Nicolas Cage and Netflix teamed up to give us a series about the History of Swear Words. In each episode that is out today, they examine the origin of the words we are told not to say, along with how and why we use the word now.
There are six episodes, and they each focus on one word. Those words are fuck, shit, bitch, dick, pussy, and damn.
Did you know there are people who study curse words? They are Benjamin Bergen (PhD, Cognitive Scientist, Author of What The F), Anne Charity Hudley (PhD, Linguist, and Educator), Mireille Miller-Young (PhD, Professor of Feminist Studies), Elvis Mitchell (Film Critic/Host of The Treatment on KCRW), Melissa Mohr (PhD, Author of Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing), and Kory Stamper (Lexicographer, Author Of Word By Word), and they feature throughout the series.
It is not only about the lessons. There is some comedy added to the mix. Joel Kim Booster, DeRay Davis, Open Mike Eagle, Nikki Glaser, Patti Harrison, London Hughes, Jim Jefferies, Zainab Johnson, Nick Offerman, Sarah Silverman, Baron Vaughn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. give us their takes on the words. Think of it like VH1’s serious I Love a certain decade.
As we get the history and the humor of these words, we also learn why they have such an impact on us. We do feel better when we curse. In fact, if two people put their hands in ice water, the one who curses will be able to keep it there 50% longer. Not only does it make you feel better, but it also makes you stronger. I know I feel invincible when I curse now. Not when I was a kid because my dad would remind me who was boss.
Anyways, we don’t know how all of these four-letter words came into existence, but we learn some interesting facts. Damn is so damning when it is taken away from its intended use in the Bible. That is why Gone with the Wind had such a hard time getting the censors to allow them to use the word.
Not all of these words were considered offensive. In fact, only one of them recently became one in the Merriam Webster dictionary. The person who gave it that title will explain why they did it. We also find out which words have been around for over 1,000 years.
These are just a few of the many interesting facts you will learn in the docuseries. There are plenty of more. Seriously, who doesn’t want to learn more about words like fuck, shit, bitch, dick, pussy, and damn? I can’t wait for the inevitable second season. I want to learn more about the history of tit, c#nt (I fucking hate this word), ass, and so many more.
Especially with Nicolas as our teacher. He was born to play this part. Teach me, Professor Cage!
Netflix added 17 original Christmas films to their streaming site this year, and I bet you want to know how many times they mentioned the holiday in their movies. They wanted to know too.
Therefore, they got a bunch of people together to count and edit all of them together into one video. So, how many times did Dolly Parton and the others say the word? 200! That is a lot of Christmases.
As I said, they only streamed 17 new features this year. Imagine if someone did that for the Hallmark, Lifetime, and Up movies? They would be editing the video until next Christmas.
Those of us who watched Cobra Kai on YouTube have been waiting for over a year and a half to watch the third season of the Karate Kid sequel. Well, Netflix is giving a little Christmas present.
Instead of the new season being released on January 8th, it will be coming out a week earlier. Since we won’t be hungover on New Year’s Day (because New Year’s Eve was canceled), we can spend the day with frenemies Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence.
Personally, I am OK with that. I prefer William Zabka and Ralph Macchio over Jack Daniels any day of the year. Have you seen how well they aged? They are like whiskey, and they get better with age! Just like Cobra Kai gets better with each episode.
Growing up in NYC, I spent my Christmases watching the yule log on WPIX. However, this year does not really call for us to want to watch Mayor Fiorello La Guardia’s fireplace and listening to joyful Christmas Carols.
2020 was a real dumpster fire, and I am in a bah humbug mood. That means I don’t want to hear any happy seasonal tunes. I am not alone. That is why Netflix gave us the perfect alternate. It is two hours of a dumpster fire with no music, and I cannot stop watching it. It almost melts my cold heart. Although I don’t think that is possible anymore.
Cobra Kai had two amazing seasons on YouTube. However, for season three, it is moving over to Netflix.
Next month, we finally found out if Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) will wake up from his coma. Well, we don’t have to wait because Netflix finally released the trailer for the upcoming season. He is awake, but he is going to need a lot of rehab if he ever wants to walk again. Thankfully, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) will be his side. That is when the sensei is not hanging out with his new best friend and former arch-nemesis, Daniel LaRusso. The two of them are teaming up to take the real villain of this story, Kreese (Martin Kove).
All of this will lead to an epic battle that will leave us on the edge of our seats until season four.
If you have never seen Cobra Kai, then you are missing out on one of the greatest shows of this century. Therefore, you need to catch up on the first two seasons of the Karate Kid reboot on Netflix today so that you will be ready for the new episodes next month. I promise you are going to love it as much as me, and I hate Dick Flicks. You need to find out why everyone who watches this show loves it.
