The Fun Side of Betting on the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events of the year both on the field and off. It is also one of the biggest events for gambling both legally and illegally. Last year in Vegas there was $138.5 million bet just in Vegas Sportsbooks and Vegas made over $10 million. The total bet last year on Super Bowl 51 was estimated to be over $4 billion which equals out to around 95% of bets being illegal (can we please just make gambling legal already). Of course you can bet on the actual outcome of the game by betting on the point spread, the money line, and the over/under but this year there are over 400 prop bets you can find. This means that even if you don't like football there are still numerous lines you can bet on to have some fun, I went through and found some of my favorites and how I would bet on them. I am by no means a gambling professional so take this advice at your own risk but let's have some fun.

The first few bets I looked at deal with the actual game:

-Point Spread: As of this writing the Patriots are 4.5 point favorites (-110) which means if you choose to bet this you are thinking the Patriots will win by 5 or more and if you bet $1 you will win .91. As far as this bet goes I like the Pats, the Eagles defense is good and will be one of the best the Pats will have faced this year but I can't bet against Brady and Belichick. They have the most experience of any player and coach in the history of the NFL. I also don't trust Nick Foles, I have a lot of experience watching him when he was the QB of the Rams.

-Moneyline: Moneyline betting is just choosing the winner of the game, the Pats are -175 (you bet $1 to win .57) and the Eagles are +155 (bet $1 to win $1.55). If you don't trust the point spread I would look here for you bets on either team but once again I am taking the Pats.

-Over/Under: With Over/Under bets you are betting on the total of the game, this game is set at 48.5 with the Over being -105 and the Under being -115. The Pats won their first playoff game 35-14 for a total of 49 points and their second game 24-20 for a total of 44. The Eagles won their first game 15-10 for a total of 25 and their second game 38-7 for a total of 45. The previous 5 Super Bowls have had totals of 62, 34, 52, 51, and 65; so 4 of the past 5 years has gone over 48.5. The Eagles have a really good defense but the Pats are average at best, for me it all comes down to Foles. If he can have a good game and carve up the Pats D this could definitely go over. I have never been a big Over/Under bettor but I am leaning towards the under here.

Alright with the business side done lets get to some of the fun bets:

-Outcome of the Coin Toss: Heads(-105) or Tails (-105) The last 10 Super Bowls is split right down the middle 5 apiece so the 50/50 chance really holds true here. I am sticking with the old saying of "Tails never fails"

-How Long Will it Take Pink to Sing the National Anthem: Over 2 Minutes(-150) or Under 2 Minutes(+110) Some previous times: Luke Bryan 2:04, Lady Gaga 2:09, Idina Menzel 2:04, Renee Fleming 1:54, Alicia Keys 2:35, Kelly Clarkson 1:34. The average of the last 12 Super Bowls is 1:58.6 so 2 minutes is a tough bet but I like the odds of under 2 minutes and could see Pink getting in and getting out like Kelly Clarkson did.

-Color of Pink's Hair: White/Blonde(+125), Pink/Red(+200), Green(+300), Blue/Purple(+500), Brown/Black(+700) Looking at Pink's Instagram her hair has been blonde for quite a while and it was blonde at the Grammy's but she is from Pennsylvania so maybe she goes green to support the Eagles. I like the odds for green but would go with white/blonde.

-Will Pink be Airborne: Yes(+300) No(-500) Gaga went airborne at the halftime show last year and Pink was airborne at the 2010 Grammy's so maybe she will want to relive old memories. But its the national anthem and I think she will just get up there and sing it so I am taking the No on this one.

-Will Pink say "Eagles" before, during, or after singing: Yes(+150) No(-200)I love this prop since she is from PA but I have no idea if Pink likes the Eagles or even football for that matter. I will take the Yes just because I love this prop and hope she gives some love to the hometown.

-What color shirt will Belichick have on at kickoff: Blue(-150), Grey(+130), Red(+1000), White(+1000) Bill always wears a hoodie or pullover during games so I am guessing we are talking about the color of that. His hoodies/pullovers are usually blue but he does have the cutoff sleeve hoodie which is grey. I took Bill as a very superstitious person so I am saying he wears the classic Pats blue.

-How many times will "wardrobe malfunction" be mentioned during telecast: Over 1.5(+300) Under 1.5(-500) With JT performing the halftime show it is guaranteed to be discussed at least once because when he performed in 2004 we had "Nipplegate" when he exposed Janet Jackson. But I am taking the under here, I think the producers will tell the announcers not to bring it up to many times.

-How many times will Brady's age be mentioned: Over 1.5(-280) Under 1.5(+185) I am taking the over here, Cris Collinsworth won't be able to control himself.

-How many times will Carson Wentz be mentioned: Over 3.5(-175) Under 3.5(+135) Once again this bet comes down to the play of Nick Foles, if he plays well they will mention Wentz a couple times but if Foles sucks they will mention Wentz a bunch. I am taking the over because I don't trust Foles.

-How many times will Donald Trump tweet on February 4th: Over 5(-140) Under 5(EVEN) The past few days Trump has tweeted 7 times on 1/26, 3 on 1/25, 4 on 1/24, and 6 on 1/23. I like the over here especially since the whole day counts towards the total.

-Will Donovan McNabb's vomiting incident from Super Bowl 39 be mentioned: Yes(+170) No(-250) Super Bowl 39 featured the Eagles and McNabb versus the Pats and in the 4th quarter McNabb was hit hard on a few plays and he was rumored to vomit. Because of the rematch and just to keep this story going I am taking the Yes here.

-Will Brady's jersey be stolen again: Yes(+1000) After last years Super Bowl Brady's jersey was stolen from the locker room and took months to find. Will another person try this stunt to get some news coverage? Betting $1 to win $10? I say why not

-How many times will Janet Jackson be mentioned: Over 1.5(+150) Under 1.5(-200) I think she is mentioned once for sure but that's it, producers and news coverage are trying to bury "Nipplegate" as much as possible.

-What color liquid will be poured on the winning coach: Green/Yellow(+225), Orange(+300), Red(+400), Clear/Water(+400), Blue(+400), Purple(+1000) Super Bowl L was orange, XLIX was blue, XLVIII was orange again, XLVII none, XLVI was purple, XLV was orange again, and XLIV was orange. Orange seems to be the usual suspect here and it has nice odds at +300 so I am taking that.

-Justin Timberlake shoe color: White(-120), Black(+200), Brown/Beige(+700), Red(+1200), Blue(+1000), Green(+1000), Yellow(+2000) JT was not at the Grammy's this year but he did attend a pre-party and wore some black shoes. I am thinking he goes back to the black for the sharp dressed look.

-Will any members of NSYNC join JT during halftime show: Yes(+200) No(-300) I have no idea what any of the other members of NSYNC are doing now and I can't imagine any of them have really been keeping up with the music. There is always a big guest appearance but I like someone like Jay-Z to join JT

-Who will the MVP mention first in their speech: Teammates(+200), God(+300), City(+700), Coach(+700), Owner(+1000), Family(+1600), None(+200) Most guys mention teammates first so I think that is the best bet but if Brady wins he might thank his trainer and TB12.

Those are some of my favorite Super Bowl prop bets you can find but like I said there are around 400 you can bet on. Let's all blow our money and hopefully make a little bit on Sunday. Good luck betting and good luck heading to work on Monday.

Is LeBron an Android? What TV Character is Comparable to his Career?

LeBron James just became the 7th and youngest NBA player to surpass 30,000 points for his career; he is one of the most polarizing celebrities ever. Ask ten of your friends and I bet you get five who love him and five who hate him, there is no middle ground when talking about LeBron. This got me thinking just how incredible his career has been. I did some research and what I found blew me away. It also got me thinking, is LeBron even human or is he an android? If we were to compare him to a fictional character who would it possibly be?

Career Stats
LeBron is in his 15th NBA career which started all the way back in 2003 when he was the #1 overall pick by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. Not many players last 10 years, let alone 15. Being a professional athlete is not easy on your body and most guys wear down over their career but not LeBron. Most players get better in their early seasons and begin to slow down as they get older and the game passes them by. LeBron had a similar progression but he has never slowed down:
      -Season A: 74 games, 37.8 minutes per game, 54.8% field goal, 36.3% from 3, 8.6 rebounds per game, 8.7 assists, and 26.4 points
      -Season B: 79 games, 39.5 mpg, 41.7 FG %, 29.3 3P %, 5.5 rebounds,  5.9 assists, and 20.9 points
      -Season C: 79 games, 38.8 mpg, 51 FG %, 33 3P%, 7.5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 26.7 points

Which season do you think is his rookie season versus his 8th season versus his 14th season? Option A is year 14, option B is his rookie year, and option C is year 8. He is basically playing the same number of minutes per game every year and the other categories have gone up as well. It's absolutely insane to look at, for reference I looked up MJs stats from his 14th season:
      -60 games, 34.9 mpg, 41.6 FG%, 18.9 3P %, 5.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 22.9 points.

