More like Tin

During my job in the BJ's, I hear a lot of music on loop and a lot of it is good and some of it is very awful, IMO (My opinion of Sheryl Crow is now that she deserved Lance Armstrong  for the music she made in the early 2000s. In fact, Lance wasn't enough for that drivel).

However,this particular song that I am pontificating about today has been one that I have heard and thought it was okay. It's a child pop like song about boys and girls and wishing them well in life and in future (In fact, I thought the lyric was "with more to come". Thanks garbled PA system!)

Now having seen the video accompanying the song, I wish I had been correct because this is pretty bad.

Not that I don't appreciate the message of the song and the video but it is carried out in such a heavy handed and cliche way that it makes it look absolutely ridiculous.

Let's start with the locker girl (0:13-0:27) (who obviously has been cutting herself which should not be made light of in any way). They call her "vampire girl" WHY? She's a goth, or even emo. Not "vampire" Nobody uses the term "vampire" to describe a goth. They use the terms goth or emo. And then this little douchebag stuffs paper bats into her locker, and makes a vampire pose at her. By doing this, the boy has made himself look more nerdy than the object of his ridicule. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the girls who are alongside him are secretly thinking "We're not getting paid enough to be this guy's wing women". Shame on the concept.

Now to the next problem; the dancer (0:35-0:50). Have these football players ever hear of Lynn Swann, the HOF WR with the Pittsburgh Steelers? HE TOOK BALLET AND THAT MADE HIM A BETTER PLAYER. So not only are these guys erroneously making fun of a guy dancing, BUT THEY'RE FUCKING FRAUDS WHO DON'T KNOW FOOTBALL HISTORY. Shame on them. I hope they feel better during their 10 game losing streak when they are facing teams of guys that take ballet. DUMBASSES.

Now to the next three bits starting at 1:03.

The bulimic: The girl has bulimia and is being made fun of. That's not the bad part. The bad part is at 1:38 where it can be interpreted as if the song is saying "It's okay to have bulimia" NO IT'S NOT. BULIMIA IS A DISEASE THAT CAN KILL!!!!!! SHE NEEDS HELP. So the video is completely off the message

The skateboarder: NO COP IN TODAY'S WORLD WOULD BREAK A SKATEBOARD!. The cop would just tell her to go home if there's a curfew. And then they would probably guide the teenager home. NOT BREAK PERSONAL PROPERTY FOR WHICH THEY COULD GET SUED. Especially in a world where police brutality is such an issue. That is dumb.

The mophead: Probably the most normal of these situations, except for this. The boys are standing in front of an easel in the middle of the gym, probably a list of who made the team and who didn't. Why are the boys wearing jerseys? When did they get them? How can they have jerseys when they are just finding out that they are on the team? When that sort of mental lapse is the least of the mistakes, then you have found a massive piece of shit.

The rest of the video is fluff, apart from the weird shaped crown that looks like a model piece for animators of "Frozen". But these earlier setups are horrifically bad. What type of person or genre would allow that type of smack in your face messaging involving errors about modern culture and and behaviors?

Sparrow Records, who helped produce it, is a Christian music label.

Britt Nicole, a Christian singer, used this as her first mainstream single. It finished at #83 on the Billboard Hot #100.

Christian Pop. As Hercule Poirot would say "But of course."

My advice for the people looking for the message. Go watch Fred Rogers. He did it with more dignity and much much fewer errors.

Championship Game Picks and a word about News Cycles

First I would like to announce that my predicted SB matchup will be:

The Kansas City Chiefs vs. The San Francisco 49ers 

And now to a point that I have just been thinking about. A week ago, there was fear in the nation as it was "predicted" by many that we were about to enter WWIII because we killed an Iran General.

It was basically the same doomsaying that happened after Trump was elected.

Iran then proceeded to bomb a US Military Base (with no casualties) followed by seemingly accidentally shooting down their own airliner.

And that was it. No doom. No cataclysm. Just back to ordinary lives. Trump now has to go to trial in the Senate and the Democrats continue to try to find a candidate that can beat him.

The 24 hour news cycle can give a lot in having time to go in depth on many different stories if need be. But it also obfuscates quickly certain stories that happen and then go by the wayside.

CNN came to prominence with their coverage of the Gulf War in 1991 and it seemed to hook people intently. And now we are seemingly conditioned to this cycle. We ingest news, make a big stink about it and then go onto the next story, unless there are other angles to be told that can interest viewers in same stories (The whole Trump investigation seems to be of this nature).

I just find it fascinating how we think the we're entering WWIII one week and then prepping for football championship games the next. Whiplash indeed. 

NFL Picks: Divisional Round

1-3 in the Wild Card Round. UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH


Well let's move forward. To be honest, this crept up on me so I will keep it brief.

Vikings @ Niners: Haven't been impressed with the Niners coming down the stretch, Vikings pull the upset like they did back in 1987.

Victory: Vikings

Titans @ Ravens: Titans keep it interesting for awhile, but Ravens pull away.

Victory: Ravens

Texans @ Chiefs: This is a revenge game for KC. Unlike the Saints, I don't think they will fail

Victory: Chiefs

Seahawks @ Packers: Just like Tennessee, Seahawks will keep it close, but Packers will win ugly like they have done all year.

Victory: Packers

NFL Picks: Wild Card Edition

So Before I get to m picks, let's wrap up my year's record

Points: Saints, Dolphins, Titans, Rams, Niners

5-7 (meh) for a final total of 118-106

Victories: Bears, Falcons, Saints, Jets, Packers, Titans, Cowboys, Eagles, Ravens, Rams, Broncos, Niners.

12-4 for a final record of 165-90

Now in the wild card round, I don't use the point spreads because winning is the name of the game. 4 games and here we go:

Bills @ Texans: The Texans have hosted a grand total of  5 playoff games on WC weekend and they are 3-2 in such games. Their 3 wins consist of 2 wins against the Bengals, who haven't won a playoff game since 1991, and a Derek Carr-less Raiders team. I think the Bills have the mentality to go into Houston and win this game. And I think they will. Close, but the Bills will win.

Victory: Bills

Titans @ Patriots: Pats assistants have had some success against Belichick of late. But I just don't see Tennessee going into NE; which might be Tom Brady's last game there, and winning. Close for 2 quarters and the Pats pull away late

Victory: Pats

Vikings @ Saints: This has bloodbath written all over it. The Vikings are down to about 4 healthy CBs going into this game. The Saints want revenge for what happened 2 years ago in Minnesota. And I think they will get their pound of flesh and then some.

Victory: Saints

Seahawks @ Eagles: This is the most interesting game of the weekend. Both of these teams are very inconsistent. But at the end of the day, Russell Wilson will find a way to bring his team to victory. This is Carson Wentz's first ever playoff game and I think it will show a bit, especially at home. This game will also be close but I think the Seahawks win.

Victory: Seahawks

NFL Picks: The Final Week

So here we are at the end of the year. But first a look at last week

Record:

Points: Bucs, Falcons, Saints, Jets, Colts, Ravens, Raiders, Chiefs,

8-5 for a total of 113-99

Victories: Bucs, Pats, Niners, Falcons, Saints, Giants, Jets, Dolphins, Ravens, Broncos, Chiefs

11-5 for a total of 153-86

So now we have the last week of regular season picks. As usual I am using sportsline.com for my odds

Browns (-2.5) @ Bengals: A very disappointing season for the Browns ends in a victory against Cincy. And I think they will cover

Points: Browns
Victory: Browns

Bears @ Vikings (-1): PICK'EM!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vikings are locked into the 6th seed so they might not play anybody. The Bears have been a disappointment but I think they will win

Victory: Bears

Falcons @ Buccaneers (-1.5): PICK'EM #2!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two teams that have really had ups and downs this year. I am going to take the Falcons because the Buccaneers are only 2-5 at home this year. Very odd

