WhoDatJedi Podcast: Why is the ‘Clone Wars’ micro-series worth watching?

Did you know there are actually two “Clone Wars” animated series? There’s that other one that we’ve covered in this space before (here’s a handy viewing guide!). But there’s also a really good (and much shorter) series that has been harder for fans to access … until recently.

Continue reading WhoDatJedi Podcast: Why is the ‘Clone Wars’ micro-series worth watching?

College football road trip: 13 college towns that should be on your bucket list

(Originally published on The Southern Weekend)

Check out my book on this topic, Eyeblack Odyssey

If you’re anything like us, you have a passion for college football. Prep and pro have their place, but college is No. 1 in our hearts. And appropriately, that means we have a bucket list of places we want to go: our own ultimate college football road trip.

Continue reading College football road trip: 13 college towns that should be on your bucket list

10 of the best fried chicken restaurants in the South

(Originally published on The Southern Weekend)

The best fried chicken restaurants in the South? Okay, so we know this article is bound to create some controversy. It’s unavoidable. Narrowing down an iconic dish like fried chicken in the South to merely 10 locations is pretty much impossible. Actually, it’s more like insanity. And yet, this was a challenge we wrapped our arms around with enthusiasm. Hey, we love fried chicken. LOVE it. Taking suggestions from all over, we’ve distilled this list down to an essential 10 … the perfect amount for any foodie’s fried chicken pilgrimage. Ready to get on the road to find the best fried chicken restaurants in the South? Let’s go!

Continue reading 10 of the best fried chicken restaurants in the South

The Mobile Leprechaun is one of the South’s greatest legends

(Originally published on The Southern Weekend)

Do you know the legend of the Mobile Leprechaun? You should. In the Mobile, Ala. neighborhood of Crichton, several members of the community reported seeing what looked like a leprechaun trolling the neighborhood. From there, the local news reported on the sightings, and an Internet phenomenon was born.

Continue reading The Mobile Leprechaun is one of the South’s greatest legends

Punch-Out!! — Retro Gaming Essentials (No. 11)

For those following along, this will be the fourth NES game I’ve profiled. Those games are, in order:

Tecmo Super Bowl
Mega Man 2
Super Mario Bros. 2
Punch-Out!!

That feels about right, to be honest. While Punch-Out!! might in some ways be the most impressive of that group when it comes to its intuitive, responsive play control or its huge, bright graphics, it’s also in many ways the simplest of the bunch.

Memorize a pattern, be quick with your inputs, wash, rinse, repeat.

That lack of variety works for and against the game. You could call it the purest of the four, but you could also call it the least interesting of the four.

For the purposes of this exercise, let’s lean into pure, shall we?

Punch-Out!!

Genre: Sports
Released: 1987
Platform: NES
No. 17 on Nintendo Power’s Top 200
Continue reading Punch-Out!! — Retro Gaming Essentials (No. 11)