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L.A. Rams Playoff Picture Week 11

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The playoff picture for the L.A. Rams is looking dull, but I am still holding out hope that they’ll make a run here with 6 games remaining. At this point it’s not looking good for them to be able to win the division, with the 9-1 49ers at the top of the NFC West. So that leaves the Wild Card as their best chance at making it into the playoffs. The Vikings and Seahawks, who are both in the Wild Card as of now, are both only one game behind their division leaders, showing what a tight race it is. So, even though the Packers and 49ers are leading right now, they’re just a loss or two away from shifting the standings. 

However, both the Vikings and Packers are locks for the playoffs, regardless of who wins the division because their schedule to end the season is ridiculously easy – Packers play 4/6 sub .500 teams, and Vikings play 3/5. Those should all be easy wins. So what it really comes down to for the Rams is the Seahawks choking down the stretch. Seattle has a decently tough schedule to finish the season, as they face the Eagles, Vikings, Rams, Panthers, Cardinals, and 49ers. Even though Russell Wilson has been unreal this year, they have had a few games that they narrowly won against much inferior opponents. I could easily see them losing three or four of these last six games (including against the Rams). 

Now, the Rams could just as easily fold in these last six games, as they’ll play the Ravens, Cardinals, Seahawks, Cowboys, 49ers, and Cardinals. But you can’t count them out of any of these games. They should have two wins against the Cardinals, and that leaves four tougher games that could go either way. If they consistently show up as the team that beat the Saints in Week 2, there’s no reason they wouldn’t be able to win at least three of these tougher games. Say the Seahawks do go 3-3 in these last six games, and the Rams win out? Off to the ‘yoffs babyyy! 

And I know Goff hasn’t looked great lately, but the Rams defense will always keep them in the game. All the tools are there for them to make a run at the playoffs…it’s just about being able to nut up. 

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T.V.

We Need Another Season of ‘Master of None’ ASAP

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Master of None Needs A Season 3

Master of None in my opinion, is one of the best shows not only on Netflix, but TV altogether. It’s a real shame that a third season doesn’t even sound like it’s in the works right now. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you’d know that the show was put on hiatus after show creator/lead actor Aziz Ansari was Me Too’d back in early 2018. This obviously led to Aziz being forced to shut down any and all shows (he is also a stand-up comedian) and delay a third season of Master of None.

I don’t even know which tense to use when talking about the show, because I’m still holding out hope that it’ll come back. So for now I will use “is”. Like I was saying – damn is Master of None a great show. And that’s not even just me saying that; in two seasons it’s been nominated for 12 Emmy’s, winning three. But I have to admit that while I’m a fan of Aziz’s stand-up, he probably doesn’t even crack my top 5-10, so I really didn’t expect him to put out such a smart comedy. Especially coming from a show like Parks and Recreation, I thought he was just some other dopey sitcom actor. Not the case at all.

Like I said…Master of None is such a smart comedy, in how it addresses issues that face the Indian community, and society as a whole. The show does get serious in addressing these issues, like in Season 2’s “Thanksgiving” episode. But behind the seriousness, there is always comic relief to alleviate the tension. Not to mention that Season 2 left us with one of the biggest cliffhangers in TV history. I mean damn Aziz! You can’t just leave us with a shot of Francesca in your bed with no engagement ring and expect us to not want more.

Now that Aziz has released a stand-up special on Netflix where he essentially clears the air about the allegations against him last year, I’m hoping that’s Netflix’s way of hinting that it’s time he does a Season 3. That’s all I need. Obviously I’d love if this show continued for several more seasons, but all I need in one more season to tie up the loose ends that season two left us with.

Also, I know the supporting cast has nothing else going on and are ready to get back to work. Except for Arnold…my man booked himself an Oculus commercial (probably a nice payday), but we all know Big Bud needs to be back with Little Bud.

 

Pleaseeee Aziz, if not for me (and the fans) do it for your your co-stars. Seriously imagine going from being on an award-winning hit TV show to being subjected to doing Oculus commercials? I mean, work is work, but as for the other actors, I haven’t seen them in a show or movie since. These were the best roles of some of these actor’s lives, and now they’re back to the grind. I guess that’s Hollywood for ya, but man, would that be a bummer.

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T.V.

The Wire is THE Most Underrated Show of All Time

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I just finished watching The Wire. I’ve watched all the best shows out there…Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and the list goes on. None have felt more real to me than The Wire. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that show-runners David Simon and Ed Burns not only lived and worked in the city of Baltimore, but that they also did extensive amounts of research to keep the show authentic. Most critics and websites now have it listed as one of, if not the best t.v. show of all time, which makes it all the more interesting to me that the show wasn’t well received by audiences and never won a Golden Globe, Emmy, or even a SAG award for chrissake. This is why The Wire is THE Most Underrated Show of All Time.