Victory: Falcons

Saints (-13) @ Panthers: Saints need this game badly in order to get the top seed in the NFC. They will play hard and I think they will win and cover

Points: Saints
Victory: Saints

Jets @ Bills (-1.5): PICK'EM #3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I were Sean McDermott, I would not play Josh Allen at all. They are locked in and Josh Allen's style might be dangerous in a meaningless game. I think the Jets will play hard and they will win to get to 7-9

Victory: Jets

Dolphins @ Patriots (-16): The Pats have a tendency to rest players in the second half of these types of games so I think they won't cover but they will win.

Points: Dolphins
Victory: Pats

Packers (-12.5) @ Lions:  Like the Saints, the Packers need the game and I think they will pull away late to cover the spread

Points: Packers
Victory: Packers

Chargers @ Chiefs (-9.5): UPSET PICK OF THE WEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hear me out. With knowledge that the Patriots only need to beat Miami to lock themselves and the Chiefs into place, I dont think the Chiefs will go all out for this game. I think they will begin to rest starters in the second half, allowing the Chargers to come by and steal the game.

Points: Chargers
Victory: Chargers

Titans (-3.5) @ Texans: Texans are locked into the 4th seed. Tennessee needs the game badly to secure a WC spot. Titans will get it

Points: Titans
Victory: Titans

Colts (-4) @ Jaguars: I think the Jaguars have packed it in for the year and the Colts will roll right past them

Points: Colts
Victory: Colts

Redskins @ Cowboys (-11): I honestly don't know what to make of Dallas. I think they will win but covering by 11 points against a Skins team that has shown improvement? I don't think so.

Points: Redskins
Victory: Cowboys

Eagles (-4.5) @ Giants: All year we have seen the Eagles, when they have needed a victory badly come through. This will not be a cakewalk because the Giants will show up, but I think the Eagles will pull it out in the end and win the NFC "Least"

Points: Giants
Victory: Eagles

Steelers (-1.5) @ Ravens: PICK'EM #4!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Same advice I gave to Sean McDermott; I give to John Harbaugh. Don't play Lamar Jackson at all. Having said that, I think the Ravens can win anyway. The Steelers offense is god awful. And their defense can be had on the ground. I will take the Ravens backups

Victory: Ravens

Cardinals @ Rams (-5): The Rams aren't great, but I can see the young Cardinals having a let down after going into Seattle and beating the Seahawks. I think the Rams will win easily.

Points: Rams
Victory: Rams

Raiders @ Broncos (-3.5): It would be so Raiders if 3 of the 4 things they need to get to the playoffs happen and they can't win. For some reason, I think they will hear about the other games and will be let down. Broncos will win I think

Points: Broncos
Victory: Broncos

Niners (-3.5) @ Seahawks: This year has not been the normal year for Seattle at home. So despite the Niners defense looking shaky in recent weeks, I will take the Niners as the overall stronger unit to win and clinch the NFC West

Points: Niners
Victory: Niners

NFL Picks Week 16

Record:

Points: Bucs, Packers, Chiefs, Raiders, Falcons, Saints

6-6 for a total of 105-94

Victories: Bucs, Eagles, Packers, Patriots, Chiefs, Raiders, Vikings, Bills, Saints

9-6 for a total of 142-81

A so-so week for me, with 2 weeks to go

Texans (-3) @ Buccaneers: This should be a high scoring affair. But the Buccaneers are missing 2 key WRs (Evans and Godwin) so the Texans should win by more than 3.

Points: Bucs
Victory: Bucs

Bills @ Patriots (-6.5): Thanks to order of tie breakers, this game means much less for the AFC East than it could have. I think the Pats win here but I think that spread is too much against Buffalo

Points: Bills
Victory: Pats

Rams @ Niners (-6.5): Gut feeling: This will be a slaughter by the Niners. They blew a game against Atlanta last week, and the Rams, after getting kicked in the nuts by Dallas, will be feeling down. Lay the points

Points: Niners
Victory: Niners

Jaguars @ Falcons (-7):  The whole Jags organization is in disarray and the Falcons, coming off a nice win against SF will take advantage.

