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Winter 2018 #SOTD

@iAmAviG

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January 17, 2018

Thanks to the year-end Song of the Day contest it has been over two months since the last SOTD post! That’s just crazy, and you need that song fix. Well don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Here are some songs of the day to help warm up your winter.

The Champion – Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris

NBC will be using this as the Super Bowl intro song, as Carrie is their “Sunday Night Football” girl, and this song (and Carrie) is absolute fire.

I am invincible, unbreakable
Unstoppable, unshakeable
They knock me down, I get up again
I am the champion, you’re gon’ know my name
You can’t hurt me now, I can’t feel the pain
I was made for this, yeah, I was born to win
I am the champion

Glorious – Macklemore feat. Skylar Grey

I feel glorious
Got a chance to start again
I was born for this
It’s who I am, how could I forget?
I made it through the darkest part of the night
And now I see the sunrise
Now I feel glorious, glorious

Bad At Love – Halsey

Halsey made my Top 10 list in 2015 and 2016, and she’s finally getting recognition everywhere as she hit Saturday Night Live this week.

I’m bad at love
But you can’t blame me for trying
You know I’d be lying saying
You were the one
That could finally fix me
Lookin’ at my history
I’m bad at love

No Roots – Alice Merton

Merton is an up-and-coming singer who’s song topped the lists in late 2017, and it’s one of those “grow on you” songs.

I like standing still, but that’s just a wishful plan
Ask me where I come from, I’ll say a different land
But I’ve got memories and, travel like gypsies in the night

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie #Review

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January 16, 2018

Dav Pikley’s books, Captain Underpants, have finally made it to the big screen, in its first epic adventure.

With a cereal box Hypno-ring, Harold and George bring their comic books to life, turning their mean principal Mr. Krupp into their imagined superhero: Captain Underpants. With the snap of their fingers, he’s his superhero-y self, but a splash of water will revert him back to his mean old self.

The power of elastic helps Captain Underpants help people in the stupidest ways possible. From tossing old ladies into trees to reunite them with their cats, freeing a mime from his cage, or just flying to the sky in a glass elevator.

Tra-La-La

Yet when a new evil science teacher, Professor P, joins the school and wants to rid the world of laughter, they will need all the help they can get from the Captain to keep him from his goals.

The movie has a great lineup including Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch, Ed Helms, Nick Kroll, and Jordan Peele.

This movie snapped to reality really quickly, and while not a total flop, it is only as good as the comic book it was written off of…childish and silly, getting a 6.5 out of 10.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman #Netflix #Review

@iAmAviG

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January 15, 2018

David Letterman is back after a two and a half year hiatus, and while I wasn’t a fan of his originally, without Paul Shaffer “he-he’ing” behind him, he’s actually quite fun to watch!

This Netflix special is just Dave and a special guest for a one-hour show. No stand-up, no band, just plain old banter.

And America’s most chilled President may have been the perfect launch point. Barack Obama is the first guest, in what will become a monthly show, and he turns it around easily to get some info out of Dave, as the two of them seem like they are enjoying themselves throughout.

Running through President Obama’s full life story and just learning about him in a laid-back atmosphere makes this a must watch, whether you were a fan of his or not. Presidential briefings, social media, race and inequality, and even a talk with John Lewis about his march in Selma.

Other guests this season include George Clooney, Jay-Z, Tina Fey, and Howard Stern.

Some @DunkinDonuts Ain’t Like The Other

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January 12, 2018

Living in New York City, it’s tough to not go to Dunkin Donuts once in a while, and most of them have decent service. Some of them (like the ones in the subways) have problems with stale foods, while others service the Kosher market in NYC.

But one in particular, and not gonna name names here (Store# 351643 – 1775 Coney Island Ave), has been absolutely terrible. Here are the last three times I’ve gone there, and you be the judge if this is how a store should be handling business:

