A wild week of TV, along with reflections on 60 Minutes and Survivor.

Posted on April 24, 2025 by AverageAndy

**** Spoilers ****

Some crazy things this week on two of the shows I am watching and enjoying. First, on 9-1-1, after 8 seasons, we said goodbye to Captain Bobby Nash (Played by the great Peter Krause). His character died while saving the other member of his crew, when his airhose broke and he contracted a deadly virus. He didn’t let the others know he was infected, since there was only one dose of the antidote, which was used on Howie ‘Chimney’ Han (Kenneth Choi). It was a very moving moment, expecially as he got to say goodbye before dying. It was kind of a shock since there are still 3 episodes remaining in Season 8. It looks like the last 3 episodes will show how everybody reacts to his death.

*Note* – I am a bit mad at myself, since I briefly saw something regarding 9-1-1 while scrolling through X, and while it didn’t really tell me much, I must have seen enough to realize that somebody was going to be killed off. Need to be more careful going forward.

Not to be outdone, the producers of The Last Of Us followed the path of the video game (which I have never seen or played) and killed off main character Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) in just the 2nd episode of the season. This was shocking to me, as I thought the entire story was based around him. I kept thinking that he would somehow survive, even after getting the shaft of a golf club struck through his neck after being beaten to a pulp. I am looking forward to see how things play out with Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) going forward.

It will be interesting to see what happens with 60 Minutes going forward. The mainstay of CBS for over 60 years lost its longtime producer Bill Owens, who resigned on Monday citing a loss of journalistic independence. Looks like this is related the the lawsuit that Donald Trump filed against 60 Minutes last year about the way Kamala Harris was portrayed during an interview. Most legal experts seem to agree that CBS did not do anything wrong and would win the lawsuit. If only things were that straightforward. CBS is owned by Paramount Global. Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, is looking to sell Paramount Pictures and CBS to Skydance Media, controlled by entrepreneur David Ellison. This will require the US Government’s approval. Sheri Redstone needs the deal to go through, and has looked into settling the lawsuit against Trump, so that he will allow the deal. This has upset many at 60 Minutes (and other jounalists as well) who feel they are being sold out in order for a big payout to Redstone. Will be very interesting to see how things play out. This could be a turning point for journulism going forwared.

In other TV news, I hope to finish Black Mirror this week. Really enjoyed this season. It kind of went in a different direction than the past, but the episodes were really well done and made you really think, which I enjoy

As far as Survivor goes, here are a few things from the past week

1. I did film a new addition video for Season 51. Just need to do a little editing, and hope to get it submitted today or tomorrow

2. Saw that CBS flew a bunch of influencers to Fiji for a Survivor Experience. One of the people who went was @TomScibelli (Tommy Smokes) from Barstool Media, who posted about the experience on X. Here is a link to his adventure

3. I am kind of torn with the current season (Season 48). I like that they have cut back the number of idols and advantages, but there is almost to much of the daily camp life being shown. With the 90-minute episodes, we should get more than one challenge. And if we are only going to get one challenge, it should be one of the more elaborate ones, not just another endurance challenge. I do like seeing the players scramble at camp, and it really shows how much paranoia comes into play.

Still can’t believe it’s been 25 years since Survivor premiered. It gets a bit scary when people mention they were not born, or were a very young age when Survivor premiered. I, on the other hand, was 34 years old and welcoming my daughter into the world. I was already looking forward to Survivor based on this post on slash.dot from 1999 and have been obsessed ever since

I tried to find a copy of the original applications that you needed to fill out. It was multiple pages long with lots of questions. I wish I had made copies of them before submitting them. If I did make copies, they are most likely long gone or in a box somewhere waiting to get thrown into a dumpster during a massive cleanup of things. I remember hooking up a VCR to my computer and trying to figure out how to copy my video from a VHS tape so that I could send it in.

Switching gears before I go, I decided to revisit my album challenge, where I listen to every album released by a band. The band I chose is Judas Priest (After watching the following YouTube video)

I am two albums in (Rocka Rolla, Sad Wings of Destiny) and it is not really what I expected (Which is a good thing). Some slow songs and a great cover of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust” (Joan Baez from 1975). Looking forward to the next one on the list. (Sin After Sin)

And finally, saw that Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson are set to star in the Neil Diamond movie “Song Sung Blue” coming in the fall. As a huge Neil Diamond fan, really looking forward to this

AverageAndy Out….

