It’s true, today really is the beginning of the end until August. It marks the end of pretty much non-stop entertainment of sports and TV. The year starts in August for me. August means that summer will finally be ending soon, and we celebrate that event with the start of pre-season football. Followed by regular season football in September. This also marks the beginning of a new season of our favorite TV shows. Then October comes around we are rewarded with first, the next season of The Walking Dead, followed by Halloween, the best of the holidays. Then right around the corner is Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve and, we get to enjoy all of these with glories football three times a week!
But, it doesn’t end there. Now begins the NFL playoffs and awards season. The Super Bowl, the Emmy’s, Globes, Oscars and the mid-season premier of The Walking Dead. It all starts to wind down in March though and sadly comes to a screeching and devastating stop with the season of Finally of The Walking Dead. A time when many of us will agonize over the loss of our dear friends on The Walking Dead. Though these friends only ever existed in our hearts and imaginations, our love for them is real and the loss we feel still hurts us anyways. Today truly is the beginning of the end until next August.
Sadly, even August isn’t as great as it once was. For many of us we had Shark Week to look forward to the first week of August. Of course Discovery Channel has slowly been fucking that up for the past several years. Last year after promising a better Shark Week they aired it an entire month early for no fucking reason and it was mediocre at best. They still had fake shark experts doing doing stupid “experiments” all while putting spins on some events that were nothing more than mere coincidence masking as scientific conclusion. And, this year the idiot executives are moving Shark Week up yet another month! And, their teaser commercial for it is a fucking joke because they’ve thrown a fucking mermaid in it. I don’t know what the hell that was all about? Was it supposed to be a joke? They executed that punchline poorly if it was because it only succeeded in pissing off the fans off. We keep telling them what we want, they keep telling us they are listening, and the keep lying to our faces. Fuck it, I’m done with the Shark Week. They want my respect they’re gonna have to earn it.
On the bright side, now that we’re entering the dead zone of holidays, awards shows and anything even remotely interesting on TV it gives us a chance to go outside and be healthy. I hope this year that I honestly do take advantage this time, I know my health isn’t the best, two decades of sitting in front of PC hasn’t done me any favors health-wise. So maybe tomorrow I will get out of the house and do something? Maybe this long seasonal dead zone I won’t rely on the world to provide my entertainment? Maybe this year I will get healthy and go have some real adventures? Meh, who am I kidding, I’ll just sit here and bitch about until next August.
Oh and don’t five me any of your baseball crap. I can some of you now. “What about baseball? It’s starts today.” Baseball, sucks. I was done watching a bunch of over paid wimps that won’t even cowboy up enough to play in the rain. Now I will admit that for some odd reason I used to enjoy going to baseball games. But, that was back in time when I could go and not have to worry about some loudmouth, drunk, dumbass getting in my face because I’m not wearing the jersey of the team he likes. The last thing I need is to end up in jail for beating the crap out of some drunk fool that thought he was a tough guy. So yes, baseball, like Shark Week can go fuck itself.
So I finally took the time to watch John Oliver’s brilliant take down of Donald Trump or rather, Donald Drumpf. Every single minute of this video is a pure delight. An amazing blend of truth and comedy wrapped up in one delicious commentary of epic proportions. But, don’t take my word for it. Watch it for yourself and see why we need to Make Donald Drumpf Again!
For me, I feel betrayed by Donald Trump and I will tell you why. I loved Celebrity Apprentice. I was never a huge fan of Trump however I respected that the show made a lot of money for charity and I found it fascinating to see some of these celebrities try and think for themselves. Sometimes they were brilliant and other times they were terribly self-absorbed. And, though Trump seemed to make the worst decisions in the “board room” when it came time to fire a person, I accepted it. It’s a “reality” show, someone has to go and I’m sure the decision has a lot to do with ratings so I accepted it.
When Trump said stupid things in public, I let it go. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, Trump always seemed like a real douchebag to me when he spoke, but I let it go. He was giving a lot to charity and I will admit it, I found him on some strange level to be entertaining. My support for him ran out a few hours after he announced his intention to run for President. I was stunned at his comments on Mexico. Yet, once again, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I mean, he didn’t really mean that? He misspoke? He had to of. I thought for sure that Trump would later correct himself later on the news. Well, he didn’t. In fact, he doubled down on the bigoted comments. That was the last straw for me.
He has gone on to say the most outrageous things and some of his idiot supporters remain in complete denial of his immaturity and total ignorance of world politics. Even worse, it appears that most of his idiot supporters actually agree with his racist, bigoted, homophobic, misogynistic, megalomaniacal statements, even when his statements, most often, are flat out lies. These people are absolutely pathetic but we can’t completely blame them for it either.