Points: Falcons
Victory: Falcons

Saints (-2.5) @ Titans: This is one of those "Vegas knows something" lines. That line is too lenient on the Titans. Coming off a disappointing loss to Houston and now they get the Saints looking for HFA? I can't buy it.

Points: Saints
Victory: Saints

Giants @ Redskins (-1): PICK'EM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Redskins have been playing much better of late but I think the Giants have shown some backbone recently and will defeat the Redskins

Victory: Giants

Steelers (-3.5) @ Jets: UPSET PICK OF THE WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!
This should be a very low scoring game. The Steelers, with a rookie QB, against a defense that is one of the best at stopping the run. JuJu Smith Schuster is questionable at this point but he would be a big help. The last time an opposing fan base overrode a Jets game; the Jets kicked the crap out of Oakland. This won't be that but I have a feeling the Jets win.

Points: Jets
Victory: Jets

Bengals @ Dolphins: PICK'EM #2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I will take the Dolphins because I like what Brian Flores has done more than what Zac Taylor but it really is a toss up.

Victory: Dolphins

Panthers @ Colts (-6.5): The Panthers have lost 6 in a row and I think it will be 7. But I dont think the Colts are strong enough to cover that spread.

Points: Colts
Victory: Panthers

Ravens (-9.5) @ Browns: The Browns are a mess bonafide and the Ravens want revenge. Good luck with that, Freddie Kitchens.

Points: Ravens
Victory: Ravens

Lions @ Broncos (-7): I feel the Broncos like I feel with the Colts. I think they will win but they aren't good enough to cover the spread

Points: Lions
Victory: Broncos

Raiders @ Chargers (-7.5): And YET ANOTHER game that I feel that that the Chargers will win but that hook scares me a bit. I will take the points.

Points: Raiders
Victory: Chargers

Cowboys (-2) @ Eagles: PICK'EM #3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to go with Dallas after the show they put on against the Rams. However I wouldn't be shocked if Philly wins either because I have seen it before. But I will take Dallas.

Victory: Cowboys

Cardinals @ Seahawks (-9.5): This one is a close call. The Cardinals played well against Cleveland but Seattle is at home where they usually win. The question is the spread. I will go with the option of a letdown. by Arizona

Points: Seahawks
Victory: Seahawks

Chiefs (-6) @ Bears: For some reason, I think the Chiefs are going to kill the Bears. The QB matchup is as stark as you will ever see and I don't know what enthusiasm the Bears will have. Give me KC

Points: Chiefs
Victory: Chiefs.

Packers @ Vikings (-5.5): The Packers offense has been slowed in recent weeks and the Vikings offense is on a roll. I will take the Vikings with the points.

Points: Vikings
Victory: Vikings

The Hallmark Channel: A Christmas Hell

         So, in recent days, the Hallmark Channel aired this ad for Zola, a wedding service and registry, and then promptly pulled it, apparently due to complaints about the fact that there are two women getting married in the ad. The network then proceeded to get destroyed in every direction from social media to Saturday Night Live, which prompted them early today to put the ad back on and apologize. I will make a couple of comments about this before I get to the main crux of my complaining.

1. Who are the people that complained about this? Clearly not men because I don't think the idea of two women marrying is that abhorrent to them. (Hell, two women kissing probably turns them on) and secondly, the Hallmark Channel is not really in the male demographic.chasing game. (More on that later). So given that logic, women must have complained about this, which is kind of unsettling considering it's a lesbian wedding.

2. I would understand the complaining if it was rubbed in that it was two women marrying and pushed into your face. But it really isn't in this ad. You could interchange the two women for a man and a woman in that ad with that dialogue. Now some people would say that proves it's pushing the agenda. But I would counter that by saying that it is normal now for two women or two men to have a wedding. It is not out of place in our society now to see these. So in essence, the fact that it is two women is irrelevant. Which is what it should be. This is not a same-sex wedding. This is a wedding. Pure and simple. And the dialogue goes along with that.

BTW, how did they choose who wore the dress and the suit? Coin toss? I don't know.

Okay. 

Now to my real problem.

               In my usual ADD way, it got me thinking about these cable Christmas movies that are produced by Freeform and Lifetime, and most guilty of all, The Hallmark Channel. These movies......these "movies" are all frickin' produced/shot in Canada so that the companies can save tons of money on shooting. They hire actors and actresses that are B to C list celebrities that are recognizable but are not high level (or salary methinks) Examples include Holly Robinson-Peete, Alison Sweeney, Alicia Witt, Candace Cameron-Bure, Lori Loughlin (NOT ANYMORE! HAHA!) Colin Ferguson, Chad Michael Murray, Jesse Metcalfe etc. 

These movies also always feature the same two plots, if you read the blurbs.

1. Girl X goes to a new area either in love with Christmas or against Christmas and changes the atmosphere in some fashion. She also meets a handsome stranger Y with whom she butts heads with initially but then eventually they get together.

2. Girl X, who hasn't been home in forever for some negative reason, goes home for Christmas. Not only does she deal with said issues, but she also runs into her "old flame" (Y) with whom she rekindles a romance.

That's it. That's the lot. There are little changes here and there, but they are essentially all the same. But that is not even the the biggest thing that bothers me about them, despite how tedious and mediocre the whole thing seems to be.

I went to look at the titles on the channel guide and I was stunned at how many times the word "Christmas" was used. These are solid filmmakers. You would think they would be able to come up with some creative titles that would be more spread out with references to the Christmas Season. 

Nope.

You know what's coming. Here's a list of the titles that I discovered on the Hallmark Channel itself:

Picture a Perfect Christmas, A Christmas Love Story, Reunited at Christmas, Hats Off to Christmas!, Check Inn to Christmas, On The Twelfth Day of Christmas, Christmas at Dollywood, Christmas in Love, A Bride For Christmas

That was how many I got through before I got to the first title without "Christmas" in the title. But then we continue. There are a few in there without the word but I will skip those

The Sweetest Christmas, Welcome To Christmas, Christmas at the Palace, Christmas at Graceland, The Christmas Club, Christmas at the Plaza, Christmas Town, Crown for Christmas, Christmas Joy, It's Christmas, Eve, My Christmas Love, Write Before Christmas, A Perfect Christmas, The Christmas Cottage, A Dream of Christmas, Christmas Getaway, A Christmas Melody, The Christmas Parade, Christmas Next Door, My Christmas Dream, With Love, Christmas, The Nine Lives of Christmas, A Cheerful Christmas, A Christmas Detour, Love You like Christmas, Miss Christmas, Switched for Christmas, Coming Home for Christmas, Christmas in Evergreen, Christmas under the Stars, Christmas Under Wraps, A Royal Christmas, A Wish for Christmas

Do you hate the word "Christmas" right now? Then I've done my job. And that was JUST the Hallmark Channel. On the sister channel; Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, they have MORE movies including two seperate movies with these tites

Time For "ME" to Come Home for Christmas, and Time For "YOU" to Come Home for Christmas.

I AM NOT KIDDING. These are two separate movies.

MY GOD.

Whomever makes up these titles needs to be either sent away and put in a loony bin muttering "Christmas" over and over again, or just needs to be taken out for his or her own good. 

Because it is clear that the persons who make these titles have no brain cells whatsoever and also think the same of the audience. "Let's make sure that the people know that all of these movies are related to Christmas by putting Christmas in the title" 

BECAUSE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE BEING SHOWN IN NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER ISN'T A BIG ENOUGH HINT!

Hallmark has to make a profit off these things otherwise why keep doing them? Sigh. I will just stick with A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Christmas Story......

DAMMMMMMMITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT