclusion they could have come up with in the end. I do think people just want to be angry at stuff so they can try and go viral. But to be this upset over a tv show finale, get over it. It's like Bart told Comic Book guy, they gave us five seasons of a good show, what could they possibly owe us? I think they did a good job, gave a good ending and went out on a high note.

I don't plan on watching any spin offs or series moving forward involved with this universe, but that is just because I feel that the tv and movie market is oversaturated with superhero stuff. But, as far as superhero content goes, I think "The Boys" got it right and got out at the best time. I liked the series and enjoyed this final season. It ends on a high note and a hopeful note which is all I really wanted in the end.

Thank you to the actors and creators and writers of this show. We got five solid seasons and that is a sign of a job well done. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Wonder Man"

After much badgering and constant asking, my son won and I sat down and watched "Wonder Man". He was in my ear about the show the moment he finished it. He knows that I am not the biggest fan of superhero stuff at the moment. There's too much of it, I feel like if you have missed anything you will not know what's going on and all the backstory seems like too much. And then we have this whole other scenario of alternate universes. It's all just a bit too much. But my son disregarded all of that and kept at it.

I'm glad he did. I finished all eight episodes of the first season in about four days. First off, each episode is no longer than 35 minutes. That is a big selling point to me lately. A lot of shows I used to watch or want to watch, each episode run time is damn near an hour. It's just too long. I have really been dragging my feet on season 2 of "Fallout" because of the episode length. That is not the case with "Wonder Man".

The show also stars one of my favorite actors, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He was awesome in the television adaptation of "Watchmen". I thought he was the only good part of the "Aquaman" movies. I enjoyed his version of "Candyman". I think he is a very solid actor and I believe he is only going to star in more and more things moving ahead. He plays the lead character and he is very good in this role. I like that he plays Simon as this overthinking actor. He gets cast in smaller roles and then tries to make them so much bigger than they actually are. And when he does reveal his power, it is never because he needs or wants to. Wonder Man's powers only come out when he gets too angry, kind of like the Hulk. I bought all of Mateen's work in this show. He was easy to watch, he embodied the character and he shined through and through.

Ben Kingsley returns as Trevor, AKA The Mandarin. Luckily for me I did see the "Iron Man" movie where he was The Mandarin, so I knew his backstory. But even if you weren't aware of his story, "Wonder Man" gives you more than enough clues and hints as to who he was before all of this. Kingsley is such a solid and dependable actor. He gets to do a little comedy here and has a little fun with this character. I liked his work a lot in the show and I'm curious to see if they bring him back in anything new from the MCU in the future. These two run the show and they are in pretty much every episode.

The story revolves around their journey to both star in the new "Wonder Man" movie. Trevor has some ulterior motives, but he truly does become friends with Simon along the way. I liked the dynamic between Mateen and Kingsley. They really bought into the friendship these two grew to have very quickly. I also loved the whole idea of Simon having this power his whole life, but also trying to just be a regular kid and adult. He loves the craft of acting, and it shows.

The first season had eight episodes, and like I said before, pretty much the whole show revolves around Trevor and Simon. But there's one stand alone episode in the middle of the season entitled "Door Man". This was a very cool episode, shot in black and white, and showed that a person with superpowers who is an actor may run into trouble. This episode reminded me a lot of what they did on "Wanda Vision", which I think is the best MCU show.

My son told me that the show was renewed for a season two, but I'm kind of hopeful they wrap it up with this lone season and just let Simon and Trevor exist in the upcoming movie slate. Time will tell. But I'm glad I finally sat down and watched this show. It is different and fun compared to other MCU stuff. I didn't have to know a bunch of stuff going into this show, and that helps me want to watch. I recommend it to anyone that is looking for a light and breezy watch that has some really good moments of drama and comedy. "Wonder Man" is a solid tv series. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere"

I believe that I may have watched 2026's best horror movie yesterday. I was scrolling through Netflix and I came across a preview for a newer documentary titled "Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere". The preview was enough to pique my interest, and with a runtime of 90 minutes, the decision to press play was easy. I also went into the movie knowing it was going to make me upset and angry, but sometimes it is good to get those emotions out. So after pressing play I found myself so angry for the next 90 minutes, I was giving my tv screen the finger when certain people showed up that I vehemently disliked.

For people that may not know, "Inside the Manosphere" shows the life of four of the most controversial and bigoted male influencers currently on the internet. I didn't bother to learn their actual names or internet handles because I despised them so very, very much. I hesitated even doing a review because this could be another way for these monsters to keep themselves relevant for another week on the internet. As I was watching I found myself worried for Theroux's safety, and the safety of random people simply walking by these scumbags on the street. What made this documentary so abhorrent and scary to me was the sheer fact that these are real people who exist in the real world and have found a way to "thrive" simply by putting content on the internet. The ease and fake glamour that comes with internet fame has made me very discouraged as of late, and this movie only furthered my distaste for influencers. These people acted and said the exact stuff I figured they would, and it still made me very angry when they would do it. There was one guy that, no matter what he said, he would always button it with, "and that's a fact". Even if he was saying some wild stuff, he always ended it with that statement. He would say some vile stuff about his wife or someone on the internet, and then finish it with that stupid statement. It infuriated me. This one influencer was talking to some fans, who Theroux would meet up with later, and they were saying that depression was not real. They said it was all manufactured. Then Theroux got onto the topic of family and the same guy who said depression wasn't real told Theroux that his brother died via suicide. That is one of my biggest issues with people who have this line of thought. They contradict themselves within sentences.

There was this other toxic influencer who was making his money degrading women on his awful podcast. He would bring women on from the street just to demean them. And when Theroux pushed and talked to his girlfriend, the toxic influencer was getting so upset that he told his girlfriend to leave, and would not do any further interviews with Theroux unless it was all set up by him. In a surprise to no one, that guy's girlfriend broke up with him. He also had the dumbest calculator he would use on his show to try and prove some kind of fact that doesn't exist. This guy was a truly awful piece of work.

There was another one of these bozos that was banned from pretty much every platform, except for X. This goes to show you how awful that platform has become. X is all about spewing hate speech and getting clicks. It is the worst of the worst when it comes to these types of platforms. But this idiot was thriving on X with his dumbass "political" view videos. This moron was so out there on conspiracy theories that it frustrated me so much whenever he would open his mouth. But the worst thing about this guy, there was a moment during the doc when he was walking down the street and a bunch of young teens, probably 14 or 15, were starstruck when they saw him. It is so upsetting that some of the youth today find solace in idiots like this toxic influencer on the internet. And it was clear that these are the only fans this guy gets because these kids' brains have not fully formed yet, and they are just looking for someone, anyone that talks like they do.

