Ty Watches "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Last weekend my wife and I watched "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery". Let’s discuss.

I enjoyed the first two movies in the series. I think the first movie is incredible and I don't get the hate that the second movie got after it was released. I thought the second movie was very funny in fact. I have always enjoyed the murder mystery genre, and when the powers that be make it a little funny, that is right in my wheelhouse. My son saw a few minutes of this most recent one and he asked my wife and I if it was like "Clue". I feel like that was a very apt comparison. I thought he hit it on the nose. And "Clue" is a classic. I feel like the "Knives Out" series has brought the essence of "Clue" into the 21st century. These are funny and fun murder mystery movies. I know that they have said that Agatha Christie stories are the inspiration, and while that may be true, these are much funnier than any Agatha Christie novel. That is what appeals to me.

And this new one starts with comedy at the very top. We see this newish priest, played by Josh O'Connor, and he is pleading with the board to keep him on hand. Apparently he has punched a church goer in the face for something they have said that rubbed him the wrong way. We never learn what this person said, but this new priest is passionately pleading his case. Josh O'Connor is so great in this role. I don't know much about him, but in this movie he was so good. He portrayed this new priest as what I imagine someone in his generation would be like. He was passionate and opinionated, but he also knew his purpose in life and was going to fulfil that no matter what. I thought he was funny and compassionate and I was there for it. Jeffrey Wright, in a small role, plays O'Connor's mentor of sorts and he was perfect. He has such a commanding and powerful voice and you buy every word out of his mouth. When O'Connor gets put into his new church, this is where the movie truly starts to roll. He is placed in a small church in small town New York, and the characters that this church has are second to none, Josh Brolin is the main guy and he is a piece of work. He plays a version of this new wannabe alpha male who just happens to have an audience. He is mean and spiteful. He goes after what he wants with blinders on. Brolin, who seems to be in every good movie lately, does a fine job playing this butthead of a character. He goes for it and lands the jump. The community is made up of some wonderful actors. Kerry Washington has a "kid", played by Daryl McCormack, and he is a piece of work. He's entitled and a prick. He is a prototypical new age republican. This actor is great. Washington is phenomenal as the put upon lady in her family. They push her aside and make her do all the dirty work and she does it until she cannot take it anymore. And when she exposes information, that is a powerful performance, Cailee Spaeny is very good as the former cellist who has turned to the church to try and help her get over a serious injury. She is the joker who got sukered into thinking money and faith could help her heal. Jeremy Renner is very good in a very different role for him. He is a drunk whose wife left him. He will do anything to get her back, but he goes about it the wrong way. He is a pushover and a follower. Andrew Scott is a sci-fi writer who, much like Renner, will fall in line with the group. He has some of the best comedy readings in the movie and his fate at the end was hilarious and fitting. Thomas Haden Church plays a hard working guy who just wants what is best for his partner. Church continues to prove he is a capable actor. His partner is played by Glenn Close and she has the best performance by anyone in this movie, and it is not even close. She is wonderful as the keeper of the church and her arc is such a joy to watch in this role. Mila Kunis plays a cop and she is so understated and does a wonderful job using cop jargon and going about her business. And then we have Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc. This is such a fun role for him and he seems to be having a grand old time playing this detective. He chews scenery in the best way possible and I really love seeing Blanc on screen.

This third installment is fun, funny and a well done movie. I thoroughly enjoyed all two and a half hours, and it flew by. I cannot recommend this movie enough, especially if you have seen both, or even one of the previous movies. I believe you will find it as enjoyable as the others.

Ty

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

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Ty Predicts the 2026 NFL Playoffs

Now that the NFL playoffs are officially set I am coming to you all with my predictions and preview. I'll do what I normally do, pick each round, pick the Super Bowl matchup and winner and then pick the MVP of the Super Bowl. Enough preamble, let's get to it.

I'll start with the AFC.

The Denver Broncos are the number 1 seed and that means they have earned the first round bye. I think the bye will be a much needed break and they will get everyone right before their first playoff game.

The 2-7 matchup features the New England Patriots facing the Los Angeles Chargers. This is an interesting matchup. The Patriots are a very, very good team. They are also very inexperienced. This will be a lot of the players' first time in the playoffs, and that is a whole other animal. The Chargers are up and coming and they were in the playoffs last season. Jim Harbaugh is a very good coach as well and he will have his guys ready to play. He rested them all yesterday as well, so they will be good to go. Drake Maye is younger and more mobile than Justin Herbert. Herbert has a better arm though. Both teams have a very solid run game with two guys that bring different elements. The Chargers have a better receiving corps in my opinion. I think both defenses are pretty good too. The Chargers frustrate their opponents to no end and the Patriots like to hit and cause turnovers. I'm going with the Chargers here because they have more experience. The Patriots are coming, but they have to feel some pain before they feel the glory.

The 3-6 game has the Buffalo Bills heading to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars. The Jags are having a remarkable season. I didn't expect this from them this season. I figured they needed one season under their new coach before they got good. They are good now. The Bills have been up and down all season. The offense comes and goes and the defense is not as reliable as they were in the past. Josh Allen is still very good and they have the NFL's leading rusher, James Cook. This game is very similar to the 2-7 matchup. We have youth and inexperience going up against inconsistency and experience. I'm going with the experience again. I'm taking the Bills. here.

The 4-5 game is pretty solid with the Houston Texans going to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers. Look, the Steelers lucked their way into this game. Mike Tomlin is a great coach, they have an okay defense, but they are relying on an old QB and they have no run game. The Texans have been on a heater and that is going to continue this weekend. I would go as far to say that they are going to smoke the Steelers. Houston is young but experienced. They have the better QB and receiving corps. Their defense is overall better too. I'm going with the Texans.

So that means the Texans would face the Broncos and the Bills will play the Chargers. The Bills are going to beat the Chargers. The game will be in Buffalo, the Chargers don't like the cold and Josh Allen and James Cook can control the game on the ground. The Broncos and Texans could be a high scoring affair, with Stroud and Nix taking turns going up and down the field. I'm going to go with the Texans since they are an experienced team with something to prove.

That means I have the Texans and Bills playing in the AFC title game and I'm going to go with the Bills, The game will be in Houston, but that means that it will be indoors, and the Bills can once again control the clock with their run game. The Bills will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

On to the NFC.

The Seahawks are the one seed, which they earned this past weekend, and they get the bye in the NFC.

The 2-7 game has the Chicago Bears facing the Green Bay Packers for the third time this season. The Bears are proving to be a better team this year. And with the injuries to Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs, who knows who will end up playing for Green Bay this weekend. The Packers have played the Bears well all year, but they weren't able to close them out in their last matchup. Caleb Williams is having a very good season, he has a solid o line and weapons on the outside. And the Bears defense is very opportunistic. The Packers have really stumbled to end the season and they will go out with a whimper in Chicago.

The 3-6 game has the San Francisco 49ers going to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. This will be a good, hard fought low scoring game. The 49ers couldn't move the ball on the Seahawks last week, and they will struggle to do the same here. Brock Purdy is so much better when he doesn't have to win a game. He needs to game manage. Christian McCaffrey is still good, but a step slower. The wideouts are mediocre and George Kittle is too busy complaining about hip drop tackles. The Eagles have been wildly inconsistent and their offense has looked sloppy. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are not having the same year as they had last year. AJ Brown is disgruntled and Devonta Smith is getting the targets he has earned. That being said, the Eagles defense is better than the 49ers defense and the game is in Philly. The Eagles will advance to the next round.

The 4-5 game has the Carolina Panthers hosting the LA Rams. How on Earth is Carolina here? They needed someone else to win to get them in this game. Bryce Young was better this year, but he still has a lot of work to do. Rico Dowdle is an effective pass catcher. They are too reliant on a rookie wideout and the defense is blah. The Rams have stumbled to the end of the year, but they are so, so much better than the Panthers. Stafford has won a Super Bowl. Puka Nacua is one of the better wideouts in the league. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are an awesome one two punch out of the backfield. And Sean McVay is the best coach in all of football. This is an easy pick. The Rams advance.

That means I have the Rams playing the Seahawks and the Eagles playing the Bears. I would have easily picked the Rams a few weeks ago to beat the Seahawks, but not anymore. The Seahawks have a relentless defense and they cause turnovers. The offense is capable and solid. Sam Darnold has proved his worth and their run game is very good. The Seahawks defense is so much better than the Rams and that will lead them to a win. The Bears-Eagles game will be fascinating. The Eagles have been so underwhelming, but the Bears are so inexperienced. The game will be in Chicago, but the Eagles don't seem to care about where they play. I'm going to go with the Eagles, but I bet this game will finish with a score of something like 10-7. It will be sluggish and dull.

