Sean's Best and Worst Of 2022

Welcome to my annual best and worst of 2022 in pop culture and more. 

Best TV Shows: Severance and The Afterparty

There is a lot of good television being made. While I'll get to my favorites momentarily, I want to give honorable mentions to Abbott Elementary, Barry, Station 11, Squid Game (which I watched in 2022) and Alaska Daily. I don't think the last one gets the credit it deserves since it's on ABC rather than on cable or a streaming service. Throw in a few swear words and maybe some brief nudity, and I think this show would be on many critics' top shows list, particularly with Hilary Swank as the lead. And yes, I understand that the show is highlighting the importance of strong local journalism, but what's wrong with that? I didn't see any Better Call Saul this season since I made a mistake with the DVR, and it erased the first few episodes. I feel like there's a good chance the show will make my best of 2023. 

I generally don't consider myself a sci-fi guy, and I'm not even sure if Severance counts as a sci-fi show. What would happen if you could completely separate your work life and your home life? Severance truly separates the two where characters medically cannot remember work when they are out of the office or remember anything outside work when they are in the office. Adam Scott is the main character and leads an incredible cast including Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Tramell Tillman, and Christopher Walken. The show is quite suspenseful, and I can't wait to see a second season.

The Afterparty is also on Apple+ but besides having an amazing cast, that's where the similarities end. A famous Justin Bieber-type character (played by Dave Franco) returns for his high school reunion and gets killed at the after party. It's a murder mystery with Tiffany Haddish as the detective as she interviews potential suspects including Sam Richardson, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer, Ben Schwartz, and Zoe Chao. This show is very funny, and I love watching any of Ben Schwartz's songs. (Please note that there is one bad word in this song.)

Best Movie: CODA

I almost forgot that I saw this movie in 2022 since I probably watched it during the first week or two of January. Even though CODA won Best Picture at the Oscars, no one talks about it since the ceremony was overshadowed by Will Smith. It's a fun, coming-of-age movie about a high school senior who is a child of deaf parents. (That's what CODA stands for.)

Worst movie: Home Team

I guess this is supposed to be a redemption story of New Orleans Saints football coach Sean Payton who served a one-year suspension for Bountygate where players got paid for injuring their opponents. I had no idea Payton needed a redemption story. During his suspension, he moves to a Texas town and helps coach his son’s football team and tries to build a relationship with the kid. Sean Payton is played by Kevin James who is not funny at all in this role. Rob Schneider plays the new husband of Payton’s ex-wife and is also not funny in this film. Actually, not funny would be a compliment. Payton eventually takes over the team and only cares about winning. Oh, there's also a scene where all of the kids on Payton's team vomit and that helps them win the game. Even that part is in the trailer. While I guess there's a life lesson in this movie somewhere, the story ends with Payton going back to coaching the NFL, apparently leaving his kid behind, but now he remembers names of people in the Saints organization. 

Best Song: I Ain't Worried by OneRepublic

I'm breaking my previous rule that the best song needed to be featured in a blog post earlier in the year. I had a really difficult time choosing a best song of 2022. Not a lot really jumped out for me. I think the message of "Victoria's Secret" by Jax about body image is important, and I recently started listening to and enjoying "Burning" by Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. OneRepublic just manages to crank out catchy hit after catchy hit, and "I Ain't Worried' is their latest. When I write my best and worst of 2024, I probably won't remember this song, but I ain't worried 'bout it right now.

Worst Song: Hold Me Closer by Elton John and Britney Spears

What happens when you take the classic, beloved song Tiny Dancer and make it much worse? This! Elton John and Britney Spears didn't even feel the need to make a cameo in the video for this cash grab.

Best Podcast: SmartLess

I'm definitely late on this podcast. Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes make fun of each other and interview celebrities. I laugh out loud at least once every episode. I also want to give an honorable mention to Futbol with Grant Wahl. I went to his podcast before and after every US qualifying and World Cup match and whenever something big happened in the soccer world. He's gone way too soon.

Best Book: The Worst Teddy Ever by Marcelo Verdad

I’ve really struggled reading since the Covid pandemic started. I used to read everyday during my commute, but now I drive instead of relying on the bus and Metro. While the amount of time I spend listening to podcasts is way up, the amount of time spent reading is way down. 

I traveled to Austin, Texas in November, and although I didn’t see any bats, I did stumble into the Texas Book Festival. There were dozens of authors speaking and tents filled with exhibitors over multiple streets all in front of the Texas capitol building. I loved walking through it! At one point, I passed by a tent and heard an author having a playful discussion with kids. The tent next to this was filled with children’s books for sale including one by this author. I bought "The Worst Teddy Ever" and brought it home for my kids. It's about a teddy bear who is too tired to play, but there's a good reason for this. The book is definitely more geared for my kindergartner, but I enjoy it too. 

Best Blog Posts: The End of Celebrate Fairfax and RIP Chris

I'm still a little upset that the Celebrate Fairfax and Fall for Fairfax festivals appear to be over. Such a loss to the Northern Virginia community. I also wrote about my friend Chris who passed away earlier this year.

Worst Blog Post: TMI Thursday Karma

I wrote a post about buying a new plunger.

Best Sports Bet: Kansas winning the NCAA Tournament

I picked this before the tournament. They won. Go me!

Worst Sports Bet: The Pirates winning over 62.5 games. 

They had to improve in 2022 and not lose 100 games, right? Wrong. They went 62-100. There were many bad losses, but the worst might be the Pirates leading 8-4 in the bottom of the 9th at Yankee Stadium, and the Yankees winning 9-8 thanks to home runs by Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.

Please feel free to leave your best and worst of 2022 in the comments section below. Hope that you had a good 2022, and here's to a better 2023!

Friday Video: Toxic

Let me preface this post by stating that this video (which is actually just an audio recording) is juvenile and pretty dumb. However, I listened to it several times and laughed each time.

Enjoy this cover version of Britney Spears' Toxic being played by mediocre flautists.*




* If nothing else, please appreciate that I used the word "flautists" for the first time since I started this blog more than a decade ago!

Sean's Best & Worst of 2013

Many television shows, magazines, websites and newspapers have best and worst of 2013 lists. What makes my list different is that I'm posting this in January 2014, well after everyone else.

Best Movie I Saw In The Theater: Most lists will have 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, American Hustle or Captain Phillips at the top of the list. Unfortunately, I only saw two movies in the theater in 2013. Therefore, my vote goes to This Is The End starring Seth Rogan, James Franco and Jonah Hill.

Worst Movie I Saw In The Theater: The Heat. I enjoyed this movie, but not as much as This Is The End.

If you think my list so far is a bit ridiculous, I encourage you to stay here. It gets better.

Best Sports Moment: Pirates Wild Card win over the Reds

The first Pirates playoff game since 1992 was incredible. My brother and I drove to Pittsburgh on the evening of the Wild Card game for a funeral the following day. We listened to the first few innings in the car including hearing the "Cueto" chant, him dropping the ball, and Russell Martin's home run. Then, we watched most of the rest of the game with my parents at a Quaker Steak & Lube by the airport and saw the 9th inning and highlights in a small hotel room that we shared as an entire family.





I still get goosebumps watching these videos.

Worst Sports Moment: The entire Penguins-Bruins Eastern conference finals.

Best TV Show: Breaking Bad. In other news, the Earth is round. Honorable mention to Orphan Black, Parks & Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Happy Endings.

Worst TV Show: Oh Sit! CW still hasn't cancelled this show!

Best Book I Read: While Midnight Rising: John Brown and The Raid That Sparked The Civil War by Tony Horwitz was fascinating and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was captivating and had the most unexpected twist I experienced in a book in years, I'm going with Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of Twenty-First Century Parenthood by Drew Magary. I really enjoy Magary's writing, and I guess this book seemed to speak to me at this point in my life.

Worst Book I Read: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Okay, this may not be the worst book I read, but it definitely did not live up to my expectations. The Great Gatsby is supposed to be known as an American classic, but I didn't get it. I disliked every character, who had no redeeming values, and really don't understand why the book has the status that it does. I already know that Mr. Brame is going to completely disagree with my choice.

Best Song: I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift. Yes, I've lost any street cred I may have had. I listen to pop music regularly as background noise, and I never got tired of this song. In the middle of writing this, I found that I first wrote a blog post about this song in December 2012. I guess this song isn't eligible for 2013. In that case, I'll go with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for Thrift Shop and Can't Hold Us.



Worst Song: This was a tough decision. We Can't Stop by Miley Cyrus get an honorable mention, but the winner goes to Perfume by Britney Spears. I just think this is a terrible song.



Best Blog Post: I'm cheating and going with every post of the Pittsburgh Sports Blogger Interview Series.

Worst Blog Post: So many choices. Let's go with Sisqo Coming to Fairfax.

Why Is Everyone Whistling?

I’ve noticed a recent trend in the music industry. Four of Billboard’s top 15 songs feature whistling prominently. Take a look:

Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera – Move Like Jagger (#2)



Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks (#3) -- (To my knowledge, this band has no relation to former Steelers RB Barry Foster.)



Britney Spears – I Wanna Go (#13)



OneRepublic – Good Life (#15)



This doesn't include Lazy Song by Bruno Mars from earlier this year or last year's The Black Keys hit Tighten Up.

Not to sound like Seinfeld, but what's the deal with all of this whistling?

Friday Video

Although she's not a great singer and seems to have a screwed up personal life, Britney Spears (or at least her management) knows how to make catchy pop songs. Britney's latest song, I Wanna Go, continues her line of hit singles. Plus, as a bonus, you can see Guillermo of Weeds pour milk over his head.



Even though I don't understand all of the lyrics, I can't get this song out of my head. That's the true sign of a Britney hit!

The Return of Sean Analyzing Popular Song Lyrics

Welcome to the second edition of my analysis of popular pop song lyrics. (The first AMAZING version is available here.) Let’s take a look at five relatively current hits.

Enrique Iglesias - Tonight (I’m Lovin You)

Here’s the situation been to every nation

Really Enrique. You’ve been to North Korea, South Sudan, Nauru and Tuvalu? I demand to see your passport for proof.

(Same song)

You know my motivation
Given my reputation
Please excuse I don't mean to be rude

I believe that your reputation is someone who dates a former Russian tennis player known much more for her off the count activities than her tennis abilities. Unless of course your reputation is lying about visiting every nation.

Justin Bieber – Never Say Never

I’m strong enough to climb the highest tower.

Okay Canadian boy, let’s see you climb Toronto's CN Tower, eh.



Jessie J – Price Tag

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag

It’s not too early to think about my child’s first birthday party, so I wanted to see if Jessi J is available to perform. Since she doesn’t need my money and I should forget about the price tag, I look forward to seeing her perform at my home. You can even stay in our extra bedroom to help us save some money, money, money instead of putting you up at a hotel.

Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull – I Like It

My life is a movie and you're just Tivo (heh)

I disagree Pitbull. Can you go the theater and pause or record a movie? I can record two movies at once with my DVR and while catching up on Modern Family and Parks and Recreation. "My life is Tivo, you're just a movie" makes much more sense.

Britney Spears – Till the World Ends

See the sunlight
We ain’t stoppin’
Keep on dancing till the world ends

The official song of the May 21, I mean October 21, 2011 rapture.



Seeing this wallpaper everywhere may also be a sign of the world ending.

Analyzing Britney Spears' 3

Britney Spears recently released the song titled 3 off of her second greatest hits album, The Singles Collection. I have to admit that I was not expecting Britney to release a children's song though that is understandable as she is the mother of two young children. I applaud her efforts to teach kids the importance of counting and sharing and the number three. (If you're not familiar with the song, the video is at the bottom of this post.) Let's take a look at her lyrics:

1, 2, 3
This is the proper way to learn how to count. Start with the basics.

not only you and me
If it was just you and me, that would be two.

Got one eighty degrees
I'll be honest in that I don't understand this line. However, by searching 180 degrees in Google, the first result is for 180 Degrees, Inc., a Minneapolis non-profit that "has been providing intervention, prevention and supportive services to juvenile and adults since 1973." In that case, bravo to Britney for pointing out the important work of this organization.

And I'm caught in between
You can't be caught in between with just two. The number two is caught in between 1 and 3.

Countin'
Counting

1, 2, 3
Numbers.

Peter, Paul & Mary
A tribute to the late Mary Travers. Maybe this will encourage a new generation to learn more about this inspiring musical group.

Gettin' down with 3p
Sesame Street was brought to you by number 3 and letter p the day this song was written.

Everybody loves (oh)
and the letter o

Countin'
Yes, everybody loves counting!

(The previous portion of the song is the chorus.)



Babe, pick a night
Perhaps, Britney wants kids to learn about the seven days of the week too.

To come out and play
Great line. Britney wants kids to know that counting can be and should be fun. This could also be a tribute to the band, Offspring.

If it's alright
Obviously, you should check with your parents before going over to a friend's home.

What do you say?
Hopefully yes.


Merrier the more
To get you into the holiday spirit.

Triple fun that way
Not just fun or double fun. Triple fun is even, um, funner!

Twister on the floor
Not only will you learn to count, you can play Twister which helps you with colors and coordination.

What do you say?
Again, yes. (Plus, say rhymes with way.)


Are - you in
Britney is really applying the peer pressure.

Livin' in sin is the new thing (yeah)
Some cultures discourage women to learn. Britney sings that these women should learn. It may be a sin to some people, but it shouldn't be.

Are - you in
She's going to keep asking until you say yes.

I am countin'!
She is counting and wants you to join her.

CHORUS (x2)


Three is a charm
Actually three's company but Britney couldn't use that line due to the show's trademark.

Two is not the same
Correct. Two is not the same as three.

I don't see the harm
Seriously, what's the harm in counting?

So are you game?
Just another way of asking if you're in.

Lets' make a team
You can't have a team of one.

Make 'em say my name
That could be part of the game. 1 = Britney; 2 = you; 3 = another person.

Lovin' the extreme
I got nothing on this line.

Now are you game?
She's really applying the peer pressure!


Are - you in
Britney will not give up!

Livin' in sin is the new thing
We addressed this earlier, but using the word "sin" is a reference to letting adults know that it's okay to like this song intended for kids.

yeah Are - you in
OK, asking us again and again is not going to change our answer!

I am countin'!
And back to counting.

CHORUS

(2nd chorus is slightly different with the two lines below replacing "Got one eighty degrees" and "Gettin' down with 3p" respectively)

Got one minute of dreams
Unlike Fiona Apple, Britney wants you to know that she does go to sleep to dream.

Gettin' down with repeat
She wanted to say three-peat, but former Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley has this trademarked.


What we do is innocent
Counting. Learning numbers. Innocent!

Just for fun and nothin' meant
Don't discourage the kids into thinking this is learning is not fun. Learning is fun!

If you don't like the company
With three people, there's always a chance you won't like one of them. Let's call the guy you don't like, Brady.

Let's just do it you and me
But everything is fine since with just the two of you.

You and me
Just reiterating you and me.

Or three
We can ask another person not named Brady.

Or four
or two other people, none of whom are Brady.

- On the floor
Well, duh. You can't play Twister on a roof or in the air.

CHORUS (x2)


So there you have it: Britney's first children's song. Plus, here's the video, which isn't quite as kid-friendly.

Weekend Thoughts

* I’d like to call out Christine Brennan of USA Today. On Good Morning America this morning, she said that the Tiger Woods accident story would have gone away at this point if it wasn’t for the internet and the blogosphere. That’s an interesting point since the Tiger Woods story is on the front page of today’s USA Today (A1) and was also the second item on GMA behind only the incident where four Washington police officers were killed. Yes, this is definitely a story because of bloggers.

* I thought that Dennis Dixon played well in his first NFL start. The loss is definitely not on him. While I certainly understand that the coaches wanted to put him in as little risk for injury as possible, I really would have liked to have seen a play call or two in OT where Dixon could have run the ball himself.