The worst of all was this one guy who was a walking contradiction. He clearly has bi polar disorder and I'd love for him to get help. He really, really needs it. He would talk about not being a "sheep", but then do whatever his followers told him to do. He would constantly talk over or louder than Theroux, and then claim he had "won" the argument. He would bemoan an adult film star in one scenario, but in another he would promote OnlyFans models on his personal site. And he was also involved in horrible investments and he would con his dummy followers by having them invest money as well, and he would pocket a profit from that. Oh, and he was on the run from the police in England. But the funniest thing that Theroux caught on camera was when this dumbbell was talking to his mom and she chastised him, made him clean a spot on his rug and told him to get her juice. He did all of this while calling her mommy.

"Inside the Manosphere" really scared me because people like the morons interviewed in this movie have this weird pull over, mostly, young kids today. These "guys" are toxic and the worst kind of role models young kids can have. They don't think of consequences or have any issues with the terrible things they say and do on the internet. I'm sure they're all very unhappy individuals who have had to resort to doing these things because they are so money obsessed. But the sheer fact that this new world, and social media have unfortunately given them a platform, they are making money hand over fist and they continue to spew hate speech all over the internet. This movie will anger you and make you wish these people never ever found any kind of fame. It is a bummer and I wish people like these monsters never achieved any sort of fame. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Lord of the Flies"

Last night I finished the miniseries "Lord of the Flies". Let’s discuss.

Truth be told, "Lord of the Flies" is my all time favorite book. I remember reading it when I was in middle school, and ever since then I try to read it every so often. I read it last summer when they first announced that this show was being made. I may have to pick it up again after watching the miniseries. I have watched the movie that came out in the 60's, or maybe the 70's, a few times and find it solid. I never saw the version from the 90's, but I felt that I didn't have to see it. But the announcement of this show reinvigorated my appetite for this story.

I read some early reviews that were middling, but I'm glad that didn't stop me. I tend to think that people who go online instantly after something is released just to trash it is a bad look. There seems to be some people out there that just want to hate on something. But I was going to watch this no matter what anyone said. When I saw it was four episodes I made the decision to take it slow. I was going to watch one episode every other day I thought. That seemed like a good plan. But after watching the first episode that quickly changed to watching one a day for four days. That worked for two days, but last night I was so intrigued and moved by episode three that I decided that I was going to finish the whole thing right then and there. I could not stop thinking about the series, and that's the sign that I really, really want to watch a show. So I wrapped it all up around 10pm last night.

Right away, I thought this was a great retelling of this story. The movie from the 60's does a solid job of telling the story, but it misses things here and there. This being a miniseries, they have a little more time to tell the whole thing. That makes for a better viewing experience for me. I also appreciate that this series told the story through the eyes of the four main characters. Chapter 1 is entitled "Piggy", then we have "Jack", "Simon" and, finally, "Ralph". This was an interesting and newly unique way to bring the story to life. We got a little backstory of each character, and why they may act how they act. Piggy is portrayed as the intellect with the most common sense. He can tell and feel when things are going off the rails. He calls out all the inconsistencies and problems that he sees. But no one listens to him because he isn't a cool or popular kid. Piggy has always been my favorite character, and this actor did a wonderful job bringing Piggy to life. In chapter 2 we see Jack and all of his foibles. He wants to be a leader, but he is cowardly. He bends and twists every conversation to suit his needs. He doesn't think about the consequences. He is nice to people to their faces when they are alone, but mean when others are around. I know this actor did good work because I grew to despise him as the show went on. That was the end goal and this kid achieved that. Simon's episode was my favorite. This was the most atmospheric and deepest and darkest episode. Simon just wants to be accepted for who he is, but he also has some issues he has yet to realize or deal with in his own way. He and Jack clearly have some kind of back and forth in their past that he wants to deal with. Simon is probably the most level headed person next to Piggy, but no one listens to him because he has issues with fainting. He can't get a word in edgewise, but he always tries until he gets cut off. He wants Ralph to be the leader he knows he can be, but he never gets to see that come to fruition. For such heavy themes in this episode, the actor playing Simon absolutely nailed his role. And the final chapter focuses on our leader, Ralph. This episode was such a fitting and fulfilling conclusion to the story. Ralph has nothing left to fight for, but he keeps going. He won't give up until the final second. He is the only one left with a decent head on his shoulders. He hasn't given in to the ills of living off the land. And he is the most mature and adult of any of these kids. So much so that, spoiler alert, when the sailors get to the island and rescue the kids, he is the only one who tells the truth and wants nothing more than to be off that horrid island.

This version was told expertly by the people involved. I read that the people behind "Adolescence" did this show, and they are some of the top dramatic writers in the game. I was so happy that the show was put into such capable hands. And these kid actors did a masterful job. They bought in and played these amazing, memorable characters so well, it was such a sight for me. I even loved how the kids were loud and annoying at the worst possible times. Some looked thrilled when the adults showed up, others looked worried, as if they were in trouble. The kid actors showed every emotion that I would imagine a kid in this situation could show, and they nailed it. I was very impressed.

As a lifelong fan of this book, the miniseries did such a good and respectful job of telling this story. It was true to the source material and that made me happy. I recommend this show to anyone who has read this book and loved it. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "DTF St. Louis"

Yesterday I watched the final episode of "DTF St. Louis". I will admit, the initial lure was the whole Saint Louis in the name. That was why I first turned it on and streamed the show. But as this first, possibly only season, who knows, wore on, I found myself intrigued by what I was seeing. The show was marketed as a "dark comedy", but this was much more dark than comedy in my opinion. And that is okay. I don't mind when a show goes dark, especially when it is done well.

For people who may not know, "DTF St. Louis" is about two friends who decide to try a hook up app in their town. The show goes down much further avenues than this, but that had to be the elevator pitch on this show. I don't want to spoil much, so feel free to read ahead. David Harbour and Jason Bateman play the two main characters. Bateman plays a local weatherman. On the surface he seems like a regular dude who just happens to be on tv. He has a wife, a couple of kids and a house with a fence. He likes to bike, in an awkward looking bike, and he seems like an active, normal guy. David Harbour comes into his life as his translator for the deaf audience of his show. He is new in town, and he and his wife, Linda Cardalini, make fast friends with Bateman and his family. Harbour saves Bateman's life during their first broadcast. There's a massive tornado that rips through town while they are doing the news, and Harbour pushes Bateman out of the way of a fast moving road sign. Their friendship blossoms after that. One day, while Bateman is hosting a BBQ, he mentions a new hookup app in town to Harbour. Harbour is a little put off at first, but then he buys in.

The show starts to go wild from there. This is where the comedy kind of leaves the show too. Harbour's character dies. This is not a spoiler. This happens within the first few moments of the first episode. The show goes on a mission to find out who, or how he died, and we get to see the whole backstory of these three people whose lives get intertwined. I'm pretty open about my wants and desires with my wife when it comes to the bedroom, but this show brought up stuff that I have never heard of before, or didn't even know was a thing. The writers of this show have much more vivid imaginations than I must have when it comes to that stuff. But Bateman and Harbour play it very well. Cardalini does a very good job too. She is so good at the stuff she does in this show. I would go from despising her to feeling bad for her in the midst of one episode. She is a very good actor, and her performance here was much needed and appreciated. Bateman does good stuff too. He is meek, but also knows what he wants. He speaks his mind and says whatever is in there. In fact, he might share too much. But Harbour was the main draw for me. He is funny, sweet, kind, weak willed and a pushover. And he does it all very well, sometimes doing all of them in one episode. I didn't know what to expect from him, but his performance really shocked me in a very good way. I rooted for him all the way through. I felt bad for him. I wanted him to get all the things he ever dreamed of. And I was devastated when he died in the first episode.

But as the show wore on I found myself getting a little less engaged. I would let my mind wander from time to time. By the end I just wanted to know who did it, why and how we got here. I did like the majority of what I saw, but I did get kind of bored near the end. The good news, it is only a seven episode commitment. I told my folks, who also watched, that if it came back for a second season I don't think I'd watch it. But I'm glad I did watch this first season. It was a fine, and quick watch. 

Ty

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

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An Ode to Great Actor Wood Harris

Recently for our Patreon show "First Watch Rewatch", which you all should go and subscribe to and listen to, we watched the movie "Dredd". This is the newer one with Karl Urban, not the crappy one from the 90's. But I'm not here to give a review of that movie. If you want to know my opinions on the movie, go check out the show.

When I watch any movie for the first time, I always like to see if I recognize anyone in the cast. Karl Urban is the main guy, as previously mentioned, but there were a few others I noticed. Olivia Thirlby, from "Juno" and other movies, is Urban's co-star. Lena Headley, from "Game of Thrones", plays the villain. But it was the appearance of Wood Harris that had me hyped.

Wood Harris is about as dependable as they come in Hollywood, and if you are reading this and confused as to who this is, I would almost guarantee that he's been in something you've seen. And he is great as a villain in this movie. But as I was watching, I got to thinking about everything I've seen him in, and how much I like when he shows up in something I'm watching. So I decided I want to point out the stuff I remember him from today, and how much I like his performance and each thing I've seen him in.

For starters we have to talk about him in "The Wire". This is probably what he is best known for. He played Avon Barksdale, one of the dealers, who became a pusher and became a head honcho for the bad guys. He was in 38 episodes, which is most of the series. He was incredible in this role and he will always be remembered for this role. But he was in plenty before this role.

His first role was in "Above the Rim". This is a criminally underrated basketball movie. I adore this movie. I used to rent it on Pay Per View when I was younger. And his character made me nuts because he was trying to shoot the main guy. He got his comeuppance in the movie, but his performance left a mark on me. He played Jimi Hendrix in the movie "Hendrix". While this movie isn't great, he did a solid job portraying the seminal musician. "Remember the Titans" was, in my opinion, his star turning role. He went pound for pound with Denzel Washington in that movie. His performance made me cry for the first time watching a movie. I rooted for him so hard and wanted nothing but the best for his character. He is excellent in another underrated movie, "Paid in Full". That movie is  filled with rappers acting, and doing a fine job, but Harris makes that movie solid. He brings brevity to that movie. He grounds it and makes it totally worth watching. He is the clear pro amongst first time actors in that movie. He also shows up in "Southland Tales". That movie is a total mess, but you could see Richard Kelly had a vision. While that may not have come across well on screen, Harris shows up and is totally worth watching. You can also tell that Kelly wanted some actors he could count on, and Wood Harris may have been the first person he called when he knew he needed pros in this fascinatingly wild movie. "Next Day Air" is by no means a classic movie, but it is a good comedy and it proved that Wood Harris could hold his own with guys like Mike epps. He is funny and fun to watch in that movie. I already mentioned him in "Dredd". He is in the first "Ant-Man" movie, playing one of Paul Rudd's buddies. Those characters were the best in the movie and they made me laugh the hardest. Harris was part of that crew and it bummed me out that he didn't return for any other "Ant-Man" movie. "Creed" is an amazing movie and Wood Harris seemed like a perfect fit in a movie about boxing. He is clearly athletic and he got to show more of that in "Creed". He is in "Blade Runner 2049", and he is a great addition to an awesome cast and great sequel to one of the best movies ever made. He returns in "Creed II" and he is back in fine form. He had a long run on the tv show "Empire", which my wife loved, but I barely watched. I would watch more when I would see Harris show up in an episode. He was the coach for a young LeBron James in "Space Jam: A New Legacy". That movie is not very good, but Wood Harris being named in the cast was reason enough for me to watch. He was on "The Last OG", which is a show I loved. He returned for "Creed III" and played Spencer Haywood in "Winning Time". While I don't like "Winning Time", Harris did a good job playing a fading star in the NBA in the late 70's. And he most recently showed up in "One Battle After Another" as part of the French 75. And while his screen time was minimal in that movie, it was memorable.

I think that's the best compliment I can give Wood Harris. He is always memorable in his roles. He does great work when he is cast. He is a consistent and dependable actor. And I just wanted to shout him out today. I feel like he is not mentioned as much as he should in Hollywood. I'm a fan and I cannot wait to see what he does next. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Thoughts on "The Bear" Coming to an End

It was announced yesterday that "The Bear" is going to end with its upcoming fifth season. Let’s discuss.

This is bittersweet, but I think it is the right call. "The Bear" is an amazing show. I was floored when I saw the first episode, and every season since seems to build on what they have done before. But let's be honest, they have kind of done pretty much everything they set off to do. Minor spoilers ahead for people who may not be caught up on the show.

The first season was all about Carmy coming back to the Italian Beef shop and trying to keep it going after his brother's passing. We met all the critical characters in that season, but it was all Carmy's journey from fine dining back to the basics. Sydney and Richie definitely have their moments in the first season, but the whole idea was to learn all about who Carmy is, warts and all. The first season did give us one of the best, and coolest things I have seen in a tv show in quite some time. They did an entire episode in one long shot, and it all occurred during a massive rush when they had nothing at the ready. This was some of the best tv I had seen up to that point. And the finale kind of set the rest of this in motion when Carmy found the money he needed, the letter from his deceased brother reading, "Let it rip", and the idea to turn their sandwich shop into a fine dining establishment.

Season 2 was the lead up to the new restaurant. This is where we got to see a ton of cooking from the cast members, a storyline I was very much a fan of. We got to see how great of a chef Sydney was in this season. She knows her stuff and she just needed to be able to show it. The episode where Marcus made his way to Denmark to learn from Luca was beautiful and glorious to watch. That half an hour has made me want to visit Denmark more than ever. We also got what many consider to be the two best episodes of the show ever. "Fishes" is a walk back down memory lane for Carmy, and it is difficult. But it also helps you understand why he has the issues he has and why his family is so messed up. This is an amazing hour plus of tv and it is drama at its best. "Forks" is Richie's time to shine, and that is just what he does. Going into a restaurant that Carmy loved working for, and learning from that staff was incredible to watch. It is such an uplifting episode from this show that has kind of beaten the viewer up to that point. "Forks" is my favorite episode of the series. And they close out that season with the opening of the restaurant. We don't get to  see how it goes, but we get a small glimpse of the chaos to come in season 3.

Some people dumped on season 3, but i liked it. It was logical in the progress of the show for me. I understood why they did what they did, and I quite enjoyed my watch. We also got more episodes that just focused on certain people for half an hour. Sydney and Marcus have their moments here.We see all of Carmy's insecurities come to a head when trying to run a restaurant. We get a whole lot more of The Computer and Uncle Jimmy. We got another banger of a flashback episode with "Napkins", where we learn all about how Tina started working at the sandwich shop. that episode made me cry pretty hard in fact. "Ice Chips" was Abby Elliot's time to shine. Seeing her go through giving birth with only her mom at her side was some wonderful acting from Elliot and Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis was such a phenomenal addition to this show by the way. And the season 3 finale was great because they brought on a bunch of famous chefs and just had them talk about what it is like to cook. I found this eye opening in a good way. We look at celebrity chefs with joy and think their job is easy when it is incredibly hard. This was a solid way to close out this third season.

The fourth, and most recent season, was kind of back to basics. We spend a ton of time with Carmy trying to figure out his life and what he wants. He is still in love with the girl he forced out of his life last season, and he is dealing with those feelings. Sydney's dad has a heart attack and she is grappling with another, much more secure job offer. She has a ton of plates in the air and she is trying to figure this stuff all out. Richie and Carmy will not speak to one another, but they have to find a way to work together. Luca comes back to work with Marcus in the restaurant. The waitstaff is still trying to find the right way to do things, which drives Richie up a wall. The restaurant is running out of money. There's a wedding, which is a movie length episode of the show, and totally worth every second. And the season closes with some hardcore questions unanswered. I'm sure we will find all that out with the upcoming season, and that makes me happy.

But I ask the question, after this fifth season, what else do they have to do and talk about? It feels like they've done it all and they're not going to overstay their welcome. The actors are all moving on to other stuff as well. Jeremy Alllen White is in the movies. So is Ayo Edibiri. Ebon Moss Bachrach is part of Marvel now. Matty Matheson has his own cooking show. Abby Elliot is going to continue to be a character actor. They all have bigger aspirations now and that is how it should go when you have a show as successful as "the Bear" has been to date. So while I'm sad to see it go after this season, my hat is off to what they accomplished in five seasons. They're doing the right thing and I'm stoked to see how they wrap it all up.  

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Reality Check"

When my wife and I were first dating I used to spend a lot of time at her place. I still lived with my folks and she had her own spot. It was much better for privacy and intimacy. Being at her apartment meant that we watched what she watched most of the time, and she was watching a lot of "America's Next Top Model".

She loved that show. I was not much of a fan. I even went so far as to write an email to MTV stating that they needed to find something else to air, maybe even music videos. And I'm not saying that I had any hand in this, but about a week later, "ANTM" was suddenly off MTV's airwaves. I then kind of forgot about the show. My wife would go back occasionally and watch, but I just wasn't involved. I found the show offensive, boring and kind of stupid. It is your typical reality tv show. Tyra Banks kind of drove me nuts as well. My wife liked it as a mindless watch. She would tune in and do stuff or just have it on for noise. So, when she came to me the other day and asked if I wanted to watch the Netflix docuseries, I scoffed and rolled my eyes. But I wanted to hang out with her, so we started to watch it.

I was absolutely mesmerized by what I saw. This series is called "Reality Check" and it is a three episode miniseries that takes this reality show to task. I was talking to my wife about why I liked it so much the other day. She mentioned my previous distaste for the show and wanted to know why I was so interested in this Netflix series. I told her that I liked it because it was showing all the deviousness and taking down these people who made others so miserable year after year that this show was on air. I love how salacious the series is. I love seeing people who were involved with the show just take it down peg by peg. I like seeing other people talking about how horrible Tyra Banks was to work with and be around. Hearing former contestants talk about their awful experience was eye opening. It is everything I want in a docuseries that is hell bent on taking down this toxic show. Tyra Banks comes off very bad as well. She uses cliche speech in her interviews. She won't talk about anything that may put her in a poor light. She won't speak on past indiscretions. She comes off as a puppet to the tv corporation. Mister and Miss J, on the other hand, are more than willing to talk about their time on the show. They come off as the heroes in my opinion. Mister J has so much to say on working with Tyra Banks and he lays it all on the line. He had a horrific time on the show, especially when he and Tyra Banks stopped speaking but still had to work together. I hate that he was all but blacklisted in the industry due to Tyra Banks being so addicted to fame. Miss J seemed to be the heart and soul of this show. He was the funniest one on the show it looked like as well. And he was just kicked to the curb. He was let go and not thought about again. My wife told me he had recently had a stroke, and Tyra Banks wouldn't even come to visit him in the hospital. That's a bummer. I appreciate that Netflix allowed the former contestants to tell their side of the story with nothing seemingly held back. These poor contestants were pushed to their limits without giving consent to the people making the show. There is everything from hypothermia to sexual assault to making them act like other cultures to starving these poor people. And then they didn't even help the winner of each season because Tyra Banks and crew were too focused on maintaining their own fame. I also like that they gave the photographer, Nigel Baker, a chance to speak as well. Baker and Mister and Miss J were fully abused by Tyra Banks and UPN and that sickens me.

So take it from me, a person who never watched and pretty much despised the idea of a reality show like "ANTM", this docuseries, "Reality Check" is more than worth checking out. It gives us all the seedy behind the scenes details that I crave when watching a show like this. I highly recommend checking it out. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Catherine O'Hara

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Do You Want Your MTV?

mtv.com

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

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

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

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

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

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing.

R.I.P. Isiah Whitlock Jr

Isiah Whitlock Jr passed away yesterday at the age of 71. I guess he had an illness that took over pretty quickly and it eventually took his life. This one stings.

Whitlock was a very solid and reliable actor in his time. I know him mainly from "The Wire". He was a constant on every season of that show. He played State Senator R Clayton "Clay" Davis. Like most of the characters on that show he was slimy and up to no good. But he had his moments of clarity and showed that he did have a heart to a certain degree. Whenever he showed up on that show I knew he was going to do something memorable and wild. But it was the way he would say "Shiiiiiiit" that got me every time. That was his thing on the show. He would end sentences that way for the most part and I loved it. He was, for lack of a better term, some form of comic relief on "The Wire". He was involved in serious stuff, but he would pull out that "Shiiiiiit", and it was perfect every time. He also has a meme traveling around the internet from "The Wire", where he is snapping a photo and exclaims, "Got your ass". This is what he excelled at doing on "The Wire". He was a quote machine and he made each episode he was in so much better.

I also loved the work he did in "Da 5 Bloods", Spike Lee's criminally underrated COVID movie. He played Melvin, one of the soldiers going back to Vietnam to finish the job of spreading their friend's ashes. Again, he was the comic relief in this movie. "Da 5 Bloods" was a showcase for Delroy Lindo, but Whitlock Jr was there step for step with him. And he has a very dramatic scene in that movie that he absolutely nailed.

He appeared in seven episodes of "Veep" as Geroge Maddox. "Veep" allowed him to do straight up comedy and he was excellent. I felt like comedy was his thing, but he was cast in dramatic roles as the comic relief. He excelled in those roles, but doing a show like "Veep" felt like his bread and butter. He was so funny and so foul on "Veep", just like everyone else on that show.

He got to do more comedic stuff in movies like "Cedar Rapids". He was such a great side character in that movie, and that movie is very good. Go see it if you haven't at this point. He was on "Onion SportsDome" which allowed him to be a news anchor and also do comedy. He leant his voice to "Lucas Bros Moving Company", "Grand Theft Auto" and a "Cars" movie. His voice was perfect for voice acting. He had such a recognizable tone to his voice and when he showed up in animated stuff it was easy to pick him out of the crowd. He would show up randomly in the many different iterations of "Law and Order". This was great because he got to do stuff similar to "The Wire". But instead of playing a senator he would be a detective or cop, which felt fitting for him as an actor.

I thought it was great that he worked with Spike Lee prior to "Da 5 Bloods". He was in "ChiRaq" and "Blackklansman", doing great work in both movies. He had an arc on "The Good Cop", a show I never watched but I bet he was perfectly cast as a cop or detective. He did a few episodes on "Woke" and "Atlanta" and helped those shows simply due to his reputation as a wonderful person and actor. He was in "Cocaine Bear" and he was great in that.

That is the thing with Isaih Whitlock Jr, everyone liked to work with him and he was always reliable. Even if the project wasn't that great or well made, his presence was worthwhile. He never wasted a moment of his time while acting in a show or movie. I'm going to miss him and his work. At least we have the memes, him saying "shiiiiiiiiiit" and the hours upon hours of work he did on screen. Rest in Peace Isiah Whitlock Jr. You will be greatly missed. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Rob and Michele Reiner

Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were tragically murdered in their sleep by what appears to be stab wounds inflicted by their son. This is a true modern tragedy. This is awful. This was avoidable. This didn't need to happen. People with substance abuse and mental illness need to find help that suits them. If they need to stay in these facilities longer they should be able to. This is so horrible and awful and brutal and simply did not need to happen. Rob Reiner and his wife should still be here right now making people happy with their work.

I am gutted by this. This one hurts. Regardless of what that volatile, maniacal, egotistical, narcissistic fascist in the White House has to say about Reiner, he was a beloved figure by everyone. His movies and his work meant real things to people. His and his wife's death had nothing to do with their political affiliation, and to try and make it about that is insane. Josh Gad and Jack White and James Woods and Tim Heidecker are right, anyone who agrees with his horrible rhetoric on Reiner, and still supports him and knowingly voted for him needs to live with that shame for the rest of their lives. But as I said above, Reiber's work meant so much to so many generations of people. Forgive me, I do not know much about his wife's work, other than the very few factoids my folks told me this morning, so the rest of this blog will focus on Rob Reiner's work.

I was out to coffee with my dad, who is in his 70's, my brother who is in his mid 40's and myself, just turned 43, and we all had different movies we mentioned when talking about Reiner. My brother instantly mentioned "Stand By Me". That was his movie when we were kids. He would watch it over and over again, and if I were lucky enough to get to spend some time with him. I'd watch it too and it stuck with me. My dad mentioned two things, "All in the Family", which I am not so aware of, and "This is Spinal Tap", which is the greatest mockumentary for me to date. I have always been a fan of "The Princess Bride", because that may be the only perfect movie that has ever been made. But look, just between three people aged 30 years apart, we found four things we all loved that Reiner had his hand in. "Stand By Me" is the quintessential coming of age movie. This was what I envisioned growing up to be like when I was a kid. That movie made me laugh and cry and gave me feelings I had never had until I saw it. It is truly incredible. "All in the Family" has its place as one of the greatest sitcoms in American history, and from what I can glean, Reiner played a pivotal role. "This is Spinal Tap" is one of the greatest comedies ever made, Reiner had to give Christopher Guest the idea for his future career and it has some of the best music that has ever been put in a theater. That movie never fails to make me smile, I laugh harder each time I watch it and Reiner as the director is perfect casting. As for "The Princess Bride", this movie made fun of fairy tales while telling one of the greatest fairy tales ever. This movie moves at a perfect pace, is beautifully cast, has romance and kissing, but it is never over the top, it has a grandpa/grandson relationship, I mean it truly has it all. We showed it to our kids recently, 13 and 10, and they loved it. That movie spans generations and will always and forever be a classic. Then you go and look at some other stuff he made or was a part of. We have one of my wife's all time favorites, "When Harry Met Sally", which might be the best romantic comedy ever. He also had a part in "You've Got Mail". He gives one of the best line reads in "Tammy and the T-Rex". He made "A Few Good Men", which may be the only courtroom drama I can sit through and be engaged with the entire time. Reiner directed one of the better Stephen King adaptations, "Misery". "The Bucket List" is funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. He did the most recent documentary on Albert Brooks and his last movie, unfortunately for us, was the decent "Spinal Tap" sequel. As for some memorable acting roles, I mentioned the director in "This is Spinal Tap". He's in "Mixed Nuts". He was in an episode of "Curb" and "30 Rock". He voiced himself in "The Simpsons". And the most recent thing I saw him in, in which he was fantastic, was "The Bear".

Look at all of those credits, and think of so many others I didn't mention that one person gave us. He was prolific and profound and we are all very lucky to live in a world where Rob Reiner gave us so much incredible content. I still cannot wrap my head around how he and his wife were ripped away from everyone. It baffles and upsets me.

Rest in Peace you two. You should still be here with us right now making us laugh and smile. I hope wherever you are now you are reunited with some of the people you worked with who have also passed away. What a tragic, tragic loss. Michele and Rob Reiner, you will be dearly, dearly missed. 

Ty

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

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Best of 2025 - Television

Wrapping up my best of 2025 lists today I come to you with my top five tv shows of the year. Much like I talked about on my blog Friday, and in the most recent episode of our podcast, tv is in a golden era. There's a ton of stuff to watch, and there seems to be something for everyone's taste. There are some shows I don't watch, or haven't seen yet, so that is why they're not on this list. I have watched four episodes of "Pluribus" to this point, and that show is truly amazing, but I feel like there needs to be a legit season before I personally put something on my list. I like the whole finality of a season or series finale. I had to really pare this list down, but in the end I feel like I got the five best shows for me.

At number 5 I have "The Chair Company". Much like I said with "Friendship" on my movie list, "The Chair Company" allows Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin and their whole crew to go as wild as they want. They do some odd and different comedy and it all works for me. While this show was on I wrote a whole thing about how much I like how real everyone looks and seems on the show. This isn't some type of beautiful people being put in odd situations. This is people who look like you and me dealing with everyday stuff. That is awesome to me. I like that Robinson casts his buddies in major roles. I was all in on his friendship with that creep Mike all season long. I wanted to see how all that got resolved. I loved the stuff with his kids. His and Lake Bell's relationship felt real. I like how Robinson, as Ron, would complain about mundane stuff like his pillow and they kept it in the show. Best of all was they made me care about such an innocuous thing like this random guy falling on some random chair and then going to great lengths to prove a non existing conspiracy. "The Chair Company" is great because Tim Robinson and crew are in a total groove and they have had nothing but good ideas to this point.

