#Betrayward: Too Big Yo (for his britches)

Believe it or not, his was something I actually said on Facebook a couple days ago -- I repeat, the following status update was not Photoshopped:

I think that Gordon Hayward is a nice guy. I always stood by him during the past seven years, even when he didn't play well or dribbled the ball off his foot in the clutch. I understand it was a "business decision." With that in mind, I am writing this blog purely as an emotional fan. This is not by any means a personal attack on good old G-Time, because I don't believe that he did any of this out of malice, but you know what? I changed my mind about what I said in that Facebook status five days ago. Gordon is leaving the Utah Jazz and going to play in Boston, and I don't think I will ever forgive him.

First and foremost, let me explain something. There are a lot of people out there that might think that the whining I'm about to do is unreasonable, uncalled for and unjustified. These people probably fall into two categories: 1) other sports fans who cheer for big-market teams and have never gone through anything like this or 2) non-sports fans who are still upset that Firefly got cancelled after one season. So, basically, I don't want to hear it from any of them. As someone who has invested so much time, energy and emotion into the Utah Jazz and, in this case, Gordon Hayward's professional career, this (and even the jersey burning that some disgruntled Jazz fans have chosen to do in the past 36 hours) is a totally acceptable part of the grieving process.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way...

The Timeline

• At the end of last season, Gordon's comments at "locker room clean-out" sounded like the writing on the wall. Never once did he say that he wanted to be here next season. Pretty much everything he said was along the lines of "I have had some good times here." Past tense.
• The Celtics draft Jayson Tatum, a small forward from Duke, with the #3 pick in the NBA Draft. He plays small forward, the same position as Hayward. Interesting choice.
• I remember a couple weeks ago seeing a rumor that the Celtics were going to make a push to sign Gordon and trade for Paul George. He was clearly leaving.
• Then the news broke that Paul George had been traded to Oklahoma City. Hysterical laughing ensued. Boston's ace-in-the-hole was not going to work. He was clearly staying.
• We traded for Ricky Rubio. We re-signed Joe Ingles. Two things that Gordon supposedly wanted the Jazz to do for him. More reason for me to believe he'd be staying.
• For some reason, in the last two or three days, I started getting really nervous about it all. I tried to remain cautiously optimistic, but I had a feeling that he would leave us.
• At around noon Mountain Time yesterday, I saw a tweet saying that Gordon's trainer followed the Celtics on Instagram. Kind of weird, I guess, but I figured that was not a great sign.
• Within only a few minutes, the news broke that Gordon was going to Boston.
• Reports began to circulate that the Jazz had not been informed of Gordon's decision. His agent pumped the brakes furiously, claiming that nothing was official yet and that they hadn't told either team about what was happening. It turned into a circus. The only thing missing was Steve Harvey.
• After delaying the announcement for six hours, it was made official that Gordon was, indeed, going to join the Celtics. Hayward posted a 2,100-word essay about it in The Players' Tribune, a popular forum for such statements.

The Rejection

I tried to prepare myself for the it, but it still cut deep. What hurt the most was that they dragged it out for so long under the guise of "we haven't actually made a decision yet." Come on, dudes. That was a lie. I think Gordon knew what he was going to do month ago. Possibly even years ago. "We haven't made a decision yet" was code for "Gordon needs more time to write his blog." He should have just come out 20 minutes later and been like, "Whoops. Yeah. Sorry, guys. I'm gone," but instead they backpedaled to make it look like he was conflicted. In reality, he got upset that the news leaked before he could post his fluffy little essay and then they played stupid, trying to dupe Jazz fans into thinking that there was a chance that he would stay. Why?? We was never going to stay here. The decision was already made, so the fact that they lied about it to try and candy-coat his exit offended me.

Look at it this way: he broke up with us on the most public of stages and asked for a kiss on the way out.

I still can't get over how Gordon Hayward allowed Jazz fans' hearts to be broken twice in one day. It really makes his blog feel hollow.

— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) July 5, 2017

I never thought I'd say this, but I feel bad for Cleveland Cavaliers fans back when LeBron made The Decision back in 2010. At least Gordon didn't dump us on prime-time TV.

"Unfinished Business"

I never gave much credence to the idea that "Gordon wants to reunite with his old college coach, Brad Stevens." I mean, we all pretty much thought that at some point, when Stevens, who coached Hayward at Butler University, was hired by the Boston Celtics in 2013. It was a cute thought, but I didn't think it would ever be a major deciding factor in where Gordon wound up playing in the NBA. After all, Hayward only played for Stevens for two years, and that was seven years ago. Clearly, I underestimated the bromance. Quoth the Hayward, in his "Thank You, Utah" essay:

"[Leaving Butler University for the NBA] was such a tough decision. But there was one person who I knew I could talk to about it from every angle, who I knew would give me the smartest and most honest perspective available: Coach Stevens. ... And I guess it’s pretty crazy. Because seven years later, I had to make an even tougher decision — and again, Coach Stevens and I found ourselves at a crossroads together. And again, he was the person I knew I could count on the most."

I almost gagged when I read that yesterday. Gosh. Get a room, guys! It will be a precious little reunion, though - they lost a national championship together at Butler, and now they can not win a championship together in Boston. Hooray.

Gordon ended his ghostwritten piece (yeah, he didn't even really write it himself) by saying that he has "unfinished business" with Stevens that he wants to tie up by playing for the Celtics. I've been reading a lot of stuff about this fiasco and here was a quote I liked:

"There have been players who have left Utah. But to be the player who everything hinges on, to have such a successful team, and to leave it? You want to talk about unfinished business? This is unfinished business. This guy talks about wanting to play against the best and he leaves so he can play against an Eastern Conference that is bordering on the G-League." - SLCDunk.com

Remember - You Asked For I.T.

One thing that really bothers me is that the Jazz did absolutely everything they needed to to keep Gordon. We resigned his buddy Joe Ingles, who I love, by the way. We knew George Hill was out of here half way through last season, so we traded for Ricky Rubio, the most notorious "pass-first" point guard in the league. Hayward, Rubio and Rudy Gobert would have been a blast to watch next season. We molded our team around Gordon. He was the number one option and we were bringing guys in that would play well with his style of play.

