Ty Watches "Zola"

Yesterday I was flipping through the channels and I happened upon the movie "Zola". I had heard of this movie, but hadn't seen it yet. I also read that it was a pretty good movie. A lot of publications had it on their best of lists, the actors were getting high praise, Janicza Bravo, who I am already a fan of, was getting just due for a good job directing it and I had some free time so I watched it.

I loved it. This is a very good movie. All the praise is very due. I was enamored by this movie. I could not take my eyes off the screen. I needed to know what was going to happen. I was all in. For those that may not know, "Zola" is a movie about a Twitter thread from a dancer about a crazy few days and nights in Florida. Getting a little deeper into the movie, the Twitter thread is about one dancer being conned by another dancer to do some crazy stuff that she definitely did not sign up for.

The two stars of the movie, Taylour Paige and Riley Keough were exceptional. There were other actors in the movie, and they did a good job, but Paige and Keough are the reason to see this movie. They play the dancers. Keough is repugnant in this role, as she is supposed to be. She is a white girl that wants to be black. I read some stuff about how she was kind of uncomfortable doing the voice she uses in the movie, but that Bravo told her that is exactly what she wanted her to do. Her character is supposed to be the villain. She is supposed to be gross and disliked and have zero redeeming qualities. Even when there were times I may have felt bad for her character, she would do something that would immediately pull me back into simply disliking her. I realize that the fact that I was actively rooting against her means Keough did a great job. There is one moment in particular, where she tells her side of the story, that is amazing film making, and it made me loathe her even more. But Paige, my goodness did she carry this movie. She is Zola. She is the person that did the Twitter thread on which the movie is based. To open the movie with her meeting Keough and stating, "you want to hear a story about me and this bitch falling out", I was hooked. I needed to know this story and I needed to hear Paige as Zola tell the story. The way she embodied the character, the way she acted, the cool and calm she portrayed, the easy going demeanor, it was all perfect. She did such a great job as the only real adult in this movie. She owns every scene. She commands the viewers attention. It is a powerhouse performance from beginning to end. It was awesome. These two actors did a masterful job.

I was also super impressed with Bravo's direction. She shot the movie almost like a fairy tale, the craziest, messiest and grossest fairy tale ever. Some of the shots, for example, the beginning after the two meet, they are putting their makeup on to get ready to dance and Bravo has them in a fully mirrored room with haunting music playing while they stare at each other getting ready. I don't know why, but that resonated with me big time. I also enjoyed that, every time someone says a line that was an actual tweet, the bird noise comes up whenever you put out a tweet. It is a nod to let you know that it is a real thing that came from a real person's phone. It made for an even wilder viewing experience. I also appreciated that the movie was a quick 90 minutes. No muss, no fuss. There are no meandering or pointless scenes or shots. Everything that is in the movie is needed to push the narrative forward.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is a crazy story that actually happened, and the actors portraying the real life people did an exceptional job. Check out "Zola". It is 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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Tales of Watching a Live NBA Game During the Pandemic

I spent this past weekend in Memphis with my dad and son. My son got tickets to a Bulls-Grizzlies for Christmas, and this was the weekend we went. It was fun too. What I want to talk to you all about today is the experience of going inside an arena during a wave of this seemingly never ending pandemic. But first I want to talk about some other stuff I noticed while in Memphis.

First off, the hotel was clean, well managed, got things when we needed them and pretty much every attendant was masked when walking around the main area of the hotel. I felt comfortable, especially after my dad and I sanitized and cleaned every handle and highly touched surface in the room. We also ordered all of our food to go, ate it in the room and did not have to step inside a restaurant while we were there. It was nice.

When we walked around the downtown area, we wore our masks, and I would have to estimate about 80 percent of the people we saw had masks on as well. I was pleasantly surprised. This is on me. I figured that we were going to be in the South, I see people in Saint Louis not following masking rules and that it would be a free for all. It was the opposite. There were more people wearing masks than were not. And if someone did not have one on, a store clerk would hand them one and they would put it on, no questions asked. It was great. I was stoked. And the local coffee shop we found and frequented had excellent coffee, service and also high masking standards. To see that in a college town was icing on the cake.

Monday was game day. That was the reason for being there. This is what it was all leading to. We decided to get downtown at noon for a 2:30pm game. We figured we could go to the fan shop, get our concessions and find our seats before there were a ton of people. It worked. We got into the arena around 12:30 and my son and I did a little shopping. Since his birthday is coming up I told him I would buy him one thing, no jerseys since they were far too expensive. After about a half an hour he found a shirt and we bought it. It was contactless pay, every worker had a mask on, some were gloved and it felt safe. The other customers gave space, we found it easy to maneuver the shop and I felt okay. Then we found our seats with relative ease. They were great seats. And for about an hour, no one else sat by us. This was my time to get the concessions for my son and I. I figured if we could eat before other people came, it would be easiest. And it was. We ate our nachos, drank our water and shared some popcorn, with no one else in sight. It was great. After we were done, we cleaned up and put our masks back on. By the way, we were wearing the KF94 masks, and I highly recommend those. They have the feel of a KN95, but they, for me, fit better. It was tight on my face and it left a little room so my glasses did not fog up.

About 15 minutes before tip, the arena was about half full. I was hoping this would be the case for the whole game. It was not. Maybe five minutes before introductions more people came in. In about five minutes time the arena was about 85 to 90 percent full. This was when my anxiety went up. My ticks came out. I was clearing my throat a lot and twisting my head from side to side. I did my methods to calm my nerves, but they were still pretty high. I made sure we all kept our masks on tight to our faces, and just rolled with it. It did help to see about 65 to 70 percent of the crowd with masks on. Unfortunately the people sitting next to me and my dad did not have masks on, or if they did, they wore them around their chin. Not to be deterred, we put my son between us, and I turned my body towards him so I could protect him the most. And we made damn sure we kept our masks on the whole game.

When the game started something shifted in me. I was still nervous and ticking, but when incredible plays happened, I cheered. When good passes were made, I cheered. When my son had a question I was quick with an answer. When the PA asked the crowd to get loud and stand up, I did. I found myself getting lost in the game action. I was masked obviously, but the game was making me cheer loud. It was kind of neat to see a live game. I have not been to a live game or concert or anything like that in two years. This is because of the pandemic, but also because I have actively chosen not to go. But this was for my son. My dad and I hatched this plan before Omicron was on the radar. We have all gotten our shots, done what we have been informed to do by doctors and scientists and my dad and I have extra antibodies after getting COVID ourselves. I even asked my doctor about going, and he said that, as long as I wore my mask and followed the rules, I should be okay. And now that I am two days removed from going, I am glad that I went and did this thing with my son and dad. I was nervous being in an arena, but I got through it. My dad had a good time watching a live game mainly because he was excited to see his grandson see a live game. And my son, he was eating up every single second. He has not stopped talking about the game since we left the arena at 5:15 Monday night. He is already an excitable, talkative kid, and this game has only multiplied that ten times.

So while I would not recommend doing this unless you go about like we did, I had fun. It was a memory that I will never, ever forget. The look on my son's face was more than worth the trip. He was on cloud 9. It was amazing. And I want to give the FedEx Forum their due. They did an excellent job trying to get as many people as they possibly could to follow the rules, and they did their job. My hat is off to them. And to the city of Memphis as well. Thank you for the hospitality and for wearing masks when they were supposed to. This was a good trip and a trip to see how something I used to do all the time without a second thought would feel now that I haven't done it in two years due to the pandemic. It was a nice experience.

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 Eternals"

Last Friday for date night my wife picked "Eternals". It was finally streaming, we both wanted to watch it, we are both Marvel fans and we figured if we started it early enough, we could watch it all in one sitting. We started it at 6:30pm our time, sent the kids downstairs and we were able to finish it in one sitting.

As I have been saying since 2022 started, I am being more hopeful this year, but man did I not like this movie much at all. It definitely had some solid parts. There was stuff that made me laugh. My son had to explain a few things, and when he did, I liked some of what I was seeing. I thoroughly enjoyed, spoiler alert, the mid credits scene with Harry Styles. I thought Kumail, the deaf lady and Brian Tyree Henry did a very good job in their roles. And it was visually beautiful. But this movie was boring. Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek are barely in it. And Jolie's character had this cool glitch, but it was seemingly resolved with no real reason. I like the idea of giving no names, or up and coming names a shot, but when you throw Jolie and Hayek on posters, I was under the notion that they would be in the movie much more.

