Ty Watches "Atlanta" Season Four Premiere

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Operation Flagrant Foul"

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Better Call Saul" - Final Season

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist"

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Trainwreck: Woodstock '99"

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "The Rehearsal"

After returning home from vacation one thing my wife and I like to do is get caught up on some TV that we missed. We don't watch too much TV while on vacation. There is too much to do, we plan excursions, we go for dinner and then we are so tired that we crash at bedtime. The TV may come on from time to time, but it is not watched very closely. So arriving home, it becomes much easier to watch some shows that we didn't, or had to wait for.

One such show is "The Rehearsal". This is Nathan Fielder's new HBO show. I remember hearing about this show as much as two years ago. When "Nathan For You" was finished with its run, there were rumors swirling everywhere that Fielder wasn't done with TV, he just needed some time off to think of his next project. He also pretty much immediately signed a deal with HBO after "Nathan For You" was over. It was also rumored that HBO was going to give him carte blanche. He was going to be allowed to do what he wanted, when he wanted as long as he didn't go overboard. With "The Rehearsal" he has achieved something truly magical.

What I loved so much about "Nathan For You" was how uncomfortable it made me feel. The comedy was cringeworthy, but in the best possible way. Everything about that show worked for me as a comedy fan. It cemented Fielder as the modern day Andy Kaufman to me. "The Rehearsal" takes it five-ten steps further.

The premise of the show is to help people rehearse for real life events. The first episode was about a guy that wanted to tell his trivia teammates that he actually did not have a masters degree. The second episode was about a lady who wanted to simulate what it would be like to be a first time mom. But there is so, so, so much more to these episodes than just these baseline summaries. Fielder works with actors to not only help the person who contacted him, but also helps himself in dealing with the people. Fielder hires actors himself to portray the people he will be interacting with. It is wild to see. He has conversations with these people and the show will cut to him rehearsing with actors. He also tells the people all of this after he does the initial interview with him, and shockingly, the people are, for the most part, on board. Again, it is wild. But it gets even crazier. As Fielder is helping the people we see his full process. I'm talking notes, hiring other actors to help out, building extremely elaborate sets, using his own warehouse, having a computer constantly at the ready, having phone calls fully planned out. It is all there and it is all very comprehensive. There were many times I would say out loud, "wow", or, "oh my goodness", completely flabbergasted by what I was witnessing. But what really makes this show stand out is how well the cringe comedy works. I was so uncomfortable the whole time, yet I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. I wished there were more episodes when we watched the first two.

I am stoked to watch the new episode tonight, yet I know I will be bummed when the 30 minutes are over because I'll have to wait another week. I just can't get enough of this show. Yes it makes me uncomfortable, but I also realize that I am watching gold. This show is genius. I can see why it took so long for this to come out and why there are only six episodes. The amount of meticulous work that went into this show is the stuff of a mad scientist genius. It is truly masterful work.

Nathan Fielder has done it yet again. "The Rehearsal" is must watch TV for any comedy fan out there. Nathan Fielder is on a level only shared by Donald Glover. These people know how to make great TV.

Ty

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

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Let's Talk About the Current State of "Star Wars"

I am a big “Star Wars” fan. I am the right age to have experienced the original trilogy as a kid, the prequel trilogy as a cynical young adult, and the sequel trilogy as a father approaching middle age. I have seen all nine movies during their original theatrical runs, and I have watched every Disney + shows related to all things a galaxy far, far away. I guess what I’m saying is that I am a self proclaimed expert on “Star Wars” and I want to talk about my concerns of my favorite pop culture property.

The pre Disney days of Star Wars is filled with home runs and strikeouts. The originally trilogy, even Jedi, are all timeless classics. The Holiday Special is a special kind of crap that is a must see to believe. The Ewok adventure movies are unwatchable. The re-releases of the original movies are better than they are bad. Once the prequel trilogy came out, Star Wars was already a cultural juggernaut. I will address the prequels in another post, but the short story is that I do not hate them. The prequel era did lead to incredible Star Wars content with great video games and the “Clone Wars” and “Rebels” cartoon shows. I am going to forget about the “Clone Wars” movie as we should all forget that piece of Star Wars.

When Disney purchased Star Wars and announced plans for a sequel trilogy, I was very excited. My favorite pop culture property was in a good spot. I will discuss my thoughts on the sequel trilogy another time, spoiler - I hated The Rise of Skywalker. Along with the sequel trilogy we were give “Rogue One”, great, and “Solo”, better than it’s reputation. Many moviegoers seemed to be getting less and less excited for Star Wars in their movie theaters. Disney’s new cash cow looked to be drying up.

The launch of Disney + brought the first live action Star Wars show with “The Mandalorian” For over a year the public knew very little about this new Star Wars project. Once “The Mandalorian” premiered, and we all were introduced to Baby Yoda, Star Wars was back on top. Everyone loved “The Mandalorian”. The second season further cemented the new age of Star Wars. What seemed to not be working in the theaters, Disney had found a winning Star Wars formula on the small screen.

“The Mandalorian” was followed on Disney + with the last season of “The Clone Wars”, my favorite Star Wars thing ever, “The Bad Batch”, also awesome, “Visions”, go watch it now, and other small one off specials. We started to hear of new Star Wars movies being cancelled or delayed, and new Star Wars shows were being greenlit daily.

Speaking of the new shows, this year we have already seen two, “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi”. This is where I am starting to ask questions about the future of Star Wars. Both shows I enjoyed, but I felt like they were both not really part of a larger Star Wars universe. I saw a meme when “Book of Boba Fett” was out that showed two kids playing with their Star Wars toys and it said “Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau writing the next Star Wars show”. It was cool, but also very true. “Book of Boba Fett” started with a story of redemption and then midway through it took a sharp turn into The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda are back show. It did end with Fett riding a Rancor so that was cool, but cool is not always good. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” seemed to go no where meaningful until the last two episodes. That last fight is awesome, but what were the five hours leading up to it for?

I know that I am being the typical comic book guy and complaining about something that has given me joy for years, but I am a big fan and want to see that fandom continue. I love G.I. Joe and am very sad that my son’s generation doesn’t even know what it is. Right now G.I. Joe only exists as a form of nostalgia, Star Wars looks to be going down that same path. The sequel movies leaned heavily on feeding that nostalgia, and shows like “The Mandalorian”, “Book of Boba Fett”, and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” are just continuing to add to our “remember this” buffet. If you only try to appeal to your aging fans, you will miss out on the next generation.

I do see a new hope on the horizon. “The Clone Wars” invented new exciting characters like Ahsoka Tano, and gave individual personalities to the clone troopers. “The Bad Batch” is telling stories away from the Luke, Reys, and Darth Vaders of the galaxy far, far, away. “Rogue One” took a minor plot point and created iconic characters and moments never seen in a Star Wars. I am thankful for the Dave Filonis and Jon Favreaus of the Star Wars world, but I am also hopeful that the Deborah Chows Taika Waititis get to put their unique marks on Star Wars. I will be there to watch it all, I just hope the next generation is on the couch with me and enjoying it as I have.

RD

RD is the founder and Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ranking the Opening of Every Original "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" Cartoon

I have said this before and I am going to say it again, “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” was a big part of my childhood. The episodes aired on weekday afternoons in suburban St. Louis. I would rush home from school to watch my favorite toy line have adventures on my television. The next day my friends and I would talk about G.I.Joe, play with our G.I. Joe toys, and talk about what new G.I. Joe toys we wanted. I was more obsessed with G.I. Joe than I was even with Star Wars. I am still obsessed and even ranked all 95 episodes of the original Sunbow series. Today I’m going to rank the opening credits/song of the first Sunbow run.

Let’s get to it.

#5 The M.A.S.S. Device miniseries

First things first, all of these openings are great. The biggest thing that hurts the first miniseries is that it is the first. The creative geniuses working on the GI Joe cartoon would always find ways to improve the opening, and they did.

With that being said, this opening is still great. It introduces you the concept, the characters and even clearly tells you the enemy is “Destro and Cobra". truly a classic.

#4 Arise Serpentor Arise - Season 2

The dawn of a new era in GI Joe, the reign of Serpentor.

This opening, like it’s predecessors, is heavy on the action and the characters. Actually, there may be a pit too many characters. Still great and when you saw this opening you knew exactly what era of Joe you were getting.

#3 The Revenge of Cobra

The Revenge of Cobra was the second miniseries and saw the introduction of classic characters like Shipwreck, Flint, Lady Jaye, Zartan, Strom Shadow, and many others. All these new characters get great action moments throughout the intro. What places this opening ahead of the others is the great flamethrower morphing into the series title. Greatness all around.

#2 First Season

Yes the first season of GI Joe was after the third miniseries, that is not a typo.

What an opening. The line of Joe vehicles, the massive Cobra airship, all the punching, this is probably the greatest opening to a 1980’s cartoon, or any other cartoon, ever.

Nothing beats this intro, except…

#1 The Movie

The end of the Sunbow era brought the greatest cartoon intro ever made. The song slaps, the action kicks, the patriotism punches you in the gut. I just wish the movie that followed was as great as this opening.

Yo Joe.

RD

RD is the founder and Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Boys" Season Three Finale

I really want to talk about the season three finale of "The Boys", so I'm going to. That being said, this will be as spoiler free as possible for those of you that have not watched it yet.

"The Boys" is fast becoming one of my favorite TV shows. It is so well written, well acted, precisely directed and uses superhero culture the way I like to see it done. I'm a fan of when they show how violent these powers can be when they are used. That is why I love a movie like "Logan", and why I adore this show. It is the most violent and NSFW TV show I think I have seen. But, when it is done right, like "The Boys" does, it works.

This past season has been the most disturbing one for me to watch though. They take on the new world of politics we live in, they just add these wild, company created superheroes. The "heroes" represent two factions of politics we have in our country now. But since this show is "fantasy", they can take far more chances. They did that tenfold this past season. Homelander is the alt right conservative and Starlight represents the left. Both actors nail it too. But the fact that I grew to hate Homelander even more this season means that the actor is nailing his role. I despise him. I loathe his every move. I want them to kill him off, but he is the star of the show. I find it hilarious that real alt right conservatives were stunned when they found out that Homelander is the bad guy of the show. I cannot fathom how god damn dumb those mouth breathing alt right conservatives are that they had no idea that Homelander was the bad guy, and that they got all up in arms when it was revealed by the creators that Homelander is the bad guy. But the thing that threw me the most in this finale, and for the whole season for that matter, was how realistic it all felt. Homelander would say things that felt like they were lifted from alt right rallies. The stuff they did at these rallies looked horrifying because it felt so real. When Starlight's supporters came out, they were marginalized and looked at as less than by the right. They called them names and talked about how "weak" her supporters are. They would try to start actual fist fights. They would use violence as opposed to words or simply acting like an adult.

In the finale, especially in the final thing we saw this past season, I swear I got some kind of crazy PTSD. I was scared by what I saw because it wouldn't shock me if something similar happens in real life. The way Homelander's supporters responded to what he did had me horrified. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. I told my wife we had to watch something more upbeat before going to bed because I just couldn't seem to shake what we had just witnessed. She agreed. We had to cleanse our palette if you will. We were both shaken. It was terrifying to see what we saw and think about if something like this actually happened. It literally shook me to my core. I still cannot shake the image three days later. I have spoken at length with my wife and dad, he watches the show too, and we all feel the same way.

"The Boys" is a wonderful show that I really think most people would love and should watch. And the direction they went this season, the stories they told, were done so well. But it is almost too close to real life. And that is what scares me the most. Oof, I am still kind of messed up from this. Boy oh boy.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches “The Bear”

Last night I started the show "The Bear". I had heard a ton of good things about it, some people I follow on social media were singing its praises.

I like what FX does in the world of TV and I am a sucker for cooking shows. In our house we watch a ton of cooking shows in fact. We like them all. Be it Ina Garten or some kind of competition show, we will usually watch. Hell, I even really enjoy a show like "Carnival Eats". That may be one of my favorites.

The problem with those shows, for the most part, is they are very nice. Even the reality competition ones. Sure they have their "villain", and there have been plenty of contestants I don't like, and my goodness do they take themselves far too seriously, but in the end it is all happiness and fun and games. "The Bear" is not like that, and I think that has been what has drawn me in so much.

Over the past day and a half I have watched the first four episodes. It was all I was thinking about watching this morning when I was out running errands. It stayed with me. To me that is a sign that this show works. This is what I am looking for in a show about food. The cast is amazing. It is an ensemble, but that ensemble is led by Carmy, played by Jeremy Allen White. He is so good. He is a once in a generation chef, but he is back home working in a sandwich shop. We find out more and more about him as the series is going on, and I cannot wait to see where they take him. His "cousin", to whom there is much discontent, is skillfully played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. He is so good at being the hot headed "know it all" who doesn't want any change to his "system". Ayo Edebiri is so good as the new up and coming chef who wants to learn from Carmy. She is awesome in this role. She really gets to stretch and try some new things. She should get way more work after people watch her in this. The rest of the crew is great. Lionel Boyce is Marcus and he wants to be a pastry chef so bad. Liza Colon-Zayas is Tina and she has no time for nonsense and has been at the shop since day one. Edwin Lee Gibson is the old soul that likes having stuff to do. And the rest of the crew is there to crack a few jokes every now and then. We also get a nice turn from Abby Elliot as Carmy's sister. It is pretty cool to see her do drama. Oliver Platt has been in a few episodes and he does a low leverage gangster pretty well. And Joel McHale is there being a total dick, which he thrives at doing.

This show has me hooked. Outside the cast, the food looks amazing. They do long, slow motion shots of people cooking and the finished product, and I get hungry just watching. I love Italian Beef sandwiches, and the way they make them look on this show makes me want to travel to Chicago right now. They also have some of the best shots of donuts I have ever seen. They look better on this show than they do on some Food Network or Cooking Channel shows. The sandwich shop is old and dingy and perfect for what they do. The kitchen looks and feels real. The alleys are grimy. Some of the neighborhoods look sketchy. It all works.

This is the best cooking show on TV. It is also one of the better comedy/drama shows that are out there right now. It is also unique and new. It is not a reboot or a retread. It is a new idea that they are nailing. Go watch "The Bear". It is really for anyone that likes cooking shows and great TV. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "The Boys" Season Three Premiere

For date night last week I had the choice. I had a good amount of movies I had in mind, but I kept finding myself going back to watching "The Boys". I have been trying to watch the third season for a few weeks now. But my wife has been working late with return to office stuff, my daughter and son have been playing a ton of baseball and softball games, with practices included, I have been playing late night softball and we are all exhausted when we get home. We just want to relax and watch mindless tv while we wind down before bed. But it was my turn to pick, and when I finally decided on watching "The Boys", my wife was stoked. She exclaimed "FINALLY!!!" and told me, "Great call!". She was excited, which made me excited.

We picked up this show during the start of the pandemic. RD told me that I should watch it. I was hesitant at first. I did not know how I felt about yet another superhero thing to watch. It just felt like too much. But at the start of the pandemic, what else could we really do but watch tv and go for walks and runs. So we decided to start after RD goaded me for what seemed like the millionth time. I'm glad he was persistent. I instantly fell in love with this show. It is gory and violent. It is sexual and crazy. It is full of swear words and every other bad thing you could think of. It is an anti hero show, and I'm all on board for that. I like when a genre is skewed in a much darker territory. I'm a big fan of bending genres. It also helps that the show is very well written, incredibly shot, had on point direction and every actor is down for whatever crazy stuff the show runners and writers throw at them. I understand that it is based on a graphic novel, but to actually see it on a tv screen, it is like "Sin City", except better and more violent. "The Boys" is willing to go there and push even further than you thought it could. I mean, the first scene with Hughie and his girlfriend is still with me. Homelander, more on him later, is a weirdo freak, especially for milk. I love the darkness within all the heroes. The Boys, the people who go after the superheroes, have all their own stuff to deal with. It is a truly terrific and original show. I love it. So watching the season 3 premiere was a long time coming and I knew I was going to love it.

We watched the first two episodes, and they did not disappoint. I don't want to spoil too much, but some spoilers may come out. Sorry. First off, I love the way they are dealing with Storm Front's death. It is too perfect. Homelander is going to do some real damage this season. He is off the hinges. The way the second episode ended has me terrified for what he is capable of doing. Hughie is realizing his life may not be as perfect as he thought it was at the end of season two. Starlight is climbing the ranks and she is scared of what may come. Hughie's boss has a terrible secret. Giancarlo Esposito, who may be the best one of the show, is a perfect human villain in this world. Mother' Milk is getting dragged back into this world he is trying to leave. The Deep has had some of the funniest moments so far. His movie looks hilarious. Frenchie and Kumiko meet a terrifying supe named Termite in the first episode, and that whole scene is nuts. And Butcher has a whole lot of shit to deal with, and he has taken some compound v that gives him superpowers for 24 hours. Add on the fact that we have Jensen Ackles character, Soldier Boy, coming, and this season is going to be a doozy. I cannot wait to watch more.

This is the first show I have seen this year, where they filmed it during this pandemic, that doesn't feel like it was filmed with all these useful restrictions. "The Boys" is in a class all its own. The show is incredible and original and one of the best things on any streaming device anywhere. Go watch this show. It is a gory work of art. And so far season three has ruled. Now I need to watch more.

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 "Atlanta" Season Three

I finally watched the season 3 finale of "Atlanta" yesterday. I have been waiting until the season was over to really talk about my feelings. Right off the bat, I loved this season. It was weird and stilted and didn't have the original cast in every episode, but I was still just as in as I was with the first two seasons.

For those that may not know, this review will be as spoiler free as possible, season 3 of "Atlanta" went in a totally different direction than it ever has. There were episodes that were completely devoid of any of the main cast. There were stories that did not involve Earn, Darius, Van or Paper Boi. They did separate stories from the main cast. And some of those were my favorites this season. The reparations episode was a thing of beauty. I have gone back and watched that ep a few times. The black and white episode, with college tuition, was a goddamn work of art. That ep was perfectly executed, and it had some of the funniest moments all season long. It also blended all sorts of genres. The first ep of the season was frightening. It was a horror show, and that is how they meant it to go. The story they told was horrifying. It showed me, from the start, that this season was going to be different. And the one with the babysitter and the kid was very odd and very interesting. Some seemed to dislike this episode, but I thought the story they were after was told very properly. So out of ten episodes this season, four did not feature the main cast. And it worked. It was an odd change of pace, but it was also done very well and the episodes were some of the best of the season.

When they did use the main cast, the eps were as good as ever. The second episode of the season was rad. Getting to see everyone again, this time on tour in Europe, was like seeing some old friends you haven't seen in awhile. It was great to see Earn rushing to get somewhere, to see Paper Boi getting in messed up situations, to see Darius high out of his mind and seeing Van just showing up, it was comforting. That ep was wild too, with the Tupac stuff and all the wild racism in Europe. The tour stuff they ended up doing with Paper Boi was interesting. I have to assume Glover took some real life experiences and put it into the show. He has toured all over the country, and I'm sure he has had some wild nights. A lot of the episodes dealt with being high and feeling out of control, and I think the creators of the show nailed how nuts and wild it can be in other countries. The "White Fashion" episode was amazing. I have never laughed or felt as awful after watching 40 minutes of TV. It was excellent. The ep with the party and the tree was really cool. That also gave us a new character, Socks, who left a mark. "Cancer Attack" was cool, and there was some damn good music in that 30 minutes. "New Jazz" was the best episode of the season, in my opinion. It did so many great things in a small amount of time. It also allowed Brian Tyree Henry to really shine. He is magnetic in this episode. There is also a Liam Neeson cameo, and it is nuts. For real. It was crazy. You have to see it. But the whole premise of the story, getting stoned, was done so well and executed expertly. It was a great watch. Second only, for me, to "Teddy Perkins". And the season finale, focusing on Van's journey, was another amazing work of art and let the actor fully shine. Zazie Beetz is electric in this episode. Seeing her journey throughout this season, and all the mental stuff, was done so well. Beetz really, really shined. It could garner some Emmy talk, hopefully. It was great.

All in all, I loved this season. Again, it was weird and different and tells a ton of other, non "Atlanta" stories we have become accustomed to. But it all worked. Everything comes together in the end. It has me excited for how they will close out the series. Season 4 is the last season. But this season of "Atlanta" has me even more all in on Glover and his creative process. He can truly do no wrong at the moment. This season of "Atlanta" further proves it. I liked it, and I liked it a lot. I know some people are divided, but I am not. I was all in and I'm still all in. Season 3 of "Atlanta" is must watch TV.

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 "Pam and Tommy"

I just finished watching "Pam and Tommy". I was putting it off because I thought my wife wanted to watch, but she was in Costa Rica last week and she told me to go ahead. So I did.

I thought it was pretty solid. I, and I am being totally truthful, have never seen the Pam and Tommy sextape. I know the story since I was born in the 80's and grew up in the 90's. I was 14 and 15 years old when all of this stuff went down. But I have never watched the tape. It feels like a violation of famous people's property. And that seemed to be the point that this show was trying to get across. Seth Rogen played a carpenter who felt like he was being abused by Tommy Lee. One day he decides he is going to rob him and he just happens upon the tape. He then finds a way to put it on the internet, and that is when all hell breaks loose. Most of us know the outcome of the story from there. In my piece today I want to really focus on the actors. I do want to say that I have read and fully get that Pamela Anderson did not give her consent, and she is seeing no money from this. There are many things to unpack with all of that, but I do not have the time nor the patience to sit here and detail to everyone why I went ahead and watched anyway. I get it, I understand and sympathize with people who chose not to watch it, I think that is great and awesome for sticking to your guns. But I wanted to watch it so I did. You can be mad at me all you want. That is totally fine and I'm okay with it. Now, back to the blog.

The show was fine. It was cool to take a little walk down memory lane. I liked hearing the songs from the 90's that were all over the radio. I liked seeing record stores selling CD's. It was cool to see acid washed jeans and wild shirts. The mullets were all in the frame. It was crazy. But what I liked most about this show was how hard all the actors committed to their roles. They all did a very, very good job. Rogen was great as the woebegone carpenter. He was down on his luck, at his wits end and wanted to change something about his life. To see him go through a ton of stuff was interesting. And Rogen handled the dramatic stuff really well. I am a big time Rogen fan, and he delivered. Taylor Schilling played his ex wife and confidant. She was so sweet but truthful. She said the stuff Rogen needed to hear, not wanted to hear. I did not like her much in "Orange is the New Black", but I thought she was tremendous on this show. Nick Offerman was so good and so sleazy. He embodied what I imagine a sleazy porn producer would be like. He was the worst. Andrew Dice Clay was solid as a mobster and money man. It was right in his wheelhouse.

But the two stars, the two best in this show, by a country mile, were Sebastian Stan and Lily James. Stan played Tommy Lee and he was a spitting image. He looked and talked and sounded and acted like Tommy Lee. He engrossed himself in this role. Everytime he said "PAMMY!!!!", I found myself annoyed, but when you hear the way the actual Tommy Lee said it, it was perfect. He was a bomb waiting to explode, just like Lee. Lee could never control his emotions. Stan nailed that part. But he also nailed his love for Anderson. He truly did love her and wanted to be with her. He did some messed up stuff, but in the end, he really did love Pamela Anderson. Stan is a very good actor and this was a good role to see him in. I know him most as the Winter Soldier, but after watching "I, Tonya" and now this, Stan is showing me that he can do many different things. He is a good actor.

The true star, the one that made this show work, was James. She became Pamela Anderson. She looked like her. She sounded like her. She embodied her life and, at that time, the anger and frustration she must have been going through. James was so, so good. She was the driving force in the show. She made Anderson look and feel like the strong one in the relationship. She was, and still is, a feminist. She worked her tail off to become an actor. She worked hard to become the model she became. She jumped on an opportunity after being spotted at a football game. She had her mom on her side and she went with it. She forced Tommy to do things he may have felt hurt his career, but she knew it would be beneficial in the long run. She walked away from a toxic relationship. She handled herself with determination and grit and fury. I thought it was a glowing portrayal of Anderson. I think Anderson might actually like it and be swayed if she were to ever watch James portrayal. I would hope James will get Emmy consideration, but who knows.

All in all this show is good because they have good people on it and behind the scenes. It is also short, only eight episodes, which makes it go down even easier. I think this is a fascinating watch for anyone that grew up during all of this, or even remembers a bit about the time. It is a decent peak back in time. I recommend it.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Winning Time" Season One

I watched the season one finale of "Winning Time" on HBO yesterday. I wrote about this show when the season started. I was hyped for it. I was hoping it was going to work. I thought the casting was great. I, for the most part, like Adam McKay's stuff. I am fascinated by this era of professional basketball. It had everything on its side for me as a viewer.

For the most part the first season was solid. There was some good stuff in there. I enjoyed my time watching the show. I thought most stuff worked. I like the fleshing out of some of the side characters. But there were times when the show felt a little overdramatic. Hell, I'd even say melodramatic. The stuff with Jerry Buss and his womanizing, we all know that, at least those of us that follow the NBA. It was pretty cliche of Buss to ask his daughter which of her two brothers would best fit in for a front office job. We all know that she gets the job in the long run. The stuff with Magic Johnson and his girlfriend in college, Cookie, seemed forced a bit by the creators. So did the stuff with his teammates when he was first drafted. But the most egregious thing to me, as far as melodrama goes, was the whole Spencer Haywood storyline near the end of the season.

I adore Wood Harris. He is definitely up there as an actor whose work I seek out. He rules. But his portrayal of Haywood was a bit much. His monologues seemed lifted from soap operas. The whole calling a hit on the entire Lakers roster was so off base. Even the junkie stuff seemed forced. It just wasn't written well enough for an actor of his caliber. I could also say the same for the guy who played Larry Bird. Man I wish it had been Bo Burnham, but things happen. But this actor just seemed into the whole notion of Bird being a hick. And I know that him and Magic did not get along at first, but this seemed to be a bit overboard. They at least respected one another. I have to imagine that much.

Outside those little critiques, this show, as I said, worked. The basketball was real enough. The gameplay looked nice. The actors, minus the ones I mentioned, did good things with their roles. Adrien Brody shocked me. I do not like him, but I enjoyed him as Pat Riley. Quincy Isaiah was magnetic as Johnson. Solomon Hughes embodied this version of Kareem. Jason Clarke was solid as Jerry West. Gaby Hoffman was amazing. Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss was really good. The show works for the intended audience.

I think my favorite thing about this first season is how mad some of the real life people got. They took it personally. Hell, I'm sure I would too if my name was being thrown out there like some of these guys' names were. But this is a fictional show based on a book. This is not real life. The creators came out and said as much when West and Kareem and Magic all came out against the show. Again, they have that right, but them getting so upset made me want to watch even more. The fact that West was willing to ask the Supreme Court to get involved, that Kareem wrote a very good op ed about how off base the show is, that Magic won't even talk about it, that made me tune in every week as much as my want to actually watch the show. I know they are trying to keep their names clean, as they should, but them going off like that only made me itch for more.

"Winning Time" is a fine enough show. They get some things right and it is entertaining. Is it a bit of a soap opera? Sure. Is it too melodramatic at times? Definitely. But will I watch season two? You are god damn right I will. I hope they lose some of the stuff that I was personally not a fan of, but I will still record it and watch it.

Ty

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

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Let's Show Some Appreciation for the Awesomeness of Nicole Byer

This morning I went out for a run and I like to listen to podcasts lately when I decide to listen to anything. The podcast is not important though, this piece is all about the guest on the pod. The guest was Nicole Byer. My piece today is an appreciation post to Nicole Byer.

She is the best. She is so funny. She is open and proud of her accomplishments. She's all about empowerment. She is a great actor and stand up. She is a great podcast host herself. I have been a fan of hers for awhile now, and after hearing her this morning it just hammered home my adoration for Byer. I am not one to get starstruck by an actor, but if I saw her I would be scared to talk to her. She has reached that level of fame to me. I'm sure it is silly, and I am sure she would be a delight. But I would still be in awe.

I knew of her awhile ago, but it was really my wife who opened my eyes to Byer. She had me listen to her standup when we were first dating. It was great. I like how blue and gross it can be at times. I also like how truthful and open she was, and still is in her act. We have both continued to follow her ever since I was first introduced to her. Besides her standup, her television performances are a thing of beauty. And she has been in a ton of stuff. I think I may have been one of the few people that watched every episode of "Party Over Here". That was an underrated sketch show, and Byer was the standout for me. Her two appearances on "The Birthday Boys" were awesome. She's excellent in "Michael Bolton's Big Sexy Valentine" special. She does excellent voicework, most notably for me on "Bob's Burgers". She fit so perfectly on her lone scene in "The Good Place". She was a gem as Trudy Judy when she was on :"Brooklyn 99". But the two shows that are her best in my opinion are "Loosely Exactly Nicole" and "Grand Crew".

"Loosely Exactly Nicole" was before its time. The spoof aspect of it was great. If that show were to come out today it would be a humongous hit. And it totally holds up. "Grand Crew" is letting her truly shine. I adore that show. I hope it comes back for another season. I felt like it was hitting its stride at the end of the season. And Byer was my absolute favorite part. I enjoy all the other actors, but Byer outshines them all. I laughed super hard at almost every scene that she was in. I also like when she does some dramatic stuff. This show really lets her be her best self. Please NBC let it come back for another season.

And then we have her podcast appearances and her hosting. There are too many to mention in this piece. When she is on a podcast I listen to, or one she hosts, I get amped to play it. I know it is going to be hilarious. I know she will do something that will resonate with me. I know she will be completely open and honest. I know she will have a good time. I know she will treat the other hosts and guests with respect and integrity.

Nicole Byer is a truly great actor and stand up who is finally getting her time to shine. She is crushing it right now, I like her so much more than John Cena on "Wipeout", and I am a Cena fan as well. Byer is getting work, the work she has deserved for a long time. I am a fan, obviously, and I just wanted to write an appreciation piece to her today. Keep getting queen, you have earned it.

Ty

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

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RIP Gilbert Gottfried

Gilbert Gottfried has passed away at the age of 67. This is a bummer. There are too many people losing their lives lately. It stinks.

I have a fond memory of Gottfried. I have always liked him to be honest. I know people complain about his voice and his movies and other stuff, but that never bothered me. I found his voice unique and hilarious. He was a much better version of the Micro Machine guy. They each had their schtick, but Gottfried was much more my speed. I truly did not care that he yelled at his jokes. I found it funny honestly. It worked for me as a fan of comedy.

As for his movies, I loved "Problem Child". He was awesome in it too. I adore "Aladdin", and Iago is so memorable. He was the only good part about the horrible "Saved By the Bell: The Wedding" movie. He was definitely the biggest get in any "Sharknado" movie that he was involved in. As for TV shows, you could find him doing voicework in any number of shows ranging from the 80's throughout the current day. His voice is everywhere. Going outside of voice work, he was a cast member on what many consider to be the worst season of "SNL", but he was the only one on that season that thrived. Going back and watching those eps awhile back, and man are they bad, but Gottfried had something special. He was the only person that worked that season.

The thing I think made him stand apart was the roasts he did. I have been watching clips of him at these roasts the past couple days, and Gottfried kills every single time. He would just pummel the audience and the roastee with joke after joke after joke. He would crush it out there. He was doing the best in a room full of people that pride themselves on their ability to roast. He would have fit in perfectly in the old time roasts that I used to see commercials for as a kid. Gottfried was the perfect amalgamation of old school and modern time comedians. He knew what he was best at, and he ran with it. The roast clips are an amazing thing to watch.

Of course we all remember him as the Aflac duck. My kids even know his voice from those commercials. But, what I remember most about Gottfried as the Aflac duck was him getting fired from that job. It was classic Gottfried. He tweeted a very unflattering stance on the tsunamis in Taiwan, and he was let go. Part of me always thought that he did that on purpose. I think he wanted out of that job, did something awful and was let go. And we all forgot about it a few months later.

Gottfried went on to do many things after that. That would have ended other people's careers, but Gottfried soldiered on and kept plugging away. It has also been super cool to see the many people coming out and talking about how nice and polite Gottfried was on the stand up scene. He didn't big time anyone or refuse to help out. Quite the opposite. I've seen people like Paul F Tompkins, a comedian and actor I adore, come out and say that Gottfried would let him watch his sets for free. That rules. There have been countless other actors talking about interactions with Gottfried, and they are all glowing.

Gottfried's passing is a bummer. He was so young, I know they said an unknown illness, and that makes it even sadder. It is not on the Chadwick Boseman level, but it is akin. Rest in Peace Mr Gottfried. You will be missed.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches “The Tinder Swindler”

Recently I finished the Netflix documentary "The Tinder Swindler".

I have been in a doc mood lately, and this one spoke to me when I was searching the other day. I have been married for almost 13 years, and been with my wife for 15 years, so online dating has never been a thing for me. I never used it. I did have an eHarmony account at one point, but then I met my wife, and deleted it very soon after because I knew I was going to marry her. I was lucky enough to meet her in real life when a friend set us up. And for that, I am forever grateful. It is so much better that way, in my opinion. I know plenty of people who have met and married someone through the internet. But for me, it is way easier, and way better, to meet in person. The online dating life seems very hard and very easy to scam someone. That is what "The Tinder Swindler" is all about.

The movie focuses on three ladies that were scammed by the same man. But it is not like "Catfish" or movies and shows like that. This was a real person who found a way to scam these very real women. When the movie opens we meet a young lady from Sweden. She is very adept at using Tinder. She breaks it all down. She is very smart and very beautiful. She mentions that she "swiped right" on this gentleman named Simon, and soon after a relationship started. He took her on private planes. They went on exotic vacations. They ate all the best food. They exchanged very expensive gifts. It was all a fairytale, until one day, when he simply seemed to vanish. No contact, nothing. Just gone. He would return, but only to ask for money. We then meet another woman, also from Sweden, and she seems like she knows what she is doing on Tinder. Again, just like the first lady, knows how to game the system to get a guy she likes. She too, eventually, matches with the same guy, Simon. And while it is not a romantic type relationship, she seems to like him very much as a friend. She likes to hang out with him and go clubbing and go to parties. Nothing romantic happens, but they do make a deep, friendly connection. But then, just like the first lady, Simon falls off. And, just like the first lady again, Simon comes back online and asks for money. These ladies give him the money because they have made these connections, but it all seems rather fishy. It is all very weird. Through some deep digging, and after talking to journalists in Sweden, the ladies come to realize that Simon has been scamming them, and many, many other women, for many years. He uses their credit cards to buy all the things he wants. He uses the money they have given him to fly out other women and buy them whatever they want. It turns out he is a very prolific con artist. At this point we meet yet another woman who claims to be Simon's girlfriend. She says they have been together for 15 months. She found out, only after the investigative journalists released a tell all story, that Simon was galavanting with these other women during their "relationship". She is rightfully furious. She decides she is going to swindle him. She pretends to still be in love with him, to tell him what he wants to hear. But, instead of giving him money, she makes mention that she could sell his designer clothing to help him pay for his lavish lifestyle. He agrees, and she starts to sell. But she never tells him that she is making any money. Anytime he asks, she says she hasn't sold anything. It gets so bad that Simon claims to be homeless. All the while, this lady has made over 10,000 dollars selling his clothing. I loved it. She was beating this jerk at his own game.

Eventually Simon gets caught and arrested by Interpol. All three of the women featured feel like they have finally caught him. That Simon is going to pay for what he has done. His picture and story was everywhere. He did get sentenced to 15 months in prison for fraud. I was stoked. So were the ladies in the movie. It felt like a good punishment for what he had done. I assumed the movie was going to end right there. It needed a happy ending after all the wild shit I had watched for 90 minutes.

But then, before the credits rolled, they updated the viewer on the situation. Simon did go to jail, but only for 5 months. He was released and let back into the world. He started an online business for a nominal fee. He had all the fancy things again. He was dating an Israeli model. They were on private jets again. He was back in designer clothes and buying and doing whatever he wanted. He was even back on Tinder. As for the women featured in the movie, they were doing better, but still had pretty big debts they were paying off. The three women look to have become friends, and they have been back on Tinder as well. But I was kind of frustrated when I saw Simon doing all his nonsense again. He clearly hadn't learned his lesson, and the police let him go after serving only a third of his sentence. And when the people making the movie tried to contact him, he sent a very threatening message to them. He is still an asshole. He is still selfish. He is still doing what he wants when he wants to whomever will bite on his scam. He learned nothing and was going about his everyday life like he didn't perform multiple criminal acts. It goes to show that some scum can get away with what they want with minimal consequence. It is a frustrating world that we live in. It makes me sick that people can scam other people, and because they just happen to be rich, they can get away with it.

I do recommend this movie because it is fascinating, but know going into it that you will be angry at the end. Or, at least you should be.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Ty Watches "Atlanta", Season Three Premiere

Yesterday I was able to watch the season three premiere of "Atlanta". I was out of town last weekend, I left early Friday morning, so I did not have time to watch until we got back. But I made damn sure I would watch yesterday,

I did watch, and I was floored, in the best possible way. Season three kicked off with two new episodes, which was a very nice surprise. The first episode, "Three Slaps", was a different story than what we have usually seen on "Atlanta". None of the main characters were even in the episode, until the very end when Earn(Donald Glover) wakes up from a dream. This episode was about a little kid who gets put into foster care and finds his way back home. That is a very vague description though, from what I saw. Spoiler alert is coming by the way if you have not watched the premiere yet. "Three Slaps" shows a young kid in school who, upon hearing that he and his classmates are going to see "Black Panther", jumps on the table and starts to dance. He gets sent to the principal's office. His mom and grandpa come and they are frustrated. A teacher seems to think they can help by putting the kid in remedial classes, but the mom does not want to do that. She chides the young man, makes him dance in the hallway and the grandpa gives him three slaps. We see him at home and he lives a pretty normal lifestyle. His mom works all day, so he feeds himself, but his mom is present and she holds him accountable. Then Child Protective Services shows up, and the mom tells the boy to go. She packs his stuff, and says if he hates living there so much, he can leave. Again, she is tough, but not doing anything that I would consider wrong. The boy ends up at a house with two ladies who have fostered three other children. These ladies are not in good shape. They do not seem to be taking proper care of these kids. They make them work far too hard and they barely feed them. The young man tries his best to get away, but no one believes him because he is now a "foster child". He is miserable. The moms decide they are going to go to the "Grand Canyon". The kid asks one of them what they are really doing, but she gets cut off by her wife. We come to realize that this couple cannot pay bills, refuses to pay bills, has hurt people in the past, and they are going to kill themselves and the kids by driving off a bridge. The young kid figures it out and gets the other kids and himself free. The other kids are saved and the main boy walks back to his home. His mom says she was happy to see he made his way back home. He then eats some spaghetti and watches TV, telling his mom nothing of what happened. Then we see the kid turn to the camera and that is when Earn wakes up.

This first episode was incredible. It was gripping and scary and a great way to get back into this wonderful show. It reminded me of "Teddy Perkins", which is one of the best forty-five minutes of TV ever.

The second episode we get to see the original crew. They are overseas, in Amsterdam, while Paper Boi(Brian Tyree Henry) is on tour. Earn oversleeps and misses his original flight. It was great to see, now that Earn has achieved a little status as Paper Boi's manager, that he is still a screw up. But he works hard and he is trying. While Earn is trying to get on his new flight, he calls Darius(LaKeith Stanfield) and tells him he has to pick up Van(Zazie Beetz) at the airport. Here we see Darius is super duper high, but he does remember to get Van. He also tells Earn that Paper Boi is in jail. This messes Earn up. But he is sick and he is very tired, so he tells Darius he will deal with it when he gets to Amsterdam. He just needs Darius to get Van. Then we kind of have parallel stories. Darius and Van go on an adventure. Van buys a new coat that has an address in it. They decided to have their driver take them to the address. They find a group of people all dressed in white who are on their way to something. Darius and Van join them. When they arrive at the thing, they realize it is a party for a person who is about to die. It is a very weird and surreal scene. Then, Darius comments that he thinks it is Tupac. Van says he is crazy, but then she sees him. She goes to speak to him, and she realizes it is Tupac. After she speaks to him, the death dulla, yeah that is a thing in this world, drops a bag over him and "Tupac" dies. It was wild. But the way Van and Darius handle it, it made the surrealness of the whole situation relatable in a way. I loved their story because I feel like they truly portrayed how I would have acted in a crazy scenario like they were in a foregin country. Paper Boi and Earn have to get ready for a show that night, but first Earn needs to get him out of jail. Earn goes to the venue to get money from the guy putting on the show, and proceeds to bail Paper Boi out. Paper Boi is treated like a king in his cell. The guards love him. The fans outside love him. He is a star in Amsterdam. He likes his cell so much, it was beautiful by the way, that even when his bail is posted, he waits until after he has had lunch and a nap. Then, when he and Earn leave the jail, they head to the hotel before going to the venue. During this time they see a shocking number of people in black face. It was jarring for me as a viewer to see this. They question it, but never get a real answer. Then when they get to the venue Paper Boi says he will not do the show because the entire crowd is in black face. I kid you not. Earn tells the promoter that Paper Boi is not going to do the show and this pisses the guy off. He threatens to "ruin" him. When he chases Earn, he finds a guy that looks like him, but again, it is yet another person in black face. And again, I was uncomfortable. Earn gets out unharmed and heads to his room. He sees Van outside and they have a brief interaction. Then he crashes into his bed before receiving multiple texts from Paper Boi about hanging out. Then the episode ends. Again, I was in awe of what I watched.

"Atlanta" is, quite possibly, the best show on TV. There truly is nothing like it on TV. It is so unique, so original. Donald Glover and his crew really know what they are doing. They are truly creating new and fresh and, most of all, incredibly good content. I cannot wait to see where this season goes. I am fully on board. It was three years in between seasons, but it was more than worth it for what we got in these first two episodes.

If you are not watching "Atlanta" you need to remedy that. This is amazing TV being made by the smartest people in the business. I cannot wait for episode three on Thursday night. I will be watching it in real time. What an amazing, amazing show.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

So Long Maury and Thanks for All the Paternity Tests

After 31 years, "Maury" has been canceled. Or maybe he decided to leave. Or maybe both parties had an amicable split. None of us will ever know, but in the end, Maury Povich is done doing his insanely, and just flat out mind bending, uber popular talk show.

This came as a big surprise to me, and I do not even watch the show. But, my wife and my dad are fans. I know my wife has family members that are fans. Pretty much everyone I know has seen, or knows someone that has seen, at the very least, one episode of "Maury". This show is extremely famous, and super enjoyable. I don't even know how he started his show, or why he started his show. I'm sure he had all intentions to make a very real change in the world. I would be very interested in fact, to go back and watch some of his early stuff just to see what it was like. But let us make no mistake, the fame and glory he achieved was when he started to do the paternity test stuff.

That was an absolute goldmine. That was a complete stroke of genius. The people involved on the day they decided to do that as the main source of material, they truly had lightning in a bottle. It was pure brilliance. As I said before, my wife did really like this show. When she would have a day off work, and we were home, at 3pm our time, you better believe that she would tune in and we would both watch. I used to moan and groan and complain about it, but damn if I was not fully invested by the end. It even got to a point where I would get annoyed if they were not doing a paternity and lie detector test show that day. Sometimes they would do a boot camp thing. And while that could be good sometimes, it just did not hold the weight of the paternity episodes. I would get so involved that I would be guessing, with my wife, if the guy was a cheater or if the girl truly knew who the father of her kid or kids were. I was amped. And my absolute favorite thing about the show was how animated Povich would get when he announced the results. The way he would wait, and hold for an extra five to ten seconds before stating, either, "YOU ARE... THE FATHER!", or "YOU ARE...NOT THE FATHER!". It was classic. It was better than him reading lie detector results, and that ruled too. I also loved how Maury would play to the people and the camera at the same time. When a dude found out he wasn't the father, or passed a detector test, and he would dance, Maury would sit there and just laugh. But then, when they would shift to the mom, he would go after them offstage and tell them they had other ways they could help them find out who the father really is. I also enjoyed how he would give advice, knowing damn well that no one was going to do what he suggested. I also adored the introductions of people, and how the fans would boo and throw thumbs down at them. And Povich would just let them go as hard as they could. He never really stopped it. He egged it on at times. It was great.

This show has been on TV since I was eight. That is wild. I cannot believe how long it has lasted, but damn if it did not go the distance. I feel like Maury has done all he could. He also probably wants to retire and go do things with his wife Connie Chung. Povich has done his thing and it is classic.

There will never be another Maury Povich, or a show like "Maury". I'm sure people will try to do similar things, or even a carbon copy, but it will not be the same because it will not have Povich at the helm. "Maury" is a snapshot of the time we live in, and I am kind of stunned it is done. At least we will all have the memories.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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