Back in 1984, we fell in love with The Karate Kid. Danny LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) became an instant sensation with a crane kick. While things turned out great for him, for Johnny Lawrence, the guy who he kicked in the face during that All Valley Karate competition, it was the complete opposite.
Something we find out in the sequel Cobra Kai that is now available to binge on YouTube Red. Lawrence is a down-on-his-luck sort of guy, who lives in a small apartment and works as a handyman. Life sucks for him, and it is going to get even worse. He loses his job, he gets arrested for getting into a fight with some teens who are beating up his next-door neighbor, his stepdad wants to kick him out of his place and some teens smash up his car.
Don’t think it can get any worse for him? It does! His car is towed to LaRusso’s. Danny LaRusso is now a big shot who owns several car dealerships in Los Angeles. He is a huge success with the perfect wife, the perfect son and daughter, and the perfect house. He has everything Johnny does not have. That is why Johnny wants to get his car out of his auto shop before he sees Danny. Since Johnny’s last few days have been really sh!tty, of course, he runs into his old rival.
Just when Johnny does not think that anything good can happen to him, something good actually does happen to him. He decides to bring back Cobra Kai and teach his neighbor how to defend himself with Karate. The student is now the Sensei.
Once Danny hears about that, he will do everything he can to shut it down. Proving old rivalries never die.
Another thing we learned, is you can go back to greatness. When I first heard that the show was from Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, the EPs who gave us the Harold & Kumar franchise, I did not know what to expect. I knew I was going to love it, but I thought maybe it would be a comedy. It has it jokes like Danny gives every customer a Bonsai tree, but it is also pretty series.
We see how Johnny, who had it all in high school, has nothing in his 40’s. While Danny who had nothing is a huge success. All because of one match that changed their lives forever.
For years, we focused on Danny, but now it is time to focus on Johnny. Because this time around he is the underdog you are rooting for. If that is not a brilliant switch up, then I do not know what is.
Plus, it is so well done, everyone is going to fall in love with this show. Just like we did, all those years ago, when we saw The Karate Kid for the first time.
I know Pat Morita is looking down from heaven thinking what a great job they did for his legacy.
On that note, we will see old footage of him and the rest of the movie in this show. It will be used as flashbacks to remind us what happened in the original series. They did a really good job editing the old and new stuff together.
Actually, I love everything about Cobra Kai and cannot stop praising it. Make sure to set some time aside to watch all 10 episode. It is a quick, enjoyable binge.
On Sunday’s season finale of Relative Race on BYU TV, everyone was shocked when Team Blue and Team Red finished in a tie, a first for the show. That meant that the three remaining teams, including Team Black, would advance to the finals.
Last week, I spoke with Michael Anderson and his son, Dylan, and they told me about their wild adventure. He told me that he came back with a newfound confidence and that convinced him to run for a seat in the North Carolina State Representative race for District 83. If you live in that district, make sure to vote for him on Tuesday, May 8th. He also told me they came back with all 24 blue t-shirts that they gave them to wear for the 10-day competition.
SOW: What was it like when you heard that you and Team Red both finished 1 hour and 8 minutes over the time limit? Meaning that you both tied for second place and would move on to the finals?
MA: I mean it was an incredible shock. It was great. Believe me, once we knew Team Black won that day we were like, oh boy, somebody is going home? But it worked out well I think for everybody.
SOW: Did you think you were going to make it to day 10?
MA: Well listen, after the fifth day I looked at Dylan and I was like there’s no way we’re going to make it to the last day. It was not easy whatsoever. After that day we picked up steam, and things started falling our way. I will tell you the day that really helped us tremendously was the eighth day and there was like a home court advantage. I didn’t even use a map.
SOW: Talking about maps, what is like driving with Dylan now that you are back to normal?
MA: We’re back to normal now and we know mostly where we’re going to be. We can use GPS, we know where we want to go and we’re not timed. What a lot of people didn’t understand was something that was equally as hard as using a map was going the speed limit constantly. You are constantly looking down and making sure you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re going places you’re not familiar with. You’ve got a time limit. You’re going against the other teams. You don’t know what challenge you’re getting ready to walk up to. You don’t know what relative you’d walk up to. It was just really stressful every single day.
SOW: What about the most stressful day of the race, what was that final day in DC like?
MA: All right, well I’m going to be just blunt with you here. We showed up the morning of the final day. We’re on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We’re in jeans and blue shirts, and everybody else shows up in these tight jogging pants and nice tennis shoes. Then we find out what we’re supposed to do. I look at Dylan and I said, we ain’t got a shot in the world. We are not the most nimble and athletic people on the planet. And when we found out what it was, I’m like, oh Lord, have mercy. Don’t kill yourself, don’t have a heart attack. And I’m telling you the truth is there is a paramedic. They were eyeing me the whole time. Look, I’m OK. We enjoyed the final day.
SOW: What did you think of the challenges that they gave you throughout the whole competition?
MA: I tell you what the minds behind this whole show, how they come up with these challenges in the whole 10th day. I don’t know how they do it. I would love to come up with my own challenges and make them do it. They, they are very creative. They are very supportive of you. They encourage you the whole time. I mean they are by your side and they want to make great TV show. We’ve got that and we did everything we could to make it as good as positive as we could.
SOW: What did you think of the people who worked on the show?
MA: They work so hard and they care. They truly cared about us. They truly wanted the best for us. Sure, they laughed at us when I got a cramp. I have not only found family, but I’ve made new friends. I plan to come out to Utah, the first chance I get. I’m on it. I’m going to come over to the network and say hello to people. I will make it a point to go to the production company and say hello. And I’m dead serious. I am definitely doing that this year. We just more people need to know about this show period.
SOW: So you appreciate all that Relative Race has done for you?
MA: Life is so short and we have so many things that we need to be appreciative more and worry less about Selfie and Snapchat. Worry more about your family and your neighbor. This show I cannot say enough. I mean I should work for their marketing. I love this show that, so I would be an outstanding marketer for this show. I say that these people at the network and I just can’t say enough about the work that they do. They work their tail off every single day and they don’t get the credit they deserve.
While season 3 of Relative Race is over, season 4 is going to air in the fall. Be prepared for Michael Anderson to tell everyone to watch it. And whoever he does not tell, I am going to tell them to watch the best competition show on television. Every week, you end the episode feeling good. You see people who start out with no families, end the season with a mother, father, siblings and more cousins than you can count on your hand. How many other shows give people the families they never knew they had and have always wanted? We need more shows that are positive like this one. Plus, you see parts of America, you never knew about. What more can you ask for from a TV show?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiOiMVHW37o
Did you know that James Corden and Benedict Cumberbatch have had a rivalry going on for years now? Both actors had careers on the stage, at the same time, before they became household names. They were so competitive that one of them would upstage the other one.
It all started back when they did Hamlet and Sherlock got the lead role. Then it continued when they did Waiting for Godot, where, this time, the roles were reversed. It got more devilish when Doctor Strange got the lead in The Crucible. Finally, they had the ultimate catfight during Cats. So much so, they will never be allowed to work together again.
Back in 2012, Katie Couric was on Watch What Happens Live and she told Andy Cohen that Matt Lauer used to pinch her butt. Since then, the disgraced anchor has been accused of sexual misconduct by several employees and was fired from his job. When that news broke, people found that old quote from Couric and assumed it was true.
Yesterday when she was on the Bravo show, she said that it was a joke. She also says that she regrets making that joke. Do you think she was telling the truth then or now?
Two weeks ago, James Shaw Jr. went into a Waffle House in Tennessee and his life was forever changed. He was not planning on going to that place, but the first one he went to was packed. When he got there, a crazed man walked into the restaurant and shot it up. Shaw bravely was able to get wrestle the gun out of his hands, even though he was grazed by a bullet, and save several more lives. After the news got out there, he was immediately declared a hero. Something he denied that he was, but encourages people that an average guy can save the day.
When Shaw got out of the hospital, he started a Go Fund Me page for the four people who did not make out that night to raise money to pay for their funerals. So far he has raised over $200,000. If that is not a hero, then I do not what is. He is what every human should strive to be. Brave, humble and charitable.
Ever since we found out his story, we have all thought what can we do for him to pay him back. Today, Ellen DeGeneres found a way to do just that. She invited Dwyane Wade, his favorite NBA player, on her show to meet him. The basketball player told Shaw that he tells his kids about him. He does that because he sees this hero as a role model.
I also find Wade to be a role model, not only did he fly out to LA just to meet Shaw, he also drove up and surprised the kids from Parkland at their school. He uses his fame for good, which is why he is a favorite! Miami puts out caring sports stars and that is a good thing.
Not only did DeGeneres get Wade to surprise Shaw, the two of them donated a combined $40,000 to his charity that brings awareness to mental health issues. Again, if anyone is a hero, then it is James Shaw Jr. Tell your kids about him because we really do need more people like this admirable man.
