Ty Watches "Bar Rescue": Sidelines Bar and Grill Edition

This week's "Bar Rescue" was your run of the mill, "not only save a bar, but a family" episode. The bar was called Sidelines Bar and Grill, and it was in a small town in Florida. The bar had the typical story. They thrived at first, the owner then decided to switch to a full sports bar, lost some regulars and started to drink. He then drank some more and yelled at his staff, 2 of which are his sons, more than run the everyday business of the bar. He was a drunk that used physical violence as opposed to words to solve conflicts.

Like always, Taffer didn't care for this, neither did his experts, and when the owner hit one of his sons in the face, Taffer stormed in and went off. First off, the son that got popped, he did nothing but berate his brother in the kitchen. He would constantly annoy him, then go play on his phone and do nothing. The younger brother worked hard, but he was dirty. He never washed his hands, labeled anything and cooked and cleaned with no gloves. It was gross. The front of the house tried their hardest, but they had no guidance, and with the owner constantly drinking, they fell into a hole of bad habits. When Taffer came in, he berated everyone, but mainly the owner. The owner threatened to fight him, remember he was drunk, but when he calmed down, they all got to cleaning.

The next day the bar was fit to train, and they got to it. The drinks were easy, the food was easier to execute. It was made so they would look good during stress test. And during said stress test, they started out strong. But things fell apart due to no soda guns, a small bar station and no communication between front of house and kitchen. They closed up, went to a different bar to train and Taffer and crew got to fixing up the old bar. But, first Taffer had to have a sit down with the father and his 2 sons. Tears were shed, things were promised and Taffer left the conversation with his creepy smile on his face.

The staff got their training, and were sent home to come back the next day for the reopening. When they arrived, Taffer revealed the new bar and new name. He changed the name to Lake Shore, blah, and it had the look of a beach house. It was a typical fix. They had some new benches, barstools, a bar top, an outside seating area, new POS systems, multiple soda guns and, of course, a lifetime subscription to Partender and Taffer Virtual Teaching. All the same stuff he gives every bar this season.

During reopen they did great, obviously. The owner stopped drinking and the kitchen staff was cranking out orders with 7 minute ticket times. The bartenders did have a hiccup here and there, but they righted the ship and things ran smoothly after that. At the 6 week checkup, sales were up 17 percent from the previous year and the owner stopped drinking on the job. The brothers were doing better in the kitchen, but the older one was still ribbing the younger brother, as brothers do.

As I said, run of the mill episode. That is not to say it wasn't entertaining, it was just a very typical episode. Come back next week for a quick recap of the next episode.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He sometimes think that it would be good for Taffer to do a heart to heart between the head editor and Ty. Tears will not be shed, but fists will be thrown.

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"Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" Makes Us Ask Why.

Please stop making "Sharnado's". I can't stop watching.

So, my wife and I watched "Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" yesterday, and all I have to say about this pile of garbage is why? That is the universal why? Why are they still making these? Why are Ian Ziering and Tara Reid getting work when they are horrendous actors? Why are the "celebrities" that cameo doing this? Why does the Syfy Network continue to allow this? Why do they keep airing these? But most importantly, why do I feel the need to watch all of these? I'm going to try and answer all of these why questions today.

First off, why is there a 5th "Sharknado" movie? I'd venture to guess that they made the first one as a goof, but it got a ton of social media buzz, and everyone was talking about it. They struck while the iron was hot. I do not blame them for this, but each new "Sharknado" seems to get worse. The acting gets more and more terrible and the writing, directing and everything else, it is so terrible. They have bought into the fact that it is a farce a bit too much. They tend to take these ridiculous roles a bit too serious.

Which leads me to Ian Ziering and Tara Reid. My god are they atrocious actors. The "Sharknado" universe is the only place I know of Ian Ziering. Maybe RD, the generation Xer of the group could tell me why he is famous (Ed Note: I actively rooted against Steve Sanders on 90210). But, his acting in these movies is straight trash. He takes it way, way too serious, and I feel like he thinks these movies have been a rebirth of his stardom of sorts for him. I think he genuinely thinks that he is a star. He is not. He is a horrendous actor. And Tara Reid. My goodness, what happened to Tara Reid? I loved her in "American Pie", and thought her small role in "Big Lebowski" was great. She did a very good job with these roles. Then, she went off the rails. She thought she was more famous than she truly is. She did the whole plastic surgery thing and took it way too far. My wife kept saying, "look at how bad her surgery looks", and I have to say, I agree. But her acting is so awful. She shows no emotion. Her yelling was some of the most uninspiring yelling in a movie I have ever heard. It sounded like my daughter when she fake cries. As far as facial expressions, Reid's never changed, no matter what the scenario. She has fallen so far off, it is kind of sad. This is all she has, but I think that she thinks this will lead to other, bigger stuff. It won't, she is a bad actor.

The cameos only seem to get worse with these movies. In this one, I kept asking my wife, who is that? She then had to look it up, and for the most part, neither of us knew who the people were. When we did recognize someone, it was just sad. Bret Michaels looked horrific. He needs to fully embrace his baldness because the bandanna and fake blonde hair are rough. Olivia Newton John does not need to lower herself to this level. She was once a respected actor and singer, so why show up in this nonsense. Same for Dan Fogler. He was only in a 15 second scene, but come on man, you are a respected comic actor. I love the ping pong movie he's in. He doesn't need this shit. Greg Louganis played an art thief. I mean, what the hell. You are a respected Olympian, and if you want to get into acting, I can almost guarantee that he could get in something better than "Sharknado". Clay Aiken, try as he might, was so poorly miscast all I could do was shake my head at the bad acting. Chris Kattan has fallen so far off, that getting his name in the opening credits was the biggest thing for him since "SNL" I bet. When I saw him I said to my wife, "he and Will Ferrell were co leading men in "Night at the Roxbury", now look at their careers". She responded with, "poor Chris Kattan". It was a mess of terrible cameos. They also bring on reality TV "stars", and there is a reason that they only appear on reality TV. These people cannot act.

Syfy keeps airing it for all the reasons I already mentioned. It gets a ton of social media talk, I'm reviewing it today, and people talk about it for weeks afterwards. I do not blame them for doing this. I wish they'd stop, but I understand why they do it. Same thing for the constant repeats. We did not see it on "opening night", but we recorded and watched it later. That is why they constantly show these movies.

Finally, and this is the most important question for me, why do I continue to watch, even though I have a vitriol hatred for them. I think it is part OCD, part fear of missing out(FOMO). I have OCD big time, so with most things I feel like I have to watch them all to feel complete. I hate that my mind works like this, but if they continue to make them I will probably watch them, just to see how far they take this thing. I wish I could stop, but unfortunately, I can't. Then when it comes to FOMO, it is not enough for me to read about the movie, I want to see it so I can talk about it with supreme confidence. I want to see all the nonsense so I can judge it and make fun of it. Isn't that one of the main reasons there are so many "Sharknado" movies? They want people to make fun of it? I assume so. I wish I could stop, but I can't. I will probably watch the next one of they make another one.  

If you watch it or not, all of these "Sharknado" movies are dreadful, and the fifth installment might be the worst of the bunch. It is awful, and unless you want to torture yourself like me, do not waste your time. These movies stink.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is looking forward to the day he watches "Sharknado 63: A Sharknado for All Seasons", and then dies once it ends. Then he will be free from the curse.

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Ty Watches "Bar Rescue": Liquid Lounge Edition

Taffer and crew got back to one of their regular episodes this week, and I have to say, it was a good one. They traveled outside of Nevada finally, and they ended up at the "Liquid Lounge" in Long Beach. The bar's backstory was typical. They were making a ton of money, they had new customers every night, everyone loved the food and drinks, the same story told during every cold open.

Then, also as usual, one of the bartenders wanted to be the owner, so he bought the bar from the outgoing, soon to be retired owners. He spent his life savings on the bar, which they said was 400,000 dollars. But, earlier in the episode, the man claimed he inherited 400,000 dollars from his folks, so I do not understand why that was all that he had in his life savings. Anyway, as soon as Rob took over, "Liquid Lounge" went down the drain. By all accounts, Rob was a good guy to a fault. He was a total pushover. He let everyone walk all over him. Even his favorite employee, who genuinely seemed to try hard and like him, walked all over him. Don't get it twisted though, Lola was a great, great worker. She even brought her husband on to help out with basically everything that they needed help with, and he was always available. I don't know if he got paid, I assume he did, but he worked his tail off. In fact, the staff at "Liquid Lounge" was legitimately good at their jobs. But, when you have an owner that will let you skip out early, not always have you clean, not hold employees accountable, things tend to go awry, and that is exactly what happened.

Now, there were no mice or rats, but this may have been the dirtiest bar on all of "Bar Rescue". This place was an absolute nightmare. Everything seemed to be falling apart, and a lot of that had to do with the massive mold problem they had. The fans were even falling out of the ceiling because the mold was so plentiful. The wall paper was tearing everywhere. The stools were a mess. The bar tops and the bar were nasty. The kitchen was a total nightmare. The bowls they used to "ring" their margaritas, I gagged when they showed what was inside of them. It was disgusting.

After Taffer and his crew, food expert Tiffany Derry and drink expert Rob Ford, stormed in and laid waste to poor Rob. He didn't even know what hit him. He was like a deer in the headlights. And, because he is such a calm and chill guy, he did not fight back and he never raised his voice. After Taffer was done screaming at him, and he was most definitely screaming, Rob literally took all the blame. It was his fault the bar was dirty, not making money, his employees had no respect for him, he was too nice, everything he owned up to. It was a nice change of pace from other owners or employees that always want to fight with Taffer. Before leaving the crew to clean for the night, Taffer, Derry and Ford all got in a few more nuggets of how bad this place was run. Taffer and Derry were throwing food left and right and Ford was just as disgusted as I was from what he saw behind the bar. The whole crew, including Rob, stayed and cleaned all night to get ready for training.

Taffer arrived early ish the next day, but before they could get to training, he took a pool cue and banged it against the wall. I thought this was odd. They had cleaned all night, and the bar looked much, much better. But, when he banged that cue on the wall, there was an explosion of ants. They were everywhere. So, Taffer lost his mind again, and brought in a pesticide crew. They were able to fumigate without having to close the bar for more than a day.

The stress test had to be postponed, but they rescheduled it for the next night. The staff got some mild training. Ford showed them some easy drinks and Derry showed the chef a simple fried shrimp plate recipe. The doors were open, and stress test began. Everything seemed to okay, at least for a stress test, at first. Lola was pumping out drinks, only having to redo a few, and the kitchen was getting the food out. But, there was trouble around the corner. Rob never took down names for the food, so it was dying in the window. Lola was pumping out drinks, but we came to find out that only one person had paid for their drink. No one was charging anyone, and this was all on Rob. Rob had again shit the bed. He again took full responsibility, and he finally confessed that he needed to be more of a boss and less of a friend.