On the other hand, instead of playing with Rubio, Hayward has elected to go play with that midget Isaiah Thomas, one of the most notorious ballhogs in the league. That is Isaiah Thomas' team, Gordon, and don't you forget it. People talked about going to Boston like it was some kind of no-brainer - that Gordon would fit right into Stevens' system like he was right back at Butler. How do they know? I hope he goes there and sucks. I hope he goes there and hates it. I hope he goes there and loses.

The Jazz are were just as good as Boston was last year; they won two more games than Utah did, and that was playing in the infamously weak Eastern Conference and is not to mention how many injuries the Jazz suffered through last year. If the Jazz could have stayed healthy last year, they could have been a 3-seed in the West or certainly the 1- or 2-seed in the East. To hear people talking about how Gordon needed to leave Utah to "escape mediocrity" is ludicrous. Clearly those fools didn't watch the Jazz play at all last year and were unaware that we made the second round of the NBA playoffs. The Jazz were a contender in the West (obviously keeping in mind that NOBODY was going to beat that Warriors squad), and the Celtics proved to be a pretender in the East. They barely escaped the 8-see Chicago Bulls, and arguably only won that series because Rajon Rondo got hurt a couple games in.

Who are the 2017 Boston Celtics?

Gordon took the easy way out. And guess what? It's not even going to get him a championship. Nobody is going to beat the Warriors next year, or in any year in the foreseeable future, anyway. Not even Gordon and the Celtics. I'll give him this, though: Gordon is one step closer to doing something that the Jazz have never been able to do - get knocked out of the playoffs by LeBron James. That's right. I don't believe that Gordon and the Celtics will even make the NBA Finals.

The only thing I see that Boston offers that Utah does not is an easier path to the All-Star game, which he will undoubtedly make for years to come. I loved Paul Millsap when he was here, but let's be real: the only reason he's been to so many All-Star games is because he played in Atlanta. The way the NBA is heading, with so many Eastern Conference stars relocating to the West, I could make their All-Star team - and I've got a bum knee and shoot incredibly inconsistently.

Boston: "Hey, Gordon. If you come out here, we can guarantee you a chance to get humiliated by the Western Conference All-Stars for the next five years..."

Gordon: "Sorry, did you just say 'All-Star' and 'next five years'? Sign me up!"

I saw a tweet yesterday that said that Gordon's statue in Boston will be of him, yelling at Isaiah Thomas to pass him the ball.

History vs Destiny

One of the other facets of this situation that really bothers me was the fact that Gordon seemed to be so entranced by the legendary history of the Boston Celtics that it clouded his judgment moving forward. I already talked about the win-loss ratio of the two teams, but let's talk championships. Actually, let's let Rudy Gobert talk championships:

🌴🗑☘️💩🎷🏆

— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) July 2, 2017

Hilarious, I thought. Instant classic, Twitter style. I loved that tweet. Then that midget Isaiah Thomas chimed in:

🌴🏆🏆🏆☘️🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🎷🙅🏾‍♂️

— Isaiah Thomas (@Isaiah_Thomas) July 2, 2017

And so did Miami's Hassan Whiteside:

2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣➡️2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣7️⃣☘️💍🌴💍💍💍 🎷🤷🏽‍♂️🤷‍♀️🤷🏻‍♂️

— Hassan Whiteside (@youngwhiteside) July 2, 2017

Ok, sure. Boston has won 17 NBA championships and Miami has three. BUT HOW MANY OF THOSE WERE WON BY ANYONE CURRENTLY ON EITHER OF THOSE ROSTERS?? NONE!!

Gordon gave up his chance at what I thought was a sure shot at a statue in Salt Lake City, with his number in the rafters and the adoring praise of Jazz fans for time and all eternity because he wants to hang out with his buddy, Brad Stevens, and he thinks it's cool that Bill Russell won a bunch of titles back in the day, before he was even born. He picked Boston's franchise over Utah's future. He gave up everything that he had built here, with no regard for the teammates he'd been playing with for a better perceived chance to make it to the NBA Finals. When the going got tough, Gordon Hayward got going... to a different city.

My brother Austin put Gordon's betrayal this way: "He was our guy. We adopted him. He was the friendly neighborhood Hayward. [This was] like seeing your ex leave you for an obviously worse situation after you've put in a ton of work at the gym and you're finally starting to get that beach bod. Right before you start looking really ripped, she leaves you."

But really, imagine being Quin. Jazz go from 20 to 50-win seasons in 4 years under him, only to hear "I like Brad better." That's gotta hurt

— Firsto Lasto (@CowhideGlobe) July 5, 2017

Random Thoughts

• Donny Osmond has got to be pissed.
• Supposedly, his wife, Robyn, didn't like living in Salt Lake City? Was that really a factor? Who freaking cares? Your husband is making more money than I will ever see in my entire life. Suck it up, girl.
• Also, I see that she has disabled comments on her Instagram account... I didn't follow her, so I don't know if that's a recent development, but she mentioned in her most recent post that people have been making "mean comments and threats." Athletes are humans, too, she says. If she thinks Jazz fans are mean, just wait until she moves to Boston, who I recently heard some New Yorkers refer to as "the most racist city in America." Ask Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones how he feels about Boston, why don't you, Robyn? Sounds like a real friendly place to me!
• I thought, a couple times yesterday, "I wonder how Gordon's Fourth of July is going... Did he even have a barbecue? Did he cry at all?" I hope he did.
• I'd be ok if I never saw Danny Ainge again in my life.
• The fact that Rudy is "liking" social media posts of Jazz fans burning their Hayward jerseys makes me so happy. I can't wait for Gordon to come back and have his shot swatted by the Stifle Tower. There will be animosity. Celtics vs Jazz in Salt Lake City on Christmas Day. Make it happen, NBA!!

This Was Our Chance

A big part of me selfishly hoped that Gordon would stay so we could stick it to The Man. I was so tired of people dogging the Jazz in Facebook comments sections lately. Talking about Utah as if it were part of some God-forsaken third-world country... I saw some jack-knob say that Gordon should stay in Utah because he heard we just got our second Wal-Mart. And the polygamy jokes... How ignorant. How out-of-touch.

Hey, the 1800s called; they want their insults back.

And I was hoping that this would, for once, dismiss the long-standing belief that no big free agents would ever willingly choose to play in Utah. Welp, Gordon proved them right. He didn't want to play in Utah.

