My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 149: Jay Spade

Jay Spade

Jay Spade and I have quite a history together in professional wrestling. We first met in 2011 in All American Pro Wrestling. Jay was a fearless guy who had a heart of gold. He even defended me when I was being bullied by Mike Masters. Spade helped me win my match in 2012 against Masters.

Spade is flying high again, this time in Stride Pro Wrestling. He is the number one contender to the heavyweight championship, held by “Big” Roger Matheus. The two will face off at Rasslin’ in the ‘Ville on Friday, Oct. 6. By the way, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will be on hand at that event in Pinckneyville too. You can learn more on Stride’s Facebook page.

 

collar-elbow-my-123-cents

CollarXElbow Partnership

Don’t forget, I’m also now a part of COLLARxELBOW. You can shop online and use the promo code MY123CENTS to save on t-shirts when you shop. The company has added some new shirts in recent weeks. It’s a great way to support indy wrestling and My 1-2-3 Cents. Thanks as always for your support.

Match of the Week

After a bit of a hiatus, Match of the Week is back. This week, I’m paying tribute to Bobby Heenan and this gem that Chad sent me. It’s Bobby Heenan vs. Lord Alfred Hayes in the AWA, circa 1980. Enjoy.

Check out these social media pages
@J_spade529
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@COLLARxELBOW (Twitter & Instagram)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)
@Skullbusterpod (Twitter)
@TomAndJimsTop5

 

Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast Episode 36: Huskers Lose to NIU and Drop Eichorst

Well, it has been a busy week. Not much good news emanating from One Memorial Drive. After Nebraska’s shocking loss to Northern Illinois, we were able to put a “former” in front of “Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst.”

So…it’s been a busy week.

In this episode, Greg is joined by Hoss Reuter as the two discuss the early-season woes of the Big Red. The loss to the Huskies hurt, and there is significant offensive line talk. We talk about what else went wrong last week and where the program may be headed.

Make sure you stay in-the-know with all of Hoss’ “Decoding…” posts on Corn Nation. The guy is ridiculously smart and calculating.

All the links you need to pass the time!

The Five Heart Podcast Twitter 
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page 
The Corn Nation Twitter 
The Corn Nation Facebook Page 
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page 
The Jittery Monkey Twitter 
Brian Towle 
Greg Mehochko

Featured Photo: An Integrity statue in front of the stadium before the game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Northern Illinois Huskies at Memorial Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images

Nerds United Episode 85: Smallville, Multiversity, & More

In this all-new episode of Nerds United, I’m revisiting one of my favorite television shows from the early 2000’s, Smallville. Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk, Allison Mack, and a whole host of others made this a really memorable show, and opened the door for the CW shows and other comic book adaptations on the small screen.

I also talk a bit about a trade paperback from the “Distinguished Competition” that I’m reading, and while enjoying, for a long time felt was over my head. Few writers could spin a story in such a way that it takes me some time to grasp the direction it is going. But that’s Grant Morrison for you.

And how about an Image Comic that you should be reading if you aren’t. It’s a fun read with plenty of twists and turns of its own:

I’ve read Volume 1 and recently picked up Volume 2 to continue the journey.

If you enjoy the show and want it downloaded directly to your mobile device, please check it out on iTunes or Stitcher. Rate and review and maybe someday we’ll see Nerds United garner a little extra attention.

Your support is supremely appreciated.

Positive Cynicism EP 21: 1991 Year in Music: Country and Grunge

As the three part series looking at the changing musical landscape of 1991 wraps up, @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb examine the popularity of Pop music along with the resurgence of Country music and emergence of the Grunge movement.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 148: Lisa Marie Varon

Lisa Marie Varon

When the book of women’s wrestling is written, there will no doubt be a chapter on our guest this week, Lisa Marie Varon. Fans remember her best as Victoria in WWE. The former two-time Women’s Champion helped pave the way for what we see in 2017 from the women in the ring.

Victoria has the distinction of being the first woman to win a steel cage match on Monday Night Raw. She beat Lita (with some help from Matt Hardy).  She went on to have success in TNA as Tara, winning the Knockouts Championship five times. Lisa Marie Varon now wrestles on the independents and has a show coming up against ODB in Nashville on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Learn more here.

Lisa Marie shares her experiences in the WWE and how she ended up getting into the ring. Fun fact, she was once a ho for the Godfather.

Lisa-Marie-Matt-Hardy
Lisa Marie Varon, Kevin Hunsperger and Matt Hardy

As you can see in the photos, I met Victoria at WrestleMania 22 in Chicago and again at WrestleMania 24 in Orlando. It was one of those quick meet and greet sessions, but she was very nice to the fans coming through. Nowadays, she’s active on social media and interacts with fans there was well.

collar-elbow-my-123-cents

CollarXElbow Partnership

Don’t forget, I’m also now a part of COLLARxELBOW. You can shop online and use the promo code MY123CENTS to save on t-shirts when you shop. The company has added some new shirts in recent weeks. It’s a great way to support indy wrestling and My 1-2-3 Cents. Thanks as always for your support.

Check out these social media pages
@RealLisaMarie (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@COLLARxELBOW (Twitter & Instagram)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)
@Skullbusterpod (Twitter)
@TomAndJimsTop5

 

Nerds United Episode 84: Return to West of Oz

You remember Return to Oz, right? Well in Episode 84, I’m joined by two previous guests, Sean Benner and Nick Winand, we return to their project West of Oz.

I backed their Kickstarter in the Spring for Issue 1 and read it upon its delivery. It’s a fun read, and when I talked with the pair, they emphasized that they wanted to keep the book light-hearted and steer clear of any “gritty” filters commonly used.

We hear about the reception to West of Oz #1 both from fans and other creators. Hear tales about taking the book to various comic cons (and a great story from me about Cape Comic Con), including Portland this past weekend.

Now you have the opportunity to back the next two chapters of the story – Issues 2 & 3 – in trade paperback form.

http://kck.st/2gcTXd6

This project is mostly funded and you can help push them over the edge. You have until Sunday September 24 to back this book. It’s right there. Help them see it through.

And stay tuned to the end for a brief tragedy and the recovery. All is well.

Positive Cynicism EP 20: 1991 Year in Music: Hair Metal

Continuing the review of music released in 1991, @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb (www.hockeytransplant.com) turn the attention from rap to hair metal and discuss a genre on its last legs. With an emerging change in musical landscape as well as lack of album releases from major hair metal stalwarts, looking back it’s easy to see the writing was on the (bathroom) wall. Even with Guns N Roses and Metallica releasing three of the biggest albums of the year, party rock was about to be replaced by a more somber ideology.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 147: Stride Pro Wrestling ‘September Fallout’

Stride Pro Wrestling recap

Wow. What a night for Stride Pro Wrestling. September Fallout is in the books and was one of the most chaotic cards in the history of Stride. Unfortunately, I also became a part of that chaos. You can hear more about it in this week’s show.

This episode is a recap of everything that happened and a look ahead to the upcoming show on Friday, Oct. 6 in Pinckneyville. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will be the guest that night. Also, Stride returns a week later on Saturday, Oct. 14. We’ll countdown to both shows right here on the podcast.

collar-elbow-my-123-cents-wrestling

Don’t forget, I’m also now a part of COLLARxELBOW. You can shop online and use the promo code MY123CENTS to save on t-shirts when you shop. Thanks as always for your support.

Check out these social media pages
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@COLLARxELBOW (Twitter & Instagram)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)
@Skullbusterpod (Twitter)
@TomAndJimsTop5

 

Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast: Huskers Take 1-0 Record to Oregon

The Huskers are undefeated…after one game. And it was closer than we’d like. Brian and Greg saw some things we liked in last week’s game. Like the kick return for a touchdown, the improved play from the quarterback position, the myriad of Nebraska receivers, and a young man by the name of Tre Bryant.

We saw some things we didn’t like. For example…the muffed punt returned for a touchdown, and…the defense that bent but didn’t break when it counted the most.

And then there’s the trip to the West Coast where an estimated 25,000-30,000 Husker fans are preparing to descend upon Eugene’s Autzen Stadium, where the Huskers will take on the Oregon Ducks.

It’s not nuts – it’s Quackers!

All the links you need to stay in-the-know!

The Five Heart Podcast Twitter 
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page 
The Corn Nation Twitter 
The Corn Nation Facebook Page 
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page 
The Jittery Monkey Twitter 
Brian Towle 
Greg Mehochko

Nerds United Episode 83: Jason Copland…FINALLY!

It’s the podcast three or four months in the making. Hear the tale about why it took us so long to hook up for a recording and why the night we did record was so disadvantageous (but we made the best of it, because Jackie rocks).

We talk about Jason’s early years as a reader of comics, and how he went to art school and the advice he was given. Anthology work begat an opportunity to work with one of the best writers in the business on Daredevil (seen in the featured photo…DD #33, for you readers there).

We get more info on Kill All Monsters – available now pretty much everywhere – and what Jason has been doing since Kill All Monsters wrapped up.

Jason did a three-issue stint on IDW’s Judge Dredd:

Issues 3-5

And now he’s working on writing a story of his own for which he will also do the art, so there’s a great opportunity to have him on the show again in the future to talk about Full Tilt.

Enjoy the show. Like, Comment, Share, and rate/review on iTunes. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Positive Cynicism EP 19: A Look at 1991 in Music Part 1: Rap/Hip Hop

On the newly revamped Positive Cynicism @chadsmart is joined by @MikeDeKalb (www.hockeytransplant.com) to examine the impact music had in 1991. First up is a breakdown of all the major Rap/HipHop albums released during 1991 and how these releases fit into the changing landscape of the genre.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 146: JD Wilk

“Don’t follow your dreams, chase them.” That’s the mantra on this week’s guest JD Wilk. He’s a rising star in both Stride Pro Wrestling and Cape Championship Wrestling. He’ll be teaming up with Jay Spade against “Big” Roger Matheus and Farmer Billy Hills. Wilk talks about his beginnings, the obstacles he’s overcome along the way and his future in professional wrestling.

You can keep up with all things Stride Pro Wrestling via the Facebook page or the My 1-2-3 Cents blog. The next show is this Saturday night, Sept. 9 at the Illinois Star Centre Mall. Bell time is 6:30.

I also want to do a shout out to a few other podcasts I’ve become a big fan of. Besides the shows here on the Jittery Monkey Podcasting Network (Positive Cynicism, Nerds United and the Five Heart Podcast) I am also a big fan of Tom & Jim’s Top 5, Skullbuster Wrestling and Podzilla 1985. Also, Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson are helping folks impacted by Hurricane Harvey with Love for Houston. You can make a donation to the Red Cross here.

Don’t forget, I’m also now a part of COLLARxELBOW. You can shop online and use the promo code MY123CENTS to save on t-shirts when you shop. Thanks as always for your support.

Check out these social media pages
@jdwilk777 (Instagram)
@Skullbusterpod (Twitter)
@TomAndJimsTop5
@COLLARxELBOW (Twitter & Instagram)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast: Welcome Back

Hello again! It’s been far too long since Brian and I got together to talk some Husker athletics. But hey, it’s the day before the first football game of 2017, so this is as good a time as ever to get the proverbial band back together and present you with…INFORMATION YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNEW BUT ARE LISTENING TO AGAIN ANYWAY IN VERBAL FORM BECAUSE YOU CAN’T GET ENOUGH HUSKER CONTENT!

Not much peripheral chat this time, as we just try to get today’s episode recorded in a timely manner. But while we were recording, Ohio State took a commanding lead against Indiana and went on to win big.

Greg has a new job, which also hinders his ability to stay up late to record, which is another reason why we haven’t done this in three months.

And now here are those dadgum captains we mentioned but failed to go into detail about.

https://twitter.com/Coach_Riley/status/901573422324617218

And now the links you missed in our absence:

The Five Heart Podcast Twitter 
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page 
The Corn Nation Twitter 
The Corn Nation Facebook Page 
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page 
The Jittery Monkey Twitter 
Brian Towle 
Greg Mehochko

Feature Photo: Tanner Lee sets to pass in the 2017 Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. Photo Credit: David McGee/Corn Nation

Nerds United Episode 82: #AskNerdsUnited

I put out the call for your questions and you came through. In this episode, I field questions about Image Comics’ Cowboy – Ninja – Viking (coming to a theater near you in 2019), Ready Player One (coming to a theater near you in March), and my overall thoughts on the DC Cinematic Universe. There’s also a question about books I would recommend that aren’t of the comic book variety, and I provide a dramatic reading of my son’s favorite book.

Be sure to check out Kickstarter for the “Project We Love,” West of Oz.

http://kck.st/2gcTXd6

And as promised, here’s the trailer to Ready Player One.

 

Positive Cynicism Ep 18: Under Construction

On this episode, @chadsmart gives an update on the status of Positive Cynicism. Due to political fatigue, Positive Cynicism is moving away from any political talk and moving on to breaking down specific topics in a more detailed manner.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 145: Six Cents Favorite Summer Moments

Chad Smart from Positive Cynicism and I have taken a page out of the book of podcast Tom & Jim’s Top 5. Instead of sharing our top 5, we’ve changed things up and are doing a top 6 show at least once a month. For the first episode, we run down our top 6 summer time wrestling moments. Our fandom goes back to the mid-1980s and we pull up a wide range memories.

I’d also like to invite you to come check out Stride Pro Wrestling and Cape Championship Wrestling. The next Stride show is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion.

Don’t forget, I’m also now a part of COLLARxELBOW. You can shop online and use the promo code MY123CENTS to save on t-shirts when you shop. Thanks as always for your support.

Check out these social media pages
@TomAndJimsTop5
@COLLARxELBOW (Twitter & Instagram)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

Nerds United Episode 81: Michael May and Kill All Monsters

Episode 81 is here and I’m thrilled to sit down with writer Michael May. I get a bit of Michael’s own origin story as well as some good conversation about Kill All Monsters, available now wherever comics and most other books are sold, as well as the interwebs.

Kill All Monsters started as an idea May had with artist Jason Copland (my chat with him in the very near future). How’d the project begin? Where was it originally found? And how did a successful Kickstarter campaign help these two see their creation get picked up by Dark Horse comics?

Michael and I also talk about the current state of the comic book industry, and why it’s important to support stories you love and their creators. Like Captain Planet would say:

Image result for the power is yours gif

What’s next for Michael? Working on Kill All Monsters Vol. 2, naturally. You can check out Volume 1 using the link below.

Jason…you’re up next!

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 144: Solo Darling

The 10th annual King of Trios tournament is coming up Sept. 1-3. It’s a huge event put on by Chikara Pro. The guest this week is one of the participants, Solo Darling. We chat about her beginnings in the business and what she thinks about stepping into the ring against guys. Big thanks to Mike Quackenbush for making this happen on such short notice.

I’m also excited to announce two other things for My 1-2-3 Cents. On the show, next week Chad and I debut a top 6 show call Six Cents. We’ll review our favorite wrestling events from summer time.

My second announcement, I’m proud to announce I am now an affiliate of the COLLARxELBOW brand. Please check out their merchandise and when you’re ready to buy something, use the code MY123CENTS. I appreciate the support and am grateful to become a part of this growing brand. Here’s the link to the site.

Check out these social media pages
@SoloDarling (Twitter)
@COLLARxELBOW (Twitter & Instagram)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

Positive Cynicism Ep17: Hate is Not a One Way Street

While it’s easy to condemn the recent violence in Charlottesville, VA as the result of Nazi scum unfortunately the hate has been building for years on both sides of the political spectrum. On this episode of Positive Cynicism, @chadsmart looks at the hatred that flows on a daily basis through social and mainstream media. Hatred that is not exclusive to one side.

WARNING: EPISODE DOES CONTAIN SOME LANGUAGE THAT IS NSFW.

For the record, Racism of any kind is unacceptable. White Supremacists and Nazis have no place in a productive society. (Just in case there was any confusion)

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 143: Austin Lane

He’s the best of the best. Austin Lane has 20 years of experience under his belt and has worked in both WWE and TNA. He’s currently the number one contender for the Cape Championship Wrestling heavyweight title. Lane faces champion Hollis Giroux in the company’s first ladder match on Saturday, Aug. 26.

We discuss his early days in the business, along with his current status with CCW and what it’s like to wrestle his wife, Nikki. Be sure to check out the interview and stick around for the match of the week. It’s one that features Lane in action from last year’s CCW: Homecoming show.

Looking ahead, Stride Pro Wrestling will be back on Saturday, Sept. 9 at the Illinois Star Centre Mall. Stay tuned here for more updates on that event.

Check out these social media pages
@austinlane1 (Twitter)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

Positive Cynicism EP16: Greatest Performers

What do Garth Brooks, Butch Walker and Prince have in common besides being musicians? Judging by the title of this episode of Positive Cynicism, you can probably figure it out. @chadsmart gives his take on why he considers these three artists three of the greatest performers he’s seen live. In addition, Chad pimps some of his favorite podcasts to listen to at work.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 142: Dalton Anthony & Asa Gray

A few months ago I started listening to a couple of new podcasts that are part of Podzilla 1985. Pro Wrestling Unscripted, Mr. 100 & the 5 Star Man and Podzilla After Dark are the three I listen to regularly. There’s a fourth show called Nerd Up that I check out from time to time too. The show originates from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, my old stomping grounds and the hosts talk about everything from wrestling to movies to current events; things that interest me.

The Podzilla gang is very supportive of Stride Pro Wrestling and I’ve met Dalton Anthony and Asa Gray at some of our shows. When I heard their recent discussion on the new line of WWE action figures that were announced at San Diego Comic Con, I knew he was the right guy to ask questions to.

