Ty Watches "Medical Police"

Yesterday I finished season one of "Medical Police" on Netflix. I used to watch "Children's Hospital", I loved it in fact, and when I heard they were going to do a spinoff show on Netflix, I was in. The thing that made "Children's Hospital" so great was how weird and off the wall it was. That was the calling of a great show on Adult Swim, and "Children's Hospital" nailed that. So does "Medical Police".

“Medical Police”is just bizarre and goofy and funny and wild and obscure and pokes fun at itself and, it just does all of that so damn well. This show focuses on two of the doctor's, Rob Huebel's and Erinn Hayes characters. And they get thrown into this wild scenario where they need to help stop a worldwide virus. And the show has all of the oddness of the original. Huebel and Hayes are so hilarious, and they nail the roles. The guest stars are also amazing on the show. The people they bring in, who have been on "Children's Hospital", are pretty big time. Ken Marino reprises his role. As does Lake Bell and Malik Akerman. So does Rob Corrdry. Jon Hamm shows up in one episode. Fred Melamed has a multiple episode arc. Jason Schwartzmann is hilarious as "The Goldfinch". Michael Cera is in one episode, and it is as a voice over speaker. Henry Winkler is there, playing the doctors office manager. It goes on and on from there. But the true stars are Huebel and Hayes. Huebel is his usual brash, yet not as cool as he thinks he is, type character. He is funny, he is charming, he is goofy, he does some cooling fighting stuff, he does it all. Rob Huebel is a very good, very underrated actor, and this show really lets him show off his chops. Hayes, to me, is the star of this show. She is funnier than Huebel. She is the funniest one on the show in fact. She also does some cooling fighting stuff. She takes the most comedic chances on this show. When she exposes her brains in the season finale, I was cracking up. The comedic timing she displays is wonderful. And she is, by far, the smartest person on the show. To see her go through all the comedic things she does on this show, just to get a laugh, makes me like her more and more. She is so god damn funny.

When I watched “Medical Police”, the show kept my attention because of how goofy and odd it was. The fight scenes were more funny than balletic. The back and forth between all the characters is wonderful. The writing and directing is too perfect. The people involved in this world know alternative and absurd comedy, and this show really shows that off. I hope Netflix lets them continue to make more and more seasons. This show definitely has an audience, especially people like me, and we will all continue to tune in whenever they put out a new season.

It is pretty obvious, especially if you enjoy this style of humor, that I recommend this show. It's 10 episodes, each is about 25 minutes long and it is hilarious. Go check it out. You will find yourself laughing quite a bit.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "Better Call Saul" Season 5 Premier

Season five, I believe the penultimate season, of “Better Call Saul” kicked off this past Sunday and Monday with two new episodes, and they were great. I’m a fan of this show.

Originally I was on the fence when they announced it, but when I saw that Bob Oedenkirk and Vince Gilligan were attached, I started to get more on board. Then I watched the first season, and loved it. The same can be said for the next three seasons. They’ve all been great. They have also brought back characters from “Breaking Bad”, many of which I really liked. Mike Erhmantraut, Gus Fring, Lavell Crawford’s character, they’re back and they’re just as wonderful. I also love the new additions. Kim Wexler is wonderful, and I hope she gets an okay outcome, although I don’t think she will. Michael McKean was exceptional as Jimmy/Saul’s bigger, much more successful and smarter brother. McKean’s partner, who I know from “Saved By the Bell: The College Years” is smarmy and slimy and perfect. All the gangsters and dealers, it’s like a glimpse of the “Breaking Bad” future.

As for Jimmy/Saul, he started out the series as a guy that just constantly gets beat down by life. He is getting passed up for every law job, his brother is clearly better than him, he’s looked upon as a second class citizen, things just don’t go his way. As the show has continued, you can slowly see the transformation. He is clearly getting sick of his lot in life, and he’s determined to change it. And, he does it pretty underhanded, and he’s pretty shady. You could really see the transformation at the end of the past season, especially when he does the double finger guns at Kim after winning a case and tells her “it’s Saul Goodman”.

That continues directly at the start of the new season. We do get to see him in Omaha at the Cinnabon he works at, his criminal hiding out/protection stuff. But when they flash back to him becoming Saul, he’s really becoming Saul. He has the Bluetooth, the cheesy clothes, his signature hairdo and his scamming ways are front and center. The way he convinced a lobby worker to jam up the elevator so he could get another lawyer to help him, and his clients out, was Saul at his best, and seemingly earliest. When he also tries to convince Kim to play along with him when she’s struggling with one of her cases, it just oozes slime from his part. And bless her heart, Kim doesn’t want to do immoral and unethical things with him, but she does truly love him, she goes ahead and uses his plan, even though she hates every second of it. And the stuff with Mike and Gus is as thrilling and nail biting and has all the intensity that “Breaking Bad” had. The same can be said for the Mexican drug cartel, especially when they picked up Saul at the end of the second episode. I literally cannot wait to see what happens next week.

All in all though, this show is Bob Oedenkirk’s vehicle, and he is driving it like a master driver. He’s so good in this role. Any hesitations I may have had at the start, they’re long gone by now. This is one of the best shows on TV, and I’m so glad it’s back on, and taking us on this ride once again. “Better Call Saul” is not “Breaking Bad”, hardly any shows are, but this is an excellent off shoot of that wonderful series. And I feel like this season is going to be truly amazing. I’m so happy it’s back.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Watches 30 for 30's "Vick"

One of the few things I think ESPN still does well is their "30 For 30" docs. Be it television movies or podcasts, this is a property they still seem to nail. I think it is because they aren't being star gazers, or trying not to hurt anyone's feelings. The "30 For 30" series is about as raw as they get on ESPN, and I feel like that is why it is still solid. And their most recent one on Mike Vick's story is a good representation of why this still works.

I am an unabashed Vick fan. I loved him in college, he made me root for the Falcons when he was first in the league, and while I adore dogs, and am a dog owner myself, I was one of the people who thought that his punishment was way, way out of line. This "30 For 30" covers all of that. The movie is right around four hours long, it was broken into two separate two hour parts, and I feel that every minute is totally worth your time. I also feel like this is a movie that will have a wide appeal. You don't have to be a sports fan to find something that will leave you asking questions or shaking your head at this movie. I would even venture to say that people who don't like Vick, who think his crime was heinous, would find something they like about this movie.

As for the movie, like I said, it covers his life leading up to today. There were things that I never really knew about Vick either until I saw this movie. I knew he grew up in poverty, and that he lived in the projects, but I didn't realize the type of sports talent that his hometown, Newport News, Virginia, produced so many great athletes. You could just name Vick and Allen Iverson, and that would be more than enough. This seemed like a place where you had no other options besides playing sports, and Vick was a super athlete. I knew he was a coveted recruit, but I also didn't know that he was going to go to either Syracuse or Virginia Tech. I didn't realize Syracuse was very close to getting him, and that was due to Donovan McNabb, who played a very big part in Vick's life. To see his journey in college, he was so god damn electric, to the number one overall pick in the draft was great as well. It brought me back to that time in my life when I was obsessed with where players I liked were going to be playing professionally.

When Vick made it to Atlanta, and got his 100 million dollar plus contract, this is when it seemed to kind of go sideways for him. He said in interviews that he was never going to turn any friends or family away, but when he got that money, it became clear to him that not everyone had good intentions, but he still kept them on his personal payroll. This is where the whole dogfighting thing comes into play. Now, I want to say before I go on, I love dogs. I have a dog. I can never, ever see me putting hands on him for anything. I am a clichéd dog lover. And what Vick did, with his involvement, he never personally fought the dogs, is very, very wrong. I needed to say that. But, to see that his involvement was minimal, that he was never charged with fighting, that he seemingly only provided the house and the area for these dogs to fight, it is insane the way he was treated by the majority of the world. He was looked at like a real criminal. He did something wrong, but he was not a murderer, a robber, an abuser, a steroid user. He didn't do anything close to what a ton of modern NFL players do, and constantly get away with now, yet he had to serve real time for some dog fighting. That drove me nuts. There was even parts in the movie where idiots like Tucker Carlson and Rob Thomas, the lead singer of Matchbox 20, said he deserved to be executed. That is a humongous overreaction, and I wonder if these people would have said the same thing if the person involved in this were Peyton Manning. Hell, Ben Roesthisberger has been accused of rape twice, and the people of Pittsburgh love him. Manning had a report come out that he was harassing female trainers in college, and that was swept under the rug. But Mike Vick is a part of some dog fighting, and he goes to prison for almost two years? Don't tell me this wasn't racially driven. It was one hundred percent that, and because he was a multi millionaire. Also, the people of PETA can sit on it. They are so holier than thou, and I am sick and tired of all their "missions" that they claim to be passionate about. I cannot stand PETA. But, to see Vick come out on the other side, make it back to the NFL, pay off his debts, get two more big time contracts, be a premiere player and help to stop dog fighting and help all animals was a great pleasure. He truly did turn his life around, and what he did was pennies compared to what the NFL lets guys get away with now.

