Month: June 2016

Here’s what I know: Volume 2

Groups of people that suck and a few wise words in no coherent order or fashion.

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Hello. As you attempt to disrobe from the sticky ugly smelly disgusting outfit you wore outside in the Sahara of the Midwest today, I’ll open things up with a few groups of people who shouldn’t be eliminated from life but need an ass kicking.

Let’s run down a list of things that boggle the fucking mind. The things no one wants to mention or uncoil over because feelings will be hurt or apologies will be in order. In other words, things movie stars can’t say on social media without getting a phone call from their publicist.

In no coherent listing or order….

People on Twitter who complain about sub-tweets. Let me catch you up cavemen types who don’t use the social networking platform that I’ve built a career on top of. Sub-tweeting happens when someone gets into an argument with someone directly on Twitter and afterwards they complain to the rest of their following without mentioning said person. Guess what? We all fucking do this. Every day. We do it in real life. Away from computers. Rarely do people tell someone how they really feel. They will wait and complain to others. Stop complaining about, you hypocritical asswipe.

A word about people at the gym who wear spandex. Rethink it. I know it’s the place where you can be yourself and let your peacock fly but stop it. No one needs to see that. Until you carve the body you need to wear those clothes, leave the spandex at home. In fact, burn that shit with the 1980’s concert t-shirts you still have. Def Leppard will understand. I don’t wear skin tight clothing and I’m in good shape. It doesn’t look good. When you try to dance, your stomach contorts in a way that produces groans. Do that shit at home. Just advice.

The parental advice crowd. This is always humorous coming from people who don’t have kids. Do the world a favor and never give other parents advice about their kids. Their world is a different place than your own so stop it. 99 % of people who give advice need a lot of it themselves. They want to come back at them and help them so it’s their indirect way of starting the conversation. When someone you don’t know, trust or like attempts to give you advice, stop them. Give them the good fortune of thinking about their own life than others. Or politely request for them to fuck off. Either way. The latter is less characters if it is a text.

The people who want you to donate 65 hours of time to their TV show of choice but won’t watch the one you recommend. First, watch whatever TV shows you like but understand one thing. When I tell you to watch a TV show, I’ve watched it twice and know you’ll like it. I don’t just recommend anything. I don’t recommend bullshit. I want you to watch something that is different. However, please watch whatever you want. There’s nothing worse than someone telling me to watch The Walking Dead over and over. I tell them, “Watch Kingdom on Audience” and it’s a deal. They are then puzzled and leave the conversation. I asked them to watch less than 30 episodes of something but they want me to watch over 65 episodes of a zombie show. Forget it. Two way street.

Hey LA Rams owners, associates, and share holders trashing St. Louis five months after taking a football team from my city. Understand this. You won’t win a Super Bowl for years. I am talking 5-10 at least. You won’t catch lightning in a bottle like St. Louis did in 1999-2004. Forget it. There’s dipshits that still smack St. Louis even though they will play football games in 2-3 years in front of a half full stadium. What a crock of shit. STL didn’t shit on LA in 1995 when they got the Rams. It goes to show you how some people on this earth deserve to have a nasty shit filled diaper rubbed across their dry face.

A word about people who disrespect single parents. What the fuck do you know? Single parents are the true heroes of this world. Sometimes life dishes you a bad hand and things must be dealt with. Life keeps going on while bad things occur. The good people who just want to raise their kids are fucking warriors. The people who slight them or deny them respect can eat a good old toasted six inch sub full of excrement. Yeah, it happens so don’t ask who unless you have 45 fingers.

Well, that’s enough of that.

Here’s what I know this week. Sometimes, you just need to go to sleep. Nothing worth happening will go down that can’t be recapped when you wake up. Sleep is underrated.

Call your fucking parents. If you have one left, call him or her. If you have two and hold a grudge, call them. If you they don’t care about you, then call the one friend who resembles family.

Speaking of friends, don’t hold it against them if they don’t text or call for a few weeks or month. Life happens. A lot. There are times where 24 hour sets sprint by someone and they don’t think about their friends. It’s not always personal. It’s just part of the hustle. I have good friends I don’t speak with for weeks and then we do and it’s like no time has passed. Good friends aren’t people who constantly stay in contact; They are the ones who will be there when you need them.

Life is a challenging, damaging, and ultimately rewarding test of endurance. A true experience. As the Big Austrian once said, stick around. Next week, my family is once again making a bold choice for the greater good and it’s not going to be easy. You’ll find that few things in life are worth chasing down that don’t involve a little hardship.

The dark and funny thing about life is that when you least expect it, something you love dearly will be gone. Whether it’s a friend you know that loses someone or an old friend of yours who passes, it’s a gut punch.

One good pint of beer is better than three okay pints.

One good shot of whiskey is better than three fingers of watered down whiskey.

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A good cup of coffee can not be beat. 

I love what I do and I’m only getting started.

Thanks for reading and so long for just a little bit.

Jonathan Tucker: The wild card of Audience Network’s Kingdom

You never know what Jonathan Tucker’s Jay Kulina is going to do on Kingdom and that’s why he’ll always have your attention.

AT&T’s Kingdom on The Audience Network wouldn’t be possible without wild unpredictable characters like Jonathan Tucker’s Jay Kulina. The epitome of sexy energy, Tucker injects the series with a blend of “you never know”.  A show about the inner turmoil that MMA fighters clash with outside the ring needs coiled up DNA wiring specimens like Jay and actors like Tucker to bring them to life.

Think of it as a kitchen and creator Byron Balasco is the chef. He can’t just have seasoned meat like Frank Grillo or a binding element like Matt Lauria. You need a spice like Jay Kulina to give the environment a kick. Energetic spark plugs like Tucker to propel the action into uncomfortable but devilishly entertaining areas. He’s the Joker of Navy Street.