* By the way, I liked the old Pittsburgh Pirates hat Dennis Dixon’s father wore at the game.

* Shopping at Kohl’s recently, I noticed that they are selling perfumes from the following celebrities: Elizabeth Taylor, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Halle Barry and Usher. I hope that Miley Cyrus and Beyonce are looking for new agents!

* Since the Penguins scored eight goals at home against the New York Rangers on Saturday night, does that mean that everyone with a ticket stub received free chili from Wendy’s? This promotion that occurred when the Pens scored seven or more goals has probably been over for about 20 years now.

* Congratulations to the Woodland Hills High School football team for winning the WPIAL AAAA football title against the Gateway Gators on Friday night. For folks not familiar with Woodland Hills, famous graduates include current NFL players Jason Taylor (Dolphins), Ryan Mundy (Steelers), Shawntae Spencer (49ers), Steve Breaston (Cardinals) and Lousaka Polite (Dolphins) as well as “famous blogger” Sean (Sean’s Ramblings).

Today could be the last day of the mustache. More on this tomorrow, but you can donate to the Movember Foundation by clicking here.

TMI Monday

I realize that I’m three days early for TMI Thursday, but it’s not every week when the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the Super Bowl. For the non-sports fan readers, you’ll have to excuse me for all of my football coverage this week. I plan to have some entertaining takes on the game as well as an exclusive interview, so it won’t be all sports, but my writing will tend to focus on the Steelers over the next week or so.

For this week’s TMI, I need to admit something that may or may not be a big deal. I really like Taylor Swift’s new song Love Story. While this alone probably isn’t alarming, I am seeing a trend I am not proud of. In May 2008, I admitted to liking a Miley Cyrus song; in December, I wrote that a Britney Spears song is catchy; and just a few weeks ago, I used a TMI Thursday to share my thoughts on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Am I turning into a 13 year-old girl? The only think I’m missing is a love for the Jonas Brothers. Well, approximately a year ago I wrote that the Jonas Brothers were no Hanson. Well, it turns out that the Jonas Brothers are bigger than Hanson could ever be.

While I'm not writing that I like the Jonas Brothers, I better end this post now before more damage is done.

Lyric of the Week

Womanizer, woman-womanizer
You're a womanizer
Oh, womanizer, oh
You're a womanizer, baby

You, you, you are
You, you, you are
Womanizer, womanizer
Womanizer

Well said, Britney, well said.


P.S. Is it possible to use fewer words in a chorus?

P.P.S (or is it P.S.S.) This insightful and thought-provoking song really is catchy.

How Will We Get Our Britney News?

You may or may not remember that during Passover, we managed to buy an empty box of matzo. The sealed matzo box sans matzo is still in our kitchen because I like to show this off to our guests. (However, now that I wrote this, there is a 95% chance that my wife will throw out the box this week as I haven’t displayed the empty box to any visitor for months.)

Why am I writing about the empty matzo box now six months before Passover? Well, this week my wife received her weekly People magazine in the mail. You can imagine her excitement to read about Nicole Richie’s life as a mom, Angelina Jolie’s body and new tattoos after kids and the exclusive story about Dancing With the Stars’ Cheryl fighting back against people thinking that she’s fat. Imagine her surprise when she noticed an entirely new format to this week’s People and no pictures of either Britney or Jamie Lynn Spears. Instead of celebrity news and pictures and brief reviews of movies, books and television, she found, um, celebrity news and pictures and slightly more detailed reviews of movies, books and television. While the cover of the magazine was People the rest of the magazine was actually Entertainment Weekly. Sorry Angelina; instead we get an article and pictorial of Zac Efron as this week was EW’s Photo Issue.

I called People to ask for a replacement issue, and the customer service representative did not sound very surprised about this situation. They are going to send us a replacement later this week. In the meantime, I guess we’ll have to look at pictures of Emile Hirsch on the set of Ang Lee’s upcoming film, Taking Woodstock and Tina Fey on the set of 30 Rock.

Look for Trivia Tuesday later this afternoon.