As far as comparing their 14th season, LeBron is blowing MJ out of the water. Breaking LeBron's numbers down into 3 categories, years 1-5, years 6-10, and years 11- 14 is even more impressive

Years 1-5 Averages: 78 games, 41 mpg, 46 FG%, 32 3P%, 6.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 27.4 points
Years 6-10 Averages: 75 games, 38 mpg, 51.9 FG%, 35.5 3P%,  7.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 27.7 points
Years 11-14 Averages: 74 games, 37 mpg, 53.1 FG%, 35.2 3%, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 26 points

Those are just his regular season numbers, he has been in the playoffs every year since 05-06 which adds up to 217 games and he averages 42.1 mpg. After looking at all these stats I would put LeBron's android percentage at 72%. It's incredible what he has been able to do and we may never see anything like it. (A hint for his fictional character comparison: she is from one of the most popular TV shows and has been going for 14 seasons.)

Injury History & Composure
Athletes get injured, it's just a fact, and most guys suffer a major injury that can ruin a whole season or parts of a season. In the NBA it's almost guaranteed that you will suffer a major knee or ankle injury, it's just part of the sport. Once again this "fact" doesn't apply to LeBron James, he has never suffered a major injury. Sure he has missed games here and there with pulled muscles or just to rest but can you blame the guy? He's played in a total of 1,107 regular season games and 217 playoff games. The NBA season is 82 games long and the least amount of games LeBron has played is 62, every other season he is in the 70s and 80s for games played. Even Jordan suffered a major injury in 85-86 when he only played in 18 total games after breaking his foot. In my opinion LeBron has only made one major mistake in his career off the court and that was his choice to televise "The Decision" where he chose to leave the Cavs and join the Miami Heat. He has since come out and said that was a mistake and he would do it differently if he could. Sure he goes on social media and everyone dissects everything he posts but every athlete is on social media and who knows what is going through their minds. LeBron has never had issues with the law off the court and on the court he has only been ejected from a game once. ONCE! That is crazy for a guy who is constantly getting the other teams best and is usually getting hacked all over the court. He was anointed "The Chosen One" as a kid and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in February 2002 when he was a high school kid. He didn't start the comparisons to Jordan so you can't blame him for that either. How many celebrities that have been in the spotlight for that long have had multiple incidents in society? LeBron seems like a great family man as he is always talking about his sons and attending their games. For this category I am 100% thinking LeBron is an android, you just don't see people in the spotlight this long with a clean record like he has. (Hint #2: Onscreen she is the biggest person on the show but, like LeBron, you never hear from her off screen.)

Changed the NBA
Up until "the decision" LeBron had some of the worst teams in Cleveland. In 06-07 he carried them to the NBA Finals with a team consisting of Shannon Brown, Daniel Gibson, Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes (STL reppin'), Zydrunas Illgauskas, Eric Snow, and some other scrubs. Needless to say none of those guys played in the NBA for a long time or made lasting contributions. These were the types of teams LeBron had since he was drafted by Cleveland in 2003 and he finally got sick of it. He 2010 he made "The Decision" to join the Miami Heat and form the modern day super team with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. I know there were super teams before but this one felt different and changed the way of modern basketball for better or worse. In 2016, Kevin Durant joined the Warriors to compete against LeBron because he didn't believe he could win a title anywhere else. In today's NBA if you don't have multiple superstar players you don't stand much of a chance against the super teams (which sucks and needs to change, a little foreshadowing to a future blog topic). LeBron changed the NBA and really altered multiple player's career courses, KD joined the Warriors, D-Wade has more rings and left Miami, it was a snowball effect. People will always blame LeBron for joining Miami but can you blame him? He is compared to Jordan and just imagine if he never won a ring, there was no way he was going to win with what Cleveland was surrounding him with, absolutely no way. He would have been talked about like this, "He was one of the best players ever but he never won a ring" which is a dumb argument (which I wrote about previously check it out here). Comparing what Durant did to what LeBron did is a joke to, KD joined a team of Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and a good bench (and I don't blame KD either). LeBron joined a team of Wade, Bosh, and a bunch of old washed up guys. I don't know if you can put an android number on this section but he literally changed the way a league is played. (Final hint: She has had a revolving cast of characters around her and she carries the show to big ratings and is extremely successful)

So did you guess the fictional character I am comparing LeBron to? It is Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, on Grey's Anatomy. Before I dig to deep and start comparing them, I have never really watched the show but my wife loves it and tells me all about it and I have been in the same room when she watches so I know a good amount about it. Also if you have not watched the entire show I will try not to spoil it but you have been warned. Pompeo has been on Grey's since 2005 and starred in 305 episodes. The show has been extremely successful since it started and is still one of the biggest shows on TV today. Multiple characters have been killed off of the show (or written out) but not Pompeo, she is one of 4 people to be in every single episode and really carries the show. The show is literally named after her character. Meredith does complicated surgeries and saves lives while LeBron did the impossible and brought a title to Cleveland. There are very few shows who have as long a run as Grey's has had or if they do go this long they lose their luster. This is not so with Grey's; my wife comes home every Thursday and it's the first thing she watches. I would have no idea who Ellen Pompeo is if it wasn't for Grey's Anatomy and you still never hear from her off screen (except for this awesome interview she gave to the Hollywood Reporter. Kind of like "The Decision" but definitely not a mistake). Pompeo just signed a new deal that makes her dramatic TVs highest earning actress and the show will go on "as long as she wants to do it" says Shonda Rimes, the show's creator. In 2015, Patrick Dempsey who played one of the biggest characters on the show, decided to leave which became a turning point for Pompeo. In previous negotiations Dempsey was used as leverage against Pompeo, "We don't need you, we have Patrick." But when Dempsey left, Pompeo realized she was the star and she controlled the shows future. Like LeBron she has made a significant impact and helped change the landscape for dramatic actresses.

Both LeBron and Pompeo have had incredible careers and who knows when they may end. One thing is for sure we need to cherish them while they are here because we may never see anything like either of them again.

Gaming United: The History of Grand Theft Auto and The Incredible Last Installment

My sister is back with another Gaming United segment, she covers one of the greatest video game franchises in history Grand Theft Auto. She gave a little background on each installment but mainly talks about Grand Theft Auto 5 and why she is still playing it. We hope you enjoy the post and share it with your friends and family!

Grand Theft Auto is an on going series that started in 1997 with the latest game, GTA V coming out in 2013. The series has gotten better and better with each new game by adding new pieces to every game and of course the graphics improving as well. If you don't know the basic principle of GTA you live under a rock and should get out more but I will give a little history on each game. I have only played GTA V so I will mainly talk about it.

Grand Theft Auto came out in 1997 and was developed by DMA Design for the PlayStation 1, PC, and GameBoy Color. The game had an overhead 2 dimensional look with an open world style which was a huge development for the game. (Open world means you are no confined to an area or have to complete the game in a linear fashion, you are able to explore the game without restrictions) There were multiple levels which were split between 3 cities, the ultimate objective was to reach a target number of points to advance to the next level. The game had 8 playable characters (PlayStation only had 4) and you had a limited number of lives for each level. If you died before you reached the target point total you restarted, there was also no save feature until you completed the level. Starting with the first game there were cheat codes you could input into the game to level up, get unlimited points, upgrade weapons, and so on. 

GTA 2 come out in '99 and was again developed by DMA Design for PS1, Sega Dreamcast, PC, and GameBoy Color. It still had the overhead 2D look and had multiple levels of districts. GTA 2 introduced a key component for the series, it had one single character you played as Claude Speed. The ultimate objective was still the same as the first game but it allowed you to save at any point during the game. GTA 2 saw a big improvement on city activity, vehicles and city people actually played a role and interacted with their surroundings. Another big addition was you now earned a wanted level for committing crimes around the city, meaning the police force would be aware of what you are doing and try to stop you. The higher your wanted level the more force the police would use to stop you. It also introduced side missions, you could now become a taxi driver or bus driver or even a semi truck driver. 

GTA 3 came out in 2001 along with the next generation systems, PlayStation 2, XBOX, PC and was available on mobile devices. It was developed by DMA Design and included two of the biggest breakthroughs for the series, it introduced the third person perspective along with a much bigger and expansive open world map. The game was set in Liberty City (based off New York City) and we are reunited with Claude Speed from GTA 2. With the bigger map the story mode was much bigger and in-depth along with the side missions. It was received with critical acclaim and controversy based on the violence and sexual content of the game. These are two sticking points for the GTA series as a whole, they are always some of the biggest games but are also very controversial. 

Grand Theft Auto:Vice City came out in 2002 and saw a new developer, Rockstar make the game which would be a common theme for the next three games. It was once again released on PS2, XBOX, PC, and mobile devices. You played as Tommy Vercetti in Vice City which was based off Miami and 1980s Miami more specifically. It once again was a third person, open world game that included a story mode and side missions. However the "world" was expanded exponentially, for example you could now purchase properties to help earn money and make the game more realistic. 

GTA: San Andreas was released in 2004 by Rockstar on PS2, PS3, XBOX, XBOX 360, PC, and mobile devices. You played as Carl "CJ" Johnson as he explored San Andreas which was based off of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. San Andreas is hailed as one of the greatest video games ever and expanded on the already great GTA franchise. It introduced so many staples of what we think GTA should have, swimming, character customization including clothing, accessories, haircuts, jewelry, and tattoos. Playing as CJ you had to make sure you ate and exercised to keep your character progressing. It was only three years in-between GTA 3 and San Andreas but the developers included 250 vehicles in San Andreas which you could modify versus only 60 in GTA 3. Everyone looks at this installment to where GTA really expanded and became one of the greatest franchises of all time. 

Rockstar took a four year break in-between San Andreas and GTA 4 which came out in 2008 on PS3, XBOX 360, and PC. It went back to Liberty City and followed the story of Niko Bellic. Once again it was a third person, open world game with a story mode and side missions. However it also added another major mode, it introduced online multiplayer which included both cooperative and competitive modes. Rockstar is one of the most intelligent game developers and with smartphones being a major part of everyday life they included that in GTA 4. The smartphone could be used to start activities and contact friends to hang out. 

The last installment of Grand Theft Auto was released by Rockstar in 2013. It was released on PS3, PS4, XBOX 360, XBOX 1, and PC. GTA V broke the industry sales records, it recorded sales over $1 billion in three days. It is set in Los Santos, which is basically Los Angeles and followed three main characters, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. Of course it is an open world, third or first person game with a story and side missions. It also has a huge online multiplayer which can include 30 players working together or against each other. GTA V looked at all the previous titles and took everything that worked for them and put it in one unbelievable game. Let's take a look at why this game is so successful and why five years later millions of people are still playing.

Although the story mode is great, the online mode is the preferred one for many gamers. Online mode for GTA is where you can play with other players in a lobby doing whatever you want. You can fight with each other, do missions or races, and ever start up a business or motorcycle club to do earn money. You also get to customize your characters looks and what their name is. You can change the hair, eye color, and ever add face paint to stand out among other players. I still play GTA everyday along with a bunch of my online friends. Mostly we like to mess around and cause mayhem around Los Santos with other but other times we will do missions so we can all earn money. You can purchase some really awesome stuff with the money you earn, you can buy cars, houses, clothes, and properties. A really cool example is the Deluxo, which is a flying car very similar to the Delorean from Back to the Future. Rockstar is always updating the game and adding new missions, story lines, races, clothes, and so on. Personally I prefer races over missions but a popular mission is a mode called Slashers. In this game there are two teams, the hunter and the killers or slashers. Both teams try to kill each other but the hunter only get a flashlight while the slashers get a shotgun and a machete. However, every sixty seconds the teams switch sides until one is eliminated. 

The game has been out since 2013 and is still widely played as this past December saw more players in GTA online then ever before. Although it can have its bad moments, like when the Rockstar servers are down, overall it is a fantastic game. I would strongly recommend this game and hopefully the rumors of GTA 6 are true!!

The Disappearance of Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy was one of the biggest stars on the planet in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s but where has he been since then? I wanted to take a look at his fantastic career and try to find out where he went.

Eddie Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1961 to his parents Charles and Lillian. His father was a New York City police officer and amateur comedian, and his mother was a telephone operator. He also had an older brother, Charlie (who was hilarious and just recently passed away, R.I.P Charlie Murphy). When Murphy was young he watched a lot of TV and grew the knack of impersonations, doing some of his favorite childhood characters like Sylvester, Bugs Bunny, and Bullwinkle. At age 15 he entered the talent show at his school and wowed the crowd with his impression of Al Green. With the success of his impersonations he began working on stand up routines after school and started doing stand up at local bars and comedy clubs. When he graduated high school he was named the most popular kid and chose his profession: comedian.

He continued working on his stand up routines and started making his way into some of the top New York comedy clubs. Some of his early influences were Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Red Foxx, and Robin Williams. In 1980, Murphy learned that Saturday Night Live was holding auditions; he auditioned six times and eventually got a job as an extra. One night SNL realized they had four minutes of airtime with no material so they had Murphy do his stand up routine and his life was never the same after. He worked on SNL from 1980-1984 and has some of the most memorable characters of all time that include some great impersonations like Buckwheat, James Brown, and Stevie Wonder and some original characters including Gumby and Mister Robinson. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked all 145 SNL cast members and they ranked Murphy second behind the great John Belushi.

While Murphy was on SNL he released three stand up comedy specials, Eddie Murphy: Comedian which won the 1984 Grammy for Best Comedy, Eddie Murphy Delirious in 1983 filmed in Washington D.C., and Eddie Murphy Raw in 1987. Delirious is probably one of the raunchiest and most un-politically correct things you can watch, but it is absolutely hilarious. My Dad showed me this for the first time and I will never forget both of us laughing our asses off and crying from laughing so hard. Because Delirious was so popular, Raw got a wide theatrical release and grossed over $50 million. It is still the #1 stand up film of all time at the box office and at the time it set the record for highest "fuck count", passing Scarface (which was later passed by Goodfellas). Russell Brand, Dave Chappelle, and Chris Rock has named Murphy as a big influence for their material.

Starting in 1982, Murphy's IMDB list is awesome with him starring alongside Nick Nolte in 48 Hours, which is a great movie and still one of my favorites. He followed that up with Trading Places in 1983 opposite another great SNL alum, Dan Akroyd, which led to a $25 million contract for six movies for Murphy. In '84 he starred in arguably his biggest and best film, Beverly Hills Cop that hit #9 on the all-time box office list and earned Murphy a Golden Globe nomination. (apparently Sylvester Stallone was the first choice for this movie.....wow what a different movie that would have been) Murphy worked with Rick James to produce his first album, "How Could it Be?", with the classic Party All the Time that hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. '86-89 saw Golden Child, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Coming to America, and Harlem Nights come to theaters starring Murphy. Outside of Coming to America, which grossed more then $128 million, the other three movies were not some of his best work. From 1990-96 saw another lull in box office hits but he broke back on the scene in a big way with Nutty Professor. This is one of his biggest roles and earned him another Golden Globe nomination. Crazy to think that this movie came out 20 years ago... we were just quoting it on Christmas this year.

The late 90s and early 2000s saw Murphy do some roles he had never done before; he did a few kids and animated movies. He did Mulan and Dr. Doolittle in '98 followed by Dr. Doolittle 2 and Shrek in 2001. Donkey from Shrek might be Murphy's most notable role, everyone knows he plays that part and he plays it well. In between those kid-type movies he did Nutty Professor 2 where he played all six leading roles, which was hilarious to see him play an old man and two women. Another movie I love is Daddy Day Care which came out in 2001 followed by Shrek 2 in 2004. Murphy won his only Golden Globe for his role in Dreamgirls and he also earned an Oscar nomination. Dreamgirls is a really fantastic movie and I think it is extremely underrated now. Since 2006, Murphy has been in a few movies here and there but nothing of notable success. (One point about his awards and nominations, he won the 1988 Kids' Choice Award for his role in......Beverly Hills Cop 2........I had no idea this was a kids' movie but, hey, good for you, Eddie.) So where is Murphy and what has he been doing?

Unfortunately, I am not good friends with Eddie Murphy and don't have any access to his life. But he was such a huge star starting with his stand up in high school and running through his movie career into the 2000s. Normally major stars fade away because of some off-screen incident or a run of horrible movies, which Murphy really has not had. Sure he has had a few bad movies but most actors and actresses do, it's just something that happens over a career. The way I see it, there are two options to what Murphy wanted to do: he may have just decided to retire and spend time with his family which is absolutely possible, but you don't see many high profile actors go that route, or did he begin to realize that the acting and comedy world was changing and his material was not as funny as it used to be? I have not seen Dave Chappelle's latest Netflix specials, but from what I have heard is that they just are not as funny as they used to be. I heard it is pretty vulgar (which is cool) but a lot of the material is simply not funny and extremely controversial. Whatever route Murphy took I am glad we didn't have to witness 5 or 6 really bad movies and watch him fade away. For me, he will go down as one of the funniest and biggest movie actors of all time.