The Stranded is an episode that didn't air during Seinfeld's second season. Instead, it aired early in its third season. A quick message before the episode when it first aired had Jerry explaining about particularly George to assure the audience what they were watching was an episode that was made the year before.
Jerry and George are at a drug store finding flea medication. George asks Jerry to come to a party down in Long Island, mostly for a girl he saw in his office. We get to see a cheapness factor in him from buying medicine. The two along with Elaine go to the party. George is immediately with the office girl. Jerry and Elaine make conversation with others and try signals to get out of bad ones. They put some good humor into this part of the episode. George is told about making love and feels intimidated. Elaine gets a few bits of her own, including mocking a woman and getting angry over fur coat. Jerry doesn't have much else.
George leaves with the car with the office girl. Jerry and Elaine rely on Kramer and a phone call. Unfortunately, he comes by very late, way after the party. To the point where the wife of the home gets very frustrated. Jerry writes his address and number down for the husband Steve. It's interesting the guest star for that guy was Michael Chiklis. Long before The Shield and Fantastic Four, he was utilized for the second half of episode, which consists of him hanging out in Jerry's apartment and getting drunk with Kramer. There isn't much else. Another fur bit at the end, and George trying to steal from the drug store while explaining to Jerry his situation with the office girl.
There are some stuff to make you laugh, but overall, not a strong episode. It's nice to see all four involved in the main plot and a few callbacks to other episodes, however.
Score: 6 out of 10
Next week's review involves all four characters for the main story as well.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
NASCAR's Trials and Tribulations 2018
It's the current veterans that keep people watching NASCAR. It's the new generation of drivers that will keep interest in it. If these first two weeks meant anything, it showed that these guys will do anything necessary to get themselves wins and championships. Daytona and Atlanta both saw emotional wins coming from different sides of the Spectrum.
Last week's Daytona 500 seemed like it belong to Aric Almirola. However, he was touched by Austin Dillon and crashed into the wall. Dillon would take the lead on that last lap and won in the 3 car. Last year, he took Richard Childress Racing to victory lane in that number for the first time since 2000. On the day in 2001 when Dale Earnhardt was killed on this track and 20 years after that driver's only win there, Dillon won Daytona. It's huge for the team. Also huge was Darrell Wallace Jr. finishing second, going side by side with Denny Hamlin at the finish line in the 43 car. That was more along the line of the new generation drivers becoming the new faces of NASCAR.
Sunday's Atlanta race was marred by rain, but they got the race in. Ultimately, it became Kevin Harvick's as he was dominant. He's had a number of chances over the years, but he got his due once again. With this one, it was his second win in the Cup series. His first however was his first win ever back when it was the Winston Cup. The immediate backup to Earnhardt after he was killed, Harvick took over and won Atlanta in only his third start. At that time, he put out three fingers in honor of the late driver. He would repeat it again yesterday. This was more of a veterans kind of race as the top five were longtime guys, the top three being Ford's Brad Keselowski, and Clint Bowyer. Rounding out was Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr..
As the younger drivers keep fitting in, a handful of them seemed destined to get the huge wins. Last year, Kyle Larson pulled in four. Dillon and Ryan Blaney had one, the latter winning for the Wood Brothers. Chase Elliott is still looking for his first. Meanwhile, the veterans still have that kind of leadership to lead their teams and teammates to the Cup. It's very early in the year. We'll see if some of them are pretenders or continue strong to become contenders when those important races in the fall matters.
Last week's Daytona 500 seemed like it belong to Aric Almirola. However, he was touched by Austin Dillon and crashed into the wall. Dillon would take the lead on that last lap and won in the 3 car. Last year, he took Richard Childress Racing to victory lane in that number for the first time since 2000. On the day in 2001 when Dale Earnhardt was killed on this track and 20 years after that driver's only win there, Dillon won Daytona. It's huge for the team. Also huge was Darrell Wallace Jr. finishing second, going side by side with Denny Hamlin at the finish line in the 43 car. That was more along the line of the new generation drivers becoming the new faces of NASCAR.
Sunday's Atlanta race was marred by rain, but they got the race in. Ultimately, it became Kevin Harvick's as he was dominant. He's had a number of chances over the years, but he got his due once again. With this one, it was his second win in the Cup series. His first however was his first win ever back when it was the Winston Cup. The immediate backup to Earnhardt after he was killed, Harvick took over and won Atlanta in only his third start. At that time, he put out three fingers in honor of the late driver. He would repeat it again yesterday. This was more of a veterans kind of race as the top five were longtime guys, the top three being Ford's Brad Keselowski, and Clint Bowyer. Rounding out was Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr..
As the younger drivers keep fitting in, a handful of them seemed destined to get the huge wins. Last year, Kyle Larson pulled in four. Dillon and Ryan Blaney had one, the latter winning for the Wood Brothers. Chase Elliott is still looking for his first. Meanwhile, the veterans still have that kind of leadership to lead their teams and teammates to the Cup. It's very early in the year. We'll see if some of them are pretenders or continue strong to become contenders when those important races in the fall matters.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
NCAA Basketball Scandal 2018
I don't think it comes as a surprise whenever we hear about the latest scandals when it comes to NCAA sports. Basketball seems to keep rearing its head into controversy. And again, it happened. Reports from Yahoo Sports detail names of players and teams that accepted money, something the FBI has looked into. It's been something that has been targeted the last few years, which includes several schools getting rid of coaches like Louisville's Rick Pitino and several getting arrested.
Some of the teams on the list are not too shocking, but the amount on it are astonishing. An example is John Calipari's Kentucky team. The head coach has always found himself in some sanctioning incident. It happened at UMass in the mid 90s and Memphis in the 2000s. Other teams include a number of ones in the South, and that includes Duke and North Carolina. Denials have already come in place from coaches and members of the colleges mentioned in the report.
That being said, I wouldn't put too much stock into Yahoo Sports. They aren't exactly the brightest when it comes to creating stories. It comes off as too much fluff, regardless of what they covering. Hatred for Chris Chase was pretty common back then because of the way he did stories on sports, and unfortunately, that is why he is at Fox Sports now. But overall, I would say the site is about as useless as Inside Edition when it comes to stories.
It wouldn't surprise me if Calapari gets sanctioned and if a few teams get probation for a few years. Some are going to get wins vacated and the NCAA will probably have to think things over not just for basketball but for their entire sports league. Playing devil's advocate, it seems like a huge waste of resources for the FBI. There's bigger things to worry about than some college basketball recruiting scandal.
Someone's getting ousted, and I think we will find out after the National Championship game in April.
Some of the teams on the list are not too shocking, but the amount on it are astonishing. An example is John Calipari's Kentucky team. The head coach has always found himself in some sanctioning incident. It happened at UMass in the mid 90s and Memphis in the 2000s. Other teams include a number of ones in the South, and that includes Duke and North Carolina. Denials have already come in place from coaches and members of the colleges mentioned in the report.
That being said, I wouldn't put too much stock into Yahoo Sports. They aren't exactly the brightest when it comes to creating stories. It comes off as too much fluff, regardless of what they covering. Hatred for Chris Chase was pretty common back then because of the way he did stories on sports, and unfortunately, that is why he is at Fox Sports now. But overall, I would say the site is about as useless as Inside Edition when it comes to stories.
It wouldn't surprise me if Calapari gets sanctioned and if a few teams get probation for a few years. Some are going to get wins vacated and the NCAA will probably have to think things over not just for basketball but for their entire sports league. Playing devil's advocate, it seems like a huge waste of resources for the FBI. There's bigger things to worry about than some college basketball recruiting scandal.
Someone's getting ousted, and I think we will find out after the National Championship game in April.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Labo: Nintendo's Hit or Miss Project
I have been wanting to discuss Nintendo's latest ideas, but other blogs have gotten in the way. Without further adieu, let's talk about the Labo. It was announced a month ago and plans are to release towards the end of April of this year. I see this thing being a big question mark.
With Labo, you use materials and cardboard to build things around a Switch system. This is one of those things that is geared towards little kids. A do it yourself kind of product. That is where I would have concerns if I were Nintendo. This has the potential to do very well, but it could also backfire and the company would have a lot of egg on its face. They have understood at times since 1980 what kids want, but it comes off unnecessary.
I would think this is geared towards 8-12 year olds, but who knows. Those are the kind of kids that certainly would have some interest. The question would be how interested and their attention spans surrounding Labo. At the same time, how often will they use the product and not only use it, but also change it to something else. That or losing the cardboard or running out of materials. The price is a bit questionable. For 70 dollars, I'm not sure parents will bite immediately onto this. Especially for a system that sells controllers for that price.
I would be a bit skeptical despite the huge acclaim it has gotten since it's reveal back in January. If it does well, so be it. If it doesn't, well, it would show Nintendo's incompetence at understanding the market. Only time will tell come the end of April. The Switch needs quite a bit to keep going strong in its second year. For as unorthodox as it is, it could pave the way to covering more demographics.
With Labo, you use materials and cardboard to build things around a Switch system. This is one of those things that is geared towards little kids. A do it yourself kind of product. That is where I would have concerns if I were Nintendo. This has the potential to do very well, but it could also backfire and the company would have a lot of egg on its face. They have understood at times since 1980 what kids want, but it comes off unnecessary.
I would think this is geared towards 8-12 year olds, but who knows. Those are the kind of kids that certainly would have some interest. The question would be how interested and their attention spans surrounding Labo. At the same time, how often will they use the product and not only use it, but also change it to something else. That or losing the cardboard or running out of materials. The price is a bit questionable. For 70 dollars, I'm not sure parents will bite immediately onto this. Especially for a system that sells controllers for that price.
I would be a bit skeptical despite the huge acclaim it has gotten since it's reveal back in January. If it does well, so be it. If it doesn't, well, it would show Nintendo's incompetence at understanding the market. Only time will tell come the end of April. The Switch needs quite a bit to keep going strong in its second year. For as unorthodox as it is, it could pave the way to covering more demographics.
A Year of Blogs: What's the Future?
It has been a year since I started doing blogs. The first one was about a game project called RetroBlox (now named Polymega). For the first few months, I was pretty green with doing something like this. Once I did a review of a public access show that aired in the 90s, did it start to pay off a little bit. I learned more as I continue to gain experience from doing blogs. I learned ways to promote the content and to get people to read them. Hopefully this can grow into a big second year and achieve more than 10,000 views in its second year by February 2019.
I'm still working a job, but that doesn't mean I have given up on this. Blogs take time to become huge. For that, I thank anyone who has been able to read any of what I have written over the past year. My goal is still the same. To talk video games, TV, film, and sports. There are lots of stories to go on about in so little time.
Enjoy the past ones, and enjoy the ones that become current and the ones in the future. Here's to a good year 2.
I'm still working a job, but that doesn't mean I have given up on this. Blogs take time to become huge. For that, I thank anyone who has been able to read any of what I have written over the past year. My goal is still the same. To talk video games, TV, film, and sports. There are lots of stories to go on about in so little time.
Enjoy the past ones, and enjoy the ones that become current and the ones in the future. Here's to a good year 2.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Seinfeld: The Apartment Review
Seinfeld's first season episode, The Robbery, featured Jerry, George, and Elaine wanting new apartments. The Apartment focuses more on Elaine and the relationship/friendship aspect of both her and Jerry.
Jerry hears commotion from two guys. They mention a neighbor above him died. A search for a new tenant is resolved when he suggests giving it to Elaine. He gives her the news, we see a get out and shove. Jerry instantly regrets the decision, explaining what he did to George later at night. You can't blame him for not thinking this through immediately. Just the idea of an ex-girlfriend living in your building is something that no one wants to think of. It delivers a bit of tension and humor to the situation.
With that in mind, Jerry can't think of anyway to get rid of Elaine. The same two guys, Manny and Harold, cause commotion again, and he hears after talking to them in the building hallway that Manny is getting the apartment for five thousand dollars. He gets a plan to disappoint Elaine, which works well until Kramer opens his mouth about money not being a factor.
The rest of The Apartment has Jerry trying to find a way out and the ending for it is very interesting that makes it very funny and that not every show gets a happy ending. For the B plot, George decides to do an experiment. A friend of his got married and single women are flocking to him. He gets a wedding band from Kramer that belonged to his father. It's disappointing that they didn't try in multiple, but then it would detract from the main story. With what they put in, it's hilarious. Just the stuff women say to him with the ring on makes him the reason to be called "lord of the idiots."
Kramer doesn't have much for this episode. He puts mousse on his hair and adds to the A plot for Jerry and Elaine. It's amazing regarding the evolution of his hair and how crazier it looked as the show got further into the 90s. Writer Peter Mehlman makes good use of guest stars Tony Plana and Glenn Shadix without them overstaying their welcome in the episode as Manny and Harold. Giving a new writer a chance paid dividends. A solid episode in its own right. A decent main plot that gets laughs with a great B plot showcasing how low someone can get.
Score: 7 out of 10
Next week's episode review is an episode that didn't air during Season 2.
Jerry hears commotion from two guys. They mention a neighbor above him died. A search for a new tenant is resolved when he suggests giving it to Elaine. He gives her the news, we see a get out and shove. Jerry instantly regrets the decision, explaining what he did to George later at night. You can't blame him for not thinking this through immediately. Just the idea of an ex-girlfriend living in your building is something that no one wants to think of. It delivers a bit of tension and humor to the situation.
With that in mind, Jerry can't think of anyway to get rid of Elaine. The same two guys, Manny and Harold, cause commotion again, and he hears after talking to them in the building hallway that Manny is getting the apartment for five thousand dollars. He gets a plan to disappoint Elaine, which works well until Kramer opens his mouth about money not being a factor.
The rest of The Apartment has Jerry trying to find a way out and the ending for it is very interesting that makes it very funny and that not every show gets a happy ending. For the B plot, George decides to do an experiment. A friend of his got married and single women are flocking to him. He gets a wedding band from Kramer that belonged to his father. It's disappointing that they didn't try in multiple, but then it would detract from the main story. With what they put in, it's hilarious. Just the stuff women say to him with the ring on makes him the reason to be called "lord of the idiots."
Kramer doesn't have much for this episode. He puts mousse on his hair and adds to the A plot for Jerry and Elaine. It's amazing regarding the evolution of his hair and how crazier it looked as the show got further into the 90s. Writer Peter Mehlman makes good use of guest stars Tony Plana and Glenn Shadix without them overstaying their welcome in the episode as Manny and Harold. Giving a new writer a chance paid dividends. A solid episode in its own right. A decent main plot that gets laughs with a great B plot showcasing how low someone can get.
Score: 7 out of 10
Next week's episode review is an episode that didn't air during Season 2.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
You're Not Special, LeBron James
You can thank the NBA for giving their league freedom to say whatever they want. Especially for silver spoon players like LeBron James. With the shooting at Parkland Florida, the Cavalier took his shots at President Trump, putting his hand into politics yet again. A Fox News anchor, Laura Ingraham blasted at James and added in a hashtag Shut up and Dribble. Of course, both sides are met with criticism with certain Hollywood people siding with James, and others siding Ingraham.
It is a little uncalled for on Ingraham's side, but she's right. Anybody who thinks this is a race issue needs to stop with that. James wants to be involved in some way. He's an attention whore. He wouldn't understand a thing about politics. He's no different than the average person when it comes to hot button issues. This guy is basically a loser with a high school education. People worship James, and it gets sickening when they believe every thing he does or says. If it were Gregg Popovich or Mark Cuban, or Kevin Durant, we'd be hearing the same thing from Ingraham about saying they should shut up.
It's sad that Adam Silver doesn't do anything to calm this stuff down. This is also the same guy that refused to punish New York Knicks owner James Dolan for his treatment towards disgruntled fans. Is the commissioner of the NBA too chicken or scared to do anything to these guys? They gotta have some restrictions at some point of what you can say. You represent the NBA, show a little respect.
On the other side, Ingraham seemed destined for attention. She could have gotten her point across without relying on a hashtag. Both of this stuff is heat of the moment. Lots of sports fans in support and hatred for James. Vice versa for the anchor. Hollywood dummies like Ellen Pompeo have spoken and said their word. It's a never ending cycle and it's going to keep happening.
I doubt Fox News will change what they do. Same with the NBA. Silver does need to put his foot down on this. There's a fine line between saying your opinion and getting involved in politics. He needs to quit wimping out and delivering punishments to non-NBA game related stuff. If he keeps allowing this, it's going to get much worse with how the players and coaches act when it comes to politics.
It is a little uncalled for on Ingraham's side, but she's right. Anybody who thinks this is a race issue needs to stop with that. James wants to be involved in some way. He's an attention whore. He wouldn't understand a thing about politics. He's no different than the average person when it comes to hot button issues. This guy is basically a loser with a high school education. People worship James, and it gets sickening when they believe every thing he does or says. If it were Gregg Popovich or Mark Cuban, or Kevin Durant, we'd be hearing the same thing from Ingraham about saying they should shut up.
It's sad that Adam Silver doesn't do anything to calm this stuff down. This is also the same guy that refused to punish New York Knicks owner James Dolan for his treatment towards disgruntled fans. Is the commissioner of the NBA too chicken or scared to do anything to these guys? They gotta have some restrictions at some point of what you can say. You represent the NBA, show a little respect.
On the other side, Ingraham seemed destined for attention. She could have gotten her point across without relying on a hashtag. Both of this stuff is heat of the moment. Lots of sports fans in support and hatred for James. Vice versa for the anchor. Hollywood dummies like Ellen Pompeo have spoken and said their word. It's a never ending cycle and it's going to keep happening.
I doubt Fox News will change what they do. Same with the NBA. Silver does need to put his foot down on this. There's a fine line between saying your opinion and getting involved in politics. He needs to quit wimping out and delivering punishments to non-NBA game related stuff. If he keeps allowing this, it's going to get much worse with how the players and coaches act when it comes to politics.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Can We Prevent Future Shootings?
As I make a blog about what happened in Florida this week with yet another school shooting, I see the same usual thing. One group of people (such as the moronic LeBron James) want guns banned, blame politics, yada yada yada. The other side defends the use of guns and want to find reasons for why the bad guy did such a tragedy. The sad reality of this one, however, is that the FBI was notified back in September of Nikloas Cruz's comment on a YouTube video back in September.
If Ben Bennight's name hasn't been mentioned a lot other than the news, you'll know it on the Internet. Articles are going on that back in September last year, he noticed a video comment from Cruz, saying he was going to be a school shooter. That comment got Bennight's attention and it led to him calling the FBI in Mississippi where the vlogger lived and was asked questions not too long after that. With this shooting popping up, he was questioned again about knowing Cruz. He didn't.
While it is common to see threat comments on YouTube because of anger, something like saying they want to be a school shooter should raise red flags. The FBI has been an incompetent group for a very long time due to various reasons. They had a huge opportunity four plus months ago to question this, and they blew that. It's sad that this had to happen, but they could have prevented this from happening. This is a black eye to the United States.
To be honest, I don't know what can prevent shootings in the future. The FBI has to be a lot better at taking a school shooter comment seriously. Banning guns is not going to solve anything at all. Neither is any gun reform, firing of politicians, or any of that. There isn't a simple answer. It's very complicated with all sorts of red tape that it could still be a problem when there are new generations of people once we are gone from the world.
We have a lot to do to look at things like mental health, the shooter's history, and any other things that don't seem right. As usual, people look for scapegoats like video games. Instead of shifting blame on a medium or the NRA immediately, let's find the cause of the person's problem and use it as a way to future steps of preventing these kind of shootings from happening. If we can, we can build a better future and people won't have to worry about a psycho on the loose. Otherwise, we're going to keep seeing the same whiny liberals and the very defensive conservatives butt heads over and over like a running gag.
If Ben Bennight's name hasn't been mentioned a lot other than the news, you'll know it on the Internet. Articles are going on that back in September last year, he noticed a video comment from Cruz, saying he was going to be a school shooter. That comment got Bennight's attention and it led to him calling the FBI in Mississippi where the vlogger lived and was asked questions not too long after that. With this shooting popping up, he was questioned again about knowing Cruz. He didn't.
While it is common to see threat comments on YouTube because of anger, something like saying they want to be a school shooter should raise red flags. The FBI has been an incompetent group for a very long time due to various reasons. They had a huge opportunity four plus months ago to question this, and they blew that. It's sad that this had to happen, but they could have prevented this from happening. This is a black eye to the United States.
To be honest, I don't know what can prevent shootings in the future. The FBI has to be a lot better at taking a school shooter comment seriously. Banning guns is not going to solve anything at all. Neither is any gun reform, firing of politicians, or any of that. There isn't a simple answer. It's very complicated with all sorts of red tape that it could still be a problem when there are new generations of people once we are gone from the world.
We have a lot to do to look at things like mental health, the shooter's history, and any other things that don't seem right. As usual, people look for scapegoats like video games. Instead of shifting blame on a medium or the NRA immediately, let's find the cause of the person's problem and use it as a way to future steps of preventing these kind of shootings from happening. If we can, we can build a better future and people won't have to worry about a psycho on the loose. Otherwise, we're going to keep seeing the same whiny liberals and the very defensive conservatives butt heads over and over like a running gag.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
What Are Girls Wants and Needs?
This isn't a Valentine's topic, but a relationship one overall for guys and maybe girls who have some frustration. Personally as a guy, I'd love to go on a date with a girl. Develop a relationship in hopes of getting married, have kids, the usual shtick. But what drives a girl to want someone in their life? That significant other?
Well, that depends on what they want and what they need in their life and relationship ideals. I would say they would want someone intelligent and vice versa. There might be a few that get tired of the low IQ ones and break off the relationship. As far as looks go, I think there has to be a little bit of competence. While girls might vision a Fabio or some model, they have to be realistic about the person being average looking or at least have a nice face. Of course, there is the common interests aspect. Sometimes, opposites do attract for specific reasons. There are girls that are into the outdoor scene. Things like fishing, hiking, the whole nine yards. Then there is the ones that are geeky, or homebodies.
That being said, you do gotta be careful with girls personalities. They might have a political side that might be different from yours. Having their own kids from a previous relationship might be a huge obstacle depending on that situation. While guys do get the brunt of having affairs, girls are capable of doing affairs of their own, so I would be a little cautious. There's a lot of things, but it's up to both sides to say whether or not they want to be together.
Overall, just be yourself and don't get nervous like me. Have the confidence to begin a relationship and let it grow into something special.
Well, that depends on what they want and what they need in their life and relationship ideals. I would say they would want someone intelligent and vice versa. There might be a few that get tired of the low IQ ones and break off the relationship. As far as looks go, I think there has to be a little bit of competence. While girls might vision a Fabio or some model, they have to be realistic about the person being average looking or at least have a nice face. Of course, there is the common interests aspect. Sometimes, opposites do attract for specific reasons. There are girls that are into the outdoor scene. Things like fishing, hiking, the whole nine yards. Then there is the ones that are geeky, or homebodies.
That being said, you do gotta be careful with girls personalities. They might have a political side that might be different from yours. Having their own kids from a previous relationship might be a huge obstacle depending on that situation. While guys do get the brunt of having affairs, girls are capable of doing affairs of their own, so I would be a little cautious. There's a lot of things, but it's up to both sides to say whether or not they want to be together.
Overall, just be yourself and don't get nervous like me. Have the confidence to begin a relationship and let it grow into something special.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Seinfeld: The Phone Message Review
I'll give the skinny for why The Phone Message exists. An unmade episode, The Bet, was cancelled quickly, and Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld wrote this very quickly. If you want more into the cancelled one, check out my blog. The Phone Message is based on stuff that happened to David and on the Inside Look, a canned skit he wrote for Saturday Night Live.
It's a Jerry and George episode, mostly George's. He explains to Jerry about going on a date with a girl after being called a wuss at work. It's an interesting concept. The date with goes actually well. Jerry has a date, too, and it goes successful as well. Both go downhill. George's date, Carol, asks him to go up for coffee and he declines. The regret he has is funny. Jerry goes back to his place with his date, Donna. A discussion of funny material leads to talk over a Dockers commercial. He hates it, she likes it.
George becomes obsessed with what happened and he leaves a phone message. He leaves a few more and fears the worst that Carol will hear what he had to say and responding a few days in a row. In Elaine's only scene in the episode, she talks about a brother in law doing something stupid on an answering machine and switched a tape at the person's apartment. It leaves George doing the idea and getting Jerry to help him out.
The only thing I'll say with the last part of the episode is that it feels like an advanced version of The Stakeout except for a few different reasons. Jerry and George's banter is funny and they feed off each other very well. Just the concept alone is good. Jerry's story is just the Dockers thing with Donna. It reminds me of some episodes when the show got big where Jerry talks certain things about his dates to his friends and the dates getting pissed. Though the last of his story is not necessarily his fault. As I said, Elaine only has one scene, but it is pivotal. Kramer only has two scenes. One is a stand up bit for Jerry and pissing off Donna in the other one for the Dockers thing.
It could be worse. Not a bad episode, but definitely comes off as a first season episode.
Score: 7 out of 10
Next week's review is another apartment searching episode.
It's a Jerry and George episode, mostly George's. He explains to Jerry about going on a date with a girl after being called a wuss at work. It's an interesting concept. The date with goes actually well. Jerry has a date, too, and it goes successful as well. Both go downhill. George's date, Carol, asks him to go up for coffee and he declines. The regret he has is funny. Jerry goes back to his place with his date, Donna. A discussion of funny material leads to talk over a Dockers commercial. He hates it, she likes it.
George becomes obsessed with what happened and he leaves a phone message. He leaves a few more and fears the worst that Carol will hear what he had to say and responding a few days in a row. In Elaine's only scene in the episode, she talks about a brother in law doing something stupid on an answering machine and switched a tape at the person's apartment. It leaves George doing the idea and getting Jerry to help him out.
The only thing I'll say with the last part of the episode is that it feels like an advanced version of The Stakeout except for a few different reasons. Jerry and George's banter is funny and they feed off each other very well. Just the concept alone is good. Jerry's story is just the Dockers thing with Donna. It reminds me of some episodes when the show got big where Jerry talks certain things about his dates to his friends and the dates getting pissed. Though the last of his story is not necessarily his fault. As I said, Elaine only has one scene, but it is pivotal. Kramer only has two scenes. One is a stand up bit for Jerry and pissing off Donna in the other one for the Dockers thing.
It could be worse. Not a bad episode, but definitely comes off as a first season episode.
Score: 7 out of 10
Next week's review is another apartment searching episode.
Friday, February 9, 2018
Thursday, February 8, 2018
The Bet, An Unmade Seinfeld Episode
Any TV show will have plot ideas that either are shelved, revised or brought back. Like most, Seinfeld has ones that never saw the light of day. It's most famous one almost made it to production, but didn't because of how uncomfortable the cast was. That would be The Bet or The Gun in this short blog
You're going to have a hard time finding the inside look of it since it's near impossible to find, so I'll go by what I've read on articles and any recollection from watching the inside look. For the episode, Elaine thinks about arming herself with a gun for protection in a bet against Jerry. Another bet consists of George and Kramer in one whether or not Kramer had sex with a flight attendant. They had stuff set up for this. They had guest stars, a set. Everything seemed to be in order when they started production in late 1990.
Then again, this was written by Larry Charles. As I've said in The Baby Shower review, his type of episodes were dark plots and absurd moments. His script got the main cast feeling very uncomfortable. Just the stuff that he wanted Julia Louis-Dreyfus to say would send a chill down your spine. I know this is a sitcom and all, but this would have been a banned episode or at least controversial if this was filmed and aired. References to assassinated presidents would not have helped. Gun related humor for the most part is typically unfunny, especially for a show that had struggles early on.
This is why The Phone Message exists. I'm sure that the crew had to keep Charles at bay with his material. There's a lot of things you can get away with in film and channels like HBO, but not prime time networks. Luckily, he calmed a bit and while he still wrote dark stories, they didn't go completely overboard like this unmade episode.
You're going to have a hard time finding the inside look of it since it's near impossible to find, so I'll go by what I've read on articles and any recollection from watching the inside look. For the episode, Elaine thinks about arming herself with a gun for protection in a bet against Jerry. Another bet consists of George and Kramer in one whether or not Kramer had sex with a flight attendant. They had stuff set up for this. They had guest stars, a set. Everything seemed to be in order when they started production in late 1990.
Then again, this was written by Larry Charles. As I've said in The Baby Shower review, his type of episodes were dark plots and absurd moments. His script got the main cast feeling very uncomfortable. Just the stuff that he wanted Julia Louis-Dreyfus to say would send a chill down your spine. I know this is a sitcom and all, but this would have been a banned episode or at least controversial if this was filmed and aired. References to assassinated presidents would not have helped. Gun related humor for the most part is typically unfunny, especially for a show that had struggles early on.
This is why The Phone Message exists. I'm sure that the crew had to keep Charles at bay with his material. There's a lot of things you can get away with in film and channels like HBO, but not prime time networks. Luckily, he calmed a bit and while he still wrote dark stories, they didn't go completely overboard like this unmade episode.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Seinfeld: The Chinese Restaurant Review
While Seinfeld today is regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms ever, it still had hurdles in 1991. For one, NBC was not pleased with their episode, The Chinese Restaurant. To keep in mind, this was a mid season replacement show. This was a production in the middle of producing season two episodes, but like The Busboy, aired very late. The network did let it air in late May. If you get a chance, watch the inside look. They had quite a bit of people talking about it, including an NBC executive.
It's a premise that is so simple, yet executed well by both Larry David and Jerry, based on an actual experience the two had. Jerry, Elaine, and George are out trying to get seated at a Chinese restaurant. That's it. No Monk's Cafe, no Jerry's apartment. Just stand up at the beginning and end, with the episode taking place only in that restaurant. That alone pissed off NBC to where they hated it. Hard to imagine since this is one of the show's most loved episodes.
As per usual for a Seinfeld episode, they're not getting seated and they wait desperately. I really wish I could talk more about this episode, but there's no filler. Jerry wants to go see in the theater Plan 9 From Outer Space. He also makes a lie to his uncle about going to his place for dinner, but gets caught in the end. George is waiting on a phone call from a girl, and you can pretty much guess what happens. Elaine doesn't have anything other than being very hungry. Kramer is not in this episode, which is a little strange Their idea was he never left his apartment as they explained in the inside look.
Hunger does a lot when someone doesn't get their food. David and Seinfeld make it very apparent with Elaine and give her quite a bit of emotions. It's weird having George trying to be a normal human in society. Easy to see why he becomes a funny cheapskate jerk as the show goes on. Even Jerry having issues with family is funny. Anything he does wrong, and many members will find out. A nice guest star they had was James Hong playing the host of the restaurant and being a thorn in the three's side. Then again, he's just doing his job.
Despite no Kramer, it's very funny, and less is more is not a bad thing. You don't see an episode go 15 minutes and then head for it's first commercials. It's rather easy to forget how strong some of these early episodes are, especially for a second season one.
Score: 8 out of 10
Next week's episode is one that was written quickly because of an unmade episode never making it past rehearsals.
Hunger does a lot when someone doesn't get their food. David and Seinfeld make it very apparent with Elaine and give her quite a bit of emotions. It's weird having George trying to be a normal human in society. Easy to see why he becomes a funny cheapskate jerk as the show goes on. Even Jerry having issues with family is funny. Anything he does wrong, and many members will find out. A nice guest star they had was James Hong playing the host of the restaurant and being a thorn in the three's side. Then again, he's just doing his job.
Despite no Kramer, it's very funny, and less is more is not a bad thing. You don't see an episode go 15 minutes and then head for it's first commercials. It's rather easy to forget how strong some of these early episodes are, especially for a second season one.
Score: 8 out of 10
Next week's episode is one that was written quickly because of an unmade episode never making it past rehearsals.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Hero to Zero New England
The New England Patriots lost last night to the Philadelphia Eagles. Matt Patricia coordinated one of the worst games of his career, giving up over 500 yards and 41 points in last night's Super Bowl. One of the big blemishes and fails to people was not how much the defense faltered, but who wasn't on it. A game time decision was made not to have corner Malcolm Butler play. The result was not getting any snaps on defense.
For those who don't know, Butler was an undrafted free agent who signed with the Patriots in 2014. His name would be recognized after his interception at the very end of Super Bowl 49. After that, he has played three more years which includes this last one. He has been one of their bigger contributors to the secondary. That being said, something must have happened. The media asked that question to him and coach Bill Belichick. Belichick said it was a coach's decision. As usual, he is vague and doesn't explain in detail. Not too long after the game was finished, the media tried to get something out of Butler. In the end, he thought the team gave up on him.
For as much as I don't care for both Super Bowl teams this year, this has got to be one of the biggest gaffes not just for a New England team, but any team overall. Butler didn't exactly have a great 2017 season, but it wasn't horrible. Considering the first half of the game, he probably could have made a few plays, especially when his replacement Eric Rowe got burned on Alshon Jeffrey's touchdown catch. This will be on Belichick's conscious for a while, and it will be talked all year, even when the 2018 season comes in September
Belichick will view 95 percent of his team as expendable. As I've said, this is the guy who cut Bernie Kosar in the middle of the 1993 season when he coached the Cleveland Browns. He's not afraid to find new personnel for both his offense and defense. Even with that, it's not entirely the defense's fault, though it was mostly that. The Partiots didn't run the ball too well. Questionable throws despite Brady's 505 yards. It's definitely a few other players, but the defense made it worse and rightfully so.
If anything, Butler's time in New England is over. Not a pretty way to say thanks for his four years. From hero to a big zero, that will sting a lot worse than the Super Bowl loss. Belichick is selfish at times and doesn't get it. Unfortunately, I think we won't get an honest answer. The Patriots have a lot things to look over and how they deal with their defense is another story. Dreams can be a nightmare.
For those who don't know, Butler was an undrafted free agent who signed with the Patriots in 2014. His name would be recognized after his interception at the very end of Super Bowl 49. After that, he has played three more years which includes this last one. He has been one of their bigger contributors to the secondary. That being said, something must have happened. The media asked that question to him and coach Bill Belichick. Belichick said it was a coach's decision. As usual, he is vague and doesn't explain in detail. Not too long after the game was finished, the media tried to get something out of Butler. In the end, he thought the team gave up on him.
For as much as I don't care for both Super Bowl teams this year, this has got to be one of the biggest gaffes not just for a New England team, but any team overall. Butler didn't exactly have a great 2017 season, but it wasn't horrible. Considering the first half of the game, he probably could have made a few plays, especially when his replacement Eric Rowe got burned on Alshon Jeffrey's touchdown catch. This will be on Belichick's conscious for a while, and it will be talked all year, even when the 2018 season comes in September
Belichick will view 95 percent of his team as expendable. As I've said, this is the guy who cut Bernie Kosar in the middle of the 1993 season when he coached the Cleveland Browns. He's not afraid to find new personnel for both his offense and defense. Even with that, it's not entirely the defense's fault, though it was mostly that. The Partiots didn't run the ball too well. Questionable throws despite Brady's 505 yards. It's definitely a few other players, but the defense made it worse and rightfully so.
If anything, Butler's time in New England is over. Not a pretty way to say thanks for his four years. From hero to a big zero, that will sting a lot worse than the Super Bowl loss. Belichick is selfish at times and doesn't get it. Unfortunately, I think we won't get an honest answer. The Patriots have a lot things to look over and how they deal with their defense is another story. Dreams can be a nightmare.
Super Bowl LII Recap
There were a lot of storylines regarding Super Bowl LII. Philadelphia went to the game in 1980 and 2004, both of which were losses. New England has gone five and four. Five wins in 2001, 03, 04, 14 and 16, with losses in 1985, 96, 2007, and 11. They both met in the 04 season, another close one in the Super Bowl. When it's all said and done, Philly went toe to toe and won it's first ever Super Bowl and it's fourth overall championship.
Jitters might be the word I would describe the first quarter, particularly the kicking game. Missed extra points from both Jake Elliott and Stephen Gostkowski. A bad handle from punter Ryan Allen caused Gostkowski to miss a 26 yard field goal in the second quarter. Other than that, it was a very thrilling game that went down to the wire. It seemed like every drive was going to end up with points with the final being 41 to 33 Eagles. Only one punt was seen in the entire game. Gutsy calls on fourth down favored the Eagles while the Patriots attempt early in the game faltered.
Yards piled up to the point where Tom Brady had 400 yards passing before the fourth quarter started, and he ended up with 505. Both teams combined for 1,151 yards. This is a record ever for any game in NFL history, regular and postseason. Nick Foles had a very strong game, which we will get to in a short moment. He joins Doug Williams and Jeff Hostetler as the only guys to start three or less games and win a Super Bowl (Williams for Washington in 1987, Hostetler for the Giants in 1990) Each side ran for 100 yards combined from their ground game. Philadelphia dominated it with reaching 160 plus.
For the Eagles, they make the NFC East the first division to have all four teams as Super Bowl winners. Foles was unstoppable. Outside of the interception, he had just over 370 yards and three touchdowns. He made plays when he needed to and finished one of the finer postseasons for a player. LeGarrette Blount had a big game with 90 yards rushing and a touchdown. Nelson Agholor and Corey Clement were big contributors. Zach Ertz gave them the lead for good with his touchdown. Foles even got a receiving touchdown himself. Defensively, they did not let up, and it led to the only sack in the game being a big deal. Despite the points they gave up, they were relentless and played for 60 minutes, something most teams can't do against New England. A tough secondary and a front four group adds a lot more with their ability to stop most plays.
Regarding the Patriots, it is their third loss under Bill Belichick, all being NFC East teams during his tenure. (Two losses against the Giants) Not only that, but it is their fifth Super Bowl loss overall going back to their first one in 1985, which is a record in itself. There will definitely be some retooling come next year. The defense didn't give up much in points this year, but it was shredded in pass defense. Tonight was no exception. Their run defense wasn't abysmal, but it looked really bad against the Eagles. Their fourth down play early in the game didn't pay off. A pass to Brady as a receiver failed miserably. Gostkowski's missed kicks hurt them. James White and Dion Lewis didn't amount to anything tonight. Too many mistakes in every facet was very noticeable. With Josh McDaniels (though whether he takes the job as Colts coach as of now is now a big question) and Matt Patricia on the verge of leaving to be head coaches, a big question will be how the Patriots handle having new coordinators.
Something will have to give in Philly. Where does Nick Foles go? Does Carson Wentz still have the starting job? A lot of decisions have to be made if they want to repeat. In New England, it will be a matter of how much this Super Bowl loss will sting for Belichick and Brady. Judging by the benching of Malcolm Butler, something tells me that team is going to start ridding of players they think would hurt them. It wouldn't surprise me. After all, this is the same coach that cut Bernie Kosar in the middle of the 1993 season when he coached the Cleveland Browns. Anything can happen under Belichick. I would think they would rebound, but who knows.
Odds are the riots are going very strong in Philadelphia due to the city going nuts over this win. In a few days, I will discuss the Hall of Fame players that got their call this past weekend. Until then, savor one of the most entertaining Super Bowls in recent memory.
Friday, February 2, 2018
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Shut Up, Millennials! (The Whiny Ones, At Least)
I will always consider myself a Generation Y kid and generalize 1983 through 97 as that group. Unfortunately, that ugly phrase, millennial, is used in place of Gen Y and is accepted as that. However, that's not that point of this blog. This is about whiny millennials crying about James Bond 007 films.
Most people now these days will find a vast array of films, showcasing different eras of time. James Bond has been a relevant franchise since the 50s and since the 60s with the movies made around Ian Fleming's secret agent. In the case of millennials, articles are publishing about the whining about how racist and sexist the early ones are. This is considering recently as well that they are not just criticizing 50 year old stuff. The TV show Friends has gotten criticized for homophobic jokes and lines, and that started airing from 1994 until 2004.
To the ones criticizing this stuff, this is what I have to say. Shut the fuck up, you over privileged, over sheltered, coddled, spoiled, rotten, uncultured, thin skinned, over sensitive, snotty, four flushing moronic pieces of shit. These kind of films and shows are a product of their time. You can't criticize every little thing that happened back in 1962 and expect it to be like 2018. There was a time where you could say queer. Now, we don't today. I wonder how any of you will react to Austin Powers, which was a huge parody of Bond films and had a lot of sexual references.
I wonder how many would react to stuff from plays like A Streetcar Named Desire, which came around in 1947. It's sad that these kind of millennials are getting offended so easily by different eras of film. They are not the only ones seeing them. Hell, when Looney Tunes started releasing their shorts on DVD, they put up a few things in them to say that their very old cartoons might have certain things that reflected the era they were in. After all, most generations have seen at least a cartoon or two of this group. It'll be funny to see how many would also react from the One Beer episode of Tiny Toon Adventures or any kids cartoon with smoking or drinking.
These millennials crying need to grow a pair and look at culture from back then without bursting into rage and tears. Despite how racist Blazing Saddles is, it is still a very funny film. One of these days, they will get older and a new generation will do the same thing. It is an endless cycle, only except today, they vent on social media. The Internet may be great, but it is a very dangerous weapon.
Most people now these days will find a vast array of films, showcasing different eras of time. James Bond has been a relevant franchise since the 50s and since the 60s with the movies made around Ian Fleming's secret agent. In the case of millennials, articles are publishing about the whining about how racist and sexist the early ones are. This is considering recently as well that they are not just criticizing 50 year old stuff. The TV show Friends has gotten criticized for homophobic jokes and lines, and that started airing from 1994 until 2004.
To the ones criticizing this stuff, this is what I have to say. Shut the fuck up, you over privileged, over sheltered, coddled, spoiled, rotten, uncultured, thin skinned, over sensitive, snotty, four flushing moronic pieces of shit. These kind of films and shows are a product of their time. You can't criticize every little thing that happened back in 1962 and expect it to be like 2018. There was a time where you could say queer. Now, we don't today. I wonder how any of you will react to Austin Powers, which was a huge parody of Bond films and had a lot of sexual references.
I wonder how many would react to stuff from plays like A Streetcar Named Desire, which came around in 1947. It's sad that these kind of millennials are getting offended so easily by different eras of film. They are not the only ones seeing them. Hell, when Looney Tunes started releasing their shorts on DVD, they put up a few things in them to say that their very old cartoons might have certain things that reflected the era they were in. After all, most generations have seen at least a cartoon or two of this group. It'll be funny to see how many would also react from the One Beer episode of Tiny Toon Adventures or any kids cartoon with smoking or drinking.
These millennials crying need to grow a pair and look at culture from back then without bursting into rage and tears. Despite how racist Blazing Saddles is, it is still a very funny film. One of these days, they will get older and a new generation will do the same thing. It is an endless cycle, only except today, they vent on social media. The Internet may be great, but it is a very dangerous weapon.
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