I find it hilarious that all these Boston and Miami fans were suddenly such big Gordon Hayward fans. They probably knew nothing about him. I doubt they ever watched him play. Another Facebook comment said that the only things that could possibly keep Gordon in Utah were "Gobert and that big white guy." Um, if by "big white guy," they're referring to Joe Ingles, he's only 6'8", so they have no idea what they're talking about. The Jazz are actually one of the most culturally diverse teams in the entire league, thank you very much.

Nevertheless, the haters live to scoff another day, to the everlasting expense of Jazz Nation. When will we ever catch a break?

We sure were spoiled when John Stockton and Karl Malone stayed here for two decades. That may never happen again in our lifetimes.

#Betrayward: The Final Judgment

Yet again, this fiasco has felt like two steps forward and three steps back for a team that continues what many have referred to as a "perpetual rebuild." We finally got good. I was so stoked for this season. Then Gordon ditched us in a fall from grace that I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams. Ironically, we booed when the Jazz drafted Gordon Hayward, and we booed him on the way out the door, as well.

Gordon Hayward has become Too Big Yo for his britches.

So the question now remains: how much do we hate Gordon Hayward?

Let's run down the list of hated ex-Jazz players:

• Derek Fisher: He lied about his family to get out of his contract. He said he needed to be closer to the doctors in New York, then promptly signed with the Lakers. Derek was never good at geography, but I don't hate him as much as everyone else because this all transpired while I was serving an LDS mission.
• Deron Williams: D-Will did some really great things while in a Jazz uniform, but he had a nasty temper that resulted in a few outbursts - notably, angrily throwing the ball at Gordon Haward's head and driving beloved Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan into mid-season retirement. We hate Deron. We all hate Deron. #CoachKiller
• Enes Kanter: The guy was a moron, plain and simple. The Jazz realized that he was becoming a cancer and we traded him to Oklahoma City, where he launched a passive aggressive barrage of insults Utah's way, including that he finally knew what it meant to be part of a "professional" organization and that the only thing he missed about Utah were "the mountains." When he punched a chair and broke his arm last year, I didn't even feel bad. Not at all.

I'm sure that the Haywards would be shocked if they had seen some of the things Jazz fans have been saying about them lately - and some of the stuff has probably crossed the line of decency, I'm sure. But let's give it a year or two and see how Bostonians react when he and that little midget Isaiah Thomas can't get the job done. Those fans will run him out of town on a rail.

So do we truly hate Gordon? To make a long story short (too late), I'm pretty upset with Gordon. Yesterday, for me, was a strange mixture of anger, jealousy and disappointment. Today, I felt a little bad after reading his agent's supposed explanation of yesterday's PR nightmare. If this story is to be believed, which I'm not sure that it entirely is, it seems like Gordon meant well, but somebody leaked his plan and everything spiraled #Downward from there.

But then I think about how that whole "we haven't made a decision yet" garbage was a gigantic lie. Gordon lied to us because he didn't want to look like a bad guy. But then it blew up in his face and, in the last 36 hours, he became a bigger villain here in Utah than anyone could have predicted. We rolled out the red carpet. We wanted him to stick around for life. We did everything he wanted us to do for him, and he left us anyway. Silly us. Am I sad? You bet. Am I angry? Heck yeah. Gordon has incurred the wrath of A-Town. The difference between Gordon and these other Public Enemies is that GORDON CHOSE TO LEAVE.

In any meaningful relationship, if there is ever one thing that you don't want to hear someone that you love say, it's this: "I don't want to be with you anymore." That is exactly what Gordon Hayward said yesterday. He botched this announcement worse than anything I can remember seeing before. I'm sure he meant well, but you know what they say... "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

See ya, Gordon. There's the door. Make sure your hair is looking good before you go. And no, I don't want to kiss you goodbye.

#Stayward: 7 reasons why Gordon Hayward should stay in Utah

Unless you live in China and don’t have access to Google or the desire to follow the NBA, you’ve likely seen at least one post about Gordon Hayward leaving Utah in free agency to take his talents to South Beach or reunite with his old college coach in Boston. I, however, am not convinced that either of those are good ideas for Gordon. It’s not often that the Utah Jazz turn out to be the best location for big-time free agents, but here are a few reasons why Utah is the perfect destination for G-Time:

1. We drafted him

It’s well-documented that the Jazz could have picked Paul George instead of Gordon Hayward in the 2010 NBA draft. The Jazz believed that Gordon would be the better option, contrary to popular opinion at the time, and I believe that that decision has paid off for both parties. Paul George, in my ever so humble opinion as a lowly blogger, is overrated. Hayward, on the other hand, might be one of the most underrated stars of his generation. He was an all-star, sure, but I don’t believe he gets all the credit that he deserves from people outside of Jazz Nation. We believed in Gordon when other people didn’t. I think that that should mean something to him.

2. Loyalty counts

Growing up in Indiana, Gordon was an Indiana Pacers fan and he cheered for Reggie Miller. Miller, whom I’m not crazy about, always had something in him that I admired: loyalty. He could have left and gone to a bigger market and made more money on endorsement deals. He could have joined up with his archenemies in New York or Chicago and formed a super-team. But Reggie gave that up to be loyal to the team that drafted him and the state that adopted him. Gordon is in a situation where proving his loyalty to us in the coming days would cement him as an all-time Utah Jazz great. Number 20 would hang from the rafters of the Delta Solutions Smart Home Arena forever, and his legacy would be cemented in the hearts of Jazz fans around the country.

3. We care about him more

Not only does Utah have a more passionate fan base than Boston or Miami, but we actually care about him. In Boston, the Celtics are the second, sometimes third fiddle to the Red Sox and Bruins. I’m not sure if the city of Miami actually realizes that the night club that they attend also happens to double as a basketball arena, either. They don’t care as much as we do. In Utah, the Jazz are The Big Ticket (all due respect, Aaron) and they always will be. Not only are the Jazz the hottest show in town, but Gordon is the ringmaster. He’s the one we are going to see every night. If he goes to Boston, he’ll be appreciated, sure, but that will never be his team or his town. Miami might be one of the worst sports cities in America because they don’t care. They show up late to NBA Finals games and leave early. They gotta hit up the club, right? Gordon Hayward means something to us. He’s connected with the fan base in a way that nobody has since St. John (Stockton) himself. He’s a family man from a small NBA market who is quiet off the floor and efficient on it. There isn’t another team in the NBA that will care about or love Gordon Hayward more than the Utah Jazz.

4. We can offer more money

With the current NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, it allows for the team that the player was previously on to offer more money in free agency than other teams. This is a big advantage for smaller-market teams who are trying to keep their players. If he were to sign a "max contract" with the Jazz, he would have more security, as he’d be able to sign a six-year deal worth $236 million, whereas, with another team, he could only sign a four-year deal worth $132 million. This contract is likely the one with which he will make the most money in in his whole career, because at the end of the contract he will be 32 or 33 years old and will be towards the end of his prime, and thus worth less money. If it’s finances that Gordon is worried about, he has no reason to go elsewhere.

5. He doesn’t really have a better chance at winning in Miami or Boston

Boston added Al Horford in the offseason and people thought that that move might push them over the edge and into the NBA Finals. They even got the first seed in the Eastern Conference. Then they ran into the LeBron James buzzsaw and got smacked by the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals. Here’s the thing: LeBron isn’t leaving Cleveland and LeBron is going to be in the finals wherever he is at. That’s the way it is and that’s the way it has been for the last seven years. Boston would have to beat Cleveland in the playoffs in order for them to get a ring. Not happening. If he goes to Miami, it would be even more difficult for him to make it far in the playoffs, as he would have to compete with both Boston and Cleveland and he would have less help on the Heat. The Jazz likely won’t be winning a ring anytime soon, either, but they have a brighter long-term future, with a younger roster than either Miami or Boston. Gordon probably won’t win a ring in any of the three likely destinations, but, as previously mentioned, he would make more money and be more appreciated in Utah.

6. Utah management caters to Gordon

They have ever since he got drafted here. They have plastered his face on billboards and on the front of the arena. He’s been in commercials and been the face of the organization pretty much since he arrived. Let's not forget that they declared June 24th "#HayDay." This offseason has further proved that the Jazz are trying to make moves to win right now, and we want him at the helm - not as a plan B. The Jazz moved up in the draft to get a lottery pick and traded for Ricky Rubio. The Jazz’s window is right now, and management is doing what they can to make the team as competitive as possible and to make Gordon Hayward as good as possible.

7. WE FREAKING LOVE HIM

(WARNING: SERIOUS MAN CRUSHING IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH)

I know I already touched on this, but I’m reiterating it because I think it’s that important: I’ve got a serious, serious man crush on Gordon Hayward. I love the guy. When I think about the Jazz over the last seven years, almost all of my good memories come back to him, somehow. I had the opportunity to work behind-the-scenes and see the players and coaches when the cameras weren’t on, and he is a class act. Everything that he did was awesome. In my life, I can’t think of another player that I have loved to watch and felt a connection to as much as G-Time. Jazz Nation has fallen in love with the chase-down blocks, slam dunks, good shooting, his humility and hard work. Gordon, if you’re out there, you’re the man. Please don’t leave. You’re a staple to the Utah community as a whole, not just our sports. We don’t only want you, we need you. Nobody else wants you or loves you more than we do. Please #Stayward.

A-Town Playlist: No Sleep Till Hoboken

I'm headed out to Hoboken, New Jersey, next week for a business trip to see my company's corporate headquarters. This means I'm in need of a rockin' playlist. I've already got a pretty good compilation of travel tunes, but I thought it would be fun to create another playlist purely composed of music by bands that come from New Jersey and New York (or that wrote songs about those states). Here's what I put together:

1. Goin' Down to New York Town - Counting Crows
2. New York City - They Might Be Giants
3. We Are All Made of Stars - Moby
4. Hook - Blues Traveler
5. You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi
6. I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones
7. Big Shot - Billy Joel
8. Juke Box Hero - Foreigner
9. Someday - The Strokes
10. Diane Young - Vampire Weekend
11. Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
12. Two Princes - Spin Doctors
13. Dream On - Aerosmith
14. Heartbreaker - Pat Benatar
15. Layla - Derek & the Dominos
16. Smooth - Santana feat. Rob Thomas
17. Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
18. Helena (So Long and Goodnight) - My Chemical Romance
19. Broadway - Goo Goo Dolls
20. New York State of Mind - Billy Joel

A quick list. A brief list. Did I miss any of your favorite Jersey or NYC-based bands? Let me know in the comments below!

#WhatsATownWatching: "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" and "The Flash"

There comes a time in a man's life when he must ask himself: "Who am I? What am I doing with my life? And what am I watching on Netflix?"

Such a moment recently occurred in my life, as I watched in panic and terror as "My List" on Netflix started to build up. It cast an ominous shadow over my pop-cultural wellbeing and there was only one possible cure: to buckle up, dig in and start crossing shows off the list.

A few weeks ago, with the release of DC Comics' "Wonder Woman" impending, I thought it might be a good idea to check out "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," which I'd had on My List for probably a year. A few days later, I got an email from Netflix telling me that Season 3 of "The Flash" had been added, as well, which couldn't have come at a better time for me and my binge-watching plans.

In the past three weeks or so, I knocked out Season 1 and 2 of "Legends of Tomorrow" (henceforth mainly referenced as "LoT" for purposes of so-called "brevity" in this blog), as well as the third season of "The Flash," and I figured I'd give you lovely readers a little recap and review with spoilers coming a little later on, so... you've been warned. I'll warn you again here in a second. First of all, let's bring you up to speed with the premise of these shows.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow

"Legends of Tomorrow" is a spin-off of the pre-existing "Arrowverse" on The CW, taking characters that were previously introduced on "Arrow," which I don't watch and don't really care for, and "The Flash," and creating a "Guardians of the Galaxy"-esque band of superheroes (and a couple villains). Disgraced 22nd Century "time master" Rip Hunter (played by Salt Lake Comic Con alum Arthur Darvill) rounds up a group of expendable B-list "metahumans" (DC's fancy word for people with super powers) to prevent an apocalyptic catastrophe in which a villain named Vandal Savage murders Hunter's family. The rag-tag band of misfits includes characters like The Atom (Brandon Routh), the pyrokinetic duo known as Firestorm (played by Victor Garber and Franz Drameh) and campy "Flash" villains Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell). They're skeptical to join Hunter on his quest, but he tells them that they become "legends" in the future to convince them to come along.

The inaugural season follows the Legends as they hop across time and space to prevent time "aberrations" (unnatural changes to history) caused by Savage and his henchmen. The second season focuses on the search for the fabled "Spear of Destiny" in similar time-traveling scenarios.

The Flash, Season 3

Picking up, obviously, after Season 2, the most recent year of episodes deals with Barry Allen's decision to go back in time to prevent the murder of his mother. Barry quickly learns what I've discovered by watching so many movies and reading so many books - you don't mess with the past. The Scarlet Speedster's actions come back to haunt him, wrecking his relationships with his closest friends and associates, and the underlying theme of the season is the popular comics storyline known as the "Flashpoint Paradox."

Barry must contend with several powerful enemies this season, such as Doctor Alchemy and the mysterious, self-proclaimed "god of speed," Savitar, as well as a few familiar faces for those familiar with prior seasons of the show.

MAJOR SPOILERS FROM "DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW" AND "THE FLASH" TO FOLLOW. BACK OUT NOW... OR ELSE!

As a whole, I quite enjoyed these shows, for the most part. I thought there were some really fun parts, some great characters and some exciting plot points. Of course, there were a few "swings and misses," so to speak, and not every punch landed, in my opinion, but let's break it all down.

LoT: The Good

• The characters
• I wasn't totally looking forward to watching this show because, with what little exposure I'd had to some of the characters (The Atom and Captain Cold, particularly), I didn't really care for what I knew about them. Routh's take on Ray Palmer came off as immature and annoying when he showed up in Central City in previous seasons of "The Flash" and Leonard Snart's Captain Cold character was, I thought, A) a really stupid name for a villain and B) absolutely obnoxious when he appeared as a nemesis for Barry Allen. Well... I stand corrected. The Atom and Snart ended up being two of my favorite characters in the whole series. I also got pretty attached to Mick Rory/Heat Wave, whose sarcasm and borderline stupidity really grew on me as the show went on.
• The pop culture references
• One of my favorite scenes was when Professor Stein was forced to sing for a group of Nazis in a night club and quoted Marty McFly ("Watch me for the changes and try to keep up") before singing "Edelweiss," a la "The Sound of Music," and subsequently getting in a bar room brawl when Dr. Palmer refused to salute Hitler.
  
• My favorite episode was "Raiders of the Lost Art," where the Legends found Rip living in the '70s as a film student, contemporary to a young George Lucas. I loved all the "Indiana Jones" and "Star Wars" references, and it also made me think about how much Lucas' work has influenced my own life. Thankfully the Legends were able to ensure that "Star Wars" became a reality after their trash compactor incident with the future Hollywood icon.
• Another classic moment involved Sir Raymond of the Palms bringing a "saber made of light" to Camelot. That was awesome.

• The short seasons
• I sometimes struggle with TV shows like "Gotham," which I've stopped watching, partially due to its year-long, month-long-break-here/month-long-break-there schedule. There are 16 episodes in Season 1 and 17 episodes in Season 2, and I never felt overwhelmed by the storylines.
• Continuity

• I watched Season 1 straight, with no interruptions. At that point, when I realized that Season 3 of "The Flash" was also on Netflix, I got worried. I didn't want to watch anything out of order, so I did a quick Google search to see how I'd need to incorporate Season 2 into my "Flash" viewing. It took a little work, but here's how I watched these shows simultaneously, if you'll pardon my shorthand:
• Flash 3, 1-5
• LoT 2, 1-5
• Flash 3, 6-7
• LoT 2, 6
• Flash 3, 7
• Flash 3, 8 / Arrow 5, 8 / LoT 2, 7
  ["Invasion!" crossover event, including "Supergirl"]
• LoT 2, 8-10
• Flash 3, 9
• LoT 2, 11
• Flash 3, 10-14
• LoT 2, 12
• Flash 3, 15-16
• LoT 2, 13-14
• Flash 3, 17
• LoT 2, 15-17
• Flash 3, 18-23
• I liked the Arrowverse crossover, although it did remind me how lame "Arrow" is in comparison to the other shows... More on that later.
• Now that I'm caught up, I imagine that watching these shows together will be much less of a hassle, which is nice. And it's not that it was even that bad, but it just took a little bit of effort to make sure I was keeping my timeline straight. (Unlike Barry.) (Too soon.)
• Stein steals the show
• My favorite scene in any of these three seasons came when Professor Stein yet again showed off his pipes by distracting the control room at NASA while Palmer crash landed on the moon. I literally almost choked on my drink. Behold the majesty:

LoT: The Bad

• Tale as old as time
• It didn't take me long to realize that "LoT" is basically a rip off of "Doctor Who," NBC's "Timeless" and the aforementioned "Guardians of the Galaxy." That didn't bother me too badly, but you pretty much have to accept this show for what it is. Especially after watching "Timeless" within the past few months, a lot of the "let's use a name like Robert DeNiro that these mobsters from 1920 won't recognize" jokes fell flat for me. I mean, they were kind of funny, but not that original.

LoT: The Ugly

• White Canary and her "preferences"
• The only thing that truly bothered me about "LoT" was the incessant need to throw in moments where Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) could showcase her bisexuality. I get it. I know that's a popular lifestyle and a "hot topic" in the world we live in today, but it added absolutely nothing to the development of the plot or any of the characters, so I thought that making a point of her kissing so many women was a pointless liberal agenda and a total waste of airtime. But hey, what do I know, right?

Flash: The Good

• Anything involving Tom Cavanagh

• First and foremost, H.R. Wells is amazing. Cavanagh is terrific in all of his roles (and he plays many of them in one scene, might we recall?), but H.R. is the greatest. His confusion about differences between this Earth and his Earth had me busting up, especially when he insisted that the gag with Charlie Brown was that he was terrible at playing the piano. Good stuff.
• Also, can I just say... SPOILER that the worst possible thing that could have happened in Season 3 did happen in Season 3 when it was revealed that H.R. sacrificed himself for Iris?!? Ugh. They got me good with that one. I mean, I knew Iris wouldn't die because there's no way they'd kill off Iris... but H.R.?? Really??

• Grant Gustin
• I like Gustin as The Flash. I was bummed that they chose a different actor (Ezra Miller) to play Barry Allen in the DCEU on the big screen because I think Gustin is a great actor and does really well in this role. I think he has great chemistry with the other actors on the show and it seems like he genuinely enjoys the role. Another great season of acting for the young man.
• Kid Flash, I guess
• "Kid Flash" is yet another stupid name for a character - and yes, I know that they are just taking these names straight from the comics, so it's not The CW's fault - but I will say that Wally West getting powers in Season 3 didn't turn out to be as dumb as I thought it would be.
• Tom Felton!

• I was a little skeptical when I hear that Mr. Malfoy was cast for Season 3, but I thought he was great and I hope they bring him back for Season 4 in October. I loved his line, "Are you going to the Planet of the Apes?" Nice Easter egg. I dig it. Also, by the way, if you're in the middle of watching this season, A) stop reading and B) don't look up "Doctor Alchemy" on Wikipedia. Speaking of which...

Flash: The Bad

• Freaking spoilers!
• You can't pay too close attention to the Internet these days because spoilers are everywhere. I knew that SPOILER Emo Barry was Savitar because, obviously, people want to talk about the show - and they have a right to - in the days following the live airing of episodes, so I knew that was coming. I tried to avoid most current spoilers, and I did a pretty good job of it, I think, but I also found out the hard way the true identity of Doctor Alchemy (Wikipedia says "Tom Felton portrays Julian Albert Desmond / Doctor Alchemy in season three of The Flash" - THANKS) and the "fate" of Iris West by Googling "Speed Force Bazooka" (#4 result: "The Flash 3x22 Speed Force Bazooka Fails, Iris Dies - YouTube" - THANKS). All I wanted to do was to see if these characters and concepts existed in the actual "Flash" comics or if they were created for the show. That's all! And what do I get? Ugh!!
• The musical episode
• I knew it was going to be painful. And, five minutes into Episode 12, I knew I was right. It was a throw-away episode that really didn't move the storyline forward, other than Barry re-proposing to Iris in the final five minutes. Like, what was the purpose of this episode?
• Predictable resurrections

• Major deaths in superhero movies and TV shows are about as temporary as my relationships with girls. We all know they won't last. Such was the case with... how many characters? Barry "died" in Gorilla City. Caitlin "died" a couple times, I think. Wally was sucked through a breach. Who am I forgetting? Somebody, surely. I was surprised to see the spoiler that Iris was actually going to die, so it didn't surprise me when she popped back to life (if only to reveal that it was H.R., gosh dang it, that bit the big one, and not Iris). Lo and behold, Iris is now alive and well with nary a nightmare to speak of. That was disappointing. Like, is it horrible that I sometimes just want major character deaths?
• Killer Frost, killer of dreams
• Regarding characters that I thought should have died, Caitlin Snow, AKA Killer Frost, deserved to die. Her character sucked this season. The only reason I (somewhat) wanted her to live was because I wanted Julian Malfoy to be happy. But alas, she lives and she broke Julian's heart. I hope they kill her off in Season 4. I really hope they do.

Flash: The Ugly

• Emo Barry
• That wig was so, so bad. SO bad.

Future Emo Barry Allen's hair is to #TheFlash what JackBeard was to #LOST. pic.twitter.com/jx7WsDmRaR

— 0bFuSc8 (@0bFuSc8) April 26, 2017

• The real question is: who would win in a fight - Emo Barry or Emo Peter Parker? The world may never know... but at least we will always have this:

To make a long story short (too late)...
Are you caught up with "LoT" and "The Flash"? If so, what did you think? If not, why the heck did you read this entire blog? Overall, like I said, I enjoyed the shows. They were somewhat mindless shows that I could just put on as I worked and I was able to blow through them. Now I don't know what I'll do with my life.
Great.

Never give up! Never surrender!

I got passed over for a promotion at work today. It was a writing position. Right up my alley. I defy them to find anyone more qualified for a writing position than I am. Yet they decided not to hire me.

This isn't the first time I've been passed over for a writing job. I've applied for those types of jobs all over the place over the past five years, including trying to get back to the Deseret News, where I feel I have proven my worth and my skills time and time again. This isn't the first time I've been passed over for a promotion at my current place of employment, either. I believe that I was certainly more than qualified for the other job, too, in their social media department.

This has been incredibly frustrating to me. They say that having a degree will open doors for you (not true). Likewise, they say that one door closes, another door opens (not always true). Why would I, with my abundance of relevant experience, my Bachelor's Degree in communications and my award-winning stint in professional writing, so constantly be overlooked? Similarly, why am I 30 years old and still absolutely single and alone? These are two pain points for me that I struggle with quite often. This was not the plan. I was supposed to be married years ago. I should probably have had like two kids at this point. I was supposed to have a solid career in journalism by now. This was not the way I pictured my life to go.

I don't think I'm an incompetent writer. Shakespeare I am not, but I don't think I'm terrible. I'm not a total loser. Ryan Gosling I am not, but I don't think I'm undateable. I'm certainly not the worst option out there. So why aren't things working out for me? What have I done to deserve this constant rejection?

An illustration

People occasionally tell me I should write a book. I appreciate the compliment, but I'm just not that kind of writer. I have never really written fiction, outside of any elementary school assignments. I remember writing a "Mission: Impossible"-type series in like fourth grade and I once attempted to create a science-fiction comicbook about me and some alien friends. I thought it would turn into a Nintendo 64 game at some point, but that didn't pan out. I think if I were to ever write a book, it would have to be a book about overcoming adversity because that's probably the only thing I feel like I know enough about to put together an actual "book." That, or Reality TV Mormons, as I am the world's leading expert on the matter.

Getting rejected so much sucks, don't get me wrong. But I do believe that it has taught me some valuable lessons about self-esteem and provided enough mental ammunition for me to keep trying when the times have been tough. Allow me to illustrate:

My entire department got laid off at Allstate, almost a year to this date. Facebook will remind me of the one-year anniversary any day now. There were a couple good things to come from that:

• I didn't like working in insurance. Boom. Done. Escape route.
• We were given a really good severance package. Boom. Done. Three-month paid vacation.
• They gave us Cafe Rio after they told us that we were no longer employed. We all refused to eat it, out of bitterness, at first, but we eventually gave in. Boom. Done. Free lunch.
• And they set us up with a free job hunting seminar. I can't remember what they called it. Something like an "employment transition workshop," I think.

I reluctantly went to the seminar (I didn't want to admit that I needed help finding a new job), but I'm glad that I did. It helped me realize that sometimes in life I am not the problem. That's not always a good or a healthy thing to think, because sometimes I probably am the problem. But in that case, getting laid off, I was not the problem. There was nothing that I, personally, could have done to prevent it.

Their words, not mine

I would hope that I was not the problem with this most recent failure in the workplace. I felt like I gave a really good interview for this writing position. I've been doing really well at my job recently, even being nominated by my peers and selected by management to fly out to our corporate headquarters in New Jersey next month. I was confident - yet humble, after getting turned down for the social media job that I thought they'd be stupid not to hire me for - so I went in with reasonably low expectations, but (let's be honest) I expected to get the job. I gave well thought-out responses, often prompting the interviewers to remark, "Great answer!" with the accompanying head bob and note-taking. I had wanted this particular job since I first heard about it, probably 6 months ago. I had always hoped that there would be another opening (or one like it) because, as I told them in the interview, it was in a position like this one where I could A) obtain the most personal growth and B) most help the company with my talents. I really wanted this job. Alas, they ended up choosing some girl neither I nor my supervisor had ever seen or heard of.

Here's the "constructive" feedback they gave me about my interview:

• They thought that I could have given a better answer for one particular question they asked.
• "Garbage," I say, because it was one of those questions where the interviewer is looking for a specific answer and they expect you to read their mind. I gave a good answer, I thought, and, when they told me what they had hoped that I would say, I agreed with them, told them that I understood why they'd say that and even gave them an example of their reasoning that I had mentioned in the episode of "Survivor" that I had watched the night before.
• They didn't think I was passionate enough about the position.
• "Inconceivable," I scream, because I remember at least twice during that interview when I told them that this was the job I had wanted for months. I told them that I hadn't applied for other jobs (that they pretty much hire anyone to do) because I always hoped they'd have another opening. I told them that I didn't care about a difference in pay or room to grow into a supervisor because that was what I wanted to be doing for our company.

Bouncing back: some words of encouragement

So I'm pretty upset, I'm pretty frustrated and I'm pretty disappointed. "Disrespected" was a word that came to mind earlier today. Now the question is: how do I bounce back from this? How do I keep my chin up and keep moving forward after being shut down in my two areas of expertise, knowing that, if they didn't hire me this time around, I may not ever be hired for these types of positions at this particular company?

Start looking for another job.

Yeah, maybe.

But in the meantime, what words of comfort can I use to console myself and to remind myself that, in this case (I am pretty sure), I am not the problem?

I have always loved this quote by Marvin J. Ashton, which he gave in a talk to single members of the Church in 1992:

Set your goals—without goals you can’t measure your progress. But don’t become frustrated if the victories don’t come quickly or easily. Remind yourself that striving can be more important than arriving. If you are striving for excellence—if you are trying your best day by day with the wisest use of your time and energy to reach realistic goals—you are a success, and you can feel proud of your accomplishments. [Italics added]

I also really appreciated a story by Dallin H. Oaks that I read in a new(ish) book compiled for young adults called We're With You. Elder Oaks talks about how he had a plan for his life that didn't quite end up the way he envisioned. He talks about how he had planned to serve a mission, which he couldn't because he was called away to war. He came home and got married, then figured that he and his wife would serve a mission later in life. That didn't happen as planned either because he was appointed as a Supreme Court Justice. He planned to serve there for 20 years or so and then serve a couples mission, but he was called to be a general authority just four years into that career. Then, suddenly, his wife passed away, which, of course was not something he had foreseen. He later remarried and is currently surviving (for life) as an Apostle. Says Elder Oaks:

How fundamentally different my life is than I had sought to plan! My professional life has changed. My personal life has changed. But the commitment I made to the Lord - to put Him first in my life and to be ready for whatever He would have me do - has carried me through these changes of eternal importance.

And another, just a few pages later, from D. Todd Christopherson:

The very details of our lives are of importance to God. He cares about all of it - words, works, even thoughts. His interest and love are infinite in this way, and He will respond to our hopes and pleadings and help us in everything, including matters that seem unimportant or insignificant to others or even to ourselves.

That's some good stuff.

Peter-peter-peter-peter... Quincy-quincy-quincy-quincy...

Anyway, I don't know why I felt like blogging about my little disappointment today. I don't know why I felt like sharing these personal thoughts with you people, most of whom barely even talk to me on a weekly basis. But I hope that if there is somebody else out there that is struggling with self-worth or needs a little motivation that you can take it from me - that you do matter, that you are awesome and that you can do it! It might not happen today. It might not happen tomorrow. It might not happen for seven years or maybe even longer. But don't give up on yourself. Hang in there. In the immortal words of Peter Quincy Taggart, "Never give up! Never surrender!"


One of these days, somebody is going to recognize my greatness, and that will be a glorious day. A glorious day, indeed. But until then, I think I'll go make myself a delicious Totino's pizza. Excuse me.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Jazz are going to lose - and that's ok

The Utah Jazz will not beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, and I've come to grips with it. As much as I'd absolutely love for the Jazz to shock the world and wipe those smug smirks off the Warriors' faces, it's not going to happen.

It has been hard for me to watch these first two games, as the Warriors controlled both contests from start to finish. I consider it a "close game" if the Jazz can narrow the deficit to single digits. It sounds like the crowd at Oracle Arena is on the verge of panic if the Jazz hit a shot to bring it within 13. (I find this hilarious, by the way.) But the fact of the matter is that the Warriors are the best team in basketball right now. The tough part is that, as good as they are, it makes the Jazz look bad. We look like a high school team or something. We look afraid of them, especially in the first half. We are timid when it comes to shooting and clumsy when it comes to passing. It is a sour note to end a great season on.

As a whole, I consider the 2016-17 Utah Jazz season a tremendous success. We won 51 games (more than most predicted or even hoped), we got ourselves an All-Star, Joe Ingles spent most of the season leading the league in three point shooting, Rudy is a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Joe freakin' Johnson plays for the Jazz (I still can't believe that), we won our division and we beat the Los Angeles Clippers in a tough, seven-game playoff series - all the while battling injuries that depleted our starting lineup for a majority of the year. Imagine what we could have done with a healthy roster! In comparison to what we've seen for the better part of a decade (or, really, since Stockton and Malone retired), this was a pretty dang good season to be a Jazz fan. Losing to the #1 Seed in the West is nothing to feel bad about.

I've been thinking a lot about what our current predicament compares to. Probably the best comparison I have come up with would be a footrace against Usain Bolt. You could be Tyson Gay or whoever the second-fastest runner in the world is, and it doesn't matter. You're going to lose. In fact, Usain Bolt probably going to blow you away. This doesn't mean that you suck; it just means that he is that good.

The Warriors have been a ridiculously good team for about three or four years now. Adding Kevin Durant this offseason was basically them just spitting in the face of parity and fairness. At this point, they've got three guys who can light you up from downtown at any time. On top of that, they've got that moron Draymond Green, who will just as likely shut you down defensively as he will kick you in the family jewels in a fit of frustration. They're really good. And even when those four guys are on the bench, they've got a bunch of other players who go full-speed almost the entire game. They're constantly getting points in transition (or "cherry picking"... call it what you will) and most teams just can't maintain that pace of play all game long.

To put things into an interesting perspective, however, despite the Jazz losing by double digits in each of the first two games in this series, they're actually doing relatively well, compared to the other semifinal matchups. Through two games, every team that had lost a game lost by at least 20 points at least once, with the exception of Utah and the Washington Wizards (who also lost by double digits in each of their first two games, albeit not by more than 20). Considering that the Jazz are playing, by far, the best team in the league, that's a stat I'm willing to live with.

I just want the series to be competitive. Game 1 was rough. We pulled our heads out in Game 2 and I truly think we made those bandwagon Warriors fans nervous by keeping it relatively close, especially in the second half. I'm hoping we can take a game or two in Salt Lake City before facing elimination in Game 5 or 6. But, even if we do end up getting swept, you know, I'm not embarrassed. I'm not mad. I'm really not even that concerned. Everybody is getting stomped on by the Warriors this year, and it's very likely that they'll waltz their way to another NBA championship, the way things are looking.

I don't think I hate the Warriors. I hate the Clippers. Absolutely hate the Clippers. I think I'm more annoyed by the Warriors. I thought they were a fun little team to watch when they knocked off LeBron a couple years ago, but then they got confident and they got cocky. Too cocky, if you ask me. I can't stand Draymond flexing every time he gets an And-1. I want to go slap Steph Curry's mouthguard right out of his mouth. I think Durant is a sellout with embarrassing facial hair. Klay Thompson doesn't bother me; I just don't like him because he plays for the Warriors. JaVale McGee is a bozo and I want to cut off his stupid rat tail haircut. I don't think Steve Kerr or Mike Brown are necessarily great coaches - I could coach that team: "Get Steph the ball. Shoot lots of threes." Matt Barnes looks like Gomez Addams with prison tattoos - and the #nightlife scandal has been entertaining, to say the least. I've got to order myself a shirt. Making fun of the "Woyers" has been one of the few things that have made these last two games watchable, in my opinion. I've actually been kind of bored watching, to be quite honest. So at least that gives me something to do. And hey, win or lose, at least I will always be able to say that the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.

I'm proud of the Jazz and how well they've played this season. It's been a lot of fun to watch and it's been a heck of a journey for us as an up-and-coming team. We have nothing to be ashamed of. Plus, we've always got this memory to look back on:


Go Jazz! #TakeNote

FanX17: That time when I asked Khary Payton for Walking Dead spoilers

One of my favorite interviews from FanX17 was with actor Khary Payton, who is best known for his current role as King Ezekiel on AMC's hit show "The Walking Dead" and for his voice work as Cyborg in the "Teen Titans" animated series.

It was a good-natured and light-hearted chat that Khary and I had for my alotted three minutes, and I knew, if nothing else, that I'd at least have to try to get some "Walking Dead" dirt out of him. I watched about two and a half seasons of the zombie drama but, with the show now in its seventh *rubs eyes* seventh season, I was hoping he'd help catch me up quickly. Here's how that panned out:

Signs of the Times: All right, Khary, tell me this – Ok, I’ve watched a little bit of “The Walking Dead,” but I’m a little bit behind… so I need you to tell me a little bit about your character [King Ezekiel] and convince me to catch up.

Khary Payton: “Convince you to catch up? I’m not gonna convince you to catch up! You catch up if you want to! I’m fine. I’m just fine, man, you know? If you… if you don’t want to watch the show, that’s fine, but there are tigers…”

SotT: All right…

KP: “There are dreadlocks, you know? And there are walking Walkers, and all kinds of human intrigue. You should know this by now!”

SotT: I know, I know…

KP: “You should know this by now!”

SotT: I need more time to watch shows!

KP: “I totally get it. I totally get it.”

SotT: So… do you ever kill anybody on the show?

KP: “[Scoffs] You know, you’re just going to have to tune in. You’re not getting that! You’re not getting the Cliff Notes from me, dude. [Laughs] I’ve been keeping secrets way too long. I can keep them from you! I can keep them from you. But you know what? Fifteen million people can’t be wrong.”

SotT: I got caught up with some other stuff. I need to catch up.

KP: “Exactly! Exactly! These things happen!”

SotT: When did you get into acting? Was that something you always wanted to do?

KP: “Yeah. Since I was a kid, I was dabbling in it. I don’t know. … I got kinda serious about it in high school and decided that I would try to pursue it. I was from a small town in Georgia and everybody said, ‘Ah, Khary, you’re gonna do really great,’ but I didn’t want to be one of those people who goes on ‘American Idol’ and nobody told them they couldn’t sing, you know? So I auditioned for a bunch of theater schools, and I was like, ‘If I can get into these schools, then that means, ok, that I’m not [deceiving] myself and I should try this as a profession. And I got into all of them, took the one that gave me the biggest scholarship and I’ve been studying and following my passion ever since, which is to get to tell a great story."

SotT: All right. Have you ever been to Utah before?

KP: “Yeah, I came here about nine years ago. I shot a really funny, really crass movie called The Legend of Awesomest Maximus. It’s hilarious, but it’s not something you would watch with your mom. It’s like a National Lampoon’s kind of thing – like a spoof of 300 – but yeah, yeah. I was here for a while. I’ve come to find that Salt Lake City [has gotten] new restaurants and new places to go, so explore a little more.”

SotT: Yeah, we’ve got some March Madness going on this weekend. It’s a great weekend to be here. It’s great weather – it’s not snowing.

KP: “Oh yeah! You know what? Great weather tends to follow me around. I was just in London and it was pretty good, too.”

SotT: You have to keep coming back, then.

KP: “That’s what I’m saying. Yeah, exactly. Well, if I want snow, then you’re gonna be in trouble because I want to go up to Park City and get my snow on.”