Tucker has held my attention since he played a young Billy Crudup in Barry Levinson’s Sleepers back in 1996. An innocent young man in Hell’s Kitchen who goes through a massive traumatic experience that changes him for life. Tucker would go on to steal scenes in The Virgin Suicides, Hostage, and the short lived NBC series The Black Donnellys. Continue reading “Jonathan Tucker: The wild card of Audience Network’s Kingdom”

Anton Yelchin: A fine young talent gone too soon

He built quirky vulnerable characters you instantly related to.

Real life is no movie. While reality can include some cinematic flair on occasion and feature characters that inspire creations on screen or influential people who actors eventually portray, the land of make believe teases us that performers only die temporarily.  They’ll come back in a different form in a different movie and thrill us again. Anton Yelchin, who died too young on Sunday due to a freak accident, didn’t waste a single second of his 27 years on Earth.

An underrated actor who will be remembered most for his role as Chekov in the new fleet of Star Trek films, Yelchin crafted a fine career for a young man. He starred in several good films and a few great ones. His innocent features built on a backbone of vulnerability that made all of his characters easy to relate to.

Yelchin burst onto the cinematic scene as the young protege to Anthony Hopkins mysterious thief in the enchanting film Hearts in Atlantis. He held his own with one of cinema’s giants at the age of 12. He would do a slew of small television roles including The Practice, Without a Trace, Curb Your Enthusiasm, NYPD Blue, Huff(David Morse played the older version of his character in Atlantis), and Criminal Minds. Continue reading “Anton Yelchin: A fine young talent gone too soon”

Fathers Day: Don’t take it for granted

Fathers Day is a reminder, painful for some, that being able to call your parents shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Call your parents. Please don’t forget. Whether you are close or not, it’s important to call. It’s a rarity that a talk with your parents goes smoothly. One side is thinking about one thing and the other side is more than likely deflecting topics to get off the phone. It’s awkward sometimes but damn it, please talk to your parents. Keep in touch with your family because sooner or later they will be gone and you may not get a warning.

When it comes to life, there is no script or plan. Things happen and only part of the time is there a reason or theme attached. I’m a lucky guy. I grew up with two All Star parents who kept a roof over my head, worked hard to provide for my brother and I, and didn’t give up. As I sit here 34 years old and counting, I am very close with my parents, especially my dad. We are best friends and so much alike it is scary yet cool at the same time.

I am not entirely sure what I will do when my dad goes. I am not sure how I will act or care to be perceived for weeks or months. I may just want to shut down. I may want to hit something. I may want to cry. It is a day that I can’t even think too long about because someone up top may notice and push it in motion to challenge me to react. Life doesn’t warn you about a loss coming. It just takes something away and waits to see how tough you are as a result. I need my dad around and every son or daughter should at least make an effort to speak to their dad. Continue reading “Fathers Day: Don’t take it for granted”

‘Gleason’ trailer tugs hard at the heart

The documentary shines a light on one ex-football player’s battle with ALS.

“That’s what dads do. They pass the best of themselves to their kids.”-Steve Gleason

Steve Gleason is known around New Orleans as a legend due to his legendary block of a punt in the first game after Hurricane Katrina decimated the city. Watching it in St. Louis and not being a Saints fan, I couldn’t help but be moved and pumped up by it. It was like he picked up the city and threw it on his shoulders when he launched himself in front of an Atlanta Falcons punt. He didn’t know years later that he would make an even bigger mark on the world. Gleason, the new documentary, documents that journey.  Continue reading “‘Gleason’ trailer tugs hard at the heart”

Here’s what I know 

There’s nothing better in life than the things that you know and believe in. It’s your own brand of authenticity and it’s a necessity. A way of saying this is me and that’s all there is to it.

The best birthday cards I get are the ones from my parents because they are the shortest and contain the most to the point sentences inside.

The last one read. “My three favorite words. That’s my son.”

Here’s what I know. Random and without an editor, so file your complaints with my vacant assistants desk.

  • The Shawshank Redemption’s ending can play on a loop all day and I’ll watch. Stephen King’s most underrated book and Frank Darabont’s best film. Red and Andy. Add Thomas Newman’s score and it’s mint.

  • You can hate Trump and Clinton all you want. Guess what? One of them is going to be taking office in Jamuary. I think Clinton sucks a little less. Trump in office is like Bill Pullman in Independence Day but a lot less cool and a lot dumber.
  • Baseball is an exhausting game to love. Unlike most sports, you don’t get much of a break and even the off days seem like long commercials. It’s relentless and unless your team is impeccable, it’s going to whip you in several directions, and frustrate the shit out of you. Every year. For seven to eight months. The Cards do this every year and they can win 86 or 100 games. It’s a long year. So it’s important to stay seated as long as you can. Get mad and throw things but don’t give up inside three months. There’s so many games left that when I notice Twitter followers wanting to sell, I laugh. They never learn. It’s a long year.

Continue reading “Here’s what I know “

Learning from Orlando: Preaching Acceptance

What if we dropped the gun laws and political jargon and just preached acceptance? My wild theory.

Why can’t we just lay our egos and beliefs aside and learn to accept one another for who we are?

Let me back up and explain.

I’m an emotional person. When something bad happens, I react immediately. I wish I could take my time and wager a few thoughts but I just say or do what comes to me right then. I came out of the box swinging hard on Monday with my initial reaction of The Orlando Shootings. Like a boxer going for the knockout in round 1. Let me try again.

Part of being human is not only being yourself but accepting that certain things are out of your control. This shooting in Orlando has been on my mind for three days and I haven’t been able to wrap my head around the logistics of a solution or how to help prevent it from happening again.

Continue reading “Learning from Orlando: Preaching Acceptance”