This movie did not feel like a Marvel movie. My wife and I almost simultaneously said it felt like a DC movie. Marvel movies are bright and fun and funny, even when they are bad. DC movies, even when they are good, are dour, sad affairs. That was what "Eternals" felt like to me. It was almost exclusively at night. And when it wasn't, the fight scenes were in the woods or in the clouds. Even the final battle was surrounded by erupting volcanoes which obscured a lot of my viewing experience. The villain was weird. There were absurd guitar riffs that seemed out of place. All of that stuff, the darkness and the crummy 80's esque hair metal music was so akin to what DC does. I mentioned a few times to my wife that this was more boring than "Thor 2", which is saying something when talking about Marvel movies.

What made me most annoyed, not even annoyed just kind of bummed out, the actors, minus the three I mentioned did not do great with the source material. The leading actors, Sersi and Ikaris, were way to melodramatic for these roles. I get they are supposed to be gods, but they were far too doom and gloom. They never seemed to have fun. Jon Snow, I do not know the actors names, sorry, was also barely in the movie, and he just seemed stuffed in for future "Eternals" movies. Everyone else treated the movie like it was a hard drama. I wanted so badly to have more Kumail in the movie because he was the only one that felt like he knew he was in a Marvel movie. He and Tyree Henry as well. They both had a good time with their roles. But not everyone else. And while I really enjoy Chloe Zao, "Nomadland" is amazing, she just does not seem to be a superhero movie director. And that is fine. She just took the material way, way, way too seriously. Superhero movies, for me, need to be like "Thor 3" or "Black Panther". Those movies are simply having a good time, with some little elements of drama. "Eternals" just took itself way too seriously and it made for a convoluted and dull movie. It simply wasn't for me.

Maybe I am not smart enough or I do not get what they were trying to do, but I did not like "Eternals". Oh well, maybe the second one will be more fun. I will be sitting here being hopeful.

Ty

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

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SeedSing Classic: What MLK Day Means to Me

This article was originally posted on January 18th, 2020

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, I want to talk about his importance to me, and his influence on me.

Last year I talked about how we could really use someone like him in our lives right now. I still firmly believe that, but with a new administration coming in, one that will listen to people, that will hold people accountable, one that is diverse, I think MLK would have been somewhat pleased with where we will stand on January 20th. I'm sure he would want more changes, we all do, but the people who will be entrenched in their jobs soon enough are a diverse group, more diverse than ever in fact. But back to my point for today. MLK was a big, big influence on me. I, like most others, did not learn of him until elementary school, but my learning did not stop there. I have studied the man. I watched all his speeches. I have seen movies and documentaries on him. I have been to Memphis, been to the Civil Rights Museum and have seen where his life was tragically cut short. MLK was not someone I learned about and then forgot. He has stayed with me. More importantly though, his message has stayed with me.

My parents instilled it in me, I tell my kids everyday to not judge a person by how they look, I try to teach the kids I coach things MLK said and did. He is a part of my life, by choice. I know his I Have a Dream speech is the most famous, but it is for a reason. When he says that he "has a dream that his four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character", it still moves me. It still resonates with me. It is how I live my life. I do not judge anyone before I get to know them personally, if it gets there. I will not move to one side of the street or another because of the person that is coming towards me. My inflection and tone of my voice does not change no matter who I am talking to. I find it crass and ignorant to do "impressions" of other people from other races. All this, and so much more, where instilled by MLK, and my folks. My parents grew up in the 60's. They were there for MLK's speeches, peaceful protests and his unfortunate assassination. I feel like, much as he had an impact on me, he had one on both of my parents. They raised not only me to be the type of person I am today, but my three other brothers also. We are all very accepting, loving people. We never just judge someone and move on. We give the benefit of the doubt more times than not. I think a big part of that is because of my folks, and how they experienced MLK's life. Heck, if it weren't for both of them, I would not have been able to go to the Civil Rights Museum, or the hotel where he was killed. They had me do that because they knew it would be a great thing for me, and also a way for them to remember the oppression and the past. I am forever grateful to my parents for teaching me young, and continuing to do it even today, in my late 30's.

This year though, and really the past four years, have made me want to be as much like MLK as I can be. The past four years have been a total mess. This country has become scary racist. There are a lot of people that do and say bad things that are in positions of power. I decided this year, well in November of 2020, to get involved. I phone banked for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I participated in Black Lives Matter marches, and have done as much as I can for that movement. I am giving my time to talk to people, be it via email or phone, about how important it is, especially right now, to understand this movement, and where it is coming from. I don't know that I would be doing all these things without my parents, or maybe even more importantly, the lessons I have learned from Dr. King. He has helped to shape my activism, my want to help others and my belief that we should not judge people by how they look.

Dr. King was a great man who was taken from us far too soon. He did so much, and could have done so much more. I am forever grateful for him, and his message and the way he fought peacefully for what he believed in. Happy MLK Day everyone. This is as important a holiday as we have in America. Cherish this day.

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.

The Annex in Webster Groves Rules

Today my kids and I were finally able to see my folks again. I have cleared all my protocols, my folks had COVID as well, they got it before I did, and since they are older they did the full ten days and cleared their protocols yesterday. My dad and I hadn't been out for coffee in two weeks, my kids are off school for the day and both my parents have not seen them for two weeks, so we decided we were all comfortable to see each other again.

It was great. I really missed both of them, and when we got over there it was like nothing had changed. My mom took the kids to play in the basement of their home and my dad and I were left to chat about sports and other stuff we like to talk about.

After being there for about an hour, my dad and I decided we wanted to go pick up some coffee, do our usual thing. We were both pleasantly surprised when my mom and kids said they wanted to come with us. It was great. So all five of us piled in my car and drove to a newish coffee shop in Webster Groves here in Missouri called The Annex. My dad and I have gotten coffee here before, but my kids and my mom have not checked it out yet. And instead of just grabbing coffee and leaving, we decided to do a little shopping. That is what makes this newer coffee shop so damn cool. There is a typical coffee shop area, but they also have a sandwich shop inside that has fresh local ingredients. They also have shelves, a la a grocery store, that has some really cool products to buy. They also have neat little candies and homemade pastries and other sweets. There is also a cold juice bar that has some of the best juice I've ever had. This place may look small from the outside, but when you get into the building, it seems vast. It was also very easy to spread out, and we all had some form of a N95 or KN94 mask on. Needless to say, we felt pretty safe. Doing this shopping felt really good too. My kids were literally kids in a candy store when they went to the candy section of the "grocery area". They had all kinds of neat, organic and original candy. They had stuff ranging from Rose suckers to honey foam. They also had homemade jellies and gummies. My kids were both enamored with the old school rainbow sucker. That is what they got. And when I grabbed it to buy it for them, the ingredients made me feel like a not so bad dad for buying them one each. They then went to the juice bar spot and found a little section with multiple milk selections. It was crazy to see all the different kinds of milk they had, all of which are organic and locally made. My daughter got chocolate milk, which was incredible and my son got Orange Cream milk which tasted like a creamsicle. It was amazing. I decided I wanted to grab some black licorice from England and a cold brew. The licorice was nice, but that cold brew was outstanding. It was woody yet smooth. The addition of cream only made it taste better and go down smoother. I did not even need to add any sweetener because it tasted so good without it. I'd have to say, second only to Sump, this is the best cold brew I have had. I drank it pretty fast, and to me that is a sign of a great coffee. My dad got himself an Americano and my mom got a homemade croissant and a chai latte. My dad is a coffee aficionado and he had glowing words for the Americano. He seemed pretty stoked to drink it. My mom, who never finishes a drink, had most of that chai latte down when we left their house, and we took all this back to their house after ordering. To me that means she really enjoyed her drink. When we left her house she hadn't tried the croissant yet, but she told me she was saving it because she knew it was going to be great. It looked excellent. It looked buttery and flaky and absolutely delicious.