You’d think a show that launched the careers of Idris Elba and Michael B. Jordan would have been a mainstream success, especially because The Sopranos was on HBO at the same time. I mention The Sopranos because it launched HBO into a channel with must-watch television; not to mention the fact that The Wire is also a crime thriller, it pairs perfectly with The Sopranos! 12 million people watched the final episode of The Sopranos, with viewership throughout the series hovering around 8. Now – it pains me to even say this…but only 1 million people watched the finale of The Wire, with viewership dipping to almost half that in the final season on certain episodes; the series peaked in viewership at around 4.5 million in the early seasons. I mean, what kind of disrespectful HBO subscribers in 2008 thought The Wire wasn’t a good enough show to watch….SHAME I say – adding to how The Wire is underrated.

The Wire wasn’t just a cop drama, it was so much more than that. Each season was strategically broken down to address a different aspect of Baltimore.

  • Season 1 – the drug scene / introduction to all the crews and cops.
  • Season 2 – the ports and how they’re just as corrupt as the street gangs.
  • Season 3 – the political system in Baltimore.
  • Season 4 – the school system.
  • Season 5 – how a newspaper (The Baltimore Sun) plays a role in addressing the problems within a city.

Additinoally, cop drama’s usually have a clear-cut good guy and bad guy, a ton of action, and minimal plot – The Wire was basically the opposite of that. Even though the “main” character was probably Jimmy McNulty, the show did not revolve around him in any way – whereas The Sopranos revolved completely around Tony. This just shows how many different storylines carried this show, and how many different characters were a point of interest throughout. In fact, possibly my favorite season (season 4) barely features McNulty at all.

Characters

And now for an ode to the show’s shotgun wielding-scarfaced-gangster-badass – Omar Little. The only problem I have with Omar is that I didn’t see enough of him. Every time he comes on screen is most likely the most interesting part of the episode. Maybe Simon and Burns wanted to keep his screen time limited to make the scenes he’s in more memorable. I don’t know for certain, but I think they could’ve had a whole spin-off show about him robbing drug dealers. He is the show’s anti-hero. A bad guy that you love. He steals from the bad and keeps for himself, and he is the most feared man in B-more. Omar’s impact on the overall trajectory of the show becomes abundantly clear in Season 3, although he was captivating from his first appearance in episode 3 – he also had the best Baltimore accent ever, plus some legendary lines. I mean, even Obama loves him.

On the police side, the show’s main characters are: the ideal police lieutenant, Cedric Daniels, badass chick cop Kima Greggs, fellow drunk detective Bunk Moreland, genius Lester Freamon. There’s also a couple guys I’m not sure I like: Carver and Herc. Also can’t forget everyone’s favorite junkie CI, Bubbles.

On the gangster side there’s the head of the crew, Avon Barksdale, the handsome brains of the operation, Stringer Bell, businessman Prop Joe, and the young buck Marlo Stanfield. Each of these guys plays a huge role throughout the show in the Baltimore drug scene, and the power struggle on the streets is constant from seasons 1-5.

In Conclusion

Now back to my original point – The Wire is extremely underrated and should be more appreciated. In recent years it has gained much more respect from critics, but it just makes me sad that it never got the respect it deserved while it was on the air. Awards aren’t everything, but they do validate how good a show is. The Wire deserved better, but I know, and anyone that watched this show knows that it is a masterpiece, and well worth the watch.

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Sports

Rams vs. Steelers Preview – Loser Leaves Town Game?

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The Los Angeles Rams take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in what could be a make it or break it game for both teams. The Rams come in with a record of 5-3 and 3rd place in the NFC West standings, with the Steelers at 4-4 and 2nd place in the AFC North.

Honestly, after the Rams dropped three games in a row earlier this year, I thought they were done. With the 49ers undefeated and Russell Wilson, the frontrunner for MVP, leading his 7-2 Seahawks, the Rams are likely vying for a wild card spot at this point.

And even though the Steelers lost Big Ben early in the year and were down to their third-string quarterback at one point, I can’t believe they still have some hope in making a run at the playoffs. I guess that’s thanks to their defense, that was made even more stellar when they traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick. However, it’s hard to see them getting in the playoffs with teams like the Bills, Colts, and Raiders ahead of them in the race right now.

Ultimately, I think the Rams come out on top in this one because I don’t think the Steelers offense is good enough to beat the Rams defense, which has added Jalen Ramsey. Only thing I’ll say in Pittsburgh’s defense is that the weather may play a factor. The forecast is 54 degrees and cloudy, which could be a little nippy for the Cali boys.

Overall though, it should be a great game, especially with two stellar defenses going at it in a game that could make or break their season.

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