So that means I have the Seahawks and Eagles in the NFC title game. At the start of the season I picked a Bills-Eagles Super Bowl, but that's not the case anymore. I think the Seahawks will crush the Eagles, especially at home. They are a much better team as of right now and they have a much more invested coaching staff. The Seahawks will make their way to the Super Bowl.

That means my Super Bowl matchup will be the Bills from the AFC playing the Seahawks from the NFC. And I'm still going with the Bills, my preseason pick. If they can get through the AFC relatively unscathed I think they can turn that into a Super Bowl victory. I have the Bills winning it all this year, and in a twist of fate, give me James Cook who I think will have a big game running and catching the ball.

There you have it, my NFL playoff preview and predictions. Enjoy the playoffs everyone. 

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

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Indiana is a Very Good Football Team

When I turned on the Rose Bowl yesterday I thought I was going to watch a good quality game, hard fought, close and eventually Alabama winning in the fourth quarter. Indiana has had a wonderful season, but I figured it was all going to come crashing down against a reliable SEC team.

And as the game started, it kind of looked like that was going to be the case. Both teams were kind of feeling each other out, defense was ruling the day and both QB's looked a little shell shocked. But then Indiana flipped a switch and absolutely took the game over. And believe me, I understand that they have the Heisman winner at QB in Fernando Mendoza, but he didn't have to do much to win this game for the Hoosiers. That's what stuck out to me the most. This Indiana offense has been wildly efficient and  a high scoring unit all season long, but it doesn't have to come from the pass game every game day. The offensive line is big and mean and nasty. They want to hit you and want to make you feel each and every hit. The running backs, they played two yesterday, are both bruising and can get to the outside. They embrace contact and fight until they cannot fight anymore. Mendoza did a fine job managing the game and making throws when he needed to, and the wideouts made the necessary plays and catches when called upon. But it was the o line that wore out the Alabama front seven, and the running game helped them control the clock and wear their opponent down throughout the game.

Also, this Indiana defense is truly elite. They may be the best unit in all of college football this season. I thought that the university of Ohio State had the best defense after seeing them suffocate Michigan, but Indiana suffocated them, and then made Alabama look pedestrian. And Indiana is doing this with guys on defense that are "no name" guys or guys that were light recruited. What stood out most to me watching this Indiana defense yesterday is that everyone knows their role, plays their part and loves to hit. Indiana's defensive backs were coming up in coverage and popping guys. The d line and linebackers were crushing the Bama running backs. There was a play where Ryan Williams made a catch over the middle in the second quarter and he got absolutely lit up. He held onto the ball and flexed, but after that I don't believe he went over the middle the rest of the game. The Indiana secondary got in his head. They also hit Ty Simpson time and again, and on one play they hit him so hard he fumbled and it was later revealed that his ribs were broken on that very play. Simpson ended up missing most of the second half due to that hit. Indiana does have guys that were All Big 10 players, but none of the guys are household names, and I bet that is exactly how they want it. They didn't have to prove anything to me, but boy did they show me that they are for real and a legit favorite to win the whole thing this season.

The Hoosiers are a complete and full team. They have everything they need to win a title. Mendoza is a manager, but he can also make the big play when called upon. They have multiple backs that do different things incredibly well. They have a nasty defensive and offensive line, filled with dudes that want to hit you in the mouth. They have big wideouts who make damn near every catch, and a few can run away from their defenders. They have linebackers who always seem to be in the right place at the right time and will crush you. And their secondary is elite with guys who can cover and hit you very, very hard. And they have a head coach, whom I despise, that knows how to win, wants to embarrass you and will do everything he can to take your will and spirit.

Indiana is great. I was very wrong about them. This year's squad has a different feel than last year. They seem ready for the moment and ready to prove that they are among the elite teams in college football. They are now the hunted, and we will see how the rematch goes with Oregon next week, but like I said before, Indiana should be the prohibitive favorite with four teams remaining in the college football playoff. And if the continue to play like they did yesterday, they will run away with the championship this season. 

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

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The Changes are Coming to the Michigan Football Coaching Staff

I watched the Citrus Bowl yesterday, obviously, and it turned out how I expected. Michigan put up a fight, they even had a lead early into the fourth quarter, but then the ugliness reared its head and they got their butts kicked. It was a fitting end to a pretty mediocre year playing a bunch of young kids.

On Monday I wrote about my cautious optimism pertaining to the Kyle Whittingham hire, and his interview during the third quarter only had me more on board. And now today he is hiring his staff and picking the guys he wants to work with. This staff is going to look very different next season, and I think that is the way it should be so we can all cleanse ourselves from the prior staff and all that came with it. Look, I'm as stoked as anyone that Jim Harbaugh brought a national title back to Michigan and made this football team relevant again, but the stink after he left for the NFL was too much and this football program needed an overhaul. To this point it has been reported that Whittingham has hired a new offensive coordinator, new QB coach, new receivers coach and new tight ends coach. It has also been reported that Tony Alford is staying on as the running backs coach, much to my delight. This means Ron Bellamy is out as receivers coach. That also means that there will most likely be some transfers, but hopefully the new guy can convince some to stay. Bellamy was an excellent recruiter, but maybe not the best coach. He could get some big names in, but they never fully developed. I'm curious to see what Andrew Marsh does, he has all the talent in the world, but other than him, maybe a new wideout coach was needed. There hasn't been any news on Grant Newsome yet, who I feel like is coming into his own as a coach. He could also recruit, but he was getting better at coaching as well. If they keep him, great. If not, he will catch on somewhere very soon and be very successful.  Other than Newsome and Bellamy, I won't miss too many of the coaches walking out the door. In my mind, as far as offensive coaches went, Alford was the one they needed to keep from this current staff and it looks like they have. That is a good thing.

I think the defensive staff is going to look different too. Wink Martindale is most likely out since Michigan has reportedly hired BYU's defensive coordinator to the same role at Michigan. This was a needed move. I like Martindale but he was never a long term solution. He has always had his eyes on the pros. BYU's d coordinator has a solid reputation and he and Whittingham have a solid relationship. I am curious to see if they keep Steve Casula and/or Lamar Morgan. Those guys have done a solid job in two short years and Morgan is an elite recruiter. I know that Zeke Berry had a rough day yesterday, but he is good. Jyaire Hill is very good, Shamari Earls is young and full of potential, Brandyn Hillman is a heavy hitter and they have some up and coming defensive backs that Morgan recruited and is currently coaching. And regardless of how much pressure they do or don't get, the defensive line is solid and can stop the run. Steve Casula has done a fine job coaching them and he is also a solid recruiter. I don't think Whittingham will retain Brian Jean Mary, and while he will be a little missed by me, it shouldn't be too much of a burden to let him go. I don't know what the new defensive coordinator is looking for for his new staff, but if I was told I could only keep one coach on that side of the ball I think I'd go with Morgan. Casula would be a bummer to see go, but Morgan is younger and has more potential in my opinion as a future defensive coordinator and even a head coach.

I expected there to be a ton of changes after the game yesterday and that is exactly what is happening. It may be jarring to see all the former coaches looking for new jobs, but this was always going to be the case the moment they hired Kyle Whittingham. And I trust Whittingham knows what he is doing. He has a ton of experience coaching the college game and he knows how to evaluate upcoming talent in the coaching ranks.

I'm excited/interested to see how this staff fully comes together and how they do in their first season. But, I'm also glad that they're getting rid of all the nonsense that they inherited and I'm ready for this new era of Michigan football. Always and forever, Go Blue. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Isiah Whitlock Jr

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Marty Supreme"

I took my dad and son to see "Marty Supreme" yesterday and I have a review for you all today. I have wanted to see this movie for some time now, and it just happened to be released here in Saint Louis on Xmas day. We waited through the weekend, but saw it pretty soon after Xmas.

I was predestined to like this movie. I have become a pretty big fan of Timothee Chalamet in the past few years, ever since I saw him in "Wonka", and I like what the Safdie brothers do as far as directing. And I fully understand that this was a solo directing job from Josh Safdie, which I am all in for at this point. Josh Safdie has always felt like more of a director than his brother Benny. I feel like Benny Safdie has always wanted to be an actor, which he is very accomplished and pretty good at by this point. But Josh seems like he prefers to be behind the camera, and that is great. He brought his usual greatness to this movie as well. What I like about a Safdie directed movie is how anxiety riddled, in a good way, you feel while watching one of their movies. That was the case with "Uncut Gems", and Josh Safdie does the same thing in "Marty Supreme". The scenes shift very quickly into one another, there's always some kind of action going on, there's bad guys and good guys to root for, there's always someone talking and trying to get out of a situation and the romantic scenes always feel a little more raw and real in a Safdie movie. All that was in "Marty Supreme" and it all worked really well for me. Josh Safdie is very good at the kind of movies he makes and I want him to continue with this style of making the viewer anxious. There's no one better at making those kinds of movies at the moment.