My dad and I are always on the hunt for new and interesting coffee shops. And luckily we just happened upon The Annex about a month or two ago, and now my kids and my mom have also given it the thumbs up. I cannot recommend this place enough. It is a hidden gem, but will not be for long, so get in there while you can before it has a line out of the door. It is totally worth the price for the excellent coffee, the kick ass store, the cool lunch counter and the juice bar. The Annex rules.

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.

The NFL Has a White Coach Problem

While recording a pod this afternoon the news of David Culley being fired by the Houston Texans came across my phone. I was kind of, not stunned, but wary of the news.

The Texans are not a good football team, but Culley had them playing tough at the end of the season. They also came out in week one and proved that the Jags were going to be far worse than they were, which made my preseason preview marking the Texans as the worst team far off. They also had to throw Davis Mills out there at QB because of all the off field issues with Deshaun Watson. They also let most of their best players leave a season earlier and they were left with unproven rookies and vets looking to continue their careers. I do not know who their running back is. I only know Nico Collins because he played at Michigan. I cannot name one player off the top of my head on their defense. And Culley still found a way to have this team go out and compete. They did not get crushed by anyone, they played admirably and, even though they only won four games, that could have easily turned into six or seven games.

This was a bad move by a bad franchise. What makes this move worse, Mike Tomlin is now the only black coach in the NFL. Now that Culley, and equally as unfair, and Brian Flores have been let go, Tomlin is it. He is the only one left. That is ridiculous. The fact this league does not seem to care about hiring black men in positions of power is downright sickening. Every year we go through coaching hires and fires, and every year it seems that coaches of color are never given a second look. Looking at all the chatter right now, the only black coaches I see mentioned for jobs are Flores, Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles. Every other big name is a white guy. From Jim Harbaugh to Lane Kiffin to Brian Daboll to Kellen Moore, it is a sea of white men. And I am not saying they are not qualified, but why are they deemed more qualified than black coaches who work just as hard and do a great job at their current jobs? Byron Leftwich has proven himself to be an excellent offensive coordinator. Tom Brady is a million years old, but the game plan put together by Leftwich has let Brady continue to be elite. Todd Bowles is one of the best defensive minds in the game. Prior to him being hired in Tampa, their defense was a dumpster fire. He was the coordinator for one of the more dominant defenses I have ever seen in a Super Bowl last season. He also has experience as an NFL head coach. Eric Bienemy continually gets passed up for head coaching gigs yet he has run one of the best offenses in football for three straight seasons. The fact that he isn't a head coach in the NFL is criminal. Brian Flores should have never, ever been fired by Miami. He had that team on the come up, he had two straight winning seasons and he has proven he is the only Belichek disciple that can beat him regularly. Yet these guys either never get a shot, or they get just one shot and they are let go at the drop of a hat.

Look, part of me doesn't want to lose Harbaugh because I do believe he has Michigan going in the right direction. But also, why would the Bears or Raiders choose him over a younger, more liked coach like Byron Leftwich? Harbaugh showed he could win in the NFL, but he also showed that his abrasive style is not for everyone. Or take a guy like Brian Daboll. Why is he the bell of the ball all of the sudden? His offense in Buffalo is not even close to the level that it has been in Tampa. Hell, the Texans offense under Culley looked better at times this season. Kellen Moore is young and innovative, but I go to Leftwich again, and he has a Super Bowl ring to his name. As does Bienemy. It is so shocking how the NFL and Roger Goodell just skirt the Rooney Rule. They do nothing real to enforce it. The interviews are all a sham. It is purely for show.

I have grown extremely weary of the NFL over the past three or four years. It doesn't have the same amount of fun or pageantry as college football, a sport that is also ripe with problems. But now, with black coaches being fired, or not getting real interviews, it just further hammers home how truly racist the league and their front offices are. They are a mockery of a diverse workplace, and Goodell is too spineless to do anything about it. The NFL is gross. And now they are showing their true racism. Something needs to change, I just do not know who will have the guts to enforce it in the NFL. What a crock.

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.

Ty Gets COVID

cdc.org

I had mentioned in my previous two blogs that I was in quarantine. That's right, your boy had the rona or the vid or COVID or whatever the people are calling it these days. I just called it COVID.

I am lucky enough to be vaccinated and boosted. That means my symptoms were very mild. I never lost the sense of taste or smell. I never had a fever. I was never overly tired. I never had a cough. I did have a very runny nose. It felt like a waterfall at times. It was definitely the stuffiness I have been in some time. For three days it was like a facet. But I woke up yesterday and felt fine. I finished my quarantine this afternoon and made my way back up to the living room of my home. I cleaned up where I was living for the past five days, cleaned myself up and gave my wife and kids some big time hugs. I really, truly missed them most of all.

That is what I want to talk about today. As stated, my bought with what I assume was omicron was extremely mild. A runny nose, as previously stated, was all that really happened. It felt like a bad cold. But, again, that is because I have been doing what scientists and doctors have said to do, and I got my shots, and will get any other shots they deem necessary. I have never stopped wearing a mask in public settings and I sure as hell won't stop now. What was hardest for me was the quarantine. I love to be around my family. I see my dad at least once a week for coffee, that had to be pushed. I spend pretty much all of my free time with my kids doing activities or coaching them in random sports. That was all pushed. I love to snuggle in bed with my wife, I love giving her a morning and good night kiss and I love our afternoon coffee dates and lunches when she works from home. That was all pushed as well. I am also not good when on my own for a long period of time. I can survive. I am a capable adult who can take care of himself. But the loneliness gets to you. I would eat all my meals by myself. If I needed to come upstairs to get clothes or some Nuun to drink, I would have to announce my presence, put on a mask and tell my kids I could not hug them. That made me cry the first few nights in the basement alone. The kids get it at least. They are both in school full time, so they know of people that have tested positive or had to quarantine due to being a close contact. But that doesn't make it hurt any less. I also felt really bad for my wife. She already works a full time job, and then some. So add on the fact that I could not do what my job is, being the home and caretaker, and she had a very rough five days. The kids glomb onto her when I'm not sick. So add on the fact that I couldn't do anything and the glombing, it was taking it from a 10 to an 11 or 12 for her. I can tell she is exhausted. She also had to do all the cooking and cleaning. I felt like a real waste of space. I know I have been overcompensating since I came upstairs today, but I feel like I need to make up for lost time. I also did not like playing video games or running in place or riding on the recumbent bike or just watching movies all day. Again, it made me feel like I was wasting time. I am not a video game guy, so that died out pretty quick. Running in place is maybe the most boring thing in the world as far as exercise goes. And then there is the recumbent bike. That may be as boring as running in place. And there are only so many movies I can watch or tv shows I can watch before I just get bored.

I'd say the only good thing that came out of quarantine, besides my family not getting COVID, was that I re-found my love for reading. I read one and a half full books in the past five plus days, which is a lot for me. But the loneliness was brutal. I do not like to just sit there, especially at night time, with no one to talk to about my day. I was able to facetime and text people, but that is not enough for me personally. I like to see people. I love to hug my family and talk to them face to face. I was not very happy while in quarantine. I know it was the right thing to do, but that does not mean that I have to say it was great.

I have mentioned a few times how I am going into this year being hopeful. That has not gone away. That is still my resolution. But with Michigan getting beat in their bowl game, then all this Jim Harbaugh news, then some of my family members getting COVID, and then myself getting COVID, it has been a rough start to 2022. I'm not giving up on my hopeful resolution, but these first almost two weeks have been a rough start. Hopefully better days are ahead. And please continue to wear your mask people. It is not that hard and it is the best way to mitigate the spread of this horrible virus. I haven't stopped wearing mine, and now, not that I wasn't before, I will be even more vigilant about wearing mine.

That is the tale of my first battle with COVID. I'm sure it will not be the last, but I am still hopeful we have a way to stop this thing from spreading further. That's my hope anyway. Stay safe out there.

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.

RIP Bob Saget

While quarantining in my basement, again more on that tomorrow, my wife called down to me on Saturday night that Bob Saget had died. I did not hear her correctly at first so I asked her to Facetime me. She did and told me that Bob Saget had passed away.