#CBSSurvivo
#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

#PEACE

Posted in 9-1-1, Dalton Ross, Drew Basile, Jeff Probst, Job Searching, Kellyn Bechtold, Lehigh University, Mark Burnett, Mark Cuban, Metal Pilgram, Neil Diamond, Reality Shows, Rob Cesternino, Survivor, The Last of Us, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We should celebrate things more often

Posted on April 16, 2025 by AverageAndy

One Monday, six women (Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Kerianne Flynn, Aisha Bowe, and Amanda Nguyen) blasted off on Blue Origin’s New Shepard space rocket for an 11-minute trip into space. Blue Origin is Jeff Bezos’s company, which is working on making space travel available to all.

“It’s this generation’s job to build a road to space, so that future generations can unleash their creativity.” – Jeff Bezos

The mission was successful, and we should all be celebrating this scientific achievement. Instead, social media went on a smear campaign, complaining about everything they could. Here are just some of the comments on “X”

“The Blue Origin space launch was more about celebrity spectacle than scientific value.“

“It was frivolous. You did not pilot the aircraft, you did not conduct scientific research. It was advertisement. You participated in an advertisement for Bezos and Blue Origin. You were a soft launch for trash in space lol“

“Am I the only person in America who doesn’t care about the Blue Origin space launch that went to the near edge of space?”

What happened to us? People used to be proud about accomplishments, and proud to be part of the United States. Not anymore. Now people seem to jump at any way to show their disgust and anger for anything that does not 100% benefit them. Also, there were a lot of people who seemed to dismiss this mission because it was an all-women crew. Only men are true astronauts and go on space missions; these women did nothing special, just went on a short joy ride.

I am not the best at writing and explaining my thoughts and feelings. Hopefully, the more I write, the better I become. I am just sad and sick of all the negativity. I realize it’s really a small percentage of people, most of whom are just looking for a reaction. Hopefully they will outgrow their jealousy, ignorance, and nastiness at some point.

Just to mix things up, came across this video last night and thought it was really cool

@huggyattack

Replying to @drewsinnott4 s15e5 11/11/89 Host #chrisevert #saturdaynightlive #snl #snlclassic #eurythmics

♬ original sound – Huggy

Black Mirror is back for a new season on Netflix. Kind of a modern-day Twilight Zone, there have been some really great episodes over the years. One of the best episodes was Season 4’s “USS Callister”. Starring the great Cristin Melioti it was a cool play on Star Trek. Season 7 starts with the sequel ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity”. I rewatched the original to refresh myself, and am looking forward to the sequel with a review to follow

Here are some other things I have been watching over the past few weeks

Extinction staring Michael Peña and Lizzy Caplan – Really enjoyed it. Need more good Sci-Fi movies

Your Friends & Neighbors staring Jon Hamm and Olivia Munn — Interesting. Lets see where it goes

9-1-1 Still a very enjoyable show. Keeps me interested each week

The Last of Us – The first episode of Season 2 was really good. Looking forward to this

There are new episodes of “Survivor 48” and “The Amazing Race” on tonight. Have been enjoying both shows and looking forward to seeing who comes out on top

I saw that applications are open for both shows

https://www.cbssurvivorcasting.com/home

https://www.theamazingracecasting.com/home

I will need to put something together and get it submitted in the next week. Kind of torn, as I really do need to find a new job, and don’t want to find something only to tell them I need to take six weeks off. But I am not going to stop dreaming and will cross that bridge when the time comes

The NY Mets are off to a good start. Considering that the bottom half of the lineup can’t buy a hit, and they have not been playing crisp defense, at 11-6, they are actually leading the NL East. Get-away game today in Minnesota, and then they start a 7-game homestand against the Cardinals and Phillies.

Congratulations to Rory McIlroy for winning The Masters this past weekend and completing the Golf Grand Slam. I wasnt easy, and there were some doubts, but he pulled himself together and found a way to win on the 1st play-off hole.

In men’s professional golf, a Career Grand Slam is achieved by winning all four major championships (The Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship) during a golfer’s career. As of 2025, only six golfers have accomplished this feat: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and now Rory McIlroy.

Been doing a lot of walking lately, getting out early and going over 5 miles. So far, so good, and looking forward to continuing (and warmer weather). Still folling my 3 song rule, where I only listen to 3 songs from a particual artit, and then move on. This alows me to mix things up, but also enjoy some deeper tracks

Here are some recent artists I lisened to on my walks

Blue Oyster Cult (Dancin in the Ruins, Vetran of the Psychic Wars, Joan Crawford)

Dokken (Kiss of Death, Prisoner, Night By Night, Standing in the Shadows, Burning Like a Flame)

Heavy Metal Sound Track (Reach Out – Cheap Trick, Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride) – Don Felder

Police (Canary in a Coalmine, Driven to Tears, Murder by Numbers)

Savatage (Doesnt Matter Anyway, Hall of the Mountain King, Hounds, Beleive)

There were others, but you get the jist

There is some much music out there (both new, old, classic and obscure). I highly recommend thst everybody should take some time and listen to a few songs of their favorite artist, soundtrack or genere.

Im sure there are more things to write about but its been a while (Im a slow typer, plust make a lot of mistakes so end up using spell sheck way to often.

Going to sign off now, but will be back sooner than later with some more thoughts and opinions

Really appreciate anyboy out there who reades this and would love to hear from you

Have a Great Day

Anverage Andy

#PEACE

#Marillion – A Better Way of Life

#NeverToOldForSurvivor

#GiveMeAChance


Posted in 9-1-1, Amazing Race, Baseball, Black Mirror, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Eurythmics, Extinction, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Job Searching, Jonny Fairplay, Kellyn Bechtold, Marillion, Movies, Music, NY Mets, Phil Keoghan, Police, Reality Shows, Rob Cesternino, Savatage, Sports, Star Trek, Survivor, The Last of Us | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

VIP Val Kilmer

Posted on April 3, 2025 by AverageAndy

I was very sad to see that the great actor Val Kilmer passed away at the age of 65. He starred in a slew of great films in the 1980s (Top Gun, Real Genius, Top Gun) and 1990s (The Doors, Batman Forever, HEAT”). He was a great talent, able to transform into the character he was playing so that you really believed who he was. Also, he was not afraid to play all kinds of different characters.

In the 1970s and 1980s, movies would play in the theater for a long time. I remember JAWS played at my local theater the entire summer of 1975

NOTE: “(#Maplewood has a special connection to Jaws. Not only is its star Roy Scheider a Columbia High School graduate, but in Northern NJ the blockbuster played exclusively at our town’s movie theater for weeks. Ticket lines extended all the way to Baker Street! Can you imagine?“

This meant you would see movies multiple times in the actual theater. And after they ran in the theater, HBO would show movies like Top Gun and Real Genius” over and over. One of the jokes back in the day was “Q: What does HBO stand for? “A: Hey, Beastmasters on” as HBO played the Marc Singer classic what seemed like multiple times a day

All this leads back to the fact that I saw a lot of Val Kilmer’s early movies multiple times at a perfect age, and they have been a part of my history for 30+ years. This is part of what makes his passing so sad.

Also, really liked his performance in Heat as Chris Shiherlis. I actually read the sequel book “Heat 2” and could perfectly imagine Val as his character in the book.

REST IN PEACE Val Kilmer. You were a real genius and will be missed

Posted in Heat, Jaws, Movies, Real Genius, The Beastmaster | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Monday, Monday

Posted on March 31, 2025 by AverageAndy

Been a while, so let’s get right into things

The New York Mets opened their 2025 season in Houston and lost 2 of 3 to the Astros. They pitched OK, but the offense decided to wait a bit before getting started. Let’s see how they do against a decent Miami Marlins team before returning to CITI Field on Friday to open their home season against the Toronto Blue Jays.

As far a MLB, they need to figure a few things out before the next collective bargaining agreement with regards to how they want to promote and grow the interest.

1. Look into getting rid of Interleage Play. First introduced in 1997, it has run its course. It never created any new or better rivalries as expected and reduced the good ones it had. It also creates an unfair and unbalanced schedule. If they are going to keep it, at least try to have teams open their season within their own leage. Yankees / Milwaukee, Cardinals / Twins, and Mets / Toronto are not the home opening days that the fans want to see.

2. Figure out a way to let the most people watch games by consolidating all the different networks and streaming services Also they need to reavaluate all the arcaic black-out rules that do more to prevent people from watching their home teams then promoting the sport

TV partner(s)
Fox/FS1
TBS
ESPN/ABC
MLB Network

Streaming partner(s)
Max
Apple TV+
The Roku Channel
ESPN+

MLB is a regional sport, and the best way to market it is to the local fans. People get to know their local announcers (on both TV and Radio) and get frustrated when the games are tossed around to different networks with different announcers and different production setups. I know it’s all driven by money, but if you look back over the years, viewership in all sports (except the NFL) seems to drop every time things change. I know I am older and set in my ways, but remember when I was young, the teams I ended up following and rooting for were local, and also the ones that were easiest to watch. The teams on pay stations (such as Sports Channel in NJ) were left behind, and it can still be seen today.

3. Hire a new PR Department. MLB does an awful job of promoting the game and its players. For years, they promoted Mike Trout as the best player in the sport. While there is no arguing he is a great player, he played on the West Coast on a consistently aufel Anaheim Angles Team. I know its tougher with MLB than the other professional leagues due to the reginality, but there are a bunch of young and exciting players out there that they should be taking advantage of. Maybe bring back “This Week In Baseball” or have some sort of weekly/monthly/yearly fantasy standings that people can easily follow along with.

I’m sure I’ll have more to say as the season goes on, but now it’s time to start rooting for the Mets to get off to a good start and play good baseball and bring excitement to CITI Field and NY / NJ this season

Update on Movies and TV Shows

I finished Season 2 of ‘Severance’ on Apple TV. 4 out of 5 bags

I finished Season 3 of ‘REACHER’ on Amazon Prime. 3 out of 5 bags (A little to over the top)

I watched “Den of Theives 2′ I liked the first movie and was looking forward to this one, but I was disappointed. It was boring, and not much happened that wasn’t expected. 2.5 out of 5 bags.

I am enjoying this season of 9-1-1 (although I’m not really buying Bucks character.)

Will leave updates for Survivor 48 and The Amanzing Race for later today or tomorrow when I can did a bit deeper


Still looking for a new job — Had a few things going that fell through. But just have to keep moving forward. Will keep you updated and let you know if anything comes along

That’s all for right now

#PEACE

#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

#Stay Gold

Average Andy



Posted in 9-1-1, Amazing Race, Den of Thieves 2, Everyday, Job Searching, Movies, New Jersey Ciphers, New Jersey Red Dogs, Reacher, Reality Shows, Severance, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On and On and On it Goes

Posted on March 20, 2025 by AverageAndy

Been a strange couple of weeks. Not good and not bad, just there. After 5 months of looking for a new job, the days and weeks start to blend into each other, and everything just starts to feel monotonous. But I do have some things to look forward to that should cheer me up. Heading to Florida for a few days to catch up with long-time friends, and to catch one of the last spring training games of the spring, before the MLB Season begins one week from today (3/27/2025) (*** I know there were two games in Japan between the Dodgers and Cubs ***).

The NY Mets open in Houston against the Astros and hopefully get off to a decent start. The MLB Season is a grind, and there are plenty of teams that started slow but came on later to have a decent seasons. But after last year’s 0-5 start, the signing of Juan Soto and Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor coming off an MVP year, the Mets at least need to play decent ball the first month of the season.

Had one of my Roto Drafts last weekend and have my big Roto Draft next Saturday. In person with the same 10 guys for something like 30 years. Even though its been rough going for my team (Red Dogs) the past couple of years, it is always fun to get together and catch up.

Also had a couple of interviews and am waiting to hear back about the position. Was good to talk to somebody about a job, and it looks like things are opening up a bit so hopefully good things are on the horizon.

As for the crazy times we are living in, it is really sad the steps the government is taking to try and re-write history. Going through and removing old records and photos from historical databases will never remove what actually happened. Let us never forget those who risked their lives and careers to help make the United States a leader of freedom and human rights.

Jackie Robinson
Enola Gay
Arlington National Cemetary
Arlington National Cemetary

Lots going on in Survivor 48. It’s been an interesting season so far, and I’m still not sure who I want to win. Will need to set aside some time to write an in-depth post about my feelings. There is a bit to many challenges / Journeys involving losing or stealing votes. Hopefully the fan vote for Season 50 will reduce the amount of advantages a bit (I choose “Strategic Power”

Enough for now

Off to watch some NCAA Basketball and see how my picks do. Nothing worse than having a team you pick for the final 4 lose on day one. Hoping this is not the case for me this year and I still have some interest after the first weekend of games

#PEACE

#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

#NeverForget

#AverageAndy @AverageAndy2

Posted in Baseball, Elon Musk, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Job Searching, Mark Cuban, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Familiaris – David Wroblewski

Posted on March 10, 2025 by AverageAndy

Back in the summer of 2009, while on vacation in Dewey Beach, DE, I was looking for a new book to read. There was a local bookstore in town promoting summer books to read. Looking at the list of recommendations, I was drawn to the book “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” by David Wroblewski. Its not the type of book I normally read (Clive Cussler, Dean Koontz, John Grisham) but Something about the cover made me pick it up and try it. It was a great book, I was glad i picked it up. As the years went by, it always stuck in my head and I was pleasantly surprised when after 15 years, David Wroblewski published a new novel (Familiaris) about the Sawtelle family and how they came to be. This was another fantastic book telling the story of Edgar’s Grandparents, how they met, how they ended up on the family farm, and the history of the Sawtelle dogs.

It was really interesting reading about the late1800s and early 1900s and how people lived during those times. Wroblewski writes with great detail and while your reading you can picture the characters and the environment and feel like you were right there with them. With lots of highs and lows it was a great read and I highly recommend reading it.

I took a break from the TV shows I have been watching and decided to watch a few movies over the weekend. There is lots of junk out there, and nothing really caught my eye, so decided to check out a movie called “Delicious” that I saw mentioned online. While it did keep me interested, its was not that good, the characters were not that believable, and the subject matter was a little creepy. I did read a review afterwards, and while it pointed out the meaning of things, I still can’t recommend this. #1Bag

Deciding that I just wanted escape for a bit I just wanted to watch a good romantic comedy. After scrolling through Netflix (Nothing new that looked any good), I ended up watching “Picture This” on Amazon. The cover photo (or whatever you call the pictures you scroll through on each service) looked promising and the movie started off alright and while a bit stupid at parts, it was pretty good.

Like most romantic comedies, you can pretty much figure out how it ends halfway through. Boy and girl are together, they break up, and then at the end, they realize they are perfect for each other and live happily ever after. The problem with this movie, for me, was there was really no chemistry between the lead women and man. For the 2nd half of the movie, I kept hoping somebody else would come along who was at least believable. But no, they got together, and the movie ended just as I figured. Seeing 2 people who to me would never end together took away any feelings I had toward them and the move. Another movie I cannot recommend #1Bag

The chemistry issue happens all the time with the Hallmark and Netflix original romantic comedies. Sometimes I can just go with the flow since my expectations are low to start with, Every once and a while you do get some chemistry and I am happily surprised. But most of the time I walk away thinking one, or both of the main characters are whacked and would never choose each other in the real world

When they work for me (movies like “While You Were Sleeping” and “She’s Out of My League“), they make me feel good afterward. I believe the characters and the choices they make at the end.

Here is Roger Eberts reviw of the movie “Speed” . He is spot on about the chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. You believe both of them and are rooting for them throughout the movie.

Compare that to the Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney movie “Anyone But You”. Zero chemistry between them and nothing to make you care about either one of them. The movie did well at the box office because it stars two of the hot actors of the day, but it faded away just as quick and will end up being forgotten. Take a movie like “Ticket to Paradise” starring George Clooney and Julie Roberts. Starring two of the best actors of our time, it ended up being a disappointment because there was absolutely no chemistry between them. Noting was believable and by the end, you just didn’t care what happened to them

The moral of the story — Movie Chemistry is hard and should be given more thought than just putting two people together (regardless if they are superstars or actors just looking for work) and hoping people care.


Average Andy

#PEACE
#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#FarwellToFish
#SugarMice
#RememberToSmile

Feel free to reach out to me and leave a comment. Also if anybody has any connections with anybody associated with “Survivor” or “The Amazing Race”, be sure to point them my way and let them know your helping them find the next great contestant

Posted in Amazing Race, David Wroblewski - Familiaris, David Wroblewski - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Movies, NY Giants, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RIP Java Chip

Posted on March 5, 2025 by AverageAndy

Starbucks, The Seattle-based coffeehouse chain recently announced that some of its “less popular” beverages, including nine Frappuccino blended beverages, will be retired from its menus starting Tues, March 4.

New CEO Brian Niccol has rolled out changes he says will not only boost sales and prioritize customers, but will also help Starbucks get “back to Starbucks.”

One of the less popular drinks being retired is the Java Chip Frappuccino. This was one of my go-to drinks at Starbucks, especially in the summer. While there are still some Frappuccino drinks remaining on the menu, none of them can take the place of the JAVA Chip.

Java Chip Frappuccino

RIP JAVA Chip — You will be missed

Posted in Food, Starbucks | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Hope all is well

Posted on March 4, 2025 by AverageAndy

It’s been almost a week since Survivor 48 premiered, and I am finally getting around to jotting down a few thoughts and observations. I enjoyed the first episode, although I felt a little blah as there was really no contestant I connected with. Nobody stood out as somebody I really wanted to root for, as well as nobody I really disliked. Usually, there is somebody who stands out to me after the first episode. Things do change as the season goes on, and I end up liking and disliking different contestants before gravitating towards a few favorites. But this season, everybody was just the same.

I still enjoyed the show and think it is a great microcosm of society, but I think casting has gone a little too far to trying to cast people who are more interested in the experience and making friends, than in playing Survivor as a game and wanting to win the $1,000,000.00 grand prize. The last few seasons have seen too many players who don’t seem to mind getting voted off. If I was a contestant, I hope I would be upset getting voted off.

Hopefully, players start to settle in, and their true feelings and ideas start to come out and the game gets a little more serious.

During the episode, the first of the Survivor 50 Fan Votes were announced with the fans getting to vote on different aspects of the Survivor 50 Season

Here are my votes:

Tribe Colors: Doest really matter to me (choose whatever you want)

Rice of No Rice: I voted for Rice. Hoping it will make it a bit easier on the contestants so that there is more gameplay

Final Four Firemaking: I voted No. Never liked it since it was introduced and cost Chrissy Hofbeck the game. It almost gives some players a get-out-of-jail card at the end when they should be voted off

Vote reveal in Los Angeles of Fiji. For Season 50, the reveal should be in Los Angeles in front of a live studio audience. Other seasons are fine having the reveal in Fiji

Here are some other thoughts for the past week

I watched the Academy Awards on Sunday. I do not care at all about the Pre-Oscar Red Carpet stuff, so tuned in at 7:00 PM EST just as the show started. I liked the montage at the beginning of LA Films, and wish they showed a lot more movie clips (of both the nominated films and just popular films in general). As a kid, I remember there being many more movie clips usually tied into a tribute to a movie/actor/director who was being honored. Other than the opening, the only other montage of clips from the James Bond films. ** This was for no reason, and they cut the clips short to have singers and dancers do a few Bond themes that were not necessary **

I did think they did a good job with the In Memoriam segment, just showing the people we lost while the music played in the background. No singers or dancers that add nothing and are just a distraction

Overall, I thought Conan O’Brien did a good job. Here kept things movie (almost to fast) as the show ended around 10:45 PM EST (I Hope they didn’t cut things short just so ABC could promote itself and show a preview of American Idol which premiers this Sunday. Seems they could have shaved 15 minutes of non-move stuff, and along with the 15 minutes at the end, had a good 30 minutes of time to show more movie clips.

And finally, I have written a lot without even mentioning any of the movies/actors/directors that were nominated and won the Academy Awards. Could be that none of the movies (other than Wicked) have really caught on with the average moviegoer. Congratulations to Anora for winning Best Picture.

Here is a list of all the 2025 Winners

2025 Acadamy Award Winners

My suggestion would be to have two Best Picture Categories (Big Budget Block Busters, and Low Budget Artistic). This would allow all movies to be recognized and not just ones that are loved by critics, but also movies loved by the moviegoing audience

Catching up on some good TV Shows

Severance (Apple TV): Second Season is a bit strange, but really enjoyable
Paradise (HULU): Very well done, and keeps you on edge
Reacher (Amazon): Season 3 is a bit over the top, but still entertaining
DOC (Fox): Cant go wrong with Scott Wolf.
The Hunting Party: Im a sucker for these NBC Serials (The BlackList, Manifest)

Also been getting back into Jeopardy lately, and enjoying the Invitational Tournament. Rooting for Matt Amodio to take home the win

Spring Traing is in full swing, and I need to find some time to get my Roto Baseball Rosters set up and ready to go. I do feel a bit old going through some things. There are far more players that I have never heard of than the players I have. Makes things tough to start out, as I am basically guessing on a lot of players.|