While the direction is always incredibly important, you need actors who are up to the task, and they knocked it out of the park with the casting here. I'll get to Chamalet last because he was a revelation, which I didn't think was possible at this point in his career. What I appreciate most about a Safdie movie is they give unknowns a chance. Luke Manley, as Dion, is a first time actor and he was amazing as Marty's best buddy. I rooted for him even though others seemed mad at him from time to time. Ralph Colucci was only in a few scenes at the beginning of the movie, but the back and forth between him and Chalamet was incredible. Odessa A'Zion is becoming a star at the moment, but her work here was amazing. She was so in love with Marty, warts and all, and she tried to prove her worth to him time and again. Tyler, the Creator made his acting debut in this movie and he did a wonderful job. He was the guy Marty would hustle with and that felt like a perfect role for him. He should get many more acting jobs from this. George Gervin, former NBA star, was acting for the first time and his presence was gigantic in his minor role. Then Safdie put some former stars in bit parts and they were equally excellent. Fran Drescher played Marty's mom and she was the epitome of a mom trying to control her son. Her work opposite Chalamet was needed in this movie. Sandra Bernhart played a nurse, or something, and she was as wild here as she is in her minor role on "Severance". Penn Jillette has a very small role as a farm owner, but man is he scary and memorable. And we also have Gwyneth Paltrow playing a former aging movie star. She proved what made her such a draw in the 90's and early 2000's here. She was phenomenal in this role. I loved every second she was on screen in this mcvie.

But the cream of the crop was Chalamet. This was an incredible performance from him. He was, at the same time mind you, slimy and charming. He was always hustling and always talking his way out of some problem he inevitably created. There were times where I hated him, then in an instant I was rooting for him. The way he treated A'Zion's character throughout was mean and disgusting, yet I wanted them to be together. Paltrow's character treated him like the child he was, but there were times where I felt like they deserve one another. Chalamet has more than proven his worth in the past few years with the two "Dune" movies and "A Complete Unknown". I also loved him in "Wonka" as I mentioned before. But this performance proved that he is on another level from other actors his age. He embodied this role and he took his acting to a whole other stratosphere. He doesn't have to be the hero or the good looking dude in every movie. Marty is a hustler who is smamry and slimy, and Chalamet absolutely nailed it here. I think he has a definite Oscar nomination coming from this role and that will be two years in a row that he gets a best actor nomination. He is going to be the definitive actor of this generation and that makes me smile.

I highly recommend seeing "Marty Supreme". It is a fascinating performance from Chalamet and the movie will make you care about ping pong. This movie was great. 

Ty

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

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Kyle Whittingham is Who Michigan Football Needs

Welcome back everyone. I hope you all had a nice holiday and have a happy new year. I had a nice relaxing week off, but I'm back and I have some stuff I want to talk about this week. There was a bunch of stuff I read or heard about last week that I feel I need to tell you all my opinions on. And it wouldn't be me if I didn't start the week talking about Michigan football hiring Kyle Whittingham as their 22nd head coach.

This is a big deal. A few weeks back I wrote about the whole Sherrone Moore fallout and what I wanted Michigan football to do moving forward. I was, and still kind of am, all about starting over. This football program needs a reset. Even the guys involved with the team have said as much. I saw Biff Poggi's press conference early in the week and he pretty much said that they need a full reset verbatim. And he has been with the program since Jim Harbaugh was hired.

Jim Harbaugh had his ups and downs, but he did bring a national title back to Ann Arbor and I will be forever grateful. The four seasons after the COVID shortened 2020 season were an absolute joy to watch and made me as happy as I have been since becoming a fan over 40 years ago. But you could see the issues piling up and it was starting to look worse and worse everyday. Then the Sherrone Moore stuff came to light and it was as bad as it could get. I hope Moore is getting the help he desperately needs, but it was clear that he was not suited for the job. It was far too much for him and it all came crumbling down faster than any of us expected.

When Moore was let go, I was concerned and confused. The timing was bad. The situation was messed up beyond belief. The whole story has become a soap opera that seems to get juicier with each new story that comes out. Like I said before, Michigan needed a massive shift in focus and to bring in a coach that could facilitate such a move. I wanted Kalen DeBoer, but Alabama won their playoff game and that stopped any momentum that Michigan may have had in hiring him. I quickly moved on to Kenny Dillingham. After DeBoer was off the table I figured they should go with a young coach who has an offensive background. It seems they kicked the tires on Dillingham, but never offered and Arizona State gave him an extension, taking him off the board. At this point, even though I wanted a change, I thought they were going to give the job to Biff Poggi, and I talked myself into that hire. I thought he could keep the roster mostly intact, the players seemed to like him, he was the first person who said the program needed a massive overhaul and I like him. But he does not have the best rep as a head coach. I understand that Charlotte is a much different level of college football than Michigan, but those Charlotte teams that Poggi was the head coach for were very bad. They did not put a good product on the field. But I thought maybe he could just be the CEO of the Michigan football program, and hire the proper people to run the team for him. It seemed to be trending towards Poggi, but something must have happened during one of his many interviews that turned the people hiring off. I don't know what he said or did, but he was suddenly not even mentioned as an option. This was when I kind of panicked. At this point I thought they were going to hire Eli Drinkwitz. No disrespect to Drinkwitz, but he would have been an awful option. I then read that Jedd Fisch was considered a "gettable" option, and while he has an offensive background, he didn't feel like a much better option than Drinkwitz, and he is from the Harbaugh coaching tree.

Then Kyle Whittingham's name started to pop up more and more. I have always respected Whittingham. His teams at Utah were pretty much always competitive. He seemed to run a clean program. He seems to only really care about college football. He has always had good defenses, and in the 2020's, the Utah offense has been explosive from time to time. He seems quiet and calm and confident. I remember when Harbaugh was in his first year at Michigan they opened the season at Utah, and the Utes beat them in a close, hard fought battle. I was frustrated, as I always am when Michigan doesn't win a game, but I came away impressed by how Utah equaled Michigan's toughness. They didn't play scared, and that was impressive to see. And he has quietly won a ton of games, had Utah in playoff conversations, went undefeated in 2008 and won, I believe, the Rose Bowl that year. He made Utah a perennial top 25 team and a thorn in every opponent's side. I have also heard people say that Utah was the Pac 12 and Big 12's Michigan equivalent. So, as his name came up more and more, he did tell Utah that he was stepping away to pursue other options, so I started to get on board. He felt like a guy who could come in and change the culture in a short time and get this team back to what made it awesome. He likes to run the ball and play defense, which is great, but he has also shown that he can adapt to playing modern offense in current college football. He has hired younger coordinators who understand that you have to adjust and adapt to stay relevant in modern college football. He has shown a willingness to let his coaches coach and to not be a dictator of his program. At his introductory press conference he said and did all the right things, but it never felt phony or forced. He reminded me of a guy who has been coaching college football for 30 plus years and understands what it takes to win, which is exactly who Kyle Whittingham is. I have also read a bunch of people who have coached or are currently coaching college football, and they all have nothing but glowing compliments for Kyle Whittingham. It seems like he is liked by almost everyone in the college football world. And after that press conference, I'm all in.

Maybe it is just because of all the craziness currently with Michigan football, or me looking at this hire with rose colored glasses, but I'm moving ahead with cautious optimism. Whittingham seems like the right guy to turn this team around. I feel like he can retain some important pieces. I do expect some guys to hit the portal, but if he can keep the right guys, he should do fine in year one. I am on board and happy about this hire. Now I'm ready to see who he hires for his staff, if he keeps anyone and how they come out in the Citrus Bowl on Wednesday. I'm ready for the Kyle Whittingham era at Michigan, and I am happy that this wild coaching search seems to have turned out okay for Michigan. Always and forever, Go Blue. 

Ty

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

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Maker's Mark is the Heineken of Bourbons

Green does not mean go

In honor of the season we wanted to revisit our thoughts on some vital festive must haves, bourbon and beer. The article was originally posted on November 23, 2015. Happy Holidays.

In 1979 Jimmy Carter, history's greatest monster, signed HR 1337 into law. This little piece of legislation allowed people to brew beer at home. Many credit this law with the rise of the micro and craft beer movement, others do not give President Carter the credit he deserves. Regardless of who we want to give credit to, America was about to be introduced to better beer. We were going to be able to determine what actually tasted good, and what was just great marketing.

I entered college in the late summer of 1993,  a very small institution in the middle of Missouri. Many students at my college were legacy, meaning one of their parents had attended at one time. Because of this legacy culture, the college was filled with people from all over the United States. I was lucky to befriend someone from California. This friend brought back some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale after one extended break. At this point in my life I had tasted the entire field of the Anheuser Busch Brewing family and a few local Missouri micro brews (early Boulevard and Schlafly). The fanciest of all beers in my life was the great Dutch export called Heineken.