The media has done everything it can to make the Trump campaign larger than life. He’s being constantly thrown softball questions but worse than that when asked the hard questions, they let his unresponsive answers stand. No one is going hard after this guy. And, it’s tragic that the only people truly going after him for his lengthy list of bullshittery are the comedians. The media seems completely at ease with giving him one pass after another. They are treating him with a respect that he does not deserve and has in no way earned. I long for the day when they finally choose journalism over ratings. So in until they do, we have no choice but to Make Donald Drumpf Again!
Oh and don’t get me started on his fucknet kids, Trump Jr. and Eric…
I’m Probably Not Going To Handle Artificial Intelligence Very Well…
A.I. (artificial intelligence) is going to be really hard for people like myself to deal with. And, the more life like in appearance the harder it will be. Honestly, the other day I did a voice search on my phone, it was something like, “OK, Google. Daisy Ridley nude scenes.” because, sadly, I’m a dude. Anyways, as the female voice responded, I actually said “thank you” when she was done speaking.
Now consider that’s just a programmed voice on a smart phone. Imagine being able to have casual conversations with them, it’s already starting to happen. Now, imagine that happening with dolls, teddy bears and other animated things. I have been brought to near tears over having to throw away old clothes I loved. I can’t imagine owning an electronic pet or someday maybe an actual android. People, including myself will defend them with their lives, I have no doubt. Seriously, if someone was threatening my cat, I would go all De Niro as Al Capone on them. “I want him dead! I want his family dead!” I wouldn’t care if that pet was a robot that looked like a dog or person that I had a personal relationship with.
I am excited for the future and I think the coming advancements in artificial intelligence will be incredible to see but they are no doubt going to change everything. Very soon, the things we see as science fiction are going to be reality. Mock me if you will but in the next hundred if humanity can survive that long republicans will be protesting marriage between androids, and androids and humans. It’s going to happen and it will be fascinating to see. Just hope I am around long enough to see it all.
I thought instead of a rant bashing stupid people that I’d take a break and talk about something I am really enjoying. It’s Supergirl, I am a fan. There are so many things about the show I love. There are a couple of things, I have mixed feelings about but all in all, I have loved every minute of the show. It’s fun, it’s not dark and Melissa Benoist as Supergirl is a breath of fresh air. In fact, I will go as far as to say that Supergirl is awesome!
A few months ago I saw an extended preview of the show that CBS put out and it interested me for a few reasons. First and foremost, it wasn’t dark. I am so sick of every superhero reincarnation having to be dark and gritty. It was fine with Batman, in fact, it was perfect for Batman. But, then the new Superman re-boot came along and I was really disappointed with it. To me, the movie came off as more Emo than dark. I didn’t hate the movie. But, dark superman just doesn’t’ work for me.
I am now 46 years old and my introduction to Superman was with the 70’s when I first saw the old TV’s series starring George Reeves as the caped wonder. But, then in my 7th year of life I saw Superman the Movie with Christopher Reeves and it truly made me believe a man could fly. Those movies became an iconic symbol of hope in my eyes. They were eye-poppingly colorful and so perfectly inspiring. To this day I can’t watch Superman I or II without wanting to be a better person and considering that when it comes to being a cynic I make Lewis Black look calm and even tempered, I think that says a lot.
So, I was ecstatic to see the Supergirl series on CBS was going to continue that tradition of positivity of hope. Well, at least when seeing the preview, I was hopeful. It looked like what I had been craving for. And, a couple of weeks ago when the first episode aired, it was pure joy. It was everything I had hoped for. I loved the cameos, with Helen Slater and Dean Cain I thought that was brilliantly fun. The cast is great and the story plays out with heart. This past week’s episode, “Flight or Flight” ended with a text between Clark Kent and Kara (Supergirl) and it was just so sweet without being too sappy or cheesy. The show isn’t perfect but the amount of fun it is, makes up for any flaws there may be.
Though, I can’t express enough Melissa Benoist really is the star of the show. Not just because she’s the title character but because of the way she plays her roles as Kara and Supergirl. I believe her as both and I just adore her. She’s vulnerable and strong and that’s the key to any great character. She nails it. When she does her shy almost snort laughing, I turn to mush. I am grown man and I think if I ever met Melissa Benoist, I’d react like Kara does when she thinks about Mehcad Brooks as Jimmy Olsen er… Sorry “James” Olsen.
My only problem and it’s not so much of a problem as it is a conflict I have within myself. It’s her skirt. Part of me is glad that they stayed with the traditional looking outfit. The shallow guy in me is literally thrilled. But, the male feminist in me feels that it’s a shame. If the character was truly created in today’s world there is no way she’d be created in a short skirt that can easily be looked up with every fly by. It’s not practical at all for doing battle in and it’s just kind of silly. So, for that I am torn. However, the character Kara that Melissa Benoist’s has created, I can totally see as actually liking the skirt. So, I don’t let it get to me. As I said, torn.
It’s hard to do a superhero show because you need to keep the fantasy going without losing the human moments and I think Supergirl does this so very well. At the time I am writing this, three episodes have aired and I can honestly say that with each new episode I find my interest in the show is still strong and still growing. And, I have to admit a lot of it is because Melissa Benoist as Supergirl is awesome!
I started watching this show back during season 8. I don’t like many reality shows. In fact this season, was the first time I ever watched American Idol and I didn’t even finish the season. I stopped watching around the time they got time cut the contestants down to like 10 or 12 guys and 10 or 12 girls. They had cut so many singers I thought were great and kept a lot that weren’t that good in my opinion. So I lost interest. America’s Got Talent though, I have managed to watch faithfully each season because it’s just pure entertainment to me. There are acts you won’t see any other show and I just love the variety of it all.
However, there are many things about the show that aggravate me to the point that I have considered not watching it anymore. I can handle it when I disagree with the judges, opinions vary. I’m cool with that. What I am not cool with is all the contestants that seem to go missing without explanation. I think it was last year that a very nice old man preformed on the show. He song was outrageous and I loved it! It was about going out on a date and finding that the girl had a penis. It was so funny. He never appeared on the show again after he getting all the judges approval to go on to the next round. What kind of heinous fuckery is that? Then there’s the prize money. The top 10 contestants really need some prize money as well.
I did some research on one of the contestants that was never asked back. I don’t know how true it is but as I understand it, the trans community complained about Ray Jessel’s performance. I fully support the LGBT. I am pro gay marriage. I have gay friends, I’ve hung out at gay bars with them. I have no hate in my heart for anyone based on their sexuality. However, if it is true that Mr. Ray Jessel was pulled from later airings of the show because some members of the LGBT community found it offensive, then I am very disappointed in them and anyone else who found it offensive enough to complain about it. Being able to laugh at yourself is a good thing. There was no hate behind the man’s song. It was just funny and if you can’t see that then I feel sorry for you.
There was another contestant that never got his second chance on the show that stands out. It was a kid comedian and he’s jokes were pretty raunchy for his age but he was funny. Never saw him again and that is a shame. There are contestants that never got a second chance after making it through the first TV round and I could name them all but it’s the point of their absence I am trying to make. It’s just wrong. It’s a contest, if they make it past the judges, they should be allowed to preform again. If people complain about it that’s fine. They will have their chance to not for them soon enough. That’s how it should work. It shouldn’t be left up to some executive who is trying to appease the tiniest part of viewing population that are offended by something. This is something that really, really needs to be fixed.
Another problem with the show I’ve noticed, is something that’s also viewer related. But, something I don’t think she show can really fix. It’s the singers on the show. I have no problem with them. It’s hard for me to vote for them in the final round but, I have no problem with them on the show. However, I have seen a sort of backlash against them the past few years. Because of this, I think it’s going to be a while before a singer ever wins the big prize.
The backlash I first noticed a couple of years when I used to post regularly on Facebook. My FB friends didn’t like the singers on the show. I don’t recall who it was on the show but I had posted that I voted her, she was of course a singer. My friends damn near attacked me over my vote for her. They felt that AGT isn’t for singers. If you’re singer, tryout for The Voice or American Idol, told me. The acts they voted for were the comedians, the magicians, the dancers, acts like Freelusion and Siro-A and so on. Acts they’d really want to go and see in Vegas. And, I have to admit in some ways, I agree with them.
It won’t stop me voting for a singer or band. I voted for Benton Blount all the way through. He wasn’t the only act I voted for in the finale, I voted for 3 acts primarily. I have 3 gmail accounts so I voted for Paul Zerdin, Stevie Starr and Drew Lynch primarily. They each got 40 votes me for. Benton Blount, as much as Loved him, only got 20 votes from in the finally. The reason being, as much as I genuinely like the guy and his music, I’m not a big concert fan. If anything is going to pull me away from a blackjack table in Vegas it’s not going to be a musician. I have seen lots of acts in Vegas, even Carrot Top once (to be honest, I had free tickets). But, to go see someone singing, I’ve been to concerts before, and they pretty much bore me. The music doesn’t sound that good live, the crowds annoy me, it’s just not my thing at all.
So I can see the argument against the singers and bands. People picture a Vegas show as being more like Blue Man Group and Penn & Teller type acts then someone who just won a talent show for singing. I can see going to a Vegas show for a legitimate icon like Billy Joel or Celine Dion. I would NEVER go see Celine Dion, I’m sure she’s a wonderful person but her music pretty much makes me gag. But, she’s an icon, I get it. I would however go to see someone like Paul Zerdin, Derek Hughes, Oz Pearlman or Drew Lynch. A singer, just not my thing. And, not while in Vegas unless they are truly an icon.
This season was the toughest for me. I honestly loved so many of the contestants this season. Voting in the finale, I swear to God I don’t believe in that I sat in front of my PC for over two hours trying to decide who wasn’t going to get my votes. I re-watched clips on YouTube even. My final decisions actually made me feel guilty. I wanted to vote for Benton Blount more. I had planned to vote for Derek Hughes and Uzeyer Novruzov but I agreed with the judges comments on Derek Hughes. He came out and did rope tricks. I love the guy but he did rope tricks and they weren’t that original. There was Uzeyer Novruzov my favorite from the beginning! But, I just couldn’t vote for him in the finale, not when his performance was so lack luster. I understand he was hurt but it wasn’t fair to the other contestants that went out there and killed it.
My last and finale concern or recommendation rather, the prize money. America’s Got Talent makes millions and millions of dollars. They need to bump up the prize money. A million, paid out over 40 years? Really NBC? Bump it up to 2 million as the top price. Then, take a another million and give the number two person 500k, 350k for 3rd place and so on down to the number 10 spot. Go big or go home. Make the show bigger! Because a million dollars sounds great but when it’s paid out over 40 years, that’s about 2k a month. Sure, an extra 2k a month would be nice but it’s not about nice. It’s supposed to be “life changing”. And, if it’s a group that wins the big prize. How sad is that is going to be if a trio wins and their cut of the money is going to be less then $700.00 a month. Cough it up NBC. AGT is one of the few shows you have that doesn’t suck, throw more money at it.
Anyways, these are just some very unorganized thoughts I’ve had about the show. And, after re-watching the finale again last night I just had the urge to rant about it a little.
It’s official, I have decided, after careful consideration that I am throwing my support behind the Nuts/Stuff ticket for the 2016 Presidential election. This decision did not come easy. I had to look at all the candidates individually. I even looked at the republican clown car, hoping for some sign of intelligent life. Unfortunately, all I found were terribly misogynistic bigoted, homophobic, racist candidates promoting an agenda of half truths, denial, lies, paranoia and fear with a terrifying splash of war mongering thrown in for good measure. I can’t, in good conscious, vote for any of them.
There is some hope withing the democratic party, none of them are promoting, promising or hinting at getting into another war. They are all running campaigns based largely upon supporting the sciences, the middle class and the poor. All good things. If you take away all the fake, hypocritical, conspiracy theories waged by the republican party against the democrats running for president, the democrats stand head and shoulders above every single republican running for president.
So why I am supporting a Nutz/Stuff 2016 ticket if the democrats have by far the most competent of presidential candidates? It’s a good question and I’m glad you asked. The Nuts/Stuff 2016 presidential ticket is promising something no other ticket promises. It promises to lead the world not by war but rather it’s continual struggles for peace. It promises to lead by example rather than fear or by threat.
You see our great democracy became a symbol of freedom to the world not by the wars we waged but by the wars that never happened. The wars that were avoided by stunning acts of diplomacy. America was built by immigrants who believed that only in America could they get they get a fair shake. They came here with the belief that in America you could live a life free from religious persecution. They believed in a government that allowed you, not only, the freedom of religion but the freedom from it. They believed America truly was the land of opportunity.
I believe in those things too. Sadly, somewhere along the way this country steered of course. I believe that a Nuts/Stuff 2016 ticket promises a future where every person is treated with absolute equality regardless of race, sex, religion, sexual preference or gender identity. That we shouldn’t fear the unknown but rather embrace it and learn from it. A world in which we can learn to separate science from speculation. Where ideas can be expressed without fear and hate. A world where our morals stem from compassion and a good sense of right and wrong instead of fairytales and mysticism.
Or, perhaps, I’m just supporting a Deez Nuts and Butt Stuff presidential run because I like saying Deez Nuts and Butt Stuff because even in middle age I still am kid at heart.
If you’re completely unaware who Deez Nuts and Butt Stuff are, they are officially running for president. I’ve decided that they should join forces. Will they? I don’t know. Is any of what I said about them true? I have no idea. At the end of the day, I just wanted rant about our current state of political affairs.
I am now 46 years old and my introduction to Superman was with the 70’s when I first saw the old TV’s series starring 