  1. I mobile ordered (“On-The-Go”) a sandwich, hash browns, and a hot chocolate. The order went through and my card was charged. When I arrived at the store I found out they only had the sandwich, with the other items out of stock.
    I asked for my money back on the items they didn’t have…since, you know, you charged me for an item that was out of stock…and was told that “it’s too much of a hassle to refund my order”.
    They then tried to offer me coffee’s and donuts in exchange, none of which I was interested in.
    Instead of giving me my money back they told me to come into the store at a later time to get my other items.
    I tried to get a refund via the app, and there was no option to do that or leave feedback…whereas Starbucks would’ve given me a refund on the spot.
  2. A week later I went back to get the two items owed to me. While I was there I ordered another sandwich from the cashier. The price was 30 cents higher than what I had paid just six days earlier.
    When I asked the cashier about it, they said that the pricing was different in the app then in store…which can seem plausible, except for the fact that the app claims to get the price from whichever store you are ordering from (which they remind you every time you change stores after putting items in your cart).
    Regular stores would’ve offered to adjust the price, they just seemed indifferent to all of it, despite me showing the app to them and having the previous receipt in my hand as well.
  3. I went back yesterday, figuring they’d get better…the app wasn’t letting me order On-The-Go to this location at the time, so I went up to the cashier and ordered two Wake Up Wraps and hashbrowns.
    When the “server” handed me my completed order it only had the Wraps. When I mentioned it to her, she had to go back to my order and realized that she had never even noticed the hashbrowns.

Usually, the third one isn’t isn’t such a big deal, but coming after the first two it just shows a general incompetence of this location.

The LEGO Batman Movie

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January 11, 2018

The LEGO Movie, despite being way too long was a great movie with really good takeaways.

And now along comes Batman, Robin, Alfred and Commissioner Barbara Gordon, in a battle against all the villains that have been part of the LEGO world, from Joker to Voldemort, and King Kong to the Eye of Sauron.

The movie is full of comedy, even poking fun at itself, and the Batman franchise as a whole, and once again brings along great life lessons about friendships and inclusion.

Come on Robin, watch my back.

Robin is timely and humorous, and the music he creates are some of the funnier moments of the film, including Fly Robin Fly.

The cast list is huge including: Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Zach Galifianakis, Jenny Slate, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Adam DeVine, Ellie Kemper, Mariah Carey Conan O’ Brien, and even Siri!

NYC Needs To Clean Up Their Act #FixNYC

@iAmAviG

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January 10, 2018

I’m so tired of the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) coming up with excuses for everything. Now I don’t really blame them for this, I think the garbage truly flows downhill, but let’s look at two pressing issues facing the city right now, snow removal and garbage backup.

  • Let’s look first at that garbage removal, which thanks to last Thursday’s snowstorm has been piling up everywhere. The local ABC 7 affiliate had this to say:

    Not only did they have snow to deal with, but also the holidays, with all the Christmas trees and extra household garbage. Having to clean up tons of confetti in Times Square on New Year’s Eve probably didn’t didn’t help either.

    They are joking, right? The New Years Eve confetti does NOTHING to the regularly scheduled pickup schedule. For one thing, it happens from 12:30AM-4AM, hours when the city isn’t doing pickup to begin with.
    Also, it’s a holiday, when they don’t do trash pickup anyways, and which this year fell a day after a Sunday when they don’t do any pickups either.

  • Snow removal – Ever since the man himself (BdB) took office he’s been plagued with snow removal troubles, literally on Day 1. The city’s response these days is to “suspend alternate side of the street parking while they continue ongoing snow removal”.
    Well, the crosswalks are still full of snow 7-days later, but at least the centers of the streets are clear of snow. Crossing the street includes a good foot into slush moment as you try to push through what the city hasn’t cleaned, and good luck trying to avoid that by walking between parked cars to get into the street.
    So instead of suspending the alternate side parking, why don’t they keep (and enforce) it, and while there are no cars in the parking lane, come down the street with the plows and ‘dozers and rid the streets of all the snow.
    They did it in Manhattan on the big avenues, so we know it’s doable…they just don’t want to.
    In 2010 the DSNY had a budget strike and avoided plowing for a few days. When it was resolved they had tens of unplowed streets to clean, each with 1’+ of snow on it. So they rolled out 10’ high bulldozers and literally scooped up entire blocks at a time and cleaned it up in no time.

With both of these issues, they have the ability. They just don’t have the leadership that will push them to a clean ending.

 

Kingsman: The Golden Circle #Review

@iAmAviG

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January 9, 2018

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is the second movie in the Kingsman series, and if you haven’t watched the first one you definitely should.

The Kingsman are a younger more modern day version of James Bond, with an equal mix of tech, humor, and general British bad@$$ery.
With a cover as high-class tailors, these men dress to the nines and won’t hesitate before heading into battle to protect the world.

In The Golden Circle, “Poppy” dealer Julianne Moore has unleashed a virus across Earth and is holding everyone at ransom in the hopes of making drugs legal and taxable, along with her henchman played by Mark Strong.

Taron Egerton is back as Eggsy, our lead Kingsman agent, and Colin Firth makes an appearance as well. As for their American counterparts, they are played by Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, and Channing Tatum.

The surprise character in this one is Elton John, who has more than a minor role to play.

Enjoyable, humorous, and just a fun movie (and series), this one will get an 8.5 out of 10.

The End of the F***ing World – #Netflix #Review

@iAmAviG

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January 8, 2018

“I’m James. I’m 17. And I’m pretty sure I’m a psychopath.”

Those words highlight Episode 1 of this eight-part Netflix show, and it’s all pretty solid from there.

17-year-old James (Alex Lawther) is a self-diagnosed psychopath who has killed cats and other animals and is now ready to move onto a bigger target: Humans. His first target? Alyssa.

Meanwhile, Alyssa (Jessica Barden) is a little nuts herself, but mostly just a regular teenager, living with her stepdad who doesn’t want her and she just wants a regular boyfriend. Her first target? James.

This R-Rated show is the struggle between wanting family and to kill, and the struggle of being alone vs. being wanted. A lot of the show happens in their heads as they contemplate these struggles and what they really want.

End of the World gets a very weird 8 out of 10, but by the time it ends it’s crazy enough that you want a second season of it.

Winner 2017 Songs of the Year

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January 5, 2018

At the end of 2017 I revealed my Top 20 songs of the year, but before I did that I ran my annual contest giving the readers an opportunity to win some Amazon cash.

And without fail Shoshana Markowitz kept up her reign and won this year’s contest, correctly identifying all 20 songs! As part of her winnings, I present to you her Top 10 list from 2017, including some notes on her choices, and at the end, you can get a peek into her notes and thought process:

  1. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran — When I hear those first notes I instinctively start to dance, I just can’t help it! That, to me, is the making of a song of the year… It instantly transports me to my happy place, which Ed Sheeran’s music does in general. The whole album is fantastic, and a close second for a song of the year was Galway Girl. Bottom line: Anything Ed touches turns to gold.
  2. Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes — Another one that makes me want to dance! I generally like all of Shawn’s music but ultimately listened to this song most this year.
  3. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato — Demi Lovato’s whole album this year was fantastic and a FAR cry from her former Disney days.
  4. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith — Another winning album for me this year. Sam Smith has so many good songs which speak straight to the heart. A very close second was Pray. All his songs, musically and lyrically, are wonderful.
  5. Sleep Without You by Brett Young — Couldn’t have a Top 10 list without some country now could I? Love this one.
  6. Stay by Alessia Cara — I take credit for this one being on Avi’s list.
  7. Crying In The Club by Camilla Cabella — This song is catchy.
  8. Believer by Imagine Dragons — Although not as good as their first album, Imagine Dragons is still one of my favorite bands and Evolve is a solid album. Close seconds from the album: Whatever It Takes and Thunder.
  9. I Did Something Bad by Taylor Swift — Not going to lie, I do not love Taylor’s reinvention every few years and this album is my least favorite that she has come out with so far. Taylor usually stands out, but this album makes her sound like everything else on the radio in 2017. That being said, there are a few songs which I enjoy, and she is still a talented lyricist and businesswoman. Honorable mention: Don’t Blame Me.
  10. Despacito by Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee — YEEEEESSSSS. * Dances while Avi cringes in a corner *

Dunkirk #Review

@iAmAviG

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January 4, 2018

Dunkirk has been named by many as the movie of the year, and after watching it I can understand why.

Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan, the movie is all historical fiction, based on the events that occurred on the beaches of Dunkirk, France, as the Germans invaded the land and the British tried to evacuate.
The storylines though are mostly made up, and the film focuses on three different stories, one each by land, sea, and air.
Each of these stories plays out over a different length of time (one hour, one day, and one week), joining together as the movie reaches its climax.

While the movie doesn’t have a lot of dialogue, instead it delivers the story with large scenic views and great music.

To top it off it has a great cast that includes Fionn Whitehead, James D’Arcy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, and One Direction’s Harry Styles.

The visuals carry this movie along, and whilst I usually hate dramas and epics, this one is a great movie and really enjoyable, and gets a 9 out of 10.

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