YouTube Videos: May 21-27

 

Looney Silver

Has Adam Silver suffered so much brain damage? Serious question. Because he keeps hurting himself and the NBA.

Ratings haven't exactly been a strong point this season. The playoffs have seen some boost, but not anywhere that I think that they would like to see. One troubling concern as always is LeBron James. I think the commissioner is too afraid to speak out against him for some of his actions. There is also the double standard given James was at an outdoor event not long before the Lakers faced the Warriors. The league determined he didn't violate any COVID protocols. That's bad because other big name players have sat out because of violations. The babying of the top player is something Silver does not realize and also doesn't grasp why fans are tired of the bias and favoritism.

The next couple of things Silver wants to do is ridiculous. One is the idea of a mid season tournament. This was something talked about a couple years ago. Probably shelved because of the pandemic. With things going back to normal somewhat, the league wants to explore more into it with the tournament and possibly reduce the season to 78 games. How exactly will this improve the league if it were to be approved? Arenas don't want to lose revenue. Wear and tear is heading towards spoiled brat territory, barring injuries.  If this is for a ratings boost, this would fail. I can't imagine most players wanting this. Silver is out of touch with grasping new ideas.

This last one is not exactly ridiculous, but I have a bad feeling about it. There is a brand new league in Africa that just started play well over a week ago. Basketball is big in other parts of the world. Europe, obviously. Many countries have teams when the Olympics come about. It makes a lot of sense to have expansion. I just worry about the dangers of being in that region of the world and potential exploitation of players. Some desperation? I doubt it, but I'm not sure where Silver is going with this.

Silver has a bottom line to worry about, and I think he's running out of ideas on how to improve his league. He better hope the playoffs are rated higher compared to last year. Having the Knicks helps. Big match ups with teams like the Jazz and Bucks are always needed. But will it be enough to curb any bleeding? The next month will dictate the direction the NBA goes. 

Geeks and Jocks: Episode 77

New episode.

https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-77-Searching-for-Bored-e11ith8

Explorer Finishes

If you were around in the second half of the 90s, computers were the rage. It also marked the Internet paving the way. Microsoft went for their share with Internet Explorer, competing against Netscape Navigator. The former led the way and has been a dominant browser. To last 26 years is a feat, but plans are to finish up with it. Sites such as The Verge and Cnet have put out articles and others have followed by announcing that the browser will be finished next year.

There is an alternative called Edge that Microsoft created in 2015. Basically, it's their way of trying to adapt to a better and more reliable form of Internet browsing. That comes into play because as technology gets bigger and grander, it gets more difficult to keep an aging product going. Internet Explorer has had many issues over the years and it couldn't handle modern stuff. But Edge, according to The Verge, has a mode for it with support until at least 2029.

One of the concerns is compatibility. Microsoft is aware of old websites and Edge provides a smoother experience for them. Not everyone uses modern tools for their websites. Going off topic for a second, Windows XP still had a lot of usage from various businesses. I'm not sure how many upgraded since 2014, but comfortability is also a factor. Granted, this stuff won't be 100 percent perfect, but transitioning will help make things a bit better and prepare for a future without Explorer.

No matter what, technology always ends at some point. What are your memories of Internet Explorer? Send your thoughts. 

Boring Entertainment

This was a while ago and I wanted to see if anything developed further. Water over the bridge? I don't know. But it does raise eyebrows in how entertainment is. Donald Glover has had a lot of success over the years. Two TV shows, movies that drive the box office. Yet, he fears cancellation and he tweeted a couple weeks ago about entertainment being boring. Safe shows and films, everything blending together into one program. It has become problematic, especially with comedians showing displeasure at cancel culture and newer content.

Glover has a show called Atlanta. It's due to return for a few more seasons on FX. I have never seen the show, but I would imagine it pushes boundaries in its humor. Some of it probably not suitable for some audiences, kind of like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Comedians don't even bother with colleges anymore because of the potential of offending one little snowflake. Jerry Seinfeld himself stopped performing at colleges long before this topic became a hot button issue. Not to mention his sitcom probably wouldn't last as long as it did if it was new today.

Studios want to hit checkmarks for specific spots of entertainment. That includes diversity and staying with current event stuff. I'm not fully against it as long as it feels natural and not forced. When it is organic, it can create many emotions and leads to discussions and questions about said program or film. Doing it for the sake of doing it will only cause more people to tune out because of agendas. Glover did delete his tweets about boring entertainment, but it is something that people won't forget. We're not in the 80s anymore where everything has to be sanitized. Maybe we should look back at the 90s in terms of creativity and understand why certain stuff was liked and celebrated before getting offended.

YouTube Videos: May 14-20

 

Geeks and Jocks: Episode 76

New episode.

https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-76-Searching-the-Bully-e114o1c

Where Have the Anchors Go?

I can't even tell you who even does SportsCenter anymore on ESPN. There's Hannah Storm, but anyone else, no clue. It's all reaction show crap and Rachel Nichols being an idiot right now (cringe worthy interview she did with Tim Duncan) with the NBA show. I forgot Kenny Mayne was even still there. Whenever he finishes up on his contract with the network, he'll leave behind a 27 year tenure where he rose up very quickly after a few years.

There's a lot of love for Mayne. It's really the SportsCenter people that were there 15 to 30 years ago. Whether it's a Dan Patrick, Robin Roberts, Stuart Scott, they were household names for a reason. With Mayne, he had a way of doing highlights and could do a joke regarding said highlight. Some of these anchors were like that. Unfortunately, that was a different era and ESPN continues to lose sight of why people go to their channels.

Now these days, it's about First Take this, too much emphasis on the NBA and stories regarding politics and athletes mixed in just to name a few things. Your entertainment value and need to look at what is going on in sports is in a huge decline. And losing people like Mayne makes the network look more like a relic. The reason he said was because of a pay cut. I don't know if that's the truth, but take it as you will. Idiots like Max Kellerman are leading the way, and I'd hate to see where ESPN is in five years time. Sure, there will be a nostalgia for guys like him, but nowhere the staying power of Mayne and many others from long ago.

Many voices in the last few years for sports have left or retired. Who can lead the way? 

Celebrity Cyberbully

This is courtesy of Twitter, but they have been deleted. It doesn't make the story less relevant in the last 48 hours, though. There are very bratty celebrities. Whether it's that piece of shit Mark Hamill or LeBron James, you know their M.O. when it comes to speaking out of their minds. More so their ass. I present a really bad person in model Chrissy Teigen. I would view her as an attention whore who wants the spotlight on her all the time. Very vicious and always complaining. With stories popping up now of tweets from even a decade ago, she is a steaming pile of garbage.

It stems from stuff Teigen said about Courtney Stodden. Ten years ago, Stodden married Doug Hutchison. She was only 16 years old and he was 50. Age of consent is that age in many states of the United States. Regardless, I don't blame some of these news type people for going after her. The potential grooming and all that, thought that doesn't excuse the behavior of people like Joy Behar and even Anderson Cooper. From sites like Daily Beast, it's been brought up of Teigen saying that Stodden should kill herself and several variations of it. It's very despicable to go after a teenager and say that. That's how suicides happen. Look at the incident from 2014 where Michelle Carter told her boyfriend to kill himself. This was long before Teigen got really big as a name, but it doesn't stop.

There has been several other targets long before her tirades regarding people like former President Trump. One was Lindsay Lohan in 2011. Insinuating that Lohan was bothered about the success of Emma Stone and thinking she would slit herself even more. Calling Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham vile names a couple years later around 2013/14.  Harassing then ten year old Quvenzhane Wallis because she wanted people to get her name correctly. Those are just a few people, though. She's probably said a number of things to others that are extremely disturbing.

It's one thing to do this long before you get big. But most of it was around or just after Teigen married John Legend. She, like many celebrities, lack the intellect to understand the consequences of their tweets. Has the brain of a teenager. The fact that she has still acted like this in her 30s. Eventually, they get caught. Right now, she's trying to save herself from embarrassment by trying to apologize. Most are not biting and saying she needs mental help. I think companies should cut their ties with Teigen and tell her to re-evaluate her life. She and Legend have a daughter. Maybe this should serve as a lesson if she can even understand that. A day will come when Luna will get treated like crap because of her mother's attitude. Maybe it's time big tech starts intervening and puts some of these celebs and news reporters in their place. It's going to explode one day and the finger will be pointed at social media.

YouTube Videos: May 7-13

 

Geeks and Jocks: Episode 75

The 75th episode. 

https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-75-Not-Mad--But-Disappointed-e10mmh0

TLC Channel Toxicity

Just for the record, I don't watch this stuff outside of Dr. Pimple Popper. The TLC channel used to have meaning. When it came to reality shows, it wasn't all trash or toxic. I will speak my thoughts on mostly the Duggars and the issue with the channel and quick thoughts as why them and Discovery find themselves in trouble with people they choose for shows. Beginning with the Duggars, they have been a mainstay for TLC for over a decade. It began with X Kids and Counting. I remember the first incident in 2015 involving the eldest son, Josh. Stories of molesting a few of his own sisters and other vile things led to its cancellation. Not too long after that came the spin-off, Counting On. 

Now, Josh has found himself in trouble again. This time, for child porn and was arrested a few weeks ago. The guy is not involved with Counting On according to various news sites, but it has created a lot of backlash. We're talking that a person on Change.org made a petition to remove everything relating to the Duggars. No streaming of their shows, no reruns, no nothing. TLC has stayed mum on it outside of being "saddened", and that's not the best way of handling it. When the first incident occurred and the spin-off came about, I'd figured it had to do with money. It's both these sides' meal ticket. There's also stories about the profits and money going to the parents, Jim Bob and Michelle. Some of the kids have left over the course of these last six years.

The fact that this happened a second time should be a very obvious red flag. I don't care if he isn't on the show, TLC needs to wake up. Potential consequences can happen, and that could include a lengthy prison sentence if Josh is found guilty. The Duggars are a fake family that hides behind religious values. I'm not going to say all of them are fake, but they send a bad image to these types and allowing bad things to happen. Some of those younger kids are going to have to endure a lot of pain of the stories that come up and for the molested sisters, repressed memories if it hasn't happened already.  Whether they get cancelled or not, I'm not sure. 

TLC has had a very bad track record with shows involving families. Something bad occurs like a divorce, behind the scenes stuff. There's an article on cafemom.com that mentioned another TLC show's star saying the Duggars should be canned and supposedly he got sexually abused during the time on his show.  The closest thing to any major incidents of families for Discovery's line of channels is HGTV's Flip or Flop, but despite divorce, both of their stars did still continue to make episodes together.

This needs to be a wake up call. Cable is fractured compared to prime time television, but canning anything Duggar related would be a wise move for the time being. Anything with a guilty verdict, permanently canned. TLC can't keep promoting a false family.

YouTube Videos: Apr 30-May 6

 

Geeks and Jocks: Episode 74

New episode

https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-74-Who-Can-Run-e1075t6

Tech Separation

In 2019, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos split from his wife MacKenzie  after 25 years of marriage. I'm not sure there will be a trend for this, but it could grow. That is coming on the heels of recent news regarding Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda.  A couple with three kids and 27 year marriage and having known each other for well over 30 years. Philanthropists who try to make the world better in places that don't have luxuries of even things like drinking water. Very surprising of ending it.

I think high profile marriages always come back to bite the couple that are hitched together. You see it more with people a lot younger than the Gates family. Especially with Hollywood, nothing is ever sacred. It's not all complete doom and gloom. With the tweet they put out, Bill and Melinda plan to still work together on trying to do better things for the world. But they couldn't find anything else to continue growing their marriage.

There was a headline on Fox and Daily News about Bill being with an ex and having getaways. That stuff happened with Bezos with stories being propped up about being with a news anchor who had just divorced at the same time. With Bezos, that is true, but from places like National Enquirer, it's hard to believe if these are true or not. In the case of Bill, maybe it is true or it is false. I wonder if COVID played a factor along with the efforts to do better things. Maybe some stock that they have that was a bad investment. Maybe seeing what happened with the Bezos'. Your guess is as good as mine.

What do you think? Does this get ugly or will it be some mutual end where there isn't any animosity between the two? 

Would You Watch Bedrock?

Hanna-Barbara is not a company I am fond of when it comes to cartoons. There are some stuff from them I enjoy like The Flintstones. I haven't seen the cartoon in a long time, but understand its importance for being the first prime time animated program. Unironically, I enjoyed the live action adaptation that came out in 1994. Many spin-offs have come about over the years, and the new attempt, Bedrock, may almost be ready.

According to Deadline, Fox is footing the bill for a pilot of it with Elizabeth Banks heavily involved. She is set to voice an adult Pebbles Flintstone. Her production company that she founded with her husband, Brownstone Productions, is to produce the show with Warner Brothers Animation. It is to follow Pebbles, 20 years after the original cartoon. Not much else has been said other than Fox talking about the challenge of getting it done and feeling confident in this attempt.

It's pilot in the article is being helmed by Lindsay Kerns, who has some experience in recent memory of doing cartoons, but for kids. Apparently, this has been in development for at least two years. Some websites also mentioned the Seth MacFarlane attempt that never got off the ground and wasn't produced. I kind of remember that given how much MacFarlane liked making fun of The Flintstones, Hell, he worked for Hanna-Barbara when he was doing shows for Cartoon Network like Johnny Bravo.  If there's some concrete stuff occurring now, it seems very likely it would get a 13 episode run, but we'll have to wait and see.

I'm not sure if this will work. I think I would give it an episode or two. A lot has changed since 1966 when the last Flintstones episodes aired. Where the content goes, I would imagine being like The Simpsons in being grounded a bit with some slapstick unless its radically different. But it could also go the Family Guy route, but I'm not confident fans would like that. Until it's confirmed for a date for the fall season, I would keep eye on if production stalls or is in full force. It's either going to be good or be crushed (panned) badly by critics and fans. Sometimes, you don't mess with the classics, especially in this era of constant reboots.

Do you think this will be produced at all and make it to air?