Here is the list of Rookie Cards in Topps 2025 Series 1 Baseball

  • Tyler Gentry Kansas City Royals RC
  • Luis De Los Santos Toronto Blue Jays RC
  • Carlos Rodriguez Milwaukee Brewers RC
  • Jack Kochanowicz Los Angeles Angels RC
  • Orelvis Martinez Toronto Blue Jays RC
  • Coby Mayo Baltimore Orioles RC
  • Jhonkensy Noel Cleveland Guardians RC
  • Cade Povich Baltimore Orioles RC
  • Angel Martínez Cleveland Guardians RC
  • Pedro León Houston Astros RC
  • Chayce McDermott Baltimore Orioles RC
  • Greg Jones Colorado Rockies RC
  • Jake Bloss Toronto Blue Jays RC
  • Trey Sweeney Detroit Tigers RC
  • Hunter Feduccia Los Angeles Dodgers RC
  • Dylan Crews Washington Nationals RC
  • Jace Jung Detroit Tigers RC
  • Kameron Misner Tampa Bay Rays RC
  • Shay Whitcomb Houston Astros RC
  • Zach Dezenzo Houston Astros RC
  • Nick Sogard Boston Red Sox RC
  • Will Warren New York Yankees RC
  • Spencer Schwellenbach Atlanta Braves RC
  • Yilber Diaz Arizona Diamondbacks RC
  • Carlos Narváez New York Yankees RC
  • Cristian Mena Arizona Diamondbacks RC
  • Dillon Dingler Detroit Tigers RC
  • Connor Norby Miami Marlins RC
  • Bradley Blalock Colorado Rockies RC
  • Andrés Chaparro Washington Nationals RC
  • David Festa Minnesota Twins RC
  • James Wood Washington Nationals RC
  • Adael Amador Colorado Rockies RC
  • Tyler Locklear Seattle Mariners RC
  • Michael McGreevy St. Louis Cardinals RC
  • Aaron Schunk Colorado Rockies RC
  • Justin Wrobleski Los Angeles Dodgers RC
  • Rhett Lowder Cincinnati Reds RC
  • Grant McCray San Francisco Giants RC
  • Rece Hinds Cincinnati Reds RC
  • Nacho Alvarez Jr. Atlanta Braves RC
  • Adrian Del Castillo Arizona Diamondbacks RC
  • Sean Reynolds San Diego Padres RC
  • Brooks Baldwin Chicago White Sox RC
  • Ryan Bliss Seattle Mariners RC
  • Hurston Waldrep Atlanta Braves RC
  • Justyn-Henry Malloy Detroit Tigers RC
  • River Ryan Los Angeles Dodgers RC
  • Blake Dunn Cincinnati Reds RC
  • Niko Kavadas Los Angeles Angels RC
  • Ky Bush Chicago White Sox RC
  • Zebby Matthews Minnesota Twins RC
  • DJ Herz Washington Nationals RC
  • Tyler Phillips Philadelphia Phillies RC
  • Drew Romo Colorado Rockies RC
  • Adam Mazur Miami Marlins RC
  • Jacob Wilson Athletics RC
  • Brooks Lee Minnesota Twins RC
  • Joey Cantillo Cleveland Guardians RC
  • Drew Thorpe Chicago White Sox RC
  • Ben Rice New York Yankees RC
  • Brant Hurter Detroit Tigers RC

If you’re still reading at this point, thank you very much.

Still takes some effort for me to write, so if anybody has any thoughts or topics, they want me to write about, let me know and I will see what I can come up with

More to come

Average Andy

#PEACE
#Marillion
#Survivor
#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#ListenToMusic
#ReadABook

Posted in Academy Awards, American Idol, Baseball, Christine Hofbeck, Dalton Ross, Doc, Drew Basile, Jeff Probst, Jeopardy, Jesse Tannenbaum, Job Searching, Kellyn Bechtold, Mark Burnett, Movies, NY Mets, Paradise, Reacher, Reality Shows, Series 1 Baseball, Severance, Sports, Survivor, Television, The Hunting Game, TOPPS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Survivor 48 Premiers tonight

Posted on February 26, 2025 by AverageAndy

Hard to imagine it’s been almost 25 years since Survivor Borneo premiered on May 31, 2000. From the opening note, I was hooked, and I have been fan ever since.

When Survivor Season 48 premieres tonight (Wednesday, February 26, 2025), it will be the 687 Episode of Survivor that I have watched. Almost all were watched live as they premiered (including Borneo Episode 12, which I watched in the hospital on the day my daughter was born)

I have also applied to be a contestant on Survivor numerous times by multiple methods. Originally, you needed to download and fill out a 10-page document by hand. Then you needed to make and send in a VHS Tape along with the filled-out application. At some point, they switched to mailing in DVDs, before finally going to online application. The application was replaced with fewer questions and then that moved online as well

They also did a fan choice online application where you submitted a video that was voted by online fans. I submitted mine for this but was not the winner.

I also traveled to Atlantic City for an Open Casting Call where you got to give a 1-minute speech to the casting people. It was a lot of fun and was crazy to see how many people showed up

Last year I attended a Survivor Watch Party hosted by former contestant and host of RHAP, the great Rob Cesternino

I also participated in some early On-Line Survivor Fantasy Leagues. Needed to choose things like who would win challenges, and who would be eliminated. They also added things like who would read the tree mail and who would be 1st to get water.

Over the past 25 years, Survivor has been a running part of my life. I have joined a few webinars hosted by previous contestants like Pavarti Shallow, Adam Klein, and Kelly Bechtold and watched lots of YouTube Videos from other past contestants on how to make Application Videos.