Also, Roger Goodell is still a monster, and every time he was on screen, I felt like giving him the finger.

This "30 For 30" was great though because the story is a positive one. It has a message. It shows someone overcoming tough situations and being the better for it. I really enjoyed this movie and it made me like Mike Vick more than I already do. I highly recommend this movie. It is wonderful.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez"

Yesterday I finished the “Killer Inside” the Aaron Hernandez docu series on Netflix, and I’ve got to say, it was pretty eye opening.

I’m a football fan, one of the many people who root against the Patriots, and I knew of the story involving Hernandez and the murder of Odin Lloyd. This series shouldn’t have felt new to me, but I learned so much more than I thought I knew. I knew of him being convicted, that he was accused of a double murder, of which he was acquitted, that he got in trouble with fights in college and that he had pretty violent tendencies when he entered the NFL.

What I didn’t know, well, there was a lot of stuff. I had heard rumors that he was bisexual, and this series confirmed it. The QB from his high school team was featured a good amount in this, and he confirmed that they had some sexual encounters in high school. There was also another theory tossed around that he had a lover while in prison. What I found eye opening in this docu series was how much he, his high school friend and another pro player who stayed in the closet until he retired, tried to suppress this. I mean, who cares? Why was Hernandez so afraid to be his true self? Why was he so opposed to revealing this?

Another thing I learned from watching this that I never knew, that may explain why, his father was pretty abusive, not accepting of that lifestyle and that Hernandez, according to his older brother, was sexually abused as a child. I knew none of this. Also, that doesn’t make it okay to do what he did, quite the opposite, but it may explain why he was so violent. He had all these inner demons he couldn’t let out, and instead of seeking therapy, or just accepting who he truly was, he acted out with violence. He wanted to be a gangster, but he was a phony gangster. He tried so hard to hide who he was because of his past, that he went the exact opposite way of what he should have done.

I also found out that he had a fractured relationship with his mom because, after his father died, she almost immediately hooked up with another guy who tried to be his dad. Hernandez didn’t like this, so he started staying with his aunt, who let him do whatever he wanted. That was bad. That was when he fell in with the wrong crowd. I also didn’t know that he grew up in a fairly affluent town in Connecticut. This was a total assumption on my part, but from what I saw, I gathered he grew up in a not so good town. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Granted his parents were violent, but he grew up in a home with two parents and a brother. He had tons of friends in high school, excelled at sports and seemed like he had a normal enough childhood, at least on the surface. So, I guess this is where the whole wannabe gangster thing came from.

After he left Connecticut and went to Florida, that was when he started to change it seems. What I already knew was how slimy and robotic and mechanical people like Urban and Shelley Meyer, Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady and Tim Tebow are. All of them had interviews shown during the doc, and they all had the same cliche, “I won’t comment on that”, “he seemed like he changed” or, “I’m going to leave if you keep asking me questions” answers to everything. They offered absolutely nothing, yet they spent the most time with him. In fact, the only people who kept it real were his high school friends that appeared in the doc. They laid it all out there, bare bones, and I was glad they did.

I also learned that, even in death, he was impulsive, stupid and selfish. He thought he could clear his name, and take care of his fiancé and child if he offed himself due to some archaic rule in Massachusetts. And while it worked for maybe a year, Odin Lloyd’s mom, who is a saint, was able to convince the courts to overturn this rule, and get the conviction back on Hernandez’s record. Odin Lloyd’s mom wanted her son to be remembered, and she achieved that goal.

I highly recommend this 3 episode series on Netflix. Each ep is about an hour long, it’s eye opening and you don’t have to be a football fan to enjoy this. This ranks right up there with any true crime series that is on TV right now. It’s good stuff with very solid reporting. Check it out.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Watches "Awkwafina is Nora from Queens" Series Premiere

The other day I was able to watch the premiere episode of "Awkwafina is Nora From Queens", and I have to say, this show looks like it is going to be great. I am a fan of Awkwafina. I have seen her in some of her roles, movies like "Crazy Rich Asians", "Ocean's 8" and "Neighbors 2", and her character has always left an impressions on me. She is hilarious, she is loud and she hits the right comedic note almost every time. So when I saw that she had a show on Comedy Central, that she co created, I was going to watch. And, like I said, the pilot didn't disappoint.

The show is about a late 20's person with no real ambition or direction in her life. She lives with her dad and grandma, is an Uber type driver and likes to sleep in and get high. She has a close friend who is willing, and able, to help her out if needed. But other than that, she is on her own, and she is going nowhere. In the pilot, Awkwafina's humor and acting shined through. She was hysterically funny. The way she talked, what she talked about, how she talked about certain tings, I was in stitches. There is a scene where she is sleeping in her car, and a tow truck guy comes to tell her that she is in a no parking zone. What happens from there, how Awkwafina acts as Nora was riotous. From the arguing, to the fact that she wasn't wearing any pants, it was perfection. And there was plenty of other moments that made me literally laugh out loud. The hoarding stuff was great. The interactions with her and her dad, played by BD Wong, was hilarious. The stuff with her tech savvy cousin was pretty funny. The way the show was shot, and how they cut from scene to scene was pretty inventive and cool. I was in for all of it. One of my favorite scenes was between her and her friend, when she decides she needs to get her own place and ends up crashing with her, when Nora is upset and crying, but still taking bong rips, I was absolutely cracking up the whole time. And this was all do to how Awkwafina portrays Nora.

I really feel like this show is going to prove to people how versatile, and funny, Awkwafina is as an actress. I know she raps, that she has done dramatic things, and played the goofy best friend, or been the comic relief in most things. But, she is the star in "Nora from Queens". The show goes as she goes, and if the pilot is any indication, this show can last as long as she wants it to. I don't think they will get to a point where they run out of funny material that she can pull off. I'm all in on this show. I cannot wait to watch the next episode, and the rest of the season for that matter.

This is a really good, really funny new show that I think people should definitely check out. I highly recommend it.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "Hot and Heavy" Series Premier

I have talked many times on this site how I now enjoy reality TV, and how TLC has become a channel my wife and I watch a ton lately. We love a good "90 Day Fiance", my wife likes "My 600 Pound Life" and "Say Yes to the Dress", and she has even gotten me to watch a "Gypsy" marathon show every now and then. Last night we decided that we were going to watch their newest show together. We saw a preview for said show, and we were immediately intrigued and decided then that we would watch this show when it premiered. The show in question, it is called "Hot and Heavy".

So, for those that may not know, this show is about, and I LOATHE this term, "mixed weight" couples. And if you think that sounds absurd, you are very, very right. Anyway, this show is about guys that are supposedly in good shape that date women that are overweight, or in some cases, as one doctor put it, "morbidly, and grotesquely obese". Yes, this show is as insensitive as this minor description may have you thinking it is right now.

The couples, there are three of them, each have their own little 5 to 10 minute blocks where they talk about their "mixed weight" relationships. We have one couple where the guy, his name is Rusty, is married to his wife, I think her name is Trish, and she weighs around 330 pounds. This guy Rusty is a real piece of work. He says some pretty upsetting stuff to his wife, that he thinks is cute and fun. It is not. And in this premiere episode, when the wife decides to see a doctor about a possible weight loss surgery, the husband is so offended that she would do this without him, and he is very opposed to her getting the surgery to lose weight, Never mind the fact that she is a diabetic, and the surgery could help her live longer and conceive a baby. None of that matters to this moron. He wants her to stay big, no  matter what. This gentleman clearly has a fetish, but he won't admit it.

There is another couple, they are from Canada, and they had a baby after only 2 weeks together. I do have to say, for how absurd this show is, this couple seems to be legit in love. But, TLC definitely hired a couple of kids to yell at the lady while she is eating ice cream, and they even call her a cow and moo at her. I mean, this was totally unnecessary and rude and unneeded, but TLC had to find a way to manufacture some drama with this couple. They don't seem to really fit in with this show, and it seems like TLC is going to have to fabricate some stuff if they keep this couple on.

There is one final couple, that also seem genuinely in love, but all the outside people are real pieces of work. The guy and girl seem to have a solid connection, but the girl is always putting on a show when she meets new people. She amps up the personality, and it is a struggle to watch. As for the guy, well, his family and friends are very mean people, and they say some super hurtful things about his girlfriend. When he asks her to come out to meet his friends, every one of them, except the wife of another friend, were just awful. They gave her odd looks, they acted nice to her face but said some rude stuff behind her back and they just seemed artificial. The guy's family, especially his mom, were straight up rude, except his sister. His sister could care less what the girlfriend looked like, as long as he was happy. But the mom kept talking about how she used to be heavy, and how she doesn't want her son to have to take care of someone that is bigger than him. She came off extremely mean and nasty. It was upsetting.

All this leads me to say, I guess TLC is at a point now where they will make up some nonsense like "mixed weight" couples, and just slap it together and throw it on camera. This show was offensive to heavy people, was mean, is ridiculous, and didn't have to ever be made. But, TLC must have accomplished their goal because I am here talking about it today, I told my folks about it, I'm sure my wife is talking about it at work today and it was blowing up on social media last night. And I hate to say, I will most likely watch the rest of this season, and if it comes back, I will probably watch it again. It is unnecessary, but also kept my attention. That is embarrassing, but true.

I will watch "Hot and Heavy", I will complain about how people treat other people and that means TLC has won. They broke me.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Holiday Television Programs: Day 23 - "Seinfeld - The Strike"

ed note: This article was first published on December 18th, 2016

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 23 "Seinfeld - The Strike"

Original air date - December, 18th 1997 

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,  Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two

For SeedSing's Advent Calendar of great holiday television shows, today, I'm going to write about the "Festivus" episode of "Seinfeld". I know the episode is called "The Strike", but lets be honest, I think we all know this as the Festivus episode. The Festivus episode of "Seinfeld" ranks right up there with any "Simpsons", "The Office" or any other TV show we have written about for the Advent calendar. In fact, I'm going to say that the Festivus episode of "Seinfeld" is the best holiday television show ever. I may quote "The Simpsons" more, or laugh at "The Office" more, but this particular episode of "Seinfeld" has literally changed the way I view the holiday. Today marks Festivus, and I will be airing grievances, showing feats of strength and getting the big pole out for this wonderful pre holiday holiday. 

The episode starts off funny. We all learn that Kramer was/is a worker in a bagel shop, and the strike that he has been seemingly on for years, has ended. Funny right off the bat. The whole thing with the bagel shop, and Kramer's past, and now present, are all classic "Seinfeld". We also get another story involving Elaine giving some creeps a phony phone number and there is some wackiness that happens with this plot line throughout. But, the true gem of the episode is when George's dad tells the world of the joyous day of Festivus.

We learn that when George was a kid, his dad was in line waiting to get him a toy, a doll in fact, and someone else got the last one. He pleaded and prodded the person to give him the doll, but they just would not budge. This caused Frank to lose his mind. He got very, very upset, as he almost always does.  This was when and where he Frank decided he needed to have a "holiday for the rest of us", and thus, Festivus was born. He decided that everyone needs to do many things to make themselves feel a bit better during this holiday season.

Let's be honest, this time of year brings out the anxiety and anger in the best of us. The holiday season can be pretty rough. So, the fact that Frank came up with a holiday where everyone can air their grievances, I love it. I wish this was a real thing and people would not get upset at the outcome. Imagine how nice it would be to tell everyone how you feel, but with the caveat that they cannot get mad at you, and they are allowed to do the same. This would be terrific. To let it all out, that would feel great from both sides. I love that the Costanza's do this every year, because who has more grievances than the Costanza's? No one, that's who. Imagine Frank, Estelle and George sitting around airing their grievances, it must be magically hilarious.

Then, the feats of strength. This would be my absolute favorite. This gives you the chance to prove who is the strongest in your family. I would crush this part of Festivus (ed note: no he would not), and I think my whole family, while they might disagree at first, knows that I would dominate. Now, imagine once again, the Costanza's doing this. I can almost guarantee that Estelle would be the strongest in the family. She may not look it, but I think she would absolutely dominate George and Frank in a feats of strength competition. I bet George is also the weakest, even at everyone's advanced age. He is so meek and mean, but that is just his attitude, I'm sure that does not translate into actual strength.

Then, we have the Festivus pole, which is the alternative to the tree and menorah used during this time of year. It is just an unadorned pole that sits in your living room on December 23rd. It does nothing, but it adds so much to this episode. The fact that Frank just wanted an alternative to all the glitz and glamour of the holiday's is a perfect representation of Frank and the Costanza's. They do not conform to social norms at any times, and I love that.

What makes this episode even more wonderful is the fact that people have made Festivus a real holiday. This has become a real thing. At the time of its airing, it was just an idea that Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David and the "Seinfeld" writing crew came up with, but now, it is real. The computer hasn't proclaimed that I have spelled the word wrong once, there is actual written facts on the internet and most people actually celebrate the day. This has become a world wide, nationally celebrated holiday. I know for a fact that when I go see my family later today, we will celebrate some of the best parts of Festivus, and I cannot wait (ed note: also the fact that Ty will once again lose the feats of strength).

The fact that Festivus is a nationally recognized thing should be more than enough to get this episode on our list, but there are so many more reasons. It is a funny, goofy, Costanza heavy episode, which are usually the best that "Seinfeld" has to offer. While I love "The Simpsons", and it will always be my favorite show, this episode of "Seinfeld" is one of the best episodes of just general television, but it is also the best representation of this holiday that TV has ever put out. It is magnificent.

Go out and have a wonderful Festivus everyone. After all, it is a holiday for the rest of us.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Did we mention that Ty always loses the feats of strength. He does always lose. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Television Programs: Day 21 - "Saturday Night Live - TV Funhouse December 17th, 2005

ed note: This article was originally published on December 21st, 2016

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy.

Day 21 "Saturday Night Live - TV Funhouse December 17th, 2005"

Original air date - Read the title 

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,  Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty

We all need that special time where we rule the world. I can do no justice to the master work of Darlene Love and the people at TV Funhouse. 

Enjoy

RD 

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He also did not wait in line for King Kong on Christmas Day. He wish he had.

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Holiday Television Programs: Day 19 "The Office - Christmas Party"

ed note: This article was first published on December 19th, 2016

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 19: "The Office - Christmas Party"

Original air date - December 6th, 2005 

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,  Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen

For SeedSing's Advent Calendar of great holiday TV shows, today I'm going to write about one of my all-time favorite episodes of the American version of "The Office". The episode is simply titled, "Christmas Party", and it takes place in what most everybody believes is their best season, the second.

The episode starts like most, with one on one interviews, and we can see that Dunder Mifflin is decorated for the season. They have a big tree, lots of wreaths, holly, all the things you'd expect when walking into any office during the holiday's. We get an early interview with Jim(John Krasinski), talking about how he finally got Pam(Jenna Fischer) for secret Santa. They have always done a secret Santa at Dunder Mifflin, and Jim, apparently, has never gotten his true love, Pam before. This was well before they were married and had kids and everything, so I think it was great for the writers to have this as one of the main stories in this episode. Later, while speaking with Jim, Michael Scott(Steve Carrell) reveals to him that he got his favorite person in the office, Ryan(BJ Novak), for secret Santa. He proclaims that he spent a lot of dough and went all out because he wanted this party to be extra special. Jim says he thought there was a 20 dollar limit, but we all know Michael to be a bit of a spender and a pest.

When all the workers gather around the tree to do secret Santa, that is when this episode goes from good to great. At first, all is well.  Oscar(Oscar Nunez) gets the shower radio he wanted from his secret Santa, Kelly(Mindy Kaling). Jim gets his gift from Creed(Creed Bratton), which is just one of his old shirts, because Creed is never prepared for anything. Oscar has a gift for Creed, but he doesn't know anything about him, assumes he is Irish, and gets him a four-leaved clover keychain. Then, it is Pam's turn, and she opens her gift, which is a teapot that she has pointed out to Jim many, many times. He not only remembers to get her this teapot, but he also stuffs it with some inside jokes and a note telling her how he truly feels about her. She is very happy, and Jim is pleased with the great job he has done. Then we get to Ryan. He opens his present, and it is a video iPod. For those of you that are even younger than me, back then, in the early to mid-2000's, a video iPod was a big deal, and pretty expensive. It is so expensive in fact, they say that it cost 400 dollars for Michael to buy it, because of course he left the price tag on. After all the initial shock, it is now Michael's turn to open his present from Phyllis(Phyllis Smith). He opens the paper to reveal a homemade oven mitt. It is a very thoughtful and very nice gift, and just what secret Santa should be all about, but Michael is unhappy. He is so upset that Phyllis did not spend a single penny on his gift. He throws his Santa hat off and madly storms into the hallway to let the camera crew knows how he feels about Phyllis' gift. After a minute or so, the other workers ask if they should just continue to open gifts, and Dwight(Rainn Wilson), says no one does anything until Michael says so.

Michael comes back after about 5 minutes and declares that they are going to play a game called "Yankee Swap". The game consists of people deciding if they want to steal a present, open a new present or just keep what they have. We all know this game. Others call it "White Elephant" or "Nasty Christmas". The game is brutal, and shows people's true feelings. This is exactly what Michael wants, because it means everyone will want the iPod he bought. The game starts, and of course the iPod is the hot item. Everyone is trading for it, even Pam. When Pam takes it the first time, Jim is noticeably upset, but Pam says to him, "I mean, it's an iPod". Brutal and to the point. After awhile, Phyllis leaves the room after Michael bad mouths her gift and convinces Meredith(Kate Flannery) to take it. Michel tries to "explain" reverse psychology to the audience before this happens, and it is hilarious. Go watch it now. After Phyllis leaves, Michael asks what is wrong with her, and the rest of the workers tell him it is because he bought a very expensive gift, then bad mouthed all the other gifts.

Michael feels bad, and tries to make up for his mistake, but he makes it worse by telling everyone that he got a big bonus for firing someone, and this just makes everyone even madder. They all leave the circle around the tree, and Michael is despondent. Michael leaves to go get alcohol for the party because he thinks this will make everything better.

While he is at the liquor store, we get shots of everyone trying to get the gifts they truly want. Everyone wants the iPod, but Pam has it, and she loves it. She is smitten. Jim is trying everything he can to get the teapot back, Dwight has it now, but he just cannot convince him. Dwight claims he will use it for sinus infections, and that makes Jim even more upset. At one point, we see Dwight looking through the teapot, and he fins all the inside jokes. Pam sees this from a distance, and she starts to realize that Jim went through a whole lot to get this gift specifically for her.

Michael returns, with 15 bottles of vodka, and now the Christmas party truly begins. They aren't supposed to have alcohol, but no one truly cares, as I expect most real life offices would do the same. The vodka does help. People start to have fun, no one is mad at Michael anymore. At one point, Michael proclaims that Ryan is the "king of the party planning committee", because he found some shot glasses. Even Todd Packer(David Koechner) shows up, with mistletoe on his groin. During the party, Jim walks over to Pam, who looks like she is working, to tell her she doesn't have to answer phones at a party, but we come to realize that she has traded gifts with Dwight. Jim is thrilled and tells her that there is more to the gift than just the tea pot. He and Pam talk about all the inside jokes in the tea pot, but Jim slyly takes the note away and puts it in his pocket before Pam can get to it. We even get to meet Phyllis' boyfriend for the first time, Bob Vance, and his interaction with 3 of the workers is great. After the party they all decide that they are going to go to a bar for an after party, and they even invite Michael, who never gets invited to anything. Before they leave though, Meredith approaches Michael and takes off her shirt. Michael does not reciprocate the feelings, but it is pretty funny. I put this part in because it is the first true time we see how drunk Meredith acts. This becomes a running gag throughout the show.

This particular episode of "The Office" is great. They always brought their A game to the holiday episodes, but this was the first, and, in my opinion, the best. It is a classic.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He did not have any drinks at the SeedSing holiday party, but he did clean his sinuses with a teapot. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Best of 2019: Top Five Television Shows

My best of 2019 week continues today with my top 5 tv shows of the year. This was probably the most difficult one for me to pair down to just five shows. There are so many streaming services and new shows and just flat out solid tv being made right now. I legit feel like we are in a golden age of tv shows. I left out a ton of shows that I watch every week, and it was hard for me to do that. There is no "Good Place", "The Other Two", "The Mandalorian", "Game of Thrones", which I really liked, "Big Mouth" or 'Veep". And as I said, I really, really liked these shows a lot. But, I guess that is a good thing that we have so many different options now. At times it can be overwhelming, but as my kids have gotten older, I have found it nice to be able to catch up on stuff and find something new. With that being said, lets get to the list.

At number 5 I have "The Righteous Gemstones". I am a big time Danny McBride fan, and when he, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green get together for a tv show, it usually works. "Gemstones" might be their best show to date. The way they send up the whole televangelist world was perfect. It was so funny, and I bet, pretty close to reality. You then get McBride's comedic, and dark lean on it, and it adds a whole other level. The show is hilarious, but some of the stuff was pretty damn dark. But, it worked out so well. The fact that McBride's character is caught on video doing cocaine, and that a hit is put out on him, isn't the craziest thing speaks volumes to the depths this show goes, and I was in for every second of it. John Goodman and Adam Devine were wonderful, as was Walton Goggins. But the star of the first season, for me, was Edi Patterson. She was so foul mouthed and dirty and childish, and it all worked. She is on her way to stardom with this show and this role. I love this show. I cannot wait for season 2.

At number 4 I have the most recent season of "Black Mirror". Sure, there were only three episodes, but they were all poignant and well made and acted and told a tragic and not too distant futuristic story that was completely believable. The first episode, "Striking Vipers" was a wild story about infidelity in a video game setting between 2 men, one single, one married with a child. It seemed simple enough at the beginning, but then it takes a whole turn with the video game, and I was there for the story. I bought in. The episode with Miley Cyrus was a bit on the nose, but I thought she did a great job, and the robot toy that saved the day, how is that not supposed to be Alexa or Siri? Those robots are just as real as the one in Cyrus' "Black Mirror" episode. But, the cream of the crop was "Smithereens". That episode has stuck with me for such a long time. The story, how we are so addicted to screens, was too perfect for this time in history. The acting was also top notch. Topher Grace was awesome. So was the dude from "Snowfall". But the main guy, from "Fleabag", he was prefect. He was so angry and sad and frustrated and just wanted out and wanted people off their screens. Ending the episode with people staring at their phones as they walk and not interact with one another, and the song "You're Just Too Good to be True" playing over the credits was amazing. Simply perfect.

At number 3 I have "What We Do in the Shadows". I loved, loved, loved the movie, and when Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi gave their blessing for the show, I was in. I love the premise, vampires living in modern days sharing an apartment. It shows all the little things that bother roommates. We all have had crummy roommates, and to make them vampires, it is just so god damn funny. The actors were wonderful, especially Matthew Berry. He was simply amazing. Also, the "energy vampire" was a thing of comedic genius. To see him just suck out the energy from humans was one of the funniest things I have seen on TV in quite some time. I also loved the episode where they go out on the town with the head vampire, and he gets so wasted that he gets left out in the sun and dies. I also loved the episode with the town hall meeting, and the one with all the high ranking vampires, including Wesley Snipes calling in via Skype. This show might not have worked had Clement and Waititi not be involved, but since they were, it goes off like gangbusters. I am so very excited for season 2. It cannot come soon enough. FX is really doing some cool and inventive things with modern TV. Props to them.

At number 2 I have "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson". This is the best sketch show on TV. It is so much better than "SNL" or anything that the late night talk shows try and do with sketch. Sketch comedy is real hit or miss, and "ITYSL"  hits every time. Be it the sketch with the wiener mobile guy, the guy that eats the receipt, the focus group, the extended spine relief commercial, the "honk if you're horny" sticker, the job interview, the baby pageant, just all of them, they are all home runs. I find myself going back to the show time and time again, and it gets funnier every single time. Tim Robinson never really got a fair shot on "SNL", and then his show he co created with Sam Richardson, who is awesome, "Detroiters", also got wrongfully canceled, but now, he is shining. He is getting to do what he wants, he controls the sketches and he makes every last one of them a winner. I do not think I have laughed this hard at a show since I was a kid. This show brings me back to a time where absurdity made me laugh harder than anything else and Robinson is currently the best at it. I adore this show, and it seems like a lot of other people do as well. Robinson is finally getting is due as a comedy actor and writer.

And coming in at number 1, I have "Watchmen". RD was right. He said that if people wanted to do this story right, they would make it a television series. Well, Damon Lindelof must have heard him and he went out and did it, and he crushed it. The show is so creative. I love that they still have some of the original heroes from the graphic novel, but they added new heroes, and the show takes place in modern times. It was the best way to do the show. It makes it so the movie that Zack Snyder did is all but washed away, and that you haven't had to read the book to get into these characters. Regina King is amazing, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has one of the coolest, and most unexpected surprises of the season. Jeremy Irons and Louis Gossett Jr are perfect in their roles. Tim Blake Nelson is the greatest character actor of all time. And Jean Smart, she is a master. They are finally doing the graphic novel justice with this show, and I couldn't be happier. I just watched the season one finale, and I hope there is more, but if they decide to stop, this season of "Watchmen" could go down in history as one of the greatest season's of tv of all time. It was a masterpiece.

As far as disappointments for 2019 in tv, I don’t really have any. Like I said at the top, it has been a great year, and even a great decade for tv. If I had any gripe, I would say that there is almost too much. But that isn't really a problem. People will watch what they want to, and make time for what they want to watch. TV is having a moment right now.

Okay, that does it for TV in 2019. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 podcast/podcast episodes of 2019.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Get ready for next year when Ty has the Saved by the Bell reboot/continuation on his best of 2020 tv year end review.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Television Programs: Day 17 - "A Very Sunny Christmas"

ed note: This article was originally published on December 17th, 2016

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 17: "A Very Sunny Christmas"

Original air date - December 16th, 2010, released on DVD and Blu-ray November 17th, 2009 

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,  Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen

The memories of our childhood Christmases tend to be filled with joy and excitement. Of course we do have a few friends who hated Christmas because their parents were not into the holiday spirit, but most of us have great memories. We got awesome toys, people came over to visit, and the day ended with some fun activities. As we get older, we start to learn all the things our parents did to make these great, or unpleasant, holiday memories. Sometimes these truths from our Christmas past will ruin our Christmas present, and make Christmas yet to come look even worse. Sometimes we are only left with a simple activity to take our minds off of the ugly lie that is Christmas.

In November of 2009, the long-running FX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia released an extra long episode on DVD and Blu-ray titled A Very Sunny Christmas. The episode had some harsher than normal language, and some animated nudity. FX was not ready to air the very special episode of the Always Sunny gang. With a few edits for television, A Very Sunny Christmas made it's television debut on December 16th, 2010 as the sixth season finale.

The supersized holiday special has Mac and Charlie excited for Christmas, but Dee and Dennis are not feeling the joy. Mac and Charlie love Christmas because as kids their parents made the holidays awesome. Dee and Dennis hate Christmas because their dad Frank used the joyous day to promise his kids great gifts and just end up faking them out with empty packages. 

This year Frank goes too far. He buys Dennis dream car, a Lamborghini Countach, and Franks intends to keep it for himself. He also carries around a designer bag, Dee's dream gift, and fills the bag with cheese snacks and chocolate. The Reynold's kids have been pushed to the breaking point and decide to pull a Christmas Carol scheme on Frank to make him change. 

Meanwhile, Mac and Charlie are getting more excited for Christmas. On a visit to Mac's home, the two lifelong friends find a videotape of a young Mac at Christmas. Here we learn that Mac's criminal father used to take his family from house to house on Christmas morning to steal other families presents. It was presented to Mac as a South Philly tradition where you would go to other people's houses and take their presents while they went to your house and got presents for themselves. Once Charlie helps Mac see the truth, their Christmas spirit starts to dim. They decide to head over to see Charlie's mom, she is always filled with holiday joy.

At Charlie's house, Mac learns about the Christmases of the past in the Kelly household. Every year a Santa. or elf, would come to the door. The gentleman would give little Charlie a present, then head upstairs with mom Kelly. Many Santas, and elves, would come to the Kelly house on Christmas day. Being confronted with the fact that his beloved mother is an actual prostitue starts to completely break Charlie's fragile mind.

The Christmas Carol scheme of Dennis and Dee does not go well. Frank's old business partner Eugene, a man that Frank swindled millions of dollars from, is a born again Christian who just wants to talk about Jesus. Their attempt to show Frank how much people hate him just ends with the nude elder Reynolds bursting from a couch he demanded to be sown into. Their attempt to show him a future gravesite also fails spectacularly. The lesson of Christmas was not appearing before the Scrooge-like Frank.

With their terrible realizations, Mac and Charlie are still trying to make Christmas merry. On a trip to a mall to buy an old friend a new shirt, and a cool toy, poor Charlie spots the mall Santa and starts to approach the jolly fellow. Once on Santa's lap Charlie has one question, did Santa visit his mom (the real dialogue was too hot for FX, hence the early DVD release). With Santa quite confused, Charlie lunges at the man and red and starts to bite old St Nick's ear off. The scene ends with a little girl in hysterics.

The whole gang gets back together on Christmas Eve night and decide that the whole Christmas thing is garbage. They vow to forget their troubles by getting drunk and forgetting about all the awfulness. While they poor the first few drinks, Charlie receives a phone call and tells everyone that Frank died in a car accident.

Once the gang reaches the hospital, they see Frank very alive. He was in an accident, but just hurt his leg. He tells the crew that he had a vision, one that looks a lot like the Rudolph animated special. Through the vision he wants to be a better man. The gang doesn't buy it and heads back to the bar. The truth is that Frank does want to be better and has decorated the whole bar, with his old partner Eugene, for the holidays. Frank is giving Dennis the Lamborghini, Dee gets the designer bag, Mac and Charlie get the new hot toy, everyone is about to have a great Christmas.

Then Eugene enacts his own fake out and pulls a gun on the crew. He demands all the gifts and blows everyone down with an industrial snow machine. Christmas sucks once again. The only thing that everyone can do to make this Christmas worthwhile is to throw rocks at trains. Why wouldn't you throw rocks at trains?

The idea of a perfect Christmas is a myth. The truth of how people pull off a Christmas miracle is filled with some dark actions. Most people do not have criminal fathers, or prostitutes for mothers, but we all have parents who have gone to extremes to make the holidays memorable. When confronted with the truth, we have a choice to make. We can try to make the holidays joyous in our own way, or we can bite Santa's ear off. No matter what we choose, the day should definately end with anice group activity.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He one time had an Omni Bot. That thing was the stuff.

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

SeedSing: Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Television Programs: Day 16 "The Boba Fett Cartoon Featured in the Star Wars Holiday Special"

ed note: This article was originally published on December 16th, 2016

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 16: "The Boba Fett Cartoon Featured in the Star Wars Holiday Special"

Original air date - November 17th, 1978

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,  Fourteen, Fifteen

Sometimes the thing we really want for Christmas turns out to not be that great. Maybe there was a big video game we were wishing for, and it was underwhelming. A new cool drone that crashes and breaks within ten minutes. A hoverboard that sets fire to your feet. Many times we have our heart set on something, and our anticipation is rewarded with shoddy craftsmanship. As we dig through the garbage that once was our wanted presents, we sometimes find something unexpected and spectacular.

It is well known that the Star Wars Holiday Special is an epic piece of trash. Premiering on November 17th, 1978, less than two years after the release of the original film, the holiday special was immediately greeted with disgust and disdain. George Lucas himself has wished for the destruction of every copy of the cash grab be destroyed. The story was idiotic, the guest stars were questionable, and the Tree of Life song was a special kind of stupid. The special only aired once, and has never been given a VHS, Betamax, DVD, or BluRay release. For almost two hours, the world was inflicted with holiday blues from a galaxy far far and away. It was mostly a major disappointment, except for a 10-minute cartoon smack dab in the middle.

"The Faithful Wookie" was a small animated feature that split apart the mind numbing stupidness of the Star Wars Holiday Spectacular. The animated short is most famous for introducing the bounty hunter Boba Fett into the Star Wars cannon. It is considered so influential that the 2011 BluRay release of The Empire Strikes Back has the cartoon remastered in high definition as an easter egg.

The adventure itself centers around Luke trying to rescue Han and Chewie from some McGuffin, and Boba Fett appearing as a helpful ally. The 1978 audience had never seen this character before and did not know what the armored man's motivations were. Unfortunately, we learn that Boba Fett is in contact with Darth Vader, and the bounty hunter is trying to set a trap for Han, Chewie, and Luke. The ever resourceful R2D2 catches Fett, and our new enemy uses his jet pack to escape, promising that they will all meet again. 

The ten-minute cartoon shows why Boba Fett has become one of the most popular figures in the Star Wars hall of heroes and villains. His armor is awesome. He uses the things on his wrist, and his jetpack. "The Faithful Wookie" features more dialogue from Boba Fett than what will come in the next two films. The adventure from our heroes is basic stuff, but the premier of this incredible new resident of a galaxy far far away was the only gift worth keeping from the Star Wars Holiday Special.

It is disappointing to get the new great thing and then learn it is a poorly constructed cash grab by some focus group driven idiots in a corporate office. The whole ordeal leaves a scar on what was once a favorite piece of pop culture. But, sometimes if we dig through the trash, we will find a gem. Sometimes that gem even comes in the mail with a rocket that shoots off of its back. If you find that gem, hold onto it, it is worth an obscene amount of money.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was inspired to write this because he just got done seeing Rouge One. He is now hoping to get his very own Death Star engineer figurine in the mail any day now

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Television Programs: Day 13 - "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

ed note: This article was originally published on December 13th, 2016

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 13: "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

Original air date - December 18th, 1966

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve

Sometimes there is something so popular, and for reasons one cannot explain, that thing will drive you insane. Ten years ago Justin Beiber was the big thing, and many people could not stand him. The same phenomenon is going on today with Taylor Swift. It is impossible to like anything from these pop culture sensations if you have invested so much of your heart in hating them. It does not matter if a large group of people like these things, your hatred is blind. The world you live in would be much better if someone took all of these songs and shoved them off of the highest mountain.

In 1966 Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! became an instant holiday classic. The previous year saw the debut of A Charlie Brown Christmas and two years earlier was the premier of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The mid-1960s was the golden age for holiday television specials. Since 1966, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! has aired on television every year, winning its timeslot regularly. It has more than earned a spot as part of the holy trinity of must watch holiday specials.

For those living under a rock, the story centers around a lonely creature who has chosen to make residence directly above a group of people he hates. The Grinch is akin to a modern-day prepper. His cave is extremely well stocked with all the necessities. He has scissors, red cloth, a sleigh, anything a creature would need in the who apocalypse.

Yet even in his state of preparedness, The Grinch cannot stand the whos, he especially hates them around Christmas. The whos make an incredible racket, cook non-canned food stuff, and all blindly follow the brain dead joy of Christmas. The Grinch is on edge waiting for the end times, and his hate has become downright irrational. This year is the final straw, the Grinch is going to rob all the whos, and then they will know pain.

The Grinch succeeds in his thievery, but those weirdo whos still get up and have a festive Christmas. This breaks the Grinch's brain, and he decides his years of lonely prepping were pretty pointless. Not only does the Grinch get in the holiday spirit, but he learns that a freshly cooked roast beast is way better than a 10-year-old can of creamed corn. 

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  was not just a perfect adaptation of a classic book, it also had a great look and incredible music. Animation legend Chuck Jones gave the special its look, classic Hollywood Frankenstein Boris Karloff told the story, and awesomely voiced Thurl Ravenscroft sang the iconic song. Of all the great Holiday television specials, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is the only one that is perfect.

It is a lonely existence to live in a world where one rejects what everyone else loves. There is no reason to fully embrace that piece of pop culture, but you should not totally dismiss it either. In all of the stuff you hate, there may be a shiny gem that made the journey worth while. If you will not give the popular thing a chance, then you are just a common hipster, or worse, a Grinch.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was a little under the weather today so he mustered up the strength of ten bloggers, plus two, to get the article written.

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Television Programs: Day 10 "Doctor Who - A Christmas Carol"

ed note: This article was originally published on December 10th, 2016

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 10: "Doctor Who - A Christmas Carol"

Original air date - December 25th, 2010

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine

If you had one more day to spend with the person you love best, what day would you pick? Everyone has a variety of perfect days, but most of us look at Christmas as being the best of all the perfect days. We tend to be surrounded by joy, and we are usually with good friends. Many of our problems disappear on Christmas Day. The only thing that makes Christmas Day more magical is having your special someone by your side. If you had only one day left, it would be very hard not to pick Christmas Day.

In 2005 the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who was brought back to television after being off the airwaves for sixteen years. Since the relaunch, Doctor Who has produced a special Christmas episode every December. Most of the time the Christmas specials would have a holiday feel. There have been monster snowmen, a wardrobe that transported people to a magical winter world, and a town named Christmas. On Christmas Day of 2010, Doctor Who decided to adapt the most classic British holiday story, A Christmas Carol.

The story kicks off with newlywed companions Amy and Rory on a crashing starship. Their craft was stuck in a strange cloud formation surrounding a planet. The Doctor, played by Matt Smith, comes to help and learns that the dangerous clouds above the planet are controlled by one man on the surface. Here we meet Kazran Sardick played by Michael Gambon. Sardick is our Scrooge stand-in for this Christmas Carol. The Doctor learns that Kazran's father used to loan people money, and in exchange for the funds, the families would submit one of their loved ones to cryogenic freezing. The frozen person would not be released until the money is paid off. The Doctor decides that he needs to thaw the icy mans spirits, and since the Doctor has a time machine, why not pull a little Christmas Carol magic.

In order to pull off the Ghost of Christmas past, the Doctor goes back to when Kazran was a little boy and starts to change the man's memories. The young Kazran and the Doctor explore the clouds and learn that fish, and sharks swim in the skies. One adventure goes haywire, and a shark comes after the two. Everyone is ok, but part of the Doctor's trusty sonic screwdriver ends up in the shark. Young Kazran then convinces the Doctor to temporarily release one of his father's frozen debtor prisoners. The young women, Abigail, has a singing voice that can calm the sharks in the clouds. Kazran, Abigail, and the Doctor go on a shark-drawn carriage ride, and promise to meet up again every Christmas eve. 

Every year Abigail and the Doctor stay the same, but Kazran is growing one year old. During one adventure, Kazran and Abigail are around the same age and share a kiss. Their relationship grows every Christmas eve, until one time Abigail shares a secret with Kazran. That night as they put Abigail back into storage, Kazran tells the Doctor he does want to have anymore Christmas adventures. The camera pans away and we see a number counter on Abigails storage tank move to the number one.

The Doctor tries to reason with Kazran, but the old man will not let the crashing starship land safely. He is not concerned with the thousand of lives that will be lost. Companion Amy Pond is then projected via hologram to Kazran as the ghost of Christmas present. She explains that he can save everyone right now if he wants to. The entire ship is singing "Silent Night" to ease the ship through the clouds, but they can not control the sharks like Abigail could. They are going to crash.

Kazran says he does not care if they die, they should die. The Doctor comes again to try and reason with the man. Kazran tells the Doctor that his bitter nature is because of the Doctor and his adventures with Abigail. The secret she shared with Kazran all those years ago is that she is terminally ill, and the numbers on her storage unit count down the days she has left. Kazran understands that he is the Scrooge in the Doctor's Christmas Carol and does not care if he dies alone. His love for Abigail has turned him into to being a miser with her last day.

Here the Doctor reveals the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is Kazran himself. The Doctor has brought the young Kazran to the present and asks him if this is the man you want to be. The little boy is horrified when Kazran comes to hit him. Kazran stops his hand, and breaks down. He sees that his hoarding of the memories of Abigail has made him not enjoy those times past. Kazran agrees to land the ship, but his change of heart has made him unable to control the clouds. Kazran's father built the machine for the bitter person his son was. This new joyful person was not recognized by the "isomorphic" controls. There is only one person who can control the clouds, and that is Abigail.

Kazran releases Abigail, and she remarks about how he took way too much time to spend their last day together. She sings to the fish, the clouds break, and the starship lands safely. Amy acknowledges that she is aware that this is Abagail's last day. The Doctor remarks that it is, but her and Kazran gets one more perfect time. If only we could all be so lucky. The last shot is an old Kazran, and a joyful Abagail riding a shark-drawn carriage through the snowy clouds.

It is hard to pick what day we would want to be our last one with our best love. Many of us never think of the answer to this grim question. Yet somewhere out in the universe people on shark filled cloudy planets face this question. If we try to find that one last perfect day, we will grow old and bitter.  Do not be bitter, be joyful, and choose Christmas Day. You can never go wrong spending Christmas with the one you love.

RD

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. If he could not choose Christmas Day as his last, he would choose May 11th. He has always had good weather and good fun on that day.

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

Ty Watches "Silicon Valley" Series Finale

“Silicon Valley" ended its six year run on HBO last night. I have been a fan of the show since it started. I like Mike Judge, and I was on board right away with the casting of young, improvisers being put in major roles. I knew of Kumail Nanjiani from his standup only before this. Thomas Middleditch was a regular on podcasts and did improv shows that I would see on YouTube. I knew Martin Starr because he has had some roles in hit TV shows and movies. I, unfortunately, wrote a whole thing talking about how good TJ Miller was on the show, and it turns out, he is a scumbag. I wish I could take that one back. Zach Woods was familiar to me because of "The Office", but I had never seen him in such a big role. So, to see all these actors getting a real shot at something was great.

The beginning of the show did not disappoint. It was funny and active and well written and very well acted. They added the right people, told good stories and seemed like they were having so much fun making the show. I continued to watch because I am a loyalist, some may say OCD, but some of the stories started to feel stale and already done. But, it was still funny and still had the cast that I just talked about in glowing terms. So, I stuck with it. It was announced that this sixth season would be the last, and it felt like a fitting time to close all these stories. And this final season was a perfect send off for this show.

All of the people had made it to where they thought they wanted to be, but there was also that similar trouble that they ran into every season. Each episode portrayed that very well. I liked the new story lines and the added actors for this final season. And the finale was a great, great sendoff. I like how they did the flash forward and flash back. I liked how they showed them realize their dream from the first season, only to see that it wasn't what they expected, or even wanted, in the end. I like how they tied the main characters stories up. Each person, where they were 10 years in the future, made sense. To see Dinesh and Gilfoyle still working together, and still fighting one another was great. To see that Jared was working with old folks, and treating them like parental figures, was so very right for him. Seeing Big Head as the president of Stanford, it was fitting for the idiot that always failed upward throughout the series. Jian Yang taking over as Erhlich Bachman made me so very happy. I thought they were going to bring him back, and when they didn't, I was stoked. And making Richard a professor in "tethics" made me so happy and it made me laugh very hard as well. Oh, and Gavin Belson becoming a philanthropist and author was so fitting. He never really worked for anything after starting Hooli, yet he still was super rich because the super rich stay rich, somehow, The final scene with Richard was great as well because it showed that he never really grew out of his anxieties, or his absent mindedness. I also loved when they went back to the house they all started in and Jared took out the blue and yellow ball and they shouted "ALWAYS BLUE! ALWAYS BLUE!", until it was yellow. That is a throwback to the very early days of the show.

This was the perfect ending to a show that was very, very good. Mike Judge created a very cool world, made me interested in the tech world and got a great cast of people to put in his show. I will forever be a fan of his, and "Silicon Valley" is another feather in his cap. 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. Ty’s tv OCD is so bad that he feels the need to complete the entire arc of the “Saved By the Bell” universe. The new class is up next.

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Television Programs: Day 7 - "The Late Show with David Letterman - December 19th, 2014 "

ed note: This article was originally published on December 7th, 2016

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 7: "The Late Show with David Letterman - December 19th 2014"

Original air date - it is right there in the title.

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six

Every year around Christmas we listen to the same songs and watch the same television shows. We all have our traditions, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. These little bits of holiday pop culture sometimes get us into the right mood during a cold December night. These annual traditions help us look back to other pleasant times we experienced during the holiday season. There is a comfort in looking forward to that one thing that makes our holiday season extra special.

David Letterman once famously said that it is not the Christmas until he hears Darlene Love sing that song. The song in question is the new standard (Christmas) Baby Please Come Home. Vanity Fair has a great oral history of how Darlene Love ended up on Letterman for almost thirty years singing her iconic song. That first appearance in 1986 was simple, and without pomp, but a beloved holiday tradition was born.

The small band, and ugly holiday sweaters, had nothing on Phil Spector's iconic Wall of Sound, but Darlene Love still slayed with her vocals. Since that appearance, Darlene Love, Paul Shaffer, and David Letterman made (Christmas) Baby Please Come Home a fixture on Late Night, and then The Late Show. Only a writers strike would stop the trio from letting Letterman start Christmas. Many even believe that Love's Late Show appearances helped her finally, rightfully so, get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

On December 19th, 2014, Darlene Love performed (Christmas) Baby Please Come Home for the last time on The Late Show. In May of 2015, David Letterman retired from the late night game. Everyone knew that the December 19th performance was going to be the last, and nothing was held back. The four-piece backing band of 1986 was replaced by a horn section, strings, backup singers, and Paul Shaffer on a grand piano. Love even decided to belt out the last few lines on top of the piano because she was afraid of breaking down when Letterman came to give her a hug. The 2014 performance of (Christmas) Baby Please Come Home was an epic curtain call for a singer, a talk show host who was a fan, and the viewers that counted on Darlene Love to usher in the holidays every year on late night television.

Our holiday traditions are something to be celebrated. Listening to the same songs, or watching the same tv specials, is what makes December a great time. We all have that one special pop culture thing that gets us in the right Christmas mood. David Letterman had Darlene Love sing that song. We were truly lucky to share this tradition with Mr. Letterman.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The holidays do not start for him until he hears Linus and Lucy.

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

Some Thoughts on the Peloton Ad

Okay, a ton of people have, by now, seen and given their feelings on the new Peloton ad. I think this ad is wild, pointless unless you are a rich person and I thought it was a sketch, not a real ad, the first time I watched it. Then, it became this humongous thing. People have really dug deep into every aspect of the ad. Multiple publications and bloggers have broken down pretty much every single second of the ad. After reading a good portion of them, and watching people talk about it, and even consulting with RD about it, I have a take as well. But, I also want to talk a little bit about how big this has become. That will come near the end.

So, the ad in and of itself is odd. I feel bad for the lady in the ad. I think she may be in a cult, or trapped and forced to work out on this bike and record herself doing it for proof. She definitely seems like a prisoner. I also find it weird that she is the only one that speaks in the ad. I also don't get why she records the workouts, who it is for or what it is for. It simply doesn't make sense. For a 30 second ad to make me asks so many questions probably says more about me, but still, it is wild. I personally don't know anyone that owns a Peloton, and I will not be buying one myself. I like to run outside on trails and play pick up basketball. Also, I already have a recumbent bike and a TV, so why would I need an overly expensive bike anyway. These are my thoughts on one of the most pointless ads to be released during the holiday season.

What has made this even wilder is the response. As I have said, a ton of people have written long, extensive think pieces on this ad. They break it down to its core. They ask so many more questions that I just did. They go into such great detail about the ad. And, I find some of them funny, some informative and some as pointless as the ad itself. Also, the people at Peloton have responded by showing 3 emails from "happy" customers that seem to love the new ad. That is so bizarre.

I personally think all of this response is in direct correlation for how society currently watches everything, and how everyone has an opinion, and seemingly, a platform with which to tell people their opinion. This couldn't simply just be an ad, people felt they had to dissect it to its core. People felt the need to tear it down, to dunk on it, to crush the Peloton spirit. And while I am all down for sticking it to evil corporations, which some research shows that Peloton is one, this feels a but piled on. It would be fine if a few people wrote some funny pieces about how weird the ad is, but everyone is going in hard on this ad. And while I agree with most of them, I do feel bad for the actress having to hear and read all this stuff. I'm sure she signed on because it was an acting job, and now, it has all blown up. That would be hard. I get people calling me names and saying I'm stupid or whatever online, but nothing like this ad. That has to be crummy.

Anyway, the Peloton ad is weird, it feels cultish and it doesn't make me want to buy their product anymore than I did before I even knew what Peloton was. But, I'm sure this will all blow over in another week or so and something new will grab the country's attention. That seems to be the way of the world now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty’s Peloton is riding on his bike and playing a ten year old college football game on his X-Box 360. That is a real workout folks.

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Television Programs: Day 4 - "M*A*S*H: Death Takes A Holiday"

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 4: "M*A*S*H: Death Takes a Holiday"

Original air date, December 15th, 1980

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three

Christmas memories affect people in different ways. Some remember great joy during the holiday season. Some remember anxiety about the financial demand that Christmas puts on people. Most people experience a mixture of these two memories, along with a whole bunch of other happy / sad feelings. Others look at Christmas as a particular special day . We want everyone to be happy, healthy, and think only of joy. We do not want to think about death and starvation.

In December of 1980, M*A*S*H was one of the most watched shows on television and had recently passed 200 episodes. The adventures of the 4077th often time mixed comedy and drama. On the 15th of December, "Death Takes a Holiday" would be remembered as a great piece of television because of the serious nature of the episode.

The staff and doctors of the 4077th are getting ready to throw a Christmas party for a local orphanage. After learning that the food for the party was lost in an enemy attack, the MASH decide to donate their own food gifts from home to the meal. Everyone is a good sport except for Maj Charles Winchester, who donates very little. Charles was always seen as being snooty, so the rest of the unit believe he is just being a typical Scrooge.

What everyone else does not know is that Charles is upholding a family tradition in anonymously donating his chocolate bars to a needy charity. The Major later finds out that the orphanage sold his fancy chocolate on the black market. Charles is upset and confronts the director of the orphanage, but understands that the chocolate was worth a lot of money, and now the orphanage can afford rice and other staples for many meals. Maj Winchester wanted to give the kids joy on Christmas, but is satisfied to know that his gift allowed for a longer survival for the charity.  

The party itself is good fun, but some are absent because a mortally wounded soldier is brought into the MASH. Hawkeye, BJ, and Margaret are tending to the soldier, and quickly figure out that the man will not live. The group also find out that the man has a wife and young children. It is assured the man will die, but Hawkeye, BJ, and Margaret make a vow to keep the soldier alive until Christmas has passed. They did not want the man's children to remember Christmas as the day their father died.

The surgery is not going well for the mortally wounded soldier, and he dies just before the end of Christmas Day. Hawkeye goes to the clock and moves the hands until it is after midnight. He announces the death as 12:05 am, December 26th. Margaret says she has never falsified a record, and one of the doctors says she should, he informs the group that Christmas should be a time of birth. The group kept their promise to the dying man.

Terrible things happen to people every day. Many of us use Christmas Day as that oasis away from the hurt in the world. Christmas should be a day of birth, and joy, and togetherness. Unfortunately reality cannot use that one day to save starving orphans, or give a young father the chance to watch his kids grow up. What Christmas can give us are happy memories that will carry us through the bad times. The orphans will remember that an anonymous donor gave them months of food, and a family will remember that their father/husband held on for one more Christmas Day. Those memories will make Christmas special.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. 

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Television Programs: Day 2 - "G.I. Joe: Cobra Claws are Coming to Town"

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 2: "G.I. Joe - Cobra Claws are Coming to Town" Original air date, November 7th, 1985

Opened Doors: One

The holiday season tends to see a lot of people taking much needed time off work. Many companies are shorter staffed due to the large amount of employee vacations. The people left in the office around the end of December tend to be the people who do not particularly care for the whole holiday season. They may have no families, or they may not care for the one they have. Thank goodness for these people, because without them we would have no one to do any of the needed work during the end of December. Work like defending our nation from an evil terrorist organization determined to the rule the world.

In November of 1985, the G.I. Joe cartoon presented kids with a Christmas themed episode entitled "Cobra Claws are Coming to Town". The story begins with our real American heroes transporting a bunch of toys for a charity event, and then Cobra attacks. The Joes easily repel the attack, but Cobra agent Firefly leaves something with the toys. Once back at Joe headquarters, the team is getting ready to have Christmas dinner prepared by chef extraordinaire, and heavy machine gunner, Roadblock. Shipwreck, Blowtorch, Tripwire, Dusty, and Wild Bill are a few of the Joes all on duty during this holiday season. Cover Girl remarks to Duke that the Joes are a bit undermanned because so much of the team is off for the holidays. Duke reassures the tank driver that is all good because the Joes have an awesome laser security system to keep Cobra out. Everything should be peaceful this joyous night.

Roadblock's turkey is a big hit with the Joes, even Junkyard the dog gets a leg to feast on. Unfortunately. Junkyard's buddy Mutt is not feeling very festive. Duke chalks it all up to holiday blues. While walking off the blues, Mutt is ambushed by tiny Cobra troops that hid out in the toys Firefly left after the first attack. All of the Cobra high command along with a bunch of troops were shrunk down and made it behind the laser barrier by hiding in the toys. Once free, the Cobra troops are brought back to normal size by Destro's shrinking/enlarging gun. This holiday night was not going to be silent.

What follows is a typical G.I. Joe adventure. Cobra Commander has the upper hand, and can not lose, but he does. Destro invents a world-changing weapon, and once broken, we never see it again. Shipwreck makes lewd comments about a side of beef, and Duke is no nonsense. Oh, and Shipwreck's parrot Polly is shot with Destro's gun and becomes massive. With the gun destroyed, we never get any explanation on how this highly intellectual bird is brought back to normal size. This is what us kids wanted from G.I. Joe. Knowing the familiar plot beats was half the battle.

What makes "Cobra Claws Are Coming to Town" a holiday classic is the fact that it mimics all great Christmas shows, plus we have some kick butt red on blue laser battle action. Mutt is grumpy, then he is not. Cover Girl gives Duke a little kiss on the cheek and wishes him a Merry Christmas. Shipwreck is once again left dateless, plus he has a giant bird to contend with. Cobra Commander has to spend another holiday arguing with Destro and the Baroness. "Cobra Claws are Coming Town" showed that in the world of G.I. Joe, the themes of togetherness and teamwork did not take a vacation on Christmas. Work still had to be done while the small crew enjoyed Roadblock's feast, and that work was done to the same standard as the last 50 plus encounters with Cobra.

Many people are finalizing their plans for the upcoming holiday season. Offices will be mostly empty, those left behind may have the holiday blues, and work may seem a bit dull. Do not be fooled, the enemy may have revolutionary technology, and will use it to strike when your guard is down. Just remember, your coworkers who were also left behind will be there to have your back. Teamwork will make anyone's season sunny and bright.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He kept yelling out COBRA while writing this, but was calm when he repeated Yo-Joe three times. 

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

Ty Watches "The Good Place" Mid Season Finale

Last night was the mid season finale of “The Good Place”, and it was a tremendous episode. The entire 22 minutes were centered around Chidi, who is excellently played by William Jackson Harper. The whole episode was about the people waking him up from his slumber, and it flashed back to all of his crucial memories over his life on and off Earth. It was great.

For those that may not know, Chidi is infamous for being the most indecisive human being ever. He cannot make even the easiest of choices. It was so bad, his lack of urgency caused him to lose his life. I know this sounds dire, but in the context of “The Good Place”, it is put across hilariously. Anyway, when Michael(Ted Danson) goes to snap his fingers, we get to see all these moments. It started for him as a baby, when his parents asked if he liked the name Chidi, and he immediately cried. We then see him struggle to pick a chair in elementary school, breaking up with a girlfriend because he thinks philosophy can keep them together, to his dean at college telling him his thesis is too much, to his friends questioning him, to him being in the good place and struggling there, we see it all. And Harper is so good at portraying this indecisive genius. His quirks and quips she questions are never ending, so much so that it is exhausting.

Near the end of his memories you can see a different Chidi. After finding Eleanor(Kristen Bell), he seems more sure of himself, more confident. Right before he gets his mind wiped, the season 3 finale, he writes a note and gives it to Janet(Darcey Carden), and asks her to hold onto it until they meet again, if ever. When Michael finally finishes the snap, Chidi wakes up and is asked how he feel. He looks relaxed, and he says, “I feel great”, and I totally believed him. He looks, for the first time in his afterlife, like he is calm and confident. He has a look of assurance we’ve never seen from him. He asks all of his friends if he’s been annoying for the last 300 years, and they kind of blow it off to tell him that he needs to save all of humanity and Earth. Just when I thought he would revert to his norm, he says okay, and that he will try. He then asks Janet for the letter, and inside it reads, “there’s no “answer”, but Eleanor is the answer”. It was so sweet and touching and perfect.

“The Good Place” just continues to get better and better, and surprises me with something new almost every episode. This mid season finale sets up the actual finale perfectly, and I’m so stoked to see how they finish it up. In a show with a great cast, great writers and great direction, this episode was an absolute home run. My hat is off to all of the people that work on it.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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