So I invited Dalton on and it made sense to do the interview in person because they were coming to the most recent Stride show. So he and I (and Asa briefly) discuss all things wrestling. We talk action figures, but also Cape Championship Wrestling (they’re part of the announce team there) as well as their shows. It’s a fun interview, check it out and support Podzilla 1985, CCW and of course Stride Pro Wrestling.

Check out these social media pages
@dalton_anthony92 (Instagram)
@The5StarMan (Asa Gray’s Twitter)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

Nerds United Episode 80: Alberto Pessoa on Primas

Meet Alberto Pessoa: writer, artist, researcher, and creator of Primas. Primas is an original graphic novel based on true stories from research Alberto did over a three year period in a poor region of Paraiba, Brazil. While there, Pessoa talked with local women who earned their living in “the world’s oldest profession.”

In Primas, Pessoa takes the stories of three women and combines them into one tale of the fictional “Rosa.”

I ready the PDF version of Primas in about 40 minutes in one sitting, as I found it wholly engaging and riveting. It’s not a superhero tale. You’ll find no capes or cowls. Only real stories told with a vivid art style. I love the art on this book. It’s simply yet effective. It gets two thumbs up from me, in that regard. The honesty with which the story is told is both brutal yet refreshing. It makes the book all the more desirable to read.

http://kck.st/2vj4NUu

I highly encourage you to check out the Kickstarter and throw them a few bones. Having read the book, I’m confident in saying you won’t be disappointed!

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 141: Cash Borden

Stride Pro Wrestling returns this Saturday to the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion. Bell time is 6:30 p.m. (Saturday, Aug. 5). Among the matches, “Big” Roger Matheus defends the Stride Pro Wrestling championship against Cash Borden.

Cash is the guest on this week’s podcast. He shares the story of how he got started in the business and how he continued on, even after watching someone become paralyzed during a match. Cash is also a member of CollarxElbow. You can shop online and use the code “CASH”.

Besides Stride Pro Wrestling, Cash wrestles for IWA: Midsouth, IWA: Unlimited and Outlaw Wrestling. In fact, he’s going for the Gunslinger championship on September 15 against Jake Parnel and Ozzy Gallager.

Thanks as always for your support. Be sure to check out these fine social media sites too.

@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

 

Positive Cynicism EP. 15: San Diego Comic Con Recap

The largest Popular Culture convention of the year, San Diego Comic Convention recently wrapped up it’s 2017 edition. Host @chadsmart is joined by a panel of Comic Con attendees to discuss how this year’s Con compared to previous years and why people spend up to 16 hours in line to see presentations they could have watched on YouTube . In addition to panels, the discussion touches on topics ranging from all the non-convention center attractions, collectibles and a run-in with Andy Serkis.

*Editor’s note…this is till my favorite moment from Hall H a few years ago. – GM

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 140: Ask My 1-2-3 Cents

After several weeks of solid guests on the show, I decided to let you all weigh in on this week’s show. So it’s another episode of Ask My 1-2-3 Cents. There were some great questions, including my thoughts on the Shield reuniting, who my favorite WWE Superstar is and will I ever wrestle again. I also answer a question about the current product and if I’ve ever stopped watching wrestling for a period of time.

Coming up this week in local indy wrestling, Cape Championship Wrestling’s Anniversary show is Saturday, July 29. Former WWE Superstar Billy Gunn is coming to town for that event. And a week later, it’s Stride Pro Wrestling’s Hot August Night 2 at the Illinois Star Centre Mall. That event begins at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5.

Thanks as always for your support. Be sure to check out these fine social media sites too.

@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

 

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 139: Tito Santana

Growing up, Tito Santana was always one of those guys I loved to see wrestle. He was a two-time holder of the Intercontinental Championship and a two-time co-holder of the WWF Tag Team Championships (with Ivan Putski and Rick Martel). Recently my buddy Tom Harness (Harness Digital Marketing) and I had the good fortune of interviewing Tito for the 25th Hour Radio Show. Host Rob Fairless hooked us up with the interview, which in my 1-2-3 cents turned out to be great.

Tito talks about his time in the ring, including a great story about his real-life knee injury and who he wanted to work an IC title program with and didn’t. Tom and Tito talk education too as Tom was once a teacher and Tito is a teacher now.

Social Media shout outs

@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 138: Buff Bagwell

For nearly three decades Marcus “Buff” Bagwell has entertained wrestling fans. I remember first watching him as The Handsome Stranger in Global Wrestling Federation. Shortly after that he’d end up in WCW and his career really took off.

In 1998 after joining the nWo, I had a chance to meet Bagwell, who was wrestling as Buff Bagwell. Now, nearly 20 years later we’ve reconnected, this time for the My 1-2-3 Cents Podcast. We talk about his career and the decision to retire in 2018. Bagwell also explains why he was cautioned about using the moniker “Buff”.

Here’s the interview I did with Bagwell in Alabama back in ’98. My interview with Bobby Heenan and Ray Traylor are included too.

Social Media shout outs

@Marcbuffbagwell (Twitter)
@marcusbuffbagwell (Instagram)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

Positive Cynicism Ep 14: Feminism – Expert Opinions

On this week’s episode, host @chadsmart is joined by Nerds United host Greg Mehochko and My 1-2-3 Cents host Kevin Hunsperger to discuss the rise of feminism in society.

The first half of the show focuses on the DC cinematic universe and whether Wonder Woman is actually a good movie or if it is given more leeway due to being the first female driven superhero movie.

Second half discussion looks at the online outrage of WWE’s recent first ever women’s Money in the Bank match.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 137: Farmer Billy Hills

This week’s guest is a friend of mine from several years ago, Farmer Bill Hills. We first met when Farmer came to All American Pro Wrestling. He’s now a big part of both Stride Pro Wrestling and Cape Championship Wrestling. He has a shot at the Stride Championship Saturday, July 8 at the Illinois Star Centre Mall.

Farmer and I talk about his early days and what he’s up to now. Not only is he an indy wrestler, he’s an entrepreneur of sorts. Check out all the merchandise in his store here. You can get more than the usual tee shirts and hats. Farmer has also just joined up with the folks at Collar x Elbow so be sure to check out their stuff as well as Farmer’s new podcast, Southern Discomfort.

Social Media shout outs

@FBH05 (Instagram & Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

Nerds United Episode 79: Broderick Writer Ron Bryce

Broderick is already a success story. The Kickstarter launched and has met its initial goal.

Now I’m thrilled to sit down with Ron Bryce, the writer of Broderick. Fun fact: Ron has known longtime friend of the show (and current record holder of most guest appearances) Jay Peteranetz from the very beginning. So after Ron wrote and published his novel (Thirty Days from Sunday), he started working on a novella, and thus, Jack Broderick was born!

 

From comic cards to Kickstarter, come with us on the secret origin of Ron Bryce.

And if you’re going to Denver Comic Con this weekend, be sure to stop by Booth M20, see Ron and Jay, and give them a dollar. I want this project to be fully funded, but I need your help!!! Hardcover, t-shirt, all four issues…it can all be ours! And it could only cost you $1!

Positive Cynicism Ep 13: Is College Worth It?

On this week’s episode, @chadsmart is joined by Associate Professor of Communication, Travis Yates as they discuss if college is worth the cost or if everyone even needs to go to college. Several pros and cons are discussed as they try to determine what is the best option for today’s students.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 136: “The Muscle” Jamas Jay

This week on the show, I chat with indy wrestler “The Muscle” Jamas Jay. He works primarily for Strictly Insane Pro Wrestling in southeastern Illinois. But Jay has experience around the region and has worked with the likes of Tracy Smothers and his trainer Mitch Ryder.

Jay is part of a big fan fest event for Strictly Insane Pro Wrestling. It’s set for Aug. 13 in Crossville, Illinois. Be sure to like his Facebook page or shoot him an email at Emailthemuscle@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening this week and supporting indy wrestling and My 1-2-3 Cents.

Social Media shout outs

@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 135: Money in the Bank Review

Money in the Bank 2017 is in the books and it’s the first WWE event I’ve attended since WrestleMania 32 in Dallas more than a year ago. I had the fortune of watching the show in a suite with some friends from Stride Pro Wrestling. My friend and former co-worker Weston White made the trip up from Nashville for the show too.

Weston and his father-in-law Brad join me on this week’s podcast. The three of us offer up our 1-2-3 cents on the show. While I’m not stoked that Baron Corbin has the brief, I did enjoy most of the Money in the Bank. What were your thoughts?

Social Media shout outs

@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 134: Stride Review & MITB Preview

Stride Pro Wrestling held its second show in the month of June, this time a fundraiser for the YouthBuild program of Jefferson and Marion Counties. More than $2,500 was raised, so thanks to all who attended. That includes Chad Smart who hosts Positive Cynicism on the Jittery Monkey Podcast Network. He’s also been a frequent guest here on My 1-2-3 Cents.

Chad is in town and attended his first Stride Pro Wrestling show. We break down the matches and talk more about indy wrestling in general. We’re also both going to Money in the Bank Sunday and share our thoughts on the matches that have been announced so far.

Social Media shout outs

@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

Nerds United Episode 78: Jay Peteranetz on Broderick

It’s new episode day! Jay Peteranetz returns to talk about his new project on Kickstarter, Broderick.

Broderick is an original comic drawn by Jay, written by Ron Bryce, and colored by Tony Zollo. It’s a noir story about a mob hitman who is “too violent” (Jay’s words) for the mafia. That’s saying something. I mean, the mafia was notoriously violent. YOU’VE SEEN THE MOVIES! YOU KNOW WHAT THEY WERE CAPABLE OF!

But I digress. I’ve read the Broderick preview, available now on the Kickstarter site. In it, Broderick wakes up in Trinity, New Mexico (the real site of the first ever atomic bomb test) – having been dropped there by the mafia overlords he used to serve. Getting a firsthand account of that first blast also comes with, as we come to find out, some damn radiation poisoning.

So – what does Broderick do with his remaining time? Revenge or redemption? And did I open up an existential can of worms with my interpretation? WHO KNOWS?!?

So – check out the Kickstarter. Throw a few dollars their way. Check out all the reward levels. Let’s SUPERFUND this book!

Follow Jay and Ron on twitter:

Jay Peteranetz
Ron Bryce

Also – why will this show never get a sponsorship deal with Taco Bell? It’s all inside!

Positive Cynicism EP 12: Be Excellent to Each Other

After a week that saw a “comedienne” post a picture of her holding the severed head of Donald Trump then play the victim card after near universal backlash, and another terrorist attack in London, host @chadsmart has reached his breaking point with the level of hate in the world. Instead of going with the initial reaction of being “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore,” Chad implores listeners to “be excellent to one another” and tells a story about how seeing New Kids On the Block at the Hollywood Bowl helped erase negative feelings and spread positivity.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 133: Ask My 1-2-3 Cents

No guest this week. Instead, I’m answering your questions. Topics include Vince McMahon being on TV to help boost ratings, Braun Strowman’s future and the Women’s MITB match. In addition to the questions, there are some shout outs this week to new friends and old.

Stride Pro Wrestling has a fundraiser show June 10 at Summersville Grade School in Mt. Vernon, IL. Bell time is 6:30 p.m., but you can do a meet & greet with “Cowboy” Bob Orton starting at 5 p.m. (for $25). Cape Championship Wrestling‘s next show is Saturday, June 24 at 7 p.m. at the AC Brase Arena in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Also, check out The Gorilla Position and Podzilla 1985 along with Pro Wrestling Unscripted. They’re great fan run blogs and podcasts.

Social Media shout outs

@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour (Twitter)

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 132: Chris Hargas

Chris Hargas has worked hard on the indy scene for the past 15 years. He recently won the SICW heavyweight championship and is a mainstay in three other independent wrestling companies. Hargas wrestles for Stride Pro Wrestling, IWA Productions and USA Championship Wrestling.

We talk more about his training, his work in the ring and why he gets into the squared circle week in and week out. Check out his website and watch some of his matches around the country. Chris is a great performer in the ring and a heck of a guy outside of it.

You can catch Chris live in action Saturday, June 3 at the next Stride Pro Wrestling show in Marion, Illinois.

Social media shoutouts!

@chrishargas (Instagram & Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour

 

Nerds United Episode 77: Game of Thrones, Castlevania, and Acting

All right kids, so here’s the new episode. It’s another road recording. And admittedly, it’s not nearly as thorough and complete as I’d like. But…it is what it is.

So earlier in the day, we received a trailer for Season 7 of HBO’s Game of Thrones. So I’m excited about that.

We also received a teaser trailer for a new project headed to Netflix later this year. And though I shared a different version on Facebook earlier in the day, well, I like this one more.

Last but certainly not least, is a response to this article from ComicBook.com, on what had to be a slow news day: The Fifteen Most DESPISED Comic Book Movie Performances.

I take great issue with this, based just on the first two actors listed. But the point is this:

More blame should be levied on the director/producer than the actor portraying the role. And who are you as the author of that article to speak for everyone when calling those performances the most despised? Maybe they were more disappointing to you than other performances. But that’s more your fault based on your expectations of A abd receiving B.

But I digress. There’s more for me to get into on that subject, but that is – I think – more of a blog post when I have the time to disagree with most of the author’s points.

Enjoy the show and we’ll catch you again soon.

What Did I Just Do?

Seriously – what did I just do?

I’m not opposed to shaving for good causes. Here’s when I shaved my head for the Bald Men Walking Relay for Life team five years ago.

Backstory: If you recall a recent post, you’re aware of my love of shaving. It’s not a chore anymore, it’s an event. And this is a great community of people who share the hobby.

I’ve not met anyone in the wet shave community that I didn’t know before I got into it. That will change in a few weeks when I attend the STL Wet Shavers Meet Up. That will be awesome.

But still, it’s a great community. We have good times and plenty of laughs. We have memorial shaves, we have congratulatory shaves for weddings, graduations, retirements, etc (I know I had a helluva shave when my son was born), and we have shaves just to show support. So when it was learned that one of our own was going through something major (learned his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer), one of our fearless leaders created a shave event in her honor. Predicated on her favorite scents, citrus based

Now I don’t know him and I certainly don’t know her, but “when in Rome,” right?

So the event is technically Sunday. But some of us are doing citrus shaves all week long. I began tonight.

 

Now a normal shave would be just fine. But dammit, I had an idea.

AHH! My boobs are on the Internet!

That’s right, kids. I did the unthinkable.

I SHAVED MY CHEST!

#ShaveTheTatas

The band-aid? I had a mole right in the center. And it’s not perfect, but I’ve never shaved my chest before.

And I never will. And yeah, I left the hair around the nips. You saw the razor in the feature image.

As an unforeseen bonus, now my boy can’t pull my chest hair.

Melinda, our thoughts and prayers are with you as you continue your fight

But I hope to God that no one gets testicular cancer!!!

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 131: Heath Hatton Returns

My friend Heath Hatton is back for another episode. This time it’s a road trip discussion as we were headed back to southern Illinois after an evening of wrestling action in the St. Louis area. Hatton was part of the Bruiser Brody Memorial Battle Royal for Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, Illinois.

Hatton also wrestled in a six-man tag team match Saturday night, picking up the win for his team. I tagged along to watch the show backstage. Also on hand for the event, WWE Hall of Famer Abdullah the Butcher and Brody’s widow Barbara Goodish.

Besides recapping the evening of wrestling, Hatton goes into great detail about the Stride Pro Wrestling school he created. There’s an open house Tuesday, May 23 at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion. Learn more here. Hatton also talks more about the future, which is extremely bright for the company.

Social media shoutouts!

@Heath_Hatton (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour

Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast: Baseball Champs, Waffle House, and the Alamo

There’s reason to celebrate today. The Nebraska Cornhusker baseball team is Big Ten regular season champions. That’s a thing. It happened. First time since 2005. And it was

Here’s a little video of the boys celebrating.

https://www.facebook.com/NebraskaBaseball/videos/1284899681565889/

So we talk about that, Penn State’s live stream of the games this weekend (which was 100-times better than the Big Ten Network’s coverage), and the upcoming Big Ten Tournament (Huskers play Wednesday at 4pm Central – AND WE TOLD YOU WHAT TIME THE GAME IS!!!).

Waffle House, Mount Rushmore, and the Alamo are all brought up, as well as a quick football recruiting note.

The Five Heart Podcast Twitter 
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page 
The Corn Nation Twitter 
The Corn Nation Facebook Page 
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page 
The Jittery Monkey Twitter 
Brian Towle 
Greg Mehochko 

Featured image: Nebraska sophomore Jesse Wilkening confirms that he’s safe as sophomore Angelo Altavilla (7) and senior Alex Raburn (14) signal with the home plate umpire in this file photo from the Minnesota series last month. Credit Jon Johnston – Corn Nation

Positive Cynicism Ep 11: Politicalamity

Given the political dealings of the past couple of weeks, @chadsmart invites My 1-2-3 Cents host @kevinhunsperger to join the show to discuss the hypocrisy of both political parties. Over the next hour they discuss why the political climate is so hostile and try to figure out why people don’t listen to each other.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 130: Powerbomb TV

We all know about the WWE Network, commonly referred to on the Jittery Monkey Podcasting Network as Channel 999. Other wrestling companies are looking at that formula and offering up matches for fans to watch on demand. There’s a new venture out there called Powerbomb TV that’s bringing several indy promotions together in one central spot.

This week’s podcast is all about Powerbomb TV. The co-founder of the site, Gerard (who wrestled as Vin Gerard in Chikara Pro), goes into greater detail about how Powerbomb TV works and how fans can sign up. Right now it’s $10 a month or 100 bucks for a one-year subscription. You can sign up now for free.

There’s a big event planned on Saturday, June 11 called Break the Barrier. Gerard describes it as more of a festival than a wrestling show. Colt Cabana will be one of the many indy stars appearing on the show.

