Bam Adebayo Had a Good Game Last Night

Bam Adebayo did something incredible last night.

The Heat have been a pretty run of the mill franchise since the pandemic. Yes, they made a run to the finals a few years back, where they were crushed in five games by the Nuggets. And they had a similar run to the Finals in The Bubble. Other than that, they've been a play-in team or a team that doesn't get out of the first round of the playoffs. They are in that same position right now. I believe that they're in either 7th or 8th place in the East, with no real sign of making that top 6.

Last night I guess Bam decided he was sick and tired of being an also ran. Granted they were playing the Wizards, but Adebayo's stat line was one for the ages. And I didn't turn on the game until late in the third to watch what was happening. I got an update on my phone that he had 31 points after the first quarter. He outscored the Wizards himself in the quarter. He went into halftime with 42 points and I remember thinking it would be cool if he went for something like 60 or 70 points. Not once in my mind did I think he would eclipse those numbers. Then I saw he had 62 after the third quarter. That was when I figured I had to see what was going to happen. Bam finished the game with 83 points, the second highest single game scoring record in the NBA. He surpassed the 81 Kobe Bryant had over a decade ago. The only player with more in one game is Wilt Chamberlain, who famously scored 100 in a game once.

For this to come from a modern big in the modern NBA is special. Guys like Bam don't score this in any game. Ever. This was wild. I didn't believe it when I saw it. I like Bam Adebayo enough as a player. He is an incredible defensive center. He's also undersized, but he hustles his ass off and plays hard. He is one of the few Kentucky players who I have grown to like in the NBA. I also like how understated and about his business he is when he has interviews or something of the sort. When the game ended I had to go and look at the stat sheet. I needed to see it with my own two eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming all of this. He shot almost 50 percent from the field, going 20-43. He took far too many threes for my liking, 22, and he made 7 of them. That's a lot for a player like Bam. I have to assume that when he realized he was on fire from the field, he decided he had to start bombing threes. But the biggest stat, the one that made my eyes bulge, he was 36-43 from the free throw line.

I have griped constantly on this site about fouls and free throws, and this stat should be exhibit number one on how bad it has gotten in the NBA. But when I saw this last night I simply didn't care. Sure, he took as many free throws as he did field goals. Yes, he took 14 more free throws than the entire Wizards team. And the Heat took 59 free throws in total. I'm sure this game lasted much, much longer than it needed to, but Bam was in his bag last night. And he made 36 of them. That is amazing, Just imagine if he was 100 percent from the line last as well. He would have had 90 points. And just for good measure, Bam added 9 rebounds and 3 assists. He also chipped in a couple of blocks and steals. And he only committed 3 fouls all game. That is an amazing stat line for a month of a season. Bam did it in one night.

I am just flabbergasted at this whole thing. Stuff like this doesn't happen all the time, and when it is a big man, that makes me so happy. And when it is a guy like Bam Adebayo, it just makes me happy. I can remember being mad when Kobe did it, thinking he was hogging the ball. I couldn't have been more wrong. When a pro is on fire like that, and when they feel almost unconscious from the floor, they need to be fed and they need to shoot as many times as possible.

This game is going to go down in history. Hell, it kind of already has. But people should not forget this game by Bam anytime soon. He scored 83 points. His team won by 30. They may move up the standings. He contributed rebounds, steals, blocks and assists. He embraced his girlfriend and mom after the game. I am so happy that this happened to a good dude like Bam Adebayo. I implore you, go look at his stat line and watch some of the highlights from this game. It was amazing and Bam Adebayo is now in the record books for all time. That's pretty cool. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

The Girl Scouts Make a Few Great Peanut Butter Cookies

For years I have always said that Thin Mints are my favorite Girl Scout Cookie. I like them best when they're frozen, but they're just as good at room temperature. I like to put them in milk shakes. I don't drink glasses of milk all that often, but when Thin Mints are around, I'll mess with some milk and cookies. Thin Mints are still at the top of the mountain, but there are a few that are making some headway, and not only closing the gap, but taking over.

I'm talking about two cookies in particular, Tagalongs and Do Si Do's. These are two of the peanut butter varietal, which means me, my wife and son get even more since our daughter is allergic to peanuts. She is in the Girl Scouts now too, so we get early access to the cookies. Since my daughter has been selling cookies, we have been buying them. And Tagalongs and Do Si Do's seem to be getting better every year.

Do Si Do's are so good because they're peanut butter through and through. I'm not sure of the exact ingredients, but these cookies are like an explosion of peanut butter. I assume the cookie is made from peanut butter, or some kind of scientific peanut butter flavor. And it is damn delicious. Peanut butter is sweet and savory. You get the best of both worlds. My son is also currently obsessed with getting his protein everyday, and peanut butter packs a protein punch. The filling in Do Si Do's is also straight up peanut butter as well, and it just hits. But I think the best thing about the Do Si Do's is that it never gets too dry. The way they made these cookies, they crushed it. They never cake in your mouth. I don't feel like I have to instantly drink something after eating a few of these cookies. They have something in them that makes you want to keep going back for more and more. Do Si Do's have been, and all credit to my wife for being the first to say this to me, the unsung hero of cookies so far this year. They truly are the unsung hero. They are just a damn good cookie, and I'm kind of shocked more people haven't made some kind of simulacrum. And speaking of milk, my wife has been having a nice glass of milk whenever she eats her Do Si Do's, and I'm thinking I may just try the same thing whenever I have some Do Si Do's next.

But, the cookie that is becoming the biggest threat to the crown of Thin Mints for me is the Tagalong. I'm having the best time with Tagalongs lately. They're so delicious. Tagalong is very simple in its structure, but the taste is incredible. Tagalongs are a crunchy cookie with a peanut butter filling and it is covered in chocolate. Simple right? But all of those flavors make for one fantastic combination. They remind me of the flavors of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, but in a more compact form, which is somehow easier to eat. I love Reese's. It's one of the best candy ever invented. But Tagalongs can be eaten by the sleeve if one chooses. With Reese's, after two peanut butter cups at most, I'm stuffed. But, and this is kind of embarrassing to say, I've eaten ten Tagalongs in one sitting, and probably could have eaten more if I truly went for it. The crispiness of the crunchy cookie is a great texture difference to the smooth peanut butter. I'm usually a crunchy peanut butter fan, but that wouldn't work in this cookie. It has to be smooth peanut butter for this cookie to work. And the chocolate shell around it all gives it the perfect sweetness. It brings the whole cookie together in harmony.

Thin Mints are still on top of the mountain. They're still my favorite. They're still the one Girl Scout cookie I go for first. But the Tagalongs and Do Si Do's are making their way up the rankings, and maybe next year when my daughter sells cookies again, maybe I will reach for Tagalongs or Do Si Do's before the Thin Mints. Time will tell, but these 2 flavors have really hit the spot for me this 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 Watches "Predator: Badlands"

While I am admittedly last to the "Predator" game, I didn't see the original until the beginning of the pandemic, but I, to this point, have seen most of the movies that have been released. My personal favorite is "Prey". I just love the whole backstory and how quiet and confident that movie was when I saw it. My son has finally seen the original, and he loved it, and yesterday I sat down and watched "Predator: Badlands".

I tried to see the movie in the theaters, but the timing got away from me. I heard plenty of people, people whose movie suggestions I trust, say it was good enough, but no one really went any further on the movie. Then I heard someone recently talking about it on a podcast, and that energized me to finally watch it. It's nice that it is streaming on Hulu as well, a service which we subscribe to. So I sat back while everyone was out yesterday and tuned in.

I really enjoyed this movie. It is one of the more fun versions of "Predator". The original movies were supposed to be kind of scary, or that was what I thought when they were released. That's not the case anymore, and those are just straight up action movies. The stuff in the middle, like "AVP" and stuff of that ilk, I have avoided. I heard those are not good, not even fun good, so I'm going to skip them. I did see the more recent one with Adrien Brody and Topher Grace, and I thought it was fine, but they took it too seriously. That version was missing the fun from the Arnold movie. Then "Prey" came out and changed the game for me. With "Prey" I felt that they were finally telling us some stories from the actual Predator's viewpoint.

"Predator: Badlands", for all intents and purposes, is an origin story about a Predator. Sure, this movie has some adult themes in it, the whole opening act is brutal, but the movie plays out like a videogame when the Predator gets to Genna and starts to work with Thia, played by Elle Fanning. Fanning is really good in this movie by the way. She plays dual roles, as Thia and Tessa, and she does some solid work. She is playing two totally different characters too, and she brings levity to both. Thia is way cooler and more fun than Tessa, but Tessa has her moments too. I like the whole idea of her being two robots that were given feelings. They act on feelings, and to do that with robots makes this movie make sense.

But don't get it twisted. This movie is all about Dek's journey. From start to finish, Dek is onscreen with us. Dek is the younger brother of a pretty excellent Predator, and he just wants to follow in his footsteps, and maybe prove that he is not the runt of the litter and a worthy fighter. And we get a ton of action after the opening sequence, which is filled with action as well when their dad shows up. Throughout the movie we get some kick ass video game action sequences that are fun to watch. When Dek lands on Genna it is immediately on for him. He has to fight the elements while looking for the biggest trophy he can think of. This planet they created for the movie is dope. Everything can be used for battle. The trees attack Dek. There's plants that can paralyze you. The grass is as sharp as razor blades. The animals are big and ruthless and some can regenerate. Even the nice animals, one in particular who joins Dek and Thia's fight, have some vicious fangs and awesome fighting skills. I'm not usually a fan of slow motion in movies, but it works so well in this one. It is almost needed. Dek is such a fast fighter that the slow motion actually helps you see what he is doing. I like when slow mo is used properly, and they do it great justice in this movie.

I mentioned Fanning earlier, and when she shows up the movie kicks into gear. This is essentially building a team type of movie, and they do that pretty wonderful here. They have their trials and tribulations, but in the end they're there for one another and that makes the climatic scene even better.

So while I think "Prey" is a better overall movie, I had a blast watching "Badlands".  It was fun, had jokes, cool fight scenes and made me want to know more and more backstory on Predators past and future. I would definitely recommend checking this movie out. It is well worth your time. 

Ty

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

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Foul Culture in Basketball Stinks Right Now

The complaining about officiating in the NBA, and men's college basketball for this matter, has gotten out of hand. Look, I've never been a fan of refs. When I was a player I disliked them, and as a coach for junior basketball now, I dislike them even more. Refs make decisions based on biases, on a feeling or if they are mad at someone for coming after them. They tend to make proper calls more times than not, but it's still a feelings based job. It's frustrating and annoying, but that's the way it is. The problem I have is twofold, kids I coach are acting like current players, and the talk to the media is becoming way, way too much. I want to touch on the kids acting like current college and pro players first.

I have coached my son since he was in third grade. He is an eighth grader now, and it has gotten worse every year towards refs. No one takes accountability. Whenever they get called for a foul they put their hands up and say the refs are bad. When they do get a clean block or steal, but a foul is called, you'd think the refs had made a joke at their family's expense. The kids that I now coach, if you ask them, have never once committed a foul. Whenever they are called for one they think the ref is out to get them. It was so bad this year that I told them during practices I wasn't going to call anything unless it was egregious, just to try to get them used to the reffing in our league. They would get so mad at me that they would complain about a lack of foul calls in a team scrimmage. That is sickening to me. It is not always the ref's fault. Kids commit fouls on almost every single play. It's the truth. But, when my eighth graders watch men's college games, or the NBA, they see their favorite players getting called for fouls, throwing their hands up and screaming at the refs, putting all the blame on them. It has to stop.

I could say the same thing for falling down on the ground to try and draw fouls. I have kids who aren't great, so their solution to being on the floor is to fall down, hoping that the refs call a foul on the opposition. I will have kids blatantly miss layups, go to the ground and get free throw shots. Or, if they don't get a foul call, gripe the rest of the game. This destroys any flow we may have at the moment. The second a kid drops to the ground, that kills any team defense you want to play. This is rampant more so in the men's college game too. I was watching some games during the week and I noticed so many kids trying to draw contact as opposed to just making layups. And if they don't get the call, they spend their time picking themselves up off the floor and griping at the refs all the way down, essentially making it four on five going the other way. This is just an awful new occurrence in games. Kids don't know how to properly shoot layups because they see their favorite players going for contact instead of just making the shot. Kids need to stay on their feet, and so do the pros and men's college players.

Now to the NBA.

Look, I get it, the Thunder get away with murder. Shai Gilgeous Alexander knows how to contort his body and get foul calls. They mug their opposition going for steals every single night. But the foul stuff is not what makes this team great. They play hellacious defense. They have the MVP on their team. They have a great frontcourt on defense. They have rim protectors. They have everything a title winning team needs. It is not just the fouls that have gotten them to this level. So for the coaches going to the media, none of you are Phil Jackson or Greg Poppovich. This doesn't work like it used to. Refs aren't going to watch these press conferences where a coach berates refs and starts to get calls all of the sudden. Also, what star player, past, present or future, hasn't foul baited? Michael Jordan did it all the time. LeBron James is still doing it to this day. Luka Doncic spends more time with the refs than he does playing defense. Shaq spent his early career at the foul line. As did Kobe, Wilt and Hakeem Olajuwon. Star players in the NBA get preferential treatment. That is how it has always been and always will be. So coaching bringing this nonsense up again is just that, nonsense. It's also sour grapes. Just deal with it. As for LeBron groaning about "marginal" calls, get the hell over you. You are the second greatest player of all time. You have gotten so many preferable calls throughout your illustrious career. I feel like he has only gotten worse with the refs since Luka Doncic joined the Lakers. But for LeBron to come after the refs, don't bite the hand that feeds you, especially at 41 years old now.

Refs aren't great. They have a tough job and 50 percent of them are not very good at what they do. They also get too involved in important games, and no one is in those arenas to watch the refs. But the constant griping, on court and off, that has to stop. It is making it even tougher to watch full games at this point. Basketball is not the sport I used to watch. People are too busy flopping, or trying to draw contact, or yelling at the refs. The game isn't as beautiful as it could be, and I think it can get back to that if the stuff with the refs calms down a bit. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Thoughts on "The Bear" Coming to an End

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Better Never Than Late on "The Whale"

I had been putting it off for sometime now, but since it is about to leave HBO Max, I sat down and watched "The Whale". Let’s discuss.

I wanted to see it when it came out, but I never got around to it in the theaters. I kind of forgot about it, but then Brendan Fraser won the Oscar for best actor when the movie came out. I then forgot about it again, until the podcast "Doughboys" started talking about it. The stuff they said about the movie piqued my interest one more time. I still took my sweet time to watch it, but "Doughboys" kept bringing it up and I just had to watch.

So I did watch the movie, and I was not a fan of this movie. I get it. I get why people liked this movie, why Fraser was nominated and why he won. I understand the work that Fraser put into this role and he acted his ass off. But this movie was not for me.

First off, I'm not crazy about movies that are adapted from plays. Plays are their own thing. They're performed on stages for a reason. They are quiet and take their time telling you the story. When you go to a play you're prepared for that. When you go to a movie, it, for me, just feels boring. The moments of silence that work on stage don't work the same for me watching a movie. I have never really enjoyed my time watching a movie adapted from a play. It doesn't work for me.

I also found this movie to be melodramatic. It hit all the cliche notes one could want from a story like this. Fraser never left his house because he felt he would be judged for how he looked. And when people saw him, they judged him. The pizza delivery guy scene near the end frustrated the hell out of me. When he finally saw Fraser, the face the actor made was disgusting and offensive. When his students finally see him their jaws drop and they start to pull their phones out to take pictures. I don't get this. There are plenty of people who may be overweight or obese that are out in the open everyday. To be honest, my wife and daughter enjoy the show "1000 LB Sisters", and Fraser's character in this movie is smaller than the family on that show at their heaviest. Sure, Fraser is big. He needs a walker and anchors to help him get in bed. But I have seen plenty of people bigger than Fraser out in the public on the daily. I also kind of despised how they treated the female characters in this movie. First off, Hong Chau is the only female character I felt was written properly, but she still had moments where she was out and out mean. She yells at Fraser about chewing properly when he almost chokes. That is a totally normal thing to happen, but the way they had Chau go into him made me angry. I actively disliked Sadie Sink in this movie. She was mean, angry at the world, plotted against everyone and acted like an entitled moody teenager. Maybe that is how the character is in the play, but in this movie she was mean and nasty all the way to the end. I was rooting against her the whole time. And Samantha Morton, who plays his ex wife, is in one scene and I felt like she was just there to yell and scream and be mad that her daughter isn't who she wanted her to be. She is loud and angry. Her mood switches at  the drop of the hat. She walks on screen and storms off after a blowout with Fraser. The writing for women in this movie was not great in my opinion.

As for Fraser, I said I understand why he won, but his performance was not otherworldly to me, He portrayed an obese person very well, but I also felt it was kind of hammy. The binge eating scene was gross. The constant coughing was distracting. He never got angry or frustrated at all of the people who yelled at him or made faces at him. It was a soap opera-esque performance to me. I also kind of hated the sound in this movie. You could hear every crunch and chew of food. You could hear the wheezing. You could hear everything and it was as rough to listen as it was to watch.

Darren Aronofsky is really hit or miss with me, and "The Whale" was a big fat miss for me. I'm a chubby guy myself, and I felt like this movie was about fat shaming Fraser. I get all the jokes "Doughboys" have been making now too, which is going to make future listens even better. I'd skip "The Whale" if you want my recommendation. It is melodramatic nonsense. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Ty Watches "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You"

I finally watched "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You". I have wanted to see this movie ever since Rose Bryne started to get all the accolades and nominations. That is literally the only way I heard about the movie to be honest with you. I had no idea that this was even a thing until the recognition started.

I went into this movie not knowing much about it either. I knew about Bryne's performance, that ASAP Rocky was in the movie and that it was intense. All of those things were true.

The movie focuses on Bryne's character, who is a working mother who may or may not be going through a nervous breakdown. She has a daughter that has a feeding tube in her stomach, her husband is away on business and her apartment gets flooded in one of the first scenes. The movie just takes off from there. All of the talk, the recognition, the accolades, it's all well deserved. Rose Bryne is incredible in this movie. I have only seen a bit of her work prior to this, and all of those movies have been comedies. She is great in those roles as well. This movie is not a comedy. It is very  far from a comedy. But Bryne is more than up to task. Her portrayal of this mom covers every emotion. I'm a parent to two kids, and some days are harder than others. This movie puts Bryne's character in all of the most messed up situations one could imagine and she has to deal with all of this while raising her daughter alone. Her husband is away on business, and we mostly only hear his voice in the movie. All the while, Bryne has to deal with the flooded apartment, living with her daughter in a hotel, a horrific ordeal with a hamster, her daughter's illness, a support group she hates, her patients at her practice, her own therapist, the younger adults that work at the hotel and an angrier than normal parking lot attendant. She handles each and every situation with a different emotion and it is masterful work from her. All throughout I felt her pain. I also felt her annoyance. I love and adore my kids more than anything, but they can be annoying from time to time. The daughter in this is sick and constantly complaining and scared. That can get to a parent. That can be a struggle. I felt for her when she just wanted some alone time. Sometimes being alone, as a parent, is the best feeling in the world. It's quiet and no one is asking you for anything or telling you a story. It's glorious. I understood her just wanting to get away near the end of the movie. Everything came to a head and she just wanted out. Bryne portrayed that excellently. She is more than deserving of the awards she has already won, and the Oscar nomination makes way more sense to me now.

I do want to point out the solid work from Conan O'Brien and ASAP Rocky. Conan O'Brien plays the Bryne's therapist, and he is doing zero comedy in this movie. He is greatly cast as the level headed therapist opposite Bryne. He has his stuff figured out and all he is trying to do is help Bryne. She doesn't see it that way, but that is what he's doing. I was stunned by O'Brien's work here. ASAP Rocky was a revelation. He is nice and tries to help Bryne. He wants to show her how to properly relax. He tries to get her to just have a good time with him. And when he gets hurt, the anger is palpable and believable. He gets screwed over by Bryne in this movie, and ASAP Rocky does a solid job acting this character out properly, He definitely has a budding future as an actor.

When I finished the movie I sat back and thought about it. The movie is okay with a tremendous performance. The movie is also really difficult and really intense. They deal with some heavy stuff here. That was to be expected as the movie played out, but it is hard to sit through more than once. I won't be revisiting the movie, but I'm glad I watched. Performances like Bryne's don't come around too often, and a chance to watch an actor knock it out of the park is worth the watch when it comes around. That is exactly what Bryne does here. I would say watch this movie only once just so you can bear witness to one of the better performances of last year. Rose Bryne is amazing and worth the watch. 

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.

I Will Be the Next Great Viii Sports Athlete

One of my favorite things to watch on the weekend is ESPN The Ocho. For a few years now ESPN News takes the weekends off and becomes The Ocho.

For people that may not know what The Ocho is, it is a joke from the movie "Dodgeball". Back when that movie was made the mere idea of dodgeball being on tv was so crazy that they had to make up a network that didn't exist. ESPN took that idea and ran with it. When The Ocho is on ESPN News they show all kinds of odd sporting events. One day we saw bandsaw races. That is exactly what you think. People took their band saws from home, suped them up and they have them race other suped up band saws. They show lots of wiffle ball and omega ball. They have corgi races. They have some events like slippery stairs and beer stein holding competitions. But this past weekend I saw my new favorite sporting event, and it is one that I am literally going to try to get involved in.

We were flipping through the channels, we got bored of basketball and my dad and son told me to channel surf. Then I happened to come across The Ocho and a sport called Viii Sports. For people that may not know what this is, Viii Sports is an event that consists of eight quick sports competitions and each contestant is scored on how many hits or makes they have, and how fast they finish the event. It all starts with chipping three golf balls into a grassy area that has some circles painted on it and a tee. Then the contestants have to throw three softballs in the air and hit them with a bat. Then they have to hit three tennis balls into a net, make three shots on a basketball hoop from short distances, throw three footballs through an open target, kick three soccer ball into a small net, throw three medicine balls over a line that is a certain distance away and finish it off with what looked to be about a 20 yard sprint.

I was immediately enamored by what I was watching. It looked so simple and so very fun. The contestants looked like regular people. They had stay at home parents, people who worked office jobs and people who head up programs at their local YMCA's. It all seemed so achievable and easily doable. While watching my son convinced me to sign up for their newsletter and it actually seems kind of easy to get involved. All you have to do is have a local YMCA that holds an invitational every year. The hang up for me, they are not doing it in my area as of now. I will be contacting the people involved to see if they are going to come to Saint Louis anytime soon. But they do have competitions in Wichita, which isn't too terribly far from me. It is a very drivable distance.

While watching, I truly think I could do this sport and do it at a high level. I'm not a great golfer, but I am a good mini golf player. And the chip into a certain area is a skill I think I could develop pretty quickly. I played baseball growing up, and coached my son when he played. When I was a coach my main job was to hit ground balls to the team before practices and games. Throwing a ball up in the air and making contact is second nature to me. I don't play tennis, but my sister in law does and I'm sure she would help me out with volleying a ball into a small netted area. Basketball is my favorite sport, I played and coach it, and the distances they have to shoot from go no further than a free throw. That was where I lived when I played. I was a big man that was allowed to only venture out to the elbows and free throw line for my shots. I always dreamed of being a QB when I was a kid, but I was too big. I was a defensive end. But I was always throwing a ball and i tend to gravitate towards carnival games that require throwing a ball through a circle net with an opening. And I think I'm pretty accurate. I can kick a soccer ball through a net, and not make it rise. When I looked for a local sports company, and was asked to do soccer demonstrations, short kicks into a net was my bag. That was all I knew how to do, and do well. Chucking medicine balls is fun too. I used to do this as a goof when I would throw shot put from time to time in high school. I just like hucking medicine balls. And a 20 yard sprint would be just what I would need to close it all out. I think I could do really, really well at this. I will say, the people on tv made it look easy, but I'm sure it is tougher than it looks. But I still want to give it a go.

I highly suggest people go check out Viii Sports. It is fun and looks like pretty much anyone could be a star if they put their minds to it. 

Ty

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

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Is There a Market for Anthony Richardson

While I was out exercising this afternoon I got a news alert on my phone that Anthony Richardson was able to seek a trade from the Colts. Let’s discuss.

I had high hopes for Richardson when he entered the draft. Florida wasn't very good in his final season, but he was one hell of an athlete. He kept them in many more games than they ever should have been in that season. He had a tremendous arm and he could manipulate the defense with his legs. He was like a bigger, although lesser of an athlete, Lamar Jackson. Don't get me wrong, Jackson is a much better QB and he has more than proven that, I just got Jackson vibes from Richardson when I watched him at Florida. He didn't disappoint at the combine either. He lit it up in fact. He did so well that he turned that into being the fourth overall pick in the draft his year. And he was in line to start right away for the Colts. He did and he would make plays here and there. He would do things that looked incredible. Then he would make a boneheaded throw, or run when he didn't have to. It was to be expected from a young QB in the NFL.

Then the injuries started to pile up. Richardson was a high pick in fantasy drafts his first two seasons, but then he would seemingly get hurt in week two or three. He was so useful in fantasy because of his ability to throw and run. But you can't do that when you're on the bench in street clothes. Then the Colts went out and got Daniel Jones in the offseason. And when they announced Jones as the starter I chuckled to myself. I figured the Colts were going all in on a tank job to get the top pick in this draft. But Daniel Jones played well. He did some solid things and he looked like he was going to lead the Colts to the playoffs and Jones was going to be a pro bowler. Then he got hurt. And instead of giving the starting nod to Richardson, they went out and signed Phillip Rivers, who's older than me. They convinced Richardson to take care of his plethora of injuries and opted for a 44 year old QB. What a crock. The Colts nosedived out of the playoffs and now Richardson is free to test the market.

The issue I see him running into though, there aren't too many teams that are going to start him over their incumbent QB. His current team has moved on to Daniel Jones. The Titans, Bears, Jags and Packers all have proven, yet young starters at QB. The Dolphins, Steelers and Cardinals should all be looking for new QB's in the draft or in free agency, but I bet they will want someone more established, or at the very least, proven. Other teams in the playoffs or hunt for the playoffs already have guys they count on. The Lions are set. The Eagles are all good. The Ravens have the best QB in the league. The Commanders will get Jayden Daniels back next season. They're all good.

So when I look around at teams that may go for Richardson in a trade, he will be going somewhere to back someone up, or be a one year bridge QB until they can move on to the younger guy. The Raiders are most likely going to draft Fernando Mendoza first overall and roll the dice with him. Richardson may be a solid option to back him up, but I don't think he will want to do that for a full season again. The Giants seem to be set with Jaxson Dart. The Saints found out they like Tyler Shough. The Bengals still have Joe Burrow and the Cowboys are sticking with Dak Prescott. These are some of the teams drafting in the top 15, and they won't be looking to give up big money for a backup QB.

When I look at it, when I take a step back and try to find a team that Richardson can go to and possibly start, there's only two teams on my mind, the Jets and Vikings. The Jets have already moved on from Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor. They want Mendoza, but they have the second pick and he will be gone by then. They'd be foolish to take a QB at the number two pick, so maybe they would give Richardson a shot to start. He is bigger and more consistent with the ball than Fields. He can make more plays with his legs as well. The problem is, Aaron Glenn needs to show some progress in year two, and if Richardson isn't that dude, or gets hurt, he will be in the exact same position as this last season, and that may cost him his job.

As for the Vikings, they have said that JJ McCarthy is not the definite starter going into next season. And they don't have many great options on the bench right now. I have heard that they are kicking around bringing back Kirk Cousins, but I would stay the hell away from that if I were them. Richardson is bigger and more athletic than McCarthy. McCarthy has a better arm, but not by much. McCarthy has also proven that he cannot stay healthy for more than a few weeks at a time. But I could say the same thing about Richardson. But, if I were the Vikings, and I'm in the market for a dual threat QB with a ton of upside, and who may need to prove himself, I'd take a flyer on Richardson and have him and McCarthy battle it out this entire offseason. And if Kevin O'Connell is this "QB whisperer", that could be proved tenfold if he can get anything out of Anthony Richardson, even if it is just a one year bridge to the next franchise QB for the Vikings. 

We will see where the next chapter of Anthony Richardson’s career is next.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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I Tried the Viral Cheesecake Trend

Recently there was a viral video going around of people taking cheesecake filling and adding cookies to it and letting it sit overnight. Some people added Biscoff cookies, others, Oreos. I saw some people putting graham crackers in there and I'm sure many others tried out various other cookies.

I kind of pushed this aside and moved on to the next video. But my son was adamant about these videos. He brought it up to me many, many times. I would tell him that we would try it later, but I never committed to it one way or another. I also thought of how caloric and gross it would be to have a tub of cheesecake filling sitting in our fridge that we stuffed cookies into. But then I remembered that some other people on the internet were using full fat greek yogurt to mimic the same thing. Now, this isn't all that much healthier, but it is better than cheesecake filling stuffed with cookies. So I eventually relented and let my son buy the necessary ingredients to make it at home. He was persistent and I was sick and tired of saying no.

So we got a big tub of Greek yogurt and my son opted for Oreos, which was a good choice I thought. And we went about doing it the same way we saw on the videos. My son shoved the cookies in the tub of yogurt and we let it sit. It was easy for him to wait because he had school the next day and he had decided that he was going to try it out as his snack. Well, when he got home he had to wait a little longer, I wanted his sister to try it with him. And he decided that he wanted us all to try it. So after I picked her up from school we all got our spoons and tried this.

The anticipation had gotten to all of us. And it was kind of a letdown for me. It is simply just yogurt with softened Oreos. I'm sure it is the same thing with Biscoff cookies. The wait softens the cookies up and then it is similar to eating yogurt with granola, or milk and cereal. It is tasty. I mean, how could it not be? The sweetness the Oreos brought was a nice counterbalance to the tangy and tart yogurt. But that was expected. I figured this would blow my socks off.

Maybe it would have been different if we did it with cheesecake filling, but why even bother at this point. I would rather just make a cheesecake and eat that, which my wife recently did and it was awesome. She made a salted caramel cheesecake for the family and it was ten times better than the Oreos mixed with the Greek yogurt. I think I prefer the cheesecake because of the graham cracker crust. That is the biggest selling point for me of cheesecake. I adore the crust. That is totally gone in this context. It is literally just the filling, which can be fine, but on its own it is lacking. When you have this viral dessert all you are getting is the filling, and to me that would be like only eating the icing off of a cake. The cake is the best part of a cake. The icing can be overly sweet and way too filling. The cake adds a nice textual difference that is needed in sweet dessert. When a dessert gets overly sweet it is tough to eat as much as you may want. That's the main issue I have with this viral dessert. It's just too filling and too sweet.

I also don't like how soft the cookies get in the viral dessert. You need a texture difference. You need something crunchy or thick to balance out all the softness. And a graham cracker crust also adds a mild saltiness that is needed. That tiny bit of salt can make a world of difference. It mildly cuts out the sweetness.

I am not as big a fan as I thought I was going to be of this viral cheesecake filling dessert. It's too much of a good thing. It's way too American to make something like this as well. We are so greedy and selfish as Americans that we think a cheesecake only filling dessert is something we need. I'm here to say we don't need this. It is too sweet and too filling. I'd say if you are on the fence about trying this viral dessert, I'd say skip it and have a slice of real cheesecake instead. That is much better. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Reality Check"

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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.

Stavros Halkias Delivered at His St. Louis Show

Over the weekend I had tickets to see Stavros Halkias do stand up. Let’s discuss.

For people that may not know who Stavros is, he has his own podcast, he is one of the better touring stand ups on the road right now, had a small but memorable role in "Bugonia", and he starred in a movie a few years ago called "Let's Start A Cult". Stavros stays working, and whenever he is a guest on a podcast I listen to, I'm always amped to hear what he has to say. Now, I was almost not able to go to this show. I had two tickets, and my buddy who I was supposed to go with got sick. Luckily my brother was off work Friday night, and he was more than willing to attend. He is a Stavros fan as well. I anticipated a good time because, when I tried to purchase tickets for the 7pm show, I couldn't find two seats together. so, I had to adjust and get two tickets next to one another for the late show, a 9:30pm start. This made me optimistic. That meant he was selling out Saint Louis, which usually means this person will come back to do more shows.

So, as we settled into our seats, I really didn't know what to expect. I prefer earlier shows because I'm old and like to go to bed by 11 every night. But when we got to our seats, the theater was probably about 95 percent full, and a lot of the people in the crowd were my age. The opener was solid. He did about 20 minutes and his stand up was pretty solid. He was also able to improv on the spot, which I always like, and he had some sports centric jokes which I appreciate. His name is Anthony Devito, and I believe he has been Stavros' opening act during this tour.

Then, a little after 10pm, Stavros took the stage and commanded the crowd for about 75 minutes. You could tell early on how much of a pro Stavros is at stand up comedy. His segues were perfect. He was able to bounce from bit to bit with ease. When he would do some kind of contortion with his face or body, it was seamless and added a ton to the bit. He also brought up timely topics and made it funny. We all know that the world is in a horrible place, and while Stavros noted that, he also buttoned it with jokes that had me cackling from my seat. My brother goes to live shows all the time, but for him it is music. He hasn't seen much live stand up comedy, and I was happy to have a little more knowledge than him at a live event. He has always looked out for me at concerts we have gone to together, but Friday night he was in my world. He found the show funny too. He was laughing harder than me at times. What stuck out to me was how well of a job Stavros handled the crowd. He had some planned crowd work in his act, but when it wasn't planned he was at the top of his game. He called out a "Star Wars" fan at the top of the show and that was dynamite. He had a bit about being an in vitro baby, and he used that as another chance to do more crowd work. He used local landmarks and areas for some more great crowd work. Outside of that, Stavros knows how to own a crowd and go with the ebbs and flows. He did a very long bit about being an uncle now and that was perfect. The jokes he made as being the weird uncle had me cracking up. But he was also very sincere when talking about his nephew, and I loved that. He had some great jokes about the horrific administration we unfortunately have to deal with at the moment. But what stood out most to me, what will always stay with me, was his runner about taking Zep Bound. Zep Bound is a weight loss drug. Others may know it by its other names, Ozempic or Wegovy. I personally have been taking Wegovy for a few months now and it is working. But hearing Stavros talk about his journey on this drug was dynamite and I totally related to it. Every joke hit me in a specific spot and I loved it. When he talked about having to literally jab the shot into your stomach, that was the cream of the crop for me. I also really liked it when he explained to the crowd about having to leave the meds in the fridge, which means you have to take the medicine out of a space in your home where you keep all your good food.

I was all in, excited and the show fully delivered. I cannot recommend going to see Stavros Halkias live if you get the chance. He is one of the best in the business and that more than comes across when you see him live. Check out his show. 

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.

Better Late Than Never on "Bring Her Back"

I've been on a kick of watching movies from A24 lately. Lucky for me HBO Max has a whole category dedicated to this particular production company. I've gone back and rewatched some of my favorites, but I just finished "Bring Her Back".

I understand that the brothers who directed this also directed "Talk to Me", which I haven't seen just yet but is on my list. I picked "Bring Her Back" because I heard that Sally Hawkins gives an amazing performance, and since Amy Madigan was excellent in "Weapons", I wanted to see another actor I like play a very villainous villain. That was the main draw for me, and according to the minimal reviews I read, she is wonderfully heinous in the movie. So I turned it on and sat down and was traumatized, in a good way, by what I saw.

Right off the bat, this movie is not for the faint of heart. This is a tough movie with some heavy themes being dealt with. The whole crux of the movie is, a foster brother and sister's dad passes away and they are sent to live with Hawkins character. There's another young man living in the house with them, and this kid seems a little off. The brother is clearly going through some awful stuff, and the sister, who is legally blind, needs him to help her get around. The young man living with Hawkins is mute and left in locked rooms during the day. We come to find out that Hawkins is dealing with grief all her own. Her daughter, who was afflicted with the same eye disease the new girl has, died after being left alone by the house pool. She hit her head, fell in and did not make it. As the movie unfolds it gets more and more sinister and chilling. And Hawkins is at the forefront of every problem. She, after taking the children to their father's funeral, encourages the young kid to drink alcohol to deal with the pain. After their night of drinking, Hawkins makes the kid believe that he has wet the bed, a problem from his past trauma. But it is Hawkins who puts the wet spot on his pants. We see that. After Hawkins and the daughter go shopping, the two young boys living at the house have, or try to, a conversation. This is where the movie gets gross, and starts to explain itself. After the older boy gives the younger boy a piece of fruit, still on the knife, we hear some clanking metal sounds. The older one turns and sees the younger one trying to eat the knife. His face is all cut up, and as one would expect, Hawkins freaks out. The movie only gets crazier from there. Hawkins continues to torment the older boy, making him think he is crazy, that he hit his sister in his sleep and that he is the problem and needs to leave their house. The older boy doesn’t believe he is doing any of this, and even comes to find out that maybe the younger boy living in the house has been kidnapped. This is proven to be true. Before that was proven, we come to find out what Hawkins is truly up to, and it is upsetting/ Spoilers ahead. I mentioned that Hawkins' daughter has passed away. Well, she has kidnaped this young kid and had him possessed. He eats all the stuff in the house, knives and tables included, because the possessor is hungry. This boy is there to eat the "soul" of Hawkins' deceased daughter so it can purge it into the new foster daughter. Hawkins' character has made this plan and she is trying to set it in motion. She truly goes too far. She kills the older brother and his caseworker, her friend, when they find out the plan. She tells the new daughter what she is going to do. She is on the way to completing the plan until the new daughter actually calls her "mum", just so she will release her. The movie concludes with the daughter getting away, the kidnapped kid, who is badly hurt, getting rescued and the mom and her deceased daughter laying in a pool of water with police barreling down on her.

As I said before, this is a tough movie with gruesome themes. But I felt that the directors and writers did a very good, and unique, job of showing how far some will go when dealing with grief. They did dedicate the movie to a friend of theirs that unexpectedly died while they were making the movie. But the reason I would recommend this movie, and steer people towards it is Sally Hawkins' performance. She is so evil and so mean but she is also understated about it in the best possible way. She is sinister, but you also start to believe her at certain points. The things she does are truly awful, but then she will talk about her daughter and that makes you stop in your tracks. I think next to Madigan's performance, Hawkins' is the next best villain in a movie from 2025. If you do watch, it is a tough movie to get through, but you will also be rewarded with a tremendous performance from Sally Hawkins. 

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.

Is the New "Animal Farm" Movie for Kids?

I wrote about the movie "GOAT" that I saw with my son earlier this week. Before the movie we had some previews and one stood out to me, and I fear it is for the wrong reasons.

"GOAT" is clearly a movie for kids, so the previews were movies geared towards kids. During one of the trailers I saw a bunch of animals talking and acting like animals from the book "Animal Farm". But I figured that couldn't be the case. "Animal Farm", the book, is pretty bleak. I've read it a few times and it gets bleaker the older I get. I need to say, I love the book. I think everyone should read it once in their life. I feel it is very relevant to society today. I mentioned to my son multiple times during the preview that I think he should read the book to get the true idea of its meaning. So the whole idea of turning this very important, very bleak story into a kids movie rubbed me the wrong way.

As the preview rolled out it almost seemed like they were trying to make it a comedy. The preview had the beats of the book, but it was all being told in a goofy, funny tone. The pigs were making jokes. The other animals were laughing and goofing off. The animation made it look very child-like. They even had the line, "two legs bad, four legs good". But it sounded as if they had a child say it in voiceover.

That is not the lesson I got from the book when I read it. The book is all about standing together to overthrow the bad guys, but then turning into said bad guys when you get power. It is the good and bad of having power. The book tells that story and tells it very well. The pigs are, spoiler alert, the bad guys. They start the revolution, but when they are given the power they get too fat off of it. The book shows you the downside of being in total control. This preview makes a joke of all of that in my opinion. I have mild optimism because Andy Serkis is directing, and the voice cast is great, led by Seth Rogan. But I got a very weird vibe from what I saw. I just can't wrap my head around it.

I've wanted an "Animal Farm" movie for a long, long time. But I want it to stay true to the book. I don't care if it is animated or live action either. Animated might be better since the animals speak to one another throughout the book. But this version has thrown me for a loop. I am kind of hopeful that the preview is just a misdirect. I doubt it since they showed it before a kids movie. And that is what has me most pessimistic. I don't think studios would have attached this to the movie "GOAT" if they weren't going for the same audience. "Animal Farm" should fall into the category of "Heavy Metal" or "Fritz the Cat". You can make animated movies for adults. It has been done in the past. And that is what they should be doing with "Animal Farm". They can have this same cast. As I mentioned, I love that Andy Serkis is directing. He has made one hell of a career for himself, but he is doing more drama/action stuff. Serkis doesn't seem like the type to do kids movies. But I am a little worried that they're going to sully the greatness that is the book. I could just choose to not see the movie. I don't have to even go to the theater. But I like all of the people involved, and it is one of my all time favorite books. Like I said before, I hope they are not revealing much of anything in these early previews, and they are going to make a more true to the book movie.

Time will tell. but right now I'm a little concerned that they're going to take this excellent book, about the corruption of power, and try to make a joke out of it. That would bume me the hell out. 

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.

I Have a Way to Fix the NBA's Tanking Problem

The NBA has a tanking issue. It has become quite apparent and something needs to be done. Let’s discuss.

I love basketball, and in particular, the NBA. It is the purest and best form of basketball. The athleticism, the shooting, the defense, it is a true joy to watch. It is my version of ballet. I love it. But, especially at this point of the season, the teams that are out of the playoff picture start to tank games for better draft position. It waters down the games and it's a true drag to watch as a fan.

I'm currently rooting for a team that is in tank mode, and let me tell you, it bums me out. The Grizzlies have been out of it for awhile now, and lately they're putting players out there that I don't even know. They have a bunch of two-way guys, and since trading JJJ, the new acquisitions are getting the bulk of the playing time. I will say, I have enjoyed the hell out of watching Cedric Coward progress into a legit player to possibly build a team around. But all of this has not resulted in many wins. And lately I haven't been tuning in to many of their games. I know what is going to happen and I don't want to watch it unfold. I would be even more bummed out to be a Wizards or Nets fan right now. They've been tanking all year. Sure, they have found a few diamonds in the rough this year, but they aren't winning many games. Teams like the Jazz and Trailblazers had solid starts, but now the owners and GM's are more concerned with draft position, so injuries are piling up to crucial players and they are going into full tank mode. This happened a few years back when the Mavericks were dealt some injury blows, and they openly tanked, were fined by the NBA and still secured a lottery pick. Hell, after they traded Luka Doncic last season, they were rewarded with the number one overall pick, Cooper Flagg.

Tanking works in some scenarios, but it is just making some NBA teams unwatchable. I don't know what the solution should be, but I do have an idea that I have heard others mention on separate podcasts. I don't like the lottery anymore. It is a drag. I'm not here for fully getting rid of the draft. If they do that they may as well only house professional teams in big markets. I also think they need to keep free agency, both restricted and unrestricted. The idea I like the most, and think the NBA really needs to consider, flat draft odds. I want every team to have the same chance at the first pick as they have at the 30th pick. I don't care if that team just won 10 games or the title, I think everyone should have the same odds. I know this adds some issues with player placement. If this were the case this past draft, that means the Thunder would have had the opportunity to draft Cooper Flagg. That would be tough to swallow for a lot of fans, but that feels like something that would happen once every 10-15 drafts or so. I do think that this would also help to make every team play the proper players. A lot of teams would be less likely to play a bunch of two way players or deep bench guys. I think this would lead to less load management from players and coaches. I feel like injuries would not be so prevalent. I just feel like flat draft odds would make it impossible for teams to tank. There would be no reward for teams that decide halfway through the year to throw in the towel. I also feel like flat odds would force teams to try as best as they can to stay in the race all season long. The product on the court would be much better. The better players would try harder. Defenses would be much more intense and focused.

I love the idea of everyone having the same shot at the top prospect. That's what I would pitch if I had a say to the higher ups in the NBA. Make it all even and see how that plays out. That seems like the best option they have at this point. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty Watches "GOAT"

My kids had school off yesterday and my son has been asking to go see the new animated movie "GOAT". He was asking my folks to take him, but they didn't have the time. With my daughter being homebound since she is sick, my son and I were stir crazy, so I decided that was the perfect time to take him.

I did not know a lot about the movie, but one of my older brother's did tell me that he thought my son would enjoy it. He was correct. This review will be as spoiler free as possible, but a few spoilers may slip here and there. Forewarning. "GOAT" takes place in an alternate world where animals play a version of professional basketball called Roar Ball. Roar ball has, for the most part, bigger animals that play. We have pumas, rhinos, ostriches, grizzly bears and horses, among others. The sport is tough for smaller animals to play because it is, especially for a kids movie, pretty violent. The courts are also susceptible to the elements, since most games are held outdoors.

Early on we meet the main character, Will, and his mom. Will is a goat and he dreams of playing for his local town's team, the Thorns. He also wants to play with his favorite player of all time, Jett. He goes to a game with his mom and vows to become a pro one day. We fast forward 10 years and Will still has hoop dreams, but he is still small. His mom has also, unfortunately, passed away. Will works as a delivery guy for a diner, but he always finds time to play Roar Ball, mostly by himself. Meanwhile the Thorns and Jett are having a tough season and Jett looks to be getting passed by as the best to ever play. There is a new player in town, a horse named Mane Attraction. Mane Attraction is brash and bold and a top notch hooper. He is on the internet talking trash all the time and he knows how good he is. One day he goes to the Vineyard, this is where they play pickup ball, and he is taking on anyone willing to play him. Will gets his shot and breaks his ankles. Mane Attraction eventually wins the game, but Will's friends upload the video of his breaking ankles. This video goes so viral that the owner of the Thorns signs him. Jett doesn't care for this, but they need a sixth player, and Will is chosen for the job.

From here on out the movie follows the typical sports stereotypes. Will doesn't play at all and he cannot get through to his teammates. Jett is a ball hog and a loner. Eventually they come together as a team and start winning. Then the team gets sold before the semifinals. Will overhears a conversation between the owner and Jett and Jett reverts to her old ways. They all apologize and get back together and eventually win it all. And one of the players on the team is able to buy it from the owner and they don't have to move. They set up a sequel in the closing credits and, after 100 minutes, we were out of the theater.

This is your typical kids sports movie. It hits all the cliches. You can tell what is going to happen beat by beat. That being said, I found myself enjoying what I was watching, but not for the reasons I used to like sports movies. Will is all well and good to watch, and I liked the basketball adjacent game they played, but I enjoyed the hell out of the coach in the movie. Patton Oswalt voiced the coach, and when he was given full control of the team, I was all in. His message was all about teamwork and how teams, not individuals, win rings. He championed defense, teamwork and togetherness as ways to win. I have been saying this since I started coaching my son six years ago. I loved that this was the ringing message throughout the movie. And the only way they end up winning it all is by playing as a team. I loved that.

Outside the coach, my favorite part, this was a solid cast doing nice voicework. Caleb McLaughlin voiced Will and he was great. He was full of energy and optimism and I was there for it. Some other people lending voices were Gabrielle Union, Steph Curry, Aaron Pierre, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour, Nick Kroll and Jennifer Hudson, among others. Everyone is doing solid work and seems to be having a good time doing it. The movie had a great message and the cast put that on blast. The animation was cool, the movie was short, the action was fun and I was never bored watching it.

I recommend any parents with young kids who play basketball go to see this movie. It is neat and cool and tells a positive and nice story. My son and I enjoyed it, and I think young basketball players will like it too. 

Ty

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

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My First Time at In-N-Out

Let me tell you a story.

I had a weekend trip planned for Phoenix. My wife and I were going up there so I could pace my buddy in his 100k race. This was the plan all along. We took our flight out on Friday and had pretty much a full afternoon and evening in the Phoenix area. The race was last Saturday so everything was looking like it was going according to plan. Then we got a call from my mom around 7pm. Our daughter had a 104.1 temperature. So, like I imagine most parents would do, we found the earliest flight we could get the next morning and headed home. we weren't going to have my folks, who are more than capable, have to deal with that kind of sickness. We wanted to be with our daughter and she wanted us to be there with her. My buddy running the race, who is also a dad, fully understood. My folks understood. We had to be back to take care of her. My job, as the at home parent, is to make sure my kids have the care they need, especially in a situation like this. And for those of you wondering, my buddy ran and crushed the race that Saturday, and my daughter, who was diagnosed with flu and strep, is feeling better. Her fever broke yesterday and now she is saddled with a nasty cough, but she is moving around and acting more like herself today. I say all of this to get to the point of what I wanted to talk about today, which is In N Out Burger.

I mentioned we made our flight before our daughter got sick, and we had an afternoon in Phoenix. My wife had been there before and mentioned that they had an In N Out Burger. She has been before, but I have not. I had actually kind of given up on the fact that I may never have this very popular fast food chain. I truly have no reason to go to the West Coast right now, although I'd love to, so the thought of trying this well known food spot was not really on my mind. That changed last Friday. We found one very near our hotel, we hadn't had lunch, we still had time before check in, so my wife decided it was time for me to try it. I was stoked going in. I have heard so many great things about their burgers, so I was eager to try one.

When we walked in, we ate there, it looked like your classic diner joint, which was very appealing to me. The staff at this location was incredibly friendly and made me feel like a regular the moment I stepped into the store front. I ordered the Double Double, which I have to assume is the regular pick for any newcomer, some fries and a soda. They gave us the cup to fill our drink, which was a bit of a letdown. For some reason I thought they had a soda jerk or something like that, but that's a me issue, not In N Out. After I filled my cup and sat down, all that was left was the waiting, and it felt like a bit of a wait. I don't know if this is just an Arizona thing, because the people who I have heard talk about this place that live in LA talk about how fast the customer service is. But they do make the stuff to order, so I did not fully mind the wait. After about 10 minutes, they called our order and I was ready to devour this food.

I went with my burger first and it was as good as advertised. The meat was flavorful and juicy and plentiful. The bun was soft and delicious. The veggies, we got them all on the burger, tasted fresh and fantastic. The pickles and onion had a nice crunch. The tomato was nice and firm. The lettuce added a nice freshness. The secret sauce was very, very good and added a whole separate flavor to the seasoning on the burger. And the cheese was melted and gooey. This was a fantastical mess of a burger and I couldn't get enough of it. My wife had about a quarter of her burger left and I about finished what was left on the table. I have eaten a lot of burgers in my 43 plus years, and the In N Out Burger is one of the better ones I've ever had.

The fries on the other hand were odd and not for me. First off they don't look as fried as other places. They also don't salt the fries, instead opting to give you a salt packet on top of the napkins they put on top of the boat of fries. And when I bit into my first one I was puzzled. They didn't have a snap. They were soft through and through. I told my wife, who does like the fries, that they tasted like they took mashed potatoes, shaped them into fries and then put them in the fryer for half the time other chains do with their own fries. I tried a few more, they're fries afterall, but I stopped after about seven. I wasn't into them. The texture was weird and off putting in my opinion. I have heard others say the fries are hit or miss and they were a miss for me. But that burger was so damn good that I am more than willing to overlook my distaste for the fries.

I implore anyone who is heading to a city with an In N Out Burger to try the burger. You will not regret it. I will definitely be looking to find more In N Out's on my future travels. I am a fan of the burger from here on out. 

Ty

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

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I Want the Bulls to Be Good

I don't know that I have seen such a mediocre fall off in the past decade when I look at the Chicago Bulls. Let’s discuss.

When I was a kid the Bulls were the best. They had Jordan and Pippen and Phil Jackson and they were winning titles left and right. Jordan is the greatest, Pippen was the perfect Robin and Jackson is one of the best coaches of all time. They were able to bring in great complimentary pieces, like Dennis Rodman and Ron Harper. They drafted properly with guys like Luc Longley and Steve Kerr. They were in on the international players before it was a big thing. But the most important thing, and I will say this until the cows come home, they drafted Michael Jordan and kept him through his prime.