I was stunned. I truly did not expect to hear this news. He was young. He was in his mid 60's, and nowadays that is young. He was also touring, his opener said he seemed totally fine and I was just in shock. I was watching Comedy Central yesterday and with every commercial break ending they went silent and showed a picture of Saget and it said RIP. This hurt every time it appeared on screen.

I have a weird relationship with Bob Saget. I was born in the early 80's and grew up in the 90's, the TGIF era of TV. Of course I adored "Full House". That was my jam as a kid. I thought it was hilarious. I loved the dynamic of the family in the show. And Uncle Joey was super funny. The show, and some of the people involved are now problematic. But that does not take away from the joy that show gave me when I was a pre teen. I already stated Uncle Joey was my guy. Uncle Jesse was cool. Stephanie and DJ were great foils to one another. And the Olsen twins were great actors as children. But Danny Tanner, Saget's character, was the glue that held that family together. He was never the one that got the most jokes or had the most moving scenes, but he was THE DAD when it came to prime time TV. He was the GOAT. He was the guy we all looked to. He represented a dad doing his best and thriving in a very unfortunate situation that that show gave his character. So I liked Danny Tanner. He was a good person to look up to on TV.

As I got older and stopped watching "Full House". I was too cool and too hip, in my own mind, to watch the show anymore. I kind of forgot about everyone on the show too. Jesse, Joey, Stepahine and DJ, Michelle Tanner and Danny all went away. Then, when I was 16 Saget showed up in the movie "Half Baked". I loved that movie. Jim Breuer is a total douchebag now, and Dave Chapelle can be problematic, but "Half Baked" was my jam. Saget was uncredited for his role, but it was memorable. He played a former junkie, and the stuff that came out of his mouth was vulgar. I couldn't believe Danny Tanner was saying such things. But it made me laugh. Then, in 2005, my dad and I went to see the movie "The Aristocrats". That movie is hilarious. It is also the first movie I have seen people walk out of because of how vulgar it was. My dad and I loved it, and Bob Saget kept popping up telling his version of the joke. If "Half Baked" made me gasp, "The Aristocrats" made my jaw drop and made me guffaw. I was astonished at how dirty and foul and blue Saget could be. Here we have Danny Tanner saying some of the grossest things I have ever heard a human being say. But it made me laugh out loud in the theater. It was only after the movie did I learn, from my dad, that Saget had always been a very blue comedian. Long before any of his TV or movie work he was a stand up comedian and he was a filthy stand up comedian. He would say things that would make Redd Foxx blush(thanks to Krusty the Clown for that line). That was his gimmick, and apparently he was very good at doing it.

Saget was a consummate stand up. He was liked by a lot of people, and they wanted to go on tour with him. I looked up some of his old gigs on YouTube, and they were gross and hilarious. After this I noticed Saget more. He would appear in TV shows and movies I watched. He was even on the very bad Jamie Kennedy rap record, and Saget was the only good part. He was also a good person off stage and off screen. Jimmy Kimmel gave an incredibly touching monologue on Saget last night to open his show. Go check it out if you need a good cry. He also started a charity in honor of his sister who was misdiagnosed with a disease multiple times before it was too late. He helped many people with this foundation. It seems as if his stage persona was just that, and that his acting was a means to an end. It also seems that he was a beloved actor and stand up. I have never heard of anyone saying that he was a bad guy or did bad things. He seemed to be on the level. He was a good guy and this is just straight up bad news.

While this one didn't hit as hard as Norm Macdonald, this one still hurts. Saget could still be doing stand up and doing shows. This is a bummer and Bob Saget will be missed. RIP to another great one, gone far too soon.

Ty

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

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Ty's 2022 NFL Playoff Preview

After a wild day of football yesterday, the NFL playoffs are set. I have not watched much NFL this year, but due to some circumstances, more on that later this week, I have had to quarantine in my basement, so I have been watching football to pass the time. And today I come to you with my NFL playoff preview and predictions. I was off on the Giants and Baltimore, but I think I got the rest of it pretty close to the actual finish. Anyway, let's get to it.

I'm going with the AFC first.

The Titans may be the least threatening number 1 seed I have ever seen. I know they get Derrick Henry back, and he has had a good amount of time to rehab his injury, but other than him they do not scare me. For the 2-7 matchup, Kansas City and Pittsburgh, I have the Chiefs, but in a closer than expected game. Pittsburgh snuck into the playoffs, the Chiefs haven't looked great and it will probably be cold in KC. I expect a low scoring game, but I also expect Mahomes to make a play or two and win the game. In the 3-6, Buffalo and New England, I really do not know what to think. Buffalo is overrated. New England has a rookie QB and a bunch of guys I have never heard of before. They still have Bill Belichek, but this game is in Buffalo. The weather will be frigid, and with any old Patriots team that would not matter. But this group is full of unknowns. For that one reason alone I am going with Buffalo. The 4-5, Cincinnati and Vegas, will be the most fun first round matchup. I'm going with the Bengals because they are the more fun team. The Chargers also showed that you can throw on this team at will, and Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase will eat that up for a big day. The Bengals will win and should win relatively comfortably.

That means my semifinals are the Bengals and the Titans, and the Chiefs and the Bills. I really want to pick the Bengals for so many reasons, mainly for my brother and his son, but I think the Titans defense is good enough, better than the Raiders for sure, and they can slow them down just enough. This is where having Derrick Henry will help too. They can control the ball all game. The Bengals have a bright future, but they are not ready yet. The Titans will win. The Chiefs will have home field, they are a different team than who the Bills faced earlier this season and they are just a better team. They have more weapons and speed and a much improved defense. I think the Chiefs will win, and pretty convincingly.

That means my AFC title game is Tennessee and Kansas City. And I'm going with KC. Again, they are better, they have more weapons, they are an improved defense and the Titans are non threatening. The Chiefs will be in their third consecutive Super Bowl.

On to the NFC.

The 2-7 features Philadelphia and Tampa. Philly has been a great story, they have a great run game and I am a Jalen Hurts fan. But Tampa is simply better. Even without a guy like Chris Godwin, they still have multiple other weapons. And a solid defense. Philly could be on the rise, but not this year and not against Tampa. The 3-6 features two teams that I have never been a fan of in my lifetime. The Cowboys can be a lethal offense and when Dak is on, he is on. San Francisco is not near Dallas' level on offense, but they have an elite defense and they can go blow for blow against the Cowboys offense. They just held a very good Rams offense in check. I really do not know who to pick in this game. Dallas could go for 40 or 10. San Francisco could run for 150 yards or they may have to rely on Jimmy Garroppolo if they get in a big hole, and nobody wants that. For those reasons, and because I watched Mike McCarthy constantly underachieve for years as Green Bay's head coach, I am going with the 49ers in a very close game. The 4-5 is going to be almost as fun as the AFC's 4-5. The Rams and Cardinals will face off in Arizona and a ton of points will be put up in a hurry. I could see both teams going for 30 plus points and 350 plus total yards of offense. I am going to go with the Cardinals because I like Kyler Murray way more than I like Matt Stafford.

So that leaves me with Green Bay playing Arizona and Tampa playing San Francisco. Tampa should cruise by the 49ers. They have the offense to match their defense. They have a solid enough defense to stop the 49ers run game and force Jimmy G to beat them. Tom Brady will go wild and the 49ers will go home. The Packers should, and damn well better, beat Arizona in Green Bay. Look, it is no secret how I feel about Aaron Rodgers, and it is so hard to root for him and the Packers right now, but Green Bay is simply better. They have already beaten the Cardinals once and I think they are more than up to the challenge again.

That means we have a rematch at our hands, with Tampa traveling to Green Bay in the NFC title game. I am going to stick with my preseason pick and stay with the Packers. They are much better this year, and as long as they do not have to count on their special teams, they should be good to go. It also helps that the game is in Green Bay. I know Tom Brady has played plenty of cold weather games, but he hasn't in two years, and it will be beyond frigid in Green Bay.