Social Media shoutouts!

@PowerbombTV (Twitter)
@VinGerard (Twitter)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 129: ‘Cowboy’ James Storm

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Impact Wrestling star ‘Cowboy’ James Storm. He was a last-minute substitute for Tyrus at a benefit show for tornado victims put on by Stride Pro Wrestling.

Storm couldn’t have been a nice guy. Our interview was brief in large part because of getting everything ready for the show and he had a meet and greet with fans before bell time. Since I’m the ring announcer, there’s no time for me to chit chat with anyone backstage during the show. But I appreciate the time we had together for the interview. I am grateful for the opportunity.

The show saw plenty of great action, including a TLC match main event featuring Stride Pro Wrestling champion Heath Hatton and ‘Big’ Roger Matheus. You can read more about that on the My 1-2-3 Cents blog.

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the show, as well as Jerry Travelstead and Josh Plumlee who helped organize the benefit. My buddy Tom Harness, who is slowly becoming a wrestling fan, joined me and took lots of great photos and video.

Social Media shoutouts!

@jamesstormbrand (Twitter & Instagram)
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour

Nerds United Episode 76: Star Wars, Logan, FCBD, and More!

Heeeey I’m back, recording from the road. It’s safe, I’m fairly certain.

Plenty to talk about in the 76th episode of Nerds United. I’ve been reading comics (SHOCKING, I KNOW!), so there are a few titles I’m talking about, and a reminder to you that this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day (hit that hyperlink to see what books are available this year).

Today is May the Fourth…Star Wars Day. What’s your favorite Star Wars moment? I have a few myself.

Whose names get mentioned here? Let’s see…Logan, Taskmaster, Moon Knight, Crossbones, Captain America, Daredevil, Darth Bane, Darth Vader…I mean, it goes on and on.

I also recap my day at the Cape Comic Con a couple weeks ago!

Also starting a new feature on Facebook today, and every #ThorsDay. An image of the god of thunder from a talented artist on DeviantArt. Give it a look, and all credit to lukealderson1898 for the first Thor image used for this weekly feature.

Hey, if you like the show, if you like Nerds United, please share it with your friends and fellow nerds. I would really appreciate it!

Positive Cynicism EP. 10: Exploring Fandom

What is fandom? What effect has geek culture going mainstream had on fans who were reading comic books or into superheros before it was cool? These questions and more are discussed in the latest installment of Positive Cynicism. Host @chadsmart is joined by Eric Bennett to try and understand what motivates someone to have extreme fandom. Along the way they discuss what Marvel is doing right and DC is doing wrong to create their cinematic universe and how it reflects on the comic book source material.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 128: Dexter Roswell Interview

“Make Stride Pro Wrestling great again” has been the mantra of Dexter Roswell in recent months. The Stride graduate along with his bodyguard Brian Richards and Nathan Bragg make up the DR Party. The trio is making waves on the roster and continues to improve in the ring each time they wrestle.

Roswell and I talk more about his training and what inspired him to finally pull the trigger on a career in pro wrestling. He also explains why he feels the need to sanitize his hands before stepping through the ropes each time he wrestles. And who he hopes to one day recruit to be a member of the DR, along with a dream opponent of his.

He’ll face JD Wilk at the upcoming Brave the Storm event at Pinckneyville School 204 Saturday, May 6. This feud has been building up for some time. Roswell offered Wilk a spot in the DR Party, but Wilk made it clear he wasn’t interested.

The May 6 show is a big fundraiser for storm victims in southern Illinois. Learn more about the event here.

Social Media shoutouts! 

Dexter Roswell Facebook
@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@The25th_Hour

Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast Episode 32: Spring Recap and Bowling Psychology

This week’s episode has a little rundown on the Red/White Game from a couple weeks ago. What did we see, what didn’t we see? Did it all meet expectations?

Plenty of bowling talk, like match psychology. Does the bowler take into account their opponent, or do they bowl with proverbial blinders on?

And Texas is a massive state that you should never feel obligated to drive across. Speaking of bowling (and speaking of driving across Texas), Brian outran a tornado! Seriously. He tells the story in this week’s episode.

Also, if you were one of the first 400 Ohio State students going to Friday night’s baseball game against Nebraska, you were treated (??) to a Brutus Buckeye “dab” hat.

Old Man Greg says it’s time to retire the dab.

The Five Heart Podcast Twitter
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page
The Corn Nation Twitter
The Corn Nation Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Twitter
Brian Towle
Greg Mehochko 

DC’s Titans Headed to New Streaming Service

Earlier today, we learned that Warner Bros./DC is moving forward with a live-action version of the Teen Titans.

Honestly, it’s a brilliant idea. It hits home for the generation that grew up with the Titans on Cartoon Network (even if they didn’t pick up a comic book). But they will also capture the audience that has brought continued success to the CW shows in the “Arrow-verse.” It gets top billing because it was the first, followed by The Flash, Supergirl (an acquisition from NBC), and Legends of Tomorrow.

Greg Berlanti, the mastermind behind the success of these network programs, will once again be at the forefront of this DC property, working with Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Sarah Schechter.

This will also mark DC’s first venture on their new, yet-to-be-launched streaming service. So it won’t be a full week of Berlanti shows on the CW. Just, you know…four. Or whatever it is now. I guess Legends is on after Flash. I don’t know…I DVR everything and zip through commercials.

In a press release from Warner Bros.:

“Titans” follows a group of young soon-to-be Super Heroes recruited from every corner of the DC Universe. In this action-packed series, Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes, including Starfire, Raven and many others.

One recruit that is already established that I’d like to see pulled over to Titans is a Titan himself, Kid Flash.

Keiynan Lonsdale portrays Kid Flash on the CW’s hit show The Flash.

Now, I’m a little behind on my Flash-watching, but it just seems like Wally West/Kid Flash is sort of just there. He doesn’t have too much to do since you still have the titular character on the show. So it would work. Plus, as I mentioned above, he’s an established character and would likely draw his fans, and fans of The Flash into this new project.

Titans as a live-action production seems like the next logical step in the process of bringing these characters to a new audience. The same press release that brought the news of the Titans live action show also held an announcement that Young Justice was making its return. And with the success of the DC Animated universe titles like Justice League vs Teen Titans and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, live action was just the next evolution. And since Titans was brought back to the dance after being neglected by TNT, it looks like it will finally be done right.

I look for more Titans news in the future. I’m guessing they already have an actor in mind to play Dick Grayson, but who do you see in that role?

Tell me on Facebook or Twitter.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 127: Cape Championship Wrestling Super Show

Editor’s note: my apologies to Davey Vega and the folks at Missouri Wrestling Revival. I inadvertently called Vega Danny instead of Davey. Sorry! 

It’s been an action-packed weekend. The 12th annual Cape Comic Con returned to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. There were plenty of vendors, artists and authors on hand. Costumed characters made their way around the Osage Center and several celebrity guests were there including Santiago Cirilo from the Walking Dead, voice actor Michael Nicolosi and lots of professional wrestlers.

I talked my buddy Tom Harness from Harness Digital Marketing into going or at least his alter ego iBatman. He’s the guest on today’s show. We talk more about his first experience at both Cape Con and later in the night with Cape Championship Wrestling.

Courtesy: Tom Harness

Tom watched WWF back in the day but hasn’t experienced anything quite like CCW and “Sexy” Sarge for example. The ‘King of Dong Style’ Joey Ryan was there too. Tom’s reaction was priceless. Colt Cabana, Leva Bates and Jeff Cobb were also special guests who wrestled and a WWE Hall of Famer surprised fans by making a special appearance.

It was a fun day and we’re already looking forward to the 2018 Comic Con. Be sure to support my friends in the world of professional wrestling and beyond by following them on social media. Don’t forget to check out My 1-2-3 Cents the blog and KevinHunsBlogger too.

Social Media Shoutouts!

@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@25thHourRadio

 

Nerds United Episode 75: Talking Smit and the Cape Comic Con

This weekend is the 12th Annual Cape Comic Con in Cape Girardeau, MO.

This year’s Cape Con preview episode features two of my favorite people and best friends, Jared and Nia Smith, of Talking Smit fame. We’re talking about some of our memories of recent Cape Con’s, the mistake that I made once and the good times had by all.

Learn about their favorite memories of their trips to Cape Con (spoiler, this pic place a part):

Cape Con 2017 will once again reunite me with my good friends, but we also talk about what is anticipated the most for them this year. Being that they’re both big wrestling fans, they’re eager to see two great nights of wrestling at the Arena. It’s Girl Fight and the Luna Vachon Memorial Tournament Friday night and the CCW Super Show Saturday night. Big names are brought to Southeast Missouri for a great weekend, and you can see them all (and the CCW talent) at the Con itself.

Enjoy the show. We get a silent cameo from my son who walked over to the broadcast area late in the show (he was a little more vocal about midway through).

 

 

Positive Cynicism Episode 9: Can’t We All Be United

After a two week hiatus (aka mandatory therapy), @chadsmart returns with the latest installment of Positive Cynicism to share his slanted views on society. This week Chad looks at the United airline overbook flight situation which saw a passenger dragged off a plane instead of leaving voluntarily when asked. In typical cynical fashion, Chad explains why he thinks the general public overreacted and why viral outrage reflects poorly on society.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 126: “Big” Roger Matheus

They don’t come much bigger, meaner or tougher than “Big” Roger Matheus. He has terrorized the Stride Pro Wrestling roster for about a year now. Matheus has a huge opportunity coming up on May 6 as he faces Heath Hatton for the Stride Pro Wrestling Championship in a TLC match. It’s happening at Pinckneyville Unit 204 school.

Matheus talks about his upcoming title match as well as his history in the business and what role Bobby Lashley plays in it. There’s a mention of the Boogeyman too. Thanks for listening and supporting the show and My 1-2-3 Cents the blog.

Social Media Shoutouts!

@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
Roger Matheus: @TheMadViking13
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@25thHourRadio

Fresh Content Day 46: The Kevin Smith Post

Where do I start? Let’s see…I got a late start on Kevin Smith fandom. Clerks came out in 1994, but I didn’t see it until 2000 or 2001. Oddly enough, I heard of a little movie called Dogma before I heard of Clerks, Mallrats, or Chasing Amy, all of which were before Dogma.

Let’s start at the beginning.

I graduated high school in 2000 and stayed home and went to a community college. The plan was to knock out my general courses and get my Associate’s Degree on their dime (academic scholarship) and then go on to a university and finish my Bachelor’s Degree and become a teacher. Obviously, it didn’t work out that way and instead, after finishing my Associate’s, I went on to broadcast school. But the friendships I made at small Kaskaskia College in Centralia, IL were some of the most important of my life, and I’m still friends with many of those people today.

One kid I met in college (we’ll call him Billy, since that was his name) introduced me to a couple of characters named Jay and Silent Bob. Billy let me borrow Clerks, and from there I borrowed Mallrats, and Chasing Amy. I was hooked. I loved how all the movies were inter-connected (before there was the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was the View Askew-niverse). I should clarify that I borrowed these movies originally, but later purchased them. I had the first four movies on video cassette.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was different. I recognized at that point that the industry was changing. Actually, it had changed, I was just behind the times. My last semester in college, I took a Film History course, and one of our assignments was a video report on a movie, actor, director, etc. I chose Kevin Smith. I pieced together bits of the videos from the five movies mentioned above, talking about how they were all connected, how he used actors in different roles (Brian O’Halloran being my main example), how there was a nerdy theme throughout all of the movies.

https://youtu.be/GYHP101Owy0?t=21s

Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back was my first movie on DVD before I had a DVD player. I bought it on vacation in June of 2002 and didn’t get an XBox for probably six months. I would watch it on my mom’s old laptop that she wasn’t using anymore.

I’m going to make a HUGE step forward now and say that without Kevin Smith, Nerds United wouldn’t be a thing. I wouldn’t have a podcast. I wouldn’t have started my own podcast network. You wouldn’t be reading this at all…if not for Kevin Smith.

It was February 2012 and I had just upgraded to an iPhone 5. I had been watching Comic Book Men on AMC for a few weeks and assumed that when the guys (Kevin, Bryan, Walt, Mike, and Ming)  were sitting around the table talking, that it was an actual podcast recording. So I went to find it on my new iTunes podcast app. I didn’t find it, but I did find a little show called Fatman on Batman. I remember the first episode I listened to was Part One of the Grant Morrison two-parter. I did that on the way to and from Effingham, IL to broadcast some high school boys basketball.

I was instantly hooked to the show and would go back and listen to all of the previous episodes. Those early episodes with Mark Hamill, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Kevin Conroy, Adam West, Scott Snyder…I mean…people who have worked on or been a part of Batman lore – some of the best podastin’ I’ve ever heard. When he sat down with my favorite author, Brad Meltzer, I was quite simply in heaven.

But the reason I’m here (and the reason you’re here) is because, in his own inspirational way, Smith said (and I’m paraphrasing) “if you’ve got something you want to say or create, just do it.” I had something I wanted to say. So here we are. I later found his weekly podcast Hollywood Babble-On, and that’s a go-to every Monday morning, when I update my podcast downloads and hope to see it there for its regular laughs.

Smith gets a lot of heat online anytime his name is mentioned. Any time his name pops up on a headline, often the comments include “who cares what Kevin Smith says,” etc.

My problem with that is 1) Kevin Smith isn’t in charge of news sites writing about him and B) people are just some jealous bastards.

The guy has legitimate geek cred. He wrote for Marvel and DC (Daredevil, Batman, and Green Arrow runs come to mind), as well as Green Hornet. He has directed The Flash and Supergirl. But my takeaway from Smith is “find something you love doing and find a way to make a living from it.” Here’s a guy who wrote and directed a movie on a budget of about $27,000. And from those humble beginnings, is a household name and a global brand.

His more recent stuff, the “True North Trilogy,” is a little off beat and left of center. Tusk was a really messed up movie. Yoga Hosers was an oddball teen comedy. And I enjoyed them both. MooseJaws (like Jaws, but with a moose) is the third one in the lineup and should be a fun picture as well.

Perhaps the coolest thing about Smith is that he marches to the beat of his own drum and doesn’t care. He said (paraphrasing again) that by and large, the public wasn’t going out to see the movies he made that he thought they wanted, so he just started making movies that he wanted to see. Tusk originated from a conversation on one of his podcasts.

Regardless of your opinion of Smith, his “I’m going to do it my way, with or without you” attitude is to be commended. He sees your “that can’t be done” and responds with a “watch me do it.”

It was just announced on a recent episode of Fatman on Batman that Smith was tapped (he’d find that dirty…and hilarious) to write, direct, and produce a Sam and Twitch series for BBC America.

The guy travels the world with his friends doing live shows of his various podcasts. Despite his detractors, he has a loyal following of fans. He has enriched my comic book appreciation by recommending titles and arcs I may not have picked up otherwise.

Kevin Smith is my spirit animal if ever I had one.

When Nerds United was in its infancy, I reached out to Kevin to see if he’d be interested in being a guest on the show. That request was greeted with crickets. Maybe…MAYBE…Kevin will see this and open a dialogue. I’d love to have the type of chat with him that he had with the likes of Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Neal Adams, and Denny O’Neil (two of the best storytellers of all damn time). I’ve read his comics and I have seen his movies. I know there’s a ton of dialogue. A four-part series with Kevin Smith?

So, Kevin Smith, if you read this and got all the way to the end, thank you for inspiring me to get out there with a microphone and my friends and create something. Now…would you like to be a guest on my podcast?

 

 

That’s it, folks. We made it through Lent with new content every day. WHEW! I’m tired. I’m still going to write for the site, but probably not every day. I’ve been sacrificing a lot of sleep to try to meet these self-imposed deadlines (and even then, I sometimes missed them). I’m excited to go to bed early tonight and prepare for Easter tomorrow with my family. I’m pretty pumped to eat Garrett’s candy, HA HA HA HA HA!

I thank you all for reading these posts, whether you read one, ten, or all 46. I try not to think that I’m just yelling into a big empty room and that someone is out there enjoying what I do here at Nerds United. Hope to have a new podcast up this week with the organizer of the Cape Comic Con. I’ll be there a week from now, seeing old friends and making new connections. If you’ve enjoyed these posts, tell your friends about it. This is a pure grassroots effort here with no budget. It’s a hobby, not a job.

Thank you all again, from the bottom of my nerdy heart!

Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast Episode 31: Husker Spring Game and More

After a week off, Brian and Greg are back with an episode that’s full of Husker topics.

We talk about NCAA Women’s Bowling National Championships and the Huskers competing down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

We talk a little about Nebraseball and their Friday night loss in ten innings to Iowa (#EvilIowa).

Friday saw Nebraska get a verbal commitment from a top-5 cornerback from Calabasas.

https://twitter.com/Bookie_44/status/853035609891405825

What do the guys want to see from the Red/White Game, and what sort of impact will 70,000+ Nebraska faithful have on the scores of players in Lincoln for the game?

More recruiting notes and philosophies as the rules have changed, allowing early official visits and an early signing day!

The plugs are almost as cool as Bookie.

The Five Heart Podcast Twitter
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page
The Corn Nation Twitter
The Corn Nation Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Twitter
Brian Towle
Greg Mehochko 

Fresh Content Day 45: Breaking Down Star Wars Ep VIII – The Last Jedi Trailer

The Disney/Marvel/Lucasfilm wiseguys decided one awesome trailer this week wasn’t enough. So they graced us with one of the most anticipated trailers in recent memory.

Star Wars Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

Let’s break down this one just like we did the Thor trailer earlier in the week.

It opens with a rock. Or rather, a rocky surface. And then suddenly – BAM! Rey drops on screen.

She looks like she’s sweating and she’s gasping for air. She reminds me of how Luke looked in Empire Strikes Back when Yoda was training him in the ways of the Force.

Show the classic Lucasfilm emblem we’ve seen for so long. Aaaand now we’re flying over water.

That is one picturesque island. And it’s not some random place in the south Pacific. NAY! It’s a real place off the coast of Ireland called Skellig Michael, and it’s a must-see place without the high-quality production camera.

IRELAND – MARCH 17: The small island of Skellig Michael, Skellig Islands, County Kerry, Ireland. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

Next we see a cove and Rey looking out over the water. It cuts to her hands on the ground and using the Force to lift pebbles off the ground. Again, reminiscent of Empire.

When the screen goes black, we hear Luke’s voice saying “What do you see?”

Rey answers “Light” as we see a Rebel Command Center and what is clearly the backside of General Organa (Carrie Fisher had concluded filming her scenes for this movie before she passed away in December). When the image changes to a broken and for some reason smoking Kylo Ren helmet, Rey’s coinciding response is “darkness.”

In another cut away, we see darkness surrounding a lit area, a hand on an old text or scroll, and more words from Rey.

I have listened to it several times, but I don’t know if she says “imbalance” or “and balance.” If you have an opinion, voice it in the comments on Facebook.

As we hear the voice of Luke say “It’s so much bigger,” we see a distance shot of Rey getting some quality time in practicing with the light saber.

After it’s announced that we can expect Episode VIII “THIS CHRISTMAS,” we see some speeders kicking up a bunch of dust on the desert, and one clearly has a little problem on the approach.

A quick glimpse of Finn asleep, dead, I don’t know. He looks at peace. That’s more than we can say about most of the galaxy far far away. A quick cut to Poe and BB-8 on the run from an explosion.

And then…

SPACE BATTLE!!!

Complete with the Millennium Falcon. Now if you remember the end of The Force Awakens, you’ll know that [OMG IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET, DON’T READ THE FOLLOWING] Han Solo is dead. Last we saw, Rey joined Chewbacca on the Falcon. And they flew that hunka junk to Luke’s position. So seeing it being shot at by the First Order’s version of the TIE Fighter is interesting. I would assume that means that the Falcon left Luke, and not that they were followed there by the First Order. Rey is seen briefly running with her lightsaber extended.

At the 1:29 mark, we get our first look at Kylo Ren.

And he does not look happy. Of course, he was just PWNed by a n00b. (Is that right? Am I saying that right?) I’m really looking forward to the rematch.

We see Luke and R2-D2 standing side-by-side, looking at a burning structure. Based on the shot immediately following that, with Kylo Ren leading some troopers towards our viewpoint, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a conflict between Ren and Skywalker at that place.

More space battle. I gloss over it briefly because it’s just there. It will play a part, but I don’t think it will be the focus.

Then the cryptic words of Luke Skywalker: “It’s time for the Jedi…to end.” No idea what it means but eager as heck to find out.

After another viewing of the trailer, here are a few things I missed:

  • There are soft voices in her light/dark segment. Online speculation hints at maybe Obi Wan Kenobi from the prequels. There is also allegedly the voice of Princess Leia from A New Hope.
  • Something I missed in initial viewings of the teaser were the AT AT’s in the background when the fighters take to the sand (around the 1:16 mark).

So…is it December yet?

Of course, here’s the trailer in its entirety:

Fresh Content Day 44: Marvel’s Ultimatum

Now before you start wondering, let me clear the air here.

  1. I’m not giving Marvel an Ultimatum. I’m not saying “put Steve Rogers back in the red, white, and blue” or “for crying out loud, please cast Nathan Fillion in something more than voice work!”
  2. Marvel isn’t handing out ultimatums to Sony or 20th Century Fox or anything lile that regarding any of their properties.

This is about “Marvel Ultimatum,” a five-issue mini-series that was published in 2008-2009. Best I can tell, it takes place in Marvel’s Ultimate universe. Written by the incredible Jeph Loeb and penciled by David Finch, it is a Marvel comic event that, I think, caused everyone to look around and say “well, I think we’re all glad that didn’t happen in the main continuity.”

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

To put it mildly, it’s a damn bloodbath. The story opens with a swell of water that floods New York City. Meanwhile, Eastern Europe is covered in a deep winter that kills man, woman, and child. Earthquakes in Wakanda. Volcanoes in the Amazon. In the first issue, the death toll reaches the millions.

And no one is immune. Throughout the series, heroes are offed left and right. Some from the initial natural disasters, but most from the ensuing conflicts.

Now I fully admit that I only read the core Ultimatum story, without going into the Requiem tie-ins or any other titles. But it was a relatively easy book to digest, and I was able to finish it in one sitting. Truth be told, it wasn’t on my radar initially, and I only knew about it from a YouTube video (I don’t remember which one now). But it did give me a pretty sweet #BOOM! picture I was able to use after selling a car.

But here’s a list of Marvel characters who are killed in Ultimatum:

  • Beast
  • Nightcrawler
  • Dazzler
  • Franklin Storm
  • Emma Frost
  • Wasp
  • Blob
  • Hank Pym
  • Longshot
  • Forge
  • Doctor Strange
  • Cannonball
  • Professor X
  • Spider-Man (he would later be revealed to be alive)
  • Angel

There are more. But it’s almost as if George RR Martin wrote the story. And here’s the thing. There are A-list names above. But what I haven’t told you yet is Thor sacrificed himself and stayed behind in Hel to save Valkyrie and Captain America.

So let’s let the story unfold. It is realized that Magneto changed the magnetic fields at Earth’s north and south poles. That caused all the destruction and devastation. It’s learned that he’s essentially punishing mankind for the death of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. So all the heroes go to his floating fortress for the confrontation. That’s where Angel dies. It’s where Magneto kills Wolverine and where Cyclops returns the favor.

A few days later at a press conference, while Cyclops is addressing the crowd on the steps of Congress he’s assassinated. After that, Doctor Doom has his head crushed by the Thing.

Like I said, there is an unnerving amount of death in these five issues. But the most gruesome death is that of Janet van Dyne aka Wasp. Hawkeye turns the corner and sees Blob feasting on her torso. Blob meets his end when Hank Pym picks him up and bites his head off, then spitting it out and dropping Blob from a very high distance.

I mean…it’s gratuitous. It’s unnerving.

It’s Rated T for Teen.

Now Ultimatum is not the best comic book out there. It’s not one of Jeph Loeb’s best. That’s on the other side of the Marvel/DC aisle:

And that’s just my opinion. But that is a great story.

So where does that leave Ultimatum? Well, I read it out of morbid curiosity. I think we all do that from time to time. But this is a unique story that shows the demise of a good portion of the Marvel Earthly heroes. If you’re curious and didn’t see my [SPOILERS] as a bad thing, I encourage you to seek it out, borrow it from a friend. If you’re not curious, well the good news is that there are a lot of comics out there to scratch almost any itch you might have. Go to your local comic book store, tell them where your interests lie, and then listen and honestly consider their recommendations.

It’s a big beautiful world of comics out there, kids. Go get you some.

Fresh Content Day 43: Life with a Toddler

I know it’s crazy, but I don’t bring up my son a lot on social media. I do here and there, of course. I don’t ignore the fact that he exists. But I have several friends who would love to have children of their own, but for one reason or another, the Good Lord hasn’t provided them with that blessing yet.

I was in their shoes once. My wife and I tried for years to start a family. While we had our struggles – including losing one pregnancy about twelve weeks in – our friends were having their first kids or their second kids. I’d be lying if I said we weren’t hurting. That behind the smiles and tears of happiness there was also anger and tears of sadness. So with those memories always in my mind, I never want to feel like I’m rubbing it in my friends’ faces that I have a child while they wait for their prayers to be answered.

So on Day 43, when I didn’t see any headlines today that brought with them some inspiration, no new trailer to break down, and nothing left to say about tornadoes (sorry Jay), I turned to my wife and said “what should I write about tonight?”

She said “write about living with a 15-month-old.”

So…let’s see. Our son is up and running and playing. He loves to be outside. We have a playset in the backyard that was here from the previous owners. We ordered a toddler swing for it so he can swing anytime he wants to.

I’d say overall, he’s pretty good with our two dogs. But he accidentally stepped on Lucky’s tail last week. She didn’t appreciate that. He made it up to her by dropping food from his high chair down to the floor. I’d say all was forgiven after that.

As I said, he’s more mobile now. We’ve had to make adjustments to how we store things, like our/my expansive movie collection. It used to be in alphabetical order. Now I’m just happy if he hasn’t chewed on any cases that day.

He likes to play ball, either rolling it back and forth or picking it up and bringing it back to us, so we would roll it and he’d go get it and bring it back. Yes, our son is good at playing fetch.

Some days he doesn’t feel so good. A couple weeks ago he had a temperature for a few days straight. It’s times like those that I’m happier than normal to be married to a nurse, because when I would have freaked out, she kept a level head, and “Lil Man” pulled through just fine.

It’s amazing what we have found that he enjoys. I mean, he’s a little kid, so Mickey and Elmo are right in his wheelhouse. But we also will watch The Muppet Christmas Carol every week. It’s a good show to capture his attention, and as such, I now have many of the songs set to memory.

Here he is watching The Muppet Christmas Carol during dinner.

Lately, he’s been practicing for Easter Sunday. We went to two Easter Egg Hunts (you read about one ten days ago) and will do Easter and Grandma and Grandpa’s on Sunday, complete with a little egg hunt there. So he’s been picking up things and putting them in his Mickey basket (he doesn’t know he has a Yoda basket for Easter).

Here’ what I know…we have a super little boy who likes apples almost as much as he likes saying “apple.” He says “appy” because he’s a happy kid (or because he’s going to be the next great app developer…I’m all right with either). He runs to meet me at the door when I get home from work. He doesn’t like it when mommy leaves for work in the evening.

Truth be told, we couldn’t ask for a better child. He makes us laugh every day.

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Fresh Content Day 42: The Podcast That Will Never Be

So I’ve dropped this topic on a few recent episodes of the podcast, I’ve hinted at an upcoming episode I’d like to have where I discuss some parts of some classic Disney movies that are overlooked in the grand scheme of the story. At the time, I told you to give me a classic Disney feature animation, and I’d find at least one thing to complain about.

Well, y’all forgot to submit your entries to be a part of the show, so I’m taking matters into my own hands.

There may be more to this down the road, but these are two big issues I have with two high-profile Disney cartoons from my childhood. But they are things I didn’t really consider until recently.

In 1989’s The Little Mermaid, Ariel escapes to her cave of wonders, where her collection of human trinkets is, well, it’s massive. She has more crap that she found on the bottom of the ocean than I packed up and put in the moving truck last year when we relocated. In her song Part of That World, she sings:

Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete?
Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl, The girl who has everything?
Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Lookin’ around here you’d think ‘Sure, she’s got everything,’

I’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty.
I’ve got whooz-its and whatz-its galore.
You want thingamabobs? I got twenty.
But who cares? No big deal. I want more.

Now, I’ve never been a sea princess. I haven’t been a land princess for that matter, either. But what does it tell the young, impressionable children watching this movie? “No matter how much you have, it’s not enough.” Now that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. You can work hard to achieve your goals.

But that’s not how the movie plays out. With the help of the sea witch Ursula, she trades her voice for some legs. And then with the help of her friends, she tries to get Prince Eric to fall in love with her. It is complicated when Ursula shows up, yadda yadda, you know the story.

It just seems to me that the “I have so much, but I need more to be happy” mentality is part of this wave of entitlement that has been around out society for much of this millennium. Now I’m not blaming Disney, but it could certainly be a factor. Also…that’s very old-man of me. And I get that. And it’s not a plot hole, unlike our next venture.

The second part is this post centers on Beauty and the Beast, and is all plot hole. Recall if you will that Belle leaves the castle to go check on her father. While there, Maurice is about to be taken to the asylum. Belle pleads on behalf of her father, who had already claimed to see a beastly, monstrous creature. No one believes him. So when Belle whips out the magic mirror to prove her father isn’t crazy. They see the Beast in the viewer, and of course, it’s the wild-eyed, evil Beast. Not the calm, more sophisticated Beast that Belle grew to love. What happens next?

Gaston whips the mob into a frenzy, saying the Beast needs to be killed before he wreaks havoc on the village.

WHAT?!?

That spell has been on the castle for a decade, and the villagers didn’t even know about it. They had no idea there was a Beast. They go from clueless to concerned in just a few seconds. Aside from a couple images of a creature on the magic mirror, there has been no proof that the Beast is dangerous. Furthermore, the Beast has no history of attacking the village.

Seriously…with absolutely no cause other than to puff his chest out and add a trophy to his wall, Gaston incites a riot and marches on the castle, and his undoing.

It’s just a problem I’ve encountered with Beauty and the Beast. It unnerves me more than the Stockholm Syndrome aspect.

So that’s what I wanted to talk about today.

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Fresh Content Day 41? – Thor Ragnarok Trailer Breakdown

Well, let’s get the math out of the way right away, before I catch any grief.

In the Christian calendar, Lent is 40 days. This is Post 41. IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE!

But wait, the forty days is from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday. Now we’re in Holy Week. We are not yet to Easter, so you still get posts (if you want them…and based on the numbers, you do).

So today we had a little [teaser] trailer drop for Thor: Ragnarok. Now I just talked about Norse mythology on Saturday. I thought the first Thor movie was brilliant, and Thor: The Dark World had its uses, as it brought us another Infinity Stone. Plus, there was more from the fan-favorite Loki, and the Captain America cameo.

https://youtu.be/lpy22Yosp04?t=41s

The trailer opens with Thor in chains taking a very painful looking, chain–like drop into Hel. Thor’s voiceover says “Now I know what you’re thinking. ‘How did this happen?’ Well, it’s a long story.”

While the voiceover is happening, the scene changes to Thor throwing Mjolnir at an unknown entity. And also, Led Zeppelin starts to play. (Click the link. I swear, it’s all I hear when I think of The Immigrant Song.) So Mjolnir is thrown. But here’s a swerve…Mjolnir is caught. Or maybe the better term “stopped.”

Look, I know that’s Cate Blanchett, but for a minute, minus the nose, it looks a lot like Eva Green.

And then the unthinkable happens (see the featured image). She breaks the damn thing.

Now here’s what you need to know about Mjolnir in the Marvel Universe. It’s not just a magical hammer that only Thor and Vision can hold. Paraphrasing Marvel.Wikia.com:

Odin defeats the God Tempest and traps it in a chunk of Uru, then gives the stone to dwarves who star-forge it into the hammer. The forging took seventeen weeks.

So anyway, Hela destroys Mjolnir, and next we see Hela in her full antler regalia about to bring destruction to Asgard. It takes nine seconds. And Thor is cast out of his home, and is found on a new world. He is quickly captured and shown in captivity.

Next we see the Grandmaster, Jeff Goldblum, asking what was brought before him, and the response given is “a contender.”

We see what appears to be Heimdall in the forest fighting for survival. Quick cuts about a second or so apart until the 1:06 mark when we finally get our first look at the prodigal son himself:

Wielding a duo of daggers and the most wicked helm in the realm.

I don’t know whose side Loki is on. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was on his own side in this mayhem. As you’ll remember, when last we saw him, he was impersonating the Allfather and sitting on the throne of Asgard.

Fast-forward a few seconds and we see Thor finally entering the gladiator arena.

Hey Thor, did you get a hair cut?”

“No, I got them all cut.”

His new helmet drops into place. The Grandmaster is introducing the opponent when “BAH GAWD, KING! IT’S HULK! IT’S THE INCREDIBLE HULK!”

Which brings about probably the only moments of levity in this trailer.

I mean it. Just look how happy he is. That is one jubilant God of Thunder. It’s almost like he forgot that time Hulk punched him in his head!

After a triumphant “YES” from Thor, the crowd and the Grandmaster are puzzled. Thor calmly, coolly explains “We know each other. He’s a friend from work.” Because…#Avengers.

Hulk straight up doesn’t care, and quickly engages Thor. Thor runs at Hulk. Our “teaser trailer” (that lasts almost two minutes…so I’m calling it a trailer) ends with an awesome, 1980’s Saturday Morning Cartoon style graphic.

It’s a little bit Masters of the Universe, a little bit Silverhawks.

So that’s the trailer. Or should I say “Here’s the trailer.”

I’m digging this trailer big time. I’m pumped for another Thor movie. I’m pumped for another MCU movie. And I’m excited to see the only two guys not invited to Captain America: Civil War to do battle with each other before restoring order in Asgard (speculation…they don’t tell me anything, obviously).

Thor: Ragnarok is in theaters in November!

What’d you think? Sound off in the comments on the Facebook page.

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My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 125: Girl Fight, Super Show coming to CCW

Cape Championship Wrestling has been entertaining wrestling fans in southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and western Kentucky for nearly a year. CCW will have a big presence at this year’s Cape Con event. On Friday, April 21 it’s ladies night as CCW teams up with Madman Pondo for Girl Fight. It’s the first ever Luna Vachon Memorial Tournament.

Then on Saturday, April 22 it’s the CCW Super Show. You’ll see all the stars of CCW including champion Brandon Barbwire, tag champs Farmer Billy Hills & Dell Tucker and Austin Lane. Plus guests scheduled to appear include Colt Cabana, Joey Ryan and Jeff Cobb. The company’s COO Jason Wells explains more in today’s podcast.

Stride Pro Wrestling is working on a big show in May. It includes a TLC match for the Stride Pro Wrestling championship as Heath Hatton defends against Roger Matheus. And former WWE Superstar (Brodus Clay) Tyrus will also be on hand.

It’s a great time for indy wrestling. Come out and support the men and women of the mat. Thanks!

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Fresh Content Day 40: The Ten Commandments [Movie]

It’s a classic. The Ten Commandments came out in 1956. I saw it decades later. It is still probably a top-twenty film for me.

The Cecil B. DeMille production had a budget of $13 million (adjusted to $116,619,639.62 in 2016) and took in $122.7 million ($1,100,709,983.17 adjusted) in its initial box office release.

Three hours and forty minutes. That’s the runtime. It beats Avatar by an hour. And let me say that it’s worth every minute.

That’s not coming from Greg the Catholic. That’s coming from Greg the Movie Fan. I will spend time looking at IMDb.com while watching a movie and look at the Trivia section to learn the ins and outs of the production. This movie was the work of thousands of people, extras, etc.

The sets were massive. And this was before green screens and CGI.

Thanks, Google!

The exceptions I know of are the Parting of the Red Sea and Raising the Obelisk of Seti’s Jubilee.

 

You can see in the beginning of this clip the variation of foreground and background image quality. Charlton Heston and Vincent Price (and later Yul Brynner and Cedric Hardwicke) are there in front of the camera, while the background of the laboring crews is clearly added in post-production.

The reason I’m writing about this today is today is Passion (Palm) Sunday, and tomorrow is the first day of Passover. I always thought that this was the night of the yearly telecast of The Ten Commandments, but in my research, I learned that they always played it on Easter. Since 1973, this film has been on ABC each year (with the exception of 1999). So before it was even a twenty-year-old movie, it was getting the same annual timeslot. That’s good exposure.

I try to watch this movie each year. I really love it. As far as biblical epics go, this is the golden standard. Maybe that was all a part of the plan – get this movie in front of the viewing public regularly. Get them to love it. Get the ratings each year and the advertising dollars.

I don’t know. All I know is that sometime between now and next week, I’m going to watch this movie and thoroughly enjoy it.

Fresh Content Day 39: Marking Out for Mythology

…I’ve had a vested interest in ancient mythologies.

I love their stories. I love their characters. And because of that lifelong appreciation, I tend to enjoy mythology-based enterprises more than some.

I talked about it in my post about video games, but PlayStation’s God of War was a game that really caught my interest when I saw it talked about on X-Play.

But before I could *see* these ancient worlds in a video game, I would read about them. There was a book in my school library with an old and tattered red cover. I don’t know its name (though I borrowed and read it twice), but I really think it was called “Norse Mythology.” And that’s what it was about. It was the Norse mythology, cover to cover. It talked of Asgard, Odin, Thor, Loki, the frost giants, and in the end, Ragnarok. But it was no Marvel-spun tale. Thor had a fiery red beard and wore animal hides.

I know that Neil Gaiman provided the world with his re-telling of the famed Norse Mythology.

Like Gaiman, I had knowledge of Jack Kirby’s Thor, and had that picture in my mind when I first delved deeper into the Norse gods.

I don’t know if we’ll ever see an epic movie (franchise) based on Norse Mythology. I’d pay to see it, though.

My initial exposure to Greek mythology came about thanks to cinema. It was from 1981’s Clash of the Titans. I don’t remember the exact year I saw the film, but I was still in single digits. There was something about the tale of Perseus, overcoming the Fates, vengeful goddesses, a swamp-dwelling monster, gigantic scorpions, Medusa, and of course, the recently released Kraken.

Because of my love for the source material, I’m also in the minority when it comes to the 2010 version, as I’m a bit more forgiving. It told the story. They even threw in a quick shot of Bubo (which does exist in Greek mythology, as it was a mechanical replica of Athena’s owl of the same name – take THAT, Bubo haters).

2010 also gave us another movie based on Greek mythology, and based on its own series of books, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. If you’re uninitiated, the series is like Harry Potter but with Greek mythology and not witches and wizards. The titular character, Percy Jackson, learns he is a demigod, a son of Poseidon. He goes to Camp Half-Blood, befriends other demigods and a satyr, and begins an adventure to prevent war between the gods.

I watched the movie, then bought the box set of all five books. I don’t remember how long it took me to read The Lightning Thief, but I read the second book, The Sea of Monsters, in an 8-hour span one night when we were without power and I couldn’t sleep.

Again, because of my appreciation for the origin material, I’m a little forgiving with the movies. But I did enjoy the books more. Here’s a fun fact if you have not read the books. In The Lightning Thief, Percy and his friends actually visit St. Louis and the Gateway Arch. While there, he encounters an old women with her dog, revealed to be Echidna and her “pet,” the Chimera.

Pictured are Echidna and Chimera from the Percy Jackson graphic novelization.

After his Percy Jackson series concluded, author Rick Riordan wrote two different series set in the same universe, The Kane Chronicles (which I have not read) and Heroes of Olympus (which I have). The Heroes series ties in very well with the Olympians series, and borrows more from Roman tradition. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is a series that first began in 2015 and, you guessed it, borrows from Norse mythology. I will have fond memories of the first book in the series, The Sword of Summer, as I read that on my tablet while at my son’s side in the hospital in the days and weeks immediately after he was born. I have not yet read the second book, The Hammer of Thor, but I’ll get it on my kindle eventually.

Readers of the site or listeners to the podcast know how far behind I am on my reading.

Admittedly, as you’ll notice, the mythologies that have held my attention are western mythologies. I couldn’t tell you anything about eastern civilizations and their ancient mythologies.

But these are just a few examples of my mythological nerdiness. Anyone out there share my appreciation for these ancient tales?

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Woo Woo Woo. You know it!

Fresh Content Day 38: Classic Game Shows

I’m not going to go into the details about how inspiration found me this day. Let’s just say that I was sitting there and the phrase “big bucks, big bucks, no whammies” popped in my head.

So that kicked off a trip down memory lane, sitting on the floor of the apartment on a summer day eating grapes by the mouthful and watching Press Your Luck. 

But the quick-moving squares weren’t the only game show gimmicks I remember. There was the tic-tac-toe board of Hollywood Squares and the big orange (I think it was orange) clock of Name That Tune. I always enjoyed that show because it was “put up or shut up,” and if you thought you were smarter than your opponent, you had better be able to prove it. It was, for a grade-schooler like I was at the time, a reminder that I needn’t rush into voluntarily raising my hand in class.

What’s that old saying? “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”

Another I remember from my youth was Supermarket Sweep, and as a grocery-getter, I totally understand why contestants ran for the turkeys, the hams, and the large containers of laundry detergent. And who can forget “Win, Lose, or Draw?”

Many game shows have come and gone in the last thirty years. The only ones I know of that have stayed on the air in that time are Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and The Price is Right. If I’m forgetting some that have had that type of success, I apologize.

So here’s a little nugget I came across while “researching” this topic. In 1984, on what was supposed to be a 30-minute episode of Press Your Luck, a contestant by the name of Michael Larson ripped off over 40-straight whammy-free turns. In the end, he tallied over $110,000 in cash and prizes, and the 30-minute episode needed a “To Be Continued.”

In recent years, my wife and I have enjoyed Lingo. That’s a random tidbit for you.

You can catch a lot of reruns of classic game shows and new (maybe?) game shows on the Game Show Network.

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Fresh Content Day 37: Danger Zone

All right, I have a confession.

I’m a complete and total mark for the show Archer.

I can’t explain it. But I’ve been on board with this show since almost the very beginning. I’d say I became aware of it in Season Two and watch it on Netflix. I watch new episodes shortly after they air. I DVR…I have zero patience for commercials.

I know it’s crude. I know it’s immature. I know all of these things. But…

Damn it’s funny. I mean, I laugh my ass off (that’s a quarter for the Swear Box, I know).

If you’ve been living under a rock and are unaware, Archer is an animated series (brilliant art, in my opinion) about Sterling Mallory Archer, a secret agent, who works for the spy agency ran by his mother. The agency used to be called International Secret Intelligence Service, or ISIS. But with certain groups in operation in a certain part of the world, the writers of the show obviously and wisely wrote the show to explain a name change. In other words, we can’t have nice things.

ARCHER — “The Figgis Agency” — Pictured: (l-r) Cyril Figgis (voice of Chris Parnell), Malory Archer (voice of Jessica Walter), Pam Poovey (voice of Amber Nash), Agent Sterling Archer (voice of H. Jon Benjamin), Agent Lana Kane (voice of Aisha Tyler), Cheryl (voice of Judy Greer), Agent Ray Gillette (voice of Adam Reed). CR: FX

Archer is surrounded by other (former) employees of the spy agency, his on-again, off-again love interest and baby momma Lana Kane, her ex-boyfriend and company accountant Cyril Figgis, a good agent, Ray Gillette, Mallory archer’s secretary Cheryl (sometimes Charlene…or Carol), and HR’s Pam Poovey, who had a horrible cocaine addiction in Season 5. I’m leaving out Doctor Kreiger, because he’s batshit crazy (another quarter).

The thing about Archer is that the team is highly dysfunctional. Honestly, if not for Lana and Ray, they’d be screwed. Archer’s not the worst spy, but he is a prime example of “it’s better to be lucky than good.”

Season 8 began last night. I’ve watched the premiere episode three times. Archer: Dreamland is a throwback to 1947, with Archer serving as a private investigator. This season takes place entirely in Archer’s mind, as he is in a coma.

Maybe it’s just my affinity for the fine automobiles made by Dodge.

But seriously, if you take nothing else away from watching this show, I hope you take away a greater appreciation for the exotic ocelot, aka the fox-eared asshole (and another quarter into the box…this is what Archer does to me).

Check out new episodes of Archer Wednesday nights on FXX (check local listings). Check out old episodes of Archer on Netflix.

The man shaves with a brush and a straight razor. HE’S A REAL MAN!

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Fresh Content Day 36: The Defenders Don’t Need Defending

Yesterday, we received a little teaser for the Defenders series coming to Netflix, and in its simplicity, set the stage for what Marvel has been building since Daredevil debuted on the streaming video service in 2015.

It’s hard to believe it was only two years ago next week that the Man Without Fear came to life once again.

If the teaser for Defenders is to be believed, we are a mere four and a half months away from the series dropping.

Honestly, they look exhausted. And if you remember the second season of Daredevil, you’ll remember “Midland Circle” is the organization behind the giant hole (I’m going to call it a crater) in Hell’s Kitchen.

So here’s the thing. Daredevil (both seasons), Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage are pretty well loved across the board. But Iron Fist hasn’t reached that point, and likely never will. I initially wasn’t sure what to think of the Finn Jones casting. I think that of the four, he may have been the easiest to cast away from the traditional look of the character (ie the whitewashing everyone is claiming). I believe it was Kevin Smith or Marc Bernardin on the duo’s Fatman on Batman podcast that suggested an Asian-American actor be given the chance to be Danny Rand. I don’t mind the show staying more true to the origin of the character, but I do wish the actor chosen for the role had some martial arts background. Jones has a zen-like quality about him, and aside from the fighting scenes, I don’t have any complaints.

But those fighting scenes. Yeesh!

I truly think that Iron Fist was doomed from the beginning, but not from any shortcomings it has. Rather, the almost unattainable standard set by the three previous shows put the arrival of the final Defender behind a sizable 8-ball.

So when Defenders hits in a few months, I fully expect Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) or Luke Cage (Mike Colter) to steal the show. Jessica Jones‘ first season was about a victim overcoming her past of abuse and her former abuser. We’ll get a second season of that show as well. Luke Cage was a really enjoyable show with a unique setting in Harlem. It was different to see the villain [SPOILER ALERT] die midway through only to be replaced by a more conniving, manipulative villain. And we’ll get a second season of that in the future as well.

Daredevil will also get a third season, and I’m sure we’ll see a Punisher series based on the popularity of the character from his run in Daredevil S2.

The fact is – the Marvel Netflix shows are wildly popular. Defenders will be huge when it drops, despite the lackluster reception of Iron Fist.

Now, The Defenders in the comics has a long history dating back to the 1970s, and has seen many many incarnations through the years. However, a team consisting of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Power Man (Luke Cage), and Iron Fist has not appeared in comics, based on my limited research. Marvel and Netflix announced in 2013 that the Defenders were coming, and named four characters that would make up the team.

But if you want a solid Defenders title to read, I’m going to throw out at you the 2011 series written by Matt Fraction with art by Terry Dodson.

Otherwise, we’ll talk more about Defenders when the show arrives in August.

Fresh Content Day 35: Writer’s Block

Well, it finally happened.

I’ve talked about comics and movies, video games, music. I’ve talked about my family, my life, and shaving.

I’ve sought topics from my wife and friends.

So today I fixed our Playstation 4. It wasn’t connecting to the internet. I had to watch Wrestlemania on a mix of may laptop and the PS3 upstairs in the bedroom (first world problem, I know). But we were sans network connection since sometime Saturday. So I called Playstation and they talked me through a process, and that process worked.

So now I have Scrubs on Netflix. And I went with Scrubs instead of Iron Fist because I’ve seen Scrubs a few times through, and I am on episode 4 of Iron Fist. It’s a means to an end. I know Iron Fist has been universally panned by almost everyone. That being said, the other Netflix Marvel shows set the bar rather high.

Scrubs is a timeless comedy that follows a group of young doctors as they begin their professions in a hospital (Sacred Heart). It ran for nine seasons (182 episodes) and starred Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison as the three new doctors. Honestly, while I enjoyed all three performances over the years, my favorite character on the show was the no-nonsense Dr. Cox, John C. McGinley. Actually, he and the Janitor (The Middle‘s Neil Flynn) were both great.

What I liked about Scrubs among its comedic chops and slight irreverence is that it was said to be the most medically accurate of all the tv medicine shows.

No, it’s not House, the tale of a misanthrope who happens to be a doctor. It’s not Grey’s Anatomy, a torrid romance novel disguised as a medical show. It’s not even the recently departed ER, which broke television ground with its realistic gore. It’s Scrubs.

Scrubs, or [scrubs], is a show that I could watch on endless loop. But after I finish this round of it, I’ll probably return to How I Met Your Mother, another sitcom that showed its longevity.

And I always keep Futurama in my back pocket…always.

In the meantime, I’ll just hold out hope that the Cardinals come back late tonight to beat the dreaded Cubs, and now I’m going to head to bed since I have to get up early tomorrow and have labs drawn before work.

That’s one old-man phrase right there.

Fresh Content Day 34: The Lost Art of the Finishing Move

This is going to a) sound old-manish, and 2) possibly infringing on the Kevin’s gimmick over at My 1-2-3 Cents.

I was watching Wrestlemania 33 last night and today over my lunch hour. What I learned – among other things – is that a finishing move isn’t much of a finisher anymore. This isn’t news. It’s just becoming more and more obvious as time goes on.

I remember a time where a big boot and running leg drop was all it took to fell an opponent.

And when the Undertaker gave you a Tombstone Piledriver, you stayed driven heaped in a pile (okay, that one didn’t make much sense).

Right now, I’m going to make the HOT TAG to Kevin Hunsperger for his 1-2-3 cents.

Finishing moves still have a place in wrestling, but it seems on big shows those finishers are often as effective as a screen door on a submarine. Now wrestlers kick out just before the referee’s hand hits the mat for the third time. This type of storytelling is very frustrating as a fan of the old school days of the business.

False finishes are okay from time to time, but at WrestleMania for example, I think a Superstar either kicked out of or broke the finishing maneuver of their opponent in every match. It’s come to be expected these days.

We all know professional wrestling is a show. But I think when you start watering down the moves the men and women have made their signatures it takes away from the realism of the contest at hand. When the Undertaker hits his opponent with a Tombstone, I want the referee to then count three. A kick out on a rare occasion is fine as long as it tells the story at hand. When Kane did it for the first time ever, it was special.

But then Batista, Edge, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns have kicked out of the finisher at WrestleMania. Some of those mentioned Superstars have kicked out of more than one Tombstone in a match. I suppose this would be fine because there’s a year of separation between incidents, but Seth Rollins kicks out of Triple H’s Pedigree, Kevin Owens escapes the Wall of Jericho and Shane McMahon gets out of the Styles Clash all on the same show. It’s exhausting.

I realize I’m out of the WWE’s target demo. I also realize a lot of indy shows use this style of booking. But I’m from the school of thought when you’re hit with the finisher, you’re done. 1-2-3.

I’m in agreement with Kevin, here. I think the use of finishers has gone by the wayside because no talent wants to look weak in their match, so they all have to kick out at least once (unless it’s “enhancement talent”).

If these moves are no longer finishing off opponents (which is why they’re called finishing moves in the first place), just call them moves, or signature moves, and let’s be done with it. They should be special moves used once to finish the match, or in a crazy twist, as KH said, a false finish once in a while to build up a talent would be smart. But overuse has diminished these moves.

In other words…I’m old and set in my ways.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 124: WrestleMania Recap

Wow. What a night of wrestling. WrestleMania 33 is in the books. Roman Reigns did what he said he was going to do and beat the Undertaker. It appears this may be it for the Deadman. Look for much more on the Undertaker’s career on the My 1-2-3 Cents blog this week.

There are also several new champions in the WWE. Naomi, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and The Hardy Boyz (yes you read that right) all have gold once again.

The fallout from Mania will be great to follow on Raw and SmackDown Live this week. Be sure to rate and review the podcast as well. Thanks for listening.

Social Media shoutouts!

@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
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@ManiaCrawl (Twitter & Instagram)
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Fresh Content Day 33: A Great Sunday

Today was a good day. No, today was a great day.

Dear Diary…

I kid. But This will be as close to a diary post as you’re likely to find here.

But everything I did today was with a purpose and satisfied a particular aspect of my life.

I started the day with a hot shower and shave. Then I got our son ready for church while my wife prepared herself. He hasn’t been feeling well, so I put him in a shirt that says “Always By Mom’s Side,” because that’s where he likes to hang out when he’s under the weather.

We go to church, and as always, he’s a good boy, albeit a little talkative. Then as we’re heading home, and admittedly almost home, my wife reminds me that there’s an Easter Egg Hunt being held at Eckert’s Orchard. So we swing out there. I’ll say this – I’ve ran some Easter Egg Hunts in the past, but this was organized like a well-oiled machine. Granted, Eckert’s has the resources we didn’t have at that time. But it was a great time. The youngin’s 0-2 years old went first in their zone (it was roped off by age group), so we took our time and let Garrett explore.

But then we saw no one was going after the eggs waaaay out there. So I picked up the G-Man and we took off to the edge, and got our dozen eggs. Then we got a picture with Peter Cottentail, got a little treat, and boogied on outta there.

So Friday was my friend Jared’s birthday, and I had worked it out with his wife to run down to surprise him for nine holes of golf and dinner. So after I got home, I needed to change, make my coffee for the road, get my golf clubs together, etc. The problem was I’m unorganized as hell, and I couldn’t find my wallet (yeah – I left the house and drove without my license – oops). Also, I was looking for a particular shirt, and a golf hat. It threw me off my schedule, but since Jared didn’t know I was paying him a visit anyway, it was all good.

So I get on the road, I knock out some podcasts, and surprise my friend. His reaction was pretty good. He lives about an hour and a half away, so we don’t see each other all that often. So he wasn’t expecting me, and that made it awesome. We went to Perryville to get nine holes of golf in. We came to the conclusion that between the two of us, we’re a pretty good golfer. My strength is the tee shot and Jared’s good at everything else. I can occasionally putt halfway decent, but this was our first time golfing together, and we tied. We both shot a 49. Hell, I’m thrilled with a 49. First time out in almost a year, a tightened and sore back. I’ll take it.

After golf, we went for a burger. Now, it wasn’t JUST a burger. Jared’s been talking to me for over a year about Mary Jane’s Burgers and Brew there in Perryville. The food did not disappoint, and the atmosphere was tremendous. Even for Sunday around 4:30 or so, no problem getting a table or anything. I had the Cowboy, a burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, an onion ring, and homemade bbq sauce. I got it with the onion petals. And as an appetizer, we got the poutine, complete with fried cheese curds.

Man, I tell you this, I probably waddled out of there.

So to recap the day, I had a great time at church, made memories with the family for our son’s first mobile Easter, got to golf and had great food with my friend. Now I’m watching Wrestlemania on my PS3 because the PS4 isn’t picking up the interwebs. So…confined to my bedroom to write to you.

And now – good night.

Fresh Content Day 32: No Fools Today

Today is April 1. It is often known as April Fools’ Day.

Now I admit that I do not know the history of April Fools’ Day. I don’t know it’s origin. I don’t know why this day was chosen as *THE* day.

What I do know is you can’t trust anyone on April Fools’ Day. Every questionable news headline should make you sit back and really use a discerning thought process to try to determine if it is real or satire.

When I worked in radio more than a decade ago in Chadron, Nebraska, we played a joke on our listeners with the help of a relatively innocuous new story we had on our website. Now you have to remember that this was 2004 or 2005. Cell phone usage was still a very minor thing. And most cell phone users probably still had landline telephones. We put a story out there that told our listeners that at a certain time of day, they needed to take their phone off the hook and hold the receiver up to an empty plastic bag, like a grocery sack. We told them that the telephone company was doing a one-time cleaning of the phone lines, blowing a high-strength burst of air. Your plastic bag in the end was meant to catch the dust that inevitably would be expelled. Without the bag, you’d have dust everywhere.

We got a lot of angry calls about that. I guess some people can’t take a joke.

Another popular April Fools Joke that I had nothing to do with came from my friends at Corn Nation when they claimed that Creighton University was finally adding football, thus relieving the dreaded Jayskers of their split fandom.

It’s still one of the more popular posts on that site.

I’m not very good at April fools jokes. I don’t say this to pat myself on the back or anything, but I’m not that good at trying to fool people. My wife can always tell if I’m up to something suspicious. I have a bit of a tell and then I can’t get the stupid grin off my face. It’s a wonder I was ever able to play poker at all.

I come from the Stone Cold Steve Austin school of thought-DTA. Don’t trust anybody.

You could say that on April Fools’ Day, I turn up my DTAdar to 11 and don’t believe anything anybody says.

Let me ask you this, on April 1, are you the jokester or are you the gullible one?

Fresh Content Day 31: Fish Fry Goodness

I love a good fish fry. Last night was the first one I’ve been to this year, as my work schedule my wife’s work schedule had not cooperate fully with the notion of going to a Friday fish fry. For as long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed a good fish fry. End it doesn’t have to be at at a church or school fundraiser or in organizations building. Some of my best memories are fish fries at home or at my grandparents house.

There’s one simple lesson that needs to be understood about family fish fries. You don’t eat as a family. When my dad would have a fish fry for us, he’s pretty well cooking the entire time. And then he’ll have a piece of fish here there a french fry here there. But he’ll cook up a plate put it on the table, and we will eat while he continues to cook. I’m sure it’s not exclusively or Mehochko or deal. But dad always made sure that everybody got theirs before he sat down to have his.

Grandpa after a successful day on the lake.

It was the same at my grandparents house. My grandpa usually caught all of the fish we were eating. Sometimes I helped, as I was his little fishing buddy. But they just knew how to fry fish up perfectly.

I think that’s why I like the idea of going to a fish fry a little bit more. It’s at those times where we get to sit down as a family and talk about the day talk about the week talk about sports, or whatever. But we were able to do so as a family, without one person continuing to do all the work while everyone sat and enjoyed the food. I will save it as it almost always is the home cooking the home fried fish was better. But sacrificing taste here and there is a small price to pay for being able to sit down and enjoy something together with everyone.

Last night fish fry saw a pound of fried cod for $10.50, side dishes of hush puppies, french fries, and mac & cheese all for $1.50, soda for a dollar, a can of beer for two dollars, and two desserts for the price of one ($1). But they also offered salmon, soups, cheese pizza, and even spaghetti.

Now I know that the love of a good fish fry and being Catholic are not mutually exclusive, as anyone can love fish. But there’s something about a fish fry this time of year as a readily available place to eat on a Friday that makes life as a Catholic a little more enjoyable.

Passing on the Fish Fry Fever to the next generation…as long as it’s covered in ketchup.

Since my laptop died last night, you get this post this morning. I’ll have another post for you later today but April fools. Be looking out for it. Feel free to comment on or share the posts that you have enjoyed.

Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast Episode 30: Baseball, Basketball, and Ballpark Food

To quote Thin Lizzy, “the boys are back in town.” That being said, Greg and Brian are here with a brand new episode. The show kicks off with talk of Nebraska baseball’s Big Ten opening win over Indiana.

Meanwhile, Nebraska basketball suffered two losses this week, as the men’s team saw the departure of sophomore big man Ed Morrow Jr. The women’s basketball team lost Jessica Shepard to transfer as well.

Women’s basketball talk brings up the dominance of UCONN, and if it’s bad for the sport.

We go back to Bloomington’s baseball field(turf) and talk about the playing surface in a few other ballparks.

And of course, there’s food talk, like this ungodly monstrosity in Arlington now.

Courtesy of the Star-Telegram

And here are the links to satisfy your palate:

The Five Heart Podcast Twitter
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page
The Corn Nation Twitter
The Corn Nation Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Twitter
Brian Towle
Greg Mehochko 

Fresh Content Day 30: Choosy Bloggers Choose Gifs

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. What happens when it is a little moving picture that loops endlessly?

hoppip GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Regardless of if you pronounce it like Jif peanut butter or GIF like the G in “Greg,” these user created animations are running rampant on the Internet. Now I got to this post topic from a conversation I had with my good buddy Jared. We talked probably 20 minutes it was nothing but wrestling GIFs. It started with Ric Flair and ended with the Undertaker and saw three decades worth of some of wrestling’s lighter moments in between.

But there are GIFs for all occasions. For example:

Image result for hello gif

Image result for how are you gif

Image result for life is good gif

See? Anything.

Image result for butt gif

I love using GIFs in social media for reactions. Be it a well placed animal smirk, a baby’s laughter, or Shawn Michaels walking down the ramp, crotch-chopping as he goes. GIFs have permeated every avenue of pop culture. There’s nothing that hasn’t been turned into a GIF. Movies, television, animation, sports…really anything you could imagine.

So when you are having a conversation with someone and they respond with a GIF, just know that they probably took at least a little bit of time finding just the right reaction to send you.

By the way, if you want to know exactly how tonight’s post came to be, while discussing it with Jared, he sent the following GIF.

Image result for just do it gif
Thank you Shia and the Internet.

I’m 34 and still susceptible to peer pressure. Life is great!

Positive Cynicism Episode 8: Opinions Aren’t Facts

After a two week hiatus, @chadsmart returns to question why people treat opinion as fact.  Given the current political climate where “fake news” and biased news are presented as fact the need to be more discerning is sadly being discarded in order to parrot talking points. Where will this road lead if not questioned? Chad has several opinions about that.

Fresh Content Day 29: Candy Makes You Dandy

At my place of business, we often leave out a bowl of candy for customers for anybody who would want some candy. I think it started around Halloween with an assortment of candy and of course the ever popular candy corn. It rolled into a bowl of dum-dum’s, and became small candy canes around Christmas. The bowl disappeared for a couple of months until making a triumphant return earlier this week. The candy of choice this time around was none other than Charms Blow Pops.

I haven’t had a Charms Blow Pop in decades, to be very vague about it. And so when I saw this majestic bowl of candy and gum on paper sticks, I knew I had to have one.

I always preferred the Blow Pops to Tootsie Pops even though Tootsie Pop had the more memorable ad campaign.

I think there was something about the longer enjoyment of a Blow Pop that added to its initial value. With the Tootsie Pop, it’s three licks, a crunch, and you eat the Tootsie Roll inside. But with the Blow Pop, you could chew that gum until your jaw fell off. And if you chewed that gum long enough, your jaw probably would fall off. But at the end, its longevity was open ended.

Plus, I remember receiving a Blow Pops as a reward if I was good while I got a haircut. Candy’s Clip N Curl in Fairview Heights, Illinois was where I got my haircuts for the early part of my life. I remember sitting in the chair at a young age, and as most children probably do, I would not sit still. At that point, Candy said she had a box on the shelf of all the ears of little boys and girls who lost theirs because they couldn’t sit still.

I remember sitting still after that. And therefore, Blow Pop.

At one point, Charm’s Blow Pops were offered in blue raspberry, and that became my world. I still love blue raspberry flavors. And I have not yet matured past the point of enjoying when my tongue turns blue. A classic example is going to a Tropical Sno and just getting the blue raspberry flavor. My wife even enables this issue for me and recently picked up a pack of blue raspberry Peeps for me to enjoy this Easter season.

Tongue is blue!

There will come a day in the future where I will have my own barbershop and the next generation of children will be rewarded for their good behavior with a Blow Pop from their parents through my establishment.

Then the circle will be complete, and I will know I’m where I’m meant to be.

Fresh Content Day 28: The Genius of The Princess Bride

I love this movie. I don’t know many people who don’t. It’s so quotable. And it’s fun. It holds up after thirty years.

You’ve probably seen The Princess Bride. I’m sure it’s been on cable. I have the DVD and it’s on Netflix. In fact, I threw it on Netflix tonight while I tried to get my boy to go to sleep.

I didn’t know until well into adulthood that it was actually a book. William Goldman wrote The Princess Bride and it was published by the company later known as Random House in 1973. Later, Goldman would say of the book, “I got lucky with The Princess Bride the first time, and I’d love to get lucky again.”

Fourteen years pass before we get a movie based on the book. It almost doubled its production cost at the box office, raking in $30.8mil on a $16mil budget. I think it’s safe to say that in the years since, it has grown past cult following to a truly iconic piece of cinema history.

I remember this being one of those movies that my [older] sister and I could watch together. Just like Fred Savage’s character, I was a little bit of a butthead and didn’t necessarily want to hear or see the kissy stuff. But it had some great action and amazing dialogue.

But it must be a bit of a generational thing, as my wife had not seen the movie prior to our dating. I mean, she hadn’t seen any of the star Wars movies either. But I quickly fixed that. I just thought it odd that a girl born in the 1980s hadn’t seen The Princess Bride.

I thought the film was incredibly well done. Rob Reiner is a terrific film maker, and assembled a very fitting cast, most if not all of them would find success in movies or TV after this movie.

I would definitely put The Princess Bride on the list of movies that should never be remade.

What’s your favorite quote from this movie?

Fresh Content Day 27: The Evolution of Automobiles

Now I’m going to preface everything else I’ll say tonight by saying I am not an automobile historian. I’m just a salesman. I’m sorry, a “Sales Consultant.”

$35 for a year. The dealership I worked at when I first got into sales had a 190-crap I can’t remember but I think it was a 1902. Oldsmobile Curved Dash, 1-cylinder. Here’s an old picture of it (as in…from the 1980’s).

Sat two. And the sign next to the car, it said you could board your horse for a year for $165 OR get all the gas you need for your car for a year for $35.

So here I am, three and a quarter years into my sales life. I meet people from all walks of life. Farmers, military, doctors, lawyers, lots of teachers and coaches. All of these people all have different needs, different requests, and probably most importantly, different budgets.

When I show a customer a new vehicle, particularly a higher trim level, I have heard on more than one occasion, “they sure are proud of that thing.”

Say hello to car prices in 2017.

If you’ve been a regular car buyer for thirty years, twenty years…heck, even ten years, you’ll know that the price of vehicles has, well:

The things you paid for fifteen years ago, well, you’re still paying for them now. But you’re also paying for all the computer components. There are a ton of electronic features that didn’t exist back then, or if they did, were in the rudimentary form.

Heated seats, remote start, navigation, ventilated seats, memory driver’s seat, back up camera, park assist. And that just names a few. Even smaller features you don’t even think about – like tire pressure sensors.

Now vehicles will park themselves.

That’s a thing. I’ve done it. It’s insane.

Other vehicles will drive themselves, but they are in early stages and I don’t recommend it for anyone.

Technology has changed the landscape of how vehicles are made, how they are marketed, how they are found by the consumer, and ultimately, how they are sold. It has made my job both easier and much more difficult. There is a ton of information out there. Make sure it’s reliable. Use services like Edmunds, www.fueleconomy.gov, IIHS, and me.

Here’s the thing. Sales isn’t easy. It’s not for everyone. Some days I wonder if it’s even for me. But we do what we have to do. And until I win the lottery (which I don’t play), looks like I’ll be trying to move that metal.

So…who’s in the market for a vehicle?

Fresh Content Day 26: The Forgotten Sunday

Plain and simple…I forgot to write last night. Part of that was I had been awake until the wee hours Sunday morning doing laundry. So I was tired.

After my wife, our son, and I headed north to visit family, the little guy fell asleep on the way home. It was necessary. He was tired. But it was a little later than his normal nap, so we knew he would be up a little later than normal.

Here’s the thing. My wife works nights, and when she works, I can usually have our son asleep by 7 or 7:30. There are occasional anomalies where he’ll stretch that out a little longer, but for the most part, certainly by 8pm, he can be out. When mama’s home, he likes to stay awake a little longer. I am convinced he just loves her more than me. But I digress.

So as Little Man is fighting sleep, I finally just scoop him up and hold him until he finally gives in. But at that point, I was tired, and I went to bed myself. Hence why I didn’t post last night.

A nice thing happened to me at church yesterday. My wife worked Saturday night and since we had planned on the trip up to see family, she stayed home and got 90 or so minutes of sleep after her 12.5-hour shift. So it was just me and the boy. And he does pretty well in church. It’s rare for him to scream, but he does make noises. I try to keep him relatively calm. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes, not so much. Yesterday was a day where he was trying to talk over our priest while the priest was reading the gospel. So knowing that my son probably wasn’t going to just clam up for the homily, I stepped out to the back of church with him. I was right. He didn’t shut up. But my hope was that at least the sound would be muffled somewhat. So we go back to our seat when it’s time for the collection and when there’s also some music to help cover up the boy’s enthusiasm for Jesus (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). Having never attempted this before, I gave my son the check for the offering and without hesitation, he tried to chew on it. I’M KIDDING!  He placed it in the collection basket right on time, and got a nice smile from the usher.

Okay, so the TL; DR version is this. My son is talkative during Mass. I do my best to keep him from being a distraction. And after Mass, an older woman sitting a little bit in front of us walking passed and said I was a good dad. I said thank you, and that I’m trying.

Both are true. I am appreciative of kind words I receive, regardless of what they are about. When a superior at work tells a customer that I’m the go-to guy to answer their questions because of my product knowledge, it means a lot. And I try to reward their confidence by being *that guy* when it comes to questions. Even my co-worker across the showroom asks me questions.

When someone says I’m a good dad, it’s obviously rewarding. I was also thrown off a bit because I don’t know if I’m ready yet to be called a good dad. My dad is a great dad. I have no problem seeing the qualities in my friends that make them good fathers, and acknowledging those and telling my friends they are good dads. I just don’t know if I’m doing all required of me to be classified as a good dad.

I don’t say that looking for a pat on the back or an “atta boy” or anything like that. I’m just sure that I can do better and look forward to being a good dad for his entire life, not just seen an hour at a time on Sunday mornings. If he makes it through his life being kind, showing respect, and treating others right, I’ll then look back and say I did enough to be considered a good dad. In other words, the Golden Rule. Or the new Commandment – “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Until then, I’ll just keep telling people that I’m trying.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 123: WrestleMania Preview

Since 2006, Kevin and Chad have made the trek to WrestleMania, except WrestleManias 23, 31 and now 33. The two discuss this year’s card in depth in this week’s episode, which happens to be 123. Disclaimer: Kevin originally tried booking Sean Waltman “The 1-2-3- Kid” on the show, but came up short.

Are you excited about this year’s WrestleMania? What will be the match of the night? Should Goldberg be going in as Universal Champion? And will the Broken Hardys show up anywhere over WrestleMania week(end)?

Social Media shoutouts!

@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@ManiaCrawl (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@positivcynicism (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey (Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@25thHourRadio

Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast Episode 29: Cookies, Bacon, and Baseball

The great debate ensues this week – what’s better? Homemade cookies or cookies from the bakery?

Also, bacon is just fine in brownies (and pants aren’t necessary, Salt).

Nebraska football, basketball, and baseball are all *close* – close to being those teams that the fans want them to be. The baseball team just beat Cal Poly on Saturday in a double header. Spring practice is set to resume this week, and the upcoming Red/White Game in a couple weeks could bring with it twenty or so four- and five-star recruits to Lincoln.

But what would put Darin Erstad on the hot seat, or possibly get him out of Lincoln (which we hope doesn’t happen), and who’s on the short list of names to replace him, should that come to pass. Plus, who’s standing out this Spring on the gridiron?

The Five Heart Podcast Twitter
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page
The Corn Nation Twitter
The Corn Nation Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Twitter
Brian Towle
Greg Mehochko 

Fresh Content Day 25: Hold ‘Em or Fold ‘Em

“Listen, here’s the thing. If you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.”

Those are the first words in the 1998 movie Rounders. Now unless you play cards or really love young Matt Damon, my guess is you probably haven’t seen it. It’s actually a who’s who of late 90’s actors. Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich, John Turturro, Famke Janssen, and more.

Rounders is about a bright college guy who has earned a good amount of money by playing cards. See, he’s a gambler. And he knows when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. But when his friend (Norton’s Worm) is in deep with loan sharks, Mike McDermott comes out of retirement to go after the big payday that he hopes will save his buddy.

You get one of the all-time great lines from Malkovich, who is a Russian poker great and likely criminal known as Teddy KGB. Spoiler alert, at the end, Damon’s character wins, and they have only one choice.

It’s hilarious because it’s not a good Russian accent. But it will forever live in Hollywood lore.

That you don’t see in this clip is that the card on the river is the same card in 2006’s Casino Royale, the ace of spades. Now I admit that I watched some Bond movies before Daniel Craig took on the lead role, but Casino Royale was the first Bond movie I ever owned, and is probably my favorite. I think I can credit the Texas Hold ‘Em tie-in for that.

I love playing Texas Hold ‘Em. I don’t say that to mean you’ll see me on the World Series of Poker or anything. I mean, I’m not good. But I enjoy it. I enjoy the camaraderie of sitting at the table, usually with friends, and having laughs over some cards and usually beer.

I remember the first time I played Hold ‘Em. I was in Colorado Springs visiting my friends Joe and Danielle. We were hanging out at the bar they frequented with people they’d known for some time. We sat down and started a game, and in said game, I eventually was dealt pocket rockets. Talk about poker face – I’m sure I was damn-near sweating trying to contain my excitement. Turns out that of the five cards dealt on the table, the other two aces were up. BAM! Four of a kind. It was amazing.

A couple years later, the Jaycees organization of which I was a member had a little poker tournament. I eliminated my friends Dan and Kevin in a short amount of time by being, let me see if I remember it correctly…”a river-catching m@!#&% f@!#&%.”

I went to a casino once for a friend’s bachelor party and decided I was going to go sit in with the regulars in the Texas Hold ‘Em room. What I didn’t know until I got there was that it was a $60 buy-in and they weren’t as nice as the guys I played cards with regularly. I ended up losing all my money, but I won one hand, and did so with a full house.

The bulk of my card playing came from the guys in The Cellar on Friday nights. We’d get two games in each week, at $5 a game. Kick in a quarter each game for the straight flush fund (a couple guys would cash in big on that), and $5 all-you-can-drink from the keg, and you had a good, cheap night of entertainment with a good bunch of guys. I even managed to win a few times there.

So now I want to watch Rounders. But mostly, I want to play some cards. I’ll start with the boy. When he’s old enough, I’ll teach him War. That was a fun game. A lot better than that Go Fish nonsense.

Fresh Content Day 24: With Anticipation

Hype! Hype! Hype! If media was a professional wrestler, it’d be one half of the Hype Bros.

The crazy one.

But dammit, I’m so excited to get home tonight and watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. 

I saw it opening weekend (the Saturday showing) with my buddy RJ, and then we had a little conversation about it for the podcast. But if you recall at the time, I stated that I dozed slightly in the theater. It’s not the first time it has happened, but it did occur during a movie that I was very eager to see, and got out of the house to do so.

And I waited until after I saw the movie to listen to podcast reviews or read anything about it, so I know I missed some good, integral parts of the story.

But tonight…all that changes.

I can’t tell you the last time I went into a store and bought a physical movie. I started going the digital route, and am enjoying that immensely. It’s weird. When I lived in a smaller town, I could easily zip over to Wal-Mart and get groceries and browse the movie selection. But now, even though I live in a more populated area and there are clearly more shopping options……none of them are on my way home. And they’re all over-crowded.

So digital it is.

Anticipation is a funny thing. If no one told us to be excited for the newest movie, video game, comic book series (or writer/artist duo), or new album, would we care? But in this era of the 24-hour news cycle, where they have to talk about something all the time, you get more information that you ever probably thought you’d want or need.

Anticipation builds.

We’re on the “Road to Wrestlemania” and we have been since the Royal Rumble. Or more accurately, we have been since the Monday after Wrestlemania last year.

We’re in the middle of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and brackets and boards are filled with anticipation. And unless you had that perfect bracket (and you don’t, thank you Rhode Island), or are a fan of the remaining teams vying for the championship, your interest has probably waned somewhat. The caveat there is if you’re just a basketball fan and love this time of year.

Major League Baseball is getting closer to its opening day.

And there’s already buzz generated for movies that are still a year or more away. And much more hype (or anticipation) will be cultivated at Comic Con.

Since I pre-ordered Rogue One, I technically could have watched it last night after 11pm, but knew I wouldn’t stay awake through the entire thing…again. So I erred on the side of caution. So tonight when I go home, I’m going to hug my son, kiss my wife, have a little dinner, put the boy to bed, record an episode of Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast, and watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

It’s also why you’re getting this post now – because after I get that recording ready to go, I’m going dark…and hoping to stay awake.

May the Force be with you.

Fresh Content Day 23: Dream with Me

I have weird dreams.

Seriously.

I should write them down first thing in the morning so that I can share them with you here.

Now, they aren’t all winners. They aren’t all memorable. And many are mundane. When I was a youngster, I had dreams that I was sitting in class and the teacher was coming around collecting homework and I didn’t have mine completed. I DIDN’T HAVE MY HOMEWORK COMPLETED!!!

Probably not the best gif, but…no, you’re right. There’s no excuse for it.

Now I have mundane dreams of answering phone calls and responding to e-mails. But every once in awhile, a dream will occur that raises eyebrows about what the hell is going on in my brain.

When I was in college, I had a dream that I was in a downtown office building, skyscraper style. The building was under attack. I’m running around the halls grabbing guns. I shotgun a dude through his chest. Then I grab a sniper rifle and get to the window. With the zoom feature, I look at the roof of the building over, and as I squeeze the trigger to take out an enemy, I see the RPG that they fired a second earlier. Explosion. Vision goes red. When my vision clears, I am a few floors down, running through the hallways again upping my arsenal. My thought at the time was “what the – I’ve already been here before!” That’s right, my dream was a first-person shooter video game.

I have three “nightmares” from my childhood that I remember vividly. One was me hanging on the ledge of a skyscraper (I must like city architecture) while Slimer was just inside the glass laughing at me. I was in my single-digits. I had another where Jason fired up a chainsaw (oddly not his weapon of choice) at the foot of my bed. The third was when I opened the door to the garage and saw my dad, which alone isn’t bad. But there was a two-car garage full of my dad. There had to be a hundred of him. I don’t know why, but it caused some sort of dad-overload. I was young for all of these dreams.

Take this morning for instance. Now granted, I don’t remember every detail. But I can recall the high points.

It’s the end of the world…in a Marvel movie. I know this because at one point I’m on a roof with my wife, a few other family members, and some random people. There’s an atmospheric…event, I suppose. It’s storming. There’s debris in the air. At one point, I remark that all will eventually be well, as Thor will likely save the day. What, you don’t dream of Thor? Actually, he didn’t make an appearance. As I said, it’s the end of the world. And no one brought any damn food! No one but me…because I’m a fatty, and I had my lunch with me from that day. Two turkey sandwiches. The problem? It was a Friday – in Lent – so I couldn’t have the turkey sandwiches.

And then I woke up.

Dreams are weird. I don’t know what inspires them and I don’t know how to interpret them. For me, they’re just sleepy-time entertainment. And honestly, that’s all I really need them to be. Maybe I’m swimming in the shallow end of the pool, but I am not looking for the deeper meaning in any of these. They are what they are. I occasionally dream, and sometimes I remember bits and pieces of said dreams. And for me, that’s good enough.

Have any weird dream or moment in a dream that has stuck with you through the years? Leave it in the comments.

Fresh Content Day 22: Tornado Season

First, let me just say…RIP Bill Paxton. That guy was great.

He had a great career, and a life too short. But with roles in Weird Science, Terminator, Aliens, Navy Seals, True Lies and Apollo 13, Titanic, The Hatfields and McCoys, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, he left his mark on the nerd genre.

And then there was the little 1996 picture known as Twister. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the topic of today’s post.

Not the movie, but tornadoes.

You see, I live in a part of the world known as “Tornado Alley.” Tornadoes are unpredictable as hell. When they hit, they are devastating. They can even stop a Superman in his tracks, which was unfortunate since I was so hopeful that Kevin Costner would be a solid Pa Kent. But that wasn’t the case, or at least not in the way we thought.

“Stop! Collaborate and listen!”

A couple years ago, a couple tornadoes ripped through Illinois, both north and south of my location at the time. This is a picture of Washington, IL after the storm.

On February 29, 2012, an EF4 tornado woke up the small town of Harrisburg, IL. I’ve been to Harrisburg, years ago, back when I was in college. Southeastern Illinois College had a good basketball team. They were in our conference. So I had been there. This was the Catholic Church after the tornado.

Now, I’ve been fortunate that I’ve never been through one. But it got close in my radio days. So when that happened, I went into shelter mode and would broadcast from under the desk.

I remember having a backpack of tornado preparedness when I was in my teens. I had a walkman with headphones, a flashlight, and a granola bar I swapped out every couple months or so. It also had a novelty baseball helmet, you know…just in case.

Here’s what I’ve learned. Every region of the country has its unavoidable geographic anomalies. The Midwest has tornadoes. California has earthquakes. Florida has Hurricanes. The northeast has Patriots fans. It’s really summed up in this clip from Sports Illustrated’s Greatest Sports Follies (1989): 

So that’s my post about tornado season. Thanks to Jay for the topic. I think I’ve proven in the last 3+ weeks that I’ll write about damn near anything. Have a topic idea? Leave it in the comments.

Fresh Content Day 21: Life is a Musical

I admit it’s not the most catchy title.

I was actually inspired to write this topic while listening to What Happened When…Monday, a podcast that talks about WCW, Jim Crockett Promotions, and more old, defeated wrestling companies. It is hosted by Conrad Thompson and legendary Voice of Professional Wrestling South of the Mason-Dixon Line, Tony Schiavone. This week’s episode is about WCW’s October 1990 pay-per-view Halloween Havoc. In it, announcers Paul Heyman and Jim Ross were dressed as Count Dracula and a Prohibition-era mobster, respectively. Schiavone went “under a hood” (a mask, for you non-wrestlers) as the Phantom of the Opera. When asked by Thompson why he made that decision, Schiavone responded that he loved musicals.

He and I have that in common.

I grew up around musicals. And though I stated yesterday that I don’t listen to much music anymore, it’s still a big part of my life. I think I stated in an earlier post that of the couple movies we did have as a kid, they were usually ripped from another cassette (1980’s pirating, everybody). But we also had The Sound of Music that had been taped from the television. You know it was the 80’s with this vintage McDonald’s commercial:

Yes – even the damn Für Elise commercial was stuck in my brain.

But it wasn’t just The Sound of Music. I was and still am a big fan of The Music Man. That was a fun movie…Robert Preston, a young Ron Howard, the mom from the Partridge Family, and Buddy Hackett. SHIPOOPI!

My mom was in a singing group when I was younger, so a couple times a year I’d have to put on a tie and go to a nice theater and sit still while she and 20 or so other adults sang songs that I mostly didn’t recognize. But from time to time, mom would bring home a movie to study and better understand the source material.

Then there were the childhood staples that would appear on television…The Wizard of OzMary Poppins, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Then at one point, mom had the two-disc stage version of Phantom of the Opera. And I enjoyed listening to that well enough, but there’s one point in the production where Christine lets out a high-pitched note that is almost a scream. I swear, to this day it still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I think times have changed and musicals are more widely accepted. With box office successes like Les Misérables and Into the Woods, there’s a likelihood that we’ll continue to see musicals make a strong resurgence. Just look at La La Land.

I could see Hamilton getting a big screen makeover, unless Lin-Manuel Miranda has it exclusively for stage. I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know how it would translate to film. I’m also curious about Wicked on the big screen. I doubt I’d get to see that in person, so a movie version would be appreciated. Am I missing any? I don’t know. I don’t get out much.

But here’s one you can watch on Netflix – a fan-favorite animated feature film that spawned a four-film franchise – Shrek: the Musical.

So what are some good musicals I left off the list?

Fresh Content Day 20: Mid-Life and All That Jazz

I’m trying to do this post before 11:35 at night so that you might actually see it on the day that it is meant to be posted. The problem with that is that I have no idea what to write about. So I’m currently driving home from work. It’s 7:30. Don’t worry, you safety monitors, I am using the talk to text function on my phone.

It has come to my attention and I am old. Not particularly as far as birthdays go. I’m only 34. But I feel old. And most of the audio that I listen to is sports talk radio for podcast. And when I am listening to music, it is rarely from this millennium. I like a lot of classic rock. I like a lot of older classic country. But I’m also down with some great classical symphonic or orchestral pieces.

My biggest problem is that I feel old. I have joint aches and pains, and my back or neck typically always hurt. I know that regular exercise and eating better would help “to hold back the hands of time,” as DDP would say. But I’m also very good at coming up with excuses for not exercising. I stay up too late, usually working on one of these posts, and I hit that snooze button in the morning so I never get out of bed and get even a quick workout in.

Troy is an underrated movie, in my opinion.

On the nutrition side, I know I still have a way to go. Portion control has always been my Achilles’ heel. But I also suck at making right food decisions. I like junk food. I like pizza. I like french fries. And don’t give me started on ice cream. But I’m taking it step-by-step, and I’m happy to report that since I gave up soda at the beginning of the year, I have lost 13 pounds. I doubt that eliminating soda was the only factor. I am eating more fruit, drinking more water, and have introduced more vegetables into my diet. I am working on eliminating the between meal snacking, but I have found that especially on the weekend it is very difficult to achieve. My friend Kevin over at My 1-2-3 Cents would consider this an accountability post, but I really just want to improve my overall health so that I can be with my family longer.

Kevin used to use that #FindMyAbs. I know my six-pack in in there, I’m just keeping it well-insulated. I have a goal weight in mind. I believe it is attainable. And I hope to reach it by the end of the year.

Until then, you probably won’t get many more posts like this. Let me know in the comments what type of blog posts you like to read, and let’s finish the next 20 days of Fresh Content with a good discussion on a wide range of topics here at Nerds United.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 122: #AskMy123Cents

Today I turn to the listeners of the show to be my co-host. It’s another installment of #AskMy123Cents. Some great questions for this week’s episode. I was asked about The Hardy Boyz, The Dudleys, DDP and Stride Pro Wrestling.

Be sure to give a review on iTunes or leave your feedback here. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on things as well. Thanks for being a supporter of My 1-2-3 Cents. Check out the blog, YouTube Channel and social media accounts.

Social Media shoutouts!

@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@ManiaCrawl (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@positivcynicism (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey
(Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@25thHourRadio

Fresh Content Day 19: Shaving Nerdom

A little over three years ago, I sat in my office at the dealership talking on Facebook with a longtime friend of mine. We were just talking about wrestling, tv, sports, video games. Now you’ll have to forgive me, but I don’t recall exactly how we got on the topic, but Jared asked me what I used to shave. At the time, I was using the Gillette Pro Fusion razor and blade cartridges with the matching shaving gel from a can.

He talked to me a little about wet shaving, and its many forms. I went out a few days (and more conversations) later and bought a wet shaving starter kit from Maggard Razors. For $25-$30, I was able to get a feel for the activity and see if I wanted to invest in it further.

One of the first soaps I bought came in a little orange tube, and it was called Spanish Leather, by Geo F Trumper. After I inhaled deeply of its scent, I was immediately whisked back to my pre-teens when I would stay at my grandparents’ house. That was the shaving soap my grandfather used. I hadn’t smelled it in almost 20 years from the time he passed in 1995. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia and I was hooked.

Forget Dollar Shave Club. Forget Harry’s Razors. If you want a truly great shave, get a double-edged razor. If you are tired of throwing money away on blade cartridges, let me tell you that about two and a half years ago, I ordered a pack of 100-razors (Gillette…for what it’s worth) from Amazon. That pack is now priced at $17.99. I was paying at least that much for a 4-pack of cartridges at Wal-Mart of all places.

