RPadTV 3000 Episode 16: John Foster | SNL Isn’t Funny Anymore

Award winning author John Foster (Leech, Rooster) dropped by to chat about Saturday Night Live with me. Before we got into the meat of the conversation, John spoke a bit about his latest book and what’s coming next. Also among the appetizers is a little rant on how much I hate when people say, “SNL isn’t funny anymore.” It’s such a lazy and thoughtless thing to say. It’s something I’ve been hearing from stupid people since high school and I hate it. So. Much.

With four cast members leaving (Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney), I fully expect some morons to say, “Saturday Night Live isn’t funny anymore,” throughout next season. The thing is, SNL is always funny. Sure, it has peaks and valleys like anything else, but writing, producing, and performing a live sketch comedy show is extraordinarily difficult. And for the most part, everyone involved with the show pulls it off.

Beyond that, SNL is always the funniest when you’ve invested the most time into it. For most people that’s usually in their teens or 20s. There are elements of emotional investment and nostalgia when people remember when SNL was best to them. Saying, “SNL isn’t funny anymore,” is inaccurate at best and flat-out dumb at worst. It may not be as funny to you as it was in the past, but humor evolves and mainstream tastes change.

At the end of the day, SNL is always funny.

Anyway, getting back to my wonderful conversation with John Foster, we spoke about:

Continue reading “RPadTV 3000 Episode 16: John Foster | SNL Isn’t Funny Anymore”

RPadTV 3000 Episode 11: Paul Semel, Moon Knight, and Dr. Strange

My excellent colleague and friend Paul Semel dropped by to share his thoughts on Moon Knight on Disney Plus and Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Although we both enjoy many of the same nerd things, our tastes also vary. With that in mind, I didn’t expect him to enjoy Moon Knight as much as I did. Although he said it was his least-favorite Marvel series on Disney Plus, he enjoyed it more than I expected him to.

Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was received similarly. Paul Semel also enjoyed, but not as much as I did. He tends to be more cynical about entertainment in general and doesn’t enjoy secondary comics characters as much as I do. For example, I thoroughly enjoyed the Starbrand and Nightmask comics, while Paul could not care less about characters at that…level, for lack of a better word.

Continue reading “RPadTV 3000 Episode 11: Paul Semel, Moon Knight, and Dr. Strange”

Peacemaker Season 1 Review and Discussion

After a hilarious debut in The Suicide Squad (the good James Gunn one, not the pile of garbage starring Will Smith), John Cena returns as Peacemaker on HBO Max. While the character was great as a supporting player in a movie, could he work as a lead in a prestige series? The answer was a resounding yes! To review and discuss Peacemaker season 1, I asked Tal Blevins (former IGN editor) and Paul Semel (former Maxim, Bikini) to join me for a very special episode of RPadTV 3000.

Tal Blevins, Paul Semel, and I talk about our favorite characters, scenes, music, and aspects of Peacemaker season 1. While we all loved the series and were floored by John Cena’s performance, we had different takes on it. For example, Paul and Tal believe that this was a star-making performance for Jennifer Holland. While I enjoyed what she did in the series, I wasn’t as impressed by her as my two esteemed (and smarter) colleagues were.

As for John Cena…

Continue reading “Peacemaker Season 1 Review and Discussion”

The Book of Boba Fett Review and Discussion

This might come as a shock, but many of my friends are Star Wars nerds. Two of the biggest Star Wars fans I know are veteran videogame journalist Paul Semel and former videogame journalist Chris Baker (Official PlayStation Magazine). When I thought about dedicating an episode of RPadTV 3000 to the first season of The Book of Boba Fett, they were there first people I thought of for guests. Thankfully, they agreed to swing by!

The Book of Boba Fett has been getting rave reviews and venomous criticism in the corner of the Internet that I hang out in. Some fans love it for adding more high-quality Star Wars content to Disney+. Others hate it for fleshing out Boba Fett’s story and taking away from the mystique that made him so cool in The Empire Strikes Back.

Now here’s the part where I warn you that there will be spoilers ahead. Now turn on your spoiler shields and lock your S-foils in attack positions!

Continue reading “The Book of Boba Fett Review and Discussion”

2022 WWE Royal Rumble Review

The dashing Jose “Fubar” Sanchez from Electric Playground joined me on RPadTV 3000 to talk about the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble. This year’s edition was a bit strange. People love the Royal Rumble for the surprise entrants, but WWE revealed many of the “surprises” beforehand. Additionally, the dirt sheets did a great job of revealing the returning talent, so many hardcore fans weren’t surprised at all.

Internet fans seem to be down on the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble, calling it predictable and boring. Personally, I didn’t think it was as bad as many people on Twitter have said. I enjoyed five of the six matches. That said, it certainly wasn’t as good as recent Royal Rumbles and there were certain “Superstars” that should never be in a WWE ring again (Shane McMahon, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, etc.).

For people that just want the results, here you go:

Continue reading “2022 WWE Royal Rumble Review”

Coffee Talk #678: In Defense of Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan has been getting slaughtered in the mainstream media for his views on treating BOSH-19 COVID-19. Certainly some of what he said is misguided and considering that The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast in the world, spreading bad information or misinformation can be extremely dangerous. That said, I believe that he’s been getting more heat than he deserves and a lot of what he said has been taken out of context. More importantly, the media has manipulated many people into believing that he’s a malicious person.

Some of the opinions on Rogan have surprised me. Several people that I like and respect have been lashing out at him as if he were vile and the only thing that he’s done in his life is say controversial things about coronavirus treatments. The reality is that Joe Rogan has had a long and successful career that predates the success of his podcast. Some of his accomplishments include:

  • Acting (NewsRadio)
  • Hosting (Fear Factor)
  • MMA Commentary (UFC)
  • Stand-Up Comedy

That last point can’t be emphasized enough. Rogan is an absolute legend in the comedy world. As a fan of the Los Angeles stand-up scene, I have tremendous respect for his contributions to comedy. Whether it’s his own stand-up which dates back to the late ‘80s, providing a tremendous platform for incredibly talented comics, or calling out Carlos Mencia for stealing jokes, he is greatly respected by many comedians.

Despite his success in many areas of entertainment, some people believe that Rogan is just an evil guy with a humongous podcast. Don’t get me wrong; I disagree with some of what he’s said about COVID-19 vaccines and treatment, but I also see that some of his comments have been twisted and misrepresented by various news outlets. Check out the Russell Brand video below for an examination of why Joe Rogan has been vilified by the mainstream press.

Continue reading “Coffee Talk #678: In Defense of Joe Rogan”

Marcus Beer is on Twitch and You Should Watch Him

Millions of GameTrailers fans know Marcus Beer as the Annoyed Gamer. Thousands of people in the videogame business know Marcus Beer as “that angry yet dashing PR fellow.” I know him as my excellent friend Marcus, an intelligent and charming rogue that’s outstanding to have drinks with and even better for intensely nerdy conversation. You can be part of his nerdy conversations in his all-new, all-different Twitch stream, I Am Beer.

There are many reasons why you should tune in and watch Marcus Beer stream on Twitch, but if you need more convincing then keep on reading.

Continue reading “Marcus Beer is on Twitch and You Should Watch Him”

Totally Excited for Young Rock

Young Rock makes its debut on February 16 on NBC. The show revolves around a flashforward and three separate flashbacks on the life of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. In the flashforward, Johnson is running for President of the United States in the year 2032. The three flashbacks cover his life in Hawaii as a young boy, his high school years in Nashville, Tennessee, and his college life at the University of Miami.

As a mark for 80s pro-wrestling, the trailer has me amped for the show. Before I ever heard of The Rock, I was a fan of his father — “Soul Man” Rocky Johnson. The trailer features Rocky Johnson, as well as other pro-wrestling legends of the 80s, including Andre the Giant, the Iron Sheikh, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Wild Samoans, and Junkyard Dog. Seeing TV adaptations of these legends is simply awesome. Check them out in the Young Rock trailer below.

Continue reading “Totally Excited for Young Rock”

The WWE Network/Peacock Partnership is Great for WWE, Peacock, and Me

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and NBCUniversal have announced an exclusive U.S. partnership for WWE Network and Peacock. The two companies have already collaborated with a limited amount of content on the Peacock streaming service. This deal — rumored to be $1-billion over five years — greatly expands on the partnership. For U.S. customers, WWE Network becomes a new part of the Peacock streaming service starting March 18, 2021.

At a glance, the deal seems like a huge win for everyone involved. I’m excited by the potential of the partnership for both WWE Network and Peacock. As a self-absorbed writer, I’m also excited for what it means for me. Using the immortal words of the Degeneration-X theme song, read on as I “break it down!

Continue reading “The WWE Network/Peacock Partnership is Great for WWE, Peacock, and Me”

Five Thoughts on Batman: Soul of the Dragon

Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a fantastic animated movie with a wonderfully unique tone. Going into it, I knew that the movie would focus on one of Batman’s mentors (O-Sensei) and his fellow students. However, I was not expecting its incredible 70s tone at all. The movie is a wonderful mix of great action, strong storytelling, and excellent character development.

In short, I highly recommend watching Batman: Soul of the Dragon. If you’re not convinced, here are five random thoughts on the movie. [Put on your spoiler cowl!]

Continue reading “Five Thoughts on Batman: Soul of the Dragon”