So I have the Packers and Chiefs in the Super Bowl. As cool as it would be to see the Packers win the Super Bowl, I cannot, in my right mind, pick them. I loathe Aaron Rodgers and I simply cannot deal with someone as arrogant and prickish as him winning the Super Bowl. He is an ass and I cannot root for someone like him. For that reason, and the fact that the Chiefs are a really good football team, I am going with the Chiefs to win it this time out. Mahomes is a better person and QB, the Chiefs defense is better and they can rely on their special teams if it comes down to it. I'm sorry to my fellow Packers fans, but Aaron Rodgers does not deserve to be put on a pedestal. He is an egocentric maniac and he has made it impossible for me to root for Green Bay. The Chiefs will be your Super Bowl champs, and Mahomes will be the MVP.

Ty

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

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What the Heck is Going On With Michigan Basketball?

I need to eat some crow today. I was super high on Michigan basketball going into the season. The women's team has been great. That one I was right on. They have looked every bit the part of a team that made the Sweet Sixteen last year and are building off that success. The men's team has not been great. What happened?

I was stoked going into this season. They were coming off an Elite Eight appearance, they were a number 1 seed and they had a wonderful group of freshmen coming in. They were a preseason top 10 team, they were picked to win the Big 10, Hunter Dickinson was a national player of the year candidate and Caleb Houstan was going to be a lottery pick. It all looked so good.

Well things have not gone as planned. They lost an early game to Seton Hall. Seton Hall is good, that game seemed like an aberration and stuff like that happens in college basketball all the time. But they struggled to put away a below .500 team after that game. It seemed like they were going to go on a run, and then Arizona demolished them. Again, Arizona was underrated at the time, but they beat the brakes off of Michigan. That game wasn't close. They also got destroyed by UNC in the Big 10/ACC challenge. UNC is also not very good. Minnesota came into Crisler, with the Wolverines riding a two game win streak, and crushed them. Then UCF crushed them. And, most recently, Rutgers got their first ever win in basketball over Michigan the other night. They play MSU tomorrow, and I am not very hopeful for that game, causing me to rethink my 2022 resolution.

This team is not good right now. They play too much individual basketball. They rely too heavily on Hunter Dickinson. Caleb Houstan has not played very well to this point. Eli Brooks can't hit the ocean. Moussa Diabate got hurt. Kobe Bufkin got COVID. Brandon Johns has regressed. Frankie Collins is too inconsistent. They just do not play as a team. They also find some way to melt down after halftime too. They have held leads, or the games have been close at the half in most. Then they get extremely cold from the field and they cannot play defense. UNC throttled Michigan in the second half of that game. Minnesota did the same. They could not stop Geo Baker against Rutgers. It has been a constant downfall in the second half all year. Even the games they won, minus a few, they have really struggled. They have been missing far too many free throws, blowing leads, falling behind by double figures, blowing defensive assignments and just letting one bad thing snowball into many bad things. It has been a struggle. They are not a top 25 team. They are not even a NCAA tournament team right now. They have a lot of work to do.

I do believe they have time to turn it around, or at least become more competitive. The game tomorrow is going to speak volumes to me going forward. Win or lose, hopefully they win, how they perform is going to shape the rest of the season. They have the talent to turn it around. Juwan Howard is an excellent coach. The players are good enough to put it together, they just have to find a way. But this is not the team I was expecting this season. I do not think it was the team they were expecting. They are bad. They have things to figure out. They have to put in more work. But they can do it. I do have hope they can turn it around. I feel like they just need to tweak a few things and put together a full game to get their confidence back. I think they may have been feeling themselves before the season, buying into the preseason hype. Well they have fallen flat on their faces. Now they can try and fix it, or just go deeper into a hole.

Hopefully they figure it out. They are no longer a top seed, a national title contender, a team to fear. But, they can maybe become a solid tournament team. Time will tell.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Don't Look Up"

I just finished "Don't Look Up". I am being as literal as possible. I just turned off my tv after watching the movie.

First off I loved it. It is a great movie, very well made, the acting is superb and it is wonderful. I do not understand the bad reviews. My only critique is that it is a bit too long, but it did not feel like any of the footage was overused or unnecessary. The movie is very funny, but also horrifying. I actually look at this movie more as a horror movie than a comedy.

For the people that do not know, the movie is about a comet the size of Mt Everest coming to Earth in six months. There are scientists, astronomers, doctors and other very smart people that want to do whatever they can to stop this comet. Then we have the politicians, their followers and the tv people that just want ratings who choose to ignore the smart people. We also have a tech company leader, a la Steve Jobs, who is a money grubbing genius, and may be the most evil of all the villains in the movie. I am not going to spoil the movie because people must watch this movie. It is an important piece of pop culture that perfectly encapsulates our modern society. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence play the scientists, along with Rob Morgan. Lawrence discovers the comet, she tells her teacher and mentor, DiCaprio, about it and they celebrate, until they find out how disastrous this comet is going to be. They have done the calculations over and over again, and it keeps coming up that the comet will destroy Earth in just over six months. They tell Morgan's character this, and since he has connections to the White House, he gets them in front of the president.

Meryl Streep plays the president, and my goodness she is wonderfully scary in this role. She is this media obsessed, money grubbing scumbag of a person. She doesn't care about anyone but herself and she is all about her image and her votes. She crushes this role. Jonah Hill is her son and chief of staff. And he is woefully terrible at his job because he doesn't know what he is doing. There is a great runner that starts when the White House and scientists meet, and a general charges DiCaprio, Morgan and Lawrence for their snacks. Then they realize that they are free. It is truly the funniest bit in the movie.

From this meeting on out we get the whole social media circus. Tyler Perry and Cate Blanchett play a morning talk show team that just wants ratings. They loathe Lawrence and love DiCaprio. When Lawrence tells everyone the truth, she is immediately made out to be the pariah. She is memed to death. She is portrayed as the "bad guy", She is the only one that lets everyone know the truth from jump street. But that doesn't stop everyone from finding a person to bash. That is exactly what people do everyday now. It is maddening. And this movie shows that to perfection. Streep as the president takes even more of a heel turn when she gets rid of the original crew who told her what to do, and tells everyone to simply not look up. The comet is in the sky, we can all see it, but she is too busy worrying about the upcoming election. She goes so far as to put a hat on. It is frighteningly hilarious. And when stuff does hit the fan, the way people reacted, it sent chills up my spine. It was like looking at the real world. I cannot fathom what we would do as a country if this really happened. I have sat here just typing and thinking about how truly scary all of this would be. Then I remember that we have something similar with COVID. It is so wild and so scary.

Watch this movie now. It is required viewing. It is important to watch and discuss. Everyone must, must watch this movie. Please.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "The Super Bob Einstein Movie"

Last night my wife and I watched "The Super Bob Einstein Movie". We have been kind of champing at the bit to see this movie. We happened to be out of town when it was originally aired, then the new year kind of took over our time, but last night we had the requisite 90 minutes to watch, and it did not disappoint.

For those that may not know, Bob Einstein is a comedy writer and actor. He is also the brother of Albert Brooks. He had a wonderfully prolific career, and it is all talked about during this movie. I know of Einstein from "Curb". He plays Marty Funkhouser, and he was an absolute treat whenever he was on the show. He had some of the best scenes in the history of that fantastic show. We are rewatching "Curb" right now, and we saw the episode last night where Funkhouser tells Jerry Seinfeld one of the funniest, and most revolting jokes I think has ever been put on TV. Of course they talked about his work on "Curb". That was pretty much the last 20 to 25 minutes of the movie. And it was simply wonderful. To see all these people, Susie Green, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines and Larry David sing his praises, that just further proved to me his worth among those comedy giants.