After hearing this revelation, Taffer got his people to fix up the bar for re launch. The "Liquid Lounge" crew gathered outside, and it was revealed to them that the name was changed to "Tidal Bay: A Beach Bar". That is not one of Taffer's best, but given the location, it wasn't horrible. The inside looked brighter and they had 3 new POS systems, new soda guns, new speed wells, everything was updated. And when they reopened, things went great. I expected that because, as I said earlier, the staff was already good, they just needed proper training. Even Rob began to be a bit more managerial. He was great during reopen, and so was Lola She was exceptional in fact.

For the 6 week check up, the bar sales had increased by 20 percent in both food and drinks, and Lola got a raise andpromotion to manager. This was a very good, old school "Bar Rescue". I want more episodes like these.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He regularly walks into places of business and slams a pool cue against the wall. He is not looking for ants, he just hates business walls and pool cues are his weapon of choice.

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

Ty Watches "Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later"

As I promised on a recent podcast, I did finish all of "Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later" this past weekend. I may not have mentioned it as a show that I was looking forward to, but believe me, I was highly anticipating this release. I was able to watch the first episode last Friday when it was released, then I watched 2 on Saturday, and finished the final 5 on Sunday.

It was great. I loved it. I was predestined to love it. I'm a fan of the movie, and I adored the prequel, "WHAS: First Day of Camp". I love how oddball and goofy the show and movie were/are. It is like classic oddball comedy. Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain are perfect at making this type of comedy. They all wrote, with help for some other writers, and I think that I am correct in assuming that David Wain directed all the episodes.

If I had one gripe about "WHAS: Ten Years Later", it would be that it was too short. But, the same can be said for "First Day of Camp". I think they only do 8 30 minute episodes on purpose. It makes the fans want more and more. I have already gone back and started "First Day of Camp" again. I'm also going to be watching the movie again, and after that, I will revisit "Ten Years Later". I just love how off the wall everything is. I think it is great that in "Ten Years Later" all the main actors keep saying that they are "in their mid 20's". It is so obvious that they're much older, but that adds to the allure of the comedy of the show.

The main cast is all there, with one exception. Paul Rudd, Zak Orth, Janeane Garrofolo, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Jon Benjamin, Nina Hellman, Marguerite Moreau, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Marissa Ryan, AD Miles, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Meloni, Amy Poehler, they are all there. Bradley Cooper couldn't be in this due to a scheduling conflict. To combat this, they got Adam Scott to play the role of Ben, and they kept talking about how no one would notice him due to his "nose job". It was played for a great amount of laughs. In "Ten Years Later", they also had some of the people from "First Day of Camp" back. Camp Tiger Claw's residents, played by Rich Sommer, Eric Nenninger, Josh Charles and Kristen Wiig were all there, and all high falutant, what with their popped collars, scarves and fancy clothes.

There were some "new" characters introduced as well. Sarah Burns and Mark Feuerstein played campers Claire and Mark. What I loved about their additions was, any time they flashed back to the movie, they had scenes placed in that showed that these 2 were at the camp. It was so funny how bad, on purpose, it looked. Samm Levine showed up as the camp's radio host all grown up, Arty. He sounds just like the original actor, but this time, he had a real radio show. Alyssa Milano was great as Renatta, Ben and McKinley's nanny. She was psychotic and very funny, and there was a big twist with her, but I do not want to spoil much. Lake Bell returned, and her character Donna and Yaron(David Wain), are now married and looking for a surrogate. That is another great bit I do not want to spoil. Maya Erskine has a great role as Coop's fiancé. Jai Courtney was awesome as Susie's love interest/movie star co worker. John Early, who I become more and more a fan of every time I see him in something, is hysterical in his return as Logan. Side note, his shirt may be one of the best things in this whole series. Jason Schwartzman and Chris Pine return, and they are now government made killing machines. That is the only spoiler I will give with their characters. They are also hilarious, especially Pine. Skyler Gisondo, as basically the new Andy, is funny as hell. His showdown in the "King of Camp" competition with Andy is excellent.

All those names I mentioned should be enough alone for people to tune in. There are some big names in Hollywood, and some big names for comedy fans. The premise this season is about growing up and still being unsure of what to do with your life. I loved how well their professional careers were going yet they still needed to get back to their summer camp reunion that they planned 10 years earlier. All of the revels when they showed up to camp were great, but Poehler's was the best. Elizabeth Banks had a great scene too, when she finally showed up 12 hours late. Andy's journey was hilarious. The back and forth between Susie and Logan was tremendous. Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter playing dual roles as McKinley/George HW Bush and Coop/Ronald Reagan, was riotous. Jon Benjamin as Mitch, the can of vegetables was awesome. Coop and Katie's relationship throughout was wonderful, and very reminiscent of the movie. Even David Hyde Pierce's 2 minute scene was worth the wait.

Look, I am going to love anything that has to do with "WHAS". It was a classic movie, and "First Day of Camp", and now "Ten Years Later" have only added to the lore. I hope, and I think, they will do more stuff like this. They left it very open ended, and if everyone involved is willing to continue to do these, I do not see why this wouldn't be a viable show for, at least 2 or even 3 more series like these. "Ten Years Later" was awesome, and I highly recommend everyone checking it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is hoping the success of "Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later" will lead to "Saved By the Bell: The College Years: 10 Years Later". That will be awesome.

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

Ty Watches "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" Season 3

Last night I finished the third season of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and I have to say, this has been the best season so far.

I really enjoy "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", but this season had me laughing harder than the other two did at any moment. I feel like the show's writing this season was extremely sharp. There were so many jokes, and if you missed one, there was another right around the corner. The episode that featured Maya Rudolph as Dionne Warwick was one of the funniest, best written and just flat out best 31 minutes of TV I have ever witnessed. I literally slapped my knees multiple times from laughing so hard the whole time. Maya Rudolph's performance is worth watching the whole episode alone. But, everyone else involved, and the story, it was magical.

"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" has a great group of creative people around it, mainly Robert Carlock and Tina Fey, and they were at their peaks this season. This season was the closest thing they have had to the best seasons of "30 Rock". I'd go as far to say that this season of "UKS" ranks right up there with what many consider the best seasons of "30 Rock".

The performances this season were top notch as well. Even small characters had great moments. When Kimmy's old roommate in the bunker, Gretchen, has her own episode that shows how her new cult is going, absolutely riotous. The whole storyline was great. Gretchen is great, and I think this was the only time she was even on the show this season. Amy Sedaris as Mimi, great. She was so annoying and rude, but also so funny and heartbreaking. I loved when she needed Jaqueline to take care of her. That was a great mini storyline. And Jaqueline's arc this season, tremendous. I'm a big Jane Krakowski fan, and working with Tina Fey has been the best thing she could have ever done for her career. She was tremendous this season. In dealing with her husband being smooshed by an electric car, fighting NFL owners to change the Washington football team name, to stop caring what other people think of her, and everything else, she was great. Carol Kane was wonderful. She is one of my favorite people on the show, and this year, she had a very big change in character and a new love interest. I love her old school attitude, how little she truly cares what people think and how much she loves her new boyfriend, the owner of the hilariously named grocery chain, Big Naturals. The episode where she and Jaqueline go shopping together and have a makeover, just tremendous. Her "key" bit, which was just a hammer, was used multiple times this season, and it was funny every time. Her filibuster episode was excellent as well. Tina Fey's one appearance as Kimmy's disgraced former therapist, awesome. She works at a mall piercing kiosk now. The addition of Daveed digs this year, I loved it. He is so funny and charming and I hope they bring him back next year, I'm almost certain they will. He looks like he is going to be an incredible actor. He was great on this, and even better in "Tour de Pharmacy". He's going to be a star.

Ellie Kemper as Kimmy had a very good season. She struggled with always trying to look on the bright side of things. She went to college. She struggled with jobs, but always did them with a smile. She had her issues with the guy that kept her in the bunker, wonderfully played by Jon Hamm. The episode where she tries to save Laura Dern from marrying him, exceptional. Kimmy's old "friend" Zan, in her much smaller role, was just as moody and hilarious as she could have been. Her show she started in college, "Profiles", that was an excellent button to another excellent show.

Finally, we have who I, and many consider, the star of this show, Titus Burgess as Titus Andromendon. If he doesn't get some kind of Emmy love this year it would be a damn shame. He was so, so, so great this season. His spoof of Beyoncé's "Lemonade" was one of the best things I have seen on TV in a long, long time. His journey, from breaking up with Mikey, to his tales of working on the cruise ship, to his run in with Dionne Warwick, to his new relationship with a guy in the church choir that has a baby named Linda, to him using a gas station bathroom, and everything I may have left out, it was all perfect. Titus Burgess is absolutely the best thing on this show. His selfishness, that turns into selflessness at times is so great. He is so funny. He can be heartbreaking, yet make that hilarious. His singing is wonderful. His one liners are great. Everything about Titus is tremendous. If you need only one reason to watch "UKS", watch it for Titus Burgess. He is incredible.

"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" is a tremendous show, and this season was the best to date. I highly recommend watching all of it, but if you want to start on season 3, be ready for some great writing and jokes after jokes after jokes. This season was an absolute homerun.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was once stuck on a boat with Dionne Warwick. They were fleeing a future where children ruled the earth. He then realized he was asleep on a canoe with easy listening hits of the 1980's playing through his Pandora station.

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

Ty Watches "Last Chance U" Season 2

I just recently finished the second season of "Last Chance U" last Friday. Before I go any further, if you watch the show and haven't finished it, or even started the second season yet, stop right here. This is going to be filled with spoilers. This is your warning.

Last chance.

So, as I said, I just got done watching all 14 episodes. I love this show. I wrote about the first season awhile back. I liked the second season more. I now know a lot more about the players on the East Mississippi Community College Lions. I was super excited to see how things turned out for season one's unlikely star, Isiah Wright. There was a lot to look forward too, and a lot to love about the new episodes of "Last Chance U".

In the first episode of season one, Wright inserts himself as a kick returner in the first game and houses the opening kickoff. From there on out I was excited to see how his career turned out. Well, he went through a whole lot this past season. He started off this season on fire. He was the man. He made one of the greatest leaps to score a touchdown that I have ever seen. It was all over TV and social media. Go look it up.

In the third game of the year, things took a turn for Wright. He got a concussion, and from there on out, he suffered multiple injuries and became less and less focused on football. He also was engaged, and his future wife lost a baby that she was pregnant with. This made him even more distant from football. It got so bad that he cussed out his coach, and Buddy Stephens, more on him later, kicked him off the field for the rest of that game. Wright struggled mightily after getting hurt early. He also became more distant and lost the smile and love for the game that made him one of my favorite players on the team. He lost all his big time offers and he is now playing division 2 football in Georgia. He is so much more talented than D-2, but he doesn't seem to have that passion for the game anymore.

Wright was the only person that had a big role on season 1 that returned in season 2. There was a whole new crop of D-1 transfers this year though. I think the show, and the reputation of EMCC, helped the, get some big time players. Their defense seemed to be stacked. They got 2 D-Lineman, Chauncey Rivers from Georgia and Kam Carter from Penn State, that looked like they'd be unstoppable. Well, Rivers was. He was great. He not only dominated on the field, but he got his grades right too. Rivers was kicked off Georgia for failing 3 drug tests in 7 months. But, in his less than one year in Scooba, he seemed to get his head on straight, and he was a force on the field. He was wrecking back fields left and right. His play, and improved grades and attitude earned him a scholarship to Mississippi State. I read an article yesterday stating that he was going to be a starter their this upcoming season.

Kam Carter was given the gift of being strong, big, fast and talented, but his head was never into the game it seemed. He would constantly clash with coaches and teachers. He tried to fight the D-Line coach, and if that fight happened, he would've gotten his ass beat. He was a malcontent. He didn't care about school or practice. He constantly claimed that he should, "be at Bama". It got so bad that his teammates openly called him out for his laziness. Carter was the epitome of a kid that thinks everything should be handed to him because he is so talented. And don't get me wrong, he is incredibly gifted as a D-lineman. But, his attitude was so shitty, I found myself actively rooting against him. He eventually turned in some dominant performances and got an offer from Pitt, which he accepted, but we will see how he takes to big time college football coaching. I'd guess not that well.

The D also got Dakota Allen, a transfer from Texas Tech that was kicked off the team due to armed robbery. That is a serious offense, but this kid did not seem like a bad kid at all. He definitely made a mistake, but I felt like going to EMCC was his "doing time". He is a great student and a great linebacker. I feel like he got mixed up with the wrong people at the wrong time. He played great, made the grades, and shockingly, Tech was able to get him back and he will be a starter there this fall.

On the offensive side of the ball, I already mentioned Wright, but they also got a big time transfer QB from FSU, De'Andre Johnson. Now, this kid was a big time recruit and committed to FSU almost immediately. While on campus, he was at a bar one night and punched a woman. I immediately lost any respect I had for him. That is unacceptable. I don't care how much you apologize and say that you made a mistake, that is wrong on so many levels. And Johnson definitely paid for this horrific thing he did. He was very good on the field and in the classroom, but no one wanted him to come to their school, and rightfully so. He got kicked out of FSU for hitting a woman, so what other "power 5" conference school would want that baggage? None. They all stayed far, far away. I feel like that is exactly what should have happened. But, of course he went and signed on with Florida Atlantic, the spot that Lane Kiffin is now the head coach. He is back playing D-1 football, but he is in a purgatory of sorts, and it is all deserved. Don't hit woman ever. It is never right.

Back to the defensive side, Johnson will be joined by my favorite player from this season, Tim Bonner. Bonner was a rambunctious kid that got in a little trouble and was removed from Louisville's football team. His year at EMCC started of slow, but by the end of the season he was getting sacks and pressures on almost every down. He is the epitome of a high motor player, and I think he will thrive at FAU. He also got his grades right, which is the most important thing. I will say, most of these kids say that school is so hard, but if you just put in minimum effort, you can pass. That is what I did, and I have a high school and college degree. School is not that hard.

As far as the coaches go, Buddy Stephens is still an asshole. He tried to be more calm and likable this season, but it all came off as fake, and every outburst at the camera crew made me think he was still the same old curmudgeon. He let Netflix come into his house and film, so there is no need for the attitude and the moping about them wanting to film him when he melts down. It comes with the territory. Also, his whining at all the assistants was totally uncalled for. Nothing, and I mean nothing, was ever his fault. It was always someone else's fault. That is ridiculous. More to that point, he lost a ton of his staff. Clint Trickett, the QB coach and offensive assistant, left for a job at FAU. The defensive coordinator, Ed Holly, who bore the brunt of most of Stephens meltdowns, left for Florida to go coach high school football. That is how much he wanted to get away from Stephens. Then we have Marcus Woods, the coach in waiting and offensive coordinator. Everything seemed fine until Stephens treated him like a child on the sideline of their bowl game and tried to kick him off the filed. Woods handled it with extreme class, all the while Stephens was complaining about his play calling. This led Woods to leave the team and stay at the school in an administrative roll. They clearly had a major falling out, and it was all Stephens fault.

Finally, we have Brittany Wagner, the football players academic adviser. She was just as great this year as she was in season 1. She seemed to be getting fed up working for EMCC, but mainly Stephens. He would not work nicely with her, even going so far as to blame her for some of his players having poor grades. She did her job wonderfully, and she truly loved and wanted to help these kids. Stephens may not have realized it, but the players parents recognized it for sure. Wagner is a wonderful person. She left EMCC, thankfully, and she has now taken a similar type job in Michigan. She seems to be getting as far away from Mississippi and Buddy Stephens as possible, and that is great.

I love "Last Chance U". They are done filming at EMCC, which seems like the right thing to do. They will be doing a third season, but they will be going to a junior college in Kansas. They got what they needed out of EMCC, and it feels like the right time to move on to a different school, if they want to keep this show fresh. I highly recommend this show to anyone that likes football, but I think people that don't like football, but like drama, will really enjoy it as well. "Last Chance U" is wonderful.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Get ready to book Ty as your keynote speaker to the class of 2018. His inspirational words on the ease of school, and just doing the minimum, is the motivation tomorrow's leaders need.

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What Does it Mean to Know that Marge and Homer Simpson are Only 34?

After college, this is the next place we all are heading towards.

I was watching "The Simpsons" the other day because FX rules and they play it 5 days a week for at least 4 hours everyday. The episode I happened to watch was a very, very early one. If I think about it, it was probably in season 2 or 3. So that means this particular episode premiered in either 1990 or 1991. That would have put me at either 8 or 9 years old.

Anyways, this episode had Marge having a breakdown. The kids were yelling at her and Homer was showing her no love at all. Basically everyone in her family was treating her like dirt. Marge became so fed up, she called into Dr. Marvin Monroe's radio show. That sentence should tell you how old the episode is. Where my hardcore fans at? She called in to complain about her family and the way they were hurting her.

Throughout all the complaints, one stood out to me and I cannot stop thinking about it. She told Dr. Monroe that she was "34, stuck in a loveless marriage with 3 kids that gave her nothing but trouble". Now, my marriage is wonderful. We argue about stupid stuff here and there, but what married couple doesn't. And my kids, while they can be very, very annoying at times, and sometimes I yearn for the days when it was just me and wife and dog, I love them more than anything in the world. I also wanted to know what love is, thanks Foreigner, but I really knew what love was when I met my wife. I now know what love means even more since we've had our 2 kids. I am well versed in the knowing of love.

The thing that stuck out most to me was Marge saying her age. She is/was 34. Back in 90 or 91, 34 seemed so old. But, watching this episode the other day, that really stayed with me. I am now 34. In fact, I'll be 35 in December of this year. So that means, since no one on "The Simpsons" ever ages, I will be older than both Homer and Marge. That is so bizarre to me. It was so wild that I am in a similar situation as Homer and Marge. I am 34, I have only 2 kids and only a dog, but still pretty similar. So the fact that they never age, I will be older than both of them by next year.

I've had similar stuff like this in life happen lately. A few years back I was watching college football and I had this same sensation. I was in my late 20's, and I was complaining about some Michigan freshman not doing what he was supposed to do on a play. Then my dad let me know that he was only 18, and think about all the stupid mistakes I made when I was 18. Since then, I've eased up a bit on Michigan football. I still watch and flinch and squirm and my mood can be altered by the outcome, but since these kids are half my age, I do not yell and scream as much as I used to. Hell, I'm 12 years older than the seniors on the team now. Same thing with college basketball. I do not get nearly as mad because I am so much older than all college basketball players.

It is starting to become the same thing in pro sports. I was livid with KD leaving for Golden State last year. But then I sat down, realized he is only 25, and he can do whatever he wants. He is 9 years my junior. Hell, I'm older than LeBron James, and he takes a ton of scrutiny, a lot from me, but he mostly handles it like an adult. I'm older than a lot of NFL players too. Sure, Tom Brady and Drew Brees are a few years older than me, but Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Khalil Mack and Jadeveon Clowney are all much younger than me. In fact, when pro athletes get to be my age, they are considered in the "twilight" of their careers. They are either retired, or close to retirement.

Even outside of sports, say in Hollywood, I'm considered old. I would be more of some young genius' muse if I were in movies or TV. Or, I'd be the much older brother that is either a screw up, or drops some excellent, poignant advice to my younger sibling.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is, I've always known that I was getting older, but Marge saying that she was 34 on a very, very old "Simpsons" episode really hit me hard in the chest. I feel young, but I know that I'm not that young anymore. Hell, I played basketball 2 days ago and I'm still recovering. I wake up with aches and pains from old sports injuries everyday now. I have to stretch all the time in case I may pull a muscle. I need to take naps at random times because my kids have worn me out. We all get old, but Marge proclaiming her age finally made me realize that I am not a teenager, or even in my 20's anymore. That is kind of unsettling, but also helps me realize that I am doing things the best I can, and I think I am doing them pretty well. I love my wife, she loves me. My kids are healthy and happy and they love me too. My dog is well behaved and he tolerates me.

Being 34 is not so bad, but it does mean that I am closer to 40 than I am to 20. Like it or not, I am becoming an old man. Hopefully I have, at least, another good 34 plus years ahead of me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. This post made the head editor angry. RD is in his young forties and feels like he is actually in his twenties. Except when he does yard work, or exercises, or thinks of bills, then RD feels like he is in his eighties.

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Ty Watches "Bar Rescue": Jack's Place Edition

We had another new episode of "Bar Rescue" this past Sunday. Taffer is sticking to his hometown this half of the season and he went and saved another bar in Las Vegas. Last week he was in a small town in Nevada, this week, he was in the biggest town in Nevada. The bar he went to this time was called Jack's Place.

Jack's Place had the typical "Bar Rescue" story. The bar was thriving at first under the first owner, he retired and sold it to Corine, a bartender, and now it was going down the tank. Corine did not have the authority, or the want, to be the big time boss. She let people walk all over her so much so to the point that the staff called her mom. Mind you that only one of her biological children worked there. She also had three managers, but only one bartender. That meant that one guy had to basically pour all the drinks and take all the orders. You'd think that he would take this responsibility seriously, but he was a total jackass. He kept trying to flip the bottles around and do all these tricks that he was in no way capable of pulling off. I feel like he saw the movie "Cocktail" once and decided he could do everything in that movie. He couldn't do one simple thing, and that was making the drinks. He either put too much liquor, or not enough, sometimes forgetting to put liquor in a drink. He broke multiple glasses trying to do these tricks. Then, when pressed by one of the managers, he would just argue and complain that he was getting three different directions and he didn't know which one to follow. He was useless.

Corine, the new owner, also had no idea how to appeal to a new client base. Everyone that came to the bar was old regulars from the past, and she said that she had been to approximately 50 funerals of former customers since taking over as the owner. That is crazy. When you own a bar I imagine that I would want a wide variety of customers, not just your regulars. She just didn't know how to pull in a younger crew.

When Taffer arrived with his mixology expert Phil Wills, they saw everything I just told you. The customers were old, the drinks were messed up, the bartender was a total moron and the managers and the owner had no control. When he sent in his two spies, they both said all the same stuff too. One of them told his buddy that there was no alcohol in his drink. It was a mess. When Corine's son finally confronted the bartender that was screwing around, the bartender went off on everyone. He was yelling at anyone and everyone within ear shot. This was when Taffer went off and stormed into the bar. Instead of going to Corine, he went straight to the bartender and started to go off on him. It was your typical, yet spectacular Taffer rant. He kept telling the guy to "be a man and own up to your mistakes", and the guy kept coming at Taffer. The tension was only broken by a commercial break.After the break, the bartender relented and apologized to everyone he was just yelling at previously. This was expected.

With the apology out of the way, they went into stress test. Stress test was a nightmare. Everything went bad. They had only one well and one ice machine. The bar was circular and everyone was running into one another. The drinks were wrong, of course. The drinks were late, of course. It was a mess. Taffer and Wills shut it down and got to their training. First off, Wills went to see how clean the bar was, and you guessed it, it was disgusting. Bottles of liquor had fruit flies. The keg was leaking water. The ice was leaking Freon. It was totally unsafe and gross. After the crew cleaned the entire place, they got to work, but not before the male bartender threw a fake tantrum and quit. He came back, of course, and they got back to training. Wills made the drink menu much simpler, and this episode was clearly sponsored by Jack Daniels. Everything was a mix with Jack Daniels, and 2 of the bartenders, one of which has 11 kids, got to go to their distillery and check everything out. This happens from time to time on "Bar Rescue". Some big liquor company comes along and the show caters everything towards how great this particular alcohol/liquor is.

After the trip and the return, they got their big reveal, but not before Taffer and Corine had a heart to heart about her ownership style. Taffer said all his usual nonsense, and of course Corine promised to change. They changed the name to Regan's Bar. I think that was Corine's last name, and got set for re launch. The new inside of the bar looked fine, but not spectacular. During re launch everything seemed to be going over smoothly. The lone exception was one of the managers, Caryn, seemed unhappy with all the changes and she retreated to the back. After this little problem, Taffer left and everyone seemed happy. They did the 6 week check up and everything was going well and Caryn had been fired.

The past 2 episodes have been your average, run of the mill, episodes, and I love it. When "Bar Rescue" has trashy people acting trashy and Taffer stooping to their level, that is when it is at their best. Next week is a back to the bar episode, and I don't watch those, so come back in a couple of weeks for my review of their new episode, whenever that may be.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He used to flip his kids baby bottles behind his back like Tom Cruise in "Cocktail". No one was impressed.

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Ty Watches "Bar Rescue": Paddy's Pub Edition

Jon Taffer and crew were back this past Sunday with an all new episode of "Bar Rescue". In this one they traveled to a bar, I kid you not, in Nevada called Paddy's Pub. I even asked my wife if I heard the name right. I was so hoping to find 4 owners hanging around a wild old man. Unfortunately it was not the same Paddy's Pub from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Plus it was to in Philadelphia

So what was the problem with Paddy's? This bar was in Nevada. Strike one. This bar was also owned by an older woman named Pat, and Paddy was a nickname. Strike two. She also was super old, but not very weird. Swing and a miss, strike three. She was more like Pauly Shore's mom, Mitsy. Mitsy is famous for being a hardass owner of the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Paddy, while not as menacing, was still in total control, even though she couldn't move around without a walker, and she was as hard on the employees, and her son, the new manager, as Mitsy was on up and coming comedians. Her son also had some kind of disease where he was going to be completely blind in a few short years, and this disease also made him suffer with a stutter. He was a mess. Needless to say, the staff did not respect him, so Paddy hung out there all the time. While the employees may have taken Paddy's verbal abuse, they weren't all that scared of her. As I said, she was very elderly, so the staff, especially the younger ones, did whatever they pleased. Paddy's son, even with his illness, was a total pushover. He let these employees walk all over him, and they fully took advantage of his poor eye sight, sneaking drinks whenever possible.

At one point in the beginning of the episode, one of the bartenders, Joy I believe her name was, comes stumbling in from outside, goes to the back to lay down and then proceeds to vomit. Mind you, she was on the clock the whole time. She was getting paid to get so wasted that she could barely walk, or even really function. She was a mess. The other staff, mainly Tawna, seemed to be legitimately good at their jobs, but they just stopped caring. This bar also had an enormous kitchen that wasn't used for cooking, but rather for storage.

Our hero Jon Taffer and his team, as they watched from the van on the TV screen in the van, said all their usual stuff. The staff was poor, this bar needed the kitchen, the son cannot run things properly, Paddy shouldn't be there, all the cliché stuff they do on "Bar Rescue". Taffer walked in after the whole Joy situation, and immediately went to Paddy. She gave him a big hug and he went into how moved he was by her letter. That's right, Paddy hand wrote a letter as opposed to using social media or email to get "Bar Rescue" to come. I LOVED this. Some things will never die. Anyway, Taffer called the son over and read the letter to him, and man did his mom beat the hell out of him with words. She called him anything and everything that Taffer would have called him had Paddy not been there. The son, of course, disagreed.

Now that the letter reading was over, they went directly into stress test the next day because the son wanted to show his mom that he wasn't a complete waste as a bar manager. They also reopened the kitchen to attract more customers to the bar. While the new drinks they wanted to try at stress test seemed pretty easy, the food, my five year old could have made. They were literally doing hot ham and cheese and hot turkey sandwiches. It was almost too easy.

Don't worry, the stress test was a disaster, as usual. The bar only had one speed well, so while the staff was doing their best, they kept bumping into each other. This caused drinks to be rushed which led to messed up or spilled drinks. The kitchen staff, while they did fine making sandwiches, kept getting confused by tickets, or lack thereof. The son was a nightmare. He had no tickets. He needed people to point out customers, he was all over the place.

The next day they regrouped and tried to figure everything out, but not before Paddy gave each of them a brutal tongue lashing. She pointed out each and everyone's faults that she saw at the stress test. It was rough. So while they all got retrained, learned the new menu and trained the new staff, Taffer and crew went to fix up the bar.

After a day or two everyone gathered for the big reopening, "Bar Rescue's" signature move. Taffer renamed the bar Pat's, in honor of the mom. The inside of the bar looked ridiculous. It looked like the waiting room of a not so fancy hotel. There were tacky trees and odd, almost old folks home style wall paper everywhere. They did give them an extra speed well and a new POS system, as is Taffer's way. Of course they crushed the re launch. Drinks and food were fast and correct. Even the son was finding people with ease and getting food and drinks to the proper people. They did so well, Paddy couldn't say one bad thing. She gave Taffer a big hug and while he was on his way out, he gave a creepy, longingly stare at Pat's Bar before getting in his car.

The 6 week checkup informed us that food and drink sales have gone up, but it also said that Joy was let go. I assumed she must have showed up drunk again because Paddy said she was going to be gone if she did it one more time. This was a very middle of the plate episode. It followed all the typical beats and rhythms of most "Bar Rescue" episodes. Come back next week for my review of the next new episode.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He spent the whole episode looking for loose rats around Paddy's Pub. Not one rat was seen, someone was doing their Charlie work.

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Ty Watches "Snowfall"

About 2 weeks ago the show "Snowfall" premiered on FX. I have been very much looking forward to this show. I waited before I had a few episodes recorded to start watching the show, and I finally watched the pilot and the second episode last night. So how is it?

"Snowfall" has some promise. I like the look, the story, the setting and the actors. The show takes place in Los Angeles in 1983. This is when the rise of crack and cocaine started to flood the streets. I'm always interested in stories like these. I like to see fictionalized versions of historical happenings. The main character, Franklin(Damson Idris), is a smart, soft spoken kid that just happens to be a drug dealer. He has tried to live the straight life, going away to college and holding down a job, but it just wasn't for him. He wanted to make a lot of funny, and make it fast.

Damon Idris, who is a total unknown to me, is pretty good in the role. He pulls off the softness, but also has the rough edges needed to survive in the drug game. Two scenes in the pilot really show this. One is when he runs into a kingpin in a club, she puts a gun to his throat, and instead of freaking out, he calmly tells her his plan. She buys it, and he is in the clear. The other scene involves another kingpin, there are going to be a lot of them it seems on the show, and he makes him put on a bullet proof vest to see if he is for real. Franklin does it, the guy shoots away from him, and gives him a kilo of cocaine to move in 24 hours, just to see if he can trust him. This particular scene had me on pins and needles. I am very excited to see where "Snowfall" takes this character in this first season.

We met some of Franklin's friends, and a possible love interest, but they didn't really flesh these characters out yet. At least not in the first 2 episodes. One of the kids, I barely know anything about. The other, he was in juvenile, and has a bad attitude, but that was it. The love interest is in high school, and I'm sure she and Franklin will get together, have some ups and down due to his job, but be okay in the long run. We also meet Franklin's mom, but all we really found out about her is, she has a stressful job, likes to smoke weed and seems to kind of know what her son is up to. I'm sure we will learn much more about her as the story progresses. There is some good stuff with Franklin's aunt and uncle, his uncle is his partner in cutting and selling coke. His aunt beats the shit out of a lady that claims to have been with his uncle. His uncle likes to get into fights and lift weights, but also knows when a deal can go bad. When Franklin comes to him after getting the kilo from the crazy kingpin, his uncle wants no part of it, but his aunt is on board.

Outside of Franklin's family, we meet a wrestler in the first episode named Gustavo(Sergio Peris-Mencheta). Franklin is a big fan of his, but he is not a good wrestler, and he wants to get involved in the family business, robbery. He wants this life because he is in love with a woman that happens to be involved as well, she is not related, so he wants to prove to her that he can be a tough guy. He is a quiet, stoic dude that seems to be in over his head. There is also Teddy(Carter Hudson), who seems to have a regular office job, but he is a "cleaner" outside of his regular everyday job. I like Teddy, even though he is kind of a cliché character in a show like this. He is too smart for his own good, had a breakdown but now wants back in the game type guy. He could be very important, and possibly even a cool character, if the show goes by it right.

There was a lot of drugs, sex, shooting and even death in the first 2 episodes. Like I said at the top, the show has potential, it just has to find out what it wants to be. There are a lot of different characters to follow, but it is not like "The Wire". No show will ever be like "the Wire". "The Wire" is classic, so "Snowfall" should stop trying to cop that style. "Snowfall" can be good, but it will never reach what "The Wire" was. There is a little bit of "Breaking Bad" in there, what with Franklin being a good kid that just happens to do a bad thing. Again though, don't try to copy off the classics. John Singleton's name is attached, so there is a good amount of "Boyz in the Hood" type vibe to it, but I say a third time, don't try to copy the greatest pop culture stuff of all time. "Snowfall" needs to find its own voice.

I still have a good amount of faith though. I was never bored during the first 2 episodes, and I'm excited for the third this Wednesday. I hope this show gets better and sticks around. I like everyone involved and it has the feel of something that can succeed. It just has to stop trying to be a show that it is not. Time will tell with "Snowfall". But for now, if you like crime/drug type stories, I say give "Snowfall" a chance.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He also doesn't want shows to copy "Family Double Dare", "Saved By the Bell: The College Years", and "Teen Mom 2". Leave the classics alone.

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

Ty Watches "Bar Rescue": Casual Tap Edition

Just because it's the Fourth of July, that doesn't mean Ty is taking the day off. Enjoy. 

This past Sunday we got the glorious return of "Bar Rescue". That's right, Jon Taffer and crew are back to save some failing bars. I hadn't realized how much I missed this show until I watched it on my DVR yesterday. I was so happy to see that crazy looking, mean yet helpful old man, Taffer. He is a national treasure. I needed to hear that shrill yell again. I missed it so much.

On the season premiere or mid season premiere, or whatever this show and Spike TV decide it is, Taffer and one of his drink experts visited a bar that shut down 3 months ago in Chicago. The bar was, and still is, called Casual Tap. The guy who owned the bar doubled as a firefighter, so it was hard for him to be at both jobs. His firefighting job, as it should be, was priority number one. His wife also has a disease called Huntington's Disease, which is kind of like Alzheimer's. So, his bar was pretty much number 3 on his important things list.

The bar started off strong, as most do, so the owner decided to step away and let his employees run the place. This is always a disaster. Everything went down hill. The people didn't know what to do, or they just didn't care. When the owner realized that he was nearly 700,000 dollars in debt, he decided to close the place down for awhile. He didn't give up, promising to reopen the bar soon, but he was close to letting it go. In fact, when Taffer shows up, he has to meet him at the firehouse. As I said, the bar was shut down. The owner told Taffer about the employees, the firefighter job and his wife. Just then, this became not only a bar rescue, but a family rescue too.

This is Taffer's personal wheelhouse. So, instead of a stress test, Taffer decided to see the crew in action in a very small sample. He had the owner reopen the bar and invited some guests. The bartenders, minus one guy, were not that terrible, they were just out of practice. The guy though, Louie, struggled mightily. This was bad news for the owner because he wanted Louie to be the new manager. Taffer warned against this, and even told the owner to let the newer bartender, Zee, be the manager. Taffer even went so far as to have the 2 take a mangers test that he set up, and Zee crushed it, where Louie, he crapped the bed. They had some intense training after this, and the owner still hadn't decided who was going to be the manager.

Taffer and his crew did their magic and gussied up the bar. They kept a lot, including the name, the bar was a mainstay, but they gave them some POS systems and other, newer things. They also tidied up the floor and walls too. At the reveal, everyone loved the place. They like that it looked the same, only a bit newer. They loved the new menu, and in classic Taffer fashion, he named a drink after the fireman and decided that some of the proceeds would go to Huntington Disease research. He also cut a check himself. Taffer may come off as an asshole, and then he does stuff like this. The owner was moved to tears, as was his daughter.

After they all gathered their emotions, they got ready for the reopen. During this though, Louie cut his hand getting garnish ready. He cut it so deep that he couldn't work. It looked dire for Casual Tap, but the rest of the crew stepped up, and Louie was not really needed. They had a great reopen.

During the end credits it said that the bar was taking a hiatus before reopening later in 2017. They didn't specify, but I hope the owner's wife and daughter are okay. I want this bar to succeed. The people deserve it.

I'm very happy that "Bar Rescue" is back. I missed it so, but now it's going to be here for the next couple months or so. They are taking one week off, but they'll get back on July 16th, and I'll be here to review it. Welcome back BR, you were missed, and I'm so pleased that you are back in my life.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants to one day open a bar called "Need Rescuing". Maybe the name will be enough for Ty to meet his idol Jon Taffer.

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

Ty Watches "Playing House"

This past Friday "Playing House" returned to our television sets. I was so thrilled to see this show again after the long layoff. I was confused why it took so long for season three to come back on, but after hearing about Jessica St. Clair's battle with breast cancer, it all made sense. I have heard that the cancer is going to be a storyline, and I bet that they will tackle this tough subject matter in a very proper, yet very funny way. Both Parham and St. Clair are comedic geniuses. they are skillful actors, great improvisersand exceptional writers. I know they will create something magical when they get to the cancer story arc of this season.

With that being said, the first 2 episodes of season three did not touch on that subject, yet I still loved them as much as I loved all the episodes from the first 2 seasons. The first episode started with both Parham and St. Clair at a mommy self defense class. This whole bit was a riot. Parham was one of the stars of the class, and she used St. Clair as her partner, whom she deployed her newfound strength on. It was all played for great laughs. The instructor of the class was hilarious too. She was a total badass that, upon hearing Maggie(Parham) and Emma's(St. Clair) story of how they came together, she pauses for a moment and points at them aggressively and tells the whole class, "this is what true friendship looks like. I want you all to admire this". She then goes back to kicking ass.

It is later found in the episode that Maggie's ex husband, Bruce(Brad Morris), has a new girlfriend, and it is the self defense instructor. Maggie is thrown off by this, not because she still has feelings for Bruce, but because she is the only one on her core group without a signifigant other. Emma and Mark(Keegan-Michael Key) are officially a couple as well, after the season 2 cliff hanger. The story of the 2 of them trying to be intimate with each other,  but they both have concerns over their aged bodies, the motto of the episode seemed to be, "this is 40", was very funny. They do eventually get intimate, and they both love it.

Later on, Maggie has a big freak out at a party she has at her house for Bruce, his new girlfriend and Emma and Mark. They are playing a game where they guess movies with vague clues and she gets "Home Alone", and the party guests are all saying that she is alone, that no one except an old man likes her, that she has been forgotten, everything from the movie, and she blows up.

After Maggie's moment, her and Emma have a great moment in the kitchen, and things seem to be smoothed over. I love this about the show. Their moment doesn't seem hacky or tacked on for sympathy sake. Parham and St. Clair are lifelong friends, so their conversations, even in their characters, seems so real.

There was a second episode immediately after the first, and this one finds Emma and Tina, AKA "Bird Bones"(Lindsay Sloane), Mark's ex wife, trying to smooth things over after all that has happened. Tina says she is okay, but she looks like she is on razors edge. She isn't so much mad at Emma as she is overwhelmed with her new career. She has unfortunately gotten involved with a pyramid scheme, even though she keeps saying that she is a business woman. This leads Emma, after profusely apologizing for being with Mark, to try and help. She was a big time business woman herself before she moved back to help with Charlotte, Maggie's baby. She thinks she can take down the head of this pyramid scheme. This only leads to her being too cocky and deciding that she is going to prove to this lady that she can sell all the product. I know, it sounds like your typical sitcom nonsense, but again, all the people involved, mainly Parham and St. Clair are so sharp witted and funny, they make this seemingly typical story line absolutely hilarious. When Emma applies lip balm to Maggie, and it makes her swell up because she is allergic to bees, it was gold. Tina's constant flip flopping of emotions was great and funny. Emma's hubris, then realizing she had screwed up, it was all very well done.

Maggie's other story arc of the episode involved her and another nurse working with a new doctor, possibly Maggie's love interest for the season, who was very cold and no nonsense. The scenes with all three of them, Maggie, the male nurse and the doctor, are comedy gold. The scenes with just Maggie and the male nurse might have been even better. It was all great.

I'm beyond thrilled that "Playing House" is back. I've been a fan of this show from day one, and I've been a fan of Parham and St, Clair since I have been listening to podcasts. I highly recommend this show for everyone. It hits all the comedy marks that one could want out of a 30 minute sitcom, and they hit them so much better than any piece of garbage on CBS. I love this show so much and I cannot wait to watch it again on Friday. "Playing House" is a must watch TV show.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He one time went to a daddy self defense class. After hearing the rules, Ty figured out he was at a fight club.

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Better Late than Never on Chris Gethard's "Career Suicide"

I know that I'm a little late to the party, but I just watched Chris Gethard's 90 minute comedy special on HBO, "Career Suicide", and I was enthralled. This was more one man show than stand up special. Gethard is a very different and unique voice in comedy these days. He's introspective and smart and pours his heart out and tells people about all his psychological problems. Yes, a lot of comedians do this now, but the way Gethard delivers this message is unique to only him. I had heard a lot of good things about this special. Many, many people were talking about it on social media and on podcasts. I had only known Gethard as a character actor and a writer previous to this. That is why I did not watch it when it premiered. I didn't know what to expect. I recorded it about a week or so ago, HBO reruns everything all the time now, and I finally watched it in its entirety last week.

This special completely blew me away. Yes, Gethard was funny and told a lot of jokes, but he opened up his entire life's book, warts and all, to the audience in the theater, and all of us watching on TV. He told us about all of his struggles that he still deals with to this day. He recounted very funny stories about his college days, but it was told under the guise that he may have actually been an alcoholic. He recounted a story where he continually blacks out and does stuff like, run around the streets of Rutgers University with a Batman mask on, and telling 2 gentleman than he did not know that they needed to leave his house, but these guys wanted Gethard to finish the story he was telling, which Gethard had no idea he was telling. He let everyone know that he drank 2 entire bottles of Mad Dog prior to all of this happening. It wasn't until he saw a shrink when he realized he may have an alcohol problem. It was funny, but also very revealing and, at sometimes, sad.

Gethard also told us the story of the first time to told his mother that he thought he was suicidal. This was sad. I really felt for him. This is a very tough subject and you have to be at your absolute lowest if you consider taking your own life. He was very eloquent when describing this situation, and just when I felt like I was going to cry, he tells a killer joke about how his mother sounds exactly like Edie Falco when she was on the "Sopranos". That is his gift. He can tell these hard and tough stories and wrap it all up with a joke that will make you laugh until you cry, if you aren't already crying.

I also really enjoyed his stories about shrinks and, how some are just in it for the money and others are actually there to help you. Full disclosure, I see a shrink 2 times a year. I have anxiety issues, and my doctor has changed my life. So, that made these stories very relatable to me. He has had his struggles with his feelings towards seeing shrinks, and then accepting that he needed this, and then how one doctor screws him over, but he eventually found his perfect doctor. Again, not funny, but not meant to be funny. this is why I looked at this more as a one man show than a comedy special. He talks about his current shrink a lot, and it is so funny, but at least for me I can see where he is coming from. His shrink has changed his life, even if she may not do things by the book. I loved this part of the show.

His talks about prescription drugs, and how they have helped him out so much, again for me, very relatable, and this was funny. He talked about all the side effects that some prescription drugs have. I have dealt with a lot of the same issues, I'm just not as funny at describing it like Gethard is.

I really enjoyed when he would talk about his many odd jobs in comedy and writing. When he talked about how he got his first writing job and had to travel across the country by himself, I could not take my eyes off the screen. It was funny, scary and beautifully told. The bit about the train is tremendous. He talks about performing at Bonnaroo a few years back and describes his relapse in a very funny way. I was shocked that he was so forth coming with all of this information. It was heart wrenching, but also very funny at times.

My personal favorite story was when Jack McBrayer "dissed" him during an Asscat show, and everything that happened after that. He goes into great detail about being paralyzed by fear and eventually running off stage after McBrayer said what he said. He also goes about it a very funny way in revealing that it was McBrayer who "dissed" him. Seriously, go watch how he divulges this information. Writing about it does not do it justice.

He then goes on to talk about how he runs away to Jersey after this, calls his shrink, gets some crazy information from her, going into a restaurant and freaking out all the customers. Look, this 15 to 20 minute story is the gem of this wonderful one man show.

Gethard finishes the show by talking about how, if you need help, get it. He talks about all the people that have contacted him with the same problems that he has faced, and what he has done to try his best and help them. He implores everyone to get help if they need it. He caps it off with talks about his love for Morrissey one more time, he mentions this a lot through the show.

I loved "Career Suicide". Chris Gethard is great at what he does. I love how open he is with everything. This special could lead to some big time stuff for him, and that makes me happy. I was late to this, but I highly recommend, if you haven't already seen it, watch "Career Suicide". It is one of the best specials I have seen in a long, long time.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He one time suggested that his psychiatrist should get into hip hop. He could be called MC Shrink Rap. The doctor order more sessions.

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"Bob's Burgers" is a Great Show, and Now it is Also a Great Album

The best companion to a great tv show

About a week ago the television show "Bob's Burgers" put out an album of original music from the show. This has been done before. Most shows release scores and some original stuff from their series. I remember when "Lost" was on TV, they had a very memorable theme song, and a great song called "The Walking Song" that they released to the public. "The Simpsons" have released a ton of music. Like I said, it happens a lot.

What makes the "Bob's Burgers" record special is how many tracks are on it, and how well it is made. The album I bought off iTunes has 112 songs on it. That is a whole lot. Sure, most of the songs are less than 45 seconds long, but that doesn't make me like them any less. When I can hear stuff like "Burgers and Fries", "The Theme From Banjo", "Fracas Foam", "Da Ding Ding", "Weekend at Mort's", and so on and so forth, that makes me very happy. When they do go over a minute, the songs are still great. The extended theme to the show is wonderful. "Derek Dematopolis" is tremendous. "Bad Things are Bad" and "Good Things are Good" are both awesome. The little Fred Armisen run, when he played the health code guy, is great. "Sex, Sex, Sex", "Daddy" and the "Itsy Bitsy Stripper" are all very good, and very funny songs.

The standout for me, my family, and probably a lot of other people is the song, "Electric Love". This was in one of "Bob's Burger's" best episodes, and the song is dynamite. The song is about Thomas Edison's love for an elephant named Topsy. Gene writes the song, and while it seems that he and Tina are performing it, it is actually Gayle and Mr. Fischoeder. The song is so great. It is goofy and weird and just flat out bizarre. My wife and I have been singing and humming this tune since we first saw it. We hoped that one day it would be released to purchase. We sang it so much, our son, who was 2 or 3 at the time, would sing along with us. He still loves it to this day as well.

Another thing that makes this record great is that all the actors came on and sang the songs themselves. The whole cast, Jon Benjamin, Kristin Schaal, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, John Roberts, a real standout as Linda, Larry Murphy, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Kline, Megan Mullaly, Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifinakis, Bill Hader, Rob Heubel, I mean, I could go on and on and on. They're all on this record on one song, or many. It's pretty cool that they did all this for this newly beloved show. What makes it even better with all these people, they might not be the best singers in the world, but if they brought on different people, singers and musicians, it wouldn't hold the same weight with me as it does with the actual cast. I love that Jon Benjamin sings monotone as Bob the whole time. I adore John Roberts over the top Linda voice that he uses, not only when talking, but especially when singing. I like Mirman's voice as young Gene. Gene knows he's not a good singer, but man does he try, and Mirman is exceptional at this. Mintz as Tina is more monotone than Bob because that is who she is. Schaal yell singing lyrics as Louise is just what I want from her on a record. It is so wonderful that they all stay in character and sing these songs.

On the record I bought, they do bring on some pros. There are a couple of guys from the band The National, St. Vincent is on a song, Stephen Merritt and Kenny Mellman do their own version of "Electric Love" and Lapsley shows up on the final track. And, while they do their own spin on previous tracks, they are not taking it seriously, and that makes it even better. Everyone is having a good time on this album, and you can definitely hear how much fun they're having when you listen to it.

So no, this isn't the first time a show has made an album, but to this point, I think this may be the best TV album that I have ever heard, and that includes anything from may favorite show, "The Simpsons". "Bob's Burgers" is an awesome, well written and incredibly well voice acted show, and music plays a big, big part on the show. I love this record and I highly recommend that any fan of the show go out and purchase it immediately, if you haven't already. Hopefully they make another one of these after they do a few more seasons. I'm sure it will be just as fantastic as this first record.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. In a freak coincidence, Ty talks about this album, and LeBron, and Trump on today's mini X Millennial Man Podcast. Download it for free today.

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Ty Watches "Carnival Eats"

Amidst all the TV shows I watch because I genuinely have interest in them, i.e., "Legion", "Fargo", "The Simpsons", so on and so forth, I need shows like "Bar Rescue" and "Barefoot Contessa" that are just kind of on in the background, serving almost as white noise. Well, I have found another show that fits this bill perfectly, and it has become my show of choice on Thursday afternoon, if I am inside at the particular time the Food Channel is running a marathon.

Said show is called "Carnival Eats", and it is my new obsession. First off, I love the host. His name is Noah Cappe, and he is a wonder to watch. The guy has a ton of energy, but is very good at doing people on the street type interviews. He's incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to certain foods. And the people he talks to that make the food seem to enjoy his company.

The food that Cappe gets to eat as well, man does it make me jealous. Obviously, due to the name of the show, Cappe goes to random cities that have big carnivals, and he tries what some consider to be the best spots. His job makes me so jealous. I would do awful things to get a job like his. What is even more confounding, and makes me want to watch this show even more, the dude is in relatively good shape, considering all the crap he eats.

Anyway, I cannot get enough of "Carnival Eats". Cappe has eaten so much fried food that I would love to try just once. I've seen him eat so many variations of a corn dog, and they all looked tremendous. One of them was a breakfast type corndog, with the batter being pancake batter, but the chef used a polish dog, and the outside of the corn dog was drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate sauce, and to top it off, they put a light dusting of powdered sugar on top. My mouth is watering as I type this. He's had many varieties of funnel cakes, including a red velvet funnel cake. I love red velvet cake, so I imagine a funnel cake version is just as good, if not better. He's had fried Twinkies, fried doughnuts, even fried s'mores.

The craziest fried food I've seen him eat was fried watermelon. I was put off at first, but after he ate it, then described it, I want to try some fried watermelon right now. The person that made it used a pancake batter, of course, froze the watermelon over night, and after they fried it, he drizzled a watermelon syrup on top. The chef also added powdered sugar because, why not. Cappe said it tasted like a watermelon Jolly Rancher. That is my absolute favorite flavor. I need to go out and find some fried watermelon now.

It is not just fried food at these carnivals. He has had cheesecake quesadillas before. You read that correctly. He had a strawberry cheesecake quesadilla, covered in a cherry sauce. It looked incredible. He has eaten popcorn balls that have sparklers in them. Again, it looked awesome. He has had many different ice creams and a wide variety of slushies.

All the sweet food looks so great, but the savory stuff looks just as good. Cappe has eaten a ton of BBQ on the show. On a recent episode, he had a slow cooked pulled brisket bowl that included mac and cheese, cornbread, homemade baked beans and a homemade BBQ sauce. It looked dynamite. He's had so many different tacos, it is hard to single out any single one. They all look fantastic. He has had a million different types of mac and cheese. Whenever my son watches with me, he sits up when he sees mac and cheese because that is his favorite food. He has had some crazy pizza, including a gyro pizza. The gyro pizza looked so good, I wanted to crawl through my screen so I could try it.

Then there are the burgers. My god, these burgers look glorious. He has had all types of hamburgers. Burgers with doughnuts as the bun. Regular burgers heightened by the chefs secret recipe. Fried burgers. You name it, he has had it in burger form.

I absolutely love "Carnival Eats". Anytime it is on, I stop what I'm doing and watch. It's great for my kids too because they love food shows, but there is also the carnival angle, and they enjoy that as well. I always say to my wife, "I wonder if he is going to throw up this episode because he has been on the tea cup ride like 10 times". "Carnival Eats" is a homerun in every possible way. I think Cappe is wonderful. The food looks great. The people on the show seem to be having a ton of fun. Hell, even the rides look like they would be a good time. But, what makes it great is, I can put it on and just go about my day. I don't have to have laser focus like I do with other shows. It is just white noise, but it is the best kind of white noise.

Check out "Carnival Eats" if you don't already watch it. I think you'd enjoy it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He used to work for a carnival, and has eaten his fair share of funnel cake batter and cotton candy sugar. He just has not had any of these fine foods in a higher form, yet. 

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RIP Christopher Boykin, Big Black on "Rob and Big"

Last night I heard from RD that a man named Christopher Boykin has passed away at 45. The name sounded familiar to me, but I could not put my finger on where I knew him from. Then, RD told me that he was on the MTV show "Rob and Big", and it all came flooding back to me. I remembered who Christopher Boykin, AKA Big Black, was.

Big Black was the bodyguard/friend/funny guy on "Rob and Big". I used to watch that show religiously. I loved it. This was well before Rob Drydek was a sell out and stealing ideas from Daniel Tosh, which Tosh stole from the E Network's best show, "Talk Soup". Drydek was someone I actively avoided until I heard this news last night. Big Black was the one and only reason for me to tune into "Rob and Big" Sure, Drydek would do some cool skateboarding stuff, and I enjoyed when his folks would come to visit. But, whenever Big black was involved, I always thought that was when the show was at its best.

Boykin would always do some outrageous stuff that was well out of his comfort zone. I remember one episode where Drydek was trying to teach him how to skate on a half pipe. This was funny for a couple of reasons. First off, he had the nickname Big Black for a reason. Boykin was a big, big guy. He did not have the build of a skateboarder, much like myself. It was also funny because he never skateboarded before. His first ever skateboarding attempt was trying to skate into a half pipe. That is downright crazy. He of course bit the dust, but he did it with so much humor, I could not stop laughing. I do not think he got seriously injured, and if he did, he never let on. He was laughing and having a good time the whole experiment.

But, he did more than just act a fool on a skateboard. Boykin was the guy that pushed Drydek to get out of his comfort zone. Boykin was the one that made them dress up in 70's style clothing on Drydek's birthday and go out and sing karaoke in a dive bar. Boykin was the one that wanted to hold the Guinness World Record for eating the most glazed donuts in a minute. He also wanted to break the most bananas eaten in a minute. Boykin was the one that suggested they get a family photo with the dog that they decided to get. The family portrait of the three of them is so god damn funny, but also, very nice.

Boykin just seemed like a good dude. I loved in the theme song for the show that it showed how much he cared for his friend, and how he always had his back, no matter what. Yes, he was, at first, a bodyguard. But, as time went on, the two of them became the best of friends.

I vividly remember the episode where Boykin announced he was leaving the show because he was about to have his first child. I was upset that he was leaving. I knew the show was ending there, and I knew that my television relationship with Big Black was coming to an end. He was going to be a dad. He did the right thing. He made the correct choice, no matter how upset it made me. He popped up here and there in the few episodes I saw of Drydek's show, "Fantasy Factory". But, I only tuned into those particular episodes because I knew he was going to be on them. He was my sole reason for knowing who Rob Drydek was, and why he was/is famous.

Big Black is someone that should, and hopefully, will be remembered by people my age. I, much like almost everyone else I assume, got to know him as Big Black on "Rob and Big". But, we loved him and how goofy and how much fun he had. He was filled with joy and with life. It is unfair that someone so young has left us. I know he was a bigger guy, but I had not heard anything about him being in poor health. This could be because he purposefully stepped away from television to raise his kid, which I have mad respect for, or it could have been a freak thing that happened overnight. I do not know how he passed, but, after I figured out who he was last night and remembered how much I liked him, I do know that I will miss him, and the memories he gave me while on "Rob and Big". I'm sure wherever he is now he is doing some goofy stuff and making those around him laughing and having a good time. You will be missed Christopher Boykin. Rest In Peace.

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 Gorburger

Recently I have become more and more engrossed by the show "Gorburger"  on Comedy Central. I knew of the character of Gorburger prior to the show, but the show was my gateway. TJ Miller, of whom I'm a very big fan, had this blood thirsty, alien monster that hosted a talk show on Tokyo television. I saw some of the old clips online, but when the show was announced, I was very much on board. I like the idea very much, and I love when younger comedians spoof old time television.

So naturally, I tuned in to the series premiere 4 weeks ago. I did not know what to expect, but what I saw for 22 minutes kept me onboard. The show starts out as a game show in Tokyo, but then Gorburger gets blasted down to the set, quenches his blood thirst by devouring almost everyone on stage, then walks up to the 2 hosts and tells them that this is his show now, and he says that he will keep the very few people that you see standing on stage. One of those people is the announcer, and the other is the pop duo, Tokyo Fever, who whenever you say their name, they have to repeat in Japanese, "We are Tokyo Fever!". It is so bizarre, but I laugh every time.

The pilot episode features Reggie Watts, another guy that I am a big, big fan of. The whole plot is based on vaping. Gorburger even has a buddy of his, some guy that is famous on YouTube for the things he can do with vapor smoke, named Trevbone, that just sits there, vapes and does weird shit with the vapor smoke. It was distractingly weird, but it was also fun to see Reggie Watts looked just as confused as everyone else seemed to be. Reggie Watts was a good sport though, and he went along with all the weird stuff that Gorburger wanted him to do, including some absurd games. There was also a pre taped segment where Gorburger visited a real doll factory. It was disgusting, but also very funny, because TJ Miller, dressed as Gorburger, was given a full tour and got the whole spiel from the owner. It was wild. The episode ended with Reggie Watts and Thundercat doing an improvised song together, which was dope as hell. But, to keep it crazy, poor Trevbone was delivered a fatal blow to the head with a brick.

Like I said, the show does not make a whole lot of sense, but I found myself thinking about the pilot a few days after watching it. The more I thought about it, the more it was like a full sitcom version of an Adult Swim show. "Gorburger" was like watching a 22 minute long episode of "The Eric Andre Show" or "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", or even "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast". I love all those shows, so a 22 minute version of one was a great surprise.

Since the pilot, I have obviously watched the next 3 episodes. The second episode had Dr. Drew as the guest, again, being a very good sport, and the central plot was Gorburger's obsession with smooth jazz. The entire episode had Kenny G, who was literally wearing cement shoes, playing music anytime Gorburger wanted, because if he didn't, he would be hit with a brick, a la Trevbone. During the show, Gorburger visited a "twerking" class. That segment was nuts, but also very funny. "Twerking" is such a thing of the past, but to see this enormous alien try to "twerk", and the teachers really trying to teach him was a thing of comic beauty. Before the episode ended, Dr. Drew helped cure Gorburger's bloodlust, and played another absurd game. But, poor Kenny G had to keep playing jazz, Gorburger couldn't stop, and he met the same fate as Trevbone at the end of this episode.

Episode three had one of my favorite comedians, Tig Notaro, as the guest. Throughout the entire episode, little "gorbabies" keep showing up because it was shedding season for Gorburger, and they have been known to only give bad advice. During the interview segment, Notaro played a hilarious game called "Christian Bale or Christian Male", where she had to guess a quote Gorburger gave her as to if Bale, or a Christian male said it. It was laugh out loud hilarious. Later, Gorburger visited a wild life zoo, and again, it was bizarrely hilarious. The fact that these people want to be on TV so bad that they will let a guy dressed as an enormous blue alien monster come to their place just to get exposure. The interviews are always weird, but that is the point. The end of this episode was like the first 2, with Notaro playing another game, but it coming to a terrible demise for her and another gentlemen, when she took a Gorbaby's advice to smash herself through a brick wall. I'm sure this will be a running theme for the rest of the season.

The most recent episode featured Zach Woods and Johnny Pemberton, two of my favorite improv comedians/actors. They were game for all the weirdness that was "Gorburger". This has been, by far, the best episode to date. It was Grizzlebub's Day, which is like Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa for wherever in the hell Gorburger is from. They sang carols and played games and did other nonsense for the whole 22 minutes. The interview was very funny, playing another name game that immediately went off the rails. There was another death because Gorburger thought that Grizzlebub was coming due to a loud clanking sound, and the only way to appease him is a human sacrifice. It was disturbing, but dammit, I was laughing. The show ended with a performance from Portugal the Man, and the song was pretty good. We also come to find out that the clanking noise was the air conditioning guy fixing the AC unit, so the sacrifice wasn't needed.

I know this all sounds very bizarre, but for fans of absurdist humor, "Gorburger" is a homerun. I'm pretty sure season one is only 6 episodes, and they're already 4 in. I hope the people at Comedy Central keep this show going because I will watch the hell out of it, if it comes back for a second season. "Gorburger" is great. Weird, but great.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. One time he hot a guy in the face with a brick just for playing jazz. Ty does not fool around when jazz is being played. 

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The Martyrdom of Bill O'Reilly

When will Bill join the ranks of the other saints?

Around my fourteenth birthday I purchased a book, I think it was called "Everything Women Know". The book cost $4.95 plus tax and it was filled with empty pages. My fourteen year old self, and my group of friends that was a typical boys only crew, had quite the laugh. My mother was not quite as amused as I was with the great joke book. She was first disappointed that I spent money on an idiotic thing with no lasting value, and she also did not want her fourteen year old to think sexism and misogyny were a good thing. I told her it was only a joke, there was no harm intended. She still took the book away, and to this day I have no idea when or where she disposed of my prized joke book.

Bill O'Reilly's career was a lot like the empty "Everything Women Know". He built a career on appealing to the lowest impulses in the white male mind. His ideas were empty, his contribution to America was non-existent, and his career will be remembered as a waste of time and money. He was  popular, to an extant, because of the backwards thinking he popularized. The only thing that motivated O'Reilly was money and a false sense of popularity. His absence from the airwaves will not cause any major changes. Years from now we will not even remember when or how Bill O'Reilly left the public conscious. His lack of substance makes his disposal not worth noting.

The end of Bill O"Reilly's career will be part of the ash heap of history, but his actual career paved the way for white christian male victimhood. People like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, the resurgent Tucker Carlson, whoever the half wits on Fox Friends are, and the current occupant of the White House owe Bill O'Reilly a debt for the fact that he made white christian male victimhood acceptable in our culture. The fact that in 2017 we still have a discussion on racism towards whites only exists because of Bill O'Reilly. Rush Limbaugh became a force because he turned politics into an us versus them struggle. Bill O'Reilly made the us white christian men, and the them were everyone else. The them wanted to make scary changes that would cause white men to lose power, O'Reilly was the self annointed "culture warrior" who would stand against those scary changes. The modern day men's rights movement, the social ideas of the GOP, and the acceptance of bullying minorities found it's genesis with Bill O'Reilly and his Fox News show. 

Bill O'Reilly spent over two decades at Fox News. His time at Rupert Murdoch's Republican State media channel mirrors the rise of the 21st Century GOP. Everything bad against the Republicans was made into a struggle that Bill O'Reilly would bravely fight. The idea of not allowing your opponent a voice was perfected by O'Reilly. When Al Franken correctly called out Bill O'Reilly on lying about a journalistic award, O'Reilly's response was to yell "shut up". By the way, Al Franken is an influential United States Senator and Bill O'Reilly is now unemployed. There was the time O'Reilly told the son of a 9-11 victim to "shut up", then cut his mic. There were the many times that O'Reilly cowardly sent out his producer to stalk and harass journalist that O'Reilly did not agree with. O'Reilly never apologized for falsely accusing the Americans for slaughtering surrendering German troops during World War II (it was the other way around, but O'Reilly was trying to justify the US for slaughtering innocents in Iraq). There are many other instances, but my favorite is the time he tried to prove the existence of God by claiming the ocean tides were some magical unexplained phenomena. His defense against the "pinheads" that corrected him is the best example of white christian victimhood ever. 

The last clip is everything that Bill O'Reilly represents distilled down to one and a half minutes. O'Reilly is never wrong, and when he is wrong it is some grand conspiracy against him and all white male christians. Bill O'Reilly does not just claim to be the victim, he urges all like minded people to ignore facts, and fight against the progress of society. His antics on Fox News led to the demise of intelligent debate in our government and society at large. 

The saddest part of all of this is that Bill O'Reilly got rich off of this garbage. Fox News saw the dollar signs that a useful idiot like O'Reilly could bring in, and they ignored everything bad about their main talent. No matter what O'Reilly did, be it sexual harassment or any other despicable act, Fox News did not care and neither did Bill O'Reilly. The only thing that mattered was money. Fox News and Bill O'Reilly sold out American credibility for a few extra dollars. America be damned.

The ironic part of this whole saga is that money was the thing that finally got Bill O'Reilly fired. The loss of valuable advertiser revenue made the lords of Fox News come to the easy decision to let their main guy go. Note to people like Glenn Beck, that is what we call the free market at work. The hate, the bad old school ideals, the lack of journalistic integrity, the lying, the bullying, none of that ended Bill O'Reilly's career. Good old capitalism succeeded where common human decency failed.

The end of Bill O'Reilly does not end the disgusting views he popularized. Tucker Carlson is the current placeholder for O'Reilly on Fox News, and Carlson has had a career resurgence by embracing the white christian male victimhood line popularized by his predecessor. Sean Hannity has skyrocketed to the top of the cable news ratings by blindly toeing the line of white men good, everyone else is bad. Glenn Beck has spent the last few days diminishing the sexual harassment claims that brought Bill O'Reilly down, and whining about the loss of an old school voice. Bill O'Reilly will not be on the airwaves for the foreseeable future, but his poisoned doctrine will live on in the GOP thought leaders who still infect our television and radio programs. Bill O'Reilly's sins will live on with the help of the zealots he created. 

No matter how happy liberals may be today, the firing of Bill O'Reilly will change nothing. The people who continue in his misguided path will be more emboldened by O'Reilly's dismissal. They will see this as another unfair ill brought down on the white christian male. His accusers will be labeled as the real monsters. O'Reilly will live on as a martyr of the white male power movement. He will continue his lies, his bullying, and his destruction of valuable discourse. He will fail again, and he will claim victimhood again. Then one day Bill O'Reilly will disappear, and we will all wonder why they hell we wasted our time and energy on such an empty mind. Like how we question our youthful purchase of a dumb book.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His favorite jam comes from an epic O'Reilly meltdown (NSFW). Can you do it live?  Come tell us. 

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

Ty Watches the Best Television (So Far) of 2017

With season three of "Fargo" premiering tonight, I want to talk about how incredibly good television has been in the first few months of the year.

2017 has been pretty dreadful so far, except in pop culture. Pop culture such as music, sports and television has been very, very good, with television standing out most. I watch a lot of TV obviously. I seem to write about 4-6 new or old shows a month. 2016 was great too. I mean, we got "Atlanta", and that is the best show I have seen in quite some time. But, for the most part, every show I've sat down and watched in 2017 has been very good, both new and old. I am very stoked for "Fargo" tonight. The first 2 seasons were incredible, and every trailer I have seen for season 3 has looked great.

The greatest television right now is on FX and FXX. FX has the best original programming on all of television. "Taboo" was incredibly weird, historic and very violent. And I loved every single minute of it. Tom Hardy was great. Go back and read my review of the show. It was awesome. Season 12 of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" was great as well. The show is as funny as ever, and, spoiler alert, I do not think Dennis is leaving the show. The second season of "Baskets" just added on to the greatness of the first season. That show is sad and dark but it has its funny moments too. Louie Anderson is phenomenal on the show as well. He is well deserving of all the accolades. Shows I do not even watch like "Archer" and "Feud" seem to get glowing reviews across the board. Also, FXX gives us every "Simpsons" ever, and I will be forever grateful for that.

But, the crème de la crème of all the FX shows is "Legion". "Legion" is one of the most original, yes I know it uses X-Men stories, but very loosely, and innovative shows I have seen. It ranks right up there with "Atlanta" for me. They are different shows, but they are equally great. "Legion" has the pedigree to be a classic. The show is shot beautifully, acted tremendously, directed phenomenally and written perfectly. The cast is absolutely incredible. If you are not watching "Legion", start watching it immediately. It is the best show of 2017 so far, and to be honest, since "Atlanta" and "Louie" aren't coming back for awhile, or ever, "Legion" will most likely be my show of this whole year.

Moving away from FX and FXX, HBO has had some very good TV so far, and some of their classics are back. RD has been the biggest advocate of "The Young Pope". He has said nothing but glowing words about it. I've heard other people say how great it is too. I haven't watched it yet, but I will. My wife watched "Little Big Lies", and she loved it, as did most critics. "The Leftovers" just started its last season, and the reviews have been excellent. My mom and dad both love that show.

For the shows I actually watch on HBO. Pete Holmes' new show "Crashing" was funny and heartbreaking. This was the perfect vehicle for his comedy. The show is a comedy, but there is a lot of drama as well. It toes that line very well. "Veep" is back and it is nasty and funny and sharp as ever. "Veep" is the perfect type of show for the madness that is our current abomination of a "government". I'm very excited to see the rest of where this season takes us. "Silicon Valley" starts this Sunday and I know that it will be great because it has been great since its been on TV. I'm very pumped for that show to come back. HBO definitely has had some great TV in 2017.

I do not watch many other shows on premium cable. I did watch, and loved, "The Knick", but not much else. That is going to change in May when "Twin Peaks" comes back to TV, on Showtime. I have been catching up on the first couple of seasons to get ready for when it comes back on.

Going away from cable and getting to national TV, there are some real gems out there right now. I'm a big fan of "Trial and Error" on NBC. That show had its season finale last night. I hope it is not its series finale because that show is very funny and a perfect "Parks and Rec" or "The Office" replacement. I wrote about the show when it premiered, and I hope the brass at NBC give it a second chance. Remember, both "The Office" and "Parks and Rec" looked dead after their first season. Now, they are looked at as classics. "Brooklyn 99" is back and just as funny as it has always been. "Making History" is another new Fox show that I'm a fan of. It's about a guy with a time machine and he uses it to his advantage. Adam Pally is very funny and the supporting cast is good. I do not think it will get a second season, but if this is its only season, it will be remembered. "Last Man on Earth" is still wonderfully bizarre. "Bob's Burgers" is still doing its thing. And "The Simpsons" just continues to stay steady and be great. I do not watch CBS, but I'm sure they have some good new shows. In fact, I have heard some great things about a show called "Superior Donuts". To be honest, CBS seems like an "old person" channel. Too many procedurals and laugh track infused comedies. ABC doesn't really have any highlights either. "Modern Family" is still on, but that show has become very blah for me.

Finally, we have Netflix, and other streaming devices. This is the place to be for new TV shows. Shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, whatever, can do whatever they want. I personally do not have Hulu or Amazon, we only have Netflix, but I have heard some great things about the other streaming networks. "The Mindy Project" seems to have found a second life on Hulu. "Difficult People" gets phenomenal reviews from everyone. But, I do watch many Netflix shows. My favorite Netflix show is "Love", and season 2 was just on. I watched it all, and reviewed it, so you can go see my thoughts there. "Master of None" season 2 is coming in less than a month. The rebooted "Mystery Science Theater 3000" just released all their episodes last Friday. Marvel and DC has plenty of hit shows on Netflix, a lot of which will have their next season's premiere before 2017 is done. Streaming is the wave of the future, and right now the future looks bright.

Outside of the shows and Networks I have already mentioned, Comedy Central has a great new show, "Gorburger" on. "Detroiters" just wrapped up its first season, and that show is hilarious. "Jeff and Some Aliens" is bizarre, but very funny. Comedy Central has some good stuff that came out this year. I know the show is corny, but my wife loves "Pretty Little Liars", and their final season premiered on FreeForm last night. MTV is still plugging along with their endless run of "Teen Mom" or "16 and Pregnant".

I'm sure that I have forgot some other stuff, but the majority of what I just mentioned has been an absolute homerun and proves that 2017 may be the year for TV. If you take away anything from my piece today, please let it be that you start watching "Legion". It is a dynamite show. Keep it coming TV in 2017, you have been great to us so far.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He also forgot to include the greatest reality show of all time on his list, the incomparable "Bar Rescue".

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RIP Charlie Murphy

I finally got a chance to sit down and take a breath today in between feeding my kids and cleaning my house, and god damn if the news wasn't disheartening once again this year. No, I'm not talking about our abomination of a "government", and their many stupid actions, I'm talking about the loss of another actor/comedian/writer that has been a part of my life since I was 11 years old. Today we lost the great Charlie Murphy.

Charlie Murphy was a tremendous comedic actor, if he was in the correct role. Most of my generation knows of Charlie Murphy from his real Hollywood stories that he did on "Chapelle's Show". That will be his great legacy, and those stories are wonderfully absurd, hilarious, and most important of all, true. The stuff he says in those stories, and the things that happened are now part of our society's vernacular. I say, "cocaine is a hell of a drug", all the time. I don't do drugs of any kind, but that quote is so memorable, and came to us courtesy of Charlie Murphy's story about hanging out with Rick James. I used to try the, "what did the 5 fingers say to the face" joke all the time, but always chickened out when it came to its conclusion. His story about Prince being a great basketball player put me into the deepest wormhole I've ever gone on in the internet. And, when I finished my research, it was all true. Prince was an all state point guard in high school. But, I also walk around and say, "Game, Blouses" whenever I win anything. The player haters ball on "Chapelle's Show" was another big time hit for him. It was a perfect showcase for his brash sense of humor.

The stuff he did on "Chapelle's Show" will be his lasting legacy for sure, but he did so much more, at least in my life. As I said at the top, I remember the name Charlie Murphy being mentioned to me as an 11 year old. My father went on a trip for work, and when he returned home, he told me and all my brothers about this great movie he saw called "CB4". The movie starred Chris Rock as a wannabe gangster rapper who steals his identity from Charlie Murphy's Gusto. "CB4" is one of the greatest movies ever made, it is wonderful satire, and Charlie Murphy is one of the main reasons that movie is such a classic, at least in my home. He is so gritty, yet hilarious in that movie. He trades comedic scenes with Chris Rock, who is an all time great comedian/comic actor, with ease. The stuff with the car chase and in the club is classic satire comedy of real and wannabe gangsters. I was 11, and I thought it was funny even though I didn't get it. I watched "CB4" again around the holiday's, I got it as a gift, and now that I get the jokes, I loved the movie, and Charlie Murphy's performance, that much more.

After seeing "CB4", I, like most people, continued to follow Chris Rock, but Charlie Murphy was always on my radar. Yes, he is Eddie Murphy's brother, but he was so much more than just a famous person's sibling.

Following "CB4", I saw Charlie Murphy pop up in things like "The Players Club". That is by no means a great movie, but Murphy is very good in his minimal role. Then the "Chapelle Show" became the enormous hit that it was, and that opened up so many more chances at good roles for Murphy. He was great as a thief/criminal in the terrible movie "King's Ransom". But, his role was what got me through that movie, and it was simply because he was in that movie as to why I watched it. He was tremendous in the very underrated movie "Roll Bounce". That is a great movie about roller skating, but it is touching and funny, and Murphy is excellent as Victor, the garbage man. He then played a bunch of bit roles in low budget movies, but he was still steadily working, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. Most actors would do anything to be a working actor, and Murphy made it to that level.

Murphy then found a second life as a voice actor. He was the voice of Ed Wuncler III in one of my favorite cartoons, "The Boondocks". It was a great fit, and Murphy nailed that character that I had read in the comics and they now turned into a cartoon character. Whenever I go back and read old "Boondocks" comics, I always picture Murphy as the voice. He did some more voice acting, 2 episodes worth for Adult Swim's "Black Dynamite" cartoon series. Again, it was the perfect fit for him. He was in every single episode of another Adult Swim show, "Black Jesus", and he, and that whole series for that matter, were phenomenal. That was a very good show, and Murphy excelled.

So, yes, he got famous first for being Eddie Murphy's brother. Then, he went out on his own and was tremendous in "CB4". Then, he became himself with all the success and wonderful things he did on "Chapelle's Show", which led to him becoming a steady working actor. He had a great career.

What makes his untimely death so sad for me, I did not even know he was sick. I had no idea he had leukemia. This is a very sad day. Charlie Murphy meant a lot to me in what I looked for in a comedic actor. He kind of shaped my taste for what I look for when I watch comedies. He will forever be remembered, at least by me, as Gusto. And for that I am forever grateful to Charlie Murphy. This death, as a fan, really shook me up.

Rest In Peace Charlie Murphy. Now you can tell your hilarious and true stories wherever you are right now. You will be greatly missed.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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