I thought Heineken was the nicest beer someone could drink. It was a little more expensive, came in a green bottle, and had a funky smell. The advertising told me Heineken was the better beer because of these differences. You will pay more for beer because it is in a green bottle, because it smelled funky, and because it was fancy. I bought the marketing, and Heineken was my go to beer for being a classy individual. The fact was that Heineken was the go to fancy beer for my parents generation. They had very little options in beer, I should have known better.

Eventually I experienced better beer. I became a connoisseur, and a bit insufferable with my ale over lager attitude. My beer hipsterdom eventual led me into the world of high end bourbon. I was not fully aware of single batch bourbon, but I wanted to be a part of the group who would drink bourbon straight. I asked around and quickly learned that Maker's Mark was the best bourbon widely available. At the time I lived in St. Louis Missouri and the internet was not as helpful as it is today. Maker's Mark was available in my area, it was at a higher price point, and it had the iconic red wax on the head of the bottle. All of these factors set Maker's Mark as a brand of its own. The price and the red wax must mean that it tasted better than other bourbons. This was not a bourbon for mixing, it was for sipping.  I was sold, and Maker's Mark became my fancy bourbon for the next few years.

In the winter of 2006 I moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. I was now less than 100 miles away from where all of the world's best bourbon is produced. Suddenly I was introduced to bourbons I had never heard of. Bookers, Blantons, Willett, Four Roses, and Corner Creek to name a few. Maker's Mark was still to be found in many people's home as their expensive bourbon, but the other options available showed how marketing trumps taste. Many of the other high end bourbons had unique and interesting flavors. I was quickly becoming aware that under the red wax of Maker's Mark there lie an aggressively sweet and overrated spirit. For what I was paying for Maker's Mark, I could afford some Bulleit, Buffalo Trace, or Knob Creek. For only a few bucks more one could afford great bourbons like Woodford Reserve or Basil Hayden.

The last decade has seen an explosion in the popularity of bourbon. We are even entering a peak bourbon era where many of the great small batch options are increasingly hard to find. Maker's Mark used the idea of peak bourbon when the announced that their spirit was going to be watered down to stretch out the supply during lean times. Many people expressed dismay at the news, and the distillers at Maker's Mark announced they were not going to destroy their great tasting product. Once again the good marketing minds at Maker's Mark positioned their brand as great tasting high end product. Their sales continued to grow. Their bourbon is not getting better

I still occasionally purchase a bottle of Maker's Mark, I use it to cook with. Pecan pie and bourbon balls are a staple in my house during the fall and the winter. The sweetness of Maker's Mark works very well this time of year. I have used the Maker's Mark in bourbon Manhattans, but it is still to damn sweet. A bottle of Evan Williams black label is half the costs, and is a lot better for cocktails. Sometimes out of town guests will sip on my leftover Maker's Mark, but I try to steer them towards the Corner Creek (my house bourbon). My wife purchased a bottle of Blanton's for my birthday, and I reserve this for only family. I will also occasional drink a Heineken, when that is the only thing available at a summer barbecue. Many times I will skip the Heineken and just go with water. There is never Heineken to be found in my refrigerator I make my own beer and keep some local Cincinnati craft beer on hand (Mad Tree and Rhinegeist are killing it in the great tasting beer market).

Heineken and Maker's Mark have built their reputations in marketplaces with few options. Once these marketplaces started to become more saturated, both brands were exposed. The green bottle and red wax became icons, and people continued to flock to what was iconic. Neither product is downright disgusting, but they are overpriced and vastly inferior to their peers. If you are discovering beer and someone gives you Heineken, do not give up. There are thousands of better options available to you. If you do not live near Kentucky and someone gives you some Maker's Mark as their high end spirit, do not give up. Your local liquor store will have hundreds of better options to sip on. Do not be trapped by marketing. When a beer or bourbon is depending on iconic looks, they are usually hiding inferior tastes.

Oh and if you are lucky enough to have some Pappy Van Winkle, we should get together for a little talk.

The original article said Germany was the homeland of Heineken. We have correctly changed it to the Netherlands. One should not drink while they write.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He finished the Blanton's while writing this article and needs to get another horse and jockey bottle topper. You can help him out.

SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 23 - The Mall Food Court

Ed Note: This article was originally posted on December 23rd, 2017

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 will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

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

Day 23: The Mall Food Court

The final days of the holiday shopping season can be brutal. The stores are packed with people trying to score those last few perfect gifts. Anxiety is high among these last minute shoppers, and good will toward one's fellow person is at an all time low. There is very little time left to enjoy a well crafted holiday treat. The shoppers of the last few days need only to eat in order to survive. The local mall food court is the ideal trough to provide the necessary sustenance to the gift seeker.

The mall food court sees some of it's best business in the last days of holiday shopping season. Sbarro's, Panda Express like eateries, the cheesesteak joint, and Chick-Fil-A on a non-Sunday join their fellow store fronts in offering the shopping masses some needed calories during the homestretch of peak capitalism. Want pizza for Christmas, the food court has got you covered. In the need for generic cheesesteak and thick cut fries for your Hanukah,  the food court is your oasis. Do you desire a huge cherry Icee and some kettle cooked popcorn, the mall food court will deliver on your wish. If a person needs to shop first, and think of nutrition second, the mall food court is one of the best gifts these people can find in the Christmas rush. Taste be damned, just give these soldiers of late year commerce something edible, and give it to them quickly.

Shopping late in the holiday spending spree can be draining on a person's soul. Many people are looking for gifts that are in low supply. Sometimes multiple hands reach for the last doll on the shelf. The winners go home happy, the losers recharge at the food court. There must be a better way. The food court is a gathering place for the rest of us. Celebrate.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. What is this great holiday for the rest of us? Watch this classic episode of "Seinfeld" and be enlightened. 

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

SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Music: Day 22 - Patton Oswalt talks about The Christmas Shoes

ed note: This article was originally published on December 22nd, 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 22: Patton Oswalt talks about The Christmas Shoes (language NSFW)

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

 Eleven Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen,Sixteen,Seventeen,Eighteen,

Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty One

I really love Christmas music. This entire Advent Calendar project is a way to show the people who hate Christmas music that there are great tunes available to the uninitiated. My love for holiday music is directly related to the fact that while I was growing up my parents would regularly take me and my brothers to church. I was never super psyched to go to our little suburban catholic cathedral, except for one time of the year. The Christmas season was the only times of the year I was happy to go to mass, and it was the songs that created my excitement. Many of the best holiday songs come from the religious tunes the congregation would sing. Hope, light, the betterment of mankind. That is the true religious meaning of Christmas, and it sounds beautiful.

A couple of years back I heard the song "The Christmas Shoes" and I was left dumbfounded. I first thought that this "christian" song was some kind of SNL parody. It was atrocious. The basic plot centered on the story of a poor kid who wants to buy shoes for his mom on Christmas. These shoes are very important because the kid's mom is dying, and he wants her to look pretty if she meets Jesus. That plot is dumb enough, but what puts "The Christmas Shoes" into the stratosphere of appalling is that the song is from the point of view of some grumpy dude in line behind the kid. The narrator thinks that "God" sent this kid, and his dying mom, to be in this man's life so he will feel the Christmas spirit. It is a truly disgusting message.

In 2009 comedian Patton Oswalt dedicated part of his stand up set discussing "The Christmas Shoes" Everything he says is spot on. Oswalt talks about how manipulative and downright sinister the message behind "The Christmas Shoes" is. He also imagines a world with a God being pissed about people being grumpy on Christmas and a Jesus who is bitchy about a person's fashion sense. What Patton Oswalt does in the YouTube video attached to this article is take one of the worst Christmas songs ever, and give it a new hilarious life. You can skip the song and get a dose of the Christmas spirit by hearing Patton Oswalt tear this piece of trash apart. His thoughts on "The Christmas Shoes" makes the song listenable, because I hear Patton Oswalt's words behind every horrid verse.

A few weeks back my son was being rude to the checkout person at a store. When we were heading home, my wife and I were scolding him about his behavior. At one point I told him that Christmas is about being nice to your fellow person. My son was not listening and being quite defiant. As I was getting more angry and frustrated I heard the opening notes of "The Christmas Shoes". My wife and I stared at each other and smiled. My son was forgiven. The rest of the car ride was filled with joy and laughter. Patton Oswalt has made "The Christmas Shoes" a holiday tradition. Not the song, it is awful, but his thoughts about the tune's idiotic message is what Christmas means to me. Mr. Oswalt, I owe you a pair of some great Christmas shoes.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the host of The X Millennial Man podcast. Every year he tries to buy his wife some ugly shoes for Christmas, but he never has quite enough pennies. Help him buy those shoes by supporting SeedSing.

Peanut Butter Cookie With a Chocolate Kiss? Yes Please

As we go into the holiday season, I always think it starts when my kids get off school for their winter break, I want to leave you with the one thing I do think you should enjoy as a snack and have fun with during this break. I am going to take next week off from writing, so I wanted to go out with something short and sweet today, literally.

I'm not much for holiday food. to me it becomes redundant and boring. I have never been the biggest fan of the whole idea of "Thanksgiving" food. Turkey is wack. Ham is good in small doses. Stuffing rules, but mashed potatoes get boring. And I have never been the biggest bread person, so rolls don't move me. And this food tends to carry into the other part of the holiday season. I want more people to do what my buddy did and have pizza and wings during this time of year. But there is one food stuff that I go back to every year and find myself craving when the holidays roll around.

I have always had a sweet tooth. I think I got it from my mom. I always like dessert and if it is an option I go for it nine times out of ten. And during this time of year cookies flow aplenty. I love cookies. It is the best representation of a "light" dessert option for me. I can eat a snickerdoodle or two and be happy as a clam. Those are my favorite cookies, and during this time of year they seem to be everywhere, which I love. But there is one particular cookie that I know is a year round thing, but I only eat during these holidays. That is the peanut butter cookie with a Hershey's Kiss on top of it. It is the perfect blend of salty and sweet that I like. I like how the Kiss melts into the cookie as you eat it. I enjoy the fact that you are pretty much supposed to underbake the peanut butter cookie so the Kiss melts. I like how that heat makes it all meld together. When you are fortunate enough to get a perfect bite, that cookie can send you into another dimension. It makes me smile when I see them out on the table as a snack or treat. I try and make sure to grab a few before I know they will get snacthed up. And it is getting harder for my family to have those around because my daughter is still allergic to peanuts, and it looks like she will be forever. She has gotten over every other nut allergy she had but that one. And if you try to make the cookies with a peanut butter alternative, it just doesn't work. It's not the same. So when the actual peanut butter cookie with the Kiss is out, you better believe I'm going to take advantage. And this isn't even a thing that my Wegovy will stop me from overdoing. I will eat these cookies until I'm stuffed. That's how much I like them. And while the snickerdoodle and the shortbread with cherry jelly are finem, they don't reach the levels that this particular cookie does. I like all the sugar cookies that are around with the icing, but even those can get a little too sweet or crunchy. The good thing about the peanut butter cookie with the Kiss, there's never a problem. Even the ones that sit still have a great flavor because that just means that the extra time gave it more time to develop.

So go out and enjoy these cookies and enjoy your holiday. Be nice to everyone and have a good break. I'll see you all in a week. 

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.

No Fruitcake for Me Thank You

My dad was over visiting earlier today, my daughter is now home sick from school so we are both kind of stir crazy and the visit was a nice break, and we were talking about holiday stuff. I mentioned I was trying to think of a topic to write about, and we got on a holiday kick. We did finally fall on something and boy oh boy do I have some thoughts. But I wanted to give my dad credit for the idea today. Without our conversation, maybe I wouldn't have come in so hot today. We can all thank my father.

The topic, fruitcake in general. My dad has always been a fan of fruitcake. He has told me stories about how when his mom used to make it, my grandma, he would drool while it was being made. I have other people in my life who also love fruitcake. My daughter hasn't had it yet, but after telling her about what fruitcake is, she wants to try it out. My son hasn't tried it and he is a little harder to convince. This is the side that I fall on. I'm in step with my son here, but I have tasted fruitcake before, and I despise it. I don't get what the big takeaway is and why it became such a big time holiday treat. For all intents and purposes, fruitcake is a loaf of bread with jellied pieces of random fruit thrown in there. I know there are other things you can do to make fruitcake, but the baseline thing is bread with jellied fruits. I think what I oppose so much about fruitcake is the whole idea. If I want banana bread, I'll make banana bread. If I want cake, I'll make it. If I want some candied fruit, I'll go buy it in the store. To put all of these things together into one mishmash piece of pastry grosses me the hell out. The grossest part to me is the jellied fruit. It reminds me of ambrosia salad, which I also dislike very much. The fruit is way too sweet and chewy. It never tastes like I expect it to taste. It can become gummy and come out whole when taking bites out of each piece of bread. It has the weirdest texture. It is not for me. As for the bread, it is way, way too dense. I'm all for butter and sugar being mixed to make a delicious sweet treat, but fruitcake is a bridge too far. I understand in some recipes it calls for some kind of liquor to keep it from getting dry, but then it gets even more dense. I also do not drink, so why would I ever want a piece of fruitcake soaked in liquor? That sounds like a recipe for disaster. I don't think the first time I were to get drunk I'd want it to be off a piece of fruitcake. That sounds like a waste. I also understand that liquor can be empty sugar calories, so why on Earth would you add that to something that's already far too sweet to begin with? The whole idea of adding liquor is such a putoff to me, but my dad mentioned how his mom used to use a cloth soaked in rum, I believe, and that was part of the allure. That makes zero sense to me, especially when you're a kid. But maybe that is just my distaste for alcohol. But when I get away from the liquor recipes for fruitcake, the whole idea is still gross to me. I mentioned it all above why I dislike it. Whenever I see a loaf of it out at a holiday party or a gathering with my family, I actively avoid it. I want nothing to do with it. I tried a piece about three or four years ago just to see, it was COVID times after all, and I think I disliked it even more. It was akin to when I tried a McRib a few years back, except I used to genuinely like the McRib. I thought maybe my taste buds had changed mildly, I do love coffee now. That was not the case at all. The fruit was weird and gummy. The bread was far too dense. And it was so cloyingly sweet that one bite was all that I needed.

I don't know, fruitcakes are disgusting. I don't think my taste will ever change on that front. But if you like fruitcake, please tell me what it is about it. Tell me what I'm missing. I truly want to know if it is me. So enjoy them or not, fruitcake is not for me, but maybe that can change. Probably not, but never say never I suppose. 

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.

Paul Dano is Excellent in "There Will Be Blood"

I saw the recent comment Quentin Tarantino made about Paul Dano and his performance in "There Will Be Blood". Let’s discuss.

I disagreed right off the bat. I adore that movie. I think it is a modern masterpiece. It is my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson movie to date. And I think that Dano, playing dual roles, is the perfect foil to Daniel Day Lewis' Daniel Plainview. But, in light of his comments I decided I wanted to go back and watch the movie. I usually watch it every year, or every other year since its release. But with the uproar and show of appreciation for Dano, and add on the fact that I have bronchitis, I decided yesterday was as good a time as any to make my revisit.

Nothing changed for me on this rewatch except I studied Dano's performance. And I came away mesmerized with how great he is in this movie. Let me say, this movie is all about Daniel Day Lewis. He gives the performance of a lifetime. He is the heart and soul of this movie and there is nothing else without him. That is what a star is supposed to do, and Day Lewis absolutely nails every single aspect of this role. He is the reason we go to see something like this. But you need the supporting actors to bring their A game as well. This doesn't work if it is just one great performance surrounded by dull and lifeless performances. Luckily for us, that doesn't happen here. Everyone is at the top of their games. Ciaran Hinds is perfect as Plainview's right hand man. Dillon Freasier as young HW does a swell job portraying an abandoned kid. He doesn't ask for that life, but he lives it to its fullest. David Willis is so meek and weak willed as Abel Sunday. Paul F Tompkins plays a dull witted townsperson who knows they need Plainview's help very well. James Downey is so reliable as the real estate gentleman that Plainview deals with. Kevin J O'Connor is slimy and creepy and seems like a crook from the moment he steps on screen. David Warshhofsky plays bewildered by Plainview's actions so well. Russell Harvard as an adult HW does some excellent work, and he happens to be deaf in real life. But it is Dano's performance first as Paul, then, especially as Eli, that truly brings this all together.

Plainview is a driven man who has a singular goal. He wants to drill for oil and drill for it everywhere he can. He knows that this will be his ticket to riches. He has that one goal in mind and anyone or anything that stands in his way is his competitor as he would say. That is what makes the role of Eli so compelling. Dano does play Eli's brother Paul, but that is one scene that gets us into the crux of this movie. Paul tells Daniel where to go to drill and then we are off. When we meet Eli he is the quintessential black oil salesman of a preacher. He proclaims that he can heal through his services and that he can speak directly to god. And people in the late 1800's and early 1900's bought that stuff up, no questions asked. And all along the way Eli is a thorn in Daniel's side. He wants a bigger chapel. Then he needs more of the workers to come to service. He claims he can heal arthritis in an old lady, but all he does is say some mumbo jumbo. He does nothing to help HW after his accident. He forces Daniel to confess his sins loudly to everyone in the church after Daniel refused to let him bless his oil rig, which was the cause of a massive fire and what made HW deaf. Daniel is constantly calling out how fake and phony he thinks all of the church stuff is to deaf ears from Eli. They have fights wherein Daniel bullies poor Eli, who then goes to his home and beats up his own father. It is such a great pairing of two very evil and two very motivated people fighting for what they believe in. This all culminates in a gory and gruesome end for Eli at Daniel's home in his personal bowling alley. And to watch this final scene, to see Eli squeal and confess, to see Daniel push and prod and make him uncomfortable, I can picture no one else doing this than Dano and rising to the level of Daniel Day Lewis. He is right there with him line for line and bar for bar. He plays it so perfectly. I still loathed him even after Plainview beat him to death with a bowling pin. And I still loathed Plainview as I had all of the movie.

So, after this most recent rewatch, Tarantino is wrong. He may not like the performance, which is totally fine. That's his prerogative. But for him to say the things he did about Dano, to call him out like he did, that is similar to what older athletes say about the newer generation. Maybe it's jealousy, maybe he truly doesn't like Paul Dano for whatever reason. But Dano is one of the best parts of this incredible movie. He is the foil we all need in this scenario and he was more than up to task. And if you still have not seen "There Will Be Blood", go watch it. It is a remarkable feat of movie making. 

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.

R.I.P. Rob and Michele Reiner

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Best of 2025 - Television

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Best of 2025 - Movies

Now that I've said what I wanted to about the current situation with the Michigan football team, let's get back to my best of 2025 lists. Today I'm going to give you all my top five movies of the year. I realized while writing this list that I saw a ton of movies this year, and more so, I went back to the theater to see a bunch of these movies. I have missed the theater and going back was totally awesome for me. There was a weekend where my wife, my two kids and I went to see three movies on three straight days in the theaters and it was awesome. The theater going experience adds so much to the movies in my opinion and getting back there was a big deal for me.

I do want to shout out three movies that did not make my top five really quickly. First of all I loved the new "Superman" movie. It was cool and sweet and very well made. I also happened to really enjoy Edgar Wright's "The Running Man". This one was truer to the book and it was ultra violent and even silly from time to time. Michael Cera was tremendous too. And finally, "Bugonia" is one of the most original and interesting movies I saw all year. Jesse Plemons and Emma Watson give powerhouse performances and when the movie goes barreling towards the end, it is a wild ride. Also, a small shoutout to "Eddington". That movie was magnetic for 90 minutes, and then it goes off the rails, but in a good way. And Joaquin Phoenix gives what I consider to be the best performance of his career. Now let's get to the list.

At number 5 I have "Sisu: Road to Revenge". This movie is an absolute orgy of violence. This movie is nonstop action and I was so enthralled at every second I watched. I saw the first "Sisu" with my dad at home and we were blown away at how wild it was. I mean, he survives a horrific plane crash amongst so many other things. In "Sisu: Road to Revenge", the plane crash seems timid. There's so much action in this sequel. The main guy, who doesn't speak in the movie, rides a train car that has an atom bomb attached to it. He has to fight his way through said train with a bunch of people after him. He has planes chasing him through the woods. He even finds a way to get a tanker to flip over obstacles in his way. This movie rules, it is so fun, it is violent and it might have been the best time I had in the theater this year.

At number 4 I have "Friendship". I am a Tim Robinson fan. I think that much has been made clear time and time again. This movie just allows him to do his thing for 90 minutes. Paul Rudd is in this movie, as is Kate Mara, but this is all Tim Robinson. Make no mistake, this is his movie through and through. And he nails it. It is a perfect movie for him because he gets to do what he does best, and that is his version of cringe comedy. The scene in his home, where he is confronted by Connor O'Malley while Robinson is at his drum kit is hilarious. When he takes his son to go pick mushrooms and then gets sick in the mall, wonderful. All the stuff between him and Rudd and his friends was tremendous. This is such a funny movie and I have watched it multiple times since it made its way to streaming. This is the best comedy of the year and I think everyone should seek it out.

At number 3 I have "Sinners". This would have easily been number 1 almost any other year. This is such a cool and unique take on vampires. But the movie is so much more than that. What Ryan Coogler was able to do with music and making this somewhat of a musical was magical. The scene where the young kid is playing his guitar in the juke joint and all of the past, present and future musical genres show up was one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed in the theater. We got that scene and the Irish folk song with all the vampires which was amazing in its own way. I know some people said that the movie was slow in parts, but I disagree. All of that was to build the story and get us to the finale, which was incredible. Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo and most notably, Michael B Jordan, playing two roles, do some of the best work of the year. Michael B Jordan deserves all the accolades, as does Coogler. "Sinners" is an amazing movie and it needs to be seen by everyone.

At number 2 I have "Weapons". I'm not usually a fan of "horror" movies, but with "Sinners" and Weapons", I'm all in on this style of horror movies. "Weapons" is a fascinating story about a classroom of kids that all disappeared one day and this movie tells us the story of how it all happened and gives us a conclusion. I knew Zach Cregger from "The Whitest Kids U Know", but he is on the Jordan Peele trajectory of former comedy creators who now do horror. And they are absolutely crushing it. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys. She is more than deserving of awards consideration for this role. She was so menacing and scary and diabolical. The stuff she does to the main kid's parents was horrific and she totally sells it. Madigan gives such a great performance. It may be the best of the year for me.

And finally, at number 1 I have "One Battle After Another". This is not only the movie of the year, it may be one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is such a well made and perfectly told story. From the opening sequence, where we see Leonardo Dicaprio and Teyana Taylor and their group and what they're doing, it is so compelling. And the movie just gets better and better from there. I don't know if there is a movie out there that tells the story of what is happening in America right now. Taylor and Dicaprio are awesome. Taylor plays her role perfectly. Dicaprio has never been this funny in a role. Chase Infiniti is a revelation. Benecio Del Toro is wonderful. Sean Penn is eerie and diabolical. And Paul Thomas Anderson directs the hell out of this movie. He had a vision and he put it out in the world and it is getting all kinds of love. From the opening sequence to the stuff between Infiniti and Dicaprio to the car chase scene, this movie is so well made and so awesome. I was floored after I saw the movie and I implore everyone to see it if you haven't already. "One Battle After Another" is a true achievement and it is not only the best movie of the year, it is an all timer.

That's it for my top five movies of 2025. Come back on Monday for my top five tv shows of the year. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Thoughts On What is Going On with Michigan Football

I am going to take a day off from my best of 2025 lists because I have to address this whole bizarre situation going on at Michigan right now with Sherrone Moore and the football team.

For those that may not know, Moore was abruptly fired yesterday for cause as the head coach of the football team. I was stunned when I read this news. This was not something I was expecting at 4pm local time while waiting to get my daughter from school. As I was trying to come to grips with what was happening, more and more news was coming out and it just got worse and worse. Moore apparently had an "inappropriate relationship" with a staffer. I don't know anything else other than that. Then it was revealed he was in police custody because, this is what I read, he was confronted by his wife and then he went to the staffer's home, busted down the door and threatened to kill the staffer and himself. I know that a mug shot was floating around the internet, but that wasn't real. What I have read today, Moore will appear in front of a judge tomorrow morning. That should be interesting to say the least.

This is an absolute mess. I was always proud to be a Michigan fan because they have stayed away from stuff like this. This is akin to the whole Bobby Petrino incident while he was the head coach at Arkansas, minus the motorcycle. It also reminds me of what happened at Michigan State with Mel Tucker, except Tucker didn't reportedly threaten anyone. What I'm trying to say is, Michigan has been able to stay away from this type of scandal. The sign stealing stuff was stupid. Gary Moeller drove drunk, not that that's good, but it's not like this. Rich Rodriguez wasn't a good fit and Brady Hoke was in over his head. Jim Harbaugh brought the team a title, then bolted like we all knew he would for the NFL. And he gave Moore his ringing endorsement as the next head coach of the Michigan football team. I was all on board with this. I felt like it would keep what little continuity they had left after Harbaugh raided the staff. Year one wasn't great, but they ended the season with two big time victories. Then Moore and his staff brought in a tremendous recruiting class. Those kids played and had their moments, both good and bad. But I was here for it. I liked that they were getting quality playing time and I felt it would only help. I wrote as much in my best of 2025 sports list. But now that is all gone. And it looks like it is going to be a bit before the Michigan football team is relevant again.