But here’s what I truly love about wet shaving. There are so many skilled people who create some amazing products, from soaps and aftershaves to brushes and razors. That’s where I spend my money. I have a brush I love. I have a few different razors, just enough to keep it interesting. But when I hear about a new soap from a well-respected artisan, well, I get a little trigger-happy and I end up making a purchase. I mean…I have a lot. And yet, compared to others, my shave den is still in its infancy.

So if you’re thinking about a different way to shave, I really encourage wet shaving. And as a bonus, you’ll join a great community of people with whom you can share ideas and on occasion, even some hardware.

Here are some pictures of some of my favorite shaves. 

This new-found hobby has brought with it a new goal in life…to someday be a barber and have my own barbershop. That’s a few years down the road just yet. But it’s definitely in the front of my mind.

Fresh Content Day 18: A Bold and Brave Batman Statement

This is a DC Movie hot take years in the making. I will state here as I tend to do…these are just my thoughts. I’m fairly certain I’m in the minority on this issue. So take it with a grain of salt.

I like Batman Begins more than The Dark Knight. I’m not saying it’s better, but I am saying I like it more.

Two villains made their big screen debut in Batman Begins. We got Scarecrow and Ra’a al Ghul. Granted, Scarecrow worked for the “Head of the Demon,” so in a way, a Gotham villain was doing the bidding of the League of Shadows. But we got to see two rogues that we had not seen in any previous live action Batman setting.

The Dark Knight was great. I’m not saying it wasn’t. And while Heath Ledger’s Joker became the new benchmark of all Jokers before or after, it was the third live iteration of the Clown Prince of Crime.

In all other Batman versions, we see the finished product. Even in the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman, while the Caped Crusader was relatively unknown, he had all of the components together, the suit, the gadgets, the mystique. What I liked about Batman Begins is we got a chance to see the brief aftermath of the Wayne murders, the momentary encounter between a young Bruce and a young cop by the name of James Gordon. And that paid off at the end of the Nolan series when Batman said that “a hero can be anyone.”

We got to see Bruce travel the world and eventually end up in the League of Shadows, a key component of his training that had been left out of previous movies. It is his refusal to kill for the League that caused the rift between him and Ra’s. That he won’t “cleanse” Gotham City, but feels he can save it his way (and ultimately does), really sets the two apart from each other and makes it the ultimate stakes. While Ra’s would like his foe vanquished, you recall that as the train is speeding to certain doom, Bats says “I won’t kill you…but I don’t have to save you.”

To me, it shows that Batman as a vigilante or hero is still in his infancy. I think an older, more experienced Batman would not let al Ghul die in the wreck so he would have to face justice. Scarecrow we know evaded capture until the The Dark Knight.

Now in an uncharacteristic move, Batman does repeat a line that Rachel says to Bruce earlier in the movie, giving away his secret identity. But if you can’t trust someone you’ve known since childhood, who can you trust?

I love both movies. But it was really nice to see more of the Batman origin besides that one night in Crime Alley (which we’ve seen again in Batman v Superman). It was good to see how he got where he ended up.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours? As always, there’s that comment section here or on Facebook. Let me know.

 

Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast Episode 28: Horne, Hoops, and Huskers

It’s a brand new Five Heart Podcast and the boys are back talking all-things Nebraska.

There have been a couple departures from the Nebraska men’s basketball team as Jeriah Horne allegedly sought his release, while Nick Fuller will play as a graduate transfer elsewhere next year.

Also, the Nebraska baseball team put together a nice home win over Charleston Friday. Plus, former Huskers had their Pro Day this week, another former Husker signed with the evil empire, and Spring Practices are ongoing.

Also, Greg gets in trouble for not having a Yahoo! email address and therefore not participating in the Corn Nation Bracket Challenge.

The plugs never change, but I’ll never not tell you what they are.

The Five Heart Podcast Twitter
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page
The Corn Nation Twitter
The Corn Nation Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Twitter
Brian Towle
Greg Mehochko 

Fresh Content Day 17: These are a Few of my Favorite Video Games

And if you didn’t sing that to the tune of the Rodgers & Hammerstein tune from the 1959 Broadway Musical (and 1965 feature film) Sound of Music

I essentially grew up with video games. I was among the first generations who have known them in some form almost my whole life.

And as it turns out, I erroneously credited the wrong family member with my introduction to them.

For years, I thought that my tech-savvy aunt and uncle gave my sister and me and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It wasn’t until recently that, when the topic came up in conversation between me and my mom, she corrected me by stating that my dad waited in line at the store to get one for us.

OOPS!

That will make you feel like crap to hear that you’ve been falsely attributing something as epic as that (in the minds of a youngster) for roughly 25 years.

Among the games we had on that original console were the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt combo, a version of Jeopardy, a 7Up game with Spot, the 7Up Mascot. Spot was the red dot (or in the game, blue, green, or yellow) on the can, and the game had a very Othello/Reversi feel to it. You wanted your color to dominate the board. Of course, Spot was there before these shirts were popular:

 

I’m trying to think of other games I had on the NES, but the one that really stands out was Dragon Warrior, a single-player game where you roamed a massive kingdom on the ultimate quest to hunt a (or THE) dragon. I don’t know…I never beat the game, sadly…one of my many video game failures.

 

When I was 13 or 14, I finally saved up enough money to buy a Super Nintendo. I don’t remember how much it cost, but I do remember my dad saying to me “do you really want to spend your money on that?” And, obviously…I did.

It came with the full Super Mario Bros. All Stars collection as well as Super Mario World. Eventually I added a sports game or two, Super Mario Kart, and other games I don’t really remember. Because why would I remember games I had and played for an extended period of time? One of those stand-out games on that console was College Slam, exactly like NBA Jam, except college.

I eventually added an N64. Mom sold the NES and the ten or so games at a garage sale for $10 (that’s a steal, even in 199x). In 2002, I sold the Super Nintendo and the N64, and with that and some extra money I had, I bought an XBox. I eventually added and would later sell a PS2. But I got a couple years out of it.

I would have an XBox 360, but that was replaced by a PS3, and the 360 now has a home outside of Dallas, TX. The PS3 is in my bedroom (for dvd/bluray/Netflix) and a PS4 resides in my living room. In fact, I’m streaming Netflix on it right now…the new Disney’s Pete’s Dragon.

That’s my history with gaming consoles. But since this post is supposed to be about the games, I should probably name at least a few titles I enjoyed over the years. The problem is I’ve never been very good at video games. Most of my friends would agree, especially if they were stuck with me as a teammate for online gameplay. I was marginally decent at Halo. I was junk at Gears of War. God of War, however, was an enjoyable game/franchise. I remember seeing a little bit of the gameplay on G4 (or Tech TV, I don’t remember when they made the change), and seeing Ares terrorizing Athens, with his fiery beard. I’ve always had a soft spot for ancient mythologies, so that caught my attention.

I have also really enjoyed most of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and the Batman Arkham series.

Historically, I’m a Mario Kart kid at heart. Also, throw back to when EA Sports had NCAA Football, and sprinkle in some Madden.

Those are a few of my favorite games.

Fresh Content Day 16: It’s Not That Bad

Josh Brolin: Thanos – Marvel Cinematic Universe
Megan Fox: April O’Neil – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mikaela – Transformers
Michael Fassbender: Magneto – X-Men
Will Arnett: Batman – The Lego Movie, Lego Batman
Michael Shannon: Zod – Man of Steel
Wes Bentley: Bleackheart – Ghost Rider
John Malkovich: Marvin – Red
Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Thomas Wayne – Batman v Superman, Negan – The Walking Dead

They’ve all “walked between worlds,” so to speak. In addition to their roles as stated above, they all met in one 2010 DC movie: Jonah Hex.

Now, this movie was critically panned, and relatively ignored by fans as well. With an estimated budget around $47mil, it only brought in just over $10.5mil, not ideal for a summer blockbuster in the middle of the comic book cinema age.

Let’s take a few minutes to discuss what I didn’t think worked for the picture. Let’s start with the weapons of mass destruction. Imagine it’s the late 19th century. While revolvers and “six shooters” are running rampant, there’s no company making those massive cannons.

Secondly, there’s nowhere in any Jonah Hex comic book before the time of this movie that said Hex had supernatural abilities. That makes the fact that Jonah can wake the dead and get information from then something that’s exclusive to the movie…and if there’s one thing comics nerds hate, it’s that Hollywood doesn’t stay true to the source material.

Here’s the thing – I enjoyed this movie. As we all know, I’m not a hard-hitting movie critic. But I am a fan. I enjoyed the tone of this movie, and how they tried telling a comic book story in a comic book way. I think had it not been a comic book character, it’s still a compelling story. “Man comes back from the brink of death to avenge the lives of his wife and son were killed by the man whose son was killed by the first man.”

I thought Brolin was a great Jonah Hex even though he has said since then that he hated his time working on it. Megan Fox was there and had her usual stints of showing skin and making wisecracks, but she showed she was also pretty fearless in fending off a male attacker in her bedroom. I liked Malkovich, as he is always a believable bad guy. And I’m such a fan of Fassbender’s work that I’ve sat through a lot of movies just to see him perform.

Look, the long of the short is that you’ve probably already make up your mind about this movie, and that’s fine. But dammit, give it a watch with some more realistic expectations. I think you’ll find “it’s not that bad.”

But at the same time, we look at the talent in this movie and know we can’t blame them. They all went to bigger and better things.

Fresh Content Day 15: The Importance of Reading

Books are good and reading is good.

As a fan of reading, and dare I say, a lifelong reader myself, I really hope that our son picks up the habit.

I call it a habit and not a hobby because if you’re dedicated, wow, it can get pricey. But what I love about books, novels in particular, is that they demand that you pay attention and immerse yourself in the story. It can build your imagination, more so than a comic book, and certainly more than a video game. A video game takes the nest step by allowing you to live out the character.

He’s not yet 15 months old and our son has a shelf full of books. It’s great. Yes, some of them are the obligatory big books with big letters mad out of some cardboard-type material, but it’s a start. I go to the store and I look for books for him as much as toys. I’ve been able to get some children’s Batman books and Star Wars books. I’ve even tried doing some live videos as I read him a book at bedtime, but holding him, holding a phone, and holding the book…it didn’t go well.

Some of my favorite books that he will have when he’s older are the “Ordinary People Change the World” series, written by one of my favorite writers and people, Brad Meltzer, with art by Chris Eliopoulos. It’s a great series written and drawn for kids, telling the true stories of tremendous people in easy-to-digest ways for kids.

Meltzer even signed this copy of I Am Abraham Lincoln.

I’d rather build a library for our boy than just about anything else. I want him to choose his own path and do what makes him happy, pursuing his dreams. I just hope he has a book in his hands while he does it.

Tim from Twilight Comics shared this picture a week or so ago and I shared it on the Nerds United Facebook page but I want to share it here as well.

Start ’em young and they;’ll love reading their whole life. That’s my goal.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post or any of the Fresh Content series, please share them on your social media. And if you have an idea for a future post, drop it in the comments.

Fresh Content Day 14: Comic Cons Go BOOM!

Imagine it’s 1970 (I can’t, I’m not old enough) in San Diego. You’re at the U.S. Grant Hotel in the first days of August. Among the guests there is the King, Jack Kirby. And welcome to San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Con.

It was a different era.

I honestly didn’t even hear about “comic con” until about ten-ish years ago. Maybe it was before that. I don’t know. I was a late bloomer. But the San Diego Comic Con has seen steady growth since its beginning, when it had 300 guests. It eclipsed the hundred-thousand visitor mark in 2005 with 103,000 visitors. That was a year after the “meager palace of Midgard,” Hall H opened. In 2015, 167,000 of you crazy bastards were there.

As far as information goes, we nerds anxiously, if not patiently, await the goodies that come from San Diego each summer.

Since San Diego’s International Comic Con became such a big hit, other cities have begun holding similar events. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Kansas City, and Seattle are just a few places to host their own. And there are promotion companies like Wizard World who bring their Cons to various cities. And it has branched out beyond that. Smaller markets have smaller Cons, but still provide a great atmosphere and bring good names to regions and areas that may not ever have the opportunity to meet these creators or actors again.

It’s why I think very highly of these Cons. I was asked to give my opinion on the rise of the numerous comic cons. There’s my answer. I love ’em.

Now, my social calendar for the year includes a comic con trip. For the last three years, I’ve made the short drive to Cape Girardeau, MO for the Cape Comic Con. I’ve been able to meet writers and artists, actors and cosplayers, wrestlers, and a promoter who truly cares about the product he puts out there for his guests. Everything about this is top-notch, and Ken’s a helluva guy who has been doing this in Cape for over a decade.

I get to go down there, get some audio, hopefully put together an episode or two of the podcast. But I also get to spend some time with some of my best friends. And I’m hoping my schedule allows for that again this year. Ken has Cape Girardeau ready for another amazing weekend at the end of April. I just hope to be there to be a part of it.

Fresh Content Day 13: My Mom’s Birthday

So I’m going to preface all of the following with this statement, sure to be controversial:

My mom’s better than your mom.

Today is her birthday. So I’m going to dedicate this post to her.

My folks, probably mom in particular, didn’t receive the recognition they deserved for all of the stuff they did, not until years later anyway.

I remember being young (4-5) when mom worked nights, and my older sister was in school. I remember the lunches with the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the “s’more” from the microwave. I remember sitting on the family room floor with her as we played He-Man.

As I got older, I remember being a more integral part of the Christmas cookie production process, and even getting to help ice the beloved cut-outs. I remember being in second grade and on a school field trip to St. Louis’s The Magic House and telling the entire bus, “Hey everybody, today is my mom’s _____ birthday!” In my defense, I was 7. I didn’t know that you aren’t supposed to announce women’s ages.

I know that now.

Over the years, I gave my mom her fair share of headaches. You know that line “I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it?” I heard that a lot…that and “you want to live to see your next birthday?” And it wasn’t because I was some demonic kid…I just did a lot of little things (or didn’t do the little things I was told to do) that caused unnecessary tension in our relationship. I was a typical teenager. But even before that, I remember being 9 or 10 and mom asking me “what happened to my sweet little boy?” *GUT SHOT*

As I got older, I found new ways to irritate my mom. I got a tattoo up in Sturgis, SD and came home and showed the family. Mom was not amused. Then she found the one on my back that I sometimes forget about and was none-too-pleased. I was in my 20’s for those particular shenanigans.

I remember vividly mom finding my stash of beer in the trunk of my car and storming into the house with it. I was 19. She was pissed. My dad’s response was “of all the beers, why Natty Light?” (I was in college, dad. I was working two jobs and it was cheap.)

But through it all, mom has always been one of my biggest supporters, and always wanted what was best for me. I’m very fortunate in that regard. I know I’m blessed in ways many people are not, and for too long I took it for granted.

So happy birthday, Mom. Sorry for all the times I made you worry about me. I hope you have had a wonderful day and, even though you won’t read this, likely, unless someone emails you the link, just know that I love ya.

Disclaimer – the tattoo in the featured image is not mine. That’s a Google Image Search.

My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 121: Impact Analysis

TNA has a new name and a new look. Impact Wrestling made its official debut last Thursday night. Do you like the changes? Kevin and Chad take some time to analysis the current state of affairs.

Alberto El Patron, former WWE World Champion, is the new Impact Wrestling Champion. Bruce Prichard is back. And so is Dutch Mantell. How do you feel? Weigh in after listening to this week’s episode of My 1-2-3 Cents.

Social Media shoutouts!

@kevinhunsperger (Twitter)
@kevin_hunsperger (Instagram)
@my123cents (Twitter & Instagram)
@ManiaCrawl (Twitter & Instagram)
@StrideWrestling (Twitter)
@strideprowrestling (Instagram)
@CCWrestling573 (Twitter & Instagram)
@chadsmart (Twitter)
@positivcynicism (Twitter)
@jittery_monkey
(Twitter)
@NerdsUnitedShow (Twitter)
@Craftbeericans (Twitter & Instagram)
@HarnessDM (Twitter & Instagram)
@itomharness (Twitter & Instagram)
@25thHourRadio

Fresh Content Day 12: Swiss Army Man

I owe much of this post to my buddy Kenny, who told me that Amazon Prime is worth the money for parents of young kids who don’t feel like battling crowds and stores.

And he was right!

So not only do I get to avoid crowds, but I get free shipping on most of my purchases (those eligible). And I have access to Amazon Prime Video. So I have that app on my PS4 and go between that and Netflix. It’s great.

Mix that with a podcast I heard awhile back. I think it was from last fall, an episode of The Nerdist podcast. It was a conversation with Daniel Radcliffe, and in that episode, he mentioned a movie called Swiss Army Man.

Well guess what movie is on Amazon Prime Video.

So I watched Swiss Army Man earlier. The premise is that a guy (Hank, as played by Paul Dano) is stranded on a small island and he’s trying to hang himself. Then a dead body (Manny, played by Radcliffe) washes up on shore and farts and trembles. Hank then rides Manny to the mainland and the two have an adventure trying to return to civilization. Manny seemingly is coming back to life. Hank discovers that Manny’s body can do special things, a variety of feats that make him useful to the duo’s joint survival. It’s hard to explain – and honestly, it’s better for your enjoyment when I don’t try to explain it.

There are twists and turns along the way, and eventually they do make it back to civilization (oops, spoiler), but Hank quickly changes his mind and wants to take Manny back to the wilderness.

It’s a fun, irreverent movie that won an award at Sundance and is worth a watch. It’s a little weird at times, but that just adds to the big finish.

Enjoy the trailer and then go seek out the movie.

Building an empire one podcast at a time.