Ty Rewatches "Chappelle's Show"

Another day and we are still awaiting election results. This seems like it will go well into the weekend, and maybe even next week. We all need to be patient and make sure that every single vote is counted. We are a democracy, and the millions upon millions of people that voted should have it count. Whether you voted in person, or mailed in your ballot, it should count.

On that note, I am going to talk about a great, great show, a classic, that was just put up on Netflix. Looking for something to watch on Tuesday afternoon after I voted and my kids were hanging in their rooms, their "quiet time" I call it, I popped on some Netflix looking for anything to keep my mind off the election results. In the trending category I spotted "Chappelle's Show", and I was stoked. I was such a big fan of his show when it was first on Comedy Central. I kind of came to Dave Chappelle in a roundabout way, first seeing him in "Half Baked", then watching his show and then getting into his standup. But "Chappelle's Show", that was my jam. And since it had been such a longtime, I haven't sat down and watched a full episode in well over a decade, I had forgotten how funny it was, even in its infancy.

This show started off with a bang. The very first episode gave us a very memorable character, in Clayton Bigsby, the Black White Supremacist. This was a little bit harder to watch, given what our country has become over the last four years. But it proved how far ahead of its time this show was. The sketches, I have watched the first four episodes so far, are so well made and written and acted. Along with Bigsby, we also get Tyrone Biggums in the first four, Mos Def is his first musical guest, they do the photocopy place sketch that I consider a classic, we get the Wrap it Up commercial, they have the sketch with black people getting reparations, it is a murderers row of stuff my friends and I still quote via text to this day. That is only four episodes too. I haven't gotten to any Charlie Murphy stuff yet. There hasn't been a player haters ball yet. Rashida Jones hasn't shown up yet. The spoof of MTV's "Making the Band" hasn't come up yet. I could go on and on and on.

"Chappelle's Show" is filled with so many memorable sketches, that people my age remember fondly. This was an absolute homerun find for myself, and I am sure so many others. The only bummer is, there is only, I believe, two full seasons. Dave Chappelle left, I understand why now, and the show went out while it was one of the biggest things on TV. But I am happy that Netflix has put it back up. I'm happy that Dave Chappelle said it was okay. And I am happy that I have this little distraction to keep my mind off things and to just sit back and laugh. I will definitely be watching more this afternoon, and until, and after, we have some resolution to this election. I suggest you do the same. Damn is it a funny show.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "The Eric Andre Show" Season Five Premiere

This past Saturday the season five premiere of "The Eric Andre Show" was on, and it was awesome, and weird and crazy and nutso and wild and what I have come to love and expect from his humor. I have been a fan of this show since a buddy of mine told me to watch it about five years ago. He knows that I like odd, weird humor, and he figured I'd like this different take on a talk show. He was right. I have watched every season of this show multiple times. When the pandemic first started, I ripped through the fourth season twice, and it took me about three weeks to do it. That is another thing I like about the show, it is twelve minutes long. It is an Adult Swim show, and the majority of their shows are weird and short. You can rip off five to six episodes in an hour. I love it. I had been anticipating the fifth season since I saw some ads for it appear on social media about a month or so ago.

One thing I really like, Andre sports a new hairdo and outfit each season. This season he is bald and wearing a full white suit. Hannibal Burress, his co host, calls him out on this, and Andre says he is doing a Vin Diesel thing this season. That made me laugh pretty hard. I also liked, in the premiere, there were two episodes, when Andre was going to do his monologue, he had people carry him on a pillow to the mic and proceeded to do some Street Fighter moves on them after they set him down. Buress called him out on this, and Andre said he was doing it for "opulence". That was the perfect word to use to describe what he was doing at that moment. Buress yelled at him, and made fun of him the whole monologue, and it was great. It was like slipping into some clean sheets. It made me comfortable to see this all again, especially now. From there on out, for both episodes, Andre tormented his guests and did cut away skits that made me laugh.

The first episode had Judy Greer and Adam Rippon as guests. Greer seemed freaked out the whole time, and Burress and Andre seemed to push her to the brink. They had errant hot dogs hit the set, Andre showed a video of his cleaning lady and asked her if she "ever punished herself". It was hilarious. With Rippon, Andre had a stagehand under the chair he sat on, and he had that stage hand continue to grab at him and scare him. Again, hilarious. With his cut aways, he did the Ranch guy, always a homerun, and played a UPS guy that had what seemed like a real rat on his shoulder and walked around the subway "looking for its owner". The musical guest was Anderson .Paak, who Andre had chugging a six pack and playing the drums. He called him Anderson 6 .Paak. I really liked it. This set the tone perfectly.

The second episode featured Burress actually quitting. The fans, we all knew this was coming and I was curious to see how they would do it. It was simple enough, with Buress simply saying, "I quit" and walking off stage. Not to be deterred, Andre took one of Buress' nose hairs, which he plucked and cloned him. His clone turned out a little wacky, and they called him Blanninbal Burress. The guests were a rapper named Saweetie, who they tormented by making the stage move without her knowing, and Shanola Hampton, who they raised in a chair and walked her around the room, like Bar Mitzvah style. They also scared her by making Andre literally fly when she gave him a high five. As for the pre taped segments, They did an ad for a psychoactive drug that "tastes like real lemon and lime" and Andre revised his Sprite daredevil guy. Both of these were funny and very well done. The episode ended with Andre's American Rap Ninja Warrior, where he takes lesser known rappers and makes them do a weird obstacle course while blindfolded. It was pretty damn funny.

I am glad that this show is back. I need this weird and wild humor in my life right now. It gave me twenty minutes of solid laughs. I am looking forward to the rest of the season, and I am pretty certain I will rewatch it the moment it is over. Hell, I have already watched the first two episodes multiple times. "The Eric Andre Show" is great, and I am stoked that it is back. Watch it.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

I, like most of the rest of the country, watched "Borat 2" this past Friday.

Right off the bat, this was a solid sequel. It wasn't as good as the original, most sequels aren't, but it achieved its main goal. There are parts of the US that are as terrifying as anywhere else in the world, and Sacha Baron Cohen, as Borat, proved that yet again. In fact, while this movie is a comedy in genre, I view it almost like a horror film. The people not named Borat, Tutar and 3 other ladies, legitimately have me worried about the country I live in. This was as eye opening as the first "Borat" movie, but in so many different ways, and in a very new, very racist light.

The main plot of the movie is simple. Borat is in prison for the first movie, he is let out to give a present to the current "government", to get in their good graces, things go awry and we meet some truly awful, awful people. The "present" is supposed to be a very popular monkey from Kazakhstan that is a movie star. Unfortunately for Borat, his daughter hides away in the cargo, eats the monkey, and then she becomes the "present". It is as simple as that. But, it just got worse and worse and worse from there. Again, I liked the movie, but the people we meet in it, with three exceptions, are the worst people I can imagine. When Borat realizes he has to give his daughter as a gift, this is when things get nuts. The first person we meet that is horrendous is an Instagram "influencer". I never understood that "job", but this lady seems to make money off of it. But the way she talks to Tutar, Borat's daughter, it is so demeaning and so misogynistic. She tells Tutar, "women have to be more submissive", or, "we kind of have to let the men do everything". It is pretty demeaning. The actress that plays Tutar does a great job of egging her on, trying to get more from her, and the other stuff she says is truly embarrassing. That lady should be ashamed of herself, for real. There is a preacher they meet later on, and Borat tries to get him to "get a baby out of her", "that he put in her". The "baby" is a plastic toy from a cupcake, but they don't tell the religious guy that. They make it seem like he actually put a baby in her. They try to get this monster to help them out, but he refuses to do anything, and says something along the lines of, "it doesn't matter how the baby got there, now we are here". Again, when these words came out of his mouth, I was stunned that someone could be that ignorant and stupid and disgusting.

It only gets worse from there. Tutar leaves Borat to be a journalist. We then cut to the US when the pandemic first hit. This is when the movie gets truly scary. Borat finds a few guys that let him stay in their home during the beginning of quarantine. The stuff that comes out of these guys mouths, on film, is some of the most vile and hurtful and horrible things I have ever heard. They say they are "sad" that "unfortunately democrats have the same rights as us". I mean, we are all people. Jesus Christ why is it that hard for people to see. They read QAnon constantly. They call the pandemic and COVID a hoax. It is really bad. It gets even worse when they go to an anti mask rally. This was the second scariest moment in the movie. Borat changes his outfit because he has to hide out. He proceeds to sing a song that the crowd sings along with, which is one of the most heinous songs I have ever heard. The lyrics are truly, truly horrifying. I don't even want to repeat them on my blog because I fear it will put me on some weird list. While singing the song, the cameraman cuts to maskless people in the crowd standing too close to one another, people holding AR 15's for some unknown reason and racist assholes doing the Nazi heil sign. I was so upset it made my stomach hurt. And this wasn't the worst thing in the movie. T

he worst thing happened next. Tutar gets a job doing fake journalism for conservative nutjobs. She is so beloved by these maniacs that believe what she is doing is real, she gets a one on one interview with Rudy Guiliani. He is a real, real, real dirtbag. I don't know if anyone has had such a hard fall as he has. He was considered an okay person after 9/11, and now here we are. He starts the interview off calling Tutar "sweetie" and "honey". Tutar is supposed to be 15 years old by the way. From there Tutar kind of sees how far she can go. She keeps laughing and touching his knee. Meanwhile, Guiliani is drinking a scotch, not wearing a mask and openly coughing while stating that "we've done a great job containing this virus". There is so much wrong with everything that is going on in this short little segment. He's openly drinking hard alcohol with a 15 year old. If you are not in someone's bubble, please, please, please wear a mask. The coughing, to me, is a clear sign that he has some form of COVID. And the statement is patently false. We have lost far too many lives, and still counting, because of the current "government's" lack of doing anything, and thinking this virus would "just go away". It is all wrong. From there, Borat storms in, pretending to be a boom mic guy, and messes up the interview. Tutar takes him to the back, and tells him she is fine. Then Tutar escorts Guiliani to her room in the hotel to "have some drinks". Then, in a wildly disgusting, disturbing and telling moment, Guiliani lays on his back and looks to be unzipping his pants. Borat storms in in a thong and bikini underwear and tells him to take him instead. He says that Tutar is too old for him, again, she is 15, and tries to get him to take him. Of course Guiliani takes offense to this and tries to make Borat look like the bad guy. Borat is not. He saved the actress that plays Tutar, although I am sure she would have saved herself too. This is, by far, the most heinous and gross and disturbing thing I have seen in a movie in quite some time. If it weren't for the babysitter and the two Jewish ladies in the movie, there would be no redeeming characters. They are the soul of the movie.

I recommend watching this movie if only to see how truly terrifying some people in this country can be. It is startling and upsetting, but this is who we need to fight and vote out of office. These people are monsters and just outright awful, and "Borat 2" proves that tenfold. We live in a weird and scary world, and this movie shows that. Now is the time to revolt and vote. Please vote. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Fargo" Season Four Premier

I'm back after a day away. I had some personal stuff to deal with, some tough stuff, and I needed a day to just vent and cry with my wife and kids. But, it is all good now, and I am back. And I am back to talk about the new season of "Fargo".

We have made no secret, RD and I, how much we love the movie and love the show. It is one of the best portrayals, or continuation if you will, or a great movie turned television show. They took this classic movie, and have now made four seasons of some of the most watchable TV out there right now. I was particularly excited for this new season because I am a humongous Chris Rock fan, and I also really, really like Jason Schwartzman. When I saw that they were cast for this new installment, I was pumped. And they are wonderful on the show. This is the first, of four, that doesn't take place in North Dakota or Minnesota. This one is in Kansas City. There is a character from Minnesota in the new season, more on her in a minute, but this is all about the Midwest.

The way the show started off, there were two new episodes, almost three hours of material, and it was tremendous. We got a back story from a young African American student, expertly played by Emyri Crutchfield, about how mob families have come through Kansas City since the early 1900's. It was interesting and cool to see how it was run by one family, a Jewish family, and they made a deal with an Irish family. Then the Irish family takes over and makes a deal with an Italian family. In each one of these deals, a child is traded from family to family too, making it seem that much more ruthless and wild, that people were willing to give up kids to have control over a town and city. After the Italian family takes over, this is where we get the African American crew, led by Rock, coming in to form an alliance with them. When they make the trade off, this is where the show totally takes off. The stakes rise so very much because Rock and his crew are, not only well formed and ready to fight, they are smart too, smarter than any other mob family that has come through. After the trade of children, things get pretty wild. The Italian family loses their leader, mini spoiler alert, when an errant pellet hits an artery in his throat. This pushes Schwartzman to the front of the line. He becomes the leader. He seems ready, but he is also a bit hot headed and hostile. He seems like a bomb that is ready to explode. When he is in the hospital, watching over his father, we meet this crazy nurse who relocated to KC from Minnesota. Jessie Buckley plays the nurse, Nurse Mayflower, and she is crazy. She has been getting compared to Nurse Rathcet, but I think she may be more crazy, and also smarter. She is an evil genius essentially. Her arc over these two episodes was wild, and I am completely in for her journey. As for Schwartzman, he was good, like he always is, and I want to see where he goes from here. He had some great scenes in the first two episodes. Rock and crew were my absolute favorite part so far. Rock is the poised leader of the new mob that comes to town. He is pointed and careful and smart and knows what he is doing and how to do it. It is so cool to see him in a role like this. This is like the stuff he did early on in his career, like his role in "New Jack City", or more in tune with what he did on his own with a movie like "Top 5". Chris Rock is a good, adaptable actor, and roles like he has in "Fargo", and the aforementioned movies before prove that. His crew is also pretty great. Again, they follow his direction, and Doctor Senator, played by Glynn Turman, is a great second in line. Again, he is calm, but he also seems like he has a very, very dark side.

I have enjoyed every iteration that Noah Hawley and crew have done with the "Fargo" TV series, but this one feels different. This one feels like it could be a classic. This feels like this could be the season where everyone is talking about it years and years from now. It has the potential to be that good. I was enthralled, didn't look at my phone and watched with intense focus the whole time. That doesn't happen much anymore, but this fourth installment has my undivided attention. I cannot wait to see where they go from here. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Last Chance U" Season 5

Being that this has been all sports, and mostly college football, I want to finish the week out talking about that very topic. But this time I am going to end on a higher note than what I have been coming with all week.

I just recently finished the fifth season of "Last Chance U". I am a fan of this show. I know that it is a bit over dramatic, it is the same story season after season and it follows a very paint by numbers thread. But, I love college football, I love watching these kids get a shot, I love watching the dynamic of the coaches at the junior college level and I love this show.

This final season, at least in the sense that they are doing football, rumor has it they are switching to basketball for the next season, and that would rule, was great. This was actually the first season where I didn't really find anyone I disliked. The seasons before, at that school in Mississippi and the one in Kansas, both of those coaches were straight up assholes. They played the villain role, and they played it too well. They, in my opinion, hammed it up when the cameras showed up on campus. The kids, they each had some interesting stories, but for the most part, they were castoffs. The two schools before were essentially farm systems for division 1 schools. The kids would either not have the grades to get into their dream school, they were cut from their D-1 school, they were told to go play at the junior college level to hone their skills, it was all about getting the best of the cast off athletes. The kids at these schools in previous seasons, I had heard of some of them. Hell, one was a running back I thought was going to be great at Michigan, but he simply refused to go to class and was kicked off the team. The kids at the school in season five, it's called Laney, are kids that have not given up on their dream of playing college football at a higher level. Laney College doesn't have dorm rooms. The kids on the team have to pay to go there. There are no scholarships. Sure, there is recruiting, and I am sure some kind of "allowance" type stuff takes place. But for the most part, these kids have to get themselves to and from school on their own, most of them have jobs and some even have kids that they take care of and show up to practice. They play to play. They love the game. And they know that Laney is their best shot at getting somewhere else. There is an exception. One kid on the team is a top flight cornerback. He was, at the time of filming, the fifth rated corner in the country as far as recruiting magazines claimed. But, he went to Laney because his brother went there, his cousin went there and he needed to get a little better before joining a D-1 program, which he does. Other kids, they were all so easy to root for. The little white receiver who I was not a fan of, when I heard his life story, I understood why he acts the way he acts. He won me over. The other receiver, the one that has to sleep in his car, that has no contact with his father, his story was crazy depressing, but the way that kid that keeps at it, the way he sacrifices and the stuff he does, I will root for that kid forever to make it. The lineman who is married with two kids was one of the gentlest giants I have seen on TV. He was a beast on the football field, but off it, he was essentially a stay at home dad trying his best to be there for his kids. I related to him the most. And the star of the season was the coach, John Beam. Apparently this gentleman is a legend in Oakland. He has stuck around for 40 plus years. He has had other opportunities, but he has declined them all because he loves what he does, loves working with juco kids and LOVES Oakland. He has his moments, like every coach does, but he is likable and goofy and funny and I found myself rooting for him and his team way more than the other teams featured in "Last Chance U".

This season was very solid. It was probably the best they have done to this point. If this is the way they are going out from the juco football standpoint, they picked the best possible way to do it. I recommend this show now more than ever since football is going to be very different, if it exists at all, this fall. "Last Chance U" is solid, and featuring Laney College in Oakland was perfect. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "The Umbrella Academy" Season 2

The past week my wife and I have been watching "Umbrella Academy" season 2. We watched the first season last year on a whim of hers and I thought it was fine. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad. The fight scenes were awesome, the story was cool, the animation and CGI work was top notch and the ending was rad. The acting was hit and miss though, it got a little too melodramatic and it felt kind of slow at times. Like I said, it was okay. But, the ending to season one definitely made me want to come back to the show. I was curious to see where they would go with this story in a second season.

The second season came out at the end of July, and we have watched the first five episodes, with plans on finishing it by the weekend, and I have to say, the second season, so far, has been totally awesome. I liked the first season enough, but this second season has totally blown season 1 out of the water. The acting has been shored up. Everyone is good, not just Ellen Page and the kid who plays Number 5. The story, which has shifted to the 60's, and the assassination of JFK was the absolute right move. Each episode has told the backstory of the main characters so far, and what they have done in the two to three years they have traveled back in time to Dallas in the early 60's. The music has been so cool. They play old hits and set them to some of the most kick ass fight scenes I have seen on TV or in a movie. There was a fight scene last night that we saw that was almost, almost as good as anything I have seen in any of the three "John Wick" movies. The bad guys this season are so much more fleshed out, and frankly better, than what they had last season. No offense to Mary J Blige, she is a wonderful singer, but her acting cannot hold a card to the people they got this season as the villains. The Swedes are right up there with the Salamanca brothers from "Breaking Bad" for me. Kate Walsh is back, and she is the ultimate villain. She is so good in this role, her clothes are wild and dope and she is as bad as they come.

I have been so much more into this season of the show. I find myself thinking about what I think will happen next each day. I put my phone down when we watch and the show gets my 100 percent attention. I do not want to miss a thing. I don't want to miss any possible plot points that I am sure will come back in the last five episodes. The show has just been so much better. The writers seem to have really bought into this season's premise, and they have nearly perfectly fleshed out the characters arcs to this point. The way they start each episode, with a very important cold open has been so good in letting me know what to look forward to. The emotional changes from the first season are so much better. Luther, the big ape man, has become this sad sack of a person, and the actor is totally nailing the emotions. He is funny, but you also feel for him. Adding in the JFK stuff has also given us cool characters, including a guy that plays Jack Ruby. It has been so cool.

I'm very excited to see where they go with the ending. My wife has read spoilers, but I have asked her to not tell me anything, I want to be surprised. This might be one of the best sophomore seasons of TV I've seen in quite some time. I have really enjoyed season 2 of "Umbrella Academy", and I am almost certain they will end it with a bang, and it will totally hit. This show is very good, and I definitely recommend it. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Teen Titans Go!: The Night Begins to Shine"

With everyone being home at my house for the last four plus months, I have seen some shows and movies that would have never really been on my radar. I've seen so many more episodes of "T.O.T.S." than I'd like to admit, my daughter loves it. I have watched all the variations of "90 Day Fiance". My wife and I turned on a show on TLC last night, that network is pure trash now by the way, called "My Pregnant Husband". It's wild the stuff I have seen. Add on the fact that there were no sports, and I frankly didn’t really have a say. But, one show I have really taken to, one show I actually want to sit and watch, my son introduced me to. The show is "Teen Titans Go!".

Now, I know I heaped praise on the movie when it came out, putting it in my top five of the year. But, prior to that, I had never actually watched an episode of the cartoon. I had seen bits and pieces, I know the show that is on Cartoon Network now is a silly recreation of an old cartoon, and there is a live action, hyper violent version of the show on that DC channel. But, I have come to really enjoy, and appreciate what the comedic cartoon version of "Teen Titans Go!" does. This show is funny. There are very well written jokes. There are things for both kids and parents. My four year old daughter loves it. My wife does too. The show is very well made. And there is one set of episodes, I think it is an hour long special, that is one of the funniest, most unique and coolest things I have seen on TV.

The special is called, "The Night Begins to Shine". This special is all about the Teen Titans getting together to, essentially, save music for the greater good. And for a show that is all about the jokes and quips and one liners, there are very few in this. This is about as straightforward as this show can get. Sure, there is funny stuff like Beast Boy meeting one of the band members and constantly being hounded by a bird with clues, and Cyborg gets the crew all riled up at the beginning by singing the song, and even the fake band created for the special has their moments. And Cee Lo Green and Fall Out Boy make an appearance and are given some solid jokes to perform. Other than that, this is a straight up, hardcore, lets save music for the greater good special, and I adore it. We watched it just yesterday for, I think, the 10th time as a family, and it still held up as well as the first time. The animation, they go to this outer space world, that they refer to as "radical", and the Teen Titans look like versions of their old selves from the old cartoon, is phenomenal. The story, about why music is so important and needed and how it brings people together, is great. The minimal jokes I mentioned, they are all perfectly timed and perfectly delivered. And the music, it is very catchy and very fun. The band they created for the special is called B.E.R., and they play 80's style synth rock, except they are good. They have the song "The Night Begins to Shine", which is, according to the episode, the greatest and most important song ever written. Cyborg is so enamored with the song, he is kept in the space world while the other Titans have to help him escape. All the stuff with the members of B.E.R., how they all get found and reunite, is so wonderful.And seeing them transform into their robot forms and play their music to save the world, it is one of the coolest things I have seen. I love everything about this special. I am growing to love this show too. But this special is unique and cool and I know they are making a second part, which I will most definitely watch, and I love it all.

This is one thing I am truly glad that I have been exposed to by my son while we have all been at home. This is a show I would have just considered a "kids" show, and not paid any attention to. But. my son knows my love for music, seems to like a lot of what I like, and I am so happy he had me sit down and watch this the first time he did, and was even happier when he suggested we all watch it again for, as I said, at least the tenth time. Check out "Teen Titans Go!" if you haven't already, watch a few episodes to get the gist, and then watch "The Night Begins to Shine". I promise you you will not be disappointed, and I bet you will suggest it to other family and friends. It is truly awesome. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Palm Springs"

On our quarantine date this weekend my wife and I sat and watched "Palm Springs".

This is the Lonely Island movie that won Sundance, and sold for a record amount of money, which was a record by 69 cents, and that is hilarious to me. But, the movie was obviously well received, and got good feedback. I am a sucker for a lot of stuff that comes out of Sundance, and is considered a "darling" movie, and "Palm Springs" got all that attention and then some. Add on the fact that Andy Samberg, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, is the star, and I am going to give it a very fair shot.

So after my wife watched the preview and said she'd love to see it, we turned it on, and the next ninety minutes were wonderful. I loved this movie. It more than lived up to the hype. I am not going to spoil much, if anything because I really want people to watch and support this movie, but I will give you a little outline. The movie is like a newer generation "Groundhog Day", except with much more cursing, and way more sexual situations("sexual situations", what am I a hundred?). Andy Samberg plays Nyles, a guest at a wedding, and he ends up reliving the same day over and over and over again. He doesn't exactly know how it happens, or does he, but he is just reliving the same day. Nothing changes, so he just decides to roll with it eventually, and he decides he doesn't care anymore. He has tried to find ways out, be it suicide, or other, but nothing has worked. So, instead of trying to leave, he simply gives in. He does the same thing, but changes up the situation from time to time. One day he'll fight with his girlfriend, the next he is nice to her. He hooks up with all different people, the best being when he claims to have hooked up with the bride's dad, played by Peter Gallagher. That scene is a riot. But there is one night where he sees someone new. He decides to give a speech to save her, and they go to hook up out in the desert. Only, the hookup doesn't end like they both want. Nyles is being hunted by Roy, who is played by JK Simmons, and man is he great, and the girl he is with, Sarah, played by Cristin Milioti, goes to try and help him, and then realizes she is trapped in this infinite loop. She goes to Nyles and finally gets him to explain what is happening but she doesn't buy it. She thinks he is crazy, and she decides to drive all the way home to Austin so she won't fall asleep there. Well, she wakes up in Palm Springs again, and from there on out the movie just becomes more and more hilarious. When Sarah finally starts to buy in and join Nyles on some crazy adventures, That's when I truly fell in love with the movie. They go out and constantly find ways to wreck the wedding. They do copious amounts of drugs. They get drunk everyday. They fight bar patrons. They even did a dance at said bar, and that was some of the funniest dancing I have ever witnessed. I cannot imagine how many takes that took to get that full shot. It was glorious. Throughout all this stuff, Sarah and Nyles start to realize they have feelings for one another. They have an intimate evening, but when they awake again, they both have different reactions. Sarah realizes she has done something wrong, and Nyles, well, he may or may not have been lying to Sarah this whole time. They have their argument, and Sarah disappears. She eventually comes back, and she has a plan that just might get them out of this loop. Nyles isn't so sure, he has grown accustomed to this life, and that is where I will leave this review because it gets so wild and crazy from there.

All in all, like I said above, I loved this movie. Samberg showed some real chops. He has always had the comedy, but in this movie he had to show other emotions, true emotions, and he nailed it. I already said how great Simmons was, and so were the other bit actors they got to be in this movie. But Milioti, she is the star of this. She owns this movie as much, if not more so, than Samberg. She is funny, dark, mysterious, quirky and excellent in everything she does in this movie. I was blown away by her performance, and I shouldn't have been. She was great in "30 Rock", and was totally awesome in her episode of "Black Mirror". She is a damn good actor. Check out "Palm Springs". It is on Hulu, it is short and it rules. This is definitely one of the best movies I have seen in 2020.

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 Eric Andre's Comedy Special "Legalize Everything"

Last night I was able to sit down, finally, and watch Eric Andre's new stand-up special, "Legalize Everything".

I loved it, of course. I am a big time Andre fan. I have watched his talk show on Adult Swim multiple times. I loved his role on "Man Seeking Woman". Any time he pops up in a movie, even in a very small part, like in "Popstar", I always end up laughing. And one of the more upsetting live show misses for me was when I was supposed to see him in Saint Louis, but he had to cancel the show due to scheduling conflicts. He never rescheduled, and who knows what will happen with live shows given the current situation. I wished I had gotten to see him. But, luckily, I have all this other content of his to watch, and now this new stand-up special. Since I didn't get to see him live, this was my best case scenario. And as I said, I loved it.

Eric Andre is like the Tasmanian Devil of comedy. He is a total ball of energy on stage, but he can also turn on a dime and really slow things down and tell some funny ass stories. I also appreciated that it was just under one hour long. He gets in and out, and crushes while he is doing his show. The live show was what I wanted to see as well. I mentioned the energy, he has great jokes, he talks about deep stuff that he makes funny, and his crowd work is impeccable. I am going to spoil much because people need to check this out.

Andre is a bit different than most stand-ups out there today. He is so high energy and so wild and so crazy, but it is all done with a tremendous amount of humor. I also liked the cold open of the special where he pretended to be a police officer in New Orleans, where the special was taped, and he walked around getting high, giving people pills, telling people he took evidence, just doing everything illegal, and seeing real people have real reactions, it was like watching his talk show. He then proceeded to crush from the moment he stepped on stage. Oh, he also went through the crowd when he was introduced, and was yelling and getting everyone hyped up. It was great. When he took the mic, he talked about so many different things. He did a good chunk at the beginning about drug use, which was hilarious. He talked about smoking pot with his mom, his experience with MDMA, his one time Xanax trip at Coachella, the bad cocaine in NOLA. It was so funny. He then did a classic bit about the show "Cops", and how ridiculous that they have reggae music as their theme music. It is funny, and timely. The stuff about religion, and Plymouth, Massachusetts was tremendous, and I am totally on board with his thoughts. I howled when he climbed onto an audience member, and told him to stop being weird. The thing with the phone, and texting, that is going to be a classic bit. When he spoke about his early career stand up, and the exploits that happened, again, cackling with laughter. The bit with the souvenir he got in Cuba was great, as was his story about being in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. The whole damn thing is great.

I am a fan, so I knew that I was going to enjoy this special. I do think people who may be on the fence about him will enjoy it too. Like I said, it is wild, but he does tone it down from time to time, and does very funny stories, of which he calls back later in the special. Eric Andre is awesome, and this special is great. 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.

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Ty Watches "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"

On a whim the other night my wife asked if I wanted to watch the new Will Ferrell movie on Netflix, “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”.

I was taken aback for a few reasons. I didn’t know he had a new movie for one. I didn’t know both Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens were in it. I didn’t know that Pierce Brosnan played Ferrell’s father. And I had zero idea it was about a singing contest called Eurovision, which is a singing contest that invites bands and singers from all over the world, and it’s a real thing. I guess, according to some research, Ferrell became obsessed with this singing contest when his wife showed it to them on a trip. I think she’s of Swedish decent, and she thought he’d enjoy it. Well, it turned into an obsession, and he made a whole movie about it. And he sings and dances and acts and produces the whole damn thing.

While “Eurovision Song Contest” is a bit overlong, it is funny and sweet. Ferrell is hilarious as usual. He plays the lead character Lars. Lars is a dreamer ever since he saw ABBA on Eurovision as a young kid after his mother passed away. He got up and danced at the wake afterward at his home, and while all the adults laughed at him, he swore he’d win Eurovision one day. While at said wake, Sigrit, Rachel McAdams, got up and danced and sang with him. She was mute up to that point in her life. From that point we see them as grownups working in a new song for their band Fire Saga. It’s as European as it gets too. The song, the attached video, the costumes, it all screams European, and I loved it. It was silly, but fun. And while Ferrell is his usual funny self, McAdams matches him, and dare I say, surpasses him. She is so funny in this movie. She’s so quiet, yet naive. She loves Lars, but he loves Eurovision more. She sticks by his side no matter what, even if it’s to her detriment. McAdams really goes for it, and she absolutely crushes it. She is the star of this movie by far. I adored her performance. Dan Stevens plays Russian singer Alexander Lemtov. His performance is so over the top, but it’s supposed to be. He’s so full of himself and his music. He’s also hiding who he truly is. He may be the “bad guy”, but he’s really not. He just wants what’s best for his career and Sigrit’s. She has real talent that he sees, and Lars doesn’t. Also, the fight scene between Alexander and Lars near the end is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in awhile. Brosnan is great as the gruff dad. He doesn’t like the career path his son has chosen, and he lets him know it. Even when he eases up on him, he’s still kind of a jerk, as he’s supposed to be.

While the performances are great, I like that Ferrell is into this world, he invites real contestants to perform full on song and dance performances a few times in the movie. He really lets the singers shine, really gives them their moment, and it’s so cool and so much fun. Like I says before, the only thing I’d change is the length. It’s a hair over two hours, and that’s a little too long for a comedy like this. Other than that it’s a great, funny movie. Ferrell is good, but McAdams shines. I’d recommend it simply for her performance. But, it’s pretty great for everything else it does. Check it out if you haven’t, and if you enjoy Ferrell’s sense of humor. It’s uniquely him. I like that, and I think you will too.

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 "Da 5 Bloods"

Yesterday, after five separate viewing experiences, I was able to finish the new Spike Lee movie "Da 5 Bloods".

Right off the bat, I liked this movie. I like it more than "Black Klansman". I think it is one of Lee's stronger, more recent movies. I like the way it was shot, more on that later. And the acting was top notch. This is a good movie.

Before I get into why I liked it, I want to point out my little critiques, the stuff I would have changed. I felt the movie was a bit overlong. It was 2 hours 35 minutes in fact. I feel like it could have been an hour less than that. Spike Lee could have cut a good chunk of some stuff out, mainly the love story stuff, and the movie would have been just as good. The movie also had a little too much cliche stuff in it. That could have been on purpose, or just a coincidence. Either way though, some of it felt a bit too heavy handed, and the way I watch movies, I would have cut that out. And there was a group of activists that were a bit too featured in the movie. They help move along the story when we get to the thick of it, but they could have been shown a little less for me. Look, I get that this is all personal stuff, and the way I watch movies, but I would have cut that stuff, or could have done without it, and this would have jumped from a B+ to an A+ movie for me.

All that stuff aside, this is a very, very good movie. The opening sequence is one of the more powerful, and intense things I have ever seen in a movie. The way Lee added it to the movie, showing everything, was very powerful, intense and made me flinch, all in a good way. Lee's direction was masterful, as it always is. He is one of these guys that has honed his craft, he is exceptional at it, and he just flat out knows what he is doing. The way he directed the "flashback" scenes, and I know I am being coy, that is because I don't want to spoil anything, was like nothing I have ever seen before. The movie looks like a modern movie, and then when he does the flashback stuff, it looks like a grainy war movie. It was so unique and interesting and cool. Also, the shots he got from the jungle in Vietnam, and the city at night time, that was rad. He really shows two different worlds in the same country. It was awesome.

The main thing that puts this movie over the top is the acting. It is so god damn good. Everyone, as far as the main characters go, did a very good job. In fact I felt that Chadwick Boseman was the "weakest" one in the movie, but he has a very small role, only seen in flashback and has very few lines. What he did was great, he just didn't have a ton to do. He is also part of the most moving scene in the movie. As for the rest of the "5 Bloods", the guys were great. Isiah Whitlock as the party going, fun loving guy that just happens to be a sharpshooter. He also has a hero's sendoff. Norm Lewis is great as the affluent former soldier who has lost it all, but wants to be true to their friend's memory and promise. His death is brutal and unexpected. Clark Duke, as the medic, is really good. He is quiet yet powerful. When he speaks, it holds weight. His words are important and the guys listen when he talks. Johnathan Majors is funny and moving. He has some great moments in this movie. He has intense moments as well. But it gets no better than Delroy Lindo. His performance is a masterclass in acting. He does things so perfectly in this role. You cannot take your eyes off him when he is on screen, which is a ton. His portrayal of PTSD and panic attacks is all too real. The way he treats his friends and family, he is an angry dude that needs to come to terms with his past, which he eventually does. If he doesn't win the Oscar for best actor this year, I'd be totally shocked. He is magnetic.

I like this movie. I recommend this movie. I think this movie is important given the current climate, and what is going on all over the world. "Da 5 Bloods" is definitely worth your time, just know it is a long watch. But, it is worth it. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Long Gone Summer"

Yesterday I watched the most recent 30 for 30 "Long Gone Summer". The doc was about the summer of 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased the home run record set by Roger Maris.

I lived through this moment in time, and I vividly remember the chase because I live in Saint Louis, and I am a Cardinals fan. That was one of my main motivations for watching this movie. I also wanted to see how much they talked about steroids in this era, and how much of a part it played in both guys, and eventually Barry Bonds, breaking such a hallowed record. And yes, records in baseball, for some reason, are held in higher regards than in other pro sports. So the fact that three guys in four years broke the record, people had lots of questions. But I will touch on that in a moment.

As for the movie, it was just fine. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad, it was just fine. This is unfair to the movie, but I am now going to be comparing the every 30 for 30 to "The Last Dance". That was epic, perfect and one of the best movies I will ever see. So I know comparing this movie to it is not fair. But it just didn't fully live up to the hype for me. A lot of the footage, I remember seeing. I was 16 when this happened, loved baseball, played baseball, so it had my full attention. Baseball also needed something to get back in people's good graces after the 1994 lockout, and this home run race was the remedy. I remember McGwire starting off hot. I remember Ken Griffey Jr being right in it. I remember Sammy Sosa coming on super strong in June. They covered all this, but they didn't really add anything new. I don't think they put in anything that your average baseball fan doesn't remember from that era. They talked about Kerry Wood, but he was the hot phenom at the time. They mentioned Harry Caray's death, and everyone knew about that. They mentioned Sosa's unexpected explosion in June, but that is what got the world's attention. They talked about how hard it was on both guys, but anyone that watched could see it in their faces, especially McGwire's. Sosa loved the limelight, and he shined in it. McGwire just wanted to hit baseballs. I also remember not being a fan of either guy, even though I was, and still am, a Cardinals fan. I was always a Griffey Jr guy.

What I am trying to say is, I already knew all the stuff they were getting into with this movie. I watch 30 for 30's because they give me new info, or tell me about someone I never heard of before. This was almost a paint by numbers doc. It was softball question after softball question. They did not really dig deep into what I was hoping they would, steroids. And that is on me I guess. I was going into this movie thinking it was going to be a salacious take down of both guys, and both guys would come clean about their steroid use. And, I mean, I guess they did, but it was kind of half hearted admittance. McGwire said he used steroids, but only for injuries, which is B.S. Sosa said, "everyone was doing it", which isn't really an admission, but also kind of is. But they did all that in the last ten minutes of the movie. They spent an hour and a half praising these guys, showing legions of fans cheering for them and how they overcame adversity, only to switch at the end to say, "they may have used steroids". There is no may, they did. This could have been like the Lance Armstrong doc. They could have delved so much deeper into the seedy world of steroid use in baseball in the mid to late 90's and early 2000's. They chose to go in a different direction, which is fine, it just wasn't what I wanted or expected. Sosa and McGwire almost come off as good guys, and they both are not, at least in baseball terms. They both took PEDs. They both cheated the game. They both fell off after this one magical season. They both were called into congress to talk about PED use. And "Long Gone Summer" just kind of glossed over all of that in favor for watching a baseball fly over a wall.

It was nice to go back in time and see a ton of cool stuff that I watched as a teenager, but this movie could have been better, at least for me. I wanted more steroid talk, more salacious stuff. "Long Gone Summer" went for sympathy, and that is their prerogative. Now I know to watch "The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience" if I want what I deem to be the truer story, and I'm totally cool with that. I'm glad I watched, but I don't see myself revisiting it like I do with so many other 30 for 30's.

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 "Snowpiercer" Series Premier

Last week either TNT or TBS, pretty sure it is TNT, premiered the television series "Snowpiercer". I am an avid fan of the movie. I loved it in fact. It is definitely in my top five movies of all time. I love the story, the acting, the look and the direction. It is one of those rare perfect movies.

So when a TV series was announced, I was excited, but also a little skeptical. I mean, sometimes you just need one. Sometimes there doesn't need to be a sequel, prequel or TV series. Some shows have pulled this off, "Fargo" comes to mind, but in more cases than not, it just doesn't work. It waters down the original thing we loved so much in the first place.

I went into the premiere episode with some hesitation, but also willingness to see how they try to pull it off. The best I can say for the premiere, it was interesting. I'm not in a place where I feel like I can say it is good or bad in my opinion yet. It needs some more time. But, the premiere had me interested. It kept my attention. I noticed that I wasn't checking my phone, that it had my full attention. To me those are all good signs. Those are signs of a show that I am willing to give more than one chance. I also liked how much they didn't really stray from the material from the movie. They have a similar story line. The world starts to get bad, there is a worldwide freeze, a bunch of people bored a humongous train and as time goes on, the train starts to develop a class system. The upper class people are closer to the front, their kids get to go to school, they can procreate, they have access to the best food and comforts of modern society. They are all good. Even the middle of the train has some of the same elements, just not to degree that the rich people have. They also have an area dedicated to rave type people. They have a working class section. And then they have the people in the tail. This is the bottom class. This car is filled with people that have lost loved ones, their entire family didn't make it on the train in the beginning, they are shunned, they cannot procreate, they have to eat protein bars made from scraps. Basically, they have it the worst of all. This was where Chris Evans was in the movie, and this is where we meet Daveed Diggs in a similar role. I like Daveed Diggs, but I have only seen him in less dark material. I have to get over that hump myself, but I will say, he was really good in the premiere. I believed him, and I am actively rooting for him. Also, the scene where he gets taken away, and then fed a hot bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese, he played that very, very well. I'm sure I will grow to like him even more, I just have to start buying him in the role. Jennifer Connelly, who is an amazing actress, is very calm in her role, almost too calm. She has a certain charm that definitely has me thinking she may not be the sweet hospitality lady she is portraying herself. And the ending of the premiere, and I will not spoil anything here, kind of proves what I was thinking. I also want to point out that I thought the initial battle scene was done very well, for a TV show. They can't go as big as the movie, but they did a very solid job. I also liked how they broke down the classes very quickly in the premiere.

As I said, I still need some time, but the pilot kept me in. The pilot makes me want to watch more and more. I have tried to stay away from apocalyptic stuff since the pandemic started, but "Snowpiercer", at least for one episode, doesn't make me think about the bleakness we currently live in. I'll be tuning in this weekend for the next episode, and if you liked the movie, I suggest you should to. I have my hesitations, but for one episode, they have me. Hopefully that will continue. 

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 "The Last Dance" Parts 4 and 5

Episodes 5 and 6 of "The Last Dance" aired last night, and like the first four, this doc just continues to get better and better, and more revealing. I love this whole thing, and I am actually a little upset that there are only four more episodes. There are only two more weeks. I could watch this for another 10 to 20 episodes easily. That is how intriguing and wonderful this has been.

In episode 5 we got a look at a little bit of everything following the Bulls first title in 1991. We also got a dedication to Kobe Bryant prior to the start. The first part of the episode started with the 98 All Star game that featured the two going head to head. We even got a talking head interview with Bryant, and it was eye opening to hear him say the things he said about Jordan. Hearing him talk about his importance, and how if it wasn't for Jordan, he wouldn't have been the player he was. He even said how much he disliked the comparisons, and people asking who would win one on one. He all but squashed that, and let it be known that Jordan is the GOAT.

From there we got a glimpse into the 92 team that repeated. This was great because we got to see this team really rise to dominance, and see Jordan kind of take basketball to a whole other level. BJ Armstrong even said that he wasn't playing basketball anymore, he was simply out there to find new ways to win. That is how dominant, and great and maniacal he was as a player. The matchup between him and Clyde Drexler was supposed to be close. It wasn't. This series featured "the shrug" game, where MJ hit 6 threes in the first half, and scored 35 in the same half. He outplayed Drexler every step of the way. He said that he wanted to show how much better he was, and that it pissed him off that they were even comparing the two. Jordan is better, and will always be, and he proved that.

We also got a look at the Dream Team where, once again, and as usual, Jordan was the alpha. He was the dude. He was the guy. The video tape of a practice game was awesome. The way he and Pippen dominated Toni Kukoc was wild. They wanted to prove Jerry Krause wrong, and while Kukoc turned out to be a fine player, Jordan and Pippen proved they were better, and more important.

The episode also got into his cultural impact, what with his shoes and commercial appeal. It had to be hard to be Michael Jordan. That was the big takeaway for me from episode 5.

Episode 6 starts off with how hard it was for him to deal with the fame. It seemed like he had no time to just be alone, or away, or with his family. He was pulled in a million different directions. From there we dig into his gambling. This added to his competitive nature. There is a scene where he is betting with his handlers who can get a piece of change closest to the wall without touching it, and when he got beat by one of the dudes, you could tell it irked him very much. We then shift back to 93, with the Bulls working on their first 3 peat. This was also when they started to dig a little deeper into his gambling, referencing Sam Smith's wonderful book "The Jordan Rules". This was the same time they started to try and dig up dirt on him. They figured he couldn't be as perfect as he appeared. This is the episode I have been waiting for. This is where it got grimy and gritty and down and dirty. Apparently Horace Grant was the first one that spoke up, but it seems like there were plenty of other people. Jordan said it was Grant, but Grant said he didn't say a word. Who knows, but I do know that Grant wasn't too thrilled with the attention that MJ and Pippen were getting over him. But being the genius of basketball that he was, his play didn't waver a bit. In fact, he just kept getting better. It seems like it fueled him.

Then we shifted to the rivalry between the Bulls and Knicks in the early 90's. The Knicks tried to be the new era "Bad Boys", but the Knicks weren't as dirty, and easier to root for. They also weren't nearly as good. They did some stuff. They went up 2-0 on the Bulls, we got the famous Starks dunk. But, other than that, they were no real threat to the Bulls.

We did shift from there back to his gambling, which people blamed for the Bulls dropping the first 2 games. This was also when we meet a guy named Slim Buller, who was a badass dude that gambled with him all the time. Apparently, Jordan spent a good amount of time with this gentleman. This was when people started to really push on the gambling, and if he was an addict or not. This was the first time I have seen Jordan a little defensive in the talking head interviews. He was near over explaining what he was doing. But, as he is want to do, he responded as he always did, and came back and dominated the Knicks in four straight games. We also got to see the epic game 5 finish, with Charles Smith getting blocked four times, right at the rim. Poor guy.

That win pushed the Bulls to their third finals appearance in a row, this time to face the Suns and league MVP Charles Barkley. That series was an okay one, but it still gave Jordan the platform to prove is greatness over everyone else, which he did. This 6th episode started to show more of the asshole that Jordan was, and maybe still is, and that was great. I have been waiting to see this side of him. This was one of the things at the very top of my list that I wanted from this doc. It closed out nicely with them getting ready for the 98 playoffs, and as I am every Monday now, I cannot wait for the next two episodes.

"The Last Dance" has been so worth it so far, and it is only going to get better and better the rest of the way. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Dave" Season One Finale

Last night my wife and I watched the season one finale of "Dave". This was a show that I was excited for when I first heard about it, and the full season did not disappoint at all. It was very different from what I was expecting, but in a very good and surprising way. Yes, the show had plenty of comedic moments, but there were also very moving, sad, thought provoking and boundary pushing stuff. This is why FX is so far ahead of the curve of other networks. They give people shows, and they let them go off in whatever direction they want.

In one particular episode of "Dave", they talk about weird sexual fetishes, but it was a solid portrayal of people doing for others in a relationship. Dave and his girlfriend Ally worked to find a medium ground together. There was another episode that focused primarily on Dave's hype man GaTa. GaTa was a total unsung hero this first season, probably my favorite character, and to see his back story, involving hospitalization due to bi polar disorder, was moving as hell. There was one episode that solely focused on Els, the producer friend of Dave's, that shows his relationship, his friendship with Dave and his trepidation to move up in the music industry. Basically, FX let Dave Burd and his people do what they wanted, and it worked so god damn well.

The finale was on a whole other level. It started with him rapping about his career, ending up in jail and being forced to do things he didn't want to do. The first five minutes or so were just that. It was essentially a music video. Then they smash cut to his record label people being totally appalled with the song. They didn't like what the song had to say, they didn't want to release it and they were all very offended by everything. Dave didn't care. He kept calling this song his "life's work", and his "triumph"., But everyone around him, except for Benny Blanco, which, bravo to his performance on this show, he was great, did not want him to release the song.They thought it would stop him in his music career before it even really started. There was great stuff with him and his buddy, who is his manager now. They fought and argued, and even though his buddy relented, you could tell he was upset. The scene with him and Els, where Els tells him he is going on tour with another rapper for six months, was telling for both. Els thought Dave would be happy for him, but like he has been all season, Dave was selfish and upset. Even GaTa, who stands by him no matter what, thought it was wack to release the song without telling his label. As I said before, the only person who told him to release it was Blanco, explaining that there would be two outcomes. He said that people would love the song, and the label would have to give him full control, or it would bust, and the label would drop him. He posed it as a win win for Dave. Dave was all set to do it on "The Breakfast Club", a very popular and influential morning hip hop show. He flew to New York with GaTa and his manager and was fully intent on releasing the track. Then the show did what it has done all season and totally stunned me in the best way possible. During the interview Charlamagne the God, one of the hosts of the show, kept pushing him. He kept asking him tough, racial questions. He kept asking him why he was copping other culture. He pushed and pushed. He asked questions Dave had never considered. Even with GaTa's help, Dave was stuck. He didn't know what to do. You can see the wheels turning in his head about whether or not to actually release the track. The head guy from the label showed up as well, thus making it that much more high stakes for him. When the time came to play the track, Dave decides he is simply going to free style. He made the right choice, but now he had to prove that he could actually rap. Charlamagne made sure to tell him, quite persistently, that eight million people were currently listening, and that he was going to mess up. Well, Dave turns the beat on, and just like in the premiere episode, he goes on to spit an incredibly long, intricate and dope song. The way he weaves in and out of words, the way he combines stuff, his voice, his lyrics, Dave Burd is a good rapper. The show makes a joke all season long that he thinks he is the greatest rapper of all time. And while I don't think that he is, he is a very good, very unsuspecting rapper. This last shot proves that tenfold. And when they finally get to the end of the song, he goes on to say something about his real name, kind of like, "and my name is.........", and he pauses. Charlamagne asks him, "what's your name", and the show cuts to end credits with just DAVE in all caps.

I was stunned. I had goosebumps. I was super duper impressed. I said out loud, "GOD DAMN I LOVE THIS SHOW!". I cannot wait for season two. "Dave" was great in every sense of the word. I highly recommend it. It is one of the better shows to come out in 2020. I truly do love this show. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Miracle Workers" Season 2

Yesterday I finished season two of “Miracle Workers”. I really enjoyed the first season, but didn’t know if they’d do another one. I thought it was going to be one season and out. Then it was rumored that they were going to do an anthology type thing, with the same actors playing different characters in different stories. I loved this idea. When I found out they were going to do a dark ages season, I was even more on board. I enjoy reading about that time, and throw in the fact that Simon Rich was going to put his spin on it, this was a home run for me.

This season two experiment did not disappoint. As I said, they brought back all the main people, Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Karan Soni and Lolly Adefope. But this time around they had different roles. Buscemi and Viswanathan were father and daughter, and Jon Bass, who had a smaller role in season one, was the son. Buscemi was a hard working guy who was just happy to be alive and have healthy children. He was great. Bass was a dolt and a dummy, but he was also super nice and really loved his family. Viswanathan was the smartest person in the town, a hard working idealist they wanted bigger and better things. She was so good in this part of the anthology. She was great in season one, but she excelled as the star of season two. She had the funniest moments of the season, she had the most growth, she revealed the most, she crushed it. I was so impressed by her performance. Adefope, who was quietly amazing in season one, was great here as well. She had a bigger role this time around too. I really enjoyed her stuff with the convent, and his into it she got. She was fun, grounded and kept a level head. Radcliffe was great, as usual, as the black sheep prince of his royal family. He was all about love, affection and helping others. His family was filled with murderous tyrants, his dad, the king, played by Peter Serafinowicz expertly, was the most vicious of all. But Radcliffe was just different. He wanted what was best for the town, the people and, mainly, Viswanathan’s character. Their scenes together were so sweet, even when they fought. Karan Soni was solid, like he always is, as the Lord who works for Radcliffe’s family. He was funny, dry and quick witted. The episode where he goes to trial to help out a goat is hilarious. He truly owns that whole episode. He also had a heart of gold, and was rewarded greatly in the season finale. As for the other actors, they did great in their small roles.

What I liked most about this part of the anthology was how they joked about the dark ages. Be it war, religion, money, entertainment, it was all done so well. To open a series with a live execution, and to play it for laughs, I mean, it was perfect. The stuff with school, and how it was so ridiculous, simply hilarious. The “concerts” and live entertainment was downright absurd, and I loved it. The way they represented class was also done so well. I love this series, and I want it to stick around.

I’m a humongous fan of Simon Rich as well. He did some great stuff while writing for “SNL”. I am one of the biggest fans of “Man Seeking Woman”. And now he has “Miracle Workers”. This one seems like it has the most staying power simply because Radcliffe is attached. But everyone else is fantastic that is involved with this show. I cannot recommend it enough. Watch this show so TBS will continue to let them make more and more. It is so good.

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 "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Season 10 Finale

This past Sunday "Curb Your Enthusiasm" had its tenth season finale, and it was tremendous. This whole season was fantastic for that matter. They went above and beyond and just went super silly with it all in the tenth season.

When it started with Larry and Leon walking and talking, and Larry breaking some tourists selfie stick, I knew we were in for some good old fashioned "Curb". From there on out, it was pretty wild and pretty hilarious. From Larry getting back together with Cheryl for a moment, until he forced a allergic reaction due to talcum powder, to him not giving Clive Owen the praise he felt he deserved, to his interactions at Timothy Olyphant's wedding in Mexico with everyone, to the painting he commissioned for Susie, to the "ugly versus good looking" section at a lunch spot, to pretty much everything else. But, the major plotting point of this season was the "spite store".

Larry had a ton of run ins, but the major one was with Mocha Joe. We first met Mocha Joe early in the season, but he was a thru character the whole time. They started off okay, but when Larry criticized his scone, then his wobbly tables and then the temperature of his coffee, they were in a battle. Larry tried to prove that his coffee wasn't hot enough by sticking his nose in it, a bit revisited later by Jon Hamm, which was hilariously pulled off. After his first run in with Mocha Joe, Larry realized that store space next to Mocha Joe's was open. He, of course bought it, and decided he was going to open a spite coffee shop. He then got really into it, and started to so some odd things, but things that Larry David would definitely do. He installed bathrooms, but only for number 1's. He got self heating cups to keep the coffee hot. He made his own scones. He had coat racks at each table. He made sure his tables were secure to the ground. He took it very seriously. He was so serious, that all the way to the finale, there was a news story talking about all these other people opening spite stores. Jonah Hill had a spite deli. Sean Penn, a spite bird shop. Even Mila Kunis opened a spite jewelry shop. All of this was so perfect, so funny and so Larry David.

There was a few other plot lines in the finale as well. There was one with Chaz Bono, playing a Funkhouser, who had transitioned from female to male, and may have made his "member", a bit too big. Or, there could be Larry's run in with the fireman, and their sirens. Or Larry bringing up a ridiculous question to a couple friend of Jeff and Susie. Or even the stuff involving the "Big Johnson" club with Leon. It was all played so well, so perfect and so true to what makes this show so very wonderful.

I don't know when, or even if, we will see "Curb Your Enthusiasm" again. I hope we do because it is one of the best on TV. But, if this is it, they went out with a total bang. This is a finale, a whole season for that matter, that I will never forget. It was one for the memory books, and it was one of the greatest seasons of TV in history. What a spectacle.

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 "Love is Blind"

I, like I hope most Americans are doing right now, am quarantining myself(I don’t have CoronaVirus), social distancing and only leaving the house to run, go to the store as needed and to take a little drive to clear my head. So, I need things to watch and do when I have down time and don’t want to go nuts thinking about this pandemic.

Welp, my wife said some friends of her said we should watch the Netflix dating show “Love is Blind”. We watched it all in a weekend, and it was as trashy, ridiculous, dumb, wild and fun as I hoped it would be. I was on the fence because I’m not a huge fan of dating shows. I think they’re all a little pointless. I know we live in a society where online dating is the best way to meet someone, or if you can’t do that, go on a reality TV show. Most of them follow the cliched format, and so does “Love is Blind”. But only for a minute.

The show starts out like most dating shows. They interview people, they have them all live in a house that’s filled with alcohol and no internet or TV and they film it all. The difference with “Love is Blind”, during the “dates”, the people cannot see one another. They sit in a room that is cut in half by what I think is a mirror and they just talk. They get to really know one another. They find out things about each other that would have never been done if they could look at each other. That is the brilliance of this show. It’s not like any other dating show I’ve seen. It’s not “Married at First Sight” or “The Swan” or “Joe Millionaire”. Those shows were almost a parody of dating shows. And while “Love is Blind” is a ridiculous dating show, at least they, for a few episodes, show how open people can be when they can’t see one another.

Then the premise, or the conceit if you will, of the show goes off the rails. When two people feel that they’ve really connected, they can’t just say they want to date or get to know the person, they have to get engaged. Then, if that’s not enough, when they finally do meet one another, after they’re engaged, they get to go on a trip to Mexico. It’s all honeymoon phase right off the top. They don’t see any foibles or anything truly intimate. Sure, some insecurities start to come out, and you can see some of the people truly regretting their decisions. But still, with one exception, the couples are all happy and living in this great moment. But then they come home and they’re all housed in the same apartment complex. This is when it gets real. This is when the fights, all the insecurities, the stupid pointless little tiffs start to rear their ugly heads. These couples get into ridiculous, pointless fights. Oh, they’re also given their phones back, and they get back to “real life” when they move into the apartments. This, of course, causes even more senseless drama. They then have to meet families, which is awkward and hilarious. Then, in the season finale, this is when they have to decide if they’re going to get married or not. Mind you, they’ve only been together for right around a month. They’ve only lived together for two weeks. They’ve only had one interaction with their soon to be spouse’s family. None of that is not nearly enough time to truly get to know someone, especially someone you’re about to spend the rest of your life with.

Of the five couples, only two went through with it. But, it was so very, very awkward to see the couples, who they had get tuxedos and wedding gowns, invite friends and family and have a ceremony, not go through with it. There was a reunion special, but it wasn’t much to write home about.

In the end, “Love is Blind” starts off super strong, gets better, then gets uncomfortable, then just kind of fades. I definitely recommend it, especially in our current situation. It’s a nice departure, and a good way to escape, even if it’s just for an hour per episode. I think you should check it out, especially if you are looking for something to distract you.

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 "Black Monday" Season Two Premier

On Sunday Showtime had a two episode season two premiere of “Black Monday”, and it was great.

I was intrigued by this show last year when I heard David Caspe, creator of “Happy Endings”, one of the best and most underrated rated shows of all time, had created it. I then saw the cast, people like Regina Hall, Andrew Rannels, Don Cheadle, Casey Wilson, Paul Scheer, Yassir Lester and Horatio Sanz, and it made me even more pumped. Season one did not disappoint. “Black Monday” is one of those rare shows that perfectly straddles their line of comedy and drama. The show is definitely more comedic, especially darkly comedic, but they nailed the dramatic scenes. All the stuff that came out during the first season was handled very, very well. I don’t want to spoil anything, especially since we all should be social distancing and self isolating. Go binge watch the first season while we are all supposed to be indoors.

Season two picked up seemingly a few months, maybe five or six, right after the first season wrapped up. Regina Hall is now in charge, along with Rannels. She runs the firm that Cheadle was running, and Rannels, who is in DC trying to expand his political career, is looked at as a wunderkind. He is plastered all over magazine covers, and is a household name. Hall, on the other hand, is handling business back in NYC. She is the boss, and she acts like it and she deserves it. She has worked too hard to not be in this position. But, she does have some demons that she needs exorcise. Lester and Sanz still work at the firm, but they’re the only dudes. Their couple of scenes were great, and fitting for their character arcs to this date. Meanwhile, and again, I’m going to try to not spoil much, Scheer and Cheadle are living in Miami. They’re living a separate life from what they did in NYC. And while Scheer seems to enjoy his life, Cheadle looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. The scene that introduces us to Scheer in season 2 is amazing. The music, the clothes, the mustache and the rollerblading, it was just so perfect. Cheadle meanwhile, he has quit cocaine, a big part of season one, and is playing in a hotel band. Also, speaking of looks, his hairdo is amazing. I love it.

The first two episodes of season two have me very excited to see where things go from here. This show is so well made. It’s well written, directed and acted. They have pros all across the board on this show, and it shows. The ending of the second episode has me fired up for the rest of the season as well. Seriously people, especially if you’re looking for a new show to binge in our current state, I cannot recommend “Black Monday” highly enough. This show rules.

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 "Dave" Season Premier

Last night FX premiered the first season of "Dave", and I am going to talk about the new show.

For those that may not know, Dave is better known by his rap name Lil Dicky. Lil Dicky was brought to my attention by a friend of mine about a year ago. I knew nothing of him, I was sent a video, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was absurd and funny, the beat was good and Lil Dicky can rap. His raps are also ridiculous and hilarious. His beats are rad too. But, I am relatively new to Lil Dicky. I then saw some trailers for this new show, and they were pretty damn funny. I decided I was going to watch the show, and I was prepped to watch the premiere last night.

Now, I have only seen the first episode. There were, without my knowledge, two episodes last night. I wanted to watch both, but I have a new puppy and a daughter with a cold and a bad cough, so I was exhausted and ready for bed at 9:45 last night. But man was that first episode phenomenal. It hit everything I was hoping for.

First off, Dave, AKA Lil Dicky, is funny and goofy and nerdy and perfect. I know he is playing himself, or maybe a heightened version of himself, but still, he is so god damn funny. I related to him so much. The stuff with him trying to get real rappers to respect him, it was so funny and relatable. To see him put in these wild situations, and his reactions, they were funny, but also seemed very, very real, especially the scene with YG at the end. When he is pushed to rap, so he can be on YG's Instagram story, the fear, but then crushing his verses, I loved every second of it. Also, this dude can rap. Like, for real. The verses he spits during this scene are legit. He is good at grooving and rhyming with the beat, he can go on and on for seemingly endless amounts of time, his lyrics are ridiculous, but they also work. Lil Dicky is a legit rapper. That much is proven true in this premiere episode.

Outside Dave/Lil Dicky, the rest of the cast is really solid. Taylor Misiak plays his girlfriend, Ally. She is a kindergarten teacher, and she is the one person that can keep Dave grounded. She almost seems too good for him. Also, the whole tweet they talk about in the ep, it is played for great laughs between Dave and Ally. Also, his rap scene, when he mentions her, brilliant. Dave's best friend is played by Andrew Santino, and he is funny as the serious and un fun version of Dave. He has a miserable job, which he hates, and he lets everyone know about it. YG was really, really good in the premiere. He was funny, being himself and he crushed. Travis "Taco" Bennett as the studio sound engineer Elz, was so, so good. He is friends with Dave, but he also doesn't want Dave to make him seem like a square. Dave's parents, and their scene involving Dave taking out his Bar Mitzvah money, was priceless. It was like looking at my parents on screen if I were telling them what Dave told them. Also, in that scene, the little child who kept staring at him while he was on the phone, and that look that Dave gave him, hilarious. But the true star outside Dave/Lil Dicky was GaTa, as himself. He was so good, so funny, revealed a ton about his true character in the ep, and made me laugh the whole time. From when they meet at the beginning in the studio, to where they end up, I loved it. I cannot wait to see their friendship blossom throughout the series.

"Dave" is another top notch show from FX. I truly hope they give this show time to grow and find itself because I feel like this could be a humongous hit for them. I'm stoked to watch the second ep tonight, and the rest of the season for that matter. This is one of the better new shows on TV. Check it out for sure.

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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