The Bulls were the definition of a dynasty. They had some down years until they drafted Derrick Rose, who made them relevant again. They had some nice runs with Rose, but then his knee exploded and that was when this team became the best at being mediocre. They have gone through any number of players to try and make themselves a viable playoff threat. They traded for Nikola Vucevic when he was still a borderline all star. But he never really lived up to the hype as a stretch big man. He would have one of two good games a month, then revert to being average. They got Zach Lavine when he was angry with Minnesota. This seemed like a good move at the time, but Lavine is just an empty stats guy. He can fill up the scoresheet, but it never amounted to many wins. They went out and signed DeMar DeRozan, who is one of the better midrange offensive players in the game, but he doesn't play a ton of defense, and if we learned anything from his trade from the Raptors to the Spurs, teams seemed to get better when he was not on them. They traded for Alex Caruso, or maybe signed him, I don't remember. Caruso is only good when he is on a contending team and he has to guard multiple guys. He has never been a scoring threat and he never will be. That doesn't suit his skill set. I liked when they drafted Coby White, who had his moments, but he never lived up to the lottery selection he was, and now he is gone. They gave Patrick Williams a big deal when he hadn't really proved much of anything. And they seem to be whiffing on their most recent draft picks. All of this kept this team in the play-in race, but they never made it out, or if they did, they were an easy first round out. Billy Donovan is a solid coach, but he has never been given a real chance to win big in Chicago. Every time he shows some stability, and the Bulls get their head above water, they trade guys or force him to play players he may not want on the floor. They let go of Caruso so they could build a team around Josh Giddey. Giddey is okay, but he is not a number one option that you can win a title with. Plus, he has had some questionable off court issues in his past. They let Ayo Donsunmu go. Matas Buzelis hasn't been able to put together a month's worth of solid play. Jalen Smith is a fine backup center. He starts for the Bulls. They now have three of the exact same player in guards Anfernee Simons, Rob Dillingham and Jaden Ivey, all of whom they traded for. Simons can score and do not much else. Dillingham is wildly unproven and Ivey has been very up and down his whole career. And he tends to be injury prone. They also added Collin Sexton, who I like, but he cannot seem to stick with one team any longer than one or two seasons.

I don't know what game the Bulls are playing, but they, and by they I mean the front office, don't seem to truly know what they are doing. They are taking some of the oddest swings I have seen in a long time. They are too far in to tank, and their record, especially in the Eastern Conference, is on par with being in the play-in once again. The roster construction and team building makes zero sense and the powers that be seem to be more than thrilled to stay in this weird mediocrity they have set for themselves. I like the NBA much more when the Bulls are relevant. At this moment, and for the past decade, the Bulls have been wildly irrelevant. And that bums me out. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Thoughts on a 27 Year Old College Football Player

I'm all for college football players getting paid, and if they can get more in college than in the NFL, go for it. No one knows how long they are going to be able to play, especially a sport like football, so get it while you can. There needs to be some more rules around NIL and the transfer portal, but that is a topic for another day. But I did see some news recently that made me throw my hands up in frustration.

By now we all know about the Miami linebacker who is entering his eighth year of college football. That is wild and kind of odd to me, but Miami is a blueblood, was just in the national title game and they may be even better next season. Yesterday I read about another college football player who was just given his ninth year of eligibility. The player's name is Solomon Tuliaupupu and he plays linebacker for Montana. I read that he started his career at USC, transferred to Montana and has become an all conference player since signing with the Grizzlies. I understand that he got a waiver due to injuries, and add that to the extra year for COVID, and a redshirt season, Tuliaupupu will be a 27 year old fifth year senior when he suits up for Montana next season.

This seems like overkill. I don't get why he would get a waiver for a ninth season, but Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was denied a sixth season. Rod Moore got a sixth season with Michigan due to injury, but Chambliss was denied. I wonder why they are so hard up to not let Chambliss play, but this linebacker at Montana gets a ninth season. Keep in mind that he will be 27 when the season starts. That is an adult. He could be a father at this point. My wife had our first kid when we were 29, only two years older than Tuliaupupu. He is going to have teammates that are 18 when they start practice. How will he engage and talk with them? What are they going to be able to relate to?

That's too old to still be in college. Some people were all up in arms because Indiana had one of the older rosters in college football last year. They averaged 24 years old. This kld is 27. He is older than a ton of professional football players. There are some guys that have come and gone in the NFL before 27. I get it, maybe Tuliaupupu will not be a pro football player, but continually putting it off for so many years will only hurt any shot he has at the NFL. Teams are going to draft much younger guys that they can mold in the team's vision. Tuliaupupu is already the player he is always going to be. He could walk into a few locker rooms currently in the NFL where he is one of the older linebackers, as a rookie. He would be going on 28 his first season in the NFL. That is some players' prime, or even late prime. He would just be entering the league. I just don't see a NFL front office taking a chance on a rookie only two years away from 30. Maybe Tuliaupupu knows this, knows that he will be done after college football, so he is just trying to make as much as he can at Montana. Or maybe he just loves the game and doesn't want to stop playing until he absolutely has to. But this is just overkill. This is where some of the problems lie with waivers and the portal and NIL. Some guys get preferential treatment, and it almost feels like they give it to players who are not in a power 4 conference. There's far fewer players that make the league that are not on a power 4 conference team. And when they do, they are usually older and undrafted. But they are not 28 as a rookie.

Props to this guy for playing the game he loves for as long as possible, but there has to be a point where a player moves on and tries to be a professional. Being a 27 year old fifth year senior is too much and needs to be fixed. I'll be curious to see him play just because he is far too old to be a college athlete, but this is the state of the game at the moment. 

Ty

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

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Remember "The Angry Birds Movie"?

My daughter has been home sick for two days, she has a mild fever and a cough, and today she wanted to watch a movie. I let her pick and she landed on "The Angry Birds Movie".

I have to admit, I had totally forgotten that they even made one of these. It seemed unnecessary at the time of its release, and I had completely let it leave my mind that this even existed. I also remember reading some reviews, and as to be expected, the movie was panned by the major critics. I had very low expectations going into this movie.

That being said, I did find some stuff that made me laugh while watching, I thought the animation was cool, but all in all, this movie doesn't even need to exist. It was not great. My daughter loved it. Let me say that. She was laughing through some sniffles and when the movie ended she told me she had a good time. I watched it from an adult and critics point of view, be that necessary or not. Like I said, there were a few gags that got genuine laughs from me, and the movie looked like a much better version of the game. But all in all this was clearly just a cash grab. I don't know when or why Angry Birds the game became humongous, but the fact of the matter is that it is one of the bigger phone games, and I'm sure movie corporations saw that and jumped at an opportunity to make some more money. They even got a solid voice cast, including people like Jason Sudeikis, Maya Rudolph, Peter Dinklage and Danny McBride among many others. But those people didn't have a whole lot to do in their roles. Sudekis was there to be aloof and make one liner jokes, which he excels at doing. But the jokes here, for the most part, land flat. You can tell this was written for a children's audience. Sometimes these movies are made for kids, but the people involved write jokes for the parents that are watching. That wasn't the case here. These were jokes for kids, maybe even written by kids. Danny McBride felt subdued, Maya Rudolph was only there to act like a hippy and Peter Dinklage, who got the laughs out of me, was barely even in the movie at all.

As for the story, it was simplistic, which can be fine, but they went way too simple here. The game goes that the birds need to protect their homes from the pigs. That was exactly what the movie did, but they added eggs, which I don't even remember if that is in the game or not. The eggs were the crux of what the pigs were doing. And it wasn't until the pigs stole the eggs did we even get to see the birds do what they do in the game. And that was the climax of the movie. This was the point where the animation was at its best, but it felt too little too late. I did enjoy how nefarious the pigs were, and Bill Hader voicing the main pig was great casting. But anyone could tell the pigs were evil the moment they stepped on screen, even if you've never played the game before. When they did finally show up the tricks the birds could do, it came and went so quickly that I had to ask my daughter who did what, and we had to rewind a few times to figure out who was causing what damage. Seeing the birds do destruction to the pigs town was cool because that is what the game is all about. But, again, it was the end of the movie and it was only about a five minute scene. The rest of the movie was filled with corny jokes, for the most part, a story of why birds should and should not be angry, the main bird being picked on as a kid and the town turning and then regarding the main bird. You see, very simple stuff. But, my daughter liked it and the movie made more than enough money to garner a sequel.

Herein lies my issue with this movie overall, there's hardly any original ideas anymore. Every other movie seems to be based off a property that gained enough fame to justify the cash grab that is the inevitable feature length movie. Hell, a studio made an "Emoji" movie. That should tell you all you need to know. I will say, if you have a kid who's interested, you should turn it on for them. But for the adults in the room, it won't do all that much for you. 

Ty

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

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