Ty Watches Eric Andre Live

Last night I went to see Eric Andre at The Factory on his new tour. Last night was the second night of the tour, so I did not know what to expect. I also did not know if it was going to be a standup thing or something else. It was most definitely something else, and that is a very good thing.

The tickets for the show said that the doors opened at 6 and the show started at 7. They were spot on. Eric Andre had an opener, DJ Douggpound, and he came on stage at 7pm sharp. He was very funny. I enjoyed his 20 minute set quite a bit. DJ Douggpound act is his standup with him playing some music underneath it. He was also on Eric Andre's new podcast recently, so it was nice for me to see him perform after hearing him talk about some not so fun performances. What I liked most about his set was how much fun he seemed to have with it all. He had some great jokes that were buttoned with some funny song clips. When he would play old songs but add in different words, that cracked me up. I also liked him pitching voices up and down. That was pretty hilarious as well. I also liked him coming on stage skateboarding. It was whimsy for me. DJ Douggpound also writes for Eric Andre's show, so he was a perfect opener.

After he was done, there was a five minute break and then Eric Andre came roaring to the stage. When I said that this was different from a standup show of his, that was made incredibly apparent from the start. This was a live version of "The Eric Andre Show". He came on stage and immediately destroyed his desk. He then proceeded to throw food at the crowd and spray them with water. I was sitting in the balcony, safe from all the carnage, so it was pretty hilarious to watch. After going off for a bit, he started the show. His co-host for the night was the Fridge Keeper. People who know know that the Fridge Keeper was introduced on the most recent season of the show. The Fridge Keeper is like the Crypt Keeper, except he lives in the fridge and he raps. I adore the Fridge Keeper. From there on out the show was mayhem. He invited an attendant of the show as his first guest. Andre messed with his phone and talked to his mom. He invited a different person on stage and tried to seduce them like Janet Jackson did on her recent tour. It was wild. We all saw his butt. When he called the first guest's mom, we all got to speak with her. She was a delight. At one point he blended a bunch of McDonald's and fed it to some crowd goers. He used a kiss cam which changed nearly instantly to a calculus cam. He had a few more people come on stage and do a ranch dressing chugging contest. When he couldn't pick a winner, he made them freestyle rap while sucking on hot sauce ice cubes. He then had his second guest, Clownvis, come on stage. He did an interview with Clownvis. He told Clownvis to kiss the Fridge Keeper. He had him drink wine and coffee mixed together. He asked Clownvis to sing his famous song, which happened to be a Christmas song. He messed with Clownvis, which delved into messing with the crowd. He did it all. The show ended with him and Clownvis singing a song, and then he walked on stage bottomless to bow to all of us.

This was a whirlwind of an hour. I leaned over to my buddy about halfway through and asked, "how long is he going to be able to keep this up?". The answer was an hour, and it was a perfect amount of time. You can tell he is still trying to figure out how to put this show on, but I had an absolute blast seeing him live last night. The last time he was in STL he had to cancel, so this was a long time coming for me. I am a humongous Eric Andre fan, so seeing him live was a big deal to me. He delivered. I was in awe of what I saw last night. It was weird and gross and exactly what I hoped a live version of his tv show could be. I had a great time and I highly recommend seeing this show if he comes to your town. It is unlike any other live comedy show that I have seen, and that is a very good thing. It was a great time. 

Ty

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

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I am Not Very Pleased with Aaron Rodgers

I want to start this blog off by apologizing to my folks, but I want to say this loudly so that dickhead can hear me, FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCK Aaron Rodgers.

This dude is becoming more irrelevant by the second. He makes a stink to get traded to the Jets this offseason and gets his way. He wants to be on tv and HBO does "Hard Knocks" with the Jets right as he is being traded. He gets to be on the first Monday night football game of the season and runs out with the flag. He then proceeds to rupture his Achilles four plays in and is out of the season. So long

Not to be outdone, when the Jets played the Chiefs the other night, Rodgers made sure he was on the sideline and even threw a pass, just to get his dumbass face on the tv. But what he did after that game, going on yet another podcast to show how desperate he is, was totally uncalled for and shows how out of touch and pointless he is now. To go on whatever pod he went on, and then call Travis Kelce, "Mr Pfizer", as if that is an insult, and then to dig himself further in a hole, he made claims that his Achilles is healing at a rapid pace.

This dude just needs to stop. He has got to stop opening his mouth because every time he does he says something stupid and makes himself look worse. Rodgers is a grade A moron. He is the worst of the conspiracy theorists and the people who say they are "doing their own research". Why go after Travis Kelce? I don't get it. Is Rodgers trying to upset the Swifties, because that would be an epic mistake on his part. He would get obliterated by her fans. And who cares if Kelce wants to get vaxxed? For one, it is smart and courteous. For two, he is protecting himself and those around him. For three, FUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCK you Aaron Rodgers. Let Travis Kelce live his life man. There is no need for you to go on a podcast and try to make Kelce look bad.

The only people who agree with Aaron Rodgers are dangerous, dumb people. He seems to think he is some kind of deity to these people. And if he is, that is a very frightening thing. Rodgers spews nothing but falsehoods and misinformation. People please, do not listen to the nonsense coming out of his mouth. And then to claim he is healing at some kind of rapid pace, okay dipshit. I'd love to see him come back too soon and blow his achilles out again. I know it may not be the best thing to wish ill will on someone I don't know, but Aaron Rodgers hasn't earned respect. He is a total butthead who thinks he can come back from a horrific injury faster than any human ever? Okay dude. Come back and see what happens when a linebacker comes at your legs. Come back and see what a d lineman who has free reign to wreck you does. Come back and try and make a cut off that injured leg. You may rupture the achilles fully out of your body. Then what kind of nonsense would Aaron Rodgers spew then? What kind of dumb shit would he say on his next podcast appearance? How would he spin it then?

Aaron Rodgers is a crazy person who is dangerous to society. Kids look up to this dude and he goes out and says some wild stuff that they may take as truth. He has got to stop, and unfortunately for him, getting injured badly enough to force him to retire may be what is best. But that won't stop him from going on podcasts, and that may be even worse.

Don't take anything that Aaron Rodgers says seriously at all. He is an idiot who just spews constant nonsense. Aaron Rodgers is a total idiot. 

Ty

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

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"The Program" Lives on as a Cheesy Sports Melodrama

A few weeks back I wrote a piece about my love of 90's sports movies, mainly kids sports movies. I was a kid back then, I love sports and these were right in my wheelhouse. I mentioned a bunch of movies I loved from that era, but most of them were comedic in nature. I do like a bunch of dramatic sports movies as well, but comedy is always my go to option.

For date night this past week it was my choice to pick the movie. Since I am in this rewatch era of old sports movies I loved, I stayed on that trend, picking "The Program". My wife asked me what it was about and I told her it comes off as a hard drama about the ills of running a college football team. She made a face, but I told her it is funny how melodramatic the movie comes off. That perked her up and we proceeded to watch.

I want to say, right off the bat, this movie still rules. I loved every second of it. It felt as good to watch it as a 40 year old as it did when it came out when I was 12 years old. I also realized that I shouldn't have been watching this movie when I was 12, but I turned out just fine. But what makes this movie so rewatchable, what I still love about it to this day, is the melodrama. This movie takes itself far too seriously. There are so many scenes that end in fights, or realizations, or finding one self, or having to deal with consequences. I swear, the ending of almost every scene has one of these cliches tacked on. A guy on the team takes steroids and his team chastises him for it, but they don't kick him off. He then sexually assaults a coed on campus, and they only suspend him. It isn't until the second time he is caught with steroids do they kick him off the team, but only after he makes a season saving tackle. That is absurd. One of the only decent people in the movie gets all of his glory taken away from him due to a clean block that destroys his leg. Alvin Mack had everything in front of him, he was going to make millions in the NFL, but then his leg got obliterated by a pulling guard who he was shit talking. Then they pan to his house and I swear to you his family lives in the 1800's. That was totally unnecessary and undeserving. But when you watch "The Program", that is almost expected. The tutor, played by Halle Berry, is in a love triangle with the vet running back and the hot shot running back recruit. And she gets everyone involved in this triangle. And the resolution is laugh out loud funny. The QB, who also happens to be a Heisman candidate, is a drunk. He also likes to say he "lives life on the edge". He rides a motorcycle and goes to rehab. He gets a girlfriend and treats her like dirt. But not to worry, she is still completely into him. I also appreciate that he cannot beat Michigan in this movie. But this QB's story might be the most melodramatic thing I've ever seen in a sports movie. It is wild. The coach's daughter sleeps with the backup QB and takes his tests. The coach finds out and is pissed, but when his star QB goes to rehab, again, hilarious, the coach has to vouch for this backup in front of the school board. That scene is meant to be serious, but I can't help but to laugh every time I see it. I mean I could go on and on and on.

This movie is so of its time. From the fashion to the choice of actors to the dialogue, it has the early 90's all over it. James Caan gives it his all, but he cannot save this movie from the melodrama. Halle Berry is the best part, outside of the football action, but she has horrible dialogue to work with, and I feel like the director just let her do her own thing. Look, I love this movie. I will watch it a bunch more. I found it incredibly watchable on this go round. But it has so many faults, mainly the melodrama.

I highly recommend you all check it out. It will take you back and make you laugh. "The Program", for being a sports drama, is hilarious and kind of stupid. And that is why I adore this movie. 

Ty

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

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Ty Predicts the 2023 MLB Postseason

The MLB playoffs are upon us. I'm still not as into baseball as I was when I was a kid, but it is more fun with some cool players I enjoy watching now. I'm going to give it my best shot today and do a postseason preview. Again, take this with a tremendous grain of salt. Here goes nothing.

I'll start with the AL. The Orioles are the number 1 seed, which totally shocked me. I didn't realize they were good again. Good for them regardless. The number 2 seed is the cheating ass Houston Astros. I know that was awhile back, but come on, that is hard to forget. From there the 3-6 match up features the the Twins facing the Blue Jays. I'd love to pick the Twins here. I have family that lives in Minnesota and they are Twins fans. But the Twins always facepalm in the playoffs, and they have the worst record of the division winners. The Blue Jays also have a very good and fun team. They hit a lot and have some solid pitching. They have enough to beat the Twins in round one. The 4-5 features Tampa Bay and Texas. I don't know much about these teams. I know the Rays lost a key player because he is a monster. I know the Rangers traded for Max Scherzer, but he is hurt. I know Texas hits a lot of home runs. I know the Rays play old school manufacturing baseball. I'm going to go with the Rays as they have been pretty consistent all season long. The Rangers had too many ups and downs all year. So that would give us the Blue Jays facing the Astros and the Rays facing the Orioles. This is where it gets tough for me. I'd love to see the Blue Jays beat the Astros. I like the Blue Jays. I am a fan of Vlad Guerrero Jr. I like the way they play the game. But the Astros are a better team. They have better pitching and more overall talent. They are also way more experienced. As much as it stinks, I have the Astros winning this series. I do believe we will get some kind of redemption in the other series. It is not like the Orioles are underdogs, but they still have that feel about them. But they are a very good baseball team. They have the skills to go all the way. They could do some real damage. They are better than the Rays. I think they could sweep. That gives me Orioles-Astros in the ALCS. This feels very much like the previous round for me. I'd love to see the Orioles win and go to the World Series. It would be way more fun. But the Astros are better and the experience is going to be critical here. They will have no fear and I think the Orioles will play tight. I have the Astros returning to the World Series.

Now to the NL. The Braves are the best team in baseball and they are the 1 seed. The Dodgers are right behind them at the 2. In the 3-6 we have The Brewers facing the Diamondbacks. I didn't know the D'Backs were good again. They were World Series winning good when I was in college. But they haven't been relevant in awhile. Good for them for getting back to the postseason. The Brewers I saw a lot of this season. And they look very solid. They don't wow you when you watch them play, but this team wins a ton of games. They also happen to be my dad's favorite team, so I will stick up for them here. I do believe they will beat the D'Backs in round 1. The 4-5 is going to be the most fun match up in the playoffs. We have the Marlins and Phillies. The Phillies were in the World Series last season. The Marlins are young, fun and playing with house money. Both teams can hit and both teams have pretty solid number 1 starters. This is going to be a fun series to check in on. Do to the fact that the Marlins are playing with house money, and because when they get in the playoffs they seem to do something crazy, I have them winning this series. The Marlins reward will be facing the Braves. The Braves will roll them. They are about as complete a team can be in MLB. They literally have it all. They will coast. The Brewers will face the Dodgers, and while I think the Brewers will be able to hang around, the Dodgers are too loaded and too deep. They are almost as good as the Braves. The Dodgers should be able to dispose of the Brewers in five, maybe six games. That gives me the Dodgers and Braves in the NLCS. The Braves will win this series in rather resounding fashion. They are a better team with better players and Ronald Acuna Jr is so damn good at this game. I think the Braves are good enough to sweep the Dodgers, which will makes the Dodgers fans incredibly upset.

That means I have the Astros and Braves facing off in the World Series. This is going to feel like some kind of excellent karma for the cheating ass Astros. The Braves are going to throttle their punk asses. I'd not only love to see the Braves sweep them, but to win every game by seven or eight runs. I want them to utterly embarass the Astros. I want the Braves to show no mercy. While they won't do that, I do think the Braves will win it all this season and they will only need five games, maybe six to do it. The Braves will win the 2023 World Series and Ronald Acuna Jr is going to win the MVP. They are legit. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on the Packers Early in the Season

The Packers got whooped last night. I watched it with my own two eyes. Their coach said the same. I think the players would admit it as well. The Lions are a good football team, but I didn't think the Packers would get beat this easily at home. Let’s discuss.

I marinated on the game last night and this morning. It was interesting reading some comments from fans and media people alike right after the game. Bleacher Report had a headline right as the game finished that read, "Fans Flame Defense" in regards to how the defense played last night. Bleacher Report, just a week earlier during a Packers win, had a headline that read, "Fans Praise Defense". It just goes to show you how up and down the NFL can be, literally week to week.

I am here today to say that this is the team I expected this season. I thought, in my wildest dream season this year for the Packers, they'd be an 11 win team. That was as high as my optimism would go for this team. But, in reality, I expected them to be a 7 or 8 win team. Maybe they could sneak into just above .500 at 9-8. But that doesn't seem likely with this squad. The Packers are a weirdly constructed team. They have, in my opinion, a solid defense if everyone is healthy. Rashan Gary is a very good edge rusher. He is coming off a torn ACL though, I believe. Jaire Alexander could be one of the best cover corners in the league if he didn't miss so many games. Darnell Savage is a heavy hitter, but misses assignments, along with games. The linebacker unit seems to be forever changing due to injury or free agency. But when those dudes are on the field, they can mess stuff up. They do blow assignments too much, and they have trouble shutting down slant plays. All in all, when all these guys are out there I have no real qualms.

The offense is going to need time to figure this stuff out. They are young. Really young. The elder statesman in the skill positions are AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones. Aaron Jones has already missed two games and I think this is only Dillon's third year and first as a featured back. The receivers are very young. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are in year two. There is no Randall Cobb. Sterling Sharpe isn't walking through that door. Luke Musgrave is a rookie at tight end. I would love it if Jimmy Graham were still on this team. The o line is young too, or injured. David Bakthiari is back on the IR. Jon Runyan Jr is only a few years removed from college. I could say the same about Elgton Jenkins.

And then we have Jordan Love taking over at QB. He has played better than I anticipated. But he has a lot on his young shoulders. He is the first QB not named Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers, can't stand either of them, to start a game for the Packers in many, many years. And Jordan Love has serviceable. He isn't making too many mistakes out there. He is finding open guys. He has taken decent care of the ball. He doesn't seem to be forcing things. He is also the best runner that they have had at QB in a long time. But he is going to have some real growing pains at the QB position, especially in Green Bay.

So when I see people on the internet griping about the team, and saying how bad they are, at 2-2 mind you, what did you expect? Did you really think the Packers were going to the Super Bowl this year? Did you expect them to win the NFC North again? Was Jordan Love going to be an instant MVP candidate? Was the defense really going to stay healthy all season long? This is who the Packers are going to be for a few seasons. The Lions are a better team. The Bears are rough and the Vikings need a new QB, so that helps them within the division. But if you were expecting more of the same from the Packers this year, that is on you. The Packers are, at the very best, a 9 win team. And that is okay. 

Ty

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

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The Writers Won the Writers Strike

The writers' strike has finally ended. I was hesitant to write about this yesterday because they had a tentative agreement that went into effect at midnight. I wanted to wait until that came and went with no interruptions. I did not know what the studios were capable of, or how they might try to screw the WGA, but they didn't and midnight came and went and, for the time being, the writers' strike is over. Thank goodness.

This strike went on far longer than I think any of us expected. I was starting to get worried that it might drag on into 2024. I would hope the writers would do that if necessary, but that would have meant no work for them for a year. That would have meant more reality shows for us viewers at home. That is not a world where I want to watch tv. Reality shows are the bottom of the barrell when it comes to tv. Sure, they can capture you and make you watch, but it feels like being kidnapped and just buying in. It is like Stockholm Syndrome for casual tv viewing. But now that the strike is over, for the next three years, we should be getting back to scripted tv. That is a much better world to watch tv. We will get better, newer ideas. I have to imagine there are writers out there who have fresh ideas that they cannot wait to pitch.

I am sure/hopeful the actors strike will follow soon, and when that happens we will get shows back that feature writers as actors. I cannot watch to see what they do with the next season of "Abbot Elementary". "The Bear" should only get stronger from here. I am curious to see what they come up with on "The Simpsons" and "Bob's Burgers". I want to see how FX comes back. I would bet a lot of money that they are going to hit home run after home run. Larry David is seemingly doing one more season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm", and I wonder how he will incorporate the strike, because you know he will find a way to make it uncomfortably hilarious.

I guess my main takeaway, from a tv watching perspective, is that this will hopefully kill or slow down reality shows and dating shows. They are everywhere because they are cheap and you don't really need writers for these shows. But now, especially with the writers hopefully coming out of the strike with fresh ideas, we get new and interesting tv.

I also love it for late night television. The hosts can get back to doing their thing with their writers. Late night tv is a staple in many households, and with the writers getting back to work, the jokes should be flying frequently and hilariously.

This is also good for movies. I know that A24 hasn't had to strike because they did the right thing and opted to do what the writers wanted. But all these other studios are back in business in the writers room. Hopefully this slows the production of remakes and superhero movies and we get cool stuff like "Everything Everywhere All at Once". I want cooler, more unique movies to come from this and I think there is a great possibility of that happening with the strike ending.

This is a good day. This is good news. This shows that workers rights are important and that unions work. The writers stuck to their guns and came out on top. This is a happy day everyone. We should have good tv and movies coming back now. Hooray. 

Ty

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

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Let's Talk About the Damian Lillard Trade

Damian Lillard was finally traded this afternoon, but not to the Miami Heat like many, myself included, thought he would be. Nope, Lillard was sent to the Bucks, Jrue Holiday is headed to the Blazers with Deandre Ayton and Jusuf Nurkic is going to the Suns. There are other players involved, but these are the big names, with Lillard's being the biggest. Let’s discuss.

I think Ayton will do well with no pressure on a young team in Portland. He needed a change of scenery and going to a rebuilding squad that will let him be the number 1 or 2 option will be a solid fit for him. Jrue Holiday will not stay in Portland. They have already said they are trying to flip him. Holiday would be a good addition for any team that is a contender. He is one of the best defenders in the league and he can score from time to time. He also has a ring and knows what it takes to get there. Nurkic to the Suns seems small, but if he can stay healthy, he could bring a ton to a team with championship intentions. Nurkic is a big body that can rebound and score in the post. He isn't the best defender in the post, but he could be a menace. But the big news here, the reason you all came to read this blog is Damian Lillard going to the Bucks.

I do not know if he will stay past this season, but for this year the Bucks are clearly going for it. Giannis Antetokounmpo came out recently and said that if the Bucks do not show him that they are willing to compete for titles every year he may not stay with the team. This move is clearly the front office going for it. I did not expect the Bucks to be in this talk at all. I didn't think they had the pieces. I didn't think they were going to get rid of a player of Jrue Holiday's caliber. I thought they were going to play this year out and hope they find that special sauce they had two years ago when they won it all. None of that happened, and I think they are better for it today. They have one of the best shooters to ever play this game now teaming up with Giannis and Khris Middleton. They are a proven playoff killer. Dame is cold blooded and he knows. The rest of the league knows it as well. Dame may not play much defense, but he won't have to on the Bucks. They have Giannis. They have Brook Lopez. They have bench guys willing to play defense on the perimeter. They have Middleton. This team is loaded and now they added a pure scorer.

Lillard teaming up with Giannis is the modern day Kobe and Shaq duo. I saw other people saying this and it is so true. I mean, try guarding those two guys. Oh, and then try guarding Khris Middleton after that. They are going to score a bunch of points. Giannis is going to give Lillard so many open looks it is almost unfair. Lillard is going to draw defenders out to the perimeter, opening the lane for Giannis. Teams won't be able to lay off and clog the lane like they have before. Then Middleton is going to have so many wide open looks from all over the floor. Then you have guys like Malik Beasley and Pat Connauhgton and Bobby Portis and Jae Crowder that are going to find themselves so wide open it is going to be laughable.

The Bucks are clearly, clearly making a big push for a ring this season. To roll out Dame, Middleton, Crowder, Giannis and Brook Lopez, that is a killer of a lineup. It truly has it all. They have the defense, the big man that is unstoppable, the killer mid range shooter, the other big man that can shoot threes and block shots and now one of the greatest pressure shooters of all time. This move instantly pushes the Bucks to the top of the east for me. They are better than Boston, Philly and Cleveland. They are way better than any other playoff team. This is a championship roster.

I love this movie from the Bucks. I bet Giannis is thrilled right about now. I also bet Damian Lillard is so stoked to play for the Bucks as well. This is a winning move on every level. I absolutely love it. I cannot wait to watch this team play this season. What a day. What a move. Good job Milwaukee. 

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 Never than Late on "Pretty Woman"

Over the weekend my wife showed me the movie "Pretty Woman". I had never seen it before. I have obviously heard of it before watching, and know of the most famous stuff from it, but I have never sat down and watched from start to finish with no interruptions. I was excited to see the movie because it feels like a cultural touchstone, especially for someone my age. I also tend to have the belief that Gary Marshall was a very good director.

So we watched. I paid full attention. I put my phone next to me and put it on vibrate. I barely looked at it. I wanted to consume this movie with almost my full attention. Unfortunately for me, the next two hours were pretty dull.

Now, don't get me wrong, this movie has its moments. Julia Roberts is wonderful in the movie. You could tell she was going to become a massive star after this movie. She has whatever "it" is needed to make it in Hollywood. I found her funny, charming, sweet and a delight to watch. The music is very much in the pocket of early to mid 90's glam pop. The songs were recognizable and memorable. I found myself bopping my head along from time to time. And the clothing couldn't have been more perfect for the era. It brought me back to a time with wild t-shirts, big shoulder pads and oversized suits. I'm talking about David Bryne from "Stop Making Sense" oversized. Hell, it was even great to see Hector Elizondo in a more understated and quiet role for him. He was fine and dandy in this movie.

Outside of those things, this movie was boring. Nothing really happens in it after Richard Gere picks Julia Roberts up off the road. They have their moments together, but it is never eye grabbing. The movie had my attention, but it didn't really force me to focus. What we essentially see is a couple meeting and deciding to stay together. There is the fact that Roberts plays a sex worker, but they hardly touch on that in the movie. It is mentioned, but never really shown outside of the first meeting and Gere paying her to stay with him for a week at the hotel. Her line of work could have played a much bigger part in this movie, but they hardly mined anything of note from it. We also have Jason Alexander playing the creep of all creeps. Even if I didn't have an idea about his role in this movie I could have picked out he was the bad guy right away. He was a cliche of a bad guy, even by 90's movie villain status. That whole scene at the end with him was gross as well. It made me sick to my stomach. We also have a great opportunity for Laura San Giacomo to really shine as a co-star. But she is a victim of this movie feeling like it needed to give Richard Gere more to do. She is in barely any scenes and it feels like she never gets to stretch her wings. And then we have Richard Gere. Gere is a fine actor, but this movie wastes his talent. He is quiet and brooding the whole time. I felt like I was watching a movie from Bruce Wayne's point of view. Minus the final scene of him walking up the ladder to meet Roberts at her apartment, he never really cracks a smile or raises his voice. It is almost as if he speaks in a whisper the whole movie. It was frustrating.

I wanted to like this movie. I had heard so many great things about it, I knew about the famous stuff, but the movie didn't live up to the expectations I built for it in my head. This was a miss for me. I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think I'll intentionally ever watch it again. 

Ty

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

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The Bears and Broncos are Very Bad Football Teams

We are now three weeks into the NFL season and two teams look very, very bad right now. Anything can happen, things can change, injuries could happen and these teams could go on a winning streak at any moment, but right now, the Broncos and Bears look like the worst teams in the league. I thought the Cardinals and Texans were going to be the bottom of barrel in the NFL. But they have at least been competitive and won a game a piece. The Cardinals have held a lead in all three of their games. The Texans seem to have young pieces that they can build around. But the Bears and Broncos look like they have a long, long time before they are even competitive.

I'll start with the Bears. Look, I'm no fan of them, but it has to be incredibly painful for their fans to watch this team. They look absolutely hopeless on both sides of the ball. The defensive coordinator just resigned. He said it was to spend more time with his family, but more and more stories keep coming out claiming there is much more to this story that we don't know. The offense cannot get it together. Justin Fields looks shell shocked. He had a press conference in which he essentially blamed the coaches for his miscues, only to recant those statements near minutes later. That is wild. They cannot move the ball nor can they stop teams from moving the ball. The Packers beat them yet again in week one in Jordan Love's first start. I understand that the Packers own the Bears, but this seemed like a great opportunity to get a win over their rivals to start the year. They then laid an absolute egg against the Buccaneers in week 2, prompting the comments from Fields. Yesterday the Chiefs demolished them in KC. The final was 41-10, but it was 34-0 at the half. The score did not indicate how much of a blowout this game was on the field. The Bears will have to make some changes if they want to get back to relevancy. Maybe that means the staff, maybe it means the players. Right now I'd lean towards the staff. They seem like a deer caught in the headlights. They seem to have little to no urgency or will to compete when they step on the field. The Bears are a bad football team.

The only team that may be worse is the Denver Broncos. I followed the Broncos offseason coaching search because Jim Harbaugh was considered a prime candidate. I believe he had multiple interviews. I bet he is happy he didn't take that job now. Sean Payton seemed like a homerun hire. He is an offensive and quarterback guru. He had massive success in New Orleans. He seemed like the perfect guy to step in for Nathaniel Hackett. And in weeks 1 and 2 the Broncos looked competent enough. They didn’t win either game, but they were a 2 point conversion away from tying the Commanders and barely got beat by the Raiders, another very bad NFL team right now. But yesterday was incredibly eye opening. This Broncos team is in a very, very bad spot right now. Their defense gave up 70 points to the Dolphins yesterday. I understand that the Dolphins are very good and have a very explosive offense, but 70 points? Are you kidding me? I mean, that is absolutely wild. I went and watched some highlights, I have Raheem Mostert on my fantasy team, and the Broncos defense looked helpless. They were taking awful angles. They couldn't stop a pass at all. Tua was a perfect 16 for 16 in the first half. Yikes. At one point Mostert took a screen pass and basically went untouched for a TD to push the score to 42-13. And on the screen pass plenty of Broncos had a shot at him and missed as poorly as I have ever seen an NFL team miss tackles. Their offense has looked inept in two of their three games as well. They only managed 16 points against the Raiders. And the 20 they scored yesterday was all garbage time. Russell Wilson looks bad. He looks cooked. He doesn't seem to have it anymore. Javonte Williams barely sees the ball. They are usually down so bad that they have to throw. Jerry Jeudy isn't getting passes thrown his way. The o lineman look and sound depressed. Sean Payton looks like a dinosaur in the modern NFL. This team is hurting in a bad way. They need to do something drastic. I don't know if that means to move on from Wilson or to give Payton the hottest seat in all of football. Either way though, the Broncos may be the worst team in the NFL.

The Bears and Broncos are two teams need to make some changes. Something different needs to happen if they want to be relevant again. Time will tell, hell, maybe they will both win the rest of their games and this will all be moot. But at this moment, this early in the season, the Bears and Broncos are far and away the two worst teams in the entire NFL. 

Ty

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

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An Ode to the Greatest Coffee Drink Ever

I write about coffee a good amount on this site. I’m a fan. What can I say? I like to try a bunch of different coffee too. I’m no traditionalist when it comes to coffee. I like flavored coffee, coffee with cream, coffee with cream and artificial sweetener. I’ll drink pretty much any coffee drink except Frappuccinos. Those are too sweet for me. Today I had the best coffee drink in my 10 plus years of drinking this wonderful beverage. Let’s discuss.

I took my folks out to lunch after running with my buddy. We went to a local bakery that also does sandwiches, soups, salads and drinks. All three of us got a coffee soda to drink. The menu listed three ingredients, cold brew, citric simple and an orange peel. Pretty straightforward. This was my second time trying the drink. My dad and I had it awhile back. My mom had it for the first time. When they brought the drinks to the table it looked like any other iced coffee. Then we all tasted it.

This drink is incredible people. You have to get the whole idea of cold brew out of your head. I know the traditionalists won’t like the sound of that, but that’s what you have to do. Yes, you can taste the coffee, but what makes this drink so amazing is the citrus. I could not get enough of the citrus. It adds a very good taste that I would never have thought would work with cold brew. People my age will remember Citrus Cooler Gatorade. That is the greatest flavor of Gatorade ever. Full stop. This coffee soda reminds me of that. I am a big citrus freak, so this is right up my alley. This shouldn’t work, but it just does. Each sip gets better. The citrus flavor comes through fully and it is a quenching drink, but also caffeinated. I was extremely happy when my mom had a few sips left and let me finish.

This is the GOAT coffee drink right now. I love how refreshing and citrusy it tastes. I cannot recommend it enough. If you have the ingredients, make it. If you know of a place that sells a drink similar, go buy it. You will not be disappointed.

Ty

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

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Appreciation for MLB Superstar Mookie Betts

I have been playing MLB The Show on and off for a month now. The game is fun. I like to make the difficulty as low as it can go and see how many homers I can pitch. I also like seeing if I can throw a no hitter, or even better, a perfect game. I've only done the perfect game twice. But I have smacked a ton of homers, especially when I am one of the old time teams with stars that I watched play as a kid.

When I do play as modern teams I am either the Cardinals or the Blue Jays. I live in Saint Louis and Vlad Guerrero Jr is the son of one of my all time favorite players. I have also been the NL All Stars and I have found that I really like Mookie Betts. I do not know much about him, but the way he plays the game intrigues me. He also wears cool stuff. His cleats are rad. I read that he wears different chains at games because he once was gifted a chain by a fan and that started a thing for him. He also has a very fluid swing in the game, which I am sure is modeled after his real swing, and I like that. He can smack liners in one bat and then turn on one and hit it 400 plus feet with relative ease. He has a rocket for an arm. He is fast and can track down almost any fly ball.

Playing this game has turned me into a Mookie Betts fan. It is wild. My son got home from football practice the other night and he turned on MLB Network. I usually pay no attention when he watches, especially since the Cardinals are very bad this season. But the Dodgers were playing the other night and Mookie Betts happened to be having a very good game. So I sat and watched him play. My fandom grew even more while watching. He plays the game with glee. I like that. He understands that he is a pro and he is making big bucks playing, but he looks like he is having the time of his life on the field. He plays with a joy not many other players do right now. He makes this boring game fun, and fun to watch for a "fan" like me. All of these current players who try to play by the "unwritten rules" or the old rules, they are boring and lame. Betts plays the game fun. He is incredibly good at this game, and rewarded as such, but he is never taking it overly serious. He doesn't lose his mind if he gets hit by a pitch. Sure, he will flip his bat during a big homerun, but it is never an attempt to show up the pitcher or opponent. When he makes a good play in the outfield he smiles and acts like he was supposed to do it. I adore that in a modern baseball player.

We need more baseball players like Mookie Betts. If we had more players like him maybe the MLB would get more viewers. I like watching players like Betts, Elly De LaCruz, Vlad Guerrero. They make baseball fun again. They seem to realize they are getting paid to play a game. I want more of these players and less players like Justin Turner. He takes this way too seriously. I would much rather watch Mookie Betts anytime.

Mr Betts, you have gained a new lifelong fan. Keep doing your thing and I wish you nothing but the best. 

Ty

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

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Let's All Calm Down with the Giannis Leaving Milwaukee Speculation

Zach Lowe is back from vacation and he is recording at a very fast pace. I love it because he is my favorite basketball writer and podcaster. But one thing he keeps bringing up, and a lot of other basketball writers seem to be bringing up is the Giannis statement that he made during an interview.

Giannis said that he would not stay in Milwaukee unless they showed that they can compete for titles year after year. I think that is a pretty normal statement from a superstar who has won a title fairly recently. That seems to be the deal with any upper echelon player that wins. They get a taste of it and they want more and more and more. But listening to Zach Lowe and his colleagues, you'd think that Giannis asked to be traded now. They treat that statement as a proclamation that he wants out, and of course, he wants to go to a big market.

That is what makes me go nuts about all of this. Whenever a superstar player hints at being unhappy, or says they will only stay if the team is competitive, or they just talk to someone with a microphone, to these sports writers for ESPN or Bleacher Report or The Ringer, that means they want out and they must want to go to a big market. All of the teams that get mentioned, the Lakers, Knicks or Celtics, it is all the same. I get that these sports writers spend a good amount of their time in these cities, and it would make their lives easier, but why is it always a big market? Why does it have to be the Lakers or Celitcs? Why do they need to be where the most production and tv cameras are located? Why do these sports writers make it seem like these players will only ever be remembered as great if they are in the biggest market? Do these guys really need to wear purple and gold or green and white to be considered for the hall of fame? No way.

I very much disagree with this statement from Lowe and his buddies. Giannis won a title with Milwaukee. He won with Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Those guys are very good, but they may not be hall of fame talents. Michael Jordan was in a very big market, Chicago, but the Bulls never got mentioned. I don't get that. I think, if some of these stars were to leave, Chicago would be a great spot for them to land. Chicago is the third biggest market in the US. But the sports writers would rather they end up in LA or Boston. I get that LeBron did that, leaving Cleveland for LA, but that was more of a life after basketball move. Yes, he did win a title, but the Lakers haven't been as dominant as his teams in Cleveland. All of these sports writers' current darling, Nikola Jokic, plays in Denver. Up until last season the Nuggets games would sometimes get blacked out in Denver because of low ticket sales. But none of the Zach Lowes of the world want Jokic playing in LA or Boston. Anthony Edwards seems to like playing in Minnesota right now. He has gotten better every year and it feels like he wants to build something there. I would not like it at all if he left to be second fiddle for the Lakers or third fiddle for the Celtics. LaMelo Ball is a walking highlight reel and he reupped in Charlotte for a long while. Why would he leave that team now? He gets to do what he wants when he wants. Shai Gilgeous Alexander is on the precipice of becoming a perenial MVP candidate and he was traded from LA to Oklahoma City. He seems much happier on the Thunder right now. Jaren Jackson Jr and Ja Morant are building something nice in Memphis. They have issues they have to clean up, but on the floor in Memphis, they look solid and happy. There are more teams out there than just the LA, New York and Boston teams. And the only one of those big market teams that could put together a good enough trade package for Giannis is the Knicks, and the media barely mentions them now. The Lakers can't do it. The Clippers can't even trade for James Harden right now. And why would the Celtics let Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum go ? They are big stars already.

Sports writers need to chill on the constant talk of big named players instantly heading to the Celtics or Lakers. It is hackey and cliche. Come up with better stuff and stop succumbing to the big name teams. The NBA is fine. The Lakers and Knicks and Celtics don't always have to have the best players. Spread the talent out and give this league parity. That is what makes pro sports so much fun. 

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 "The Little Mermaid"

My daughter is home sick from school today, she is fine, just a mild cold with a cough, and when the kids stay home they get to pick the tv show or movie we watch after the doctor appointment. My daughter wanted to watch "The Little Mermaid". I thought, cool, I haven't seen that movie in a long, long time. So I went to turn on the cartoon, the one I know of, and that was when she stopped me and told me she wanted the live action "Little Mermaid". I had totally forgotten that they made a live action version. She reminded me that she and my wife saw it in the theaters with my mother in law. That was when it clicked with me that they did make it, and it was easily findable on Disney +.

I turned it on not expecting much or to even be fully paying attention. These live action remakes have been pretty subpar up to this point. But I was fully in right after they did the "Under the Sea" song. This was a visual feast. I loved every choice that they made while doing this musical number in this movie. It was pretty tremendous and the movie never lost my attention from that point on. This is a very good live action remake. I think it is the best one to date. Halle Bailey is simply amazing as Ariel. She has a powerhouse of a voice. When she sings you cannot help but listen. She takes these famous songs and makes them her own. She also happens to be a solid actor. She embodied the cartoon character. She had the red hair. The way they made her mermaid tale was very cool, and looked very real. When she comes on land and cannot talk, which should be very hard to do, she totally nailed it. I bought it from the jump. She is a star. Melissa McCarthy was pretty superb as Ursula. She looked like she was having a great time doing this, never really taking her foot off the pedal. She chewed the scenery in the best possible way. She also looked like the cartoon character, but more palatable. My hat is off to the makeup and animation team for achieving that masterfully. Prince Eric, I don't remember the actor's name, was fine. This movie isn't about him though. Awkwafina as Scuttle, a new character, was funny and my favorite in the whole movie. She even got to rap and she crushed it. Daveed Diggs was pretty good as Sebastian. You have to get over the fact that he is doing a very cliche Jamaican accent. But once you do it is easy to buy into his performance. He is a great performer and singer and that dude gives every project he is in his full go. He doesn't let up for one second. I really loved the back and forth between him and Scuttle. I kind of want a Sebastian and Scuttle side movie where they fall in love. But make no mistake, this is Halle Bailey's starring role and her introduction to the entire world. And she hit an absolute homerun. She is incredibly talented and is going to be around for a long, long time.

I definitely recommend this movie for parents with young kids and for people who grew up as a child of the 90's just like me. You will appreciate how well they interpret this movie and even the added stuff feels classic. The live action "Little Mermaid" is a pretty decent movie. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches Marc Maron Live

This past Saturday I went to see Marc Maron do some live standup. My buddy asked if I wanted to go, I did, so we went. I have seen Maron a few times prior to this. He is a very good standup and any chance to see him, I'm going to check it out. Maron was in Saint Louis for three nights and we went on the third night, his second to last show. I felt like this was one of the best chances to go because he had to really have his show down to a T at this point and we would get one of the best versions of Marc Maron that we could want. My buddy has also never seen him live before, so I was hoping for a good show.

We were fortunate enough to see a great show. I had a wonderful time seeing Maron. He played Helium here in STL, and that is a small venue. I like that because it feels a bit more intimate. The club was full, but it still felt small. That is my ideal way of seeing standup. Big theater shows are fine, and I've seen my fair share that way, but smaller clubs are the way to go. The real draw, of course, was Maron. He is such a pro. That was my biggest takeaway from the show. He has been doing this a long time now and it shows. He commands the stage. He makes it look so easy even though it is not easy at all. He commanded the crowd all night long. There was one lady who kept talking and he rolled with the punches. He was never mean to her, but he called her out on her BS. I like that. He would effortlessly move from joke to joke. He would go on his usual rants and they were as funny as ever.

Maron touched on all kinds of topics in his 70 minute set. He talked about his father's dementia. He let us know about him passing out on a hoke while listening to Taylor Swift. We got good bits about his status in the world and in Hollywood. He used the state of Missouri's backwoods politics to perfection. I agreed with all that he had to say on that topic. He let us in on his current relationship. He also talked about past relationships. He even did some bits about exercising which I found hilarious. He was on point all night long and it showed. My cheeks hurt from laughing. I had an absolute blast all show. We even stuck around afterward so my buddy could get a poster. We got to meet him and have a very quick chat. He seems like a very cool dude. Too cool for me, but I am very happy to continue to listen to his standup and his podcast.

Marc Maron has carved out a very good spot for him. It feels like he is at the perfect fame level. I think he would agree with that statement. Seeing him do live stand up for the first time since COVID was quite the treat. I loved every second of it. From the opener to Maron to meeting him afterward, it was such a wonderful time. I definitely recommend seeing him when/if he comes to your town. He is the consummate pro and one of the best touring standups in the world. See him and you will have as good a time as me. This was a great, great show. 

Ty

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

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An Ode to the Excellence of Matthew Berry

Today is an appreciation post for Matthew Berry and his role as Laszlo on "What We Do in the Shadows".

I'm a big fan of this show. I also love the movie. I was on board the moment they decided to do a tv series based on the movie. The good news about the tv series for me was that I had barely heard of the cast. The whole cast is great, I have become a fan of all of them, but I only knew of Mark Prosch, he plays Colin Robinson, and Matthew Berry. Colin Robinson was on "The Office" near the end of its run, and Berry had some big succes in the UK and doing quirky comedy stuff that some of my friends had sent me or told me about. So I knew they would be just fine on this series.

What I didn’t realize how much I would grow to adore Berry as Laszlo. Every move he makes works for me. He is over the top, but also has moments of sweetness. He speaks crazier than anyone else on the show. Laszlo has grown more than any other person on the show. He started out as a charlatan who acted smart. He is now fiercely loyal to Nadja, his wife, he has tendencies of a father and he is the smartest person among his roommates. Two seasons ago Laszlo was the father figure to baby Colin Robinson. There were hilarious moments, as always, but there was some very good and wholesome stuff. Laszlo grew to really cherish baby Colin Robinson. It was the first time that I watched this show and realized that they didn't have to do broad comedy all the time. They could do some serious stuff and, as long as the actors commit, it would work. This past season he helped Guillermo through his transition and it added to his growth and maturity. Sure, Laszlo still loves to have fun and be intimate with multiple people at once, but he does have a softer side and it has been a joy to watch. The way Berry has chosen to speak as Laszlo is wonderful. He will say some wild stuff, then elongate words that don't need to be any longer, and it is so hilarious. The way he has started to say New York City is magical. It is the only way that I will say NYC now. He also goes on crazy hilarious rants about nothing and they always make me laugh. When he argued with the Sklar Brothers, who were playing construction worker guys, was riotous. I don't remember laughing that hard at a tv show in a long, long time. His outfit in that episode was dynamite as well. The way he dresses is another feather in his cap. He wears some flagrant stuff and it all works. When he showed up to Nadja's friends' diner this past season, and had a t-shirt, wild jeans and a bucket hat on, chef's kiss. It was dope. I also love how smart he acts, but also is. This past season, when he was being silent towards everyone, and everyone was worried about him, the way they showed what was going on in his head, that was perfectly portrayed by Berry. When he finally reveals that he was trying to decide how to organize his bookcase, and all the roommates were relieved that he was okay, that was excellent.

Berry is the standout in this wonderfully talented cast. He makes me laugh harder than anyone else and I cannot wait to see where they take his character from here. I know it will be great because Berry will make it great. He is a star. 

Ty

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

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USA Basketball is Going to Be OK

The men's USA basketball team got fourth in FIBA. I know some people are up in arms about this. I'm not.

We played about as well as I thought with this collection of players. We had some very talented players, namely Anthnoy Edwards. But this was not the best of the best. These were not the guys that were going to represent the USA in the 2024 Olympics. I think most knowledgeable basketball fans understand this. And I do agree with people who say other countries are better than they have ever been and that they are closing the gap on the US. Germany has studs. Lithuania is very good. France, who also played poorly at FIBA, is still very good. Spain can win a ton. These countries have gotten better with every passing year and they will be a thorn in the US's side in Paris.

When I look at the FIBA roster for Team USA, Edwards is the only dude that I think has a real shot to play in the Olympics. Jalen Brunson is a fine player, but I'd much rather go with players like Steph Curry, Bradley Beal or De'Aaron Fox at point guard. Tyrese Haliburton did play well as a bench guard, and he should get a long look, but I think the three guys I mentioned are better. The two guard will be more interesting. Again, I think Edwards will be on the team, but make him a bench guy. When it comes to the best two guards in the US, give me guys like Devin Booker or Khris Middleton. I'd even give Desmond Bane and Trae Young a look. Young is too hoggy, so he wouldn't work. But you give that starting spot to Booker and let it ride with him. Then you can bring Edwards and Middleton off the bench. They offer so much more in that role. Forward is where the US truly shines. FIBA had great players like Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram and Paolo Banchero. None of those guys would get picked over Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler or Anthony Davis, just to name a few. You replace Bridges and Ingram with LeBron and Durant and you are unguardable at that spot. Then you have Jimmy Butler and AD off the bench. Those dudes would eat the competition alive on defense. And Durant should have carte blanche to go wild on offense. Center is the toughest because of minor complications. Jaren Jackson Jr, who I am a big fan of by the way, was not good at FIBA. He fouls too much and didn't shoot the ball at all. Walker Kessler is too young and green for the competition. Where this gets dicey is Joel Embiid. If he can be convinced to play for the US, he is a dual citizen with France, then that problem is instantly solved. Putting Embiid in the starting five with Curry, Booker, KD and LeBron, that is lights out. They would crush any opponent. But if Embiid plays for France, or doesn't play at all, then the US has to search a bit. They could go to Brook Lopez, but he is old and creaky. Evan Mobley is young and talented, but he may not be ready for the Olympics just yet. Kevon Looney may be the best rebounder in the league, but he is a zero as a scorer. And Mitchell Robinson brings too much baggage. If Embiid decides not to go, I'd go with Bam Adebayo and platoon him with AD. Adebayo is small for a center, but he is an elite defender, he is strong, he is smart and he plays incredibly hard. Putting him on this team with all these upper tier stars would bring out the best in him. So if you sit me down and ask me my dream starting five for men's basketball in the 2024 Olympics, give me Steph at point guard, Booker at the 2, KD at 3, LeBron at the 4 and Adebayo at the 5. Then I'd get a bunch filled with superstars like Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, De'Aaron Fox and Khris Middleton. That is a much better representation of Team USA basketball than the FIBA starting five, which was Brunson at the 1, Edwards at the 2, Hart at the 3, Bridges at the 4 and JJJ at the 5. No disrespect to those guys either, but my starting five is wayyyyyy better. Curry can't be guarded, Booker is the best mid range scorer in the world, KD is 6'10 and shoots and handles like a guard, LeBron is the second greatest basketball player ever and Adebayo is one of the best modern defenders I've ever seen. That team would be clutch.

While others are hand wringing over a fourth place finish at FIBA, I have very little worries about Team USA men's basketball at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. They will be challenged, but should be the favorites for the gold. Let's get LeBron another gold medal. He deserves it. 

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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Panda Express is the Greatest Food Court Restaurant of All Time

Is there a more reliable food court restaurant than Panda Express? Let’s discuss.

My wife had to go to the mall today to get some stuff. She said that if she had time she would bring home some Panda Express. I thought that would be dope if she did, but she probably wouldn't have the time. She did find the time though and brought it home, she worked from home today. She got the old reliable too. We had orange chicken, chicken and veggies and Beijing beef. Our starch was fried rice and chow mein. The only thing that didn't hit me today was the rice, but I am not a rice person. When I went low carb, rice was the easiest thing for me to drop. And, as a kid when I would go there I always opted for the chow mein. I prefer noodles. So, the chow mein was a hit, as always. The chicken and veggies was a nice palate cleanser, as always. The Beijing beef had a very good spice today, which was nice. And the orange chicken, which I saved for last, was as good as I remembered it. Whoever the chef was today put the right amount of sauce on the orange chicken. It was sweet, but not overbearing. The spice was there too. And the fry was really solid. It was still a little crunchy even with a 15 minute car ride home. But I do not know what else I was expecting. I had Panda Express during summer break when I took my kids to the mall and it was just as good back then.

When I was a teenager and we would hang out at the mall, nine times out of ten I spent my money at Panda Express. My folks used to take us there because it was a cheap way to get us to eat veggies. Panda Express has always been as reliable as McDonald's for me. I am never super stoked to eat there, but after I'm done with my meal, I'm always satisfied and raving about how delicious it all tasted.

I need to get over this feeling of not wanting it. When I end up deciding on Panda Express it always feels like it is my last option, but it is so much better than other food court choices. I'll take Panda Express over Sbarro any day. Sbarro's pizza is not good anyway. We have a few of these hot sandwich shops at our local mall and Panda Express blows their food out of the water. There are other Chinese food options, but none of them taste as good, or are at an equal price point to Panda Express. I refuse to eat at Chick Fil A because they are not inclusive, so Panda Express is always a better choice. And I am a Qdoba guy when it comes to fast Mexican, and all we have in our mall's food court is Chipotle. Panda Express is a much better choice than any of the places I mentioned. They have been making quality food for such a long time now that it isn't even really a question anymore.

Panda Express is the greatest food court restaurant that has ever existed. No doubt about it. 

Ty

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

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It is Time to End the Writers and Actors Strike

I was watching tv the other night and I did not record the show, so commercials were a must. When I would watch commercials in the past there were plenty of ads for upcoming tv shows and previews for movies. That was not really present last night. Every commercial was either a local ad or something akin to an infomercial. I was kind of taken aback and was frustrated.

It then hit me that the strike was what caused the commercials to be different. There are no new shows coming out. The movies that are coming to theaters were finished months ago. There is nothing new. There is nothing different. There is nothing too fun coming out. It is a bummer.

This all makes sense and is necessary. The writers and actors strike is a needed thing right now. Actors and writers are being taken advantage of by the studios and they are not asking for too much in return to end all of this and bring back better content. I cannot take many more reality shows, game shows or reruns. I can only go back and watch so much of the older tv shows that I used to watch. I have been watching "Workaholics" today, and I love that show, but I've seen it a thousand times. I want newer stuff. I want to see the movie they were planning on making. Maybe that can come back if this strike ends. My wife and I watch "Brooklyn 99" before bed every night. Again, we love the show, but we have seen it so much that we fall asleep to it. That is the sign of watching one show more than enough. I recently finished the first season of "Twisted Metal" on Peacock and I loved it. They also ended the first season on a major cliffhanger. I'd love to see where they take the show from here. And I simply cannot do all the reality stuff that they are doing on streaming services now. I don't want to see another dating show. I'm so fed up with "Love is Blind" and "Sexy Beasts". They all end up the same and it is dull and boring. I can only watch people getting hammered and saying nonsense when they think they are acting smart. It is maddening. I'm also over all the game shows. There are too many of them and they are all melding together. I don't want to see people competing for scraps just to be on tv. I want the original content back. I want more "Twisted Metal", "What We Do in the Shadows", "Only Murders in the Building", "The Simpsons", all the good stuff. I want to see all of this stuff come back. I also want way more movies. I want to see cool, new stuff. I don't want any remakes or superhero stuff either. I want stuff like "Everything Everywhere All at Once". I want to see more mind blowing stuff like "Barbie". Give me cool, interesting material.

To get that material we need the writers and actors back. They need to get their fair share. They deserve to be properly compensated. They have earned the right to get a raise and to not be replaced by AI and Chatgpt. I have used both, but they don't carry the same weight as real people doing real work. I want to turn on my tv in a month or so and see commercials for new tv shows and movies. I want to see content made by real people for real people. That should be the case and should be the case sooner rather than later.

Time to end this studio execs and big wigs. Time to stop being so stubborn and stupid. Time to give the writers and actors what they have earned. It is time to end this strike. 

Ty

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

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We All Underestimated the Colorado Buffaloes

During our podcast when we talked about the upcoming football season RD asked me about expectations for Deion Sanders and Colorado. I made sure to say that I thought they would be good, but it was going to take some time. I figured being in the Pac 12, the final year of the conference, all the transfers and just the jump from division 1-AA to division 1 was going to force some hard adjustments.

Colorado came out in week one and put it on TCU. The game was close throughout, but Colorado looked faster. Colorado looked more prepared. Shaduer Sanders looked ready for the big stage. Travis Hunter proved time and time again why he was such a coveted recruit. And Colorado won. They were 21 point underdogs, the game was played at TCU, TCU is coming off a title game appearance, and Colorado beat them. All of the talk was about how cool this was. I was happy for Deion and the players who stuck it out with him. I thought it was cool that they went into a hostile environment and got a big time win.

The Buffaloes had their home opener this past Saturday. Nebraska is not what they used to be, but they are no slouch. This is a Big 10 team. They got a new coach who some people like. They were hoping for a similar turnaround that Colorado is having right now. And the game was pretty close into the third quarter. I was nervous for a Colorado letdown. I figured that would give all the jackasses not giving them credit even more ammo. And then the floodgates opened. The score was 10-7 when I left my son's football game. When I got home it was 36-14. Colorado ran past Nebraska. Travis Hunter had another highlight play. Shadeur Sanders played another excellent game. They talked and backed it up. I loved the post game stuff with Shadeur Sanders. They are now the hottest team and hottest ticket in all of college football.

Colorado was very bad a season ago. They went 1-11. They had so much roster turnover. I loved the hire of Sanders, but again, I thought he needed some time. I was wrong. My expectations were way too low. Colorado is a legit college football team. They have the guys to have a special season. This could be one of those exceptional turnarounds in sports we see and love. They should be a bowl team. Shadeur Sanders is backing up the talk. Deion is backing up the talk. Travis Hunter could be invited to New York at the end of the year. He could be a first round pick already. When I look at their schedule I think they could finish as good as 9-3 or 10-2, and as low as 7-5. That is a massive shift from where they were a season ago. They have some tough upcoming games, that is for sure. They have to go to Oregon and play the Ducks, who's defense has been much better than I thought. They get USC at home. but Caleb Williams looks every bit the part of a guy who can win the Heisman again. They have to travel to UCLA, which is a winnable game, but a tough place to play. They do have to play Oregon State. And they finish the year with a trip to Utah. The schedule is not easy, but I think they like that. They want to prove people wrong. College football is also a fickle game. Crazy things happen all the time. Colorado could pull some upsets and end up being in the CFP talk late into the season.

I am a Michigan fan through and through, but I have bought into the Colorado hype. I love Deion and I like this team. They have been the best story of the young college season so far, and I think they will continue to be one of the top stories, especially if they pull off some massive upsets. This is fun and Deion Sanders is so perfect for the college game. My hat is off to Colorado and I am so very sorry for underating them going into the season. Colorado is legit. They are a very good team. Watch out for them the rest of the year. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Let's Take a Closer Look at the Lyrics of "Old Town Road"

My son has been a fan of Lil Nas X for a bit now. I find his music kind of blah, but I do appreciate his lifestyle and how open he is with everything. He leaves it all out on the table and he is very confident in his own skin. That is a feat and an accomplishment. I like that.

So, with my son and his friends enjoying his music, that means I listen to it a lot in my car. Again, the music is blah, but the message is dope. The way I consume music is the lyrics, like a lot of others. I really want to hear what the artist has to say. I try to figure out what they are trying to get across. Trying to memorize lyrics is very fun for me. I love it when I do figure them out as well.

With Lil Nas X and his biggest hit "Old Town Road", the realization of some of the lyrics is hilarious to me. The song is incredibly catchy and very easy to hum along to. I find myself singing the words while walking around my house. My wife does the same. And during one of these personal singalongs, I had to stop myself because I couldn't believe some of the words I was saying. There is some hilarious stuff in this song. In the first verse Lil Nas has two lines that crack me up. He says, "hat is black matte/got the boots that black to match". This is as simple a rhyming pattern as one can have. He even finds a way to rhyme black with black. It is kind of impressive. I also love the whole idea of mentioning multiple times that he has a black hat and he managed to get black boots so it all matches. Also, letting us know his hat is matte is simply wonderful. He also lets the listener know that we can all whip our Porsche's. It is hilarious to me that he thinks all his listeners have a Porsche. Cracks me up every time. I don't care to go into Billy Ray Cyrus' verse on the song because he is clearly doing a coattails thing. Lil Nas X is much more talented and Billy Ray is trying to stay relevant. He almost messes the song up in my opinion.

Lil Nas' second verse though, this is where the hilarity hits an entire new level. He has one lyric in particular that I constantly think about. It is definitely the reason why I wanted to write this blog. I'll touch on that near the end though. I first want to talk about a few other parts in verse two. Lil Nas says that, "my whole life is a movie/bull riding and boobies". First off, boobies, that is nuts. That is what my 11 year old calls them. My seven year old uses the word boobies as well. Also, I believe Lil Nas X is sexually fluid, I am almost positive he is gay. So why boobies? If he is talking about heftier dudes, okay. But he never clarifies that. Again, it is the rhyming scheme, and I get that, but it is still hilarious. Also, in Lil Nas X's mind, a life lived like the movies includes bull riding and boobies. That is iconic. I love that that is where his mind went when he wrote those lyrics. That rules.

He also says that his "cowboy hat from Gucci/Wrangler on my booty". So he will schill out the big bucks for a cowboy hat, but he has to save on jeans. That is almost relatable. Maybe he loves hats so he is willing to spend big bucks on them. But when it comes to pants he is thrifty. I get it. I spend big dollars on running shoes, but I have had the same set of t-shirts forever, with no intention of buying new ones anytime soon.

The creme de la creme of lyrics in this song are as follows, "riding on a tractor/lean all in my bladder". The riding on the tractor point is all fine and well. He is a cowboy on an old town road. The tractor makes enough sense. But the lean in his bladder. That is a chef's kiss if you ask me. Lean, to the uninitiated, is purple drank or sizzurp. Lean is a mixed drink consisting of codeine cough syrup, soda and hard candy. It is a dangerous opioid and highly addictive. I've never had it, but I do know people who have and they have let me know it is disgusting. So for Lil Nas X to say that he is on a tractor and his bladder is full of lean. I mean that is lightning in a bottle. It feels like a comedian wrote this lyric. It is too funny to not be a joke. When I figured out what he was singing I thought I misheard him. Nope, he was saying that he had so much lean and it is now just in his bladder until Lil Nas X goes to use the restroom. That is so wild and so weird and so genius. I cannot get enough of this lyric in this song. I have not stopped thinking about it since I figured out the actual words.

This song is wildly memorable and for people to just glide past that lyric, that makes it even more perfect. I will never not think of these lyrics, especially the lean lyric, everytime I hear this song from now on. I bet you will notice it now too. Keep doing your thing Lil Nas X. You are a true music wonder. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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