At number 4 I have "The Rehearsal". This season of "The Rehearsal" enacted real change in our world. Pilots and co-pilots now get to talk about their feelings more openly because that was the crux of what Nathan Fielder wanted to do with this show. And boy oh boy was this season a doozy. Fielder created this season to try and find an answer to why accidents happen on planes and his idea to base it on the pilot/co-pilot relationship was a great way to start. From there on out we got to see Fielder cosplay as Sully Sullenbeger, we got to see actors try to date co-pilots, I learned a ton about the Evanescence song "Wake Me Up" and we found out that Fielder's show is of great importance to the autistic community. But, the biggest thing we learned was Fielder put his money where his mouth was and became a real deal pilot. He has flown everything from one man planes to big cargo planes delivering massive objects to remote places. When he flew that jumbo jet, it was awesome. Fielder is a modern day comedy genius and season two of "The Rehearsal"  was one of his greatest works to date.

At number 3 I have the final season of "The Righteous Gemstones". Danny McBride and crew sent this show out in the best way possible. This final season was a great sendoff, and I feel like they gave everyone proper due. The Gemstones had their typical trials and tribulations,  and they came out back on top. We got to see Eli fall in love and be happy once again. Keif got his just due and a proper happy ending. Michael Rooker, Sean William Scott and Megan Mullaly were excellent additions to this final season. We got to see Bradley Cooper give us the origin story of the Gemstone family. But this season was all about Uncle Baby Billy, one of the greatest characters ever played by Walton Goggins. All credit due to RD when he brought this up on the last podcast. Uncle Baby Billy transcended the show the moment he exclaimed, "All I want is an eight ball and two million dollars". He didn't have to do anything else, but he also gave us "Teenjus", yelling "COCAINE!!!!" like it was his superpower and his constant fights with his family's live-in nanny. Goggins made this the iconic role it became and I will be forever grateful to him for that gift.

Getting off HBO Max shows, at number 2 I have season two of "Severance". It was going to be hard to build upon what they did in season 1, but they did just that and so much more. This season was heavier than the first, but it also helped to grow the story. Zach Cherry having a relationship with his wife being his innie and outie was heartbreaking, The fact that John Tuttoro and Christopher Walken didn't get a happy ending crushed me. Brit Lower did a masterful job as Helly because I grew to despise her more and more as the season went on. The whole episode on the snowy mountains was one of the best hours of tv I've ever watched. Trammel Tillman made me feel bad for his character, and then he gave us such a dope dance sequence in the finale. And Adam Scott and Dichen Lachman just continued to break my heart with their backstory and everything that culminated in the finale. When we saw Lachman's backstory it was so eye opening and sad as hell. It was going to be hard to come back but "Severance" did it with aplomb and I'm not patiently waiting for the third season. In fact, maybe I'm not so patient.

Finally, at number 1 I have the second and final season of "Andor". First off, thank you RD for coaxing me to watch this show time and again. "Andor" is one of the best tv shows to have existed and this second season was one for the books. I have told my dad to watch it and he is hesitant because of the whole "Star Wars" aspect. I have told him that they use names from "Star Wars" and the same weapons, but this is a show about overthrowing a fascist government. It has very little other connections to "Star Wars". This show is dark and bleak but also hopeful. I loved in season two how every three episodes gave us a one year time jump. People died and it crushed me. I also found hope when an entire planet decided enough was enough and wanted to fight back and did their best. There's people I hate and people I root for as should be the way on a show like this. I'm glad Bixx got the ending she did. She more than deserved that after everything she went through. I thought Diego Luna was the best as Cassian. And Stellan Skaarsgaard's death may be the most brutal I have ever seen on a tv show. There isn't any perfect show out there, but "Andor" is as close as it gets.

Thank you all for reading my best of lists. Please let me know what I've missed. Now, I'm going to continue watching "Pluribus". 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "The Chair Company" Season 1

I watched the season finale of "The Chair Company" yesterday and I want to say a few things about the first season of this show. This review will be spoiler free. I am not going to divulge any big news because I feel like what Zach Kanin and Tim Robinson achieved with this should be watched by anyone who is a fan of their work.

I was predestined to like this new show of thiers, and it wildly exceeded my expectations. After the finale I sat back and tried to figure out what it was that had me so interested. And I have come up with a few ideas. First off, for the most part, they cast people that look like real people. This is a show filled with people that I feel like I could see walking down my street. This is not a knock on their looks. I appreciate when shows have real looking actors on. Not everyone on tv has to be this ideal look of beauty and skinny. They don't need to have pounds of makeup on covering any minor thing that may not look great on film. The people who populate this show look like me and my family and friends. They got people who know how to act, then put them on a major tv program, and I don't know why but I appreciated that. Tim Robinson is a normal looking guy, as is Zach Kanin. So is Jim Downey and almost everyone else on the show. They did cast Lou Diamond Phillips and Lake Bell, who are both very attractive, but that didn't take anything away from the rest of the cast. Even the actors playing Robinson and Bell's kids were great choices. I like that they did that because that's what they did on "I Think you Should Leave" and "Friendship".

I also liked how compact and quick this season went. It was eight episodes, all about 30 minutes long. That is how it should be done. I don't mind 45 minute to hour long shows, but they can be tedious from time to time, especially when an entire episode is basically foreplay to some big idea later in the season. With each episode going 30 minutes they needed to get it all out there in each episode. They leave no stones unturned. We get answers and I am fully on board with that. I want more shows to adopt the 30 minute runtime and have a season be 10 episodes or less. It is way less of a commitment and leaves room for other content to stream.

I liked how dark and angry this show is. Tim Robinson isn't afraid to do comedy like that and that is why I like his work so much. My mother in law was asking if this is a show she should watch and I immediately told her no because of how dark it is. She doesn't like that stuff, and while I do, I know that she would be put off by it. I am all for it. I want it to be dark and dreary. I loved when something uncomfortable would happen during this first season. The whole scene at the bar with the local actor and the bowl of soup was cringe comedy gold. And that was just the tip of the iceberg with the first season.

But, the thing I loved most and what kept me coming back was how involved I became with the plot. I wanted to know why the chair broke. I was invested in the whole investigation between Robinson and the people who helped along the way. I wanted to know more and more about Tecca and Red Ball Marketing. These are things I shouldn't care about, and shouldn't work on a tv show, but they made it work and made it tense and anxiety riddled. The run-ins with the bad guys were great. The "friendship" between Mike and Ron was so bleak yet I couldn't turn away. The sheer fact that they made me care that Mike wasn't invited to a teenager's birthday party should speak volumes as to how well done this show is. But, the whole idea of watching a middle aged midwestern dad go down this crazy rabbit hole because he fell when he went to sit down on a Tecca chair just shouldn't have worked. Yet it worked like gangbusters and I cannot wait to see what they do in the next season and beyond.

If you enjoy dark comedy and specifically the works of Zach Kanin and Tim Robinson, "The Chair Company" is a must watch. It shows growth but also gives you all the stuff you have liked from their previous work. This show is awesome. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "The Chair Company"

Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin are on a hot streak right now. I absolutely love "I Think You Should Leave". It is one of the best sketch comedy shows there has ever been. I know that Kanin didn't direct, and I don't even think he is in the movie, but you could see his fingerprints all over "Friendship". He and Robinson had to have written a bunch of that movie together at one point or another. And now they have "The Chair Company" on HBO.

Look, I was predetermined to like this show. I remember hearing about it awhile ago and I was already in at the mere mention of Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin's involvement. Then I saw a teaser trailer and I loved it and had no idea what I saw. It was just a clip of Robinson hanging out in the bathroom and then some shots of him at a computer. I was super intrigued by that 30 seconds alone. Then I saw some people talk about it online, some people got early screenings of the first episode and they had nothing but good things to say about it. I did not watch the premiere on Sunday, but I did watch it pretty much as soon as I woke up on the following Monday. And I loved it. This show is fully inline with the work these guys have done before, but they are taking it a few steps further than they have with their other stuff. You could see this coming, but the way they have pulled it off to this point has been right up my alley.

The whole idea of the show is, Robinson plays a middle America worker at your run of the mill company. He gets promoted for a big job, and on the day he is announcing everything to everyone who works in the office he goes to sit down and the chair breaks into a bunch of pieces. He is clearly embarrassed. Others at the job seem to have moved on from the incident, but not Robinson. He is consumed by what happened to him and this chair. He starts to dig deeper and deeper into the company that makes the chairs and some revealing stuff has already happened in the first two episodes. The show is hilarious, as one would expect, but it is also dark. There are some heavy undertones attached to this simple premise. But what I have loved the most about this show is how insane Kanin and Robinson make the mundane everyday life stuff. Robinson is meeting some shady individuals, but they are old and pretend gangsters. He is always on edge when he is having conversations with this family. His wife is very busy planning their daughter's wedding and their son is focused on getting a basketball scholarship. They manage to take this stuff and make it funny to me. There's a scene where Robinson is trying to sleep at night and he makes some blanket statements about his pillow being the issue. I love that he says it is the worst pillow in the world. I cannot count how many times I have said that about the pillows I used to own. I also like how Robinson is constantly trying to get out of this conspiracy he started himself and simply cannot. It appears he has gone a little too far and has dragged himself far too much into this chair company. And speaking to the mundane, the scenes where he is trying to figure out more about this chair company by doing some internet research have some of the best and funniest facial reactions. This is the stuff I have come to adore about Robinson's acting. He can make these wild faces that never cease to crack me up over and over again. And when he talks to himself, I find myself laughing harder and harder.

"The Chair Company" is off to a great start so far. I am really interested to see where this story goes, and if they will make more when it is all said and done. Robinson seems to be on an upward trajectory similar to what Nathan Fielder has going on right now. They both have unique and awesome comic minds. They make comedy unlike anything else that is out there today. And I'm here for it. I want it to continue. From "The Rehearsal" to "The Chair Company", Fielder and Robinson's version of comedy is better than anything else out there at the moment. Check this show out. It is pretty great. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "King of the Hill"

I was kind of unaware that they were going to do another season of "King of the Hill" until one of my brothers mentioned it to me at coffee a month or so back. Then it dawned on me that they did announce an updated season. We were going to see what the Hill family and friends were up to since they were last on tv.

I loved "King of the Hill" during its initial run. It was funny, made great observations and had some poignant and moving episodes. I always sided with Bobby because he was the kid in the family and he was, for me, the funniest. I often think about the episode where he gets gout to this day and it still makes me laugh out loud. Hank and Peggy Hill were great too, but Bobby was my guy. The rest of the cast held a place for me too. The Supennewsinpons, I'm sure I misspelled that, always fought with the Hills and it was always pretty funny. Dale, Boomhower and Bill were great side characters as Hank's buddies. John Redcorn and Dale's wife's relationship had tons of jokes that made me crack up. Joseph, Dale's kid, although it is clear that John Redcorn is his real father, was a nice mix of his folks. And everyone else did a great job. I will say with this new season, it was kind of a bummer that Brittany Murphy tragically died so young because that meant no Luanne. And it was pretty obvious that they were going to address Hank's dad passing, but they did do it in a very funny way, and then heartfelt way, throughout this new season.

Going into this season I really didn't know what to expect. I also had my guard up because I really do not like all the remakes or retelling or bringing back old shows for a new season. Right from the jump though, I enjoyed what I saw. It had the same cozy feeling of the original "King of the Hill". The way they explained the reason for taking a break was that Hank and Peggy moved to Saudi Arabia for Hank's job. This led to some funny stuff throughout the season. The way Peggy announced Saudi Arabia was great. Hank found out that he loved soccer. There were times when they missed the life they had overseas. I thought they explained that really well. They did great with Bobby, making him a chef that co-owns a restaurant. He does Japanese/German fusion food, and that is so perfect for his character. He also has the same voice from the original, and it was wild to hear that voice come from a 21 year old Bobby. And I loved it. Hank's buddies are back, although Dale is now voiced by Toby Huss, who I thought did a serviceable job. The stuff with Bill and COVID was great. Dale is as wacky as ever and Boomhower is just living his best life. The task rabbit episode featuring Boomhower does a great job of explaining his whole vibe I felt. And having Joseph and Connie back, and hanging with Bobby, it was just great.

This season did a very good job of coming back because they did a good job of sticking to what made the original series so wonderful. They update some jokes and talk about all that has been going on in the world, but in the end this is a show about a typical family in Texas. And is it clear that Hank Hill is still the main character. This show revolves around him and I'm here for it. And the way it ended definitely lends itself to more episodes, which I hope they do.

If you liked the original "King of the Hill", check out this new season. It is well worth your time. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Twisted Metal" Season 2

I finished season 2 of "Twisted Metal" last week and boy oh boy did I love it. I thought the first season was solid, but you could kind of tell that it was made on a razor thin budget, and we were still dealing with COVID to a degree. That being said, they did a very good job with what they had. I thought the story of season 1 was great and when it ended I was fully interested in where they could go from there, especially after what they did to Thomas Haden Church's character, which was much deserved in the world of the show.

Well, with season 2 they clearly got money and a runway to kind of go full steam ahead. And they most certainly did this time around. Season 2 was bigger, grosser, funnier and a total blast. I don't usually go back and rewatch seasons of shows this new, but I will most definitely be doing that with "Twisted Metal". We have some people from season 1 back, and they were much needed. Quiet, Stephanie Beatriz, and John Doe, Anthony Mackie, are back and they get back together pretty quickly in this new season. Stu, Mike Mitchell, is back and even funnier and the writers kind of go the distance with his character. Sweet Tooth, played by Joe Senoa and voiced by Will Arnett, is just as violent as he was in season 1, but he is also way funnier this time around. But it was the inflection of a bunch of new characters that really made season 2 sing. Patty Guggenheim plays Raven, who is one of the many people that run New San Francisco. She had a rough time in the past, which has made me the hardass she is in the world of this show. She is badass and willing to fight anyone in her way. Tiana Okoye plays Dollface. She is the leader of a movement of women that want to make things fair in this world. They have an odd way of going out and showing that they are brutal, but she does have good things in mind to make the current world a fairer place. Saylor Bell Curda plays Mayhem. She is younger and has only lived in the world of the show, so she is incredibly green. But she is also feisty and crafty and is somewhat of a fast learner. Richard De Clerk plays Mr Grimm. This dude is pure evil and he and Sweet Tooth have a past. When he shows up on screen this season, things get serious. Tahj Vaughans returns as Stu's best buddy Mike. But he has a new friend, former cannibal Dave played by Johno Wilson. These three are the comedic relief for the most part and they are both hilarious. Lisa Gilroy plays Vermin. She was unrecognizable, gross and brutal. Michael James Shaw plays Axel, my favorite character from this season. He is totally badass, and the episode when he has an intervention was very funny. But the best addition this season was Anthony Carrigan as Calypso. He is so eerie and so evil and fits this horrendous world so perfectly. He creeped me out everytime he was on screen, but I have to assume that was his job in this role. If so, he absolutely nailed it. Having all these new people show up could have been a problem, but the writers and actors knew exactly what to do and they nailed it.

I really liked season 1 of “Twisted Metal”, but season 2 went above and beyond and they totally nailed it. I really hope they get a third season. This show can do so many more things in the world of "Twisted Metal". And I really want to see how they take the ending of season 2 and make a whole new season out of that story. I fully recommend this show. I have thought about getting the video game just to see how the two compare. Until then, I'm going to go back and rewatch this kickass tv show. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne passed away a few days ago at the age of 76. This felt young to me, but I did see some clips from the final show that Black Sabbath just did, and it was not surprising. I guess he put everything he had left into that final show. I do want to say, I think it is awesome that he was able to do that before passing away. He gave his fans one last thing to remember him by, and from what I saw, he sounded pretty good for 76. He sounded a hell of a lot better than Bob Dyaln does now, and I adore Bob Dylan. But, for him to be able to put on this show with the remaining, and still alive, members of Black Sabbath, what a way to go out. I feel like it is almost fitting for him, but still tragic since he is now gone.

For me Ozzy got on my radar with his family's reality show, "The Osbournes". I knew a very little bit about him prior to the show, but the show put him on the map for me. He was always good for a great one liner or a zinger. I liked how he would say something kind or heartfelt to a family member and then tell them to "f off", except he used the full word. I will never forget when he helped his kids trash their neighbor's house, or yard or whatever, and he threw a rotten ham over the fence. He chucked that piece of meat, and when he ran off you could hear him cackling. He was the funniest one on that show, and that first season of the show was a big, big hit.

Through that show my dad and brothers started to tell me about his music career. When they first played "Crazy Train" for me I knew it right away because it was always played at sporting events. Hell, I bet it is still being played today. But his solo stuff never hit for me. Then my brother Seth introduced me to Black Sabbath. This changed my whole perspective on Ozzy. I instantly fell in love with Sabbath's music, and it was mainly due to Ozzy's voice. I loved their hits. "War Pigs", "Sweet Leaf" and "Changes" were the first ones I really loved. "Paranoid" hit me like a ton of bricks. I always assumed Sabbath was hard rock or metal, but my brother quickly showed me the error of my ways. I would play "War Pigs" over and over again. I loved that song, especially the message they were getting out there. The people who start wars never seem to fight them, instead leaving it to the poor. That is exactly what they were saying in that song. "Sweet Leaf" started with that loud cough, and then it became this excellent banger. I like that song as a pro marijuana song more than most psychedelic songs about weed. "Paranoid" has one of the best guitar riffs ever, and Ozzy's voice talent is undeniable when you hear him sing that song. But "Changes" has been my favorite of theirs ever since the first time I heard it. This is their ballad, their slow song, some may even call it a love song. I adore whatever they are trying to get out of the song. The lyrics are timeless and beautiful. This was the song that made me do a double take when I heard Ozzy sing because it is like nothing else in their catalog. It is such a pretty, sweet and tender song. Charles Bradley did it great justice when he covered it before passing. "Changes" is probably one of my favorite songs of all time.

Ozzy had a memorable and crazy life. He has left us with wonderful music and a hit tv show to keep his memory out there. And we can all go watch the final Black Sabbath show on the internet. Rest In Peace Ozzy Osbourne. I hope you're rocking out wherever you may be now. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Squid Game" Final Season

My wife and I just finished the final season of "Squid Game". Let’s discuss.

Much like everyone else, "Squid Game" showed up on my radar, was a massive hit and then they had to find a way to make more and wrap all that up in a neat little bow. I thought they achieved that with this last go round. I was talking to my buddy Kirk about it recently, and when I brought up the show, he asked me if it was worth watching. I kind of struggled with this question at first thought, but after a minute I told him I think it is good enough to check out. After saying this I thought about it even more, and I think they did the whole thing justice with how they ended the series. I feel like it was going to be impossible to please everyone watching it, but for me they were able to pull it off.

I do want to say, for those that haven't yet watched the new season, minor spoilers will be revealed today.

The final six episodes picked up right where the second season ended. The players that are still alive are now back to playing the games and player 456 is not in a good place. What I think makes this show work so well is that the writers have found a way to make me as a viewer care about people that I'm certain are going to die. I get invested in their stories, and when one goes it still kind of hurts watching it on the screen. But, the fact of the matter in this fictional universe is only one person can win the games. Everyone else is going to be killed, or off themselves because that is how violent the games get on this show. This time around they added the element of a baby being pushed into the games. One of the contestants is pregnant and in this third installment she gives birth. After she offs herself, the baby becomes a very integral part of the game. Player 456 is tasked with protecting the baby and he takes this job very seriously. But, the other players have different ideas. The sheer fact that I cared for that fake baby's well being proves how well made this show was throughout its run. I also liked that they changed the games that were played, with the lone exception being Red Light Green Light. The new games were just as wild and some felt even harder than the first time around. The hide and seek game was terrifying, brutal and tragic. The jump rope was even more frightening than the bridge from season one for me. And the final squid game was horrific in how easy and heartbreaking it was in the end.

My only gripe with the final season was the 6 months later addition at the end. I understand why they did this and why other shows and movies do it as well, but I like to imagine for myself what all these fictional people are doing now, or how their families are dealing with them no longer being there. But that is just a minor gripe and the last scene opened this show up to be made in different countries, which I find intriguing.

All in all I liked how this show went about its business and how they finished it all off. I thought they gave a solid ending that people shouldn't be upset about at all. They did it justice, they made me care and I was in on all six final episodes. "Squid Game" was really great and I think, years from now, we will look back on how awesome this show was and will appreciate it even more. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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