What was new to me was all the stuff Bob Einstein had done before "Curb", and I had no idea. He was one of the first writers hired by the Smothers Brothers. In fact he and Steve Martin worked as a team on that show, and according to people in the know, they wrote some of the best bits. They showed some of them in the movie, and my god they were funny as hell. I was rolling. To hear Steve Martin essentially give him all the credit, that spoke volumes to me. Einstein then went on to work on a number of variety shows. He did "The Redd Foxx Show", "Sonny and Cher", and his creation with another buddy, a show I have never seen but will now be searching out, "Bizarre". The stuff he said, and the people who knew him back then, made these shows sound wild. It seemed like the wild west, and Bob Einstein was the go to guy for the best jokes. "Bizarre" looked exactly like its title. The clips were insane. But they were also wildly hilarious. It was on this show where he came up with the character Super Dave. I always heard the name Super Dave as a kid but I had real idea who it was. Well this movie has made me go and check out classic Super Dave bits on YouTube today, and they are incredible. This was a great idea, they wrote great stuff for him and he delivered it like only he could. No one else could have done the great things that Bob Einstein did with Super Dave. They even showed the work he did with his brother, Albert Brooks, in the movie "Modern Love". It was just one scene, but boy did he shine. They played the whole thing during the movie and it was dynamite.

What I also enjoyed was the talk of his personal life. He stayed married to the same lady until the day he died. He was a doting and caring father. He was a wonderful grandpa. He just seemed to be a solid dude his whole life. I also loved the old footage of him telling some wild jokes. Those jokes really made me laugh.

I really liked this movie. It was short and sweet and to the point. All the talking heads were great and insightful. For any fans out there you have to see this movie. For fans of comedy, you should watch as well. I highly recommend it.

Ty

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

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Ty Tries Baby Feet

My wife really likes to do spa stuff at home. She has a whole routine she does every Sunday night. It is very cute. She has also gotten me to do some of these things with her. I have worn these under eye things that are supposed to make my eyes less baggy, and it did not work, at least for me. I've let her use a nail file on me because I am too afraid to do it myself. I let her and my daughter paint my nails before. I have used scented shower steamers and fancy lotions just to see if it works. None of it makes a noticeable difference to me, except this new thing she had me do this past Saturday.

She had this thing called Baby Feet on her Xmas list and I bought it for her. I think she has done this before, but I do not remember. Hell, I may have done it with her for all I know. I cannot remember. But this past Saturday she said she was going to do it and asked if I wanted to try. Now, a bit of a preamble to explain why I was so eager. I do get athlete's foot quite often. I run everyday, and even though I have great shoes and socks, athlete's foot is just part of the game for me now. It doesn't hurt, but boy oh boy does it itch. I have scratched myself raw before. Sorry to be so gross, but it is true. And I use all kinds of creams that I have purchased and that a podiatrist has given me. They work, but I do not do it enough to make it completely go away. It is all on me. So I figured that I would give these Baby Feet a try. I am going through some athlete's foot right now, so this seemed like the perfect time to try it out. These Baby Feet are supposed to make your feet feel soft like a baby's. That is what the package says, that is what the people online have said and that is what my wife said when she showed me how to put these things on. So when my wife busted these out I was intrigued.

Baby Feet is literally a bag with some goo and water in it. You put that on your feet and tape them shut. Then you are supposed to put on socks and simply wear the Baby Feet for an hour. We did just that, removed them after an hour and washed our feet. After about 30 minutes I complained to my wife that nothing was happening. My feet were still itchy, no skin was flaking off and my feet felt like those of a 39 year old runner. She told me it would take a few days. Well here we are, three days removed, and things are starting to happen. First off, I have not had to scratch them at all the past three days. That has been a relief. My feet also feel tighter, which my wife said is a sign that it is starting to take effect. And today when I got home from my run and after I got out of the shower, I noticed the skin was flaking away. It is starting to work. And it feels great. I am enjoying this odd feeling. I am also super hopeful that this is a new way to deal with my athlete's foot. I'm not so sure it will cure it, but it has been simply wonderful not having to itch my feet. All of my skepticism is fading away. These Baby Feet are working, at least it seems.

This is the first "spa" thing that my wife has had me try that really seems to be doing its job, and I love it. I may keep you all informed later, I do know this can be kind of gross for some to read. But I was so excited to talk about it, and I have a blog, so here you go. Baby Feet is super cool, and I highly recommend it for runners looking for a relief from athlete's foot or any type of foot issue they may have. It 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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It is Time for Will Ferrell and Adam McCay to Make Up and Make Great Entertainment Again

Over the past couple of weeks, and months for that matter, my wife and I have been watching Adam McKay and Will Ferrell movies. We love these movies. They are so funny, they fit what I adore about comedy, they are very niche and they are good, despite what the critics say.

We watched "Anchorman" 1 and 2, "The Good Guys", "Talladega Nights", and most recently, "Semi Pro". We had our date night this past Saturday, it was my turn to pick the movie and I wanted a funny sports movie. "Semi Pro" more than fits the bill. I loved this movie when it came out. I saw it in the theaters with a group of friends when I still did that. My wife came with me, except we were only dating back then. That's right, "Semi Pro" came out fourteen years ago, which blew my mind. The critics were tough on this movie, but, to me, it is the quintessential Ferrell and McKay movie. It is goofy, well made, has a ton of great comedic actors and they got to base it on basketball, a sport both of them love. All the other movies I mentioned are great, but "Semi Pro" is the best thing those two ever did.

After watching the movie my wife and I got to talking about how much of a bummer it is that they do not work together anymore. I know that Ferrell wanted to do his own thing and that McKay wanted to make more serious movies. But I was holding out hope that they would get together every now and then to do a silly movie. But the more we talked about their split, the more bummed I got at how minuscule it truly seemed. As I said, they each wanted to do their own thing.

More news has come out recently, with McKay even commenting on record why they actually split. McKay has a new basketball show coming out soon on premium cable, and I cannot wait to watch. I am not a Laker fan at all, but this show looks amazing. And when I saw the casting I was pumped. There are a good amount of unknowns, but there are some big name people in it as well. McKay has gotten to a level where he is a guy that actors want to work with. He has some pull now. And when they showed John C Reilly as Jerry Buss, I was stoked. But this seems to be where most of the trouble with McKay and Ferrell bubbled over. I guess they had someone else in mind for Buss, but when that actor pulled out, McKay gave the role to Reilly. Seems simple enough. Well, according to McKay, Ferrell was really upset that McKay didn't even ask him to play Buss. Ferrell is a lifetime Laker fan, and it seemed like he was destined for this role, especially considering McKay was making the show. Well I guess McKay never asked him, just gave the role to Reilly, and this pushed Ferrell over the edge.

That stinks. I get it. Ferrell probably dreamed of this role, probably assumed he had it, and then it was given to a good friend of his by another former friend of his. But I also feel like it is a bit juvenile to end a friendship and a partnership over something so trivial. I am not there either. I am not in the room, I have no idea what may have gone down with the two of them behind closed doors, maybe they have some bigger beef that they aren't releasing, I don't know. But it kind of bums me out, as a fan, that they simply refuse to work together anymore. This means no more silly, goofy and great comedy movies from two brilliant comedic minds. They have both done great stuff since they split, but nothing that holds the weight of "Anchorman" or "Talladega Nights" or "The Good Guys" or, especially "Semi Pro" for me. I hope they can get together and figure this all out sooner rather than later because the fan in me would love to see them work together again. They were so great as a duo, made some great movies and great content for Funny or Die, and I just really miss their style of comedy. They were unmatched as a team. They were my generation's great comedy team. But now it is just gone.

Again, that stinks. Hopefully, it will change. Hopefully they reconcile. My fingers will be crossed until then.

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.

A Look Back on 2021

Here we sit about twelve hours from a new year. 2021 was good and bad. Well, more bad than good, but that seems to be the way of the world right now. But I do have a slight glimmer of hope going into the new year. I think we have the ability to, if we all chip in, change the course of things that are going on right now. I'm more upbeat about 2022 than I was about 2021. But do not get me wrong, 2021 gave us some great things. Let’s discuss.

First and foremost, we were finally given a vaccine for COVID. I know it may not be perfect, it is a two to three shot system, but hey, this gives us a chance to return to "normal". I got vaccinated in March of 2021. I got my first shot at the beginning of the month, my second near the end, and got my booster in November. I know Omicron is a different animal, but my family and I have done what the doctors and the science have told us to do. My wife is boosted as well. My kids were able to get their shots in November of this year. I don't want Omicron to take away all hope from people. For those of us that got vaxxed and boosted, that is a big time deal. Science rules.

I was also able to see family and friends safely this year. After a year of not being able to do that, I was ecstatic when I, and the people I was seeing, felt comfortable enough to gather. I did not realize how much I missed that in 2020. My kids were able to return to school and sports. I know that right now there are things that may halt that, but I also know that, because of science, it will not be canceled. My daughter loves soccer. And my son is obsessed with basketball. It has been great to be able to coach again too. I did not realize how much I missed that.

My running has reached a whole new level in 2021. I run all the time now. As you all know, I ran my first full marathon this year, and it was a trail marathon. I almost hit 1500 miles running this year, just about 20 miles short.

My family was able to travel this summer. I am not the biggest fan of Gulf shores, but I had an absolute blast one year after having to postpone. The beach was rad and the running was hot and interesting.

My wife just keeps on going higher and higher at her job. She works a lot, but she also makes time for me and the kids. She is so excellent at what she does, and 2021 has more than proved that to me and everyone else.

I went to two weddings this year. I was masked, as was my family. But it was fun to be at such a joyous occasion in 2021. It was nice to be around smiling and happy people.

My brother, RD, got to go back to the theater for movies. He loves that. My other brother Seth, he got to go back to live shows. And my oldest brother, Ross, and his wife have taken their daughter, my niece, on actual real college visits for next year. All these things, and a lot more, have me kind of hopeful in 2022.

Even vaccinated people I know that have gotten COVID, they are better within three-five days, and none of them have had to be admitted to the hospital. I have also chosen to just not acknowledge anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers. I still wear my mask, I am obviously pro vaccine, so I am not going to waste my time with people that do not trust or believe in science. If they ask me why I trust it so much, I will tell them, but I am done trying to change their minds. It is like talking to a brick wall.

I am also done talking politics. I am as liberal and democratic as anyone can get. But I am sick and tired of being called out by crazy right wing nut jobs and people that do not vote for either major party. They are not going to change my mind and I am not going to change theirs. It is too much of a headache. I think that is what I'm going to do in 2022, that will be my resolution. I asked my family about resolutions, and I got a bunch of stock answers. For me, I'm going to go into 2022 with an open mind and I'm going to keep my mouth closed. I've been doing that for the past few months, and it has worked.

Long posting short, I feel better and my anxiety has gone down. So, and I'll say it again, I'm hopeful going into 2022. It is going to be a tough couple of months to start out, but if we can get through this, if we can start listening to scientists and doctors, I see things getting better, hopefully, by early spring. That is my resolution, my plan for 2022, being hopeful. Happy New Year everyone. Have fun and be safe tonight.

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 Nicole Byer's "BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo)"

Last week, before departing for our holiday trip, my wife and I were finally able to watch Nicole Byer's new stand up special "BBW" on Netflix.

We are Byer fans in my house. We love "Nailed It". My wife and I think she is tremendous on "Brooklyn 99" as Trudy Judy. She is the star of the new, very good show "Grand Crew". She is always a delight when she is on a podcast or hosting her own. But I have never seen her standup before. I have heard about it from other people. I have heard that she works very blue, that she is very funny and that she knows how to control the crowd. A buddy of mine saw her pre-pandemic and said she was amazing, but he did not know that she was so dirty. He knew her from "Nailed It" as well I believe. So I was pretty pumped about the special. I did know, or heard, that she does work dirty, but I could care less about that. I have seen a bunch of comics that work blue and the same amount that work clean. It does not matter either way. A good comic is a good comic. Hell, Tracy Morgan was incredibly blue when I saw him, and it was amazing. Brian Regan is known as a clean comic, and he was fantastic every time I have seen him. Jen Kirkman straddles the line, and she rules. The language does not matter. But make no mistake, Byer is blue, and that comes off right away in "BBW".

The special opens with a pole dance, those of us that follow her on Instagram know how much she has practiced this, and it is great. It is a perfect way to open the show. From there on out Byer touches on a ton of things. She opens talking about life during the pandemic. That can be tiresome, but she made it funny and personal. She talked about how it has affected her sex life. She cannot find a good and safe way to hook up with another person. It was very funny. From there the special just got better and better. Her whole bit about Karen's was simply wonderful. I loved her portraying the children of said Karen's. When she talked about flying on a plane with a humongous NICOLE chain and getting drunk, that was the best bit of the night. I loved the button she put on that bit, talking about getting Shake Shack in the morning when she landed, and eating it in the airport toilet. Another pandemic joke I loved was when she talked about the only people who oppose masks are the people who should be wearing them to hide their not so great looking faces. That was perfection. I really enjoyed the crowd work. That is always a plus for me. I like how she went after JK Rowling, and the Harry Potter stuff was gold. I related to her dropping pizza on the ground but deciding to finish it anyway. But what I loved the most was when she talked about singing and how she is not very good at it. This included some wonderful crowd work. She made some very solid jokes about how her appearance can fool people who may think she is a singer. But it was all wrapped up in a great bow when she was talking about Shake Shack and eating it in the toilet. This was when she was so hammered that she decided to sing to try and calm her nerves and let the other people in the bathroom know she was okay. This made me laugh the hardest. This had me giggling afterward. I am smiling thinking about it right now. It is a great bit of comedic storytelling.

Check this special out. Byer is finally getting the shine she has deserved for a long time now. Byer is a great actor, but she is an even better comedian. This special more than proves that.

Ty

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

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RIP John Madden

Last night after dinner I went on Bleacher Report to check if there were any news stories I had missed during the day. Minus the usual COVID news that is hammering the world right now, I saw that John Madden had suddenly passed away.

I was upset. My wife asked what was wrong because I immediately exclaimed, "No! What a bummer". I told her the news, and she asked, the video game guy?'. My son said the same thing. He then asked if they were still going to make the video game even though Madden had now passed. I told him I assumed they would.

That interaction with my wife, who does not care about football, and my nine year old, who is very new to the game, said a whole lot about John Madden to me. Being the sports fanatic that I am, I knew Madden as the head coach of the Raiders the last time they were really dominant. It also helped that my father taught me the history of sports as a young kid. To my dad, John Madden was a coach. He knows of the video game because I still play it, but he is much more of a coach to my father. I have to assume that is the same for his generation of football fans. He was a great coach too. A Super Bowl winning coach. He turned the Raiders into a power when he was the head man there. He was great.

Madden then shifted to broadcasting. He was instantly a hit. He has won so many more awards as a broadcaster than he did as a coach. He was a classic. For me he is second only to Keith Jackson, and that is because I prefer college football to the NFL. But Madden was great. He was one of the few NFL broadcasters that I actually liked. The team of Madden and Pat Summerall has yet to find an equal. Summerall was such a great play by play guy. He knew the game inside and out. He was incredible. He also knew when to rein Madden in, but more importantly, when to let him go off. These were some of the best Madden moments. He would go on and tell some of the wildest stories you ever heard. He would say some stuff that would make Yogi Berra blush. My favorite was, "the team with the most points at the end of the game usually wins". That one still cracks me up to this day. He would talk about the importance of scoring TD's like it wasn't universally already known. But he did this in a way that was so delightful. It was a joy to hear him spew crazy nonsense out of his mouth. One of my favorite things he ever did was his and Summerall's appearance on "The Simpsons". That is an all time classic episode, and to have him end it with the great line, "now that doesn't make a lick of sense", when Vincent Price invites him on a bus is truly amazing.

Today John Madden is known for his incredible video game. Madden Football is THE football video game. It was the first one I played. It is an instant buy for almost every video game player. It is the most intuitive and educational football game that has ever been made. I have read stories from other people saying that, when Madden agreed to do the game, that he insisted it was as real as it could get. It had to be 11 on 11. They needed to have real plays and playbooks. He even gave the creators his old playbooks. He wanted the game to be as close to the real thing as possible. That is incredible. Most other sports games are just heightened versions of the sports they are representing. I love games like NFL Blitz or NBA Jam or NBA Street, but none of them is as real as Madden is. Even if the game has gotten a bit stale, it is still the closest we have to representing the sport it is supposed to. And Madden Football is universally known. As I stated before, my wife and son knew his name because of the game. I have spoken to some other, younger kids who only know Madden from the video game. I bet if I asked ten people to tell me how they know John Madden, or if they know him, all ten would say something about the video game. It is a classic. And Madden has his prints all over it.

John Madden was a great coach, a better broadcaster and helped to create one of the greatest video games of all time. He will be missed. RIP John Madden. You were, and will be remembered as a true legend.

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 "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Season 15

Last night my wife and I were finally able to watch the season 15 finale of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". We are getting all caught up on the shows we missed while we were away celebrating the holidays.

This season may have been short, only eight episodes, but it was pretty damn excellent. I was fully in the whole time. They tackled the pandemic. They talked about owning a business during unprecedented times. They traveled to Ireland. They used CGI for the first time. We met Charlie's real father. They even got the waitress involved. And they did it as hilariously uncomfortable as they always do.

"IASIP" is a near perfect show. There are no real problems with it. Even if they have some past controversy, they owned up to it, and even talked about it and made an entire episode confronting it this season. That ep was phenomenal by the way. I also really enjoyed the CGI monkey they used this season. That was another great ep, and it was the nudge they needed to go to Ireland. When they got to Ireland, that was when this season went from good to great. It was some of the best stuff this show has ever done. I like that, the older they get, the more they touch on real life situations. Dennis got COVID, minor spoiler alert. And that brought out the horribleness in other characters, mainly Frank. Dee finally got an acting job, but things kept getting in the way for her. When she got the big bump on her head, and how they redistributed the blood, that was great. This was also how they got the waitress involved, and she becomes pretty important in the penultimate episode of the season. Mac was even looking to get involved with the church after he learned some stuff about his past. That was a great runner this season.

Charlie, at least for me, was the absolute star of the season. He meets his real dad. He finds his place. He knows the people of Ireland. They write and speak and act like him. He finally has a person he can relate to that seems to know him. He finally has someone that really loves him. But all the stuff that this brings up in Frank made it all the better. Frank and Charlie are definitely the best "love story" on the show. They are the only two that seem to genuinely enjoy one another's company. So when Charlie meets his new dad, and wants to spend all his time with him, Frank is noticeably upset. He acts out. But in the end, they come together. And that is not a spoiler for anyone that watches this show regularly. I was blown away by Charlie Day's performance, especially in the season finale. He went to some dramatic places and really shined. He is a good actor, but this performance truly shined through. I was super impressed.

I also love the way they closed out the season, being the usual obnoxious Americans that we have all come to know and love. It was a very fitting ending for this season. The finale reminded me a bit of the one where Mac came out to his dad. While not as moving and poetic, it was still pretty damn awesome and profound.

"IASIP" is a pantheon show. It is iconic. And season 15 is a feather in their cap. I cannot wait for season 16.

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 "Encanto"

Hello again everybody. I took the past two days off to spend the holiday, safely, with my family. But I'm back. I have watched a good amount of content, listened to some different stuff and got some cool shit I want to talk about on my blog. Today I will start with the movie "Encanto".

We watched this movie last night. We got back home from our trip and my wife, my kids and I have been waiting to watch this movie. We are still a bit hesitant to go to the theaters, so we waited for it to be on Disney+, and with it not premiering until Xmas eve, we waited until the day after Xmas to watch.

Right off the bat, this movie was great. I loved every second of it. Watching movies at home, if I need to do something around the house, I usually get up and ask my family to tell me what I missed. I did not do that with "Encanto". I did not want to miss a thing. This movie reminded me a lot of "Coco" and "Wall-E", my two favorite Pixar movies. The comparison to "Wall-E" was how beautiful everything looked, but also the cracking world around them. As far as "Coco", I know it may sound cliche to compare a Spanish movie to a Colombian movie, but it was also the colors and the voice actors and the music. While "Encanto" did not have as good music as "Coco", no movie does for that matter, it was still very festive and fun and well written and beautifully performed. I loved the music in fact. I am not the biggest Lin Manuel Miranda fan, but when he just writes the music, like he did for "Moana", I find myself bopping my head and tapping my feet. That happened with "Encanto". The music was very good, very well done, very cool and just flat out fun. As for the colors in this movie, my goodness was it vibrant. I found myself blown away by how beautiful the movie looked. There were so many bright pops of blue and yellow and orange and red and green, it was amazing. I was mesmerized. I also loved the way the clothes looked, how the characters looked and moved and how neat and old school the house in the movie was drawn. The voice acting was impeccable as well. Stephanie Beatriz was made to voice a character like this. She added so much and embodied Maribel. I was fully on her side the whole movie. Beatriz also has a very good singing voice too. I knew she could sing, but given this role, she took on a ton and totally nailed it. John Leguizamo was excellent. So was Wilmer Valderama. And the rest of the family, from Maria Cecilia Botero as Abulea, to Adassa as Dolores, and everyone in between, they were all amazing. But make no mistake, Beatriz is the main star of the movie, and she more than handles it. I really enjoyed the story of the movie as well. I am very close to my family, and to see a family like this portrayed in a movie, I was bound to enjoy the movie. They did a great job talking about all things involved with being a family, they just added super powers to the people in the cartoon. But my main takeaway was family. You should love your family, even if you have disagreements, or some other things get in the way. I loved that message in the movie. I also really like, minor spoiler alert, that they never gave Maribel a "power". She was just a regular person in an irregular, superhero style world.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is so good to watch with your partner, but even more so with your family, if you have kids. Both my kids, my 9 year old son and 6 year old daughter, absolutely loved it. They have been talking about it all day today. Check out "Encanto". It rules.

Ty

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

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SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Music: Day 24 - Snoopy's Christmas

ed note: This article was first published on December 24th, 2015

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 24: Snoopy's Christmas by The Royal Guardsman

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, Twenty Three

The Christmas season can feel like a battle. There are large crowds and everyone seems to have their own agenda. People are constantly fighting each other for parking, space in line, and the hot holiday gift. We move through the malls and hardly acknowledge one another. On Christmas Eve, the holiday season reaches its peak while everyone rushes past one another to complete their individual goals. Christmas Eve is the final struggle we face on the battlefield of the holiday season.

"Snoopy's Christmas" is the 1967 follow up to The Royal Guardsman hit "Snoopy vs The Red Baron". The band made their name by incorporating in their songs the Peanuts character of Snoopy, and his exploits of aerial dog fighting against The Red Baron. "Snoopy's Christmas" reads like a classic tale from Charles Schultz's Peanuts comic strips. The Red Baron is terrorizing the skies, and Snoopy with his trusty Sopwith Camel (his doghouse) must engage in  battle high in the sky. While Snoopy valiantly tries to defeat the German ace, disaster strikes. The Red Baron shoots down the pup in German territory. Snoopy lands and believes that the end is here, then suddenly the bells ring out over the countryside marking the beginning of Christmas. Being inspired by the spirit of the season, the Red Baron offers Snoopy a drink and wishes him a Merry Christmas. The brotherhood of Christmas Day causes the foes to befriend, and they then go on their separate ways. Christmas Eve saw bloodshed, Christmas Day is about peace.

The exciting tale being told in "Snoopy's Christmas" is based on a true event, the 1914 Christmas Truce of World War I. British and German troops were shelling each other on December 24th, suddenly the firing stopped when both sides heard the bells from the countryside ring out for the beginning of Christmas Day. The Germans invited the British troops to cross no man's land and have a peaceful celebration. The enemies shared food and drink, showed pictures of their families, and even played games together. The magic of Christmas stopped sworn enemies from killing each other. The feeling of brotherhood trumps the anger of war. It is a magnificent piece of human history.

Christmas Eve can be a tough day. Many people are frantically trying to get that last must have gift. We have no time to be kind and courteous to our fellow man. If you are not relentless, you will lose the battle of the Christmas Season. Once midnight hits and the bells of the village rings out for Christmas Day, a new feeling takes hold. Our disagreements on religion, geopolitics, and philosophy take a day off. Christmas makes us one family. Enjoy your holiday, and thank you for your eyes this Advent Season. As the Red Baron would say, "Merry Christmas my Friend".

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. No matter who you are, or what you believe, the bells at midnight will make you the editor's new friend. Join our circle of joy by liking SeedSing on Facebook.