Ty Kinda Watches the AAF

On Saturday night we had my folks over to see the kids and my dad and I decided, during a game of kid's Monopoly, that we would check out the new "pro" football league, The American Alliance of Football. I had only recently remembered that the league was a thing because I follow a lot of Michigan football stuff on social media, and a few of their notable players, mainly Denard Robinson, are on some of the teams. Unfortunately for me, none of them played during the one quarter of the one game that I watched this past weekend. With that one quarter of play, I made a few observations.

Now, I have seen a few articles since Saturday saying that the viewership was very high, and that this is the "perfect cure for anyone that is already missing football". First off, I get that viewership was high. Football is now America's pastime. It is the most popular sport. It has surpassed baseball, and even though I may think it is a better, and more fun sport to watch, the NBA is not even close in popularity to pro football. That all makes sense. But, to call this the "cure" for football fans. I highly disagree. I don't get it. One, the Super Bowl just happened a week ago, and it was a trash game. It's not like we have been without football for a month or 2. We didn't miss any football in fact. There was zero break.

Secondly, as far as the "cure" for what ails football fans, this was a garbage product. This was not even high level college football fun. This wasn't even Pro Bowl fun, in that the Pro Bowl is just a stage for the NFL's all star's to dick around. In fact, I would rather watch the skills competition that the soon to be pro players do, or even watch something like the Senior Bowl, or any of those other college football all star games. I found the one quarter of the AAF game I watched to be very, very low level "pro" football. I'm sure it will be better than the return of the XFL, because the XFL is so dumb, but not by that much. I did not recognize a single name of either player on either team Saturday, and I do watch a ton of football, mostly college football. The AAF should have been right in my wheel house because I should have been able to recognize someone. I did not. And sure, I saw the highlight of the big hit on the QB in the very same game I watched, but that type of hit happens in every NFL game, and in pretty much every college football game.

The people that want this league to thrive were grasping at straws trying to make this opening weekend seem like this league will be legit. I mean, I don't even remember the teams that were playing. All I remember about the game was that it was played at the Alamaodome, so I would assume one of the teams is based in San Antonio, and that Mike Martz is either a head coach or coordinator of one of the teams that was playing Saturday night. That's it. And that is not a good thing, at least in my opinion.

As far as the on field stuff I saw, I, clearly, was not impressed. It was all shot gun. It was all read option football. It was like watching Oregon or any other Pac 12 team, except it wasn't as good or fun. The run games were non existent. The QB's were downright dreadful. I have no idea who the skill position players were. Save for that one big hit, the defenses were very, very vanilla. Needless to say, I was pretty underwhelmed by the AAF. I did watch because I am a football junkie, but the fact that I turned it off after a quarter, and my dad didn't gripe at me for this, should speak volumes. We were more than happy to watch the Thunder complete a 26 point comeback win over the Rockets. We also stuck closer to the Duke-Virginia game, and a few other college basketball games. We did not need low grade football.

Football is a great sport, and I love to watch it, especially college football. But, at least for me, the AAF, after one week, was a big time disappointment. It can always make a revival, but I doubt it. This was some low rent football. There is no questioning that.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty does not remember the USFL at all. As a matter of fact most of us only know about the USFL because it showed us that even in the 1980’s, Donald Trump was a terrible leader.

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Lavar Ball is Nonsense, Again

Lavar Ball needs to just stop talking. He just needs to shut up. I'm over his schtick. I'm over his blowhard attitude. I'm over him saying that he will "talk it into existence". I'm just over it all. But what irks me the most about what he recently said was how ridiculous the statement is. He said, and I quote, "The Lakers will never win a title without my son. In fact, my son Lonzo is better than LeBron. The Lakers need him". Okay, lets break this nonsense down.

First off, the Lakers do not need him at all. If the Lakers had traded Lonzo Ball at the deadline, and I am not just limiting it to the Pelicans, it could have been any team, they wouldn't have missed him at all. I do think that Ball is an okay point guard. He is good at getting the ball out of his hands and finding the open guy and running the break. But, he does not add much else. Also, I think Rajon Rondo is better than him, especially for a team run by LeBron. Ball also cannot shoot the ball at all. His jumper is trash. He is afraid to drive to the rim because, if he gets fouled, he cannot shoot free throws. And he is currently hurt right now, and I totally forgot about it until I saw his dumbass post after not being traded yesterday. So no Mr Ball, the Lakers do ot need your son to win a title. I'm sure they would be better off with Rondo, or if they had drafted DeAron Fox instead, or if they go out and trade for another point guard or even draft one this year. The Lakers would be just fine without Lonzo. The Lakers definitely do not need him.

And then to say he is better than LeBron, I mean come on. I love my son. My son is an amazing individual. He is smart, loves baseball, is pretty good at it, he's super smart and funny and is just a good kid. But, if he were in the NBA right now, and on the Lakers, I would openly say that he is currently playing with the best player in the NBA in LeBron James. I would be thrilled that my son was in the NBA, and playing, but I would know better than to say that he is better than LeBron. No one in the current NBA is better than LeBron. Not a single player. Not Steph, not KD, not AD, not Kawhi, none of them. LeBron is better than them all. In fact, I think that LeBron is the second greatest player in the NBA ever, behind Michael Jordan. So for Lavar Ball to say that his son, who has been more of a disappointment than a star in his first two seasons, is better than LeBron is pure nonsense and puts so much more undue pressure on his kid, who already came into the league with a ton of pressure due to his father's mouth.

It was so nice to go through more than 50 games without hearing from Lavar Ball. It seemed like the Lakers brass and LeBron finally got him to just be quiet. They just kind of pushed him off and we didn't have to hear from him. But now, since his kid was brought up in trade rumors, which will happen as long as he continues to disappoint and play with LeBron, he decided to open his mouth and say more dumb shit. I hope that LeBron and Magic and Rob Pelinka will be able to get him to shut up again because I cannot take another story about him talking. I know I am just adding to the problem by writing about it today, but it made me so angry that he said his kid was better than LeBron that I had to say something.

So if you could kindly screw off Lavar Ball, me, the Lakers players and fans and the rest of the NBA watching community would greatly appreciate it. We don't need to hear your lunatic ravings anymore. Please do us a favor and shut the hell up. Thanks

Ty

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

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Let's Talk About the NBA Trade Deadline

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and AD is still a member of the Pelicans, more on him at the end. Without AD being moved, we did have some big names get traded to new teams. Let’s get right to it.

I already talked about Porzingis to the Mavs. But, after he was traded, only a few days after, the 76ers pulled off a big deal. They traded for Tobias Harris. I know his name isn't as exciting as AD or Porzingis, but he gives the 76ers a fourth star, and a guy that will buy in and contribute to an already contending team. Harris has always fit in wherever he has played, and he is in a contract year.

The Clippers also made out pretty well in this trade, getting guys on good contracts and future picks. They are setting themselves up for the summer. They also got rid of Avery Bradley, he went to the Grizzlies, and acquired a few none essential Lakers to get off the Mike Muscala contract. They did good.

Philly traded Markelle Fultz today. I hope this works out for him, I still have a little faith, but this was for the best. They sent him to Orlando, and they got a first and second round pick and Johnathan Simmons. The 76ers still lack a real point guard, but they added a shooter, Simmons, and they added an all around good to great player in Harris. They are making their push.

Not to be outdone, the Raptors got Marc Gasol today. I know that Gasol isn't as good as he used to be, but that could have been the situation as much as age. He is now on a team that I picked to make the Finals. He gets to go play with Kawhi and Serge Ibaka and Danny Green. And the Raptors didn't have to give up too much. They let Jonas Valenciunas go, it was his time, and some other throw in names. This also helps the Grizzlies continue rebuild around Jaren Jackson. My only gripe with Memphis today, they are hanging on to Mike Conley. He deserves better than that. He should have been traded to a contender.

The Bucks got a much needed added three point shooter next to Khris Middleton in Niko Mirotic. He is really going to help spread the floor, thus giving Giannis more space to operate. They also were able to trade a disgruntled player in Thon Maker. He should be happy with the playing time he will get in Detroit.

The Pelicans added a few guys, namely Stanley Johnson. But, they got a ton of picks in return. This is just them gearing up for whatever they end up doing with AD.

In addition to Muscala, the Lakers also added Reggie Bullock. Both these moves puzzled me. How do these guys fit with the Lakers? Is Bullock going to take minutes from one of the young guys that is probably still super angry that they were bandied about in rumors? Is Muscala a better option than Tyson Chandler? I don't think so.

Harrison Barnes got traded mid game last night. But, I like his fit with the Kings. He can go in there and provide veteran leadership, and he doesn't have to be "the man". The Kings needed a wing like him if they want to continue their playoff push. And they only had to trade the hardly played Justin Jackson, and the hasn't played all year Zach Randolph for him.

Otto Porter got traded to the Bulls. If you are puzzled, you aren't alone. I do not get this trade for either team. I assumed, if Porter was to be dealt, he would go to a contender. But nope. He ended up on the Bulls. And the Wizards got Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis for him. This is probably the weirdest deal of the day in my opinion. It makes absolutely no sense for either team. This one is absurd.

Phoenix got off Ryan Anderson's contract by trading him to the Heat for Wayne Ellington and Tyler Johnson. This might be the most boring move of the deadline. It does nothing for either team. At all. There were other guys traded, but nothing that really makes a difference.

Now for AD. I love that the Pelicans didn't just give LeBron what he wanted. I love that Dell Demps told them, after they offered 6 players and 2 picks that he wanted 6 more picks. I love that they have decided to wait for the summer when the deals can get so much better. And I love that a small market team didn't just give in to the glitz and glamour of LA. Anthony Davis signed a deal through next season, and the Pelicans don't have to trade him until next year's deadline if they don't want to. They didn't let him or his agent tell them what to do. Sure, he said he wants out, but again, he is under contract for one more year. And while the Lakers deal seemed super good, there are other teams that can do better on July 1st, depending on what the Pelicans may want. I'm pretty sure that Lakers deal will still be there. But, a team like the Celtics can offer a much more enticing package centered around Jayson Tatum, and a whole bunch of picks. The Knicks, especially if they win the lottery and sing KD, would be super appealing. Or, what about the teams that would be willing to dump a good amount of quality guys for a one year rental? The Thunder did it with Paul George, and he stuck around. The Raptors are banking on, if they make the Finals, that they can convince him to stick around. Milwaukee, if the players were good enough, could pair up Giannis with AD. There are so many more opportunities that will open up this summer.

This deadline was nuts, and I'm excited to see how these guys look on their new teams. If I had to say that just one team "won" the deadline today, I would go for a tie. I love what the Clippers did, a team I despise by the way, getting a ton of picks and opening up a ton of cap space to go after AD, KD, Klay Thompson or Kawhi. And I love that the Raptors are going for it and taking on Gasol. This makes them very formidable. Those are my "winners" of the day.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Fyre" and "Fyre Fraud"

Pretty much this

In the past week I have seen both of the Fyre Festival documentaries, “Fyre” on Netflix and “Fyre Fraud” on Hulu, and boy do I have some thoughts. 

Right off the bat, screw everyone that was involved with this monstrosity save for the people that actually live in the Bahamas. The Bahamian's are the only people that I felt anything for. They got screwed over by spoiled rotten rich white kids that are thieves. They also got screwed over by Ja Rule too. Man is he a real piece of shit.

Ja Rule’s actions pale in comparison to the monster that is Billy McFarland. This dude is such a compulsive liar. This dude screwed so many of his employees out of money. He simply did not care about anyone but himself. All he wanted to do was go to an island and party. He figured everyone else around him would solve all of his problems. And when they didn't, he just continued to dig himself a deeper and deeper hole. He was way, way in over his head. And his way to "solve" these problems was to launder money, commit fraud and lie to all the people that worked for him. He is a true piece of human garbage. He deserves all the jail time he is currently serving. He deserves to have all of his possessions taken away from him. No one should ever work with him again. I'm pretty sure no one will. He is a horrible example of too much too soon. He is also a horrible example of growing up with a silver spoon. I feel exactly zero sympathy for him, his girlfriend, his parents and his so called friends. They helped create this monster, and the fact that they still are trying to clear his name is absolutely appalling to me. I genuinely hate this guy.

As I said at the top, everyone else is culpable. Everyone else is guilty. They could have hurt or killed someone, but all they cared about was their dumbass festival. The guys who run the company "Fuck Jerry" can go to hell. Those assholes are creeps and thieves and your prototypical frat boys that deserve a solid punch in the face. The guy that was going to perform a sex act to get water, he is as much to blame for Billy McFarland. I know he is supposed to be one of the "heroes" of the doc, one of the guys we should be rooting for. I do not root for him. Yes, the way he was treated was terrible, but he was willing to do stuff he didn't want to do so he could help out McFarland. That is rough stuff.

All the dip shits that worked at Fyre that thought all this nonsense was going to fixed are to blame. They may have tried to call him out, but none of them walked away. They stuck around even when they said they knew it was going to be a disaster. For example, we have the yoga guy. He comes off in the Netflix doc as someone that was hurt by this. He wasn't. He still went to the Bahamas and he still was willing to do what Billy told him to do. Grant, the guy that kind of ran everything is awful. He is a demanding little nerd that let the power go to his head. He thought he was a boss, and he thought he could get away with his bull shit. He can' t and won't. He will probably do some jail time, and he deserves it. For Ja Rule to come out and claim he had nothing to do with this after the fact is ridiculous. He was just as involved. He wanted this to happen. He was on board until it all blew up in his face. He is the epitome of a washed up former star.

And then we have the people that went to this festival. I'm sorry, but why should I feel anything for these spoiled rotten little brats that spent thousands and thousands of their parents money to go see Major Lazer and Blink 182? I don't feel a god damn thing for them except anger. They are little brats that didn't get exactly what they wanted, and they complained and complained. As Ron Funchess put it, "if you have thousands of dollars to spend to see Blink 182, and you end up in a Fyre situation, that is Darwinism at its best". Their attitude, and looting mentality once they got to the island was absurd. They are the worst of the worst. These kids and these "influencers" are awful people that only care about money and how many likes they get on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It is disgusting.

Both these movies painted a great picture of how poorly managed this whole thing was. They showed that, just because you have money, it doesn't get you out of real trouble. I'm upset that the Netflix one was produced by the "Fuck Jerry" guys because it made them look not so bad. They are bad guys. The Hulu one is better, and more damning of that shithead McFarland. They actually got him to do a one on one interview, and to see his punk ass squirm is just magical. Both docs are good, but Hulu's is much more eye opening.

I'm glad that the main culprits of all of this horribleness are getting what they deserve. This thing was going to be bad from the jump, and to see it all blow up in their face made me very happy. I know that may sound childish, or seem like the worst kind of schadenfreude, but I don't care. The Fyre people didn't care about anyone but themselves, and to see them get their comeuppance is grand. I recommend both docs, but I prefer the Hulu one. Either way, Billy McFarland sucks, Ja Rule is an ass and everyone else is to blame.

The people of the Bahamas did not deserve to have this happen to them.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was thinking if people paid this kind of money to see Blink 182, what could Ty get if he put a festival together with Prodigy and Smashmouth. Are you in?

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Ty Watches "Trigger Warning with Killer Mike"

Last week I finished one of the best shows that I have watched on Netflix. It only took me 2 days, which is very fast for me, but I finished all of "Trigger Warning with Killer Mike". It has been well established how much I like Killer Mike on the site and podcast. I love his music, his politics, and now, I love his new TV show. The show has a great premise, and with Killer Mike at the helm, it is pure perfection.

For those that may not know, the show is essentially about 6 problems that Killer Mike wants to fix. He takes this job very seriously too, but there is definite humor in the show. In episode one he talks about how to "live black. That is the title of the episode. Throughout the 25 minutes he tells the viewer that he will only buy from all black owned stores, restaurants, companies, doesn't matter, as long as it is black owned. He talks about how this used to be fairly easy, but it has become very hard as of late. He portrays this perfectly. I felt real bad for him at times because of how hard this exercise was. He found a lot of new problems and it was interesting to see him get through the three days.

In episode 2, entitled, "F*&k School", he talks about how public education is failing kids. He wants these kids to learn a vocation. He even goes to a first grade classroom, tells the kids that their dreams will most likely not come true, and brings in a buddy to show them how to fix household items. He soon realizes that he needs to go to older people, and see how smart they are. They are not very smart. But, he enlists his buddy from before and a "cam girl". He talks to them about making pornographic self help videos. They all get on board and do this. And you know what, it works. It was so hilarious, yet very eye opening. People nowadays are so attached to screens, and pornography is a big time industry. So Killer Mike uses this, and it is successful. It was great.

In episode three, "White Gang Privilege", he talks about how unfair it is that the Hell's Angels get a free pass, but the Crips and Bloods are looked upon as killers and criminals. He shows us that you can even buy Hell's Angel's stuff online. He enlists some Crips, and they start a soda company. He also gets the Bloods involved, who start another soda company. But he shows us that they can coexist, bringing them to a farmers market to sell their sodas. Nothing bad happens, and they even have some success. It was, my favorite word this blog, eye opening. To see how people changed their perception of the soda once they realized it came from Crips was wild. We also meet Mario in this episode. He is a key player in the series from here on out.

In episode 4, "New Jesus", we meet Sleep, Killer Mike's buddy. Mike decides that he is going to start a religion, the Church of Sleep, based on this dude's life. He is cool, calm and collected. He likes strip clubs, weed and sleep. And you know what, he gets a congregation. It is a wonderful episode. It might be one of my favorites.

Episode 5, "Outside the Box" was CRAZY. Mike decides he is going to use music to get to everyone. He uses it himself to get his word out, so he decides he is going to make a "super group" to open a RTJ show. This "super group" is filled with all different kinds of people. There is the previously mentioned Mario representing Latinas and gays, we have another albino that is a black lives matter leader, a Jewish lady that is into renaissance fairs, a horrific white nationalist, an African American that is a Jesus freak, and so on and so forth. It is wild. They fight and bicker the whole time. They wrote their own verses to a song, and they are rough. And to see them open for RTJ, and to get the fans point of view, it was something else.

The final episode of the first season, I hope he does more of this, is called "Kill Your Masters". Killer Mike kind of takes pieces from each episode he has done before and starts a new country, "New Africa". He is the leader and buys the land and sets everything up, but again, we have people bickering everywhere. They even have an election, one Mike doesn't win, or did he set it up that way? This was such a great way to close out the first season. It was a perfect summation of, what I hope is the first season of many. I hope he makes more of this. I love this show. It was tremendous, and Killer Mike is the voice I follow most in the music industry.

So, as Killer Mike says, I will go out and purchase something from a black owned company. If Crip A Cola comes to Saint Louis, you better believe I will buy it. One day maybe my son will watch one of the videos he made to learn a trade. And I would love to visit New Africa one day. My hat goes off to Killer Mike and everyone involved with "Trigger Warning". It is one of the best shows of the year so far. Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once tried to start his own religion that centered around Skittles, Michigan Football, and Gatorade. Want to join?

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That Was One Terrible Super Bowl

The Super Bowl happened last night.

I watched it.

I hated it.

And it ended as I should have expected.

I have been pretty vocal about my dismay for this particular Super Bowl. I was not looking forward to it, but I watched it anyway because, as I have stated, I am a football junkie. But boy oh boy was this game an absolute clunker. I said last Friday that I thought it was going to be a "slog", but this game was horrible. It was so much worse than a slog. The game started off bad, got worse and just grew and grew in its horribleness from there.

For example, Tom Brady's first pass was an interception. No need to worry though, the Rams immediately went three and out, something they would do most of the game. This game set the record for fewest points in a half. It set the record for fewest points ever in fact. Neither team could really ever establish the run. I know that Sony Michel got close, or maybe even eclipsed, 100 yards, but a ton of that came on one long run deep into the fourth quarter. He was also the only person to score a TD in the game by the way. Tom Brady just seemed kind of off all night too. He made a couple of beautiful throws, but he also had some that were way off. His interception was a horrible throw. He skipped a ton of passes. It was rough.

Julian Edelmann played really well, but he was so wide open, how could he not catch the ball. He got the MVP, I think Michel, or someone from their defense deserved it, but Edelmann got it. Rob Gronkowski had a few nice catches, but again, he didn't really do much of anything that jumped off the screen to me.

The Rams were god awful offensively. They could not do anything at all. Jared Goff was atrocious. I know he is still young, but man did he look scared and flustered and out of his element. The Rams O line could not block at all. Goff was under constant pressure. Brandin Cooks was blanketed all game long. None of the other receivers got any separation either. And where in the hell was Todd Gurley? I mean, is he hurt? Did he do something wrong? Did he not feel well? Was he too tired to play? I have no idea why he barely saw the field. I know that CJ Anderson played very well against the Saints, and since he was signed by the Rams. But he is no Todd Gurley. The Rams needed him, and they needed him badly last night. I do not get his almost total absence.

Sean McVay really shit the bed as the head coach last night. He, much like Goff, just seemed in over his head. He too was out of his element. He did not seem ready. He did not seem like the "wunderkind" that he has been praised as sine last season. And to his credit, he is still a very new head coach.

But the monster that is Bill Belichek simply put him in his place last night. That is the thing with the Patriots. They don't care how they win, as long as they win. Belichek did just that. His offense was so god damn ugly, but his defense shut down one of the top offenses in the NFL. As I just stated, the Rams could not move the ball at all. Any time they had any momentum, the Patriots shut it down pretty quickly. Any time Goff had time, he either took a sack, or he missed throws. He had Cooks WIDE OPEN in the third quarter, and the pass was underthrown and lazy. Anderson never got going. The Patriots shut them down.

The Rams defense was also great. They held the Patriots to 13 points. That should have been more than enough for them to win. Sure, Suh and Donald didn't play as great as they usually do, but they still got occasional pressure, causing Brady to make those bad throws. The Rams secondary did an okay job of stopping every Patriots receiver except for Edelmann.

This was just a disaster of a game. I was not, at any single moment, excited to be watching the game. The halftime show was super forgettable. The commercials were fine, but nothing that I will think back on as great.

Some final thoughts, Edelmann got the MVP, as I said, but he is not a Hall of Famer, no matter what Nate Burleson or anyone at The Ringer says. He is a fine player, but he is not a Hall of Famer. The Rams are not ready for primetime, and neither is Sean McVay or Jared Goff. Bill Belichek proved, again, that he is a great head coach. The Patriots need to stop this whole, "no one believed in us" narrative. They are great and no one has ever counted them out. And Todd Gurley deserved to play more. This was a boring game, I'm glad it is over and I hope Roger Goodell leaves as commissioner and the NFL gets back to being fun again. I mean, I like defense, but this game was not about two great defenses, it was just a very, very poorly played football game.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was shocked that the awesome Tony Romo never reminded the audience that Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelmann missed the first four games of the season because of a PED suspension. Wonder why that was left out?

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A Halfhearted, In Depth, Look at Super Bowl 53

There is a big football game this Sunday, and no I am not talking about any college football all star game, or the XFL or the American Alliance of Football. I am talking about Super Bowl 53. The Los Angeles Rams are playing the New England Patriots. And yes, it sounds just as boring as you may feel right now. But I’m a professional so I must do what all us internet sports writers do, talk about the game.

I have said it on the podcast, and this is the first time I am writing it, but I have ZERO interest in this game. I have no rooting interest. I am sick of seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. For a sport that is supposed to have parity every year, this is the third straight year they are in the game. This is, I don't know, something like the tenth straight time they have been to the AFC title game. And this is the, I want to say, eighth time, the Patriots have been in the Super Bowl in the last 17 years. That is more than half of the Super Bowl's in almost 2 decades. I'm over them.

I also loathe this whole narrative that they are somehow the "underdogs". That "no one" believes in them. That Tom freaking Brady has to go to a party and chant, "We're still here". It is so, so, so stupid. No one buys it except dumbass Patriots fans. They are not the underdogs. The majority of people I read, and myself and RD included, picked them to be in, at the very least, the AFC title game this year. Knock that shit off.

As far as the Rams go, I am from Saint Louis, and it bums me out that they moved, but I have no ill will towards them. I despise Stan Kroenke, and what he did, and how he did it. But he is the only person I truly hate that is involved with the Rams. I think Sean McVay is a solid coach. Jared Goff is a decent QB. Todd Gurley is totally awesome. I like Ndomankong Suh. Aaron Donald is the best defensive player currently in the NFL. But, they do not deserve to be in this game. They got in because the refs blew a massive obvious pass interference. The DB admitted it. The NFL admitted it. The NFL fined the DB that hit the receiver after the fact. But the refs did not call the penalty during the NFC title game. They blew it. They put the Rams here. They wanted the story lines that are now being blown way out of proportion during Super Bowl week. It is, at least in my lifetime, the worst no call ever.

With all this being said, like a good pop culture / sports writer, I am going to pick the game. But, I truly don't care. This is the first Super Bowl I can remember in my lifetime that I have no real interest in the game. At least in year's past I had team's I could root against, if the Packers weren't playing. I don't like the Seahawks, so it was fun to root for whoever they played. I have never liked Peyton Manning, so when he played, it was easy for me to root for the NFC team. I like to root against the Steelers, so when they played, I just stood up for the other team. Even last year, I had the Eagles to root for because of Brandon Graham, and I wanted Mike Lombardi from The Ringer to have to eat crow. But this year, I just do not care. I know I keep repeating that, but it is true. This game is going to be a slog. But, I will watch it because I am a football junkie, and this is the Super Bowl.

If I look at it with just a fan's eye, the Rams should win. They have the better, younger players overall. Yes, the Patriots have Tom Brady, and he is the greatest QB ever, but that seems to be the only advantage they have. The Rams have better receivers. They have much better backs. They have the better O line. And this is the time for McVay to prove his "offensive genius". The Patriots are not good defensively. They can be run on, and they are susceptible to the play action pass. That is where the Rams thrive. As far as the defensive side of the ball, again, on paper, the Rams are better. They have a ferocious pass rush led by Suh and Donald. They have heavy hitting linebackers that can cover. They have a solid secondary. The Patriots have experience, but that is not always what will win the game. Sometimes talent just wins out. And that should happen this Sunday.

Notice I keep saying "should". The reason you may ask, two things, Tom Brady and Bill Belichek. Ooh, and lets add a third, the refs. Belichek is, for all his shortcomings as a human being, gosh I despise him so much, is a genius football coach. He knows how to take away your best players and plays and frustrate you. He usually thrives in the biggest games. The same thing can be said for Brady. Even if you look at the Super Bowl's the Patriots have been beaten in, he played well. He threw for over 500 yards last year. He puts the ball on the money, even if Wes Welker drops it. He is legit the best QB ever. And then we have the refs. They are clearly on the side of the Patriots, no matter what they and their boneheaded fans say. The refs love Brady, Belichek and anyone involved with them. They will give them the benefit of the doubt. There was the no PI call in the NFC title game, but look at the roughing the passer call in the AFC title game. Brady got his shoulder touched, and the refs called roughing. That is clear evidence that the refs are in their pocket.

On paper, I have the Rams winning, and wining with ease. But, when I really look into everything, the players, coaches, refs, star players, I still have the Rams, but in a much closer than it should be game. I think the Rams will win because they will be able to run the ball and keep Brady off the filed. They will control the clock. I also expect Suh, but more so Donald, to make a few big time plays, be it sacks or forced fumbles or even just making Brady release the ball a hair earlier than he would like. So I have the Rams winning a very ugly game by a score of 23-17.

There you have it. Enjoy the game I guess.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants to know when the sports media will proclaim Ty as the greatest football caller guy in the world, you know since they are eager to anoint an overrated retired qb.

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The Knicks Did a Dumb Thing

I was going to write about another new show that totally blew me away, but an enormous trade just recently happened in the NBA, and I am going to use my platform to talk about how blown away I am right now. Hell, I am still kind of processing this trade because I didn't think this team could get any dumber.

Never underestimate the stupidity of the New York Knicks.

By trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Mavericks, the Knicks just got infinitely dumber. I assumed that the "biggest" NBA trade I would write about would have been AD to the Lakers, but that hasn't happened yet, and the Knicks pulled this dumbass stunt this afternoon. I know all the stuff that got leaked late last night and early this morning. Porzingis met with the Knicks brass, told them he was frustrated by the direction of the team and would possibly seek a trade. Well, I guess the Knicks took that quite literally, and they full on traded him this afternoon. I waited awhile too because I didn't want to be fooled. I didn't want something to hold this trade up. I assumed we may have had another Trevor Ariza deal on our hands. But nope, it was all true. The Knicks traded away their main guy, the one that was going to help them lure free agents, the future of this team, the second best unicorn in the league, behind Giannis, for next to peanuts.

Was this real worth it for New York? Sure, the Knicks got Dennis Smith Jr, who I still like, and think could have a career still, and the Mavs also threw in DeAndre Jordan, a dinosaur in the current NBA and Wes Matthews, who has not been near the same since he ravaged his knee.

The fact is that this was colossally stupid for New York.

The Mavs got a much, much better deal in return. I know that Porzingis is himself coming off a torn ACL, and big men sometimes have a hard time coming back from that, but look at Boogie Cousins right now. I feel like that is Porzingis's future, but with a better jump shot. And he is much younger than Boogie. But the Mavs didn't just get Porzingis, they also got Tim Hardaway Jr and Courtney Lee. I wouldn't be shocked if they buy out Lee and let him loose. But Hardaway Jr was a key piece for them. He doesn't play much D, but the dude can score and stretch the floor. even before Porzingis was apparently on the table, I heard that the Mavs were pursuing Hardaway Jr. Now they have him and Porzingis. And they both get to play with Luka Doncic. I mean, the Mavs are clearly going all in. Even if Porzingis doesn't play until next year, I feel like a lineup of Doncic, Hardaway Jr, Dirk and 2 of their young big guys will be a ton of fun to watch, and tough to guard. I don't think they make the playoffs without Porzingis, but I don't think they are bad. And just think of them next year. Doncic and Porzingis running the pick and roll will be deadly. It will also totally open up the three for Hardaway Jr. They won't be at the top of the West, but they will become a perennial playoff team. They will win in the 40's and 50's of games, and be really hard to guard. They will also play stout D. Also, Porzingis will be playing for, by far, the best coach in his career. Rick Carlisle will use him perfectly.

Back to the stupidity of the Knicks. I know Porzingis was mad. I know this has been a tough year. I know they are tanking. But what the hell are you doing? They needed to keep Porzingis if they wanted any big time free agent this offseason. I know they got off a ton of money, and I wouldn't be shocked if both Matthews and Jordan are traded or cut. And Smith may thrive running this offense all on his own. But Smith will not be enough to lure guys like KD or Kyrie or AD. I thought, before about 3pm my time today, that the Knicks had the best shot to sign KD this offseason. But with Porzingis gone, I think that is shot. I am a Dennis Smith Jr fan, and this is meant as zero disrespect to him, but he doesn't move the needle for a guy like KD. Also, he is a young point guard, so why would Kyrie want to join now? Then you have AD. I know he said the Knicks aren't one of his "preferred destinations", but they could have been if they still had Porzingis and the number one pick. All of that is gone because of, it seems to me, an impulse move by the Knicks front office. They are an atrocity to pro basketball right now, and they just got much, much, much worse today.

I don't get it. I want the Knicks to be relevant again because the NBA is so much better when they matter. They took a big, big step in the wrong direction with this trade today. This totally changes a lot of what I thought would happen this offseason. I guess I thought James Dolan couldn't be this stupid. I was proven very wrong. This is a horrible decision for the Knicks, but the Mavs will be much improved. I expected a lot of movement this week and next, with blockbuster names being moved. I just didn't expect, or see this one coming at all.

Wow.

Ed Note: The Knicks are stupid.

Ty

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

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Ty's Taste Tests: Spicy Garlic Sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings

I, much like the rest of the Midwest, am currently freezing cold. It isn't as cold here as other places, my cousin texted me and said it is -50 degrees where he lives, but it is still pretty cold here in Saint Louis. It was cold enough for schools, and some businesses even, to close today. So that means I have both my kids at home with me, and my wife is out of town for work. The three of us, me, my son and daughter, tend to get pretty bored when we have to stay indoors all day. So, just to get out of the house, I took them to Buffalo Wild Wings.

I like the food at Buffalo Wild Wings, and my kids love it, especially the mac and cheese. It was a good excuse to get out of the house, it was a short drive, and I made sure to warm the car up before we left, and we all bundled up. I got my usual lunch order, the small size of traditional wings, and I got a sauce that I had never tried, or seen before on the menu. I'm usually a dry rub wing fan, but sometimes I like to try the wet sauces. The one I tried today, that I have not seen, was "spicy garlic".

I love spice in my wings. It is the traditional way to eat them. But, I also love garlic. Garlic is probably my favorite spice. I will put it in everything if I can. I even eat a version of spicy garlic everyday. I put Siracha brand chili garlic sauce on my eggs every morning. So seeing the "spicy garlic" option on the menu intrigued me. I ordered it, with my other half being my favorite, salt and vinegar rub.

When my food arrived I was immediately taken aback at the "spicy garlic" sauce image. I don't know what I was expecting, but I didn't expect it to look like traditional wing sauce, with flecks of garlic in it. I assumed it would look a little lighter, possibly like their Parmesan garlic sauce. Nope. This wing sauce looked like wing sauce. That being said, I was still going to eat it. And when I did, I was immediately in love. It was an almost perfect mixture of my 2 favorite wing flavors. At first you get the kick of a medium wing sauce, but then that garlic comes in, and man is it a good bite. It is a really nice blend. The spice is great, and that garlic, it is almost like eating an Italian dish. It has that good of a flavor to it. I am part Italian too, so I know a thing or two about Italian food.

After that first wing, I wish I had made my whole order with just the "spicy garlic" sauce. It was really tasty. I don't know if it was just an oversight by me, or if it is a truly new flavor, but I am a fan. The only downside of the sauce, and this is the case with every wet sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings, they slather it on the wings. It was sitting in a pool of the sauce. But, when I would pull out a piece of chicken that was dry, I would dip it in the sauce. When I finished my half of "spicy garlic", and moved onto my salt and vinegar, I found myself dipping that in the "spicy garlic". I chose that flavor over my usual ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce. I was even using the "spicy garlic" as a sauce for my carrots and celery. It is really a taste sensation.

If you are a fan of chicken wings, and frequent Buffalo Wild Wings, I highly recommend trying this sauce out. I'm sure other wing spots have it too. It is that good. Spicy garlic is now one of my favorite wing sauces, and I do not see that changing for a long while. Well done Buffalo Wild Wings. I tip my hat to you.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is glad that Buffalo Wild Wings is still great, you know since Arby’s owns them now.

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Ty Watches "The Other Two" Series Premier

Last Thursday another show I was looking forward to in 2019, "The Other Two". had its series premiere. I was pretty excited about the show when I heard that Drew Tarver was cast as one of the leads. I'm a fan of his, especially whenever he is on "Comedy Bang! Bang!". He is a funny improviser, and I just enjoy him. When I found out that Chris Kelley and Sarah Schneider, former "SNL" head writers, were the creators, I was even more excited. I then saw some of the little previews and snippets that Comedy Central was releasing, and they all made me laugh. This just furthered my excitement. So, after I recorded the premiere, I watched it the next day.

It did not disappoint.

For those that may not know, "The Other Two" is about a family of three, who's father has passed away, and the youngest brother becomes ultra famous over night. He is a pop singer, and his song, "I Want to Marry You at Recess", becomes an enormous viral hit. He has 2 older siblings, one played by Tarver, the other played by Helene Yorke. They are not so successful. Tarver is a waiter and wannabe actor. The first scene with him, where he is at an audition for a commercial as "guy who smells fart", is wonderful. Yorke is, I think, a realtor, and when we first see her, she is squatting in an apartment building and eating day old pizza and splashing her armpits with soap and water. These 2 introductions are great. What makes them even better is the fact that their young brother is on "The Today Show", with their mom, the excellent Molly Shannon, and he is just being fawned over by everyone. They love him so much we even hear Hoda Kotb say that they had to bump Jennifer Lawrence because they went so long with Chase. That is the young kid's name, Chase Dreams he calls himself.

What made the premiere so good was how they kept showing the other 2 siblings lives, all the while they were watching their brother on TV. Tarver is a little jealous and is taken aback by how quickly his little brother is becoming famous. Yorke is a bit more angry, but she is constantly listening to her brother's song, and keeps saying that this year, she is "going to chase dreams". The episode was funny, but also very sweet.

Some of the best scenes in the premier include Tarver's boss at the restaurant telling him and the other gay waiter about all the gay movies he has been watching with his wife lately, namely "Brokeback Mountain", which he mentions twice. The stuff between Tarver an his "straight" roommate is going to make for some compelling stuff. I already mentioned the audition, but Tarver also has a job as an actor for a tour bus, where he dances. It was great. Yorke, in her mission to "chase dreams", says that her big plan is to "see 50 dicks" this year. She also is fervently working out while listening to her little brother's song and talking to her co worker about all her plans. She also talks about how she just broke up with her long time boyfriend because he still dabs and says, "damn Daniel". It was great. 

The sweetness comes from Shannon and the little brother. Chase isn't really ready for this life. He can't believe he is famous, and he just wants to hang out with his brother and sister. He also talks about how much he misses their dad. Shannon clearly loves all her kids the same. She doesn't care that Chase is famous, and the other 2 are struggling, she just wants them all to be happy. She is doing every thing she can to make sure her kids are happy, and okay. She seems to be a great mom, and not a "momager". The final scene in the premiere, where Chase sleeps in the hotel bed with his siblings because he doesn't feel well was so heartfelt. I loved it.

“The Other Two” has serious potential. I cannot wait to see where it goes from here. I also appreciate that they didn't make Tarver and Yorke out to be villain like. They love their little brother, they just can't believe how fast he has become famous, as I imagine happens in a lot of families where one of the children gain sudden fame. They just want what is best for their brother. I'm glad this show got the greenlight and I'm happy to watch it. I suggest you all check it out too. It is great.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is the youngest of four siblings, and understands how hard it is for his older brothers to have to deal with their little brother’s fame. Suck it up guys. You can crash on Ty’s coach if need be.

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A Few Thoughts on Anthony Davis's Future in the NBA

To no one's surprise that watches a good amount of the NBA, Anthony Davis has requested a trade from New Orleans. He has come out since this morning and said that he wants to finish the season there, and he is willing to wait until then, but he wants out.

I have a few thoughts.

First off, these players need to stop coming out and saying they want out. The players in professional sports leagues have so little power, and when they come out and request a trade, that gives all the power to their current team, and really handcuffs their wanted destination and themselves. Just wait until the offseason, and do this behind closed doors. In this day and age of social media I know that is hard, but if you put in the effort, it can be done. I just want these players to not give what little bit of power they have to the front office. Look out for you if you want to be on a different team.

Second, I'm pretty sure he wants to be a Laker. This has been the rumor all year long, and now that he has formally requested a trade, it seems like they are the one and only contender. I don't think they are, more on that in a minute. But, if he were to become a Laker this season, what changes in the West? Yes, pairing LeBron with AD would make for a great duo, but think of the players they would have to give up. I'm pretty sure the Pelicans are going to pass on all the one year contract guys. I'm pretty sure they don't want Rajon Rondo back. I'm also pretty sure they would pass on Michael Beasely, Javale McGee and Lance Stephenson. The Pelicans are going to want a humongous haul, and they are going to want the young guns. If I were them, and I was going to move AD within the conference, I would, just to start out, ask for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma. Then, I would ask for one of Josh Hart or Kentavious Caldwell Pope, and, at the very least, 2 picks. And if the Lakers say no, I would immediately pull the offer and look for another team. If you are going to part with your best player, the player you took number one overall and have built your team around, you should want a king's ransom. And, as I said before, with AD publicly saying he wants out, the Pelicans have all the power. They hold all the cards, and if any deal isn't to their liking, they can just walk away. They can do that this offseason too. They are in prime position to get the very best deal.

So, if the Lakers are willing to trade all those guys, and picks, sure they get AD, but does that put them above the Warriors, Rockets, Nuggets, Thunder and Trailblazers? I don't think so. LeBron and AD are great, wonderful players. LeBron is the best player in league. AD may be the best big man. But those 5 teams I mentioned have a much better team around them. If AD joins the Lakers via a mega deal filled with young guys, their starting five for the playoffs would be Rondo at the 1, Hart at the 2, LeBron at the 3, AD at the 4 and that either McGee or one million year old Tyson Chandler at the 5. All 5 of the teams I mentioned are better than that Lakers lineup. So, at best, if AD were to join the Lakers, I feel like they would be the 5 seed, and a first round out in the playoffs. Those other 5 teams are so much better than them with the Blazers being closest in talent. I also think it might handcuff their future, and their ability to get another big star this offseason. That is just my opinion.

Also, I feel like the Lakers being the top bet to land him is all about GM LeBron once again. This is what he does. He goes to a team and changes it all. Coaches and young players be damned, LeBron is going to get guys he wants to play basketball with. If this trade goes down, with all the young guys, this will prove that LeBron runs the team. I will hear no one say that this was Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson's idea. I won't buy Jeanie Buss saying that this was the plan all along. I won't hear any NBA journalist say this was a great front office move. This would all be about who LeBron wants to play the game with. I also think this trade would doom Luke Walton more than he already is. This would be the nail in his coffin, especially if they are a first round out. He is as good as gone regardless of what happens, because the "powers that be" want him out.

Finally, I want to talk about a few other teams that I think would be a possible better fit. The team I want him to join is the 76ers. I love love love the idea of him playing next to Joel Embiid. I love him running the pick and roll with Ben Simmons. I think he would be an ideal guy for Jimmy Butler because AD goes so hard. This would push them over the top, and they would only have to give up picks and a few players. I'm sure the Pelicans would take a flyer on Markelle Fultz. I'm sure they would also want some guys like JJ Redick, TJ McConnell and both of their rookies. And the 76ers would happily oblige to add AD. I like the idea of him joining the Spurs to play with Greg Poppovich. They would have to give up DeRozan, Patty Mills, Jakob Poeltl and a guy like Brynn Forbes. But man, a lineup with AD, LMA, Dejounte Murray and a few young guys they have would be nice. I think if Toronto is willing to take another guy that may leave this offseason, this would put them over the top in the East. AD and Kawhi Leonard would be better than Embiid and AD. They would lock it up on the defensive end. The Raptors would have to fracture their youth, but they have a much, much better shot at the Finals than the Lakers, so it is worth it.

When it is all said and done, I feel like AD will be a Laker, but it will come at a tremendous cost. I also think that "Laker Nation" would be ecstatic at first, but when they run into the buzz saw of teams like the Thunder, Nuggets and Rockets, it would blow up in their face. And then just imagine them facing the Warriors. The Warriors don't need any added incentive to kick team's asses, especially since Boogie is back, and looks really good. Now imagine how much they would want to destroy a team that has AD and LeBron. It would be brutal.

I wish AD would stay in New Orleans. I wish he would try and build a contender. I feel like he is taking the easy way out. I feel like the young stars in the NBA aren't used to losing, and they want to win easily, so they are taking the easy way out. I do hope, wherever he ends up, AD is happy. I enjoy watching him play, and he is great. I just don't want him to leave New Orleans. Especially not for LA.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Let Me Respectfully Explain How Tony Romo is Now the Most Overrated Sports Broadcaster Ever

Today I’m going to throw some short, but blazing, heat towards Tony Romo.

You have been warned.

He’s been getting a ton of praise lately for his ability to “call plays before they even happen”. Just go to any sports page or social media platform and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. People are acting like he’s an Oracle. Like he’s Nostradamus or some shit like that. I do have to give credit to 2 sites that have called him out recently. Both Deadspin and the ever brilliant Onion have talked a little shit about him too. Deadspin is a legit site, and they brought up some good points in their piece, suggesting we pull back the reins a bit on what makes for a great announcer. The Onion was much funnier with it, saying that he should have studied as much tape when he was a player, and maybe he would have won something of note. Their piece is a riot.

I’m mostly with Deadspin here. Sure, the fact that he will call out a play is cool, but most diehard sports fans do that weekly when they watch their team. My dad and I can successfully call about 90 percent of Michigan football’s offense. And we’ve been able to do that for 2 decades now. I have some friends that love teams like the Thunder and Bulls, and they know just about every time a pick and roll is coming. Hell, I know that when James Harden has the ball he’s going to pound it for 17 seconds and shoot a step back three or drive. I’m pretty sure even RD himself can tell you Joey Votto’s exact approach when he steps to the plate. I bet you he knows when Billy Hamilton is going to steal a base too. When you watch a sport enough it’s not that tough to notice commonalities. And when you’ve played the sport at the highest level I bet it’s even easier. My dad, my friends, RD and myself are never called “geniuses” or “wizards” or “oracles”. We are looked at as obnoxious fans.

So why does Romo get a pass? I think it’s because he was such a mediocre player, but he’s so likable, that the big time journalists and companies want him to be successful somehow some way. They will sing his praises when he calls a play before it happens. They also gave him a pass as a player although he never made it to an NFC title game. The praise for him is absurd and it drives me nuts that I have to keep hearing how great he is. He’s an okay announcer, but he’s no John Madden, Pat Summerall, Doris Burke, Chris Webber, Chauncey Billups or any other big time person that’s done this. He’s right in the middle for me.

I feel like Tony Romo has already reached overrated status as an announcer, and he did that way faster than as a player. Romo is mediocre at everything he does. He’s so blah. The accolades need to stop and stop now. He’s no genius.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He can speak for himself on not being a genius, but the head editor is fully on board with people calling RD a genius. This is the man that discovered Ty, the biggest genius on all of the internet.

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Ty Watches "Black Monday" Series Premier

Yesterday I watched the premiere of one of the shows I was looking forward to in 2019, “Black Monday”. I’m a David Caspe fan, so when he has his name attached to a show, especially one he’s co created and written, I’m in. “Black Monday” was no exception. I have been looking forward to this show since I first heard about it, almost a year ago.

And it did not disappoint. When I heard the names being cast, and that it was going to be on a premium cable channel, Showtime, I just assumed it would be good. Not only did we have Caspe on board, the actors are great. Don Cheadle, Regina Hall and Andrew Rannells are the three main characters, and they’re wonderful. Hall is a total badass, that can more than hold her own in the male dominated world of the 80’s stock market. That’s when the show takes place, right before a humongous market crash in 87. Back to Hall. Not only is she a badass, but she does have a heart. She cares about her job, and some of the people she works with. She also is clearly the smartest person in the room. She knows better than everyone else, and has a good head on her shoulders. She’s terrific. Rannells is the fish out of water, trying to impress his girlfriend. He plays a genius trader that created this “perfect” algorithm. But, the scene in the premiere when he tries to double 50k in 4 hours, shows he is in way over his head. The way Rannells portrays his character is so good. He’s too nice. He’s too smart. He’s too gullible. He lets others control what he does. But, when he needs to, he can stand up for himself. When he storms into the office to demand a job, that scene was pretty wonderful. I am also a big fan of his, because of “Book of Mormon”, the only thing I’ve seen him in. So to see him play a totally different character is always fun for me as a viewer.

Then we have Don Cheadle. He can do no wrong. He is one of the best living actors. His character is slimy, mean, does copious amounts of cocaine, spends money just to spend it and acts like he’s the greatest dude ever. And you know what, I found myself openly rooting for him by the end of the episode. Cheadle exudes confidence, and he does that tenfold on “Black Monday”. When he berates his team for being the 11th ranked firm in New York I found myself agreeing with him. When I saw the painting of him doing coke I thought, that’s pretty dope. When he tries to hit on Hall, only to be rebuked by her boyfriend, I wanted Hall to go with him. When he brags about his Lamborghini Limbo, and Rannells says to him,”so you have a slow uncomfortable car?”, and he responds, “ I got it because it was the most expensive!”, I thought, hell yeah you did. Even when he first bumps his robot butler, you read that right, after doing more cocaine, I just found myself rooting for him more. Cheadle is so awesome.

Outside those three, the rest of the major cast is filled with improv actors. Paul Scheer, who I praised yesterday, is on this show. So is Eugene Cordero. Kurt Braunholer plays a dude named Ty, so I’m in on him. Yassir Lester wears a full head garb, and calls himself Yassir X. Ken Marino plays twin brothers, who may or may not be romantically involved. And Casey Wilson plays Rannells girlfriend. And when she slaps him twice in a row in the episode, it was hilarious.

I’m pumped to see where “Black Monday” goes from here. It has a tremendous amount of promise and intrigue. I highly recommend everyone check it out. It’s so good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He remembers the high energy time of 1987 not because of the cocaine but because of the joy any 5 year old would have getting ready for new episodes of the original “Duck Tales”.

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Millennial Nostalgia: "The League" was Great Television Anchored By Three Great Actors

I have been re watching "The League" on Hulu for the past couple months. I was a fan of the show when it was on, I watched it on Netflix, and when I saw it was on Hulu, I decided to give it another viewing. The show is very good. It is well written, well acted and it seems like the people involved had a lot of fun making it. It was also pretty cool to see a show centered around fantasy football.

In this third viewing of the show I have realized 3 of the performances stand above all else. The other actors are still great, I enjoyed them all, but Paul Scheer, Nick Kroll and Jason Mantzoukas are, far and away, the best part of the series. Paul Scheer plays Andre, the put upon friend that everyone else makes fun of, even though he may be the most successful. Andre is the number one plastic surgeon in Chicago, he has a humongous apartment and seems generally happy. He even won the league twice in the series run. But, everyone makes fun of him. He is the butt of all the jokes. He has to do the worst punishments. And he takes it all in stride. The way Scheer portrays this character is so perfect. We all know people like this. We all had or have that friend that we keep around to bag on. Sometimes it may be you that is that friend. But the way Scheer does it is so good. He is funny. His outfits that he wears are so bad, and when he tries to rationalize how great they are, you almost believe that he truly believes it. His unlucky love life is hilarious. Be it the girl he blinded or his crazy Uber driver or Meegan, he plays them all perfectly. And to be the type of guy that buys into whatever fad is the thing at the time, I loved it. When he was an urban forager I loved it. When he was wearing a daishiki, hilarious. When got into vlogging and internet culture, it was tremendous. Scheer was so, so good on this show. It is the best thing I have seen him in to date, and that includes "The Disaster Artist" or "The Good Place". He was phenomenal on "The League".

Nick Kroll, as the smug and arrogant Ruxin, was equally as great. He played the insecure and over confident lawyer so well. He was the shit talker of the group, yet he still believed that everyone was colluding against him whenever his team got beat. He was never really secure with much of anything going on in his life. Every time Taco, Jon Lajoie, was at his house, hanging with his wife, you could see the jealousy. When his friends would convince him to do something stupid in fantasy football, he would just do it against his own will. He was the one fantasy player that constantly second guessed himself. Even when he lost his wife, a very weird turn in the final season, he still tried to get easy fantasy football wins. His own wife's death didn't stop him from trying to win a stupid trophy. His smugness, his shit talking, his tinkering, it was all so perfect. This is clearly one of his best roles.

But, the best of the best, and this may be a hot take, was Jason Mantzoukas as Rafi. He is so gross, weird, scary and absolutely hilarious. My favorite episodes are the ones that feature him and Dirty Randy, Seth Rogen. A lot of people hate these, but I adore them. The episode entitled "When Rafi Met Randy" is my favorite of all time. To see them in a mental institution, and turn into the characters they became there was so amazing. Outside of the episodes featuring him and Randy, whenever he showed up with the main cast, I always got pumped up. I knew it was going to be great. When he first shows up, and he, Pete and Andre go to a party, and he agrees to be the designated driver, then gets hammered, awesome. When he starts to date Ruxin's au pair, played by Brie Larson, tremendous. When he "meets" up with sex addict Russell, Rob Huebel, it was disturbing and hilarious. When he helps film a porno in Andre's loft, I was cracking up the whole time. But, outside of the Dirty Randy episodes, again, was after Sofia died, he stays to help Ruxin grieve. It is so weird and gross and disturbing, yet I found myself enjoying his performance more and more.

"The League" was a great show, but Scheer, Kroll and Mantzoukas were far and away the best part of the 7 seasons. If you are considering watching the show, or revisiting it, watch these three a little closer. They really stand out. I'm glad I watched it again, and I'm glad that I paid more attention this time to all the actors. These three really shined.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is next thinking of going into the way back machine and find out just what is “Blue’s Clues”

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It is Time for Carmelo to Retire

The Rockets were finally able to trade Carmelo Anthony. The deal went down yesterday, and when I heard about it, it actually made me a little sad for him. I have been hard on Carmelo lately. I genuinely believe that he is done. I feel like his best days are far, far, far behind him. I think he is a problem in the locker room. I think he still thinks he is a star. He isn't even a starter anymore. This is how I feel, and I think his career is over.

When I saw the team he was traded to, the dreadful Chicago Bulls, I couldn't really believe it. I mean, I said he is done, but the Bulls, yikes. I then heard about 20 minutes later, that they were going to buy his contract out and release him. That is the second time this has happened to him already this season. When he was traded from OKC he went to Atlanta. They bought him out right away, and then he signed with the Rockets. Now the Bulls are doing the same, and, while he may think he has options, I don't agree.

I read an article on Bleacher Report that talked about his best bets, and some teams that may be interested in him. It was insightful. The teams I saw made zero sense. But, there were 2 things that I thought were plausible. The teams they mentioned were the Lakers, 76ers, Trailblazers and Nets.

I do not want the Nets to sign him. They are actually kind of fun, they are in the playoff race and they have a young core that seems to work for them. They also have Caris Levert coming back soonish, and he is a younger, and better defensively, than Carmelo is, and ever was. I feel like if the Nets were to sign him, he would stunt a ton of young guys growth. Guys like Spencer Dinwiddie and D'Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen don't need a washed up vet that would take time from younger and better players. He does not fit in with that team, and the Nets are finally doing decent things. They don't need the headache.

The Trailblazers mention makes zero sense. They already have 2 much, much better scorers that play the same position. I mean, CJ McCollum is a better three point shooter and creator. And Damien Lillard is an amazing NBA player and scorer. Why do they need Anthony? What does he bring this team? How does he make them any better? This one is the most puzzling team to me. They have 2 great guards, they have a solid big, what they need is a stretch 4, and Carmelo is not anywhere near any kind of 4. The Trailblazers are set in stone as a West playoff team and bringing in Carmelo would make them look just like the Thunder when they traded for him 2 years ago. It would be a mess.

The 76ers need to stay far, far away from him. They do not need any parts of Carmelo. He will do nothing but push that team back. They are already dealing with the whole Jimmy Butler thing, why would they want that times 2 with a far worse player? And putting him in that locker room, with Butler, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, that would be a nightmare. They also don't need him. They don't need him at all.

And then we have the Lakers.

This one makes the most sense, but it would be awful. It would make them much worse. If they sign him, they would be very, very hard pressed to stay in the playoff race. I know they have LeBron, but not even he can save Carmelo. And I know he and LeBron are buddies, he has always wanted to play on a team with him, and this is probably their last chance. But whatever you do LeBron stay away. You cannot bring this dude to this young team that you are trying to turn into a perennial playoff contender in the West. You are also coming off a pretty bad, for you at least, injury. LeBron has never been hurt like this before, and the Lakers are struggling without him. The last thing they need is Carmelo. Think about it. They have this young core that is trying to learn how to play with LeBron. Some are doing okay, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball and, especially Kyle Kuzma. But others are struggling. Brandon Ingram comes to mind first and foremost. Also, the Lakers already have a very odd group of veterans on one year deals. Do you really want to add Carmelo to a team that has Javale McGee, Michael Beasley and Rajon Rondo? Why? That would spell doom. And he wouldn't even add anything at all to this team. He isn't the scorer he once was. He isn't the shooter he once was. He plays no defense. He thinks he is a starter and a star. He is done. He is washed. This would be GM LeBron's worst decision ever. The Lakers need to stay away. They shouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. This would not only be bad for GM LeBron, but it would make Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson look like they are letting LeBron run things. It would also be absolutely awful for Luke Walton.

There are no winners here. None of these teams make any sense for Carmelo. What I did see that made sense was his other 2 options. They said he should go to China or retire. These 2 choices make sense. In China he would be king. Look at what Stephon Marbury has done over there. He is a legend. Carmelo is better than Marbury. He would dominate. He also wouldn't have to play any D, and he could just shoot mid range jumper after mid range jumper. Hell, if Marbury and Jimmer Fredette are dominating over there, imagine what Carmelo could do.

The one option that makes most sense is retirement. He should hang it up. He has done all he can do in the NBA. He has gone as far in the regular season and playoffs as he can. He is never going to win a title. He is never going to be an All Star again. He is not a starter. He is not even a 10th man off the bench. He doesn't have it anymore. If he were to walk away right now I think people would forget the last 2 years. I think people would start to talk more about his time with the Nuggets and Knicks. He is also a surefire hall of famer regardless of when he walks away. If he does it now, he would get in much sooner. It makes so much sense for him to just call it quits. That is what I believe he should do. He's done as an NBA player, and I think he feels like he is above playing overseas.

Just let it go Carmelo. Time to retire.

Ty

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

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The NFL is Idiotic

Happy MLK Day everyone.

I come to you today to talk about the NFC and AFC title games yesterday. First off, both games were exciting. That is not to say that they were good, great or well played. They were both fun. But, both games had some serious issues, that are making me dislike the NFL more and more.

In the first game, Saints and Rams, there were mistakes made by both teams, poor play calling, star players not stepping up,  but most importantly, a horrific missed call that changed the game completely. The mistakes made by the Rams in the first quarter, and pretty much all of the first half, were bad. Goff's interception was horrendous, Todd Gurley couldn't catch the ball and their defense was a sieve. The Saints did their part to keep it close though. They couldn't really capitalize on the turnovers, they only scored 13 points in the quarter, when it could have, or should have, been 21, Drew Brees was awful, Michael Thomas was held in check and Mark Ingram couldn't run. The only Saints player that looked prepared was Alvin Kamara. Sean Payton's game plan was shit too. He couldn't move the ball at will like he did last time they played. Sean McVay wasn't much better. His offense was very blah and bland. For these 2 offenses to only combine for 49 points, that was a shock. With all that said, there is one thing we should be talking about.

That missed pass interference was atrocious.

The defender even admitted that he was interfering, saying he was just trying to stop a TD. For the refs to swallow their whistles in that moment, in New Orleans, when it could have iced the game, that was terrible. If I were a Saints fan today, I would be so irritated. The officials in football have gotten worse every year, and that no call was how bad they have truly become. Officials seem to think the fans are there to watch them and not the players, and when they had a chance to do something right, to make the correct call, they absolutely blew it. There was an official right there, there was one behind the play, both of them had 4 eyes on the play, and none of them blew their whistle or threw their flag. This completely changed the complexion of the game. The Saints had to settle for a field goal, the Rams tied it up, then won in overtime. 

Instead of the narrative being that Drew Brees is going to the Super Bowl at 40, Sean Payton is still a great offensive mind and Alvin Kamara's star is going to continue to shine, we are stuck having to hear about how Sean McVay is an "offensive genius" for 2 weeks now. And he did nothing to prove that. Goff was bad, Gurley was unplayable, the only receiver that showed up was Brandin Cooks, the Rams did not deserve that game. It was one of the worst no calls I've ever seen, and it totally changed this game. This is one of the few times that one single call truly changed the outcome of a game. I feel bad for Saints fans.

As for the AFC title game, it had one good quarter, that was it. The Patriots came out and decided to just run the ball, to keep it out of the Chiefs explosive offense's hands. And it worked. They dominated the ball and the game for a half. Even with Tom Brady looking a bit off, the Patriots were riding a 2 TD lead going into half.

Then things started to open up a bit. The Chiefs got the ball and scored right away. Patrick Mahomes looked more comfortable. The Chiefs were starting to stop the run. The Patriots did tack on a field goal, but the Chiefs went down and scored again to cut it to 3 with a quarter left.

But, and it wasn't as bad as the Saints game, the refs started to get involved. First off, Julian Edelmann touched that football. There is no denying it. Both of his thumbs touched the ball. But since he is on the Patriots, the refs, of course, gave him the benefit and said he didn't touch it. Brady did throw a pick though, and the chiefs turned it into a TD to take the lead. But no worries, the Chiefs defense regressed and couldn't stop the Patriots pass attack. They went right down the field and scored to take the lead. But so did the Chiefs. It was an exercise in defensive futility.

Just when I thought the Chiefs had the game in hand, going up 4 with about three minutes left, the Patriots, and the refs, changed all that. The roughing the passer call on the Chiefs was horrendous. That D tackle did not even touch Brady, maybe grazed his jersey, but since it caused him to overthrow the ball, the refs couldn't get their flags out fast enough. Then, Chris Hogan, who clearly dropped the ball, was given a gift when the review said he did catch it. If he caught that ball, then how did Dez Bryant and Calvin Johnson not catch the ball? Do you think it might be because they don't have Patriots written on their jerseys? I sure do.

Regardless of all this though, even after the Patriots scored, Mahomes and the Chiefs kicked a field goal to tie the game and send it to OT. This is where we get the dumbass NFL version of overtime. The fact that Mahomes and the Chiefs offense didn't even get to touch the ball is a crime. Sure, they should have stopped one of those third down plays, but give the offense a chance. The NFL needs to switch their rules. I do not like the newer rule of, if the team scores a TD the game is over. That is so unfair to the other team's offense. Just think if the NFL adopted the college football overtime rules. It would have been magical. As fun as that fourth quarter was, we could have gotten that times ten, if they played college overtime. Imagine the back and forth. But nope, the NFL is stupid and archaic and just way too stuck in their ways.

After watching these 2 games it was clear to me that the NFL clearly wanted the young hot shot team from LA to play the old, dynasty on the east coast. They really wanted the McVay-Belichek showdown. They want what they suspect to be the next dynasty playing the current dynasty.

I usually enjoy the Super Bowl regardless of who's playing. This year, I couldn't care less. I am so sick of watching the Patriots play, and I don't care about the Rams, and they shouldn't be there. The refs gave them that game. This Super Bowl, and all the stuff leading up to it, will be insufferable and boring. I'm already sick of all the stories that will come. I'm already tired of the "passing of the torch" stories that will be written and told. I'm over it. I'll watch the game because I am a football junkie, but that doesn't mean I won't complain about it, because it is going to be unbearable. I'd rather the Cubs win the World Series, or the Lakers win the NBA championship, than watch this Rams team lose to this Patriots team. It is some rough stuff.

Congratulations NFL, you got the matchup you wanted, and all it took was your terrible overtime rules and a horrendous, atrocious, disgusting and terrible no call. Oof magoof.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He loves hearing all the ESPN guys cover for the league and say that any game does not come down to one play. Here’s the facts, the NFC championship did get decided by one terrible call. Congrats on your continued idiocy NFL.

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The Love for James Harden and the Hate for Russell Westbrook Makes No Damn Sense

Two years ago I felt like I was one of the people driving the Russell Westbrook for MVP debate.

What he did that season, with the roster that was put around him, was astounding. The fact that, a season after losing KD mind you, he averaged a triple double, with his best teammate being Steven Adams, was one of the most MVP worthy things I have ever seen. He was must watch TV that year. I watched more Thunder games than usual that year just to see what Westbrook would do. I have said, to people that will listen to me, I would not enjoy playing with him, but I LOVE watching him play. He is a whirling dervish of athleticism. It's like the most insane ballet that you could ever watch. And while he's not the greatest shooter, he is really bad in fact, the way he created shots for himself and others was awesome. To see a 6 foot guard rebound like that, again, amazing.

So when major journalists, some I like, some I dislike, were saying that he wasn't deserving of the MVP I was floored. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what else he had to do to prove that he was the MVP. A lot of these journalists actually pushed for James Harden that year. LeBron was mentioned a ton as well, but he always is. When I listened to them, or read why they felt this way, it made me even angrier. They called Westbrook a "stat hunter". They said he was bad. They called him selfish. They said he wasn't deserving because he only led the Thunder to a 6 seed and something like 45 wins that year. They said the first round series proved that he wasn't the MVP.

Well, one Mr. James Harden is currently putting up absolutely ridiculous numbers, with his 2 best teammates out injured right now, and these same journalists are praising him. They are talking abut him "carrying" his team. They are saying what he is doing is something they haven't seen since Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. They are calling him the MVP. And while I don't refute that, I do think he has surpassed Giannis as the MVP, why does he get so much love doing almost exactly what Westbrook did 2 years ago, when they were all shaming him?

Here are the facts. James Harden is one of the most boring NBA players to watch. If Westbrook is a "stat hunter", Harden is a "foul hunter". That guy gets so many calls in his favor, calls that are absolutely and utterly insane, that is drives me up the wall. The other night he shot 27 free throws. Not the Rockets, Harden himself took 27 free throws. How is that more fun, or any better than what Westbrook was doing?

Also, lets compare the rosters were they currently are right now with the Rockets to the Thunder from 2 years ago. As I said, Westbrook's best teammate was Adams. He then had guys like Victor Oladipo, before he was a star, Domantas Sabonis, when he was a rookie, Kyle Singler, Nick Collison, Dion Waiters and Terrance Ferguson, among others. Meanwhile, Harden has players like PJ Tucker, Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon and Gerald Green. Oh, and Chris Paul will be back soon, and Clint Capela will miss a couple more weeks before he is back. I'd take that Rockets roster any day.

While Harden is putting up okay assist numbers, he is as selfish a player as there is in the NBA. I saw a stat the other day that said on his last 150 points, he has been assisted on 0 of them. You may read that and say, well no one is passing him the ball, false, he is dribbling the clock down and jacking up threes that somehow are going in. He is a ball stopper and he is a ball hog. The records also, at this same time 2 years ago when Westbrook was the MVP, are almost exactly the same. But where Harden gets credit, Westbrook got blasted. That is so unfair.

The biggest shit talkers are every single basketball writer and podcaster at The Ringer, especially their owner, Bill Simmons. Look, I get it, you guys very much dislike Westbrook. But you have got to stop making excuses for Harden because you like him. These guys and girls have trashed Westbrook since he won the MVP, but when Harden plays the exact same way, they love it. It is clear this company hates the Thunder. I mean, Simmons won't shut up about the Harden trade, which seems like a million years ago. He has KD on his podcast so much, that was one of the reasons I stopped listening to it. Simmons is a star chaser, except when it comes to Westbrook. Other writers at The Ringer always bring up how great Harden has been this past month, then I think they feel like they need to trash Westbrook just because they can.

The biggest indictment of this whole Harden Westbrook debate is something that Simmons and his buddy Joe House kept saying 2 years ago. They said anyone that voted for Westbrook as MVP was "basketball pervert". Well, if you guys thought we who rode the bus for Westbrook are "basketball perverts". what does that make you guys this year with Harden? I think that makes you, in your own words, "basketball perverts". Oh, and I cannot forget that Simmons said on "The Lowe Post" that he is more impressed by guys that average 27 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. I believe he called it "The LeBron". Well dip shit, Westbrook, and for that matter, your boy Harden, are averaging more in all three categories. How dumb are you? How out of touch do you have to be? What happened to you as a credible writer? I'd much rather have the guys that average a triple double, or 40 points per game.

While I think Harden, where we stand right now, is the MVP, I also think these journalists need to lay the hell off of Westbrook. It was 2 years ago. Harden won his MVP. And what Westbrook did hadn't been done since Oscar Robertson was in the league. Journalists are supposed to be unbiased, and a lot of you are being exposed now. Get over it. Westbrook deserved his MVP, and if Harden keeps this up, he will deserve it too. I just want you shills to admit that he is a pain to watch, that he is selfish and that he is a better scoring, but worse passing and rebounding version of Russell Westbrook.

Ty

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

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Better Late Than Never on "Isle of Dogs"

I'm writing earlier than usual today because I literally just finished watching the movie "Isle of Dogs", and I have some thoughts.

I'm a Wes Anderson fan. I like pretty much all of his movies, save for maybe "Darjeeling Limited", but even that movie has its moments. I was first introduced to Anderson by RD, when he showed me the classic movie "Rushmore". I was immediately in love. The way he shot and directed the movie, that is how I like my independent comedies. A little dark, but usually with a fairly happy ending. After "Rushmore" I dug very deep into the world of Wes Anderson. I watched his first movie "Bottle Rocket" next. That is a great, very underrated movie. Then I saw "Royal Tenenbaums". That is, not only one of his best movies, but one of the best movies ever made. It is nearly perfect. RD and I then saw "Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" on Christams day in 2004. I think that is a very solid movie. It doesn't get the love his other movies do, but I enjoyed it. My wife and I, who at the time was my girlfriend, watched "Fantastic Mr Fox". That movie is an achievement. It was so cool. The stop motion was neat and the story was great. My wife and I, to this day, still walk around the house saying, "I'm more of an athlete" all the time. We then sat down a few years later and watched "Moonrise Kingdom". That is one of the sweetest movies ever. It is also a great story about childhood. I'd take "Moonrise Kingdom" any day over "Boyhood". I then watched "Grand Budapest Hotel" by myself in the theaters. That movie is cool. It is neat to look at, the story is fun and it is very adventurous. I also love the detail that went into it. I liked it so much that I convinced my wife to watch it on a flight we were on to Mexico for our anniversary.

Then I kind of forgot about Anderson. He didn't make anything for a couple years. I remember seeing the preview for "Isle of Dogs", but I never got the chance to see it in the theaters. Luckily I have HBO, and I was up early today and it was on. I watched it before taking my son to school, and I really, really, really liked it a lot.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, because Anderson is a writer and director I have come to really enjoy, I think "Isle of Dogs" is his best movie. And this is not recency bias. While watching "Isle of Dogs" I thought about his other movies, and while some may be better in smaller aspects, I feel like "Isle of Dogs" is the perfect amalgamation of everything that Anderson is, and wants to be, as a director and writer. First of all, he goes back to the stop motion that made "Fantastic Mr Fox" so cool. Except in "Isle of Dogs" I think it looks so much better done. He really honed his skills and the people that worked on this movie with him are really good technicians. The dogs looked real. Their fur, when the wind would blow, looked just like my dog when he rides in the car with me and I have the windows down. The humans in the movie looked real too. They didn't have that Claymation feel that so many stop motion movies have. Sure they had wild hair and wild costumes, but they looked like real people. The voice work in this movie is amazing too. The people Anderson got are all amazing. He has his usual people, like Edward Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Harvey Keitel and F Murray Abraham. But the people he added to the cast are a who's who. Frances McDormand, Liev Schreiber, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Courtney B Vance and Bryan Cranston. And they were great. Cranston is the voice of the main dog and he is tremendous. Vance as the narrator of the story was the perfect person to tell this story. He has a great voice for a role like this. McDormand as a translator was so good too.

That was another thing I loved about this movie. It takes place in the future in Japan, and the Japanese people in the movie are voiced by Japanese people, and then the dialogue is translated via text or people playing translators. And the kid who plays the main human, Atari, voiced by Koyu Rankin, is so easy to root for. Yoko Ono plays a voice of a scientist in the movie. The evil mayor, Kobayashi, voiced by Kunichi Nomura, was so threatening, but does have a heart of gold. The real bad guy, Major Domo, voiced by Akira Takayama, was so scary my kids were afraid to watch when he was onscreen. He was phenomenal.

Which leads me to the story of this movie, and what I interpreted it as. This movie is about classism and judging one without really knowing them. Sure, the main characters are dogs, but that doesn't mean you cannot tell a story like that. And the way Anderson pulls it off is glorious. The mayor sending these dogs to "Trash Island" because he believes them to be "bad dogs", just casting them aside, was so sad. Funny thing about that, I could see our current "government" doing something very similar. Hell, they already are trying to do this, separating families at the border like a bunch of terrorists. Looking at this "fake" government in "Isle of Dogs" was so eerily similar to what the real "government" is trying to do right now. Anderson drew a perfect parallel. Then, to see the dogs side of the story, it was just amazing. To see them trying to survive, to hear their stories, to see some of them thrive, it was great. Also, seeing the opposition's story, which included the mayor's "son", had me wanting to start a revolution myself. I love to see the resistance win, and they certainly win in "Isle of Dogs".

I feel like this movie is the best work that Anderson has done to date. I have zero problems with it. I want to watch it a million more times. I do not think I will ever grow tired of it. I have a newfound respect for my dog after seeing it. I want to treat people better, not that I was treating anyone bad, after seeing this movie. The movie also makes me like Anderson even more. I don't care if that makes me sound pretentious either, the dude makes good to great movies pretty much all the time. I almost wish I had seen it prior to this morning because it definitely would have made my best of 2018.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to make a movie about his dog, but the only compelling drama he could find is when Charlie spent ten minutes going in a circle looking for a place to pee.

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Ty Watches "Those Who Can't" Season 3

I promised I would do three reviews of new seasons of three shows on Tru TV and today I come to you with the third.

I have been on the "Those Who Can't" bandwagon since season 1. I think this show is hilarious, I love the actors, the writing is superb and the show is just super enjoyable. This Monday they had their season three premiere, and it did not disappoint. This show is good. It is also underrated too. It doesn't get talked about nearly as much as it should. The three creators of the show, Adam Cayton-Holland, Ben Roy and Andrew Overdahl, clearly have some spent some kind of time as a teacher in high school, be it as a full time or sub, and on "Those Who Can't", they tell those stories hilariously. Adam Cayton-Holland, as Spanish teacher Loren Payton, is hilarious as the laid back, doesn't give a damn high school teacher we all had. He would rather be battle rapping, proposing to a stripper or pulling pranks than teaching a class. He is great. Ben Roy, as Billy Shoemaker, is the wannabe badass who is really just a wimp at heart. This season he also has a pony tail, which made for a ton of great pun work in the season three premiere. And Andrew Overdahl, as Coach Principal Fairbell, is the dumb dumb. He is gullible, wants to please his friends and loves to coach volleyball. He also was hilarious in the premiere. When he has to fire someone, it is just a wonderful scene. And the other regulars on the show, be it Maria Thayer as Abbey or Sonya Eddy as Tammy or Susie Essman as art teacher Leslie Bronn or Rich Fulcher as Trebin, they are all great. They are all funny. They all play their roles to perfection. Thayer is a total pushover that doesn't know it. She is a great comedic actress. Eddy is so so so good as the principal's assistant. She is the true badass on the show. Essman is conniving and mean, but also just wants to help some people out. Fulcher is hilarious as the teacher that just wants to be part of the gang. They also added Jerry Minor as the guidance counselor this season, and if the premiere is any indication of his role, he is going to be a great addition. I'm curious to see if Kyle Kinane, the Sklar Brothers and Rory Scovel come back this season. I'm sure they will, but time will tell.

"Those Who Can't" is a great comedic representation of life in high school for the teachers. The show might be the best representation of how teachers really feel about their jobs and their lives. It is a great show, and I want more people to watch it so it gets another season. I'm glad it is back, and I'm stoked to see how season three unfolds. Tru TV has done it again.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is happy the “noble” profession of teaching is getting the take down it deserves. Can we do doctors and lawyers next?

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Ty Watches "Jon Glaser Loves Gear" Season 2

Another day, another review of a Tru TV show.

I'm a big time Jon Glaser fan. I pretty much adore everything he is in. He has this very odd sense of humor that's just my style. He is, hot take here, the best thing about one of my all time favorite shows, "Parks and Rec". So, when I heard that Tru TV was giving his show, "Jon Glaser Loves Gear" a second season, needless to say I was stoked.

The first season of the show, which I have written about, was weird, funny, informative and so perfectly Jon Glaser. I did not think they would do a second season due to many different reasons. The first season kind of put a pin on everything. I knew no one else that watched the show. My wife watched one episode with me and thought it was bizarre. I even had the thought of, how could they do more.

Well, they figured it out. The season 2 premiere, which was on right after "I'm Sorry", Wednesday night is fast becoming one of my favorite nights for TV, was incredible. And it brought all the oddity and weirdness and hilarity from season one. The premiere started like most episodes, where Glaser says he is going to talk about volleyball equipment. We never hear about volleyball equipment again after the very first scene. Instead, the show decides to go in a different direction, taking more of a darker comedic tone. The executives behind the show decide they want Glaser's sidekick, Steve, to be the host. They tell Glaser that viewers like him more, he is more informative, personable and just seems a better fit. Glaser does not take this news well at all. He wants to be the star. They tell him he can still be in the show, but he is now the sidekick. We then cut to Glaser talking to Steve in his office, and he tells him a complete lie. He says that the people don't want him on the show, but he fought for him. All he has to do is take on a seemingly undoable outdoor task in the frigid cold. Glaser makes it all up, but Steve, being the perfect sidekick, says he will do it because Jon fought so hard for him. From here on out, we get scenes of Glaser hanging out with his hired family, that are paid to only give him compliments. We see Glaser try to take on Steve's persona, including wearing a bald cap, fake tattoos and joining a cross fit gym. We also get Glaser saying his final good bye to Steve when they trudge out to the forest.

Here we meet Steve's answer to Geari, for those that may not know, Geari is Glaser's gear version of Siri, Droney. Droney is a female drone that will document Steve's journey. Geari immediately falls in love. Some things happen from here on out that spell doom for Steve. I will not go into too much, but there is a funeral for someone who may not be dead. Glaser also goes on a mission to find a newer, seemingly weaker sidekick. He picks his real life son's camp counselor, who clearly wants no part of it. All the while he is still wearing the bald cap and trying to be like Steve.

This premiere is what I love about this show, and the fact that Tru TV gave Glaser this second season. The show is nonsensical in all the right ways. Every time he yells "GEEEEAAAARRRRR!" into the megaphone, I laugh. I know it's coming, and I still laugh. All the little side notes, saying what kind of coat, or knife or tattooing device or hair clippers that get used in the show were so unimportant, yet I found myself thinking, man I'd like to get some of that stuff. And it is all helmed by the genius that is Glaser. While "JGLG" may not be as good as "Delocated" or "Neon Joe Werewolf Hunter", I still really find myself enjoying this show. It is fun and weird and a great way to spend a half an hour. I'm excited to see where they go with the new Steve story line, and I know there will be some new, even funnier stuff in the second season. Tru TV,

I said it yesterday, and I will say it again today, is picking some great, under the radar people to helm their shows, and for people like me, it is working. This is another homerun from the network. Keep it up Tru TV.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has just recently gotten into volleyball, and really could have used some pointers on good volleyball gear. Oh well, maybe next time

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