One of my biggest highlights was running into past contestant Chrissy Hofbeck at one of our high school plays (She lives in the same town as me)

Certain things like volunteering for the Tough Mudder Race, or actually running the City Challenge Obstacle Course were lots of fun and made me feel a bit like a contestant. Small things like untangling my headphone cable become a Survivor knot challenge in my head. I am also always thinking of ways to improve my next application video

As I sit down tonight to watch Season 48, I will be reminded of past winners and players, of all the great challenges, and especially the feeling I get from just watching the best Reality Show on TV

Thanks to Survivor, Jeff Probst, Mark Burnett, all of the contestants and crew that make the show so special. Here’s to 25 more years.

As promised, here is a picture of the Topps 2025 Series 1 NY Mets Cards

Time to go

AverageAndy Out

#PEACE

#Survivor
#Survivor48
#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

Posted in Adam Klein, Baseball, Christine Hofbeck, Dalton Ross, Drew Basile, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Jonny Fairplay, Kellyn Bechtold, Mark Burnett, NY Mets, Parvati Shallow, Reality Shows, Rob Cesternino, Series 1 Baseball, Sports, Survivor, TOPPS | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

3 Days until Survivor 48 (Wednesday, February 26th)

Posted on February 24, 2025 by AverageAndy

Survivor 48 premieres this Wednesday, February 26th, 2025) at 8:00 PM on CBS.

As a runup to this, the Survivor held a Beach Drop on Saturday in NYC as well as a preview screening of the 1st Episode of Survivor 48 with Jeff Probst himself making an appearance. Just like the 1st NY Beach Bash held last year (in Brooklyn), I was away for the weekend and unable to attend. As a Survivor Super Fan, I was frustrated I could not attend this, but family comes 1st and I did have a great weekend visiting my parents and sister.

There is also a Season 28 Premier Viewing Party in NYC on Wednesday. Not going to make this, as the time and cost of getting from where I live in NJ to NYC would make it an expensive night out, and I am not in the position for that. (Still unemployed and looking for a new position in IT)

Like every premier, (and every episode, and every reunion show), I will curl up on my couch, have a drink, and watch the show. And since I will be at home, I will listen to the “On Fire” podcast before getting some sleep. Finally, I am looking forward to reading Dalton Ross’s Survivor Recap on Thursday morning. As we are of a similar age, (And have been watching the show from the beginning), I love how he throws in pop-culture references that I can relate to. It’s crazy when I realize that some of the contestants are younger than my daughter (Did I mention I am old), and Daltons’ references most likely go right over their heads. But then I think that it is also a blessing and a sign that being an older super fan I would make a great contestant on a future season of Survivor. I’m pretty sure casting is closed for Season 49, and with Season 50 being announced as having all returning players, it looks like I will have to wait a bit more (Season 51 or Season 52 would work for me)

Speaking of Season 50, the Survivor Media Train is starting already with the relase on the official logo, along with the announcement from Jeff that the fans will have a say in aspects of the game

There is also a contest where fans can win a trip to Fiji to watch the filming of Season 50. I will be submitting my video soon (definitely by the end of the week).

Do you have the ultimate Survivor Tribe? We want to hear from you! Record a video explaining what Survivor means to you and how it’s changed your life for a chance to win a trip to Fiji for you and your tribe!

Different than the Application Videos, it’s just a 60-second shot of me talking about what Survivor means to me.

———————

Watched all 6 epesodes of “Zero Day” staring Robert De Niro on Netfix. Thought it was really well done, although how many more times can the power to be get me to watch a political thriller where everybody in the White House (From the President to their entire staff is aligned with the terrorists). Also, I will watch anything that has Lizzy Caplan in it.

Next up if Reacher Season 3

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On the way to visit my parents on Saturday, I was able to listen to the 1st inning of the Mets 2025 Spring Traing Opening game on the radio. Crazy that Juan Soto crushed a HR in his 1st ever at-bat as a Met


Hopefully this is a preview of things to come as the Mets get ready for the 2025 Season

———————–

I did join a case break (NY Mets) (Thaks to Fanatics for the $25.00 bonus) and was also able to pick up a box of Topps 2025 Series 1 Baseball Cards. As mentioned earlier, I need to watch my spending, so will not be collecting a lot of cards this season.

Here is a link to the 2025 Series 1 Checklist just for refrence.

Will post some pictures of the Mets 2025 Cards when I get a chance later

———————–

Thats all Folks

AverageAndy

#Survivor51
#Survivor52

#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

#PEACE

Posted in Baseball, Card Collecting, Christian Hubicki, Dalton Ross, Fun and Games, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Jonny Fairplay, Kellyn Bechtold, Mark Burnett, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor, TOPPS, Zero Day | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment