Ty Watches "Atlanta" Season Four Premiere

Last week the fourth and final season of "Atlanta" premiered. I just watched it this past Monday. I am going to take this final season slowly. I want it to marinade in my mind. I want to really take my time. I want to watch each episode two or three times. I have watched the first two episodes twice to date. I need multiple views to understand at least half of it.

"Atlanta" is also the best show on TV right now, full stop. Donald Glover is doing magical things. He is hitting home runs left and right. I've talked at length about how awesome and innovative he is on every platform I can. Glover is the best. As is "Atlanta". The final season two episode premiere only further hammered that home.

The first episode has them back in Atlanta. They were overseas last season, but now they have all returned home. But it isn't like it was before they left. Something is different. Something is off. Darius has a crazy lady chasing him all over the place. He is just trying to return an air fryer, but this lady won't quit. Paper Boi is going on some wild scavenger hunt involving the death of one of his favorite rappers. And Earn and Vanessa are in some kind of weird time loop at an outside shopping mall. This episode was nuts. The whole thing with Earn and Van was crazy. They kept running into exes who were seemingly braindead. I was floored. I didn't get what was going on until the second viewing. The whole thing with Darius started off wild enough when he was returning the air fryer. He is oblivious to the store getting robbed with all the alarms going off. He is so focused on what he is doing. But then we have this crazy lady chasing him in her scooter with a knife. I'm still a little confused by this. And Paper Boi goes on one of the coolest, and most fun looking scavenger hunts I've ever watched. I want to do that. And that had the best payoff. And when the episode ended, all I could think of was how in I was on what they were doing.

The second episode is up there as one of my favorites of all time. This one is primarily focused on Earn and his therapy sessions. There is a minor second story involving some lady who is getting a book deal. All throughout we see Earn going to therapy. He seems to be really getting something out of it. He appears to be growing as a person. It is a nice little insight to him maturing. His therapist is great. His friends make fun of him, but he pays it no mind. There are three sessions we see, and with each one the story gets bigger and bigger. They kept cutting to this lady who is getting a book deal, and her life seems sad, but on the come up. Near the end Earn tells his therapist that he wants to try some of the techniques he has learned on his own. He tells him he is going to take a break. The therapist is totally fine with this. After that we see the lady going to do a reading of her new book. It is a disaster. The kids are bored. They all stand up and leave, except for one, who fell asleep. We then cut to Earn at a bar and we see a video of the lady crashing and burning. It turns out that Earn has paid all of these people to ruin her life because she was racist to him, Van and their daughter at the airport. He is out to destroy her. When Paper Boi and Darius show up he is all hype to tell them what he did. He does and they tell him he is crazy. As they walk off and Earn is by himself, he sits back and says that maybe he should continue with his therapy. It was an incredible moment.

This show is the best absurd comedy on TV. They are doing things that I have never seen before. They are so, so, so good at what they do. I highly recommend everyone watch this show. Go back and start at the beginning and then be amazed at how far they have come. "Atlanta" is a true classic of a show.

Ty

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

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The "Comedy Bang! Bang!" A-Team Cannot Be Beat

I was listening to the most recent episode of "Comedy Bang! Bang!" and I came to a comedy realization. When Scott Aukerman invites Jason Mantzoukas, Andy Daly and Paul F Tompkins on the pod, it is some of the best improv comedy in the game. These four work so well off of one another. All they need is a little bit of a premise and they are off.

On the newest "CBB" it was about as simple as it gets. Mantzoukas was there as himself. He is one of the unofficial guest hosts of the show. Then Andy Daly was Byron Denninson, the royal watcher, and PFT was on as The Grizz. These are some tried and true characters. They have been on a few times, and with each appearance the story gets bigger and better. This time around Mantzoukas and Aukerman were just talking about stuff that was going on in the world and they happened to mention some people dying. This was when Daly came in as Dennison. He told them about Queen Elizabeth and Daly was as funny as ever. He is so good at this character. This is a keeper. I very much enjoy listening whenever Dennison is on. Then PFT came in as The Grizz and totally blew up all of the stuff Dennison was talking to them about. He took off the covers to Dennison's whole story. It was great. I loved every second of it. Then both of them turned into Australian versions of their characters. It was wonderful. While they were doing the Aussie version of their characters was when I realized how awesome all of this was. I was listening to four great improvisers doing their thing at the top of their games. It ruled. Mantzoukas and Aukerman took a backseat, and that was the right thing to do. PFT and Daly were riffing off of one another. One would tell a joke and the other would just go with it. They would do multiple minutes on so many different topics and it all worked. I was cracking up. The stuff with the Grizz and Dennison was great. But the stuff with the Aussie versions was even better. When Daly realized he had to change his accent, that was gold. It was so real and so funny. And PFT didn't make fun of him, he just went with it. It was incredible. At times Mantzoukas would chime in with a joke and it was excellent. Aukerman was there to keep it all moving and he is so good at this task because he is a top notch podcast host.

I was in awe of all the things they were doing. I was sitting in my car cracking up, but also appreciating the greatness I was listening to. I was hearing some of the best people in the game do their thing. I saw that these four were on the episode and I immediately got hyped up. I knew it was going to be great. But when I listened it was even better. It exceeded my very high expectations. I appreciate when professionals all get together and perform so well. It can be magical.

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 "Brian and Charles"

Over the weekend I watched the movie "Brian and Charles". This was the date night pick in fact. It was my turn, I remembered seeing a trailer for this movie and it was on sale to rent on VOD. That was all I needed to be sold on it. It also helps that the movie is 90 minutes long, it is a comedy and it is small.

For those that may not know, and I imagine there are a lot of you, the plot of this movie is very straight forward. We have a lonely inventor living in Wales who goes out scavenging one day. He finds a mannequin head and decides to build a robot. He succeeds and then some stuff happens. Again, very easy to follow and very straight forward. But in watching this movie I found it to be so much more.

I am a big "Napoleon Dynamite" fan. It is one of my all time favorite movies. It is comfort food for me. I got a lot of the same feelings from "Brian and Charles". Both movies are small. Both movies have tiny casts. Both movies take place in what many would consider to be boring places. Both movies focus on an outcast who makes friends their own way. And both movies have some of the best friendships I have ever seen. "Brian and Charles" is one of the best friendship movies I have ever watched. I read a review afterward that called it the "bromance movie of 2022". I couldn't agree more. That is what this movie is about deep down for me. Brian is lonely. He has no one in his life. He is seemingly on his own. He has no siblings. His parents are not around anymore. He only interacts with a few of the townspeople. He is just by himself. But then he makes Charles. At first you do not think he works, but after the storm something clicked in Brian and he was fully functioning.

The first fifteen minutes of the movie are Brian being interviewed and then building Charles. After Charles comes to life the movie picks up. The scenes between Brian and Charles are magical. We get to see Charles essentially grow up. He has childlike tendencies at first. He reads a dictionary to learn the language, but he still acts like a little kid. He gets upset when Brian leaves. He gets incredibly excited like a puppy when he returns. Charles asks questions constantly. He learns to dance, to sleep, to eat and to interact. As the days pass Charles gets older. When he is a "teenager", he starts to act up. He wants to go out and experience things. When Brian relents things go a bit haywire. Sure Brian gets a crush to go out on walks with him, but he and Charles are constantly at each other's throats. At one point the town bully comes and steals Charles after initially meeting him. Charles is treated awfully there, and Brian and his new girlfriend hatch a plan to save him, Spoiler alert, it works. How it works, I will not spoil that, it is funny and great. I loved that scene. The way the movie ends is perfect for this movie as well.

While watching I never lost the smile on my face. Even when things got a bit more serious they always undercut the drama with a joke or two. The actors all fully committed and it shows. They went for it and they hit a homerun. This is a unique movie even while it is a common movie trope. I loved this movie. I have already recommended it to a few people who share similar opinions on movies. "Brian and Charles" is a true hidden gem. I definitely recommend seeking it out and watching it. It is so worth your time.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Operation Flagrant Foul"

Yesterday I watched "Operation Flagrant Foul". This is one of the new Untold documentaries on Netflix. I am a big fan of the Untold series on Netflix. They do cool, interesting sports stories that I may not have been aware of, or even heard of before. That being said, I am well aware of the Tim Donaghy fiasco.

For people who may not know, Donaghy was arrested and sentenced to prison for gambling on professional basketball. To make matters worse, he was a professional referee. To make matters even more worse, he bet on games he was personally reffing. It was all bad when you really think about it.

What I enjoyed about this doc was the backstory we got. Donaghy has a very interesting past, one that I was unaware of when this story first popped. He was married, had kids, had good friends, was a highly rated ref, he lived a relatively normal life as a pro ref. He made some questionable calls as a ref, but he did pretty much everything by the book. He even called stuff on Michael Jordan when that was very much frowned upon. There is a great part in the doc when Donaghy recalls calling traveling on MJ. He called it, and after calling it, while walking down the court Phil Jackson approached him. He yelled at Donaghy and Donaghy told him that he got the same memo that everyone got. Jackson said he gets it, but pointed to Jordan and said, "you don't call it on that guy". That was a fascinating look into the NBA at that time. The NBA has always favored stars, and this was when it seemed to be at its highest. From there Donaghy went about his job. Then a few of his childhood friends, who considered themselves professional gamblers, contacted Donaghy about certain NBA games.

From there on out it got nuts. Donaghy would call other refs to see when they were working. He would look at the schedules and check out the crews for each game. He would contact ref friends and try to get info on certain games they were calling. He started out with his childhood friends, but from there it grew. He was making big money. He was able to buy things for his wife and kids that he was never able to do before. He was living life being rich. He was getting a taste of the supposed good life, and he liked it. He gambled on 47 games and won 37 times. That is too close of a coincidence. It is too fishy. I knew he gambled on games but I did not know it went this deep. It was getting bad enough that he started to get scared. He was afraid that he was going to get caught. But he didn’t stop. Then one of his buddy's said the FBI contacted him. The FBI had contacted him a few times actually. This was when Donaghy knew he was in trouble. He decided he had to confess. When he did he got majorly screwed over by some people, maybe some people named David Stern, RIP. The whole Stern situation was revealing. I did not realize how much of a boss he actually was when he was the commissioner of the league. It was as close to the mob as anything I have seen in a movie. I also found it pretty eye opening that the three main guys of this movie seem to still be lying constantly. They cannot stop themselves. They just vomit words out of their mouths until they believe what they are saying. It is crazy.

All in all this was a solid doc. I knew some of the stuff, but some other stuff was news to me. I like when I can learn something new about a story I thought I knew everything about. I recommend this to fans of basketball, especially fans my age. It was pretty cool.

Ty

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

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Let's Cheer on Pujols Chase for 700

I have said it many times before and will say it many more times, but I am not the baseball expert here at Seedsing. That is RD's domain. He knows the game better than anyone I know personally. He loves the MLB and I do not. But I live in Saint Louis. It is hard to not notice the Cardinals, especially when they are playing well.

The Cardinals are having a good year. They sit at 84-59 right now. They are eight games ahead of the Brewers with thirteen games left in the year. They are going to be in the playoffs. It is almost assured. The only teams with a better record in the NL are the Dodgers, Mets and Braves. That's it. This also happens to be the last season for Yadier Molina, who I believe is the greatest catcher to ever step on a baseball field. I believe Adam Wainwright is going to retire too. He has been a wonderful pitcher who has won big, big games and multiple World Series rings. And then we brought Albert Pujols back for one last ride. I wasn't thrilled when they signed him, but it seemed like a cool idea. Why not bring a former MVP superstar back. Sure he is in his 40's, but he can still swing that bat. And it was cool to see him teamed up with Waino and Yadi. It is like a blast from the past.

The thing that has made this season so special, why I am kind of paying attention at this current moment, is that Pujols has 697 career home runs, just past Alex Rodriguez and is only three away from 700, a holy grail number in the MLB. Pujols has also kind of been on a tear lately. He is not an everyday player anymore, but it seems like every other game he is hitting a homer. He may get in to pinch hit, and bam, he hits a homer. Or he will get the start at first, and in his second or third at bat he will hit another bomb. When he got to 695 I got involved because he was close to passing A-Rod, who I am not a fan of at all. I cannot stand him. I wanted Albert Pujols to pass him. I feel like he had tied him up immediately. It may have been the very next game after 695. I was pumped. He was tied, and I was certain that he was going to pass A-Rod. It took a few games, but when he did it, I loved every second of it. I soaked it all in. It was great. I was coaching my son's ball team that night, but we were all following the news on our phones. Then Pujols hit 697. Even more distance between him and Rodriguez. Awesome.

Now I am at the point where I almost need him to get to 700. I just do not know how anyone could walk away from the game when they are that close to history. I remember being a kid and being angry that Emmit Smith stayed in the NFL so long just to break the rushing record. Now I get it. He was always going to be a Hall of Famer, but breaking the rush record means he is always going to be mentioned as an all timer. That would rule. Now if athletes maybe stick around too long, I do not blame them. When they are this close to history I want them to go for it. If I were an MLB pitcher I would groove Pujols fastballs. There are thirteen games left, as mentioned above, and I would be playing Pujols as much as he wanted. If he asked to get in the game, you better believe I would put him in. It is not like the Cardinals need to win X amount of games for positioning. They are pretty much set where they are going to be set. And, the way Pujols has been swinging the bat lately, he would only help the team.

I do not watch the MLB anymore. It is too boring. But with Pujols chasing 700, you better believe I will be watching and rooting for Albert Pujols to get 700. That would be amazing, but also fitting if he were to do it with the Cardinals. I'm here rooting for you Albert. Let's get to 700. Good luck.

Ty

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

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A Nice Run Helps Chase the Blues Away

Yesterday was an exhausting and annoying day. I had a good amount of stuff to do. Some of it was fun. Other stuff, not so much.

I started the day by getting coffee with my dad, which was great. I got to see him and my mom. I spent the whole morning over there. That was nice. When I got home I got some stuff done. I went for a run. I had a good lunch. I got the laundry folded and put away. I did accomplish some things. But the rest of the day was just frustrating. I was late to pick up my daughter at school. My son got out of his fancy school later than normal. I ate a snack that I shouldn't have. I had to pick up my son and his buddy early from football practice for a baseball game. The baseball game was where it all boiled over. I lost it. I had to remove myself at one point because I thought I was going to holler at a bunch of 10 year olds. But I didn't. I just went home annoyed and went to bed angry.

I woke up this morning and I still felt kind of off. But then I went for a trail run. Wednesday is my day for a longer run during the week. I went to one of my favorite trails here in the STL, DeClue out in Wildwood. This is a good trail with technical areas, nice hills, lots of flats and it is flat out beautiful. I got there a little after 9am and got started on my run. I was going slow at first, to work out the sleep kinks. As I got about a mile in, my mind wandered to what I was currently doing. All the frustration from yesterday disappeared. I was out in the woods by myself. I only saw three other people and they were all riding bikes. I basically had the trail to myself.

As I got further along in the run, it is just short of eight miles, I found that I had forgotten all about yesterday. I was happy. I was doing something that I love. I was taking it all in. It was glorious. As I was driving home I caught myself thinking about how much better I felt. I let all the nonsense wash away. I realized it wasn't all that important. There is no reason to get so upset at useless things. I have been walking on a cloud since finishing my run.

That was when it all hit me, running is my sanctuary. I feel so much better when I go for a run. I get angry when I haven't gone on a run for awhile, but when I get that run in I'm instantly better. The trail is even better. I can really escape when I am in the woods. Sometimes I bring headphones, and other times I am alone with my thoughts. Both are great. When I have headphones I can listen to music or a podcast. It depends on the mood. Podcasts are good for keeping pace. Music is good if I want to go a bit faster. When I go without headphones I get to listen to nature. I love hearing all the animals. I saw a ton of deer eating and running this morning. I also like to hear the ground below me. I also like being out there in nature. It is the best distraction. I see a therapist, and he is great. But the woods are almost, almost as good. Running can be great to clear my head. I can let it all out and I instantly feel better. That was how it was this morning.

Running is the best. I love the way it makes me feel. It is wonderful for health, both physical and mental. I have been amazed at what I have been able to accomplish since I started running about 8 years ago. I am also amazed at the community that I have become a part of. I also like seeing people I know accomplish new goals. Running is the best. It has changed my life and I wanted to give it a shout out today. It all came to a head this morning and I was stunned at how much it changed my attitude. Running rules. It is the best.

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 "Better Call Saul" - Final Season

I finished "Better Call Saul" this past Sunday. I had been putting off watching because I did not want it to end. This show has been pretty special. I did not know what to think about a prequel to what is one of the best shows of all time, "Breaking Bad", but they pulled it off. I think taking a character like Saul Goodman, who was a bit more comic relief, was the best way to do it. It was not a rehash of what we all saw with "Breaking Bad". Hell, they didn't bring too many people back from the show. There were cameos here and there, but outside of Mike and Gus, nothing too crazy.

This show worked so well because they told Saul's story from the start of his lawyer career. I liked going back and watching him become Saul. He started as Jimmy McGill, but he ended as Saul. Sure, minor spoiler alert, he wanted to be called Jimmy again at the end, but he was still known as Saul by some criminals.

This last season has been anxiety riddled, non stop action, dramatic and as satisfying as one could have wanted. He became Saul, albeit slowly. He ended relationships. He screwed over people close to him with no regard. He became a criminal. He did devious things. He got involved more with Gus and Mike. There was the minor storyline involving Saul and Walter White being stuck together. We got to see Walter and Jesse Pinkman again. There was a wonderful moment between Jesse and Kim. Kim Wexler, played by Rhea Seehorn, was incredible. She was the best part of this final season, maybe even the whole series. She had a moment in the penultimate episode, when she breaks down, that was acting at its finest. I felt so very bad for her and where she was in her life. Carol Burnett showed up for the final four episodes and she was amazing. She was not doing comedy at all. The story with her and her grandson was pretty perfect. It showed how Saul cannot leave his old life behind. He was still miserable and took advantage of people. Even when he tried to do good, when he tried to be better, he would be pulled back in by the allure of money. Saul Goodman was, and always will be a scumbag. Yet I could not help myself rooting for him. I wanted him to be with Kim. I hoped he was going to find a way out of his troubles. I thought he may even become a lawyer again. I figured he could find his way back in the game.

In the long run I felt that the ending was perfect. It was the best way to wrap up this show. They gave everyone the ending that I felt was deserved. We are talking about people who were, or did, criminal things. Even the minor characters, Saul's assistant, some people he helped out as Saul, the film students who helped him mess with people, they all did criminal things and felt the consequences. Again, even when I wanted to feel bad for them, I would remember all the stuff they did to get money and the bad feelings went away. In the end Saul Goodman and Jimmy McGill got what was coming. He literally got his comeuppance. We knew it was coming and we knew it was going to be brutal. But that was the only fitting end to this show.

"Better Call Saul" is now in the pantheon of all time great shows. It nailed the story, the writing was impeccable and the directing was top notch. Vince Gilligan knows what he is doing, especially with these characters. I love this show and will probably visit it again at some point. "Better Call Saul" was awesome.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Thor: Love and Thunder"

For date night this week my wife and I watched "Thor: Love and Thunder". We both wanted to see the movie. We liked "Ragnarok" a lot, and with the whole crew back we figured this one would be great too. While not great, I thought this movie was okay. It could have been better, but there are little critiques I have here and there.

What made "Ragnarok" so great was the way they used comedy and seriousness all within the superhero world. "Love and Thunder" was almost too goofy. They leaned way too far into the humor aspect. I like a good comedy, but with the whole superhero thing, you have to juggle those two things. We are talking about a world in which superheroes and villains exist. There are bound to be some serious things going on. There was another break in the whole vibe of the movie every time Christian Bale was on screen. He played the villain. He was Gorr the God Butcher, and he did a pretty good job. But whenever he was on screen he was overacting. He was too serious. Even when he was trying to be funny/menacing at the same time it came off as too serious. It was creepy. He was creepy. And I assume that is what they wanted in this role. But whenever Bale wasn't on screen, or when they just focused on Thor, it was joke after joke. There was too much. Even when they tried to make him more serious it was done in a light tone. And I appreciate Chris Hemsworth and his acting ability and the fact that he can be funny. But in this movie it was just too much.

The movie also moved kind of slowly. It was definitely slower than most MCU movies, especially after the more recent MCU movies. It kind of took awhile for it to get to the point. And it felt like it took awhile. Scenes went on for a little too long. It was too much at times. The stuff with Russell Crowe was a bit over the top. So was some of the Christian Bale stuff as well. They meandered a bit longer than they did in "Ragnarok". They went away from what made "Ragnarok" so great.

Even with these critiques, this movie still worked. It was more fun than some of the other MCU stuff. I liked that there wasn't all this backstory. I appreciated that there weren't a ton of new superheroes or villains I needed to learn about. I liked that they kept the cameos to an extreme minimum. I appreciated that scenes with all the gods featured gods from Greek mythology. These are gods we all know or have heard of before. Hemsworth was solid. Tessa Thompson rules. She is such a badass. Taika Waititi does great as Korg. Natalie Portman's return was great and much deserved. Bale was chewing the scenery, but he was still fun and creepy. I liked the look of New Asgaard. The music, even with it being Guns N Roses, was fitting.

All in all, "Love and Thunder" was uneven. There were parts I liked and parts I didn't like so much. I'm glad I watched it at home and not at the theater. I had fun but it felt slow. I do not get the mass criticism from some MCU fans, but they are an unreasonable bunch. "Love and Thunder" is a fine movie. Watch it at home if you have Disney +. That is the best way to consume the movie.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches “What We Do In The Shadows” Season Four

"What We Do in the Shadows" wrapped up their fourth season this week. This show is becoming one of the better shows on TV. They are really taking big swings and they are connecting. This show is yet another reason why FX has the best shows going right now. They give the creators carte blanche and let them do their thing. They do not seem to get overly involved and that works in their favor. They allow the creators to create. That is how it should be. The less notes the better the show can be. That is precisely what is happening with "WWDITS".

This show works on every single level. The actors are great. The people behind the scenes are great. The show just works. This past season they went a little more with the drama. I did not know how it would work. I would read some headlines after the show aired, before I watched the DVR version we had, and they would say it was another good episode that was light on jokes. I would be a bit apprehensive at first, but when I watched it it was always great. It always worked in the flow of the show. They still did some big broad comedy stuff, but for the most part, this season was more about building each character and giving them a bit of a dramatic arc.

Nadja got to start her nightclub and she was the funniest on the show this season. But not everything goes her way and she makes a good amount of mistakes that end up being not so great. Nandor had a genie and a wife and seemed like it was all good. But he did too much. He made too many things happen. He couldn;t decide what he wanted, and it just ended up with him being very bored. Guillermo revealed a ton this season. He got to really flesh out his character. But he had some missteps on the way. He lost some stuff. He had some family issues and personal issues he had to deal with. The finale also ended on him with a big time cliffhanger. I cannot wait to see how they handle all of that in season five.

The real drama was all between Laszlo and Colin Robinson. These two had a great end to season 3. Season 4 only built on that. They really went deep into their relationship. It really became a father son type deal with the two of them. Matthew Berry was a revelation this season. I have always liked him as a comedian, but he got to show real depth in the finale. I felt for him. He also wore some crazy outfits and spoke so funny and awkward all season. The way he said New York City in one of the final episodes was simply the best. The AV Club wrote an entire article on it in fact. Colin Robinson was awesome. He got to do some cool CGI acting. Seeing him go from a baby back to himself was remarkable. The VFX crew did a masterful job creating and bringing this character to life. I loved watching the growth all season long. But it was pretty upsetting in the end. I am not spoiling anything either. I was watching the finale with my wife and we both remarked on how upsetting it was in the end, but in a good way.

I adore this show. It continues to get better and better. I love how the show continues to change because it all works. They have great people working on this, and if they continue on the arc they are on right now, "WWDITS" could go down as an all time great. I do truly believe this. I am not being hyperbolic. "WWDITS" rules. Everyone should be watching this show. 

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 "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist"

I recently finished the Netflix two part documentary on Manti Teo called "The Girlfriend who Didn't Exist". It was fascinating.

I remember living through all of this. I am an avid college football fan as you all know. This story was everywhere in 2012. but I knew of Teo before all of this. He was a major recruit. Every big team wanted him. When it was down to USC and Notre Dame I just assumed he'd pick USC. Hell, I thought he would go to BYU, since he is Mormon, before he'd go to Notre Dame. But in the end, he picked the Fighting Irish. I was stunned and so were many other people. But he kept getting better and better every year. He could have left after his junior year and been a high first round draft pick. But he came back. Then he played very well. Then Notre Dame kept winning games. Then his grandma died. Then, on the same day, so did his online girlfriend. It was all a lot. But he kept playing and playing well, and his team was winning.

Right before the Heisman ceremony, he was a finalist, the whole online girlfriend thing exploded. According to the doc, Teo knew about the news before the Heisman trophy was given out. I did not know this. This was all news to me. But after the ceremony, before the BCS title game, the story broke everywhere. Deadspin was the first to report it and then everyone jumped on board. Teo was giving interviews to Katie Couric with his folks. The person that catfished Teo was going on Dr Phil's show to show him how he did it all. Then it was on every news report everywhere. This was not just sports broadcasts, it was national news. CNN, MSNBC, local news stations, I mean it was EVERYWHERE.

This is where the doc became truly fascinating to me. All the stuff beforehand, the football and the girlfriend and his family life, it was all out in the open. But after the fact, after he found out he was being catfished, that was when it became truly nuts. Teo started to suffer from panic attacks and true anxiety. He said that football used to be his outlet, that he could let it all go when he walked out there. But after all the shit hit the fan he was not the same. He tried too hard. He had to prove he wasn't just the guy that got catfished. He wanted to show he could still be an elite level linebacker. But he was too in his head. He was thinking too much. He wasn't just playing the game. It became a problem. And seeing him interviewed, hearing him talk about that time in his life, I felt for him. That had to be absolutely brutal for him to live through. I found myself thinking, as gross as it may sound, about how much money he lost by falling to the second round. He had to reprove how good he was. He had to start all over again. That is not fair. Teo was one of the best defensive college football players to ever step on the field. He had all the tools coaches craved. He was a great locker room guy. His teammates and coaches all like him. There was hardly anything to dislike about Teo. I am a lifelong Michigan fan, and I even found myself rooting for Teo. Let me make this clear, I rooted for Teo, not Notre Dame. And to see the lady who catfished him, she was a man at the time, but she is now transgender, to show a little remorse, but not much, kind of made me flinch a bit. This person was taking advantage of someone who was listening and helping them out with their issues. She could have stopped at any time, but she kept going. I get that she was confused at the time and trying to find out who she really is, but she took this way, way too far. I get that Teo forgave her and he has moved on and is living as normal a life as he can. But she could have been a bit more remorseful or showed some kind of regret. I don't know, I expected more I guess.

All of that being said, this two part doc was incredible. Again, I remember this whole thing so vividly, but this doc gave me so much more info, and new info at that. I cannot recommend it enough. It is a fascinating watch, and not just for sports fans. There are tons of real life stories in this and it is great. Check it out.

Ty

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

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Now I Really Want to See "Don't Worry Darling"

A while back I watched the preview for Olivia Wilde's new movie "Don't Worry Darling". I saw a ton of stuff online about how horny it was. It was an okay enough preview. It wasn't crazy or anything, but the premise of the movie caught my attention. I was intrigued. It felt and looked like an updated "Stepford Wives" type of movie.

Then I saw more previews and got even more interested in this movie. I still want to see it. It helps that I loved "Booksmart", I like the actors in this, I like the dystopian nature of the previews and it seems highly intriguing. Early reviews are out now and they are kind of tepid. That doesn't matter to me, if I want to see this movie I will, I just may not go watch it in a theater. I will wait for it to be on VOD.

This past month or so the intrigue involved with the making of this movie and now all the stuff at the Venice Film Festival has definitely ratcheted up my interest. For those that may not know, there have been a plethora of stories and "scandals" that have come out during the lead up to the movie's release. The first notice I got was the whole Shia Labeouf thing. This is an actor I used to like, but now I am over it. He is too much. He is an asshole. He is pretentious. He is out of his mind. He is a hurtful person. So when I saw that Wilde said she fired him from the movie to protect Florence Pugh it made sense. He is a volatile person. But then he came back and said he quit. Then there was this back and forth between him and Wilde all done over social media. It was nuts. I lean more towards Wilde's side in this whole story, but I will never truly know what happened. This is a classic he said she said scenario, but with the he being an insane person.

Next some stuff came out about Pugh and Wilde. I guess they did not really get along, that Pugh was blowing off press meetings, that Wilde had some minor complaints. It was all very minimal stuff, but it still made the entertainment news. It was enough of a story to push it all ahead of the upcoming release of the movie.

I also saw, right after the Pugh thing, that Wilde said she wanted the previews to be even hornier. I guess she wanted to show more of the sex scene stuff that is in the movie. This is so pointless, but with the Labeouf and Pugh stuff, then the Pugh and Wilde stuff, this story was pushed to the front of most websites.

And now we have the whole Venice Film Festival stuff. This has been off the charts wild. Every story that is coming from the film fest just gets nuttier and nuttier. I guess Pugh didn't want to do press with some of the cast, so she did it on her own. She also wore a dress, this is according to Buzzfeed so take it as you will, to criticize some of the people who worked on the movie. Then we have all this Chris Pine stuff. He was seen zoning out during interviews. He has been walking around with a disposable camera and taking massive amounts of pictures that need to be developed. His choice of clothes is nuts. There was a whole story about if Harry Styles spit on him or not at a press thing, and if it was intentional or not. And then you got the tepid response at the festival and the early reviews are not great. The only person in this movie that I am seeing normal stuff from is Nick Kroll. And I am a fan of his and think he is absolutely hilarious.

All of this is to say that I still want to see this movie. I am still into the whole story and I want to know how the movie unfolds. But all this extra stuff that has been going on is making me question everything. I do not know who is wrong and who is right. I know who I side with, but that means nothing. I have been questioning if all of this drama is just being made up to get people talking about the movie again. Maybe they are all involved and they were told by managers and publicists to really blow it all out of proportion. That is a bit conspiracy theory of me, but anything is possible, right? Either way I will see this movie someday. I will probably not see it in theaters, but who knows. But what I do know is, when I eventually see it, I will think back to this past month and how nuts all the surrounding noise was at the time, because it has been pretty wild.

Ty

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

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The Pac 12 is Once Again Overrated

Within two weeks of college football being on I already have to eat crow. I expect this to happen from time to time, but never this early on. I mean, most teams have only played one game. But after the first full weekend of college football, and isn't it wonderful that it is back, I am already on the chopping block. It came quicker than I expected.

Why the crow for dinner? The Pac 12 is exactly who we all thought they were. I had faith in the conference this year. I thought they were going to be better. I thought they had a shot to get a team in the playoffs. I was almost certain that team was going to be either Utah or Oregon. I was very, very wrong. USC looked good. Stanford cruised. Arizona got a big win. Arizona State overcame some early struggles. The rest of the conference fared pretty well. But the two top dogs, the two preseason favorites, the two highest ranked teams in the Pac 12 both got beat.

Utah had a tougher game. It was on the road in Gainesville. I understand Florida is not the powerhouse they once were. But they have a new coach. I expect big things soon from Billy Napier. Gainesville is always a tough spot to play. Utah had a big time zone change. They had to wait all day to play. But still, they were the preseason number 7 team. They were coming off a Rose Bowl game they had every shot to win. They had a returning QB. They have a good run game and a solid defense. But they shot themselves in the foot. They let Anthony Richardson, who looks like a budding star, do whatever he wanted. They could not stop Florida in the fourth quarter. They never really got the run game going. And in the end, with a chance to win the game, they threw a pick. It was a cluster of bad things. Utah was under prepared, got outcoached and outplayed and got beat because of it. They pretty much have to run the table from here on out, winning big in every game, and they still might be on the outside looking in come playoff conversation time. Utah blew a golden opportunity.

Utah’s loss wasn't as bad as Oregon. Boy oh boy did they get absolutely annihilated. This game was never, not for one second, in doubt. Georgia is very, very good. I get that. I did not expect Oregon to win this game. Georgia is loaded on both sides of the ball still, even with all the talent from last season's title team in the NFL. But Oregon laid a total egg. They were lifeless. They showed no fight. They got down early and never fought back. They looked like they wanted to be anywhere else then on that football field. Their new head coach looked severely overmatched. The team was just listless. They looked like a freshman team playing a Varsity team. A bad freshman team at that. I mean, the final score was 49-3. I watched this same Georgia team dismantle Michigan in the playoff last season, but at least Michigan showed a little heart. Oregon was not only outmatched, they had nothing good come from this game. This is the type of blowout that can derail a season. Again, I expected Georgia to win, win comfortably at that, but for Oregon to make it feel a little closer. I thought Oregon could score some points and this game would catapult them to go on a long winning streak. I figured it would have them more than ready for Pac 12 play. I put them in the playoff. Now there is almost no shot they get in. You cannot take a beating like that and expect the committee to take you seriously. This was not a good look for the Pac 12, but it was even worse for Oregon. They are the Gonzaga of college football now. They are the paper champions. They always look good, but when they have to play a real team, they almost never show up. This was rough. I mean, I do not know how they recover from this. It is embarrassing. I have always kind of liked Oregon, they may be the only team besides Michigan I do not actively root against, and this was just a real tough watch.

We will see what the rest of the season has for us, but this is not a very good start for a conference that a lot of people are already writing off. Maybe USC or UCLA will go on a roll and save the conference. Right now though, Utah and Oregon have made it harder than it should be.

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: It is Time to Repeal and Replace Capitalism

Every Labor Day we revisit the failure of capitalism. Now more than ever the destructive narrative of capitalism is on display with the criminal greed being seen in our corporations and government. 

The post originally appeared on September 7th, 2015.

What do we really celebrate on Labor Day? History says that the day started as a reaction to the Haymarket Massacre in 1886. The deaths in Chicago that day brought to light the struggles of workers nationwide. Demonstrators at Haymarket Square that day were rallying for an eight hour work day. When we go back and look at how the heads of capitalism treated their workers, who were US citizens, it is frightening. The labor movement needed to strike, rally, and demonstrate just so the capital owners would treat the workers like real humans. We celebrate Labor Day because workers needed to demand, and risk their safety, for a humanity that the capital owners were not willing to provide.

Capitalism is anti humanity and it is not allowing us to socially evolve, it is time for a new economic system. The people at the very top of our capitalistic society are large carnivores that get rewarded for anything that they can consume. There is no humanity to the capital owners. We celebrate record stock markets, and forget we have such a small volume of people participating in the market. We complain about welfare queens, without accepting that some of our richest CEOs get their salaries enhanced by government subsidies. The devourers at the top of the economic food chain have made the people below fearful and reverent at the same time. Capitalism is not allowing us to grow as humans, it is keeping us in cages like the animals that the capital owners need to control.

The way capitalism is sold to the general public is through use of code words like freedom and opportunity. In the world of today there is very little opportunity or freedom for the people not at the top of the capitalism food chain. The use of freedom and opportunity have their roots in trying to keep people non-empowered. If you want to go out and start your own business, you do have that freedom. If you have a great idea that can change the world, you have the opportunity to pursue that dream. Our modern capitalistic system does throw up every hurdle imaginable so the current capital owners have a say over your success. The system allows for the commoditization of people who can steal and exploit other people's work. The defenders of capitalism use opportunity and freedom as defenses for these patent trolls. Capitalism does not create ideas, it creates ways to steal great ideas and give them to the carnivores at the top.

The idea of commoditization has reached a truly dangerous level in our society. We have used capitalism to justify putting a price on the our most important human needs. Healthcare is one of our largest, and wealthiest, industries. We all accept that doctors should be well paid because of their skill and necessity. Our ability to get healthcare, through insurance, is directly related to our income. That is insane. Medical care is a necessity for everyone in the world, why should it be a commodity? Why do we not question this? Most doctors are not builders and creators, they are administrators. When you go to the doctor, it is for maintenance or to discuss something out side of the norm. Your income level rarely dictates the maintenance you require. Your income level can directly relate to the need for a doctor when there is something outside of norm. Lower income people have more severe, treatable, medical issues because of how capitalism financially elevates doctors. Basic human needs like healthcare are not a commodity. Capitalism has set a value to our lives, that is anti-humanity.

The ability to communicate has been the greatest tool for social evolution. The printing press created a new world filled with scientific and social advances. The internet is just getting its legs, and changing the entire world for the better. Many of the innovations related to communication were not done in pursuit of economic riches. The internet was created by the government, and nurtured by the social system, to become the tool we use today. The engineers of the world create things that not only maintain society, but allow it to grow. The Wright Brothers looked to the government for support before they looked to the capital owners. Roads, rails, and bridges are designed and built by engineers with government support, not private business support. Why is it that the government has allowed business to commoditize basic needs like communication? The rise of the telecom deregulation was another sacrifice at the idol of capitalism. We have been told that private business can handle our communication better than the government funded engineers who built the network. Our reward is one of the worst communication networks in the developed world. The telecom companies get their money, the CEOs get their large paydays, and the citizens get a subpar product thanks to the tenets of capitalism. The telecom companies do not have any concern for our ability to communicate, their concern is only to gain money. Our government, and our cultural programming, have allowed for basic communication to be another commodity to be bought and sold. Due to capitalism the more wealth you have, the better communication available.

Capitalism is a wall that stops innovation. The ability to create a commodity out of basic social needs is a large problem. Your health is not something that should be paid for. Your voice and ideas are not things that should be granted by a company with no creators. Capitalism exists to give freedom and opportunity to those already established, and make sure the non established have very nearly no options to compete. We deserve the right pursue our dreams, and not be hampered by our inability to pay for health or communication. Everyone deserves freedom and opportunity.

Capitalism is one of the most destructive forces in history. We need to have a discussion on how to replace this carnivorous ideology with one that rewards innovation and creates an evolving society. In the future we will continue to discuss the pitfalls of capitalism, and start to formulate an ideology that will bring about a brighter future. We encourage your dissent and contribution. Your ideas are not a commodity. Come share them with us.

Happy Labor day. Enjoy this day of rest and remember that protesters died for the right to have a reasonable work schedule. Let us use this Labor Day to start a new movement. The old capitalistic ways need to be repealed, the replacement will produce true opportunity. We can find this new way forward together. The only thing we will lose are the cages the capitalists keep society in.

RD Kulik

RD is the creator and Head Editor for SeedSing. 

Ty Watches "Trainwreck: Woodstock '99"

Recently I watched the three part documentary series on Netflix about Woodstock 99. I have watched other stuff on this very same topic, but this felt a bit more in depth. This was more involved. They had interviews with festival goers, security workers, background workers and the two main producers. I was fascinated by everything I watched.

The three episodes were built around each day of the festival. And it was awesome. I very much enjoyed hearing about this horrific time from the perspective of the people involved. I liked the interviews with the artists, but it was the people involved in the background and the fans that made this a fascinating watch. It was harrowing to listen to them talk about those three fateful days in 1999.

As I watched, and got more and more into the doc, I started to wonder about how I would have reacted. I think this is why this worked so much for me. I am endlessly fascinated by the mentality that goes into these people deciding when and why to go over the edge. What is the limit that someone will go past? When is enough enough? When do you decide to loot and riot and burn stuff down? All of this has had me thinking since I finished the show. These people were clearly taken advantage of by the people who ran the festival. They price gouged, they had them in an open air force base in the dead of summer, they didn't give them adequate cleaning facilities, it was all bad. The festival goers deserved better. But the festival goers also deserve a good amount of the blame as well. They got angry and acted on their most animal of impulses. They took advantage of women. They did awful things to unsuspecting people. They drank until they couldn't see or think straight. They did copious amounts of drugs. They did the actual tearing apart of the festival grounds. They started the fires. They lost it and took it out on everyone else. They were, mostly, rich, privileged white kids who were not getting their way so they acted on it. And they took it way, way too far.

There is blame to be thrown everywhere. But back to my train of thought from before. What would I have done had I been at Woodstock 99. I most likely would not have gone because the acts were not my cup of tea. I like Rage Against the Machine. I enjoy the idea of a band like Bush. I enjoy some Red Hot Chili Peppers songs. But the rest of the bill was rough. Bands like Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Korn, that is not my cup of tea. But let's just say I went. I like to imagine that, after day one, I would have left. In the best of conditions I usually like to leave a show early to beat traffic. From what I watched and heard, this would have been an utter nightmare for me being at Woodstock 99. I have OCD and like to stay clean. I have sanitizer always at the ready and enjoy cleaning and washing things. That was not viable at Woodstock 99. It was also brutally hot. I love being outside, but the air condition is so, so, so much better. I mean, I can stand the heat for a run or going for a walk or hike. But if I were in a crowd of 250,000 people in that heat, no thank you. I am also straight edge. I do not drink or do drugs. I have never, and at this point, most likely will never do those things. I also get pretty aggravated when I'm surrounded by a big group of stoned or drunk people. That is another mark in the cons column for me. I also do not enjoy being in large crowds for longer than an hour or two. A football game is fun, or even one concert. But three days worth of shows with that many people would have been a disaster. And finally we have the whole idea of camping. I am not a camper. I do not like it at all. I am a city kid through and through. I love the luxuries of not having to camp. The whole idea of camping would have been a big stopping point for me. So, in looking back at all this and thinking about how I would have reacted, I do not think I would have even gone. I think I would have skipped the whole thing. I would not have been involved in any of the horrific events that took place at Woodstock 99. It would have been terrible.

I do recommend watching this three part series. It was very informative and very interesting.

Ty

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

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I Love This Donovan Mitchell Trade

Donovan Mitchell was finally traded. And it wasn't to the Knicks or Lakers or the Warriors. He is going to the Cavs.

This is shocking to me. I love it, but it is wild. Donovan Mitchell got what he wanted, the Cavs got instantly better and the Jazz got a young guy trying to repair his game and a bunch of more picks. Now Utah just has to find a trade partner for Mike Conley and they can go into full rebuild mode. But let's look at this trade primarily.

I love, love, love this deal for the Cavs. I was, and still am, a Collin Sexton fan. But his time in Cleveland was over the moment Darius Garland became an all star last season. The backcourt was going to be Garland's from here on out. They are going to build the backcourt around him. Adding Donovan Mitchell makes them an immediate threat. He and Garland can both handle the ball, score at will, find scoring lanes where there may not be any and are a matchup nightmare for other teams. This instantly props the Cavs as a playoff contender. Hell, I'd say you could write it in pen. They will be a playoff team and could be a top four seed. This puts them on par with Miami, Toronto, Chicago and Atlanta, all playoff teams last season. I'd only put the Bucks, 76ers and Celtics ahead of them now with the addition of Mitchell. What makes it even better is they got to keep their core guys. I mentioned Garland, but they also kept Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. They still have Cedi Osman and Caris Levert coming off the bench. They only had to give up Sexton and three unprotected picks, which will most likely be later first round picks since the Cavs should be good for awhile now.

This is the best the Cavs have looked since LeBron James was there. I love that the Cavs are going for it and trying to be relevant again. They have this great group of young guys, a great frontcourt and, now, one of the best backcourts in the East, hell, maybe even the NBA. This is an absolute homerun.

As for the Jazz, they traded a disgruntled all star, got more picks and got a reclamation project in Sexton. Sexton will get all the shots and touches he could ever want. He should, and most likely will, be their number one guy. He will be the focal point of the offense. He will get every single chance to redeem himself and show everyone why he was such a prize draft pick. I love that for him. But the Jazz also got more picks, which I think is what they wanted even more. With these three unprotected picks, the Jazz now have thirteen picks through 2029. That is a goldmine of picks that only the Thunder can match right now. The Jazz want to start over and build through the draft. They get to do just that. And I wonder how many picks they can get for Conley at some point. After trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, I cannot imagine a world where they keep Conley around. That would be a nightmare for him, and a mistake by the Jazz. They can definitely get more picks and maybe another young player.

This trade is a win-win for both squads. Both teams got what they wanted. And if I were Mitchell I would be absolutely stoked to go play for this up and coming Cavs team. They are going to be one fun team to watch next season. I love this so very much and it makes me even more excited to watch the NBA this year. What a deal. Wow.

Ty

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

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A Night With Nas and Wu-Tang Clan

Last night I got to see Wu Tang Clan and Nas on their New York State of Mind tour. Saint Louis was their first stop and a buddy of mine wanted to go. He asked if I was interested, and you better believe I was fully in. Nas and Wu Tang are two artists that I have always wanted to see live but never had a real chance. The last time Nas was in Saint Louis was in the 90's. As for Wu Tang, who knows when they were last playing live shows in STL. But they were here last night. In fact this was the first stop on their tour. They opened the whole thing here in Saint Louis. I was champing at the bit to see what this whole show would entail.

When we got there, the show was at Riverport, or as it is now known, Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, where there was a DJ playing. I have been to shows where the DJ is the headliner and also the opening act. This DJ, DJ Scratch, was very good at his craft. He was great at scratching, kept the crowd involved, played great tunes and did some wild stuff on the turntables. He has also produced records for members of Wu Tang, so you know he has credentials. He got on stage for 45 minutes and rocked the crowd the whole time. I did not know what to expect next. I have now been to three concerts since the start of the pandemic and each one has started right on time. And like clockwork, Wu Tang walked on the stage right at 9pm. I was impressed at the impeccable timing. They proceeded to play for 25 minutes, and it was one hit after another. I was impressed at how good they still sounded. They kept the crowd involved. They talked in between songs. Each of the emcees got their own chance to shine. The RZA did his verse from "Bring the Ruckus", and I was in heaven. It was a thing of beauty. The RZA is my favorite member. I did not know who I would see, but I was pleased. The only two original members that are still alive that were not there last night were Method Man and Redman. Every other living member was on that stage. Even ODB's son, YDB, joined the band on stage. I was hyped to watch them perform. Nas joined them after 25 minutes to perform a song. This ruled. He came on stage and crushed. I figured he was going to walk off stage and let Wu Tang finish their set. He did not. Wu Tang left the stage and then Nas performed for 25 minutes. He was amazing. I was more on the Wu Tang side as to who I wanted to see most, but Nas ended up impressing me the most last night. He went from song to song like the pro he is. The screen in the background was showing old music videos of his. It was very cool to see him perform and then look at a much younger version of himself. Nas was incredible. I could not have been more impressed watching him perform. Then, after the first 25 minutes, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah came back on stage and did a few songs together. Then the rest of the Wu Tang clan, minus the RZA, got back on stage and did another 25 minutes. Again, it was hit after hit. I was amazed at how they kept the show going and how each performer did their thing. After Wu Tang did a second 25 minutes, Nas came back out. He proceeded to do all his hits. It was amazing. He was simply wonderful. I could not have been vibing more. Nas did 25 more minutes and then thanked the crowd for coming out. I loved that each headliner did their thing for two seperate 25 minutes or so sets. I also loved that each group had a wardrobe change between each set. Most of the guys had a totally different outfit on for their second set. The night seemed to be over. The stage went dark, but I figured it was done. Then Busta Rhymes came out and did a few songs. It felt like I was in eighth grade again, listening to some of the first hip hop artists I discovered. It was a tremendous open to their tour and a great, great show.

I am so happy I got to see these legends perform live. What a great night of live hip hop.

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 "Prey"

After reading all about it, hearing all about it and watching the older versions, some of them at least, I finally watched "Prey". This is, essentially, a prequel to "The Predator" franchise. At least I think so. I understand that there are other versions of the Predator, and that they live for a very long time, but for all intents and purposes, it felt like a prequel.

The movie takes place in the 1700's. I mean, how much earlier do you have to get for it to be one of the first Predator stories. Anyway, I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. It was tremendous because it is so different from the other movies. The other movies, which I truly do enjoy as well, are all about the action and blood and gore and fighting. They are fun popcorn movies to just sit back and have a blast. This movie is different. This movie tells a quieter, more harrowing story.

The hero is a Comanche female warrior played by Amber Midthunder. Every other version seems to have some big time action star who happens to be male, or it is full of a cast of male characters. This one doesn't. The older versions are all about American type guys. Again, this one revolves around a Comanche Nation. I love that about it. Midthunder's character name is Naru. She is a fierce warrior, excellent tracker, solid craftsman and has a trusting dog at her side. But since it takes place in the 1700's, she is not allowed to hunt and gather on her own. She has to go with a group of male Comanches. This becomes a problem for her and the predator when it is spotted. That is another great thing about this movie. The Predator is a constant threat and we see it all the time. At first it is just a computer animated shadow, but as the movie goes on we get a better view each time. And this thing looks cool as hell. The hair is wild, but this one has a skull as a helmet, the hands are dangerous as hell and the goo is green that comes out of the predator when it is struck. The actor inside the costume is a former professional international basketball player who happens to be 6'8 tall, which makes it even more menacing. To watch all the tracking and fighting and quiet suspense, it was so well done. There are long moments of silence that just add to the tension. When Naru falls into a sinkhole, watching her struggle to get out, that was so nerve wracking and I loved every second of it. Seeing the predator rip through people and animals was so gory and so well done. Naru and her dog tracking and then hunting the predator was a thing of beauty. The stuff between the fur trappers and the Comanches was done correctly. It was brutal, but not over the top. And that final fight between the predator and Naru was like watching ballet. It was incredible.

This movie is worth the hype. I now understand why everyone was going nuts about it. RD kept telling me I had to watch. I am glad he did because I am doing the same thing to people now. "Prey" is an excellent movie that I highly recommend everyone to see.

Ty

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

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Kendrick Lamar is Great. Kendrick Lamar Live is the Greatest

I need to catch you all up on some stuff I have seen live and watched streaming for the past two weeks. I have been so focused on football that all this stuff had to wait. But I'm back to tell you about all the cool shit I have been doing for the past couple weeks.

Last Sunday I went to Kansas City to see Kendrick Lamar live in concert. This is an artist I have always wanted to see. Kendrick is the best rapper alive, in my opinion. He is at the top of the game, doing it better than anyone else and may go down as the greatest emcee to ever do it. He is a wonderful, introspective rapper who talks about real life stuff. His new album, "Mr Morale and the Big Steppers" is a massive achievement on every single level. So the opportunity to see him tour that album, and play older stuff, this was a can't miss thing for me.

I was utterly blown away by what I saw. He had two openers, Tanna Leone and Baby Keem. I know of Baby Keem because he is on the new Kendrick album. I had never heard of Tanna Leone, except for the one track he is on Kendrick's new record. He does well on that song, and his 15 minute set was solid. He did about five songs and each had its own charm. When Baby Keem came out, the crowd went nuts. He played for about 30 minutes, and it was hit after hit. He is a very, very solid rapper. I found myself bobbing my head along and vibing with the crowd. I have since listened to some of his stuff at home and found myself really enjoying it. But the reason we were all there, the guy who we all wanted to see, got on stage around 9 and proceeded to crush for the next 90 minutes. Kendrick Lamar is a genius. He is such a great performer, writer and, now, an instrumentalist. He opened his set playing the piano. I looked at my brother and said, "I didn't know he played!". We were both hyped. He also had a ventriloquist doll on stage that looked like him. He performed the song to the doll, then to the crowd. It was wild and I loved every second of it.

From there on out it was one of the greatest shows I have ever witnessed. I don’t know if it was because I hadn't seen a live show in over two years, or if it was just his genius. It was probably both. Kendrick Lamar did hit after hit. He sprinkled in tracks from older records and a bunch of his new songs. He brought, both Baby Keem and Tanna Leone on stage with him. He did hits like "DNA", "HUMBLE", "backseat freestyle", "Money Trees" and "swimming pools (drank)". I have always wanted to hear those songs live, and I finally did. They were amazing, He had dancers with him, and when they all danced to "HUMBLE", that was a once in a lifetime thing for me to see. The songs off the new record, I mean, he is such a pro they sounded like classics already. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand all night. We were singing along. When he asked just the crowd to sing, we knew every word. He put on a show too. This was not just about the music. I mentioned the doll, but there was so much more. He had a medical tent that was used for a few songs. There was fire and fake explosions on stage. The stage was humongous and went into the crowd. At one point a part of the stage lifted up about 15 feet into the air. The dancers were incredible. He did songs as if he were speaking to a therapist. He had a bed on stage for a track. He would disappear into the floor of the venue from time to time. The images displayed on the video screen were in perfect sync with whatever song he was performing. When we left the venue my brother and his buddy said it was more like a play than a concert. I couldn't have agreed more. It was truly a show.

I have been to a good amount of live shows before but I have never seen anything like this. There is a reason he is so great at what he does and why he can sell out these big venues. The place was packed and we all had a great time. And I didn't even get COVID. This whole evening was everything I wanted it to be, but it was so much more too. I highly, highly recommend seeing Kendrick is you are a fan and you have the means and he is coming near your hometown. I drove four hours to see him and I'd happily do it again. This show was amazing and I will never forget it. Kendrick Lamar is the man.

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's 2022 College Football Preview

Today wraps up my two weeks of football previews. I did the NFL but today is all about college football. College football is my favorite sport of all time. I love watching it. I spend a full Saturday just watching game after game. It is a problem for sure, but I love this sport that much. And I get how problematic of a sport it is. I fully understand. This NCAA football preview is going to be like every other season. I'll cover the power 5 conferences and name a few group of 5 teams I like. I will also pick the four playoff teams and the winner of it all. I will also pick the Heisman winner too. Enough preamble, let's get to it.

I'm starting with the ACC as I feel it is the weakest of the power 5 conferences. The ACC has three or four teams that are very solid. The rest of the conference is average to mediocre. Duke has been down for a bit. Syracuse has potential, but they seem to find ways to blow it. Louisville looks like they could be dynamic or give up 50 points a game. Boston College has .500 written all over them. Georgia Tech has done nothing of note lately. UNC took a major step back last season. Virginia and Virginia Tech are very, very average. What it all boils down to is Clemson, NC State, Miami and Pitt. Wake looked like a solid team until their QB went out. And FSU has not been able to figure it out since Jimbo Fisher left. NC State is going to be solid. Miami has every coach they could want and look to be good to great. Pitt is always a tough out. And then there is Clemson. Clemson is going to be better this season, and playing in the ACC makes their schedule pretty easy to navigate. I think it will come down to Miami and Clemson and Clemson will win the ACC.

On to the Pac 12. The Pac 12 is interesting. I never fully know what to expect from this conference. But what they always seem to do is find a way to blow it when it matters most. Cal is very, very bad. They were better last season, but they are still not good. Washington State is dealing with a disgruntled ex coach. Washington took a humongous step back last season. Arizona State has a big problem with their coaching staff. Arizona is rebuilding yet again. Oregon State is getting better, but still not ready to compete. Stanford is dealing with a few down years. Colorado is trying to refigure stuff out. UCLA has a very good QB and running back, but they don't have much else outside of that. Then we have Utah, USC and Oregon. Utah has a great run game and defense. USC played college football free agency and won big time. And Oregon has talent at every single level. That is why I'm picking them to win the Pac 12. I'm sure I'll regret this, but I think Oregon is going to be very, very good this season.

Now for the Big 12. The Big 12 is fascinating because there are only ten teams, and only three are even that good. TCU is still trying to figure stuff out after letting Gary Patterson go. Texas Tech can light it up on offense, but they cannot stop anyone, and I mean ANYONE on defense. Kansas State has a great run game, but the rest of their offense is very blah. Kansas is Kansas. Iowa State had their shot the last two years and now they are rebuilding. West Virginia is very mediocre. Then we have Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas and Oklahoma. I'm tired of hearing that Texas is back every year. They need to put up or shut up. Oklahoma State is fine, but they do not scare me at all. Baylor has a great, great coach, and should be in the thick of it all season. Then we have Oklahoma. They have a new coach, a full new team and a bunch of guys that have not played a whole bunch yet. I do love the Brent Venables hire and I feel like they are going to win the Big 12 because their defense will be better and the offense will still put up points.

Now for the SEC. This is the varsity conference. This is the best conference in college football by a wide, wide margin. This conference is loaded. Even the bottom level teams are competitive. Vanderbilt has a decent defense. Missouri got some super high profile recruits. Florida got a new head coach and things are looking up in Gainesville. South Carolina got Spencer Rattler to commit as a transfer and he will up their team. Kentucky has a good defense and solid run game. Auburn has a dick of a head coach, but they should have a better season this year. Ole Miss is going to put up, maybe, more points than any other team in the country. Mississippi State will also score a ton of points. Tennessee is definitely in a much better situation than I thought they'd be right now. Josh Heupel was a good hire. LSU should be better too, even though I despise Brian Kelly. Then we have Arkansas, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama. Arkansas had a great season last year, returns a ton of the players and has a great head coach. Texas A&M had one of the best recruiting classes in the country and beat Alabama last season. They should be very good this season. Georgia is the defending champs and they do not rebuild, they reload. Then there is Alabama. I mean, they have Bryce Young back. Will Anderson is back. And talk about a team that reloads, that is the definition of Alabama. They are the best team in the SEC and maybe the best team in the country. They will win a heavily contested SEC.

Closing out the power 5 conferences I have my favorite, the Big 10. The Big 10 is the second best conference in the country, and that is not even close. Illinois and Northwestern are going to be super tough outs all season long. Indiana got a humongous recruit and they should be much better this season. Minnesota has one of the top running backs in the country coming back, and they always have a good defense. Purdue is like a Big 12 team trapped in the Big 10. They score a whole heap of points. Nebraska is weird. They always look good on paper, but they have not shown that on the field in a bit. Maybe that changes this season. Penn State will be breaking some new players in, but they have their starting QB back. That always helps. Rutgers has been playing much better as of late as well. And Maryland has the potential to have a truly wonderful offense. Then we have Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Michigan and the university of Ohio State. Iowa is always a good team that plays extra well at home. They will be tough as always. Michigan State is playing the transfer portal game, and while they are not as successful as USC was this offseason, MSU has a good team. Wisconsin found a running back and a very good defense last season. That will only get better. Michigan has a ton to replace on defense. That worries me as a fan. Truly. But what doesn't worry me is the offense. It has a chance to be really, really special. They have playmakers all over the field. And the university of Ohio State is going to absolutely maul people on offense. They might have the best offense in the country. And their defense will be much improved this season. As much as it pains me, the university of Ohio State is going to be on a mission this season. They will win the Big 10.

As far as group of 5 teams, Cincinnati is going to be very good once again. Houston has a ton of talent and potential. BYU has that look of a team that will surprise a ton of people. UCF will most likely be very good. And I feel like Boise State is just due to be very good once again. But I do not see a group of 5 team making the playoff this season. There is just too much talent in the power 5 conferences.

So I have Clemson winning the ACC, Oregon the Pac 12, Oklahoma the Big 12, Alabama the SEC and the university of Ohio State the Big 10. As for the four playoff teams, as chalk as this sounds, I have, from 1-4, Alabama, the university of Ohio State, Georgia and Oregon. I have Alabama beating Oregon and the university of Ohio State beating Georgia. That means I have Alabama and the university of Ohio State in the title game. I am going with Alabama to win it all this season. They are just too good of a team to blow it again.

As for the Heisman I have Bryce Young going back to back. He is so, so, so good at football. He will win his second Heisman and be the number one pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

There it is, my 2022 NCAA football preview. Games start tomorrow and really get into it September 3rd. I am so very excited to watch some college football. Let's get to it.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Ty's 2022 NFL Preview - Post Season Predictions

To wrap up my 2022 NFL preview, today I have my playoff predictions and awards predictions. All the football will wrap up tomorrow with my NCAA preview. But today is the final 2022 NFL preview piece I have for you all. Let's get to it.

I'll start with the AFC. The AFC East is the Bills to lose. They are the best team in the division. The Dolphins will be a threat, but not much of one. The Bills win it with ease. The AFC West is very interesting. Every team is good. Every team will most likely be over .500. I feel like this division will get three teams into the playoffs. It is going to be tough. All that being said, I think the Chiefs will take it. The Chargers will be right there behind them, the Raiders were a playoff team last year and the Broncos got Russell Wilson in the offseason. But the Chiefs are still the best team and they will win this very rough division. The AFC North is all about the Bengals. I feel like they will build on last season's success, Joe Burrow is back, so is Ja'Marr Chase and they shored up the O line very well. The Ravens will push, but I have no fear with the Browns or Steelers. The Bengals will win this division. The AFC South is the last division in the conference, but it is not very good. The Colts have a shot, but they blew it last season. The Titans have the best team on paper, but they blow it in the playoffs. And the Jags and Texans are rebuilding. I will go ahead and go with the Titans simply because of Derrick Henry.

So my division winners are the Bills, Chiefs, Bengals and Titans. There are three wild card teams now so that makes the predictions a little easier. I am going with the Ravens, Chargers and Broncos. That means the Raiders are out, as are the Dolphins. All in all I feel like we will get the Bills and Bengals in the AFC title game when it is all said and done. I wanted to pick the Chiefs, but I just couldn't find a way. Prove me wrong Chiefs. Please. I have the Bills making a return trip to the Super Bowl. They have everything you need to win in the NFL.

On to the NFC. The NFC East is trash. It is as bad as the AFC South. I really do not know who to pick. The Commanders are terrible. The Giants might be worse. The Cowboys never live up to the hype. And the Eagles have a bunch of new players. But the new players are why I like the Eagles to win the division. I also really like Jalen Hurts. I think he takes a big leap this season. The NFC West is not a whole lot better than the East, but my number one overall team resides in that conference. The Rams are going to win it, and win it with ease. The 49ers will push due to a solid D and Trey Lance. The Cardinals can also put up a ton of points but their D is not there yet. And the Seahawks are trying to decide between Geno Smith and Drew Lock at QB. That says it all. The Rams walk with the division. The NFC North is pretty much set as well. No one is nearly as good as the Packers. The Lions are going in the right direction, but they still need time. The Bears are simply dreadful. They may be the worst team in the NFL. And the Vikings, well, they are counting on Kirk Cousins. We have seen how that story plays out. The Packers have this division in the bag. The NFC South is not great either. Looking at the NFC, it is much worse than the AFC. The Buccaneers are going to win the division no problem. The Panthers have a coach in over his head and Baker Mayfield is the starting QB. The Falcons are in a full rebuild. And the Saints are out a starting QB and Alvin Kamara may get suspended. They are a total unknown.

So my division winners are the Eagles, Rams, Packers and Buccaneers. The wild card participants are a bit trickier. I'm going to go with the Cardinals, Cowboys and....... the 49ers I suppose. The NFC title game will feature the Rams and Packers and the Packers, namely Aaron Rodgers, will find a way to blow it. This means the Rams will return for a second straight Super Bowl.

I have the Rams facing the Bills in the Super Bowl. One player, not a team, will repeat this season. That player is Von Miller. That means I have the Bills winning the Super Bowl this season. They are too good. Anything less would be a bummer of a season. The Super Bowl MVP will be Von Miller as well.

As for the regular season awards, let's get into it. The Coach of the Year will be Dan Campbell. I think the Lions are going to surprise everyone and win nine games to be above .500. They are on the up and up. Offensive Player of the Year is going to be Josh Allen. He is due for a big come up. Everyone expects him to have a tremendous season. The Defensive Player of the Year is going to be Aaron Donald. He cannot be blocked. He is too good. He is also hungrier than last season when he won the Super Bowl. He is the best player in the league right now. The Offensive Rookie of the Year is going to be Breece Hall. He is going to help take a load off Zach Wilson and help running and receiving out of the backfield. The Defensive Rookie of the Year is going to be Aidan Hutchinson. He has the football gene in him. The dude can really play. And the Comeback Player of the Year is Lamar Jackson. He is going to have a very, very big season which will result in a massive contract extension.

Okay that is my 2022 NFL preview, playoff and awards predictions. Take it with a major grain of salt. Football season is just around the corner, people. Time to get excited.

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.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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