After sitting on this and thinking about it and talking to friends and family, maybe it is time for this staff to be entirely replaced and for the football program to hit the reset button. There's clearly some issues with the current staff. We have this whole situation with Moore, and then add on the recruiting violations and sanctions. This has all come to light with this staff. Sure, I think Wink Martindale has done some solid things but the defense isn't near the elite level they were under Jesse Minter and Mike MacDonald. Chip Lindsay had his moments, but the last game of the season was worrisome. Grant Newsome is solid, but he was a part of the violations. Ron Bellamy can recruit, but the development isn't there. I think it is time to clean the house. I feel like that would be best for Michigan football. They need some type of cleansing to get back to normal. Because what is happening, and has been happening for the past couple of years is not normal. I fully understand that this means that a bunch of kids would transfer out, but that is going to happen anyway. The vultures are already circling Bryce Underwood, and I'm sure they won't be far behind on Andrew Marsh. There's no way Justice Haynes comes back now. The defense is going to have to get a bunch of new players. But that is the way of life in current college football. And then throw on a scandal like this, it is going to be an absolute mess for a bit.

This is bad. I'm not happy with this team that I truly love. I'm grossed out by it in fact. Moore seemed in over his head when he took this job and now I'm certain the pressure was getting to him. He may never coach anywhere again. He is facing prison time. I have to think that coaching is the furthest thing from his mind, as it should be. And that is going to leave an absolute tire fire in his wake. I know that people who dislike Michigan are just licking their chops, as they should. This is a horrible situation that just seems to get weirder by the hour. I don't know what happened to the university that I loved. They have taken a bad path and now they are dealing with their consequences, as they should. This bums me out, but the AD and the university have to do something to try and make this right. I don't know who they are going to try and hire, I have read a ton of names. But I also have to imagine that, whoever they hire, has to know that they have a big time rebuilding job ahead of them. This is awful and messy and hurts my soul as a fan. I'm so upset with what this team has become, and now serious changes have to occur. It's too bad that they are looking for a coach so late in the hiring process, but here we are. I will never understand why people in big time jobs think they can get away with whatever they want, especially in this day and age. The next head coach and staff has to have their heads on straight and focus on football, nothing else.

We will see what happens going forward, but right now. Michigan football is in a world of hurt and they won't be out of it for some time. 

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.

Best of 2025 - Music

Today I am going to give you all my top five albums of 2025. I have gotten back to listening to more music lately. I still do podcasts for running and some house cleaning, but music is coming back in my life in a big way and I'm here for it. This is also the first year in a couple where I have five albums from this year. This isn't about experiencing old music for the first time or discovering some band or solo artist that came out recently. I have five albums from five separate acts that all came out this year.

Before I get into the list, I do want to shout out Taylor Swift's "Life of a Showgirl". It didn't make my top five but it was close. This is a very good pop album. Taylor Swift is doing a lot of great things, and this record shows she is a pop superstar, if she wasn't already. I really enjoy listening to this record and my daughter, who is the big Swiftie in our home, seems to really like it too. I just wanted to give her a little shine. Now onto the list.

At number 5 I have "Getting Killed" by Geese. A few years back I saw Geese open for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and they intrigued me. I'm not always a big fan of openers, but Geese stuck with me. I went home after the show and listened to some of their work and I was in. I didn't know that they had a new record until my buddy let me know. I listened to it that night and have been playing it a ton since. I like the sound, I like how each song blends into the next one, I enjoy the lead singer's voice and the guitar playing is top notch. Geese are a bunch of young kids too, so this feels like just the start. I am so excited to see where they go from here and I will be listening all along the way.

At number 4 I have "Cover the Mirrors" by Ben Kweller. This record is so good and so heartbreaking. For those that may not know, Kweller and his partner's son died in a car crash a few years back. This record is how Kweller has been dealing with that heartbreak. Kweller is such a good writer. He conveys all his feelings to a T. I also like how some of the songs are upbeat musically, but when you listen to the words they will crush your soul. He gets some help on the record from Waxahatchee, and the song they do together, "Dollar Store", is amazing. I have been a Kweller fan for about 20 years now and this record may be his best to date. Again, it is very sad, but damn is it good too.

At number 3 I have "Thee Black Boltz" by Tunde Adebimpe. Adebimpe is the lead singer of one of my favorite bands, TV on the Radio, but he decided to venture out and do a solo record. This album is upbeat and fun. It has a bit of a TV on the Radio feel, but this is all about Adebimpe. I like that he beatboxes on a song. I have always loved his voice as well. That was what first drew me to TV on the Radio, and that is what I truly dig about this solo record. The songs range from upbeat to pretty to almost hip hop. I like that he can do a bunch of different genres in one album and do them all pretty spot on. I don't know who is in the band that plays on the record but they do some solid work as well. I wish more people would go seek this record out because it is one of the better solo records i've heard in quite some time.

At number 2 I have "Don't Tap the Glass" by Tyler, the Creator. This album came from nowhere. I was looking at one of the streaming services I use and all of the sudden they kept talking about a new record from Tyler, the Creator. I couldn't believe it because he had just put out "Chromakpoia" about 6 months ago. And now we were going to get some brand new music after one of his best records of all time. "Don't Tap the Glass" is a throwback to the hip hop I listened to when I was a teenager, except Tyler, the Creator does it way better than most artists back then could ever dream of doing. This record comes and goes in less than half an hour, but damn does it pack a punch. Tyler, the Creator comes in hot and never stops, and I love that about his music and this record. I am loving all the content he is giving us and he is on the ride of a lifetime right now. He's one of the best in the business at the moment.

And at number 1 I have "Let God Sort Em Out" by Clipse. I love that Clipse is back and they seem better than ever. I was first aware of them when they released "Grindin" back in 01-02. That song was so awesome and made it on every mix cd I would make. They kind of disappeared after that. But Pusha T reappeared on the scene and he instantly became one of my favorite emcees. There was some news that he was going to get back with his cousin Malice and make a new record. I was hyped at this news. The two of them kept showing up at random things and it seemed like they were actually working on music. But it wasn't until I saw them do a tiny desk show on NPR that it all became real. This record and that performance were amazing. I was floored at this. It felt like "Grindin", but they had grown up and gotten better. This record is so great that they have done some amazing shows in places that people have never performed live. Pusha T has been at the forefront letting people know that Clipse is back and here to stay. They got so many excellent features on the record, but no one outshines the two of them. They clearly had written some excellent songs during their break and that shows tenfold on this new album. I hope they make another new record soon. But, for the time being, we have "Let God Sort Em Out" and I'm very, very happy about that.

That's it for albums. Come back tomorrow for my top five movies of 2025. 

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.

Best of 2025 - Sports

We are getting close to the end of the year so that means it is time for my Best Of 2025 lists. This year I'm going to do four lists, sports, music, movies and tv shows. These are what encompasses the majority of my time right now, besides my family, so they will be the focus moving forward. I'm going to start with my personal top five sports moments of the year. Some involve my fandom, one involves my kid and the others were moments I was just happy to bear witness to, even if I had no real rooting interest.

My number 5 moment is Michigan beating Alabama in the 2025 Reliaquest Bowl. Michigan was somehow able to beat the university of Ohio State in their regular season finale to give them a 7-5 record. Had they not won that game they may not have gotten such a decent non playoff bowl game. But they got into a bigger New Years Day game and they were matched up with Alabama, who had barely missed out on the playoff. Alabama was also at almost full strength, playing pretty much every important player they had on their roster. Michigan had a bunch of rotation guys step into starting roles. On paper this should have been a blowout for Alabama. Lucky for me, these games aren't played on paper. From the start Michigan looked more prepared and more game ready. The defense was firing off the ball. They were in Jalen Milroe's face all afternoon. Then it started to rain down. This only helped Michigan. They caused a myriad of turnovers, most of which ended with a Dominic Zvada field goal. They did have one td, a pass from Davis Warren to Fred Moore. But the defense won the day for this team. Even after Davis Warren had to exit the game due to tearing his ACL, Alex Orji, who had announced he was transferring after the game, stepped in and kept the ball moving on the ground. And Jordan Marshall announced himself as a serious force to come in the Big 10. This was a great way to start 2025 as a Michigan football fan. I was pretty happy.

At number 4, speaking of Michigan football, while the regular season ended with a thud, The Wolverines finished the year with 9 wins, but the big takeaway for me, the young kids got a ton of playing time and I got to get a glimpse into what this team might look like for the next three or four years. Uber recruit Bryce Underwood became the third true freshman to start at QB for Michigan. He had his ups and downs, but you can see the talent is there. Jordan Marshall came on strong after Justice Haynes got injured. Andrew Marsh looks like the best wideout prospect they've had since Braylon Edwards. They have an anchor at left tackle in Blake Frazier. Shamari Earls has a depth of talent at safety. Nathaniel Owusu Boateng got some run late in the season and he looks the part of a Big 10 linebacker. Jyaire Hill built on a solid sophomore year. Brandyn Hillman is one of the best hitters in college football. This team is young and has tons to improve upon, but they also have a good upside and I'm interested to see how they progress while they are with the Wolverines. I'm very, very cautiously optimistic about the talent they are bringing to Ann Arbor right now.

At number 3 I have the World Series. Now, I will fully admit I was rooting against the Dodgers the whole series, but damn this was exciting. I feel like baseball may be back. This series had it all. From blowouts to pitchers duels, it was all there. But game 7 was one for the ages. I'm sure Blue Jays fans were devastated at the outcome, they were so close, but damn did they play against this juggernaut incredibly admirably. They should have won. But the Dodgers' talent and luck showed up at the most opportune time. From Miguel Rojas', who hadn't had a hit in forever, game tying home run, to the Blue Jays getting robbed in the bottom of the ninth, to the Dodgers starters making up for the bullpen, they fought hard and earned this title. This wasn't a walkover. They had to fight for every win. And to see Shohei Othani pitching and hitting again, in high pressure situations, he may be the best to ever play baseball professionally. This World Series was incredible and I'm so glad my son convinced me to watch game 7 with him. It was one for the ages.

At number 2 I have the NBA Finals. This was another seven game series with a massive underdog making the heavy favorite work for every single thing they wanted. The Pacers did not go down without a tremendous fight. It is such a bummer what happened to Tyrese Haliburton in the first quarter of game 7. He looked to be on fire and then his body gave out on him. But the Pacers kept fighting, so much so that they had a lead going into halftime. But then the talent of the Thunder showed up and won out. Chet Holmgren became a black hole for anyone trying to drive to the hoop. Jalen Willimas started to hit shot after shot. Shai Gilgeous Alexander proved why he was the rightful MVP. Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso were pests. Lu Dort made big shots and frustrated everyone he guarded. The Thunder are on the cusp of something magical right now and last season's NBA Finals was just the start. This team is here to stay. But the Pacers did give them a run for their money.

And finally, at number 1 I have my son playing his last year of junior football and making the B team in his final year of junior basketball. My son is a big 13 year old. He is almost 6 feet and he weighs about 220 pounds. He plays right tackle on the offensive line for his football team and to see his growth this season was great. His team wasn't that great, they have issues actually acting like a team, but he improved in areas he needed work on. He used to struggle with smaller, faster defensive ends, but he worked hard with his coaches and found ways to block them this year. He played to the whistle. He would get pancake blocks that stunned me from the crowd. He worked with coaches individually in the offseason and you could tell it helped. He has told me he loves football and he is showing that by what he does on a field. Things will be different when he is in high school next year, but I know he has the talent and ability to be very good if he continues his hard work. As for hoops, he has been on my team since 5th grade, which is the C team in our feeder program. But each year he has added something new or really just started to literally throw his weight around on the court. I noticed him doing just that in a tournament last season, and the coach of the B team happened to be at that game. The coach approached me and said he wanted my kid on his team the next year. And luckily for my kid he had a great summer of basketball and a very good tryout. He made the B team and he has been doing some very nice things. He needs to get in basketball shape to continue, but to see him throwing around kids that may have a little more talent than him has been so nice for me. He's got a nice soft touch around the hoop. His passing has gotten way better. He could close out and rebound a little better for my taste, but I see his coaches working with him on that at practice. It is so nice to see his hard work pay off in the ways he has wanted and I'm very proud of him as a coach and a dad. We all want better for our kids, and in the case of my son and the sports he plays, he is better than I could have ever imagined being when I was 13.

That's it, those are my top five sports moments of 2025. Come back tomorrow when I give you my top five albums of the year. 

Ty

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

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Ty Predicts the College Football Playoff

Before I do my best of 2025 lists I want to do a NCAA College Football Playoff preview and prediction.

I love college football, I hope Michigan wins their bowl game, all that depends on what version of the team shows and the playoff has been fun to watch since they installed it in the game. I do find it hilarious the whole holier than thou stance that Notre Dame is taking since they didn't make the field. This whole idea that they're too good for any other bowl game is wild to me. I like their coach, but this is a bad move by him, the AD and the university. It will solve nothing, they will not be put into the playoff no matter what they do and they're giving up extra practices for younger players. I don't like that they are doing this, but that's where we are and they're going to have to deal with any consequences. With all that being said, let's get to my preview and prediction.

The top four teams that get a bye, in order from 1-4 are Indiana, the university of Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech. They have earned the rest and extra practice leading up to their playoff game.

The 5-12 matchup features Oregon and James Madison. Oregon is still explosive, but they have a solid defense now. I like Dante Moore, they have fast wideouts and can run the ball. The defense has kept them in games this year and they have some first round talent on that side of the ball. I truly don't know much about James Madison. I read that they are similar to Oregon, with different levels of talented players on their roster. James Madison may be like Boise State from last year, but without a Heisman finalist like Ashton Jeanty. I'll take Oregon here for a bunch of reasons, but mainly I just think they're better.

The 6-11 game has Tulane traveling to Ole Miss. This game is going to be very close, closer than many others think. The whole Lane Kiffin drama is going to linger around for a bit. I do like that they already have a new head coach and he is focusing on the game. But that whole ordeal was tough. Tulane also has an explosive offense with a very good QB. They beat USC in a high level bowl game a few seasons back too, so they know how to win big games. But, with a much improved defense and a coach in place, I'll go with Ole Miss, but it is going to be very close.

The 7-10 has Texas A&M playing Miami. I know the last time A&M was on the field they looked dead in the water. Texas beat them relatively easily. But A&M has Marcel Reed who is good and they can be explosive. Miami snuck into the playoff, but they have not been the same team they were at the beginning of the year. They are wildly inconsistent and Carson Beck has not been the steady hand they need. But the defense is elite and that is what got A&M last time. These teams are eerily similar, so I'm going to go with Miami due to having a better overall defense.

The 8-9 game should be interesting with Alabama facing Oklahoma. Alabama was the biggest shock to me getting in the playoff. They looked so overmatched in the SEC title game and they haven't looked great in the last month of the year. And Kalen DeBoer seems to choke in big time games. Oklahoma has an awesome and opportunistic defense. But the offense is a true wild card. John Mateer does some great things and then some head scratching things within the same drive. I'm going to go with Oklahoma in this one, but it is truly a toss up. Maybe the Alabama from earlier this season shows up and routs Oklahoma, but I just don't see that happening against a very good defense.

This leaves me with Oklahoma playing Indiana, Miami facing the university of Ohio State, Ole Miss playing Georgia and Oregon going up against Texas Tech.

If this game was a week ago I would have had no issues picking Oklahoma over Indiana. But then I saw Indiana in the Big Ten title game and they have an elite, elite defense. Their offense barely did anything and they still won. It was all about their defense. They are one of the top units in the country and they have shown up for every big game. I see them doing that here and moving on to the semis.

The university of Ohio State should cruise over Miami. Their offense is better, their defense is way, way better and they have the experience needed to win in the playoffs. Mario Cristobal will find a way to mess it up because that is what he does and the university of Ohio State will capitalize on every Miami miscue.

Georgia is going to boatrace Ole Miss. This game won't even be close. They should be able to go up and down the field on Ole Miss and this is going to be a blowout. It wouldn't surprise me if Georgia won by 21 plus points.

The best game in this round is Oregon and Texas Tech. This is a strength on strength matchup. Oregon's elite offense against Tech's superb defense. Oregon has a reputation for dimming in the bright lights, but they won't have the spotlight on them this time. Tech will be the talk of this matchup. And because of that I'm going with Oregon in this one.

That means the semifinals will have three Big Ten teams and one SEC team. It's pretty clear who runs college football at the moment.

I'm going to go with Oregon to get revenge and beat Indiana this time around. They showed earlier in the season that they can score on them, and Oregon is a better team than they were at that time. This will be a low scoring defensive battle and I just think Oregon will be able to win it due to having less of a spotlight on them this time around.

As for the university of Ohio State and Georgia, give me Georgia. Ryan Day will find a way to mess this up and Kirby Smart will use that to his team's advantage. This will also be a low scoring affair, and I think Stetson Bennett's legs will be the difference in another low scoring semifinal game.

So that leaves me with Oregon and Georgia playing for the title. As much as I'd like to see the Big Ten win a third straight title, Georgia should take this matchup. They are better, it will be a reunion of sorts with Dan Lanning and Kirby Smart and I think Georgia is just a little bit better in every facet of the game. So that means Georgia will be the 2026 NCAA Football National Champs.

As for the Heisman, who cares. This is a boring crop of players, and I bet they give it to Fernando Mendoza because of Indiana's excellent regular season.

Bowl games start this Saturday and the playoff will be here before we